The genius who counterattacked the mainland

The multicolored light surrounding Xu Tiancai's body grew increasingly dazzling, and he charged towards the monster like a brilliant meteor. The concentrated power in his hand transformed into a gleaming spear, the tip of which pointed directly at the monster's heart.

The monster sensed the threat, a hint of surprise crossing its beautiful yet cold face. Then, its tail slapped the water, sending up a massive black wave. Like a roaring black dragon, the wave lunged towards Xu Tiancai, claws and fangs bared. Xu Tiancai swung his spear, the force emanating from the tip splitting the wave in half. Water droplets splattered in both directions, creating small craters in the cave walls.

"Hmph, you're quite capable," the monster snorted coldly, crossing its arms over its chest and muttering something. The water in the pool began to churn violently, and countless black water snakes emerged from it. These snakes had strange patterns on their bodies, and each scale looked like it was carved from crystal. They spitted black tongues and swam towards Xu Tiancai and the others.

Agang stood up, wiped the blood from his mouth, and once again swung his axe at the snakes. Each swing of his axe slashed several snakes, but the snakes kept coming, soon surrounding him. Agang showed no fear. His muscles tensed, veins bulging, and he swung his axe with impenetrable force, sending the remaining snakes flying all around him.

Lin concentrated her mind and cast a ranged freezing spell. A thick layer of ice spread outward from her center, freezing any nearby water snakes. However, the monster seemed to see through her intentions. A stream of black water shot out from the pool, striking the ice. Countless cracks appeared in the ice before it shattered with a loud bang.

Xu Tiancai took advantage of the monster's distraction and finally broke through the waves, reaching its front. He thrust his spear forward, the tip of the spear blazing like the sun. The monster couldn't dodge, and the spear pierced its shoulder, black blood flowing from the wound. The monster screamed in pain, its eyes filled with fury, and with a sweep of its tail, it sent Xu Tiancai flying.

Xu Tiancai fell to the ground, feeling his blood and energy surging. But he knew he couldn't stop. He endured the pain and stood up, ready to attack again. Just then, a melodious flute note suddenly rang out from the cave. The sound was clear and melodious, yet it carried a mysterious power. As the flute rang out, the black water snakes seemed startled, halting their attacks and retreating back into the pool.

The monster also showed a look of fear. It looked towards a corner of the cave and said, "Who is it? How dare you ruin my good thing!"

A figure slowly emerged from a dark corner. It was a young girl in a white robe, her face breathtakingly beautiful, like a fairy descending from the earth. In her hands, she held an emerald green flute, inlaid with several glittering gemstones, the source of the sound.

"Hurry up and leave. You can't deal with this water demon." The girl shouted to Xu Tiancai and others.

Xu Tiancai frowned, "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

The girl smiled slightly, "Now is not the time to explain. If you don't leave now, it will be too late."

As she spoke, the girl played the flute again, the notes becoming more rapid. Rays of green light appeared in the cave, interweaving to form a teleportation array.

"Hurry up!" the girl urged.

Xu Tiancai and the others no longer hesitated and ran towards the teleportation array. The moment they entered, the water demon launched an attack. It recklessly rushed towards the array, attempting to prevent them from leaving. The young woman stepped forward, the flute in her hand glowing brightly. A powerful energy shot out from the flute, colliding with the water demon's attack.

The massive energy shockwave shook the cave violently, sending rocks crashing down from the ceiling. In a flash of dazzling light, Xu Tiancai and the others vanished into the teleportation array. The girl barely managed to block the water demon's attack, but she too took a significant hit, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"Hmph, you're lucky this time." The Water Demon said hatefully as he looked at the disappearing teleportation array.

When Xu Tiancai and the others reappeared, they found themselves in a mysterious forest. The trees within the forest towered to the sky, each requiring several people to hug. The branches and foliage were dense, so dense that sunlight could only filter through the layers, casting scattered specks of light. A thin layer of mist permeated the forest, carrying with it the scent of various exotic flowers, leaving one feeling somewhat dazed.

"Where is this place?" A Gang looked at the surrounding environment with a puzzled look on his face.

Lin shook her head. "I don't know, but I feel like this place isn't simple either."

Xu Tiancai looked at the black crystal in his hand and said, "No matter where this is, we need to find a place to rest first, and then continue to study the information in the black crystal."

They were searching for a suitable spot in the forest when they suddenly heard the sound of gurgling water. Following the sound, they found a clear stream. The water was crystal clear, with colorful fish swimming in it. The bottom of the stream was covered with round pebbles.

There was a natural cave beside the stream. The entrance was hidden by vines, making it difficult to spot without careful observation. Xu Tiancai and the others entered the cave. It was spacious and dry, making it a good place to rest temporarily.

They sat down in the cave, and Xu Tiancai took out the black crystal and ancient books and began to study them carefully. The information obtained from the black crystal showed that the source of the dark power was related to an ancient relic, which was hidden in the cracks of time and space and required specific rituals and items to open the passage.

"It seems we still need to find more clues and items." Xu Tiancai said.

Just then, a slight noise was heard outside the cave. Xu Tiancai and the others immediately became alert. They quietly walked to the cave entrance and peered through the vines. They saw a snow-white fawn drinking water by the stream. Its horns were covered with strange patterns, like natural runes. Its eyes were clear and bright, revealing a spiritual spirit.

"What a cute little deer." Lin said softly.

However, just as they relaxed their vigilance, a sinister laugh suddenly rang out from the forest. The laughter echoed through the forest, sending chills down one's spine. The fawn seemed to sense danger as well. It raised its head, a look of fear in its eyes, and ran deeper into the forest.

Xu Tiancai and the others walked out of the cave and looked in the direction of the laughter. They saw a group of people in black cloaks slowly walking out of the forest. Their figures were looming in the mist, like ghosts walking out of hell.

"It seems that trouble has come again." Agang clenched the giant axe in his hand.

The black-cloaked figures remained silent. In their hands, they held black staffs, topped with red gemstones that shimmered with an eerie light. They stopped and slowly circled around Xu Tiancai and the others, as if preparing for some kind of ritual.

Xu Tiancai sensed a powerful dark force gathering. He knew he couldn't let these people complete the ritual. He launched the first attack, blasting a wave of energy, a fusion of star power and phoenix power, towards a figure in a black cloak. The wave struck the figure, lifting a corner of his cloak, revealing a face as pale as paper, expressionless and empty except for a pair of hollow eyes.

The other black-cloaked figures didn't panic at the attack on their companions; they continued their movements. Rays of black light shot out from their staffs, interweaving together to form a massive black shield that enveloped Xu Tiancai and the others.

"Oh no, we're trapped," Lin said.

Ah Gang swung his giant axe at the light shield, but the light shield only rippled and was not destroyed. Xu Tiancai frowned, trying to use his strength to break the light shield, but the power of the light shield seemed to be increasing.

Just as they were in trouble, a sudden gust of wind blew through the forest. The wind howled, snapping some branches. The wind, carrying a mysterious force, swept towards the black light shield. Cracks began to appear in the black light shield under the impact of the strong wind, and with a loud bang, the shield shattered.

The black-cloaked figures seemed to have not expected such a situation. They stopped their rituals and looked around vigilantly. Xu Tiancai and the others also took the opportunity to launch an attack. They rushed towards the black-cloaked figures, and a new battle began in the forest.

Agang's massive axe collided with the black-cloaked figure's staff, sending a shower of sparks flying. Lin unleashed an ice spell, sending icy arrows hurtling towards the black-cloaked figures. Some of them were struck by the icy arrows, their bodies frozen. Xu Tiancai, merging various powers, launched a powerful attack towards the center of the black-cloaked figures' formation.

During the battle, Xu Tiancai discovered that these black-cloaked men seemed to be following the orders of someone hidden in the shadows. Although their attacks were coordinated to a certain extent, they lacked flexibility. He decided to find their leader, perhaps to break the deadlock.

He cast a detection spell, trying to find the most powerful one among the black cloaked men. Under the effect of the spell, he discovered a figure behind the black cloaked men. This figure exuded an even more powerful dark power, which must be the leader.

"Agang, Lin, attack the leader behind them!" Xu Tiancai shouted.

Upon hearing his shout, Agang and Lin immediately changed their tactics. They rushed towards the rear of the black-cloaked figure, drawing the attention of the others. Xu Tiancai seized the opportunity to flank the leader and launch a surprise attack.

The leader seemed to sense danger. He raised his staff, and a powerful dark shield appeared before him. Xu Tiancai's attack struck the shield, triggering a powerful energy surge. Although it didn't break the shield, it did cause the leader to take a certain impact.

At this moment, something unexpected happened in the forest again. The frozen black-cloaked figures suddenly expanded, and then a violent explosion occurred. The impact of the blast blew away the surrounding trees, and Xu Tiancai and the other black-cloaked figures were caught in the blast and fell to the ground.

"What's going on?" A Gang shouted.

Xu Tiancai stood up and looked at the mess around him. An ominous premonition surged in his heart. He knew that there was more conspiracy behind this battle, and they were just pawns involved.

Amidst the smoke of the explosion, a mysterious figure loomed, emitting an even more powerful dark aura, as if it were the embodiment of darkness. Xu Tiancai and the others knew that a greater challenge was about to come.