Chapter 281: Exploring the runes

In the sky, that mysterious rune still flickered with strange light, like a giant eye, coldly watching everything in the world.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue stood in place, looking up at this unknown symbol, their hearts full of doubt and unease.

"This thing... just looking at it makes me shudder." Ji Chen couldn't help but mutter, subconsciously gripping Ceng Yue's hand tighter.

Ceng Yue didn't speak, just nodded slightly, indicating agreement.

A rare gravity appeared on her cold, thin face; clearly, she also felt the oppression brought by this rune.

An inexplicable fear surged like a tide, tightly surrounding them.

The surrounding air seemed to have frozen, so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Ji Chen's brows locked, secretly thinking: "This rune... what the hell is it?"

"Let's go, go take a look." Ji Chen pulled Ceng Yue's hand, took a step, and walked toward the direction of the rune.

However, they had only taken a few steps when they felt an invisible force coming toward them, rebounding them heavily.

"Holy crap!" Ji Chen exclaimed, falling heavily to the ground, feeling his internal organs shift, as if hit by a high-speed truck.

Ceng Yue wasn't much better; although she reacted quickly and stabilized her figure in time, she was also shaken by this force, her blood surging, her face pale.

"This... what kind of power is this?" Ji Chen struggled to crawl up from the ground, patting the dust off his body, his face full of disbelief.

He mobilized the ability within his body, trying to approach the rune again; however, the result was the same.

"Bang!"

Another muffled sound, Ji Chen was sent flying again, falling into a mess.

"Damn it!" Ji Chen's anger surged, a sense of unwillingness rising in his heart.

This rune was like an insurmountable mountain blocking their path.

He took a deep breath, his gaze gradually becoming firm. "I don't believe it..."

Ji Chen rubbed his sore butt, a stubborn streak surging in his heart.

He was the one who was going to become the strongest ability user in this city, how could he be scared by this mere broken rune?

He took a deep breath, his legs slightly bent, ready to strike like a leopard.

"It's just a broken rune! Today, I'm going to take you down!" Ji Chen roared in a low voice, the ability in his body spraying out like a volcanic eruption, wrapping his body in a layer of dazzling light.

He rushed toward that mysterious rune again; this time, he didn't rush recklessly, but concentrated all his ability on his legs, trying to use this to resist that invisible force.

Another muffled sound, but this time, Ji Chen wasn't sent flying.

He felt a powerful resistance, as if an invisible wall were blocking his front, but the ability in his body was as tough as steel, hard-headedly holding up against this resistance.

He gritted his teeth, kicked off with his legs, his body like an arrow off a bow, swooshing through that invisible force.

"Hahaha! I succeeded!" Ji Chen stood firmly under the rune, laughing proudly, the sense of pride in his heart surging like a tide.

He felt the surrounding air become fresher, and the originally suffocating atmosphere dissipated by more than half.

He clapped his hands, looking at Ceng Yue beside him with a cocky expression, just about to say something, when he saw Ceng Yue's face become even paler, her eyes fixed on the rune above his head.

Ji Chen's heart skipped a beat, an ominous premonition surging in his heart.

He slowly raised his head, looking at the rune above his head.

He saw the light flickering from that rune become even more intense, like a dormant beast revealing its fangs.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound entered Ji Chen's ears; immediately after, a powerful energy wave was released from the rune, like a giant net, instantly shrouding his entire body.

Ji Chen felt the ability within his body being tightly gripped by an invisible giant hand, its operation becoming exceptionally difficult.

"Holy crap! What the hell is this?" Ji Chen exclaimed in his heart; he wanted to mobilize his ability to counterattack, only to find the power within his body stuck in a quagmire, unable to move.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, a strong sense of oppression like a giant mountain pressing on his shoulders, making it almost impossible to breathe.

He had never felt such powerlessness; he gritted his teeth, trying hard to resist this powerful energy, wanting to break free from the restraint, but felt it becoming increasingly difficult.

He struggled to raise his hand, wanting to touch that mysterious rune to see what it was.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the rune, the rune flickered again, releasing an even more intense energy wave, tightly wrapping Ji Chen's body.

"Damn it!" Ji Chen roared in his heart, but was helpless.

His body was bound by the rune's power, feeling as if the bones in his body were about to be crushed.

His face flushed red, his chest feeling as if a giant rock were pressing on it, breathing becoming incredibly difficult.

He felt his power being swallowed bit by bit, feeling anxious.

Suddenly, he felt his body being tightly hugged by a warm force.

Ceng Yue ran to Ji Chen's side, hugging him tightly.

Ceng Yue's appearance was like a gentle light, dispelling the fear in Ji Chen's heart.

She hugged Ji Chen tightly, that familiar body temperature making him feel a trace of long-lost peace.

In this life-and-death moment, Ceng Yue's action was undoubtedly the best comfort; he could feel the deep love hidden under her cold appearance.

"You... how did you..." Ji Chen opened his mouth with difficulty, his voice somewhat trembling.

Ceng Yue didn't speak, just hugged him even tighter, as if wanting to merge him into her own body.

"Boom!"

Beams of energy light, like lasers, shot out from the rune, pointing directly at Ji Chen and Ceng Yue.

These energy beams contained powerful force, the air being shaken to emit ear-piercing explosions.

"Careful!" Ji Chen roared, pulling Ceng Yue behind him, his ability exploding again, forming an energy shield to block the rune's attack.

"Bang bang bang!"

Dense collision sounds continued to come; the energy shield was shaking precariously, as if it could shatter at any moment.

Ji Chen gritted his teeth, concentrating all his power on the shield, trying to block this fierce attack.

At the same time, he was also quickly thinking of countermeasures; he didn't want to explain himself here so unclearly.

His eyes turned, discovering that these energy beams seemed to have a certain pattern; they weren't indiscriminate attacks, but shot in a specific direction.

"I understand!" Ji Chen's heart moved; he curled his mouth slightly, revealing an evil, charming smile.

His figure swayed like a phantom, weaving through the dense energy beams, dodging attacks while also looking for the rune's weakness.

He dodged left and right, his body slippery like a loach; those energy beams flew past his body, emitting bursts of whistling sounds, making one's heart race.

"Holy crap! This kid's footwork is okay!" Ji Chen secretly gave himself a thumbs up in his heart.

Suddenly, he discovered that the center of the rune seemed to have a weak point in energy.

He kicked off with his legs, like an arrow off a bow, rushing toward that weak point.

"It's now!"

Ji Chen roared, concentrating all his ability on his fist, smashing heavily toward that weak point.

With a loud bang, like a thunderclap, it exploded in the air.

The rune's energy fluctuations became chaotic, and those originally dense energy beams became sparse.

"Success!" Ji Chen smiled proudly, the pressure on his body suddenly easing.

He turned to look at Ceng Yue, only to see her also revealing a rare smile.

However, just as the two had breathed a sigh of relief, the rune flickered again, the light even more dazzling than before, and an even more powerful force was released from within.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue looked at each other, seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

The secret behind this rune seemed to hide even greater danger.

Ji Chen slowly reached out, gently stroking the surface of the rune; the cold touch from his fingertips made a trace of unease rise in his heart. ===== CHAPTER 282 =====