The genius who counterattacked the mainland

As Xu Tiancai climbed, he carefully observed the runes on the Rune Tower and discovered a subtle connection between them, like a giant puzzle, with each rune a crucial piece. He tried to touch the runes, feeling the energy flowing through them, when suddenly, a surge of energy like an electric current emanated from them, nearly causing him to drop his hand.

"Everyone be careful, these runes not only attack actively, but also contain hidden secrets. Don't touch them casually." Xu Tiancai reminded loudly.

Agang gripped his battle axe tightly, using it to insert into the gap of the rune tower to stabilize himself. He responded, "This rune tower is simply a death trap. We must be extremely careful with every step."

Lin cast wind magic, forming a stable wind shield around them, resisting the energy released by the runes. Beads of sweat covered her forehead as she said, "This wind shield won't hold for long. We need to climb up quickly."

The mysterious figure formed hand seals, and the forces of darkness and light shimmered around him. He searched for patterns in the rune energy fluctuations, attempting to find a safe path. "These rune energy fluctuations have cyclical patterns. We can exploit these gaps to advance."

The Ice Princess waved her wand, creating a layer of ice beneath her feet, increasing friction and making the climb slightly easier. Her eyes were focused, ever vigilant against the illusions the runes might bring. The figure in white played a flute, its sound transforming into tiny butterflies of light that scouted the path ahead. If a dangerous rune approached, the butterflies would sound a warning.

With everyone's efforts, they gradually approached the summit of the Rune Tower. However, the higher they climbed, the more intense the rune attacks became, and the illusion grew more real. Suddenly, Agang saw his comrades fall before him, blood splattering on his face. He was startled, but instantly realized it was an illusion. With a roar, he used the power of his battle axe to dispel the illusion.

"This illusion was too real, I almost fell for it." Agang said with lingering fear.

Lin also encountered trouble. She saw the powerful magical power she had always dreamed of, tempting her. The brilliant light and endless power made her eyes waver. But she remembered her mission, gritted her teeth, and cast wind magic to break through the shackles of the illusion.

The mysterious figure struggled between the illusions of darkness and light. The power of darkness tried to devour him, while the power of light wanted to burn him. With his profound understanding of the two forces, he found a balance deep in his heart and broke through the illusion.

The Ice Princess saw her kingdom restored to its former prosperity, but she knew it was only an illusion. She waved her wand and used ice magic to break the beautiful illusion, and the determination in her eyes rekindled.

The man in white fell into a lonely illusion. All around him was dead silence, with only the sound of his own flute echoing. He quickened the tempo of his playing, turning the flute sound into a powerful force that dispelled the haze of loneliness.

After a difficult climb and battles with runes and illusions, everyone finally reached the top of the Rune Tower. The energy node here radiated strong and chaotic energy, and the surrounding air was distorted by the energy fluctuations.

"This energy node looks more complicated than the previous ones. The power of chaos has corroded it beyond recognition." Xu Tiancai looked at the energy node with a frown.

The runes on the energy nodes flickered with an eerie light, and the black power of chaos entwined itself around them like vines, spreading and growing. Agang raised his battle axe, attempting to attack the power of chaos, but before he could do anything, a powerful recoil sent him back several steps.

"This chaotic power has a self-protection mechanism and cannot be attacked rashly." said the mysterious figure. He walked forward and carefully observed the runes around the energy nodes.

Lin cast wind magic, attempting to detect the energy structure of the runes. She discovered that the runes had been altered by the power of chaos, causing their energy to spiral out of control. "We must first restore the runes' order before we can repair the energy nodes."

The Ice Princess waved her wand and chanted ancient incantations, attempting to use the power of ice to stabilize the energy fluctuations around the energy node. The man in white played the flute, and the sound of the flute transformed into soft energy rays, assisting the Ice Princess in stabilizing the energy.

Xu Tiancai closed his eyes and, relying on the power of the Heart of Light Crystal, attempted to communicate with the energy node. His consciousness delved into the world of runes, and he saw those runes, disturbed by the power of chaos, flickering disorderly like stars lost in darkness.

"I see the runes are in a mess. We need to rearrange them in a specific order. This order is related to the trajectory of the stars." Xu Tiancai said after opening his eyes.

Everyone began rearranging the runes according to Xu Tiancai's description of the star's trajectory. Agang carefully pried the runes with his battle axe, moving them in the designated direction. Lin cast wind magic, precisely controlling the runes' positions. A mysterious figure used the power of darkness and light to help adjust the runes' energy balance. The Ice Princess and the figure in white maintained the surrounding energy stability to prevent interference from chaotic forces.

As the runes were being rearranged, the power of Chaos sensed their actions and began a frantic counterattack. It transformed into black demons, which pounced upon the group. These demons possessed sharp claws and massive wings, and spewed black flames from their mouths.

Agang wielded his battle axe, engaging in a fierce battle with the black demon. Each swing of his axe brought a powerful force, slashing at the demon's body. But the demon's body was very flexible, hovering in the air, dodging Agang's attacks, and then taking advantage of the moment to grab Agang with its claws.

Lin cast wind magic, summoning powerful tornadoes. The tornadoes swept toward the black demon, engulfing several demons and spinning them endlessly in the air. Wind blades danced within the tornado, slicing through the demon's body. However, the demon's resiliency was remarkable, and its wounds healed quickly.

The mysterious figure formed hand seals, and the forces of darkness and light converged in his hands into a massive energy ball. He threw the energy ball at the group of demons, and it exploded among them, shattering several demons. However, more demons rushed out from the smoke and continued to attack the crowd.

The Ice Princess waved her wand, chanting an ice spell. Giant pillars of ice rose from the ground, piercing the black demons. Some demons were struck by the pillars and frozen within them. But the demons were too powerful, and they struggled. Cracks soon appeared in the pillars, eventually shattering them, freeing the demons once more.

The man in white played his flute faster and faster, the sound transforming into gigantic birds of light and elemental spirits. The birds attacked the black demons with their sharp beaks and claws, while the elemental spirits surrounded the group, unleashing various elemental powers to bolster their defenses. However, the black demons were too numerous, constantly breaking through their defenses and advancing.

Xu Tiancai watched the black demon approaching, unleashing the full power of the Heart of Light Crystal. He raised his sword high, his entire body enveloped in a dazzling light. He charged at the black demon, burning with the power of light wherever his sword struck, sending screams of agony. But the demons didn't retreat; they continued charging at Xu Tiancai.

During the fierce battle, Xu Tiancai discovered that these black demons seemed to be drawing power from the energy nodes. As long as the chaotic power of the energy nodes was not cleared, they would continue to appear.

"We have to speed up the repair of the energy nodes, otherwise we will be exhausted to death by these demons." Xu Tiancai shouted.

As they battled the black demon, they sped up the rune re-arrangement. With their concerted efforts, the runes gradually returned to their original order. The energy fluctuations at the energy nodes began to stabilize, and the black demon's power gradually weakened.

With the last rune in place, the chaotic power at the energy node was greatly weakened. The black demons seemed to have lost their support and became weak. The crowd seized the opportunity to launch a final attack, destroying all the black demons.

However, just as they were about to completely clear the remaining Chaos Power from the energy node, it suddenly emitted a strong light, and within it emerged an ancient figure. This figure exuded a powerful aura, and his eyes were filled with majesty and warning.

"You foolish fellows, how dare you disrupt the order of the runes? You will awaken the forbidden power and bring greater disaster to the world." The ancient figure said loudly.

Xu Tiancai stepped forward and said, "We are here to save the world, repair the energy nodes, and prevent the outbreak of destructive forces. If we don't do this, the world will truly be destroyed."

The ancient figure sneered, "You think you're saving the world, but you don't know that your actions have already touched the very foundations of the world. This energy node contains forbidden power. Once fully repaired, it could lead to irreversible consequences."

After hearing the ancient figure's words, everyone hesitated. They didn't know whether to believe the ancient figure's warning or continue to complete their mission.

The mysterious figure thought for a moment and then said, "We have no way out. If we don't repair the energy node, the destructive force will break through the seal and the world will fall into disaster. We can only take a risk."

The others nodded, deciding to trust their own judgment. Xu Tiancai once again walked towards the energy node, ready to clear the remaining chaotic energy. The ancient figure saw their actions and roared in anger, attacking everyone.

The ancient figure's attack was immensely powerful. Rays of energy shot forth from his hands, tearing space apart wherever they reached. A-Gon raised his battle axe, attempting to block the attack, but it buzzed under the impact, sending A-Gon stumbling backward.

Lin cast wind magic, summoning a powerful wind shield. The shield flickered under the onslaught of energy beams, barely holding its ground. The mysterious figure formed hand seals, and the forces of darkness and light formed a vast vortex of energy before him, absorbing the ancient figure's attack. The Ice Princess waved her wand, condensing a thick layer of ice around them to enhance their defenses. The figure in white played a flute, and the sound transformed into giant birds of light, rushing towards the ancient figure, attempting to disrupt his attack.

Xu Tiancai dodged the ancient figure's attacks while continuing to approach the energy node. He felt the ancient figure's immense power, but he didn't retreat. He harnessed the radiance of the Heart of Light Crystal to its fullest potential, using it to resist the ancient figure's attacks. Simultaneously, he touched the energy node with his hand, infusing it with the power of light and clearing away the forces of chaos.

With everyone's tenacious resistance, the ancient figure's attacks were gradually neutralized. Xu Tiancai also successfully cleared the last trace of chaotic energy from the energy node. The energy node once again radiated pure and powerful energy, resonating with the other repaired energy nodes.

As the energy nodes repaired, the entire Rune Tower began to glow with a dazzling light. The light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the entire mysterious world. The ancient figure observed this scene, sighed helplessly, and disappeared into the light.

"We succeeded, but I don't know if it will really awaken the forbidden power as he said." Lin said with some concern.

Xu Tiancai looked at the energy node in the light and said, "No matter what, we have made our choice. Now, we must continue to search for the next energy node and complete all repair work as soon as possible."

The group left the Rune Tower and headed for their next destination based on new clues. They crossed a swamp filled with mysterious light and shadows. From time to time, huge bubbles would emerge from the swamp, and when the bubbles burst, they would release some strange gases that could cause hallucinations and weakness.

A Gang walked in front, using his battle axe to test the depth of the swamp. Suddenly, a huge swamp monster jumped out of the swamp. Its body seemed to be made of mud and water plants, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth.