The genius who counterattacked the mainland

A sinister laugh echoed in the darkness, like cold tentacles crawling up everyone's spines, sending shivers down their spines. The sound seemed to come from all directions, yet it also seemed to echo directly in their minds, each syllable laced with endless malice.

"Who is it? Come out!" A Gang roared, the eternal fighting spirit on his battle axe burning even more vigorously. The golden light tore a small patch of light in the darkness, illuminating a small area around it. But the darkness surged in like a tide, quickly swallowing up the light.

"Hmph, you're asking for death!" The cold voice rang out again, this time seemingly originating from the direction of the hourglass. As the sound faded, a massive figure gradually emerged beside the hourglass. It was shrouded in a black robe, shimmering with eerie runes that seemed to writhe with life. His face was hidden beneath the robe's shadow, revealing only a pair of eyes emitting a faint green light, like will-o'-the-wisp, a chilling presence.

"Dark Lord!" the mysterious figure whispered. He could sense a powerful dark force emanating from this figure, a force far more terrifying than all the enemies he had encountered before combined. The Dark Lord raised his hand slightly, holding a black scepter. A massive black gemstone nestled at its tip, within which countless souls seemed to struggle.

"You think you can stop my plan? How naive!" The Dark Lord's voice was filled with sarcasm. "This hourglass is the key to opening the Dark Portal. Once the Dark Portal is opened, the entire world will be shrouded in darkness, and you will all become my most loyal servants."

"We won't let you succeed!" Xu Tiancai gripped the Star Demon-Breaking Sword tightly, its stellar power gleaming from it, creating a stark contrast to the surrounding darkness. He launched the attack, charging towards the Dark Lord like a meteor. Swinging his sword, he launched a stream of sword energy imbued with the power of the stars and the primordial energy of the universe, slashing towards the Dark Lord. The sword energy sliced ​​through the darkness, carrying a destructive aura towards its target.

The Dark Lord simply waved his scepter, and a black curtain of light appeared before him. Xu Tiancai's sword energy slashed through the curtain of light, like a stone sinking into the sea, without causing a ripple. The Dark Lord let out a deep laugh, "Is that all you can do? You truly disappoint me."

Seeing this, Agang roared, the eternal fighting spirit surrounding him blazing like flames. He leaped high, and with unwavering force, his battle axe slashed down at the Dark Lord. The axe contained devastating force, rending the air with a sharp whistling sound. However, when the axe made contact with the black light curtain, Agang felt as if he had struck a towering mountain. A massive recoil sent him flying, sending him plummeting to the ground.

"Agang!" Lin exclaimed. She unleashed her "Wind Dance of Space and Time," manipulating the wind element to form a soft cushion around Agang, softening the impact of his landing. Then, she channeled the wind element into sharp wind blades and shot them toward the Dark Lord. The blades pierced the air like sharp arrows, carving silver trails through the darkness. However, as they approached the Dark Lord, an invisible force twisted them, redirecting them and reflecting them back toward the crowd.

The Ice Princess quickly cast "Life Ice," creating a massive ice shield. Wind blades struck the shield, sending icy shards flying. The Ice Princess frowned, her heart filled with worry. She knew the Dark Lord's power far exceeded their imaginations, and such an attack would have no effect on him.

The mysterious figure rapidly formed seals with his hands, and the forces of darkness and light merged into chaotic energy within his grasp. He transformed this chaotic energy into countless threads, which entwined themselves around the Dark Lord. These threads, as if alive, rapidly extended towards their target. However, when they came into contact with the black light curtain, they were corroded by the dark forces within, gradually dissipating.

The man in white played a flute, and the sound transformed into a swarm of radiant light beasts. The Kirin light beast burned the black light curtain with its flames, the Phoenix light beast attacked the Dark Lord's head with a dazzling array of flames, and the Lion light beast rammed the light curtain with its mighty force. The light beasts' attacks caused the black light curtain to tremble slightly, but the dark power within the light curtain soon absorbed the beasts' attacks, and the light beasts disappeared in a flash of light.

"Your struggle is in vain," the Dark Lord sneered. He swung his scepter, and a powerful dark force surged from it, transforming into black smoke that swept towards the crowd. The black smoke contained a variety of negative emotions: fear, despair, anger, and other emotions that impacted everyone's hearts like a physical substance.

Everyone felt as if countless voices were roaring in their heads, those negative emotions trying to erode their will. Xu Tiancai gritted his teeth and silently chanted the mantra of star power in his mind, trying to use the power of the stars to dispel the negative emotions in his heart. The power of the stars shone in his consciousness, like a bright light, keeping him awake.

Ah Gang, relying on his strong will, forcibly resisted the onslaught of negative emotions. He thought of his hometown and the expectant eyes of his family, and a strong conviction surged in his heart: "I cannot be swallowed by the darkness. I must protect everyone!" His eyes became firm, and his eternal fighting spirit burned again, dispersing some of the surrounding black smoke.

Lin closed her eyes, lost in the perception of the wind element. It was like a friend, swirling around her, shielding her from the erosion of negativity. She called upon the wind element in her heart, and its power grew stronger, forming a wind shield around her, keeping the black smoke out.

The Ice Princess used her ice magic to steady herself. She recalled the hardships she had overcome, experiences that had made her stronger. She focused her ice magic on her wand, and the crystal at the tip of the wand radiated a bright light, dispelling the darkness and negativity around her.

The mysterious figure and the man in white cooperated with each other. The mysterious figure used chaotic energy to form an energy barrier around them. The man in white played the flute, and the flute sound echoed in the barrier, turning into a warm and powerful force to resist the mental attack of the dark lord.

"You can still resist? Interesting." The Dark Lord was slightly surprised, but he did not stop his attack. He increased the output of his dark power, and the black smoke became thicker, pressing towards the crowd like a surging wave.

Under the Dark Lord's immense pressure, the crowd gradually began to give way. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads, and their bodies trembled slightly from the exertion. But they didn't give up, still stubbornly resisting.

Just as everyone was feeling hopeless, Xu Tiancai suddenly felt a subtle connection between his star power and the hourglass. Like an invisible thread, this connection drew his consciousness toward the hourglass. With a sudden thought, he shouted, "Everyone, hold on! The hourglass could be our key. I sense a connection between it and my star power."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope ignited within the crowd. They began moving toward the hourglass, attempting to approach it. The Dark Lord seemed to sense their intentions. He swung his scepter, and a bolt of black lightning shot out from the tip, striking the crowd. The black lightning was incredibly fast, reaching them in an instant.

Seeing this, the mysterious figure unhesitatingly gathered chaotic energy in front of him, forming an energy shield. Black lightning struck the shield, unleashing a violent explosion. The powerful impact sent the mysterious figure sliding back several meters, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. But he gritted his teeth and persevered, preventing the black lightning from breaching the shield.

"Hurry!" the mysterious figure shouted. Everyone seized the opportunity and sped toward the hourglass. The Dark Lord roared angrily, waving his scepter once more. Countless black spikes emerged from the ground and stabbed at the group.

The Ice Princess waved her wand, creating a layer of ice armor beneath everyone's feet. The armor quickly spread, enveloping everyone's feet and making their movements more stable. The spikes pierced the armor, creating some cracks but not injuring anyone.

After a difficult journey, the group finally arrived near the hourglass. Now, they could more clearly sense the powerful energy emanating from it. Xu Tiancai reached out and attempted to touch the hourglass. The moment his hand touched the hourglass, a powerful force surged into his body. His star power became even more powerful, and his connection with the hourglass became even closer.

"The power of this hourglass..." Xu Tiancai said in surprise. The others also felt the influence of the hourglass's power on them. Agang's eternal fighting spirit resonated with the energy of the hourglass, and he felt his power growing stronger. Lin found that the wind element became more active around the hourglass, and her fusion with the wind element reached an unprecedented level. The Ice Princess's ice magic was also sublimated, and she could feel that she could create more powerful ice creatures. The mysterious figure and the man in white also gained new insights from the hourglass. The mysterious figure had a deeper understanding of chaotic energy, and the man in white's flute sound seemed to have a mysterious power.

"Hmph, you think you can defeat me just by approaching the hourglass? How naive!" The Dark Lord's voice rang out again, and he slowly approached the crowd. With each step, black footprints appeared on the ground, and the dark power emanating from the footprints distorted the surrounding space.

Everyone turned around and faced the Dark Lord, their eyes filled with determination. They knew that this was a battle concerning the fate of the world, and they could not retreat.

"Let's attack together!" Xu Tiancai shouted. Everyone worked together, launching their most powerful attack. Xu Tiancai unleashed his "Star Creation Sword." This time, his swordsmanship was infused with the power of the hourglass, making his sword energy even more powerful, imbued with the power of the stars, the primordial energy of the universe, and the mysterious power of the hourglass. The sword energy, like a galaxy, slashed towards the Dark Lord, dispelling darkness wherever it passed.

Agang unleashed his eternal fighting spirit to its fullest potential, swinging his battle axe. A series of golden fighting spirit slashes echoed with Xu Tiancai's sword energy, attacking the Dark Lord. Each of these fighting spirit slashes contained Agang's conviction and strength, each one carrying the aura of devastating destruction.

Lin unleashed an upgraded version of her "Wind Dance of Time and Space." Not only could she manipulate wind to travel through time and space, she also harnessed the power of the hourglass to create multiple wind dimensions. These intertwined, forming a vast wind maze that trapped the Dark Lord. Wind blades from the wind maze rained down upon the Dark Lord, slicing through the dark forces surrounding him.

The Ice Princess unleashed her ultimate form of "Life Ice," creating a horde of gigantic ice beasts. Under her command, the Ice Qilin, Ice Phoenix, and Ice Dragon pounced upon the Dark Lord. The Ice Beasts radiated powerful life force and icy magic. Their attacks caused the surrounding temperature to plummet, freezing a portion of the dark forces.

The mysterious figure fused Chaos Energy with the power of the hourglass. He formed hand seals, and chains of energy imbued with Chaos Energy and the power of the hourglass entwined themselves with the Dark Lord. These chains shimmered with mysterious runes, emanating a power capable of restraining the forces of darkness. Upon contact with the Dark Lord, the chains unleashed a powerful energy shock, causing him to tremble slightly.

The man in white played the flute, and the sound transformed into a brilliant, multicolored light. This light held hope, courage, and strength—the new power the man in white had gained from the hourglass. The light shot toward the Dark Lord, purifying his dark power wherever it passed, and the runes on his black robe dimmed.

Facing the combined force of the crowd, the Dark Lord felt unprecedented pressure. He waved his scepter, and the black light curtain became thicker, attempting to resist the attacks. However, the attacks were too powerful, and cracks began to appear in the black light curtain.

"You..." The Dark Lord roared angrily, increasing the output of his dark power in an attempt to repair the black light curtain. But the crowd did not give him a chance. They continued to intensify their attacks, constantly impacting the Dark Lord's defenses.

In the fierce battle, the light of the hourglass grew increasingly dazzling. It seemed to be responding to everyone's attacks, providing them with a constant supply of power. The Dark Lord gradually began to lose his resistance, and wounds began to appear on his body. Black blood flowed from the wounds, dripping onto the ground with a sizzling sound, corroding the ground.

"We can't let them succeed!" A flash of madness flashed in the Dark Lord's eyes. He decided to use his last resort. He raised his scepter and chanted an ancient and evil spell. As the spell rang out, the surrounding dark forces began to converge, forming a vast dark vortex. From the dark vortex, shrill screams rang out, as if countless souls were suffering within.

The dark vortex swept towards everyone, and the powerful suction made them somewhat unstable. Their attacks were also affected and their power began to weaken.

"Everyone, don't panic!" Xu Tiancai shouted. He steadied himself and channeled the power of the stars into the hourglass. The others followed suit, injecting their own energy into the hourglass. As the hourglass absorbed the power of the others, it glowed brightly, emitting a powerful wave of energy. This wave rushed towards the dark vortex, colliding with it.

The two powerful forces collided, producing a massive explosion. The blast illuminated the entire dark space, and the powerful impact sent everyone and the Dark Lord flying. In the blast, the hourglass flickered, as if it had also sustained some damage.

Everyone fell to the ground, seriously injured, but their eyes remained determined. They knew this was the final battle, and they couldn't give up. The Dark Lord also climbed up from the ground, his body becoming somewhat ethereal, obviously also seriously injured.

"Do you think you can defeat me like this?" The Dark Lord's voice became hoarse, but still full of malice, "Even if I die, I will drag you down with me!" He raised his scepter, ready to launch the final attack.

At this moment, the hourglass suddenly emitted a dazzling light, which transformed into a huge energy shield that enveloped everyone. The Dark Lord's attack hit the energy shield and did not cause any damage to the crowd.

"This is..." Everyone stared at the hourglass in surprise, confused as to why it had suddenly protected them. Just as they were puzzled, an ancient and mysterious voice emanated from the hourglass: "Young adventurers, you have passed the test. I am the guardian of the hourglass, and I have been waiting for someone capable of fighting the Dark Lord. Now, you are qualified to wield my power."

Everyone was delighted when they heard this. They knew that with the power of the hourglass, they had hope of defeating the Dark Lord. Under the light of the hourglass, their injuries began to heal, and their strength continued to grow.

The Dark Lord looked at the people protected by the hourglass, his heart filled with anger and despair. He knew his plan was about to fail, but he refused to give up. He raised his scepter once more, ready to launch a final, frantic attack.

"Come on, let's end this together!" Xu Tiancai shouted. The crowd emerged from the light of the hourglass, brimming with conviction and immense strength, they advanced towards the Dark Lord. This battle, weighing on the fate of the world, was about to reach its final conclusion.