Chapter 4: The Wind and Clouds Rise, Crisis Quietly Approaches

Ji Chen looked around, but there was no one. The voice seemed to appear out of thin air and then disappear instantly, leaving no trace to follow.

"What is this? A challenge letter?" Ceng Yue's eyes also turned cold, her originally affectionate eyes now like a deep, bottomless cold pool, exuding a biting cold light.

"The game has only just begun..." Her voice was low and magnetic, yet carried an unquestionable deterrent power.

The two didn't speak again; they both understood that silence at this moment was more powerful than any words.

They began to inquire everywhere about news of this mysterious faction, but the people around seemed to be tight-lipped about it. Once they heard related topics, they were like frightened birds, avoiding them.

"Buddy, can I ask you something?" Ji Chen tried to fish for information from an uncle setting up a stall by the road.

Upon hearing Ji Chen's question, the uncle's face turned pale instantly, as if he had seen a ghost, waving his hands repeatedly, muttering: "Don't know, don't know, don't ask me, I don't know anything." After saying this, he hurriedly packed up his stall and fled in a panic.

This further intensified the anxiety of Ji Chen and Ceng Yue, as if an invisible net was slowly tightening, making them unable to breathe.

The air was filled with a suffocating atmosphere.

"We can't be so passive anymore." A hint of determination flashed in Ji Chen's eyes. "We must take the initiative and root out these pests hiding in the dark!"

Ceng Yue nodded, indicating her agreement.

She was never one to sit and wait for death; rather than being passively beaten, it was better to take the initiative and hold the initiative in her own hands.

The two began to search for clues in a planned way.

They shuttled through every corner of the city, looking for traces, but always found nothing.

Just when they were feeling overwhelmed, an uninvited guest appeared before them.

It was a tall man exuding a cold aura, with a playful smile on his face, as if looking at two pathetic prey.

"Yo, you two, what are you looking for?" The man's voice carried a hint of mockery.

Ji Chen saw at a glance that the visitor was not well-intentioned. He suppressed the anger in his heart, trying his best to remain calm.

"Who we are looking for has nothing to do with you, right?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, don't be so unfriendly." The man spread his hands, looking slovenly. "I advise you, don't waste your efforts anymore. Some things are not for you to interfere with."

The opponent's arrogant attitude completely enraged Ji Chen. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles making a clacking sound, the anger in his eyes almost erupting.

"Who are you?"

Ceng Yue was also enraged by the opponent's attitude. She clenched her fists tightly, preparing for battle.

The man looked at their angry expressions, the corners of his mouth hooking into an evil smile. Then, he snapped his fingers lightly.

After the snap, the surrounding scene changed instantly.

The originally bustling street disappeared, replaced by a barren desert.

The scorching sun baked the earth, and the air was filled with suffocating heat waves.

Ji Chen felt his mouth dry, his throat as uncomfortable as if it were on fire.

"Illusion?" Ceng Yue frowned, seeing through the man's trick at a glance.

The man smiled: "Little girl has good eyesight. But so what if you see through it? Can you escape?"

A wild wind suddenly blew in the desert, sand filling the sky, blocking out the sun.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue's vision was blocked by the sand, and they could see almost nothing.

The sound of ghosts crying and wolves howling came to their ears, making people's hair stand on end.

Various strange illusions appeared around them, including ferocious beasts baring their fangs and monsters with hideous faces. Ji Chen also saw the scene of the sea of blood where he had lost his relatives, and Ceng Yue saw the scene of herself being imprisoned in darkness.

These scenes made their hearts tremble, but Ji Chen quickly calmed down. He immediately judged that this was a specific type of illusion.

He mobilized the special energy in his body, which burned like fire, quickly burning toward the surrounding illusions. The flames were like surging waves, burning the surrounding illusions to nothing, while the flames also rushed toward the caster, and the man dodged in a panic.

Ceng Yue was not as calm as Ji Chen. After all, she was a woman and was still a bit afraid of these terrifying illusions.

When hit by an illusion and her body flew backward, her heart was filled with fear and unwillingness.

She remembered her experience of being bullied when she was young because she was weak, so she had always worked hard to become stronger, but now she almost failed in front of this kind of illusion, which made her very annoyed.

"Ceng Yue!" Ji Chen saw this, his heart shocked.

He couldn't care about anything else and hurriedly rushed over to help Ceng Yue up.

"I'm fine." Ceng Yue shook her head, her face a bit pale.

She silently told herself in her heart that she must become stronger and no longer be dominated by this kind of fear.

The man looked at the two, the corners of his mouth hooking into a cold smile: "Now, what other tricks do you have?"

Ji Chen didn't speak. He silently ran his supernatural ability, and a powerful energy surged in his body.

The surrounding air began to distort, as if something was about to break out of its shell.

Seeing this, the man's face changed greatly: "This... what is this?"

Ji Chen suddenly opened his eyes. He slowly raised his right hand, and an invisible energy gathered in his hand, forming a huge energy ball.

"Daring to play tricks in front of me, this is your end!" Ji Chen roared and slammed the energy ball in his hand toward the man.

Before the man could react, he was hit by the energy ball, his body instantly blown into pieces.

The surrounding illusions also disappeared, and everything returned to calm.

"Is that it?" Ji Chen clapped his hands, looking at the minced meat on the ground with disdain.

Suddenly, a cold voice came from afar: "Good kid, daring to touch my people, you're dead!"

The man's body, which had shattered into slag, lay on the ground like mud, and the air was filled with a burnt smell, also carrying a trace of meat fragrance, which was a bit intoxicating.

Ji Chen clapped his hands, looking disgusted, as if what he had just pinched to death was just an insignificant bug.

"Is that it? I thought you were very capable, daring to act tough in front of us?"

Ceng Yue also breathed a sigh of relief. The illusion just now did indeed put a lot of pressure on her, but now that the crisis was resolved, her iceberg face also rarely revealed a smile.

The surrounding environment returned to normal instantly, and the noisy street appeared before their eyes again.

The onlookers seemed to have just woken up from a dream, and they were all moved to tears. Some wanted to apprentice on the spot, treating Ji Chen as a hero who saved the city. Everyone applauded and cheered, and some even whistled. The atmosphere instantly became enthusiastic, as if they had watched a wonderful magic show.

"Young man, you are too amazing!" An aunt gave a thumbs up and praised enthusiastically, "It's a pity not to act in movies with these skills!"

Ji Chen grinned, enjoying everyone's praise, feeling beautiful in his heart.

He grabbed Ceng Yue's shoulder, and amidst the booing of the crowd, the two hugged each other tightly.

"You were great just now!" Ceng Yue leaned gently in Ji Chen's arms, her tone rarely gentle, like a wisp of spring breeze brushing across his heart.

Ji Chen gently stroked Ceng Yue's soft hair, feeling the temperature on her body, his heart filled with sweetness and satisfaction.

The surrounding world seemed to have disappeared, leaving only each other.

The air was filled with a warm atmosphere, making people intoxicated.

However, just at this short warm moment, Ji Chen's face suddenly changed. His keen perception detected unfriendly gazes coming from afar.

He followed the gaze and found that on the high-rise building in the distance, several black shadows were staring at them. Those shadows exuded a cold aura, making people shudder.

"Not good!" Ji Chen's heart tightened. He knew that the real crisis had just begun. He grabbed Ceng Yue's hand and pulled her to run into the crowd. ===== CHAPTER 5 =====