Chapter 97: Dawn Appears, Crisis Lurks

Just a moment ago, the sky had been clear for thousands of miles, but now it was covered in dark clouds, as if someone had splashed a basin of ink, instantly staining the entire sky black.

The contrast between light and darkness was so intense that it made one's heart sink inexplicably.

"This change of face is faster than turning a page!" Ji Chen muttered.

He turned to look at Ceng Yue and found that she was also observing their surroundings vigilantly.

A cold, sinister aura surged from all directions, and the surrounding light was rapidly swallowed by darkness, as if a giant beast had opened its bloody maw, intending to devour them.

Following this, black mist began to permeate, like poisonous snakes, surging from the ground, from the air, from all directions, surrounding them in the blink of an eye.

Within the mist, twisted shadows could be vaguely seen, like ghosts, making one's hair stand on end.

"Damn, what is this stuff?" Ji Chen reached out, wanting to disperse the black mist, but discovered that his Supernatural Ability was being suppressed, just like a mobile phone signal suddenly becoming weak, completely unable to exert any strength.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

This black mist was clearly malicious, and it seemed capable of suppressing Supernatural Abilities; this was not a good sign.

The air became increasingly stifling, and the sense of oppression surged like a tide, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Darkness, fog, ghost-like shadows, plus the suppression of his Supernatural Ability—all of this made Ji Chen feel incredibly anxious.

"We..." Ceng Yue just started to speak when she was interrupted by Ji Chen. "Don't speak yet..." He stared fixedly at the surrounding black mist and said, word by word: "Something... is coming!"

"Find a place to hide!" Ceng Yue whispered, grabbing Ji Chen's arm and preparing to retreat.

"Hide? Where to hide? This ghostly stuff is everywhere; can we even hide?" Ji Chen shook off her hand, his tone carrying a hint of impatience. "Rather than running around like a headless fly, we should think about how to break the situation!"

"You..." Ceng Yue's willow-leaf eyebrows arched, and a rare trace of anger appeared on her cold face. "What's the use of acting tough now? Our Supernatural Abilities are suppressed; are we just waiting to die?"

"If you're afraid of death, then hide; don't drag me into it!" Ji Chen retorted unpleasantly.

This woman, in a critical moment, only knew how to retreat; she had no spirit of adventure at all!

Gunpowder filled the air between the two, and the tense atmosphere was even thicker than the surrounding black mist.

Just then, Ji Chen suddenly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"What are you doing?" Ceng Yue looked puzzled. At a time like this, he still had the leisure to meditate?

"Quiet!" Ji Chen growled, focusing all his attention on sensing the energy fluctuations around them.

The energy of the black mist was eerie and powerful, like an airtight net, trapping them firmly.

But he keenly sensed that this energy was not water without a source, but originated from a specific direction.

Found it!

Ji Chen opened his eyes abruptly, a confident smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

He extended his hand, a ball of dazzling white light condensing in his palm, and swung it violently in a certain direction.

"Boom—"

With a loud bang, it sounded as if something had shattered. Immediately after, the surrounding black mist began to churn and twist, like a punctured balloon, rapidly dissipating.

The sense of oppression also lessened, and the air was once again filled with a fresh scent.

"Done!" Ji Chen clapped his hands, looking relaxed.

Ceng Yue watched all this, dumbfounded, her cold face filled with surprise.

This guy actually found a way to break the situation?

"This..." she started to speak, but was interrupted by Ji Chen.

"Shh—" Ji Chen held a finger to his lips, looking ahead with a grave expression. "They're here..."

The black mist dispersed, revealing a group of bizarre-looking creatures.

They looked like a combination of some kind of reptile and insect, possessing hard carapaces, sharp claws, and compound eyes that flickered with a ghostly light.

Most chilling was their sheer number; they were densely packed together, like a black tide, surging toward Ji Chen and Ceng Yue.

"Damn, what the hell is this? My trypophobia is about to kick in!" Ji Chen muttered, but without hesitation, he condensed an Energy Ball in his hand and blasted it toward the monster horde.

"Bili-bili (simulated firing sound)", the Energy Ball shot out like a cannonball, exploding into clusters of dazzling light, blasting the monsters at the very front into fragments.

Ceng Yue wasn't idle either; the long whip in her hand danced like a spirit snake, each swing accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, whipping away the monsters that approached.

"These guys have thick skin!" Ji Chen discovered that although the Energy Ball could injure these monsters, it couldn't kill them in one hit.

The number of monsters was simply too great; they were endless, wave after wave, surging like a tide, making them feel overwhelmed.

"Hold on!" Ji Chen shouted, the power of the Energy Ball in his hand increasing, blasting a large group of monsters away.

While fighting, he observed the situation around them, searching for the monsters' weaknesses.

Although Ceng Yue's attacks were not as powerful as Ji Chen's, they were flexible and varied. She moved through the monster horde like a dancing butterfly, every strike precise and fatal.

She looked at Ji Chen from time to time, her eyes filled with trust, as if there was nothing to fear as long as he was there.

Just then, a monster took advantage of Ji Chen's distraction and ambushed him from the side, its sharp claws leaving a deep bloody mark on his arm.

"Hiss—" Ji Chen gasped, backhanding the monster away with a palm strike.

"You're hurt!" Ceng Yue saw the wound on Ji Chen's arm. Her movements were gentle, and her eyes were filled with tenderness, a complete contrast to her usual cold demeanor.

"Just a small wound, it's nothing." Ji Chen smiled, feeling Ceng Yue's gentleness, and a warm current surged in his heart.

Under their tacit cooperation, the monsters' offensive gradually weakened, and they were eventually all eliminated.

However, before they could even catch their breath, the earth in the distance suddenly began to shake, as if some behemoth were approaching.

"It's not over yet..." Ji Chen looked at the shaking earth, his expression serious.

"It's here..." Ceng Yue gripped the long whip in her hand, her gaze firm. ===== CHAPTER 98 =====