The genius who counterattacked the mainland

Xu Tiancai and the others left the cave with the gems and headed down the other side of the mountain. At that moment, the sky was thick with dark clouds, and the already blood-red sky became even darker, as if foreshadowing the impending battle.

The descent was difficult, the rugged path strewn with gravel and loose soil. A-Gang walked ahead, carefully clearing the way with his battle axe, taking each step firmly to avoid slipping. Xu Tiancai gripped the gem tightly, the artifact's light juxtaposing the gem's blue glow, illuminating a small area around them. Lin cast a balancing spell, ensuring everyone remained stable even on the slippery surface. The mysterious figure and the Ice Princess observed their surroundings warily, wary of any possible danger.

As they reached the foot of the mountain, the surroundings grew increasingly harsh. A howling wind, mingled with dust and a pungent smell, made it nearly impossible to open their eyes. In the distance, a desolate plain appeared before them, covered in cracked earth and vast gullies, like wounds torn from the earth.

"According to the information displayed by the gem, the dimensional passage is at the end of this plain, but we have to be careful, as there may be traps set by dark forces everywhere." Xu Tiancai said loudly, his voice a little blown away by the wind.

They stepped onto the plain, feeling the fragility of the earth beneath their feet with every step. Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, and huge cracks stretched out in all directions. Black smoke belched from the cracks, and within the smoke, twisted figures struggling could be vaguely seen.

"It's a dark creature! Be careful everyone!" Agang shouted, gripping his battle axe tightly, ready to face the enemy that was about to emerge from the crack.

With a roar, a pack of dark, wolf-like creatures leaped from the cracks. Their bodies were as black as ink, their eyes gleaming blood-red, their mouths bared sharp fangs, and a thick, sinister aura emanated from them. As soon as these dark wolves appeared, they pounced upon them with lightning speed.

Agang swung his battle axe and met the first few dark wolves that rushed over. The battle axe collided with the wolf's body, splashing a burst of black liquid, but these dark creatures seemed to feel no pain. They continued to attack frantically, trying to tear Agang apart with their fangs and claws.

Xu Tiancai combined the power of the stars, the power of the phoenix, and the power of the guardian pearl with the power of the four artifacts, transforming them into multicolored rays of light that shot towards the dark wolves. After the rays hit the dark wolves, their bodies were burned with wounds, and they howled in pain, but they still did not retreat.

Lin cast a massive light spell, creating a vast shield around them. The shield shimmered with golden light, illuminating the dark wolves that approached it, causing them to begin to smoke and slow their movements. A mysterious figure summoned the purifying power of darkness, a power that possessed a special effect against creatures of darkness. Threads of white light emerged from the darkness, and wherever they passed, the dark wolves fell. The Ice Princess cast an ice spell, creating spikes of ice on the ground. Some dark wolves were pierced by these spikes as they ran, freezing them in place.

However, the number of dark wolves was too great, and they continued to pour out from the cracks, rushing towards the light shield one after another. Under the impact of the dark creatures, the light shield began to crack and the light began to flicker.

"This won't work. We have to find a way to break through their encirclement," Xu Tiancai said, his eyes becoming determined. He observed the dark wolves' attack patterns and found that although they were ferocious, their attacks were disorganized, and they simply charged blindly.

"Let's concentrate our strength and attack in one direction, fighting our way out!" Xu Tiancai shouted, gathering his strength in his hands and forming a massive lightsaber. The others followed suit, preparing to attack the area where the Dark Wolves were most concentrated.

They charged in one direction. Xu Tiancai's lightsaber slashed through the pack of dark wolves, slaying several with each swing. Agang's battle axe swung wildly, shattering the approaching dark creatures. Lin cast a powerful wind spell, a howling gust of wind blowing the dark wolves away, clearing a path for them. The mysterious figure and the Ice Princess provided cover on either side, using magic to attack the dark creatures that attempted to attack them from the side.

After their strenuous efforts, they finally broke through the encirclement of the dark wolves. However, they did not dare to stop and continued to move towards the end of the plain, because they knew that more dangers were waiting for them.

As they continued their journey, they encountered a swamp with an eerie aura. A black mist permeated the swamp, through which faint traces of bones and decaying corpses could be seen. Bubbles constantly rose from the swamp's surface, emitting a sickening odor when they burst.

"This swamp looks dangerous. We have to go around it." Lin said with a frown.

However, when they tried to bypass the swamp, they found that the swamp seemed to be expanding, and black fog spread towards them, soon surrounding them.

"It seems we have no choice but to cross this swamp," Xu Tiancai said. He cast a detection spell, trying to understand the situation in the swamp. However, the magic was severely disrupted in the swamp, and he could only vaguely sense some powerful dark force flowing in the swamp.

They stepped into the swamp carefully. The ground under their feet was soft and every step took a lot of effort. Suddenly, Lin felt something grab her foot. She looked down and saw a rotten hand stretched out from the swamp and tightly grasped her ankle.

"Ah!" Lin screamed and tried to break free, but the hand was very strong.

Seeing this, Agang hurriedly chopped at the rotten hand with his battle axe. The axe chopped off the hand, but more hands stretched out from the swamp and grabbed them. At the same time, humanoid monsters appeared in the swamp. Their bodies were half-rotten and exuded a foul stench. Their eyes flashed with green will-o'-the-wisp and slowly moved towards them.

"Everyone, be careful of these monsters. They may spread the plague." The mysterious figure reminded. He cast a dark protective magic, forming a black shield around everyone's body that can resist certain negative effects.

Xu Tiancai fused the power of the stars and the power of the phoenix into a powerful blade of light, slashing at the approaching humanoid monster. Wherever the blade struck, the monster's body was easily cut open, but it did not fall, but continued to approach them. Black liquid oozed from the cut parts of its body, dripping onto the swamp with a sizzling sound.

The Ice Princess casts her ice magic to form an ice bridge across the swamp, hoping to free everyone from the swamp. However, the ice bridge is soon corroded by the dark forces of the swamp and cracks begin to appear.

"We can't stay in the swamp for too long. We need to leave as soon as possible," Xu Tiancai shouted. He once again exerted his power, unleashing the full force of his divine weapon, and launched a powerful energy wave towards the edge of the swamp. Wherever the energy wave reached, the black mist in the swamp was dispelled, and some monsters were blown to pieces after being struck by the energy wave.

They used the energy wave to speed up their progress through the swamp. After a difficult trek, they finally walked out of the swamp. At this point, everyone was exhausted, but they knew they couldn't stop to rest because time was running out.

After advancing for a distance, they came upon a deserted ancient city ahead. Its walls were towering but dilapidated, with numerous gaping holes, as if struck by some powerful force. Most of the buildings within the city had collapsed, leaving only a few broken walls and a pervasive, deadly silence.

"This ancient city... seems to be hiding a lot of secrets." Agang said, looking at the ancient city.

They entered the ancient city. The streets were covered in dust and rubble, with the occasional tattered weapon and armor scattered along the roadside. At the end of the street stood a massive palace, its gates tightly closed. Intricate runes and patterns were carved into the door, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

"The clue to the extra-dimensional passage may be in this palace." Xu Tiancai said, and they walked towards the palace.

As they approached the palace gate, the temperature around them suddenly dropped dramatically, and their breath turned into white mist. The runes on the palace gate began to glow a dark red, as if warning them not to approach.

"There is a strong dark power seal here, we have to open it carefully." Xu Tiancai said. He carefully observed the runes on the door, trying to find a way to crack it.

During his observations, he discovered a subtle connection between the runes on the gate and the surrounding energy. By analyzing the energy fluctuations of the runes and the changes in the surrounding temperature and airflow, he hypothesized that the runes needed to be infused with energy of specific properties in a certain order in order to open the gate.

"I think I have found a way. Everyone, be prepared. There may be danger." Xu Tiancai said. He combined the power of the stars, the power of the phoenix, the power of the guardian bead and the power of the four artifacts. According to his own guess, he carefully injected energy into the runes on the gate.

As energy poured in, the runes on the gate glowed brighter, a dark crimson light illuminating the entire street. Suddenly, a powerful dark force surged from the gate, sweeping towards them. This dark force was like a black tide, carrying a biting cold and a destructive aura.

They quickly cast defensive spells. Xu Tiancai gathered his strength in front of him, forming a vast curtain of light. Agang stuck his battle axe into the ground, gripping the handle tightly with both hands, using the axe's force to steady himself. Lin cast a warming spell, attempting to dispel the cold and strengthen the curtain of light. The mysterious figure and the Ice Princess also cast their own spells. The mysterious figure summoned the power of balance from the darkness, while the Ice Princess cast an ice spell, coating the curtain of light with a layer of ice to strengthen the defense.

The dark force crashed against the light curtain, emitting a deafening roar. The light curtain trembled under the powerful impact, its light flickering unsteadily, as if it would shatter at any moment.

"We can't let it break through the defense. Let's all work together!" Xu Tiancai shouted. They increased their power output, and the light curtain became brighter, barely resisting the impact of the dark power.

After a fierce confrontation, the dark force gradually weakened and eventually disappeared. The rune light on the gate returned to normal, and with a roar, the gate slowly opened.

They entered the palace, revealing a vast hall. The ceiling was incredibly high, adorned with massive crystal chandeliers. However, the chandeliers had shattered, and the fragments scattered across the floor cast an eerie light. In the center of the hall stood a massive circular stone platform, surrounded by black stone pillars. These were engraved with terrifying images: the roar of demons, the suffering of souls, and the destruction of the world.

In the center of the stone platform, a vortex radiated black light, and black lightning flashed continuously within it. This was the entrance to the other-dimensional passage. The passage was protected by a black energy shield, with complex runes flowing on it. These runes exuded a powerful dark force, preventing anyone from approaching the passage.

"This is the channel to another dimension. We have to find a way to break the shield and close the channel." Xu Tiancai said. He looked at the shield and thought about how to deal with it.

At that moment, a group of dark knights emerged from all four corners of the hall. These dark knights were covered in black armor, engraved with runes that shone with a dark red light. They rode black warhorses whose eyes gleamed with green flames, and their hooves pounded the ground with a crisp, metallic clang.

The dark knights, wielding spears, charged towards them. The tips of their spears gleamed with a black light that seemed to pierce through everything. Their speed was so great that they resembled a black whirlwind through the hall.