Chapter 79

The clamor of victory echoed in his ears, surging in like a tide, but was automatically filtered out by Ji Chen.

His entire attention was focused on that trace of strange energy fluctuation; the feeling was like eating a hot and spicy pot and suddenly biting into an undercooked potato—awkward!

He followed this strange feeling and pursued it.

The noisy crowd gradually faded away behind him, replaced by an eerie silence.

The surrounding air seemed to have frozen, so oppressive that it made one unable to breathe.

"What's the situation?" Ji Chen muttered to himself, a trace of unease rising in his heart.

The surrounding scenery began to blur and twist; the familiar streets seemed to have been covered with a thin veil, becoming strange and eerie.

The streetlights flickered with dim yellow light, casting mottled shadows on the ground, like monsters lurking in the dark, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.

Ji Chen scanned his surroundings vigilantly, walking cautiously with every step.

He felt that this energy fluctuation had been deliberately hidden by some mysterious power, and the surroundings seemed to be filled with traps; a moment of carelessness would lead to eternal damnation.

A faint stench of rot permeated the air, making one feel nauseous.

Some withered plants were scattered on the ground, as if their life force had been sucked dry by some power, appearing exceptionally gloomy.

"Hiss..."

Suddenly, Ji Chen felt his feet go empty, and his whole body fell downward.

He hurriedly reached out to grab the wall beside him, only then steadying his figure.

Looking down, beneath his feet was actually a bottomless trap, pitch-black inside, with nothing to be seen, as if it were the gate leading to hell.

"Damn, playing for real?" Ji Chen couldn't help but curse, secretly scolding the person who set the trap for being too wicked.

He climbed up cautiously and continued to walk forward.

The further he walked, the more eerie the environment became, and the stench of rot in the air grew increasingly intense.

Suddenly, the scene before his eyes began to twist and change; the original street disappeared, replaced by a forest shrouded in mist...

"This..." Ji Chen was stunned, "What kind of hellish place is this?"

Ji Chen rubbed his eyes, confirming he hadn't seen wrong.

It had just been a familiar street, and now it had actually turned into a primeval forest.

This change was too fast!

Faster than turning a page, simply more spectacular than a Sichuan opera face-changing act!

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

The thick stench of rot mixed with the fishy smell of soil drilled straight into his nostrils, choking him until he coughed.

The surrounding trees towered into the clouds, blocking out the sky and sun; only a few weak rays of light shone down through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting mottled spots of light on the ground.

"This crappy place..." Ji Chen cursed in a low voice and walked forward cautiously.

Underfoot were thick fallen leaves; stepping on them felt soft and mushy, emitting a "rustling" sound.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional call of some unknown bird, adding to the eeriness.

After walking for a while, Ji Chen discovered he was lost.

The surrounding scenery was all the same, like a giant maze; no matter how he walked, he couldn't get out.

He tried to return the way he came, only to find that the path behind him had also disappeared.

"Damn, no way!" A strong sense of unease rose in Ji Chen's heart.

He felt like a fly that had wandered into a spider web, trapped in this eerie maze.

The mist grew thicker, almost to the point where he couldn't see his own fingers.

Everything around him became blurred and unclear, as if monsters could jump out of the mist at any moment.

Ji Chen's heartbeat began to accelerate, and his breathing became rapid.

"Calm down, calm down..." He kept telling himself, trying to control the fear in his heart.

Just as he was about to despair, he suddenly felt a trace of something unusual.

Deep in the mist, there seemed to be a spot where the energy fluctuation was weaker than elsewhere.

"That's it!" Ji Chen

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, the surrounding mist dissipated slightly.

Ji Chen landed steadily on the ground, a confident smile on his face.

"Heh, nothing special!"

He looked around and found himself standing in an open space.

In the center of the open space stood an ancient stone stele...

"What is this?" Ji Chen walked toward the stone stele and reached out to touch the body of the stele; a cold chill instantly spread throughout his whole body.

"Hiss—"

Some twisted runes were carved on the stone stele, radiating an eerie light.

Just as Ji Chen wanted to study it carefully, suddenly, more than a dozen black shadows rushed out from the surrounding mist, each holding a sharp blade, their movements stiff, like puppets on strings.

"Damn, playing a sneak attack?" Ji Chen curled his lips, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes, "Do you really think I'm a vegetarian?"

The black shadows roared and pounced toward Ji Chen.

The sharp blades sliced through the air, emitting a shrill whistling sound.

Ji Chen swayed his figure, easily dodging the attack, and at the same time swept out with a whip kick, directly kicking two puppets away.

The puppets hit the trees, emitting "bang bang" muffled sounds, but they acted as if nothing had happened, immediately climbing up and rushing over again.

"Yo, your skin is quite thick!" Ji Chen became interested, his body moving like a ghost, weaving between the puppets.

He threw punches and kicks, his movements flowing like clouds and water, beating those puppets until they retreated steadily.

But these puppets seemed tireless, rushing forward one after another, fighting more bravely as they went.

The battle was exceptionally intense, with flashing blades and whistling winds.

The surrounding trees were affected by the aftermath of the battle, falling one after another and emitting deafening roars.

Dust flew, leaves scattered, and the scene was a mess.

Just in the gap of the battle, the image of Ceng Yue suddenly appeared in Ji Chen's mind.

Her cold, clear face appeared exceptionally gentle at this moment.

His eyes became soft, and a smile unconsciously curled at the corner of his mouth.

It was as if Ceng Yue's aura permeated the surroundings, making him feel a trace of warmth and peace.

He punched and kicked even harder, every movement containing powerful force, beating those puppets until they were scattered.

"Tsk, it's endless, isn't it?" Ji Chen delivered a roundhouse kick, kicking the last puppet away, which smashed heavily into the stone stele and instantly turned into a pile of rubble.

He panted heavily, his gaze returning to the stone stele.

"This should be the source of the energy fluctuation." He frowned, sizing up the stone stele before him.

The runes on the stone stele seemed to have come alive, constantly squirming and radiating an unsettling aura.

Observing carefully, he discovered that at the base of the stone stele, there was a deep entrance, radiating bursts of cold, chilly air, as if it were the entrance leading to hell.

Ji Chen took a deep breath, walked to the entrance, and stepped forward without hesitation...