Chapter 280: Darkness

The moment they stepped into the darkness, a suffocating evil force surged like a tide, as if wanting to crush them.

This force carried a bone-chilling cold, eroding their skin and penetrating into their bone marrow.

The surrounding darkness was no longer pure lack of light, but more like a physical entity—sticky, heavy, carrying a nauseating fishy smell.

"Holy crap, what the hell!" Ji Chen cursed, subconsciously shielding Ceng Yue behind him.

Although Ceng Yue was cold and taciturn, she felt unprecedented oppression at this moment; she gripped Ji Chen's hand back, fingers interlocked, conveying silent firmness.

In the darkness, the evil force began to distort, hallucinating into the scenes they feared most deep in their hearts.

Ji Chen saw his once weak and helpless self, stepped on by an opponent, slaughtered at will.

Mockery and ridicule echoed in his ears, stinging his self-esteem like needles.

Ceng Yue saw a world without Ji Chen.

She stood alone on an empty street, everything silent, only the biting cold wind penetrating her body.

She reached out, wanting to grab something, but only grabbed emptiness.

That loneliness and despair deep into the bone marrow made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

"Chen... Chen..." Ceng Yue's voice trembled; she gripped Ji Chen's hand tightly, as if it were her only straw to save her life.

Ji Chen suddenly came to his senses, seeing Ceng Yue's painful expression, his heart tightening.

He understood that this evil force was attacking their hearts, trying to dismantle their will.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here!" Ji Chen's voice was firm and powerful; he pulled Ceng Yue tightly into his arms, warming her cold body with his own temperature.

"It's all an illusion, don't be deceived by it!"

However, the illusions in the darkness became more real, more terrifying.

Ji Chen saw his once failed self walking step by step toward the abyss; Ceng Yue saw a future without Ji Chen, gray and hopeless...

Their inner defenses were about to collapse; just then, Ji Chen felt Ceng Yue's fingers gently tracing in his palm...

Ceng Yue's fingers traced in Ji Chen's palm, not trembling, but stroke by stroke, as if writing.

Ji Chen was stunned; feeling those familiar strokes, a character emerged in his mind—"Love."

A warm current instantly surged through his entire body, the fear and despair in Ji Chen's heart melting like ice and snow.

He looked down at Ceng Yue in his arms; her face was pale, but her eyes flickered with firm and gentle light.

So, even as cold as she was, she would express her love in her own way.

At this moment, Ji Chen felt he was full of power.

He hugged Ceng Yue tightly and whispered in her ear: "I love you."

These three words seemed to carry magic, dispelling the surrounding darkness and fear.

A powerful energy exploded from Ji Chen's body, shining brightly, like a god descending.

His aura climbed step by step, the surrounding darkness forced back by this power, emitting "hissing" sounds, just like ice and snow meeting a raging fire.

That evil force was unwilling to fail, letting out a deafening roar, then like a giant black vortex, sweeping toward Ji Chen.

"Want to swallow me? Dream on!" Ji Chen sneered, sharp light flickering in his eyes.

He met it without fear, arms spread, as if wanting to embrace the entire world.

Giant pressure bore down on Ji Chen's body; he felt his bones creaking.

The dark force was like countless steel needles, stinging his skin, trying to drill into his body and swallow his soul.

"Chen!" Ceng Yue exclaimed; she could feel how immense the pressure Ji Chen was bearing was.

Ji Chen gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

He knew this was the final battle—either you die, or I die!

He used all his strength, concentrating all his power, resisting the erosion of the darkness.

Time seemed to have stopped; the entire space was left with only Ji Chen's heavy breathing and the roar of the dark force.

Suddenly, Ji Chen felt a powerful force surging from within his body; this force was warm and powerful, rapidly repairing his damaged body and constantly forcing back the dark force.

The light on his body became even more dazzling, illuminating the entire dark space.

"It's not over yet..." Ji Chen curled his mouth into a cold sneer, turning to look at Ceng Yue, "Help me out."

Ceng Yue didn't hesitate to transmit her ability energy to Ji Chen.

Her slender palms pressed against Ji Chen's back, a continuous stream of energy surging into his body like a trickling stream.

Her eyes were no longer cold, but full of trust and admiration, as if Ji Chen were her everything.

Feeling Ceng Yue's support, Ji Chen felt a warm current surge in his heart; his power became even more powerful, as if he could control the entire world.

"Come on, let's fight to the death!" Ji Chen roared to the sky, gathering all his power in his hands, forming a dazzling ball of light.

The ball of light emitted scorching light, illuminating the entire dark space, forcing the surrounding darkness into nowhere to hide.

The evil force was not to be outdone, letting out a deafening roar, condensing into a giant black vortex, swallowing toward Ji Chen.

"Boom!"

The ball of light collided with the black vortex; the entire dark space shook violently, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Light and darkness intertwined, forming a magnificent yet terrifying picture.

"Ah!" Ji Chen roared, pouring all his power into the ball of light.

The light of the ball became even more dazzling, like a star about to explode.

Finally, the ball of light broke through the obstruction of the black vortex, completely crushing the evil force.

The dark space instantly disappeared, replaced by brightness.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue stood in the light, enjoying the glory of victory.

"We won." Ceng Yue's voice trembled somewhat, but a rare smile appeared on her face.

"Yeah, we won." Ji Chen gently stroked Ceng Yue's hair, his heart full of joy and satisfaction.

However, just then, Ji Chen suddenly discovered a mysterious rune appearing in the sky.

The rune flickered with strange light, emitting an unsettling aura.

"What is that?" Ji Chen pointed at the rune in the sky, a sense of ominous premonition rising in his heart.

Ceng Yue also looked up, her face instantly becoming grave.

"Don't know..." Ceng Yue shook her head.

Ji Chen gripped Ceng Yue's hand tightly, secretly thinking: "New challenges are coming..."

"Looks like our battle hasn't ended yet..." Ji Chen looked at the rune in the sky, his gaze gradually becoming firm. ===== CHAPTER 281 =====