Chapter 53: Mysterious Relic

Deep within the relic, the darkness was like thick ink, devouring all light.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue stepped into it cautiously, every step like walking on the tip of a knife, careful and not daring to make the slightest sound.

The air was filled with an ancient and mysterious aura, making one's hair stand on end.

"This place, it's gloomy, just like my ex." Ji Chen lowered his voice, trying to use a joke to ease the tense atmosphere.

Ceng Yue glanced at him without responding, energy surging in her hands, ready at any moment to deal with sudden danger.

The surrounding darkness seemed like a living thing, constantly squeezing their nerves, making it hard to breathe.

Ji Chen felt his heartbeat like a drum, deafening, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his palms.

"This atmosphere, it's the best! More tense than my first blind date." Ji Chen swallowed, feeling a chill down his back.

They moved slowly along the narrow passage, the walls on both sides carved with strange patterns that looked particularly eerie in the faint light.

"These patterns, they aren't some kind of death flag, are they?" Ji Chen couldn't help but complain.

Suddenly, a stone gate appeared ahead, blocking their path.

The stone gate was covered with complex patterns, radiating faint energy fluctuations.

"Looks like we have to use our brains." Ji Chen rubbed his hands, preparing to crack the mechanism.

They observed the patterns on the stone gate carefully, trying to find the rules within them.

Time ticked by, second by second, and the tense atmosphere in the air grew increasingly intense.

"This mechanism, it's harder to understand than my mother-in-law's face." Ji Chen scratched his head, looking helpless.

Ceng Yue ignored his complaints, her gaze fixed tightly on the patterns on the stone gate, seemingly having discovered something.

She reached out and touched one of the patterns lightly.

"Wait..." As soon as Ceng Yue's finger touched the pattern, a dazzling ray of light shot out from the stone gate, its speed astonishingly fast.

Ji Chen was quick-witted and pulled Ceng Yue away, but the light still grazed her arm, leaving a shallow wound.

"Holy crap! This mechanism is way too insidious!" Ji Chen looked at the wound on Ceng Yue's arm, feeling heartbroken. "Does it hurt? Good thing I reacted fast, otherwise that arm of yours would be gone."

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

"Still saying you're fine, you're bleeding!" Ji Chen hurriedly took out a potion from his backpack and carefully applied it to Ceng Yue's wound. "This is my treasured healing medicine; the effect is top-notch, guaranteed to have you jumping around tomorrow."

Just then, the surrounding walls suddenly began to move, emitting a loud rumbling sound, and more mechanisms emerged from all directions—sharp blades, flying hidden weapons, gushing flames...

Attacking them like a tide.

"Holy crap! Is this relic alive? Why does it come with automatic upgrades?" Ji Chen complained while dodging the mechanism's attacks.

The mechanism's attacks grew increasingly dense, and the oppressive atmosphere reached its peak; they felt they were trapped in a desperate situation.

"What do we do? If this continues, we'll be worn out sooner or later!" Ceng Yue's tone also carried a hint of anxiety.

Ji Chen's gaze scanned the surrounding mechanisms quickly, his brain working at high speed, trying to find the rules within them.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and a confident smile curled on his lips. "I know!"

He moved quickly to a specific position, his hands forming seals rapidly, and a powerful energy fluctuation radiated from his body.

The surrounding mechanisms seemed to be under some kind of control, the frequency of their attacks gradually decreasing until they stopped operating completely.

"Phew... finally got it done." Ji Chen let out a long breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Ceng Yue looked at Ji Chen, her eyes filled with admiration. "You're really amazing!"

Ji Chen smiled smugly. "Of course, don't look at who I am."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and a deafening roar came from afar...

"What is that sound?" Ji Chen's expression changed. "It couldn't be..."

The deafening roar grew closer, and the ground shook even more violently.

They saw a massive giant beast rush out from deep within the passage, its entire body covered in hard scales that flashed with a metallic luster.

It opened its bloody mouth, revealing sharp fangs, and a fishy stench rushed toward them.

"Holy crap! What is this thing? A distant relative of Godzilla?" Ji Chen couldn't help but complain, but his movements were not slow at all, energy surging as he prepared for battle.

The giant beast emitted a heaven-shaking roar, waving its massive claws as it pounced toward them.

Its speed was astonishing, bringing up a wild wind, and the surrounding walls were shaken to the point of collapse.

"Careful!" Ji Chen pulled Ceng Yue behind him, bearing the giant beast's attack alone.

He felt a massive force impact his body, his internal organs feeling as if they had shifted, and a fishy sweetness surged in his throat.

"Ji Chen!" Seeing this, Ceng Yue was anxious and burning with worry.

Her eyes were full of love and worry, and an unprecedented power erupted from within her body.

The surrounding air seemed to solidify, and a thick aura of love permeated, as if it were about to melt everything.

"How dare you hurt him!" Ceng Yue's voice was cold and filled with murderous intent.

The energy in her hands surged, turning into sharp attacks that poured down on the giant beast like a storm.

The giant beast emitted a painful wail, its massive body actually being forced back several steps.

It seemed to sense Ceng Yue's anger and power.

Seeing this, Ji Chen also hurriedly joined the battle.

He endured the pain in his body, pushing his own supernatural energy to the limit, fighting side by side with Ceng Yue.

Under their joint attack, the giant beast gradually failed, finally falling to the ground with a roar of unwillingness.

"Phew... finally got it done." Ji Chen let out a long breath, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Are you okay?" Ceng Yue hurriedly ran to Ji Chen's side, asking with concern.

"Fine, won't die." Ji Chen smiled, pretending to be calm.

They continued to walk forward, and at the end of the passage appeared a massive energy barrier, flashing with dazzling light.

Behind the barrier seemed to be hidden the core secret of the relic, making one want to explore it.

"Looks like the real challenge has just begun..." Ji Chen looked at the energy barrier before him, muttering to himself.

"Let's do it together..." Ceng Yue gripped Ji Chen's hand tightly. ===== CHAPTER 54 =====