The genius who counterattacked the mainland

The aftermath of the explosion hadn't yet subsided when the black-robed figure, buffeted by the energy, revealed his true form. His face was covered in rune tattoos, the runes gleaming with an eerie, dark light, as if revealing his deep fusion with the forces of darkness. His eyes, like two balls of burning black flame, betrayed endless rage and resentment.

Xu Tiancai took advantage of the black-robed man's weakened strength and launched another attack. The artifact shone brightly, transforming into a brilliant rainbow that shot towards the black-robed man like a meteor. Carrying the vastness of star power, the fiery power of the phoenix, and the sacredness of the guardian pearl, the rainbow pierced the darkness and approached the black-robed man.

Agang roared in anger, raising his battle axe high. The runes on the axe shone brightly, converging into a roaring rune dragon. Its body twisted, emanating an ancient and powerful force. As Agang swung, it roared towards the black-robed figure. Wherever the axe struck, tiny cracks appeared in space, demonstrating the immense power of the blow.

The Ice Princess waved her hands, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet. The moisture in the air quickly condensed, forming countless sharp icicles. Like sharp arrows, these cones, controlled by the Ice Princess, shot towards the black-robed figure. The icicles flew at an incredible speed, piercing the air with a shrill whistling sound like the melody of death.

Though injured by the explosion, the black-robed figure's strength remained formidable. He muttered something, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, forming a black shield before him. Dark power surged from the shield like a black wave, blocking the attacks of Xu Tiancai and the others one by one. Where the shield collided with the attack, a flash of light shone, and the forces of darkness and light intertwined and collided, erupting in bursts of roaring sound.

Xu Tiancai's brow furrowed. He could sense the black-robed figure straining to stabilize the situation, trying to regain strength. He glanced at Agang and the Ice Princess and shouted, "We can't give him a break. Attack together!" He then charged at the black-robed figure, waving his artifact in his hand, unleashing chains of multicolored light. Like swift snakes, the chains coiled around the figure, attempting to restrain his movements.

Agang and the Ice Princess followed closely behind. Agang's battle axe slashed with the sound of wind as it fiercely struck the black-robed man's shield. Each impact caused ripples to form, and a black light flickered. The Ice Princess continuously cast her ice magic, creating layer after layer of ice around the black-robed man, attempting to freeze him in. The ice grew thicker and thicker, gradually enveloping the black-robed man, leaving only a dark figure looming within the ice.

The black-robed figure felt immense pressure, and the black fire in his eyes burned even more fiercely. He roared, and the dark energy surrounding him erupted, shattering the surrounding ice and breaking free of the light chains. With a wave of his hands, the dark energy transformed into countless black tentacles, reaching out towards Xu Tiancai and the others. The tentacles were like black lightning, moving at breakneck speed and covered in sharp barbs. If touched, the consequences would be disastrous.

Xu Tiancai and the others dodged hastily. Xu Tiancai cast a spell, his figure flashing and vanishing from the spot. The next moment, he appeared above the black-robed figure. He raised the artifact and slashed down fiercely at the black-robed figure. The artifact unleashed a powerful blade of light, imbued with the power to destroy everything, slashing towards the black-robed figure's head.

Agang battled the black tentacles on the ground. Each swing of his battle axe severed several tentacles, but the tentacles kept coming, seemingly endless. Several cuts had been made on Agang's body, and blood stained his clothes red, but he remained fearless and continued to fight the tentacles.

The Ice Princess cast her ice magic, forming a massive ice fortress around herself. The walls of the ice fortress were thick and solid, covered in sharp ice spikes. Within the ice fortress, the Ice Princess manipulated the ice element, lowering the surrounding temperature to an extreme, attempting to freeze the black tentacles.

The black-robed figure sensed Xu Tiancai's attack and raised his head, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. He extended a hand and grasped at Xu Tiancai's blade of light. Dark energy gathered in his hand, forming a massive black palm. The palm and the blade collided with a deafening roar. The blade's power and the black palm counteracted each other, and the powerful impact sent everything around it flying.

Xu Tiancai was thrown backward by the impact, slamming heavily into the wall. He felt a surge of energy and blood, but he endured the pain and stood up again. A Gang and the Ice Princess were also struggling to resist the black tentacles. The situation was extremely critical.

At this moment, Xu Tiancai suddenly noticed that when the black-robed man cast powerful spells, the rune tattoos on his body would flicker more violently. He had a sudden thought, speculating that these runes might be the key to the black-robed man's power, or perhaps his weakness.

Xu Tiancai shared his discovery with A Gang and the Ice Princess. They decided to change their tactics and focus their efforts on attacking the rune tattoos on the black-robed man's body. Xu Tiancai cast his magic again, and the artifact released rays of light, shooting towards the black-robed man's face, aiming for the runes on his face.

Agang swung his battle axe, flinging aside the surrounding black tentacles, then charged toward the black-robed figure. Leaping high, he slashed his axe at the figure, aiming for the shimmering runes. The Ice Princess emerged from the ice fortress, casting her ice magic, condensing the surrounding water vapor into a massive ice sword. The sword, emitting a bone-chilling chill, pierced the black-robed figure, also targeting the runes.

The black-robed man hadn't expected them to discover his weakness, and he hurriedly tried to dodge, but it was too late. Xu Tiancai's radiance first struck the rune on his face, causing it to flicker and crack under the impact. Then, Agang's battle axe struck the rune on his body, the force of the axe causing it to suffer even greater damage. Finally, the Ice Princess's icy sword pierced the rune on his other side, and the sword's chilling power caused a layer of frost to form on the skin surrounding the rune.

The black-robed man roared in pain, his strength plummeting after the rune was damaged. He tried to cast magic again, but the dark power became disordered and could not function properly. Xu Tiancai and his companions seized this opportunity and launched an even more fierce attack.

Xu Tiancai increased the power of the artifact to its maximum, releasing a multicolored light that enveloped the black-robed figure. This light, imbued with a powerful purifying force, began to erode the black-robed figure's dark power. Agang swung his axe relentlessly, each strike striking at the runes on the black-robed figure's body, inflicting increasing damage. The Ice Princess cast her ice magic, continuously lowering the surrounding temperature and slowing the black-robed figure's movements.

Under their combined attack, the black-robed figure gradually lost ground. His body began to tremble, and the dark energy gradually dissipated. But his eyes were still filled with hatred. He said viciously, "Do you think you can defeat me like this? Our plan will not stop because of my failure. Darkness will eventually cover this world." With that, his body suddenly erupted with a powerful dark force, knocking Xu Tiancai and the others away.

The black-robed figure transformed into a streak of black light and fled deeper into the ruins. Xu Tiancai and the others wanted to pursue him, but they had expended considerable energy in the previous battle and were exhausted. They decided to repair the magic circle first to prevent the entrance to the alternate dimension from being opened, and then pursue the black-robed figure.

They returned to the magic circle. Lin and the mysterious figure were still working hard to maintain the shield, resisting the attacks of the dark forces. Seeing Xu Tiancai and the others return, they breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Tiancai briefly explained the situation of the black-robed man, and then everyone continued to repair the magic circle together.

They poured more power into the magic circle, and its light grew brighter. With their efforts, the magic circle was finally fully repaired, and the seal's power increased once again, firmly sealing the entrance to the alternate dimension. They felt the stabilizing force emanating from the magic circle, knowing that a crisis had been temporarily resolved.

But they had no time to rest; they immediately pursued the black-robed figure. Following the passage deep within the ruins, they tracked the dark aura left behind by the black-robed figure. An oppressive atmosphere permeated the passage, and the light on the walls grew dimmer, as if foreshadowing the approach of new danger.

During their pursuit, they discovered strange patterns on the walls of the passage. These depicted ancient battles, with powerful creatures engaged in combat, some of which they had never seen before. These patterns seemed to tell of an unknown history, a connection to the ruins and the alternate dimension.

Xu Tiancai carefully observed the patterns and discovered that some of the creatures in them seemed to have come to this world from another dimension. He speculated that this relic might not only seal the entrance to the other-dimensional passage, but also hide more secrets about the other-dimensional space.

Continuing deeper, they heard the gurgling sound of flowing water. The sound echoed through the passage, seeming particularly ethereal. They walked toward its source and discovered a subterranean river. The water was a mysterious blue, shimmering faintly as it flowed, as if countless stars were contained within.

An ancient stone bridge stood over the underground river. It was a bit worn, but still sturdy. They stepped onto it, preparing to cross. Just then, the water suddenly churned, and from it emerged strange creatures. These creatures resembled fish, but their bodies were covered in sharp spines. Their eyes were as large as lanterns, emitting an eerie light. They opened their bloody mouths, revealing sharp teeth, and pounced on Xu Tiancai and his companions.

Xu Tiancai hurriedly cast a defensive spell, and a multicolored curtain of light appeared on the stone bridge, blocking the creatures' attacks. Agang swung his battle axe, slashing at the approaching creatures, each swing cleaving them in two. Lin cast a water elemental spell, attempting to control the waters of the Dark River and flush the creatures back into the water. The mysterious figure and the Ice Princess also cast their own spells to aid the group in the fight against the creatures.

However, the number of these creatures increased, as if the entire dark river were their lair. They continued to emerge from the river, and their attacks became increasingly fierce. Xu Tiancai and his companions felt tremendous pressure. They had to find a way to cross this dark river and continue to track the black-robed man.

Xu Tiancai looked at the dark river and came up with a solution. He said to Lin, "We can use your water elemental magic and the power of my artifact to carve a passage across the river surface, allowing everyone to pass quickly." Lin nodded. She concentrated, mobilizing the water element in the dark river. Xu Tiancai then injected the power of the artifact into the river, and the artifact's light resonated with the water element.

With their combined efforts, a tunnel made of water appeared on the river's surface. On either side of the tunnel were roiling water and ferocious creatures, but within it was relatively safe. Xu Tiancai and the others quickly passed through the tunnel and reached the other side of the hidden river.

As soon as they landed, they found the environment even more bizarre. Glowing vines grew on the surrounding walls, bearing strange fruits. The fruits glowed alluringly, but they knew that in this dangerous place, anything that looked alluring could potentially hide deadly dangers.

They moved forward cautiously, trying to avoid the vines and fruits. Suddenly, they heard the black-robed man's voice from the front: "You are really persistent, but you will soon regret chasing us here." Xu Tiancai and the others quickened their pace and headed towards the source of the voice.

As they turned a corner, a vast cave appeared before them. A mysterious mist filled the cave, through which gigantic figures could be vaguely seen swaying. A black-robed figure stood in the center of the cave, flanked by several massive stone platforms, upon which were placed objects emanating dark power.

The black-robed man looked at Xu Tiancai and the others and sneered, "Welcome to my territory! This is where you will die." He then picked up a black crystal ball from the stone platform. A powerful dark force surged within the crystal ball. He raised the crystal ball into the air, muttering something to himself.