The genius who counterattacked the mainland

When all the energy nodes were infused with power, the pattern on the ground erupted with an intense light that shot straight up into the sky, seemingly tearing it apart. Amidst the light, a faint ancient chanting could be heard. The sound was mysterious and distant, like the whispers of an ancient deity.

Xu Tiancai and the others were enveloped by the light, feeling a powerful force pulling at their bodies, as if dragging them into another time and space. They gripped their weapons and artifacts tightly, huddled together, and prepared for any unexpected situation.

The light gradually faded, and they found themselves in a strange space. It resembled a vast maze, surrounded by crystal walls shimmering with runes. The runes on the walls constantly shifted in shape and color, as if telling ancient stories. The maze's passages were intricate, some emitting a soft glow, while others were shrouded in darkness, eerie and terrifying.

"What is this place? It feels more mysterious than any place we have encountered before." A Gang gripped his battle axe tightly and looked around vigilantly. His voice echoed in the maze with a hint of uneasiness.

Lin frowned slightly and stretched out her hand, trying to sense the elemental forces around her. "The elements here are very chaotic, as if disturbed by a special force. My magic might be affected." A trace of worry flashed in her eyes. As a magician who relied on elemental magic, this situation was extremely disadvantageous to her.

The mysterious figure, his black robes fluttering in the breeze, gazed at the runes on the wall, trying to find a clue. "These runes seem to hold a way out of here. We must study them carefully." His voice was low and hoarse, and the power of darkness loomed at his fingertips.

The Ice Princess raised her hand slightly, and the temperature around her dropped slightly, causing tiny ice crystals to form around her. "No matter what, we can't stay here for too long. We need to find the last key as soon as possible." Her eyes were firm, and a chilling aura emanated from her.

Xu Tiancai looked at the artifact in his hand. Its light had dimmed in this space, but it still gave him a sense of security. "Let's choose a passage first. Everyone, be careful and don't get separated," he said, leading the way towards a passage emitting a faint light.

They walked along the passage, the ground beneath their feet smooth as a mirror, and with every step they took, they could hear the sound of light footsteps echoing in the maze. As they walked, they heard the sound of gurgling water, which was particularly clear in the silent maze.

Following the sound of flowing water, they arrived at a vast, crystal-clear lake. The water was a dazzling riot of color, as if stained by countless gemstones. The surface of the lake shimmered, yet the source of the water was nowhere to be seen, as if it had appeared from thin air.

In the center of the lake, there was a small crystal island, and on it grew a strange tree. The tree's trunk was crystal clear, and its branches were full of gleaming key-shaped fruits that exuded an alluring fragrance.

"Could that be the last key?" A Gang pointed at the fruit on the tree and said with excitement in his eyes.

"Something's not right. This place is too easy to find. There must be a trap." The mysterious figure said vigilantly, his eyes scanning around the lake, trying to find potential dangers.

At that moment, the tranquil lake surface suddenly rippled, and a series of water beasts, composed of water elements, leaped from the lake. These beasts had streamlined bodies, radiating a blue light. Their eyes were like bright gemstones, flashing a fierce light. The beasts opened their mouths, revealing sharp teeth, and pounced towards Xu Tiancai and his companions.

A Gang swung his battle axe and chopped at the water beast that was rushing towards him. The battle axe hit the water beast, splashing water, and the water beast was cut in half, but it quickly reassembled and continued to attack them.

Xu Tiancai unleashed the artifact's attack skill, and a multicolored arrow of light shot towards the water beast. After the arrow hit the water beast, its body trembled slightly, but it didn't suffer much damage. Instead, it rushed towards them even more frantically.

Lin cast elemental fusion magic, attempting to organize and fuse the chaotic elements around them into a powerful attack force. She mobilized the wind element, causing it to swirl around the water beasts, disrupting their movements; the fire element burned on the water beasts' bodies, attempting to evaporate them; the water element fought against the lake's water, weakening the beasts' strength; and the earth element formed a solid shield beneath their feet, preventing the beasts from attacking.

The mysterious figure summoned the devouring power of darkness, which swept towards the water beast like a black vortex. After the water beast encountered the devouring power, the light on its body began to gradually dim, as if it was being eroded by the dark power.

The Ice Princess cast her ice magic, creating a thick layer of ice on the lake surface, trying to trap the water beasts underneath. The ice quickly spread, freezing some of the water beasts, but more water beasts emerged from the cracks in the ice and continued to pounce on them.

Under their combined attack, the water beasts' attack was temporarily contained, but their numbers were huge, and they seemed to have endless power, constantly pouring out of the lake.

"This is not a solution. We have to find a way to get to the island in the center of the lake." Xu Tiancai said, his eyes revealing firm determination.

They began to think about how to cross the lake to reach the island. While observing the surrounding environment, Lin discovered some special runes on the crystal walls around the lake. These runes flashed a unique light under the reflection of the lake water.

"These runes may be the key to controlling the lake. We may be able to use them to stop the attacks of water beasts." Lin said.

They began to study the runes on the crystal wall. After some effort, Lin discovered that these runes were related to an ancient water magic circle. To stop the water beast's attack, it was necessary to activate the runes in a specific order to form a reverse magic circle.

Lin, relying on her knowledge of magic circles and runes, began to attempt to activate the runes. She carefully touched the runes, injecting energy according to a specific sequence. Each touch triggered a surge of energy, and the surrounding water beasts, seemingly sensing danger, attacked them with even greater frenzy.

Agang, the mysterious figure, and the Ice Princess fought hard to resist the attacks of the water beasts, buying time for Lin. Agang swung his battle axe with impenetrable force, each strike repelling several water beasts. The mysterious figure's dark power enveloped the area around them, devouring and weakening the water beasts' strength. The Ice Princess continued to cast ice magic, repairing and reinforcing the ice layer destroyed by the water beasts.

With everyone's efforts, Lin finally succeeded in activating all the runes. As the last rune was illuminated, the water beasts in the lake suddenly ceased their attacks, their bodies gradually transforming into pools of clear water, merging into the lake. The lake returned to calm, and the colorful waters appeared even more beautiful under the shining light.

"Let's hurry to the island." Xu Tiancai said.

They stepped onto the lake cautiously. The calm water rippled slightly beneath their feet, but no new dangers appeared. They walked towards the island in the center of the lake, taking every step with extreme caution, as if a new trap might appear at any moment.

When they arrived at the island, the light emanating from the strange tree became even more dazzling, and the fruits on the tree were like shining stars, attracting their attention. Xu Tiancai reached out to pick one of the fruits, but just as his hand was about to touch the fruit, a powerful energy shield erupted from the tree, repelling his hand back.

"There is indeed a defense mechanism. We have to find a way to crack it." Xu Tiancai said with a frown.

They began to study the energy shield and discovered some energy patterns on it that were similar to the runes on the surrounding crystal walls. Lin carefully observed these energy patterns, trying to find a way to break the shield.

After some research, they discovered that the energy shield required specific elemental forces to be injected in a certain order to be breached. Lin began to cast elemental magic, injecting the power of wind, fire, water, and earth into the energy shield in the order she had researched. With each injection of elemental power, the shield's light flickered. After the last element was injected, the shield's light gradually dimmed and eventually disappeared.

"We can pick the fruits now," said Lin.

Xu Tiancai reached out to pick the fruit again, and this time he successfully plucked it. The moment the fruit was in his hand, a powerful energy surged into his body, and he felt his strength greatly increased.

"This should be the last key. Let's leave here quickly." Xu Tiancai said.

They returned along the same route, and when they reached the entrance of the maze, they found that the entrance had disappeared, replaced by a solid crystal wall.

"What's going on? Why is the entrance gone?" Agang pounded the crystal wall hard, but the wall didn't move at all.

Lin walked to the crystal wall and carefully observed the runes on it. "The runes here have been changed. It seems to be a new seal. We need to find a new way to break it." She said.

They began to look for clues to break the seal in this closed space. During the search, they found that the passages in the maze began to change. Some passages that were originally closed were opened, while some passages that were originally unobstructed were blocked.

"It seems that this maze has undergone new changes. Everyone should be careful." said the mysterious figure.

They journeyed through the maze, trying to find an exit. In a newly opened passage, they encountered a strange creature. Its body seemed composed of countless mechanical parts, its eyes two glowing crystals, and its body had numerous movable joints. Upon seeing them, these mechanical creatures emitted a sharp metallic grinding sound and charged towards them.

Agang confronted the mechanical creatures, his battle axe slashing against them, sending sparks flying. The mechanical creatures' bodies were incredibly hard, and the axe only left a shallow mark on their shells. The mechanical creatures swung their mechanical arms, and sharp metal spikes emerged from them, stabbing Agang.

Xu Tiancai unleashed the power of his divine weapon, and shot colorful arrows of light at the mechanical creatures. After the arrows hit the mechanical creatures, they left some small pits on their bodies, but did not cause much damage to them.

Lin cast elemental magic, attempting to use elemental power to disrupt the mechanical creatures' internal structure. She mobilized wind to penetrate their joints, disrupting their movements; fire to melt their metal shells; water to condense into ice within them, hindering their movement; and earth to form tiny rocks that became lodged between their parts.

The mysterious figure summoned a destructive force from the darkness, a force capable of eroding the energy cores of the mechanical creatures. The destructive force of darkness spread towards the interior of the mechanical creatures, causing some of them to begin to move more slowly.

The Ice Princess cast her ice magic, creating a thick layer of ice around the mechanical creatures, trying to trap them. The ice enveloped the mechanical creatures, but when the mechanical creatures struggled, the ice shattered.

Under their combined attack, the mechanical creatures' attack was gradually contained. However, these mechanical creatures were numerous, and they seemed to possess some kind of coordinated combat capability. They began to change their tactics, with some launching a frontal attack on Xu Tiancai and his men, while others attempted to flank them.

"We can't be surrounded by them. We need to concentrate our forces to break through in one direction." Xu Tiancai shouted.

They launched a fiercer attack in one direction, attempting to break through the mechanical creatures' encirclement. Agang wielded his battle axe, whirling through the swarm of mechanical creatures like a whirlwind, each strike inflicting considerable damage. Lin unleashed a massive elemental fusion spell, combining the four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth to create a powerful wave of energy that swept towards the swarm of mechanical creatures. The mysterious figure and the Ice Princess also unleashed their ultimate moves, their destructive power and ice magic effectively restraining the mechanical creatures' movements.