The genius who counterattacked the mainland

Xu Tiancai and the others watched the cheetah-like creatures warily, their hands unconsciously clenching their weapons. After the cheetah creatures lingered for a moment, one of the larger ones took a few steps forward and let out a deep growl. Its roar echoed across the grassland like a warning.

Xu Tiancai tried to release a gentle burst of star power, conveying to the creatures their intentions. The leading cheetah creature seemed to sense this power, its vigilance softening slightly, though it remained on guard. "We need to repair the airship. Hopefully, we won't clash with them," Xu Tiancai whispered to his teammates.

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, a melodious flute note emanated from the forest. The sound was ethereal and melodious, possessing a kind of magical power that stirred the soul. Upon hearing the flute, the cheetahs turned their heads toward the forest. The leader cheetah gave a low growl and, with its pack, turned and ran back into the forest. Xu Tiancai and the others breathed a sigh of relief, yet were also filled with curiosity at the sudden sound.

"That flute sound is unusual. Let's go check it out," Lin suggested. Everyone nodded, leaving some to continue repairing the airship while Xu Tiancai, Lin, and Agang headed toward the source of the sound.

Entering the forest, they discovered the trees were unusually tall, their trunks etched with intricate patterns, resembling ancient runes. Sunlight filtered through the dense branches, casting patches of light. The ground was carpeted with thick fallen leaves and exotic flowers and plants, emitting a delicate fragrance. As the sound of the flute grew closer, they spotted a figure in a white robe standing in a clearing. It was a woman, holding an emerald green flute and playing with her eyes closed. Around her, colorful birds swirled and danced, echoing her notes.

The woman seemed to sense someone approaching, and the flute stopped abruptly. She opened her eyes, revealing a pair as bright as stars, their gaze shone with a spirit and mystery. "Who are you? Why are you here?" The woman's voice was clear and melodious, like a clear mountain spring.

Xu Tiancai stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, "We are travelers from outer space. Our airship was damaged, so we had to land on your planet. No offense." The woman nodded slightly. "I am the guardian of this forest, Ina. Your arrival has disturbed the peace here, but I see you have no ill intentions. I can help you."

Led by Ina, they discovered more precious materials in the forest that could be used to repair the airship. These materials ranged from luminescent moss growing in ancient tree hollows to ectoplasmic fluid flowing deep underground. While collecting these materials, they also witnessed the wonders of this planet. There was a luminous vine that could sense danger. When an enemy approached, its light turned red and it attacked. There was also a crystal-like flower that absorbed surrounding energy and transformed it into healing power.

However, when they returned to the airship with the materials, they found chaos. A swarm of creatures covered in black shells was attacking the airship and the crew members guarding it. These shelled creatures were enormous, their pincers like razor-sharp sickles, easily tearing through the airship's hull. Despite their best efforts, the crew members were unable to withstand the attacks.

Agang roared, charging into the fray, his great axe wielding. Lightning shone from his axe, and each swing cleaved the claws of the crustaceans. However, the crustaceans' shells were incredibly tough, making ordinary attacks difficult to inflict fatal damage. Lin immediately cast an ice spell, attempting to freeze the crustaceans' movements. Ice walls rose around the airship, temporarily blocking the crustaceans' attacks. But the crustaceans quickly shattered the ice walls with their claws and continued their charge.

Xu Tiancai fused the power of the stars and the power of the phoenix, and the Galaxy Key in his hand shone brightly. He fired beams of light at the crustaceans, leaving burn marks on their shells. However, the crustaceans seemed insensitive to the pain and continued their frantic attack.

"What kind of monsters are these?" Ina asked, frowning. "I don't know, but we must repel them as quickly as possible," Xu Tiancai replied. He looked at Ina. "Do you have any ideas?" Ina pondered for a moment, then blew her flute. As the flute rang out, a commotion spread through the forest. Soon, a group of giant tree men approached with heavy steps. Their bodies were made of thick branches, and their arms were giant vines covered with sharp thorns.

The tide began to turn when the treemen joined the fray. They wrapped their vine arms around the crustaceans, lifted them high, and then slammed them to the ground. Some of the treemen could even spray green slime from their mouths, which landed on the crustaceans and began to corrode their shells. With the treemen's help, the pressure on Xu Tiancai and his companions was greatly reduced. They seized the opportunity to launch a more fierce attack. A Gang found a gap in the crustaceans' shells and struck with a powerful axe, successfully slaying one. Lin cast a large-scale freezing spell, freezing a group of crustaceans in place, and Xu Tiancai shattered them with a beam from the Galaxy Key.

After a hard fight, the crustaceans were finally repelled. However, the airship had also sustained further damage, becoming nearly unable to fly. "It looks like we'll need more time to repair the airship," Lin said helplessly, looking at the damaged craft. "Also, we need to figure out where these crustaceans came from; their appearance is very unusual," Xu Tiancai said.

With Ina's help, they moved the airship to a secluded valley in the forest. Surrounded by high mountains, the valley was accessible only by a narrow passage, making it easily defended and difficult to attack. There, they began repairing the airship. Ina brought with her some forest elves, skilled in mechanics and magic. Though small in stature, these elves possessed exceptional craftsmanship. With their assistance, the repair work progressed smoothly.

However, while repairing the airship, Xu Tiancai discovered some strange signals in its detection system. These signals seemed to be coming from deep beneath the planet's surface, and they carried a familiar dark aura. "Could this also be connected to the forces of darkness?" Xu Tiancai felt a surge of unease.

He decided to go deep underground with Gang and Lin to search for the source of these signals. Ina, worried about their safety, also joined them. They followed an underground river into a cavern. The cavern was dark and damp, with bioluminescent fungi growing on the walls, providing a faint light. The water in the underground river was icy cold, and from time to time, strange-looking fish leaped to the surface.

The deeper they went, the thicker the darkness became. Suddenly, they heard a low roar. The sound echoed through the cave, like the voice of an evil spirit from hell. "Everyone, be careful," Xu Tiancai warned. They slowed down and walked forward cautiously.

Inside a vast underground cavern, they encountered a startling sight. A massive dark monster lurked in the center. Its body was as massive as a small mountain, covered in black scales dripping with black slime. Its eyes blazed like two balls of black flame, and its mouth was filled with sharp fangs, spewing black smoke with every breath. Surrounding the monster were some of the same crustaceans that had attacked the airship, surrounding it as if protecting it.

"The dark power this monster exudes is powerful. We can't act rashly," Ina said softly. "But we can't leave it here. It could pose a threat to the entire planet," Xu Tiancai said. They began to discuss countermeasures, preparing to find the monster's weaknesses and eliminate it in one fell swoop.

A Gang observed the monster's movements and noticed a lighter scale on its abdomen, where the dark aura seemed relatively weaker. "Perhaps that's its weak spot," A Gang said, pointing to the monster's belly. Lin cast a spell, creating several clones to try to attract the monster's attention. The clones rushed towards the monster, but the monster swung its massive claws, easily crushing them. But as it attacked the clones, Xu Tiancai, A Gang, and Ina seized the opportunity to attack.

Xu Tiancai combined the power of the stars, the phoenix, and the Galaxy Guardian Bracelet, firing a powerful beam of light at the monster's abdomen. Ah Gang seized the moment the monster was struck by the beam and rushed towards it, slashing fiercely with his great axe at the lighter scales on its abdomen. Ina played her flute, summoning a flock of forest spirit birds, which flew towards the monster's eyes, disrupting its vision.

The monster roared in anger after being attacked. It swung its claws, knocking Agang away. Agang fell heavily to the ground, but he quickly got up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and rushed towards the monster again. Lin continuously cast ice and fire spells, alternating between attacking the monster, making it difficult for it to concentrate its strength.

Xu Tiancai's beam struck the monster's abdomen, successfully creating a crack in its scales. Ah Gang, seizing the perfect moment, struck the crack again with his great axe. This time, the axe pierced the monster's scales, sending black blood gushing out. The monster struggled in agony, its attacks becoming more frantic. Crustaceans also swarmed toward Xu Tiancai and his companions, attempting to protect the monster.

In the fierce battle, Xu Tiancai and his companions gradually began to tire. But they knew that if they gave up, not only would their lives be in jeopardy, but the entire planet would be plunged into darkness. Ina's face paled; the long hours of playing the flute to summon the spirit creatures had drained her energy. But she gritted her teeth and persevered, directing the spirit bird to continue attacking the monster's eyes.

Lin cast a forbidden spell, transforming her life force into powerful energy, unleashing a massive storm of ice and fire. The storm engulfed the entire cave, enveloping both the crustaceans and the monsters. Within the storm, the monsters' bodies were corroded by the icy and fire forces, slowing their movements. Agang seized the opportunity, leaping high, and channeling all his strength into his great axe, he struck fiercely at the wound in the monster's abdomen. The axe, brimming with Agang's full power, successfully pierced the monster's abdomen.

The monster roared one last time, then collapsed to the ground with a thud. Its body gradually dissipated, transforming into a puff of black smoke that vanished into the air. Losing the monster's command, the crustaceans began to flee. Xu Tiancai and the others sat exhausted on the ground, all wounded to varying degrees, but they had successfully eliminated this formidable threat.

"You are truly brave, but this planet may hold other dangers," Ina said, looking at them. "We know, but we can't retreat," Xu Tiancai said. They rested in the cave for a while, then began searching for a way back to the surface. On their way back, they discovered some strange murals. Carved on the cave walls, these murals depicted scenes from the planet's ancient past.

The mural contained colossal figures, seemingly battling dark forces. One of them bore a resemblance to the demonic beast they had just vanquished, yet also possessed a unique quality. In the corners of the mural, mysterious symbols were carved, seemingly concealing a message. Xu Tiancai studied them carefully, sensing a connection to the source of the dark power they sought.

"These symbols might be a clue. We need to record them," Xu Tiancai told his teammates. They used a special spell to copy the symbols from the mural and continued on their journey. When they returned to the surface, they discovered that the airship's repairs were largely complete. The forest elves were incredibly efficient, using materials from the forest to rebuild the airship's protective array and repair its power system.

"Give us a little more time, and the airship will be fully repaired," a forest elf said to Xu Tiancai. "Thank you for your hard work," Xu Tiancai said gratefully. While waiting for the airship to be repaired, they continued to study the symbols they had copied from the mural. After some effort, they discovered that these symbols seemed to point to another mysterious place on the planet—an ancient castle nestled high above the clouds.