The genius who counterattacked the mainland

The black-robed figure's threat echoed like thunder in front of the dark castle, and Xu Tiancai and the others stood in full combat readiness. Their gazes were as firm as a rock, unafraid, their weapons and their own strength ready to be unleashed. Xu Tiancai carefully handed the box containing the key to the demon's seal to Lin, whispering to her to protect it.

The black-robed man brought numerous helpers this time, and they came in all shapes and sizes. There were giant stone demons the size of small mountains, their every step causing the ground to tremble violently. Dark red magma flowed from the cracks in the rocks around them, emitting a suffocating heat. There were also winged shadow demons that circled in the blood-red sky, their eyes flashing with an eerie purple light and emitting shrill cries that seemed to pierce a person's soul.

"Prepare for battle!" Xu Tiancai shouted, and the power of the stars ignited his body, like a layer of golden flame armor. His teammates also unleashed their strongest defenses. For a moment, various lights intertwined and flickered before them.

The stone demons launched the first attack, raising their massive rock arms and smashing down on Xu Tiancai and his companions. Each strike carried immense force, as if to crush the entire world. Xu Tiancai dodged the attack with a ghostly flicker, wielding the Galaxy Key in his hand. A brilliant blade of light slashed through the stone demon's arm, sending up a shower of sparks but leaving only a faint mark on its hard rock shell.

"These guys have such strong defenses!" Xu Tiancai frowned. A Gang, standing beside him, roared, his muscles bulging. He leaped high, his axe in hand lashing out at the stone demon with the force of lightning. The axe collided with the stone demon with a deafening roar. Lightning spread along the axe blade and into the stone demon, causing it to slow down slightly.

In the air, shadow demons swooped down like a hail of black arrows. Their claws were as sharp as knives. As they approached Xu Tiancai and his companions, they suddenly split into countless shadow clones, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake. Lin waved her hands, and a huge ice curtain unfolded above her. The shadow demons' claws scratched the ice curtain, making a sharp scraping sound. Cracks appeared on the ice curtain, but it successfully blocked this wave of attacks.

The black-robed figure cast dark magic from behind, sending beams of black energy blasting towards Xu Tiancai and his companions. Wherever the beams passed, black traces of corrosion were left in the air. Xu Tiancai cast his Star Shield, shielding his teammates behind him. The beams struck the Star Shield, sending out ripples of black energy.

"We can't let them attack like this! We have to take the initiative!" Xu Tiancai shouted. With lightning speed, he rushed towards the black-robed men. The Galaxy Key flickered in his hand, releasing powerful rays of light. His teammates followed him, charging forward and engaging in a fierce melee with the black-robed men and their helpers.

During the battle, Xu Tiancai discovered that while the stone demons possessed formidable defenses, they were relatively slow. With a sudden inspiration, he exploited his speed to weave between the stone demons, drawing them into a mutual attack. The stone demons attacked without distinguishing between friend and foe, and for a moment, chaos ensued among them. Dark red lava splattered everywhere, transforming the surrounding ground into a sea of ​​fire.

Seeing the stone demons in disarray, the shadow demons shifted their targets and charged towards Xu Tiancai and his men. Lin cast her ice magic again, this time creating countless ice spikes that rained down upon the shadow demons. Many were struck by the spikes, their bodies frozen and falling from the air. However, some managed to dodge the attacks and continued their charge.

A Gang brandished his giant axe and engaged in close combat with the shadow demons that rushed over. Every swing of his giant axe could kill several shadow demons, and his body was also scratched by the shadow demons' claws, but he didn't care and remained brave and fearless.

The black-robed leader, seeing the battle at a stalemate, was furious. He produced a black disc inscribed with intricate runes that shone with an evil light. He muttered something, infusing the disc with dark energy. The disc began to spin, accelerating until it transformed into a vast black vortex.

The black vortex emitted a powerful suction force, not only sucking in the surrounding dark forces, but also spreading towards Xu Tiancai and the others. Xu Tiancai and the others felt a powerful pulling force, as if it was pulling their souls out of their bodies.

"Everyone, don't get sucked in!" Xu Tiancai shouted. He gathered the power of the stars and the source of the universe at his feet, trying to steady himself. His teammates also used their skills to resist the suction. But the black vortex's suction grew stronger, and they gradually began to feel unable to resist.

At that moment, the black mist surrounding the castle suddenly surged, as if alive. Faintly, figures emerged from the mist. These figures wore ancient armor and wielded various mysterious weapons. They advanced toward the black vortex, their armor emitting a faint glow with every step. As they approached the vortex, they swung their weapons, and rays of light shot out from them, piercing the black vortex.

The black vortex was attacked by the light, and its suction began to weaken. Seeing this, the black-robed men's faces changed drastically. "What are these things? Why are they causing trouble?" the black-robed leader roared.

Xu Tiancai and his companions seized the opportunity to escape the black vortex's pull. They stared in amazement at the mysterious figures that had suddenly appeared. These figures seemed unconscious, mechanically attacking the black-robed figures. Their attacks were fierce, each swing of their weapons inflicting damage on the black-robed figures and their helpers.

"Whoever they are, now's our chance! Fight back!" Xu Tiancai shouted. He led his teammates in another charge towards the black-robed men, joining the mysterious figure in a pincer attack. Under attack from both sides, the black-robed men gradually lost ground, and their allies began to suffer casualties.

After a fierce battle, the black-robed men suffered heavy losses. Most of the stone demons were knocked to the ground, motionless, and most of the shadow demons were also killed or wounded. A fierce look flashed in the black-robed leader's eyes, and he decided to make a desperate move. He merged his soul power with the dark crystal ball, and the dark crystal ball glowed brightly, emitting a terrifying aura.

"You all must die!" roared the black-robed leader, and the dark crystal ball unleashed a massive beam of darkness. It shot towards Xu Tiancai and the others, twisting space into a twist wherever it passed. Mysterious figures rushed towards the dark beam, attempting to block it with their bodies, but the power of the dark beam was too great, and they were instantly reduced to dust.

Xu Tiancai saw this scene, and a wave of grief and indignation surged within him. He poured all his strength into the Galaxy Key, which shone with an incomparably dazzling light, a faint phantom of a phoenix emerging within it. He charged toward the dark beam, his teammates following behind him. They transferred their own strength to Xu Tiancai, and together they fought against the dark beam.

Light and beams collided in mid-air, emitting a deafening roar. The entire dark castle trembled violently, as if it would collapse at any moment. The shockwaves generated by the energy collision spread outward, destroying everything around them. Xu Tiancai and his companions felt an immense pressure, as if countless mountains were bearing down on them, but they gritted their teeth and persevered.

As the two sides reached a stalemate, a massive crack suddenly appeared in the ground of the Dark Castle. A mysterious force emanated from the crack, interacting with the dark beam and the light of the Galaxy Key, forming a massive energy vortex. The vortex swept everyone in, including the black-robed men and their remaining helpers.

Xu Tiancai clutched the Key of the Galaxy tightly in the vortex, trying to stay awake. He felt a powerful force pulling at his body, and the surroundings became blurry. After an unknown amount of time, the power of the vortex gradually weakened, and Xu Tiancai and his companions found themselves transported to a completely new place.

This place resembled an ancient ruin, surrounded by massive stone pillars, each inscribed with mysterious patterns and runes. The ground beneath was paved with a softly glowing jade stone, adorned with strange symbols. The sky shimmered with a myriad of colors, like a flowing scroll.

"What is this place?" Lin asked in surprise.

"I don't know, but the energy here feels very strange. It's neither dark power nor completely light power." Xu Tiancai observed his surroundings vigilantly.

Just as they were puzzled, a melodious sound of music emanated from the ruins. Like the gurgling of water or the gentle mountain breeze, it was a refreshing and soothing experience. But Xu Tiancai and his companions dared not let their guard down. They knew that in this mysterious fantasy world, even seemingly beautiful things could conceal danger.

They followed the direction of the music and found a large circular plaza. In the center of the plaza stood a fountain. Instead of water, it gushed out a multicolored energy liquid. The liquid formed all sorts of wondrous shapes in mid-air, creating a dazzling spectacle.

Surrounding the fountain are several lifelike statues depicting bizarre creatures. Some have wings and antlers, others appear to be made of crystal, and their eyes reveal an ancient and mysterious aura.

"These statues don't look simple," said Agang.

Xu Tiancai approached the statue and examined it closely. He noticed small holes through which energy seemed to flow. He tried to inject the power of the stars into one of the holes. Suddenly, the statue emitted a beam of light, and within the light, blurred images appeared. The images revealed the former glory of this relic. It seemed to be a gathering place of an ancient civilization, where these strange creatures lived in harmony and studied the mysteries of the universe.

However, some dark scenes also appeared in the image. A dark force suddenly descended, breaking the tranquility here. These creatures fought fiercely with the dark force, but were eventually eroded by the dark force, and the entire ruins were sealed.

"It seems that this place is also related to the dark power." Xu Tiancai said.

At this moment, the energy liquid in the fountain suddenly changed. The liquid gathered together and formed a huge humanoid figure. The humanoid figure's body was composed of multicolored energy, and its eyes sparkled with wisdom.

"Outsiders, why do you break in here?" The humanoid made a strange sound, as if it sounded directly in their minds.

Xu Tiancai stepped forward and said, "We were accidentally transported here while trying to stop the spread of darkness. Who are you?"

"I am the guardian of this relic, and part of the dark power is sealed here. Your arrival may break the balance here, or it may be the arrangement of fate." said the guardian.

"We have no intention of destroying this place, but the dark forces have threatened the entire universe, and we must stop it," said Xu Tiancai.

The guardian was silent for a moment, then said, "In this case, you must accept the test. Only by passing the test can you leave here and perhaps get a clue to fight against the dark forces."

"What test?" Xu Tiancai asked.

The Guardian waved his arm, and energy gates appeared around the square. "You must enter each of these gates and face your inner fears and desires. Only by overcoming them can you pass the test."

Xu Tiancai and his companions gazed at these energy gates, their hearts filled with unease. But for the fate of the universe, they refused to retreat. Xu Tiancai took a deep breath and walked toward one of the gates. His teammates also chose a gate and stepped into the unknown test...

After Xu Tiancai passed through the energy portal, he found himself in a dark space. The surroundings were filled with endless darkness, as if it could swallow everything. Suddenly, he heard a familiar laugh, filled with mockery and malice.

"Do you think you can stop the dark forces? You are too naive, Xu Tiancai." A voice sounded in the darkness.

Xu Tiancai was startled. This voice was the source of his deepest fear: his past failures and the fear of losing his teammates. In the darkness, he saw scenes of past defeats, teammates injured or even dead before his eyes, and the feeling of powerlessness and despair washed over him once again.

"No, I won't let this happen again!" Xu Tiancai roared. He gripped the Key of the Galaxy tightly, and the power of the stars burned around him, illuminating the surrounding darkness. He knew this was a test, and he had to overcome his inner fear.

In another dimension, Lin saw herself being eroded by the power of darkness. Her body gradually turned dark, her power was also controlled by the power of darkness, and she began to hurt her teammates. Lin watched all this in horror, her heart full of struggle.

"This isn't real. I won't be controlled by darkness!" Lin cried. She cast ice magic, trying to dispel the illusion of darkness. But the darkness followed her like a shadow, constantly eroding her will.

A Gang saw himself being controlled by desire. He saw countless treasures and power flashing before his eyes, and a strong desire arose in his heart. But he knew that these desires would make him lose himself and betray his teammates.

"I can't be fooled by these things!" Agang swung the giant axe and chopped at the phantom of desire.

Xu Tiancai and his companions waged a fierce battle against their inner fears and desires in their respective test spaces. Can they pass the test and find clues to fight against the forces of darkness? The fate of the universe remains undecided...