The genius who counterattacked the mainland

Xu Tiancai and the others rushed towards the black-robed figure. A powerful suction force emanated from the Dark Portal, as if pulling their souls from their bodies. The suction force dragged them down like an invisible giant hand, but their eyes remained firm, showing no sign of retreat.

The black-robed figure let out a wild laugh, echoing through the depths of the terrifying temple like the whisper of a demon. "Come, you ignorant creatures, witness the true power of darkness!" He waved his hands, and more dark power surged from the Dark Portal, sweeping towards Xu Tiancai and the others like a surging tide.

Agang brandished his battle axe, charging headfirst into the darkness. The runes on the axe shone brightly, and every swing sent a whistling wind colliding with the dark force, sending up showers of black sparks. But the darkness was too powerful, and Agang felt like he was rowing against the current, each step forward requiring immense effort.

Lin followed closely behind Agang, muttering to herself and casting spells. Light magic and dark forces intertwined and collided, erupting in a powerful radiance that illuminated the dark space. However, the dark forces continued to surge, seemingly endlessly, and her magic gradually began to fail.

Xu Tiancai raised the crystal ball above his head. The colorful light it emitted grew stronger, forming a huge light shield that temporarily resisted the invasion of the dark forces. He could feel the power in the crystal ball being continuously consumed as it fought against the dark forces, but he knew that he could not give up at this moment.

"We must break through these dark forces and stop him!" Xu Tiancai shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the darkness, giving Agang and Lin strength.

The three of them worked together, continuing their arduous journey towards the black-robed figure. Every step was filled with hardship, the dark power squeezing their bodies and souls like a substance, but the faith in their hearts was like a burning flame, supporting them to move forward.

Just as they were about to approach the black-robed figure, the dark forces suddenly shifted. Numerous phantom figures appeared in the darkness, each in a different form. Some were ferocious demons, others were human souls struggling in agony. They pounced upon Xu Tiancai and the others, emitting shrill cries.

"These are souls devoured by darkness, everyone be careful!" Xu Tiancai reminded.

Agang swung his battle axe, trying to chop at those illusory souls, but the battle axe passed through their bodies without causing any damage. Lin's magic was also ineffective against these souls. They passed through the magic light and continued to rush towards the three people.

Xu Tiancai concentrated his mind, attempting to use his soul power to sense the essence of these souls. He discovered that, despite being corrupted by darkness, these souls still retained a trace of their original consciousness. He thought of a way to awaken them using his pure soul power.

"Use the power of your soul to communicate with them and try to wake them up!" Xu Tiancai shouted.

The three of them closed their eyes, focusing their soul power, and conveyed messages of warmth and hope to those illusory souls. Under the influence of the soul power, some souls began to respond, and the madness and ferocity in their eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by confusion and pain.

"Who... are you?" A soul's voice sounded in their minds.

"We are here to save you and free you from the shackles of darkness!" Xu Tiancai responded.

As more and more souls were awakened, the dark forces began to become chaotic. The black-robed figure realized that the situation was not good, and he increased the output of the dark forces in an attempt to regain control of these souls.

"Hmph, you think you can ruin my plan like this? How naive!" the black-robed figure roared.

His body began to release black lightning, which struck the awakened souls. The souls struck by the lightning screamed in pain and fell into madness again.

"We can't let him succeed!" Xu Tiancai shouted.

They dispersed to protect the awakened souls. Xu Tiancai divided the crystal ball's power into several streams, forming small light shields that enveloped some of the souls. Agang and Lin fended off the attacks of the black-robed figure, buying Xu Tiancai time.

The black lightning from the black-robed figure grew increasingly intense, constantly battering their defenses. Agang's battle axe began to crack under the lightning's attack, and his body was struck several times, sustaining serious injuries. Lin's magic power was greatly depleted, her face turning pale, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.

Xu Tiancai looked at his companions, trapped in a bitter struggle, and the souls once again enveloped in darkness. Anger welled up in his heart. He channeled the power of the stars, the phoenix, and the power of the guardian pearl into the crystal ball, which shone with an utterly dazzling light. Like a blazing sun, it dispelled the surrounding darkness, and the souls struck by the black lightning regained consciousness under the light's illumination.

"Take advantage of now and attack the black-robed figure!" Xu Tiancai shouted.

They took advantage of the black-robed figure's momentary distraction and launched a combined attack. Gang gathered his remaining strength into his battle axe and slashed at the black-robed figure. Lin unleashed her final powerful spell, sending countless arrows of light hurtling towards the black-robed figure. Xu Tiancai condensed the light from his crystal ball into a massive spear of light and stabbed it towards the black-robed figure.

The black-robed figure quickly cast a dark shield to resist, but under the powerful attack of the three of them, the dark shield showed obvious cracks. The black-robed figure was shaken back by the force of the attack, and a mouthful of black blood spurted out of his mouth.

"You... will pay the price..." said the black-robed figure viciously.

He ignored his injuries and rushed towards the Dark Portal again. He placed his hands on the Dark Portal and chanted an ancient and evil spell. The Dark Portal began to tremble violently, and the roars and screams from within became louder, as if something terrible was about to burst out.

"He is going to release something even more terrifying, we have to stop him!" Xu Tiancai shouted.

They rushed towards the black-robed figure and the Dark Portal, but the powerful suction and dark power released by the Dark Portal formed a barrier, blocking their steps.

"Let's work together with all our strength to break through this barrier!" said Xu Tiancai.

The three of them gathered all their remaining strength together to form a powerful energy wave. This energy wave rushed towards the dark barrier and started a fierce battle with the dark force.

Under the impact of the energy wave, the dark barrier began to loosen slightly. Xu Tiancai seized the opportunity and threw the crystal ball towards the dark barrier. The crystal ball released a rainbow of light during its flight, which merged with the energy wave, increasing the power of the attack.

With a loud "boom!", the dark barrier was finally broken by this powerful attack. They took the opportunity to rush towards the black-robed figure. At this time, the Dark Portal had been half-opened by the black-robed figure, and the dark aura emanating from the door was terrifying.

The black-robed figure saw them break through the barrier, and a flash of panic flashed in his eyes. He chanted the spell faster, and the speed at which the Dark Portal opened also increased.

A Gang rushed to the front, raising his battle axe high and slashing at the back of the black-robed figure. The black-robed figure sensed the attack from behind and dodged A Gang's attack. However, A Gang's battle axe still cut through his black robe, leaving a deep wound on his body.

Lin cast a binding spell, attempting to freeze the black-robed figure in place. The magic bound the figure's feet, slowing their movements. Xu Tiancai seized the opportunity to rush toward the Dark Portal, attempting to use his own strength to close this gateway to Hell.

When Xu Tiancai's hand touched the Dark Portal, a powerful dark force surged through his arm and into his body. He felt as if his soul was being pricked by countless needles, and all sorts of terrifying images appeared in his mind: the world was shrouded in darkness, all living things were devastated, and death and despair filled every corner.

"No! I won't let this happen!" Xu Tiancai roared in his heart.

He gritted his teeth and used the power of his soul to fight against the dark forces. A dazzling light emanated from his body, which gradually dispelled the dark forces' erosion of his soul. At the same time, he pushed hard on the Dark Portal, trying to close it.

The black-robed figure saw Xu Tiancai closing the Dark Portal and roared in anger. He broke free from Lin's binding spell and rushed towards Xu Tiancai. A black sickle appeared in his hand, exuding the aura of death, and he slashed at Xu Tiancai's back.

Seeing the black-robed figure attacking Xu Tiancai, A-Gang rushed forward, blocking the black-robed figure's sickle with his battle axe. The battle axe and sickle collided, making a sharp metallic friction sound. A-Gang and the black-robed figure engaged in a fierce close combat, their figures intertwining in the darkness, each attack carrying a powerful force.

Lin joined the battle, using magic to support Agang. She cast a power-enhancing spell, increasing Agang's strength. With Lin's help, Agang gradually gained the upper hand, his battle axe repeatedly slashing at the black-robed figure, leaving him with more and more wounds.

Xu Tiancai concentrated his energy on closing the Dark Portal. He concentrated all his strength in his hands, and the Dark Portal slowly closed under his push. The roars and screams from within the portal grew quieter, and the dark force gradually weakened.

"You damn guys, I won't let you go!" The black-robed figure roared during the battle with Agang.

He suddenly cast a dark spell of mutual destruction. His body began to swell, and the dark power around him became violent. He rushed towards Agang and Lin, ready to drag them into the dark abyss.

"Be careful!" Xu Tiancai shouted.

Agang and Lin sensed the danger and tried to dodge, but the black-robed figure was too fast, and they were too late to avoid it. Just as the black-robed figure was about to collide with them, Xu Tiancai used up his last bit of strength and completely closed the Dark Portal. The instant the Dark Portal closed, a powerful energy rebounded, sending the black-robed figure back. Under the impact of this energy, the black-robed figure's body was transformed into countless black fragments and disappeared into thin air.

Xu Tiancai and the others breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew that this was only a temporary relief. They were now in the deepest part of the temple, surrounded by a thick atmosphere of darkness. Although the Dark Portal had been closed, it was still full of danger.

"We have to leave here as soon as possible. This place is not safe." Xu Tiancai said.

They began searching for a way out of the temple. On the temple walls, they discovered ancient murals depicting the temple's history and mysterious rituals. One mural caught their attention: it depicted a passage leading to the ground, with a unique symbol at the entrance.

"Look, this mural may be the clue for us to leave." Lin said.

They followed the directions indicated by the murals and finally found the entrance with special symbols in a corner of the temple. The entrance was blocked by a huge stone slab engraved with runes.

"We have to open this stone slab before we can enter the passage," said Agang.

They began to study the runes on the stone tablet, trying to find a way to open it. Xu Tiancai found that these runes had some similarities with the runes they had encountered in the ruins before, and he tried to activate the runes with his own power.

When his hand touched the runes on the stone, they began to glow. The light flowed along specific paths across the stone, forming a complex pattern. As the light flowed, the stone began to slowly move, revealing a dark passage.