Chapter 50: A Dangerous Encounter

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue walked side by side, their steps steady but carrying a hint of imperceptible urgency.

The surrounding air seemed to have been emptied, solidifying into an invisible wall that pressed down so hard it was hard to breathe.

That eerie silence was like the calm before a storm, casting a shadow over their hearts.

"This voice, it's got something to it." Ji Chen broke the silence, his voice carrying a hint of solemnity.

He could clearly feel the dangerous aura permeating the air, a sense of pressure far exceeding anything in the past.

"Hmm." Ceng Yue was sparing with her words, but her eyes became incomparably sharp, like a drawn sword, ready at any moment to cut through any obstacles.

The two moved one after the other, weaving through the winding passage.

Suddenly, a faint cracking sound came from under their feet.

Ji Chen was quick-witted and grabbed Ceng Yue, barely avoiding the abyss that suddenly appeared on the ground.

The bottomless darkness was like a monster with its bloody mouth wide open, ready to devour everything at any moment.

"Holy crap, playing dirty, are we?" Ji Chen couldn't help but curse; this was definitely intentional, the malice overflowing as if it were about to spill off the screen.

He mobilized his supernatural energy, his eyes flashing with dazzling light, trying to see the path ahead clearly.

However, the path ahead was even more bizarre; countless twisted characters appeared on the walls, like ghosts dancing, making one's scalp tingle.

"This... is this a high-level math exam?" Ji Chen felt like he had returned to the college entrance exam hall, his head buzzing.

"Don't just stand there, solve the problem!" Ceng Yue said coldly, her tone carrying a hint of impatience.

Ji Chen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and began to study the characters on the wall seriously.

These characters were like some kind of ancient runes, radiating a mysterious aura.

He racked his brains, trying hard to recall the knowledge he had learned, attempting to find clues within them.

Time ticked by, and the pressure all around grew greater.

It felt as if a pair of invisible giant hands were tightly gripping their throats, making them feel suffocated.

Cold sweat slid down Ji Chen's forehead; he felt like his brain cells were about to crash.

Just as he felt he was about to collapse, Ceng Yue suddenly stepped forward, pointing to a rune on the wall and saying, "This one is the key."

Ji Chen's eyes widened instantly, as if he had been enlightened, suddenly understanding.

"Damn, so that's how it is; this question is way too insidious!"

He took a deep breath and, following Ceng Yue's hint, arranged and combined the runes.

As he operated, the characters on the wall began to move slowly, emitting "click-clack" sounds, as if a mechanism had been triggered.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to shake, and the entire passage swayed.

"It's coming!" Ji Chen's heart tightened, and he hurriedly looked at Ceng Yue, who was currently focused intently on the ground.

"Crack—" With a crisp sound, a mechanism hidden in the ground was accidentally triggered by Ceng Yue, and the ground beneath their feet began to sink slowly...

The ground collapsed, and Ji Chen and Ceng Yue fell rapidly.

The wild wind whistled into their eardrums, emitting a sharp hiss.

The sensation of weightlessness made their stomachs churn, as if their internal organs were about to be thrown out.

"Holy crap, what kind of pitfall mechanism is this!" Ji Chen shouted, subconsciously shielding Ceng Yue in his arms.

With a loud bang, the two landed heavily on the cold ground.

A sharp pain instantly spread through his entire body; Ji Chen felt as if he had fallen apart.

He struggled to climb up, only to find he had no strength at all.

"Ceng Yue, are you okay?" Ji Chen asked anxiously, his voice carrying a hint of trembling.

"I'm fine." Ceng Yue's voice was very low, carrying a hint of pain.

Only then did Ji Chen notice that a trace of blood was spilling from the corner of Ceng Yue's mouth, her face as pale as paper.

"Damn it!" Ji Chen's heart sank, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.

He endured the sharp pain, helped Ceng Yue up, and leaned her against the wall to the side.

Just then, a powerful energy fluctuation came from all around, surging toward them like a tide.

"Not good!" Ji Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly shielded Ceng Yue behind him.

The energy impacted them, and Ji Chen felt as if he had been hit by a high-speed train, his internal organs nearly shifting out of place.

He gritted his teeth, mobilizing all his supernatural energy to form a barrier, resisting the energy's impact.

"Ah!"

With a scream, Ji Chen's barrier was shattered by the energy, and he flew backward, slamming heavily into the ground.

"Ji Chen!" Ceng Yue exclaimed, struggling to climb up, only to find she had no strength at all.

The surrounding energy grew stronger, as if it were about to devour them.

Ji Chen felt he had fallen into a desperate situation; was it going to end like this?

He wasn't reconciled!

He still had many things to do, and he still had to protect Ceng Yue!

A powerful willpower surged from the bottom of his heart, and Ji Chen's eyes burst with dazzling light.

"Break for me!"

He roared, his entire body's supernatural energy surging crazily, forming a dazzling pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.

Rumble!

With a loud bang, the surrounding energy was scattered by the pillar of light, revealing an exit.

Ji Chen struggled to stand up, grabbed Ceng Yue, and rushed toward the exit.

"Hold on to me!"

The two rushed out of the exit, and the view suddenly opened up.

However, before they could even catch their breath, a cold voice suddenly sounded:

"You won't be able to run..."

The two had just rushed out of the exit and hadn't even had time to catch their breath when they were stunned by the scene before them.

They saw a group of enemies wearing black robes, their bodies radiating powerful energy fluctuations, staring at them like a pack of hungry wolves waiting for their prey to take the bait.

"Holy crap, playing an ambush, are we?" Ji Chen cursed inwardly; the strength of this group was definitely not comparable to the small fries they had encountered before.

"Be careful, they aren't simple." Ceng Yue's voice remained cold, but her tone carried a hint of solemnity; she could feel the dangerous aura radiating from this group of enemies.

The enemies didn't give them much time to react, launching an attack directly.

Various colored energy beams attacked the two like raindrops, and the air was filled with a pungent burnt smell.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue stood back-to-back, coordinating tacitly, dodging the enemies' attacks.

The energy impacts exploded in the surrounding space, emitting deafening roars, as if the entire space were about to be torn apart.

"These guys, they coordinate quite well!" Ji Chen analyzed the battle situation while dodging the enemies' attacks.

He discovered that these enemies were not only powerful but also coordinated seamlessly; trying to go head-to-head probably wasn't a wise move.

"Can't fight them head-on, need to think of a way!" Ji Chen's eyes narrowed, and he had an idea in his heart.

He deliberately slowed down his dodging speed, letting the enemies think he was struggling, revealing a flaw.

"The opportunity is here!" Ji Chen's lips curled slightly, revealing a cunning smile.

He suddenly accelerated, circled behind the enemies, and threw a punch at the enemy in the very front.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, that unlucky guy was sent flying directly, knocking down a whole row of black-robed people.

"What?"

The remaining enemies were completely confused; they had never expected that Ji Chen, who had just looked like he was about to be beaten down, would suddenly erupt with such powerful strength.

"Hehe, fell for it, didn't you?" Ji Chen clapped his hands, looking smug, like a cat that had stolen some fish.

He knew these guys had already lost their footing, and now was the time to harvest heads.

Ceng Yue watched Ji Chen's flashy operation, her lips twitching slightly, but she also seized the opportunity to begin counterattacking the enemies, coordinating tacitly, like a blade, breaking the enemies one by one.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

A series of explosions sounded, and the black-robed people fell to the ground one after another, emitting painful groans.

Having dealt with these enemies, Ji Chen and Ceng Yue looked at each other, both seeing a hint of solemnity in the other's eyes.

They had finally reached the source of the mysterious voice, only to see a massive conspiracy, a conspiracy capable of overturning the entire city.

Ceng Yue's face turned pale instantly, and her usually cold face also revealed a look of terror.

Ji Chen's expression was equally bad; he clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"This..." Ji Chen spat out a single word with difficulty. ===== CHAPTER 51 =====