The genius who counterattacked the mainland

The group engaged in a bitter battle with the sand puppets within the ruins. Like immortal ghosts, the puppets, no matter how many times they were broken apart, could quickly reassemble thanks to their special energy. Xu Tiancai frowned, his eyes fixed on the sand puppets that continually attacked his shield, his mind racing as he pondered a countermeasure.

"Let's try to track the source of the recombinant energy. Maybe we can find a way to destroy it." Xu Tiancai shouted loudly, his voice still clear amid the whistling wind and the sounds of fierce fighting.

Lin nodded slightly, concentrating on controlling the wind element. She activated Wind Vision, a pale blue light flickering in her eyes as she harnessed the power of the wind element to try to track the energy's trajectory. The wind weaved through the ruins like invisible tentacles, tracing the direction of the mysterious energy.

"Found it! The energy comes from under the stone platform, where there is a complex energy array." Lin said loudly.

Upon hearing this, the Ice Princess waved her wand, muttering something. Powerful icy magic gathered beneath her feet, forming a crystal-clear ice tunnel that stretched toward the stone platform. Everyone quickly rushed along the ice tunnel toward the platform.

The mysterious figure and the man in white provided cover from behind. The mysterious figure's hands constantly shifted into magical seals, and chaotic energy, like a black and white light curtain, blocked everyone's way, resisting wave after wave of attacks from the Sand Golems. The man in white played a flute rapidly, and the light beasts' light became increasingly dazzling. They dashed left and right among the swarm of puppets, buying time for the group.

When everyone reached the stone platform, Ah Gang swung his battle axe and slashed at it fiercely. The battle axe collided with the stone platform, sending up a shower of sparks but leaving only a shallow mark on the stone platform.

"This stone platform has strong defensive power. Let's attack together." Xu Tiancai shouted.

Everyone unleashed their strongest attacks. Xu Tiancai's "Star Creation Sword" wielded a powerful aura, slashing towards the stone platform with the force of a brilliant star. Lin manipulated wind blades like countless razor-sharp scalpels, slicing through the energy surrounding the stone platform. The Ice Princess summoned a massive ice hammer, smashing it down with immense force. Agang swung his battle axe with impenetrable force, each blow imbued with eternal fighting spirit. A mysterious figure channeled chaotic energy into a massive drill, piercing the stone platform. The white-clothed figure's flute music transformed into a dazzling blade of light, also striking the stone platform.

Under the combined force of their attacks, cracks began to appear on the stone platform, and the energy fluctuations that were reorganizing the sand puppets became chaotic. The sand puppets' movements became sluggish, and some even collapsed to the ground, turning into a pile of loose sand.

"Go on, let's destroy this energy array." Xu Tiancai shouted.

As the attack continued, the stone platform finally collapsed, revealing a complex energy array beneath. The energy array was composed of ancient runes and gems that shimmered with an earthy yellow light. Mysterious energies flowed through the gems, and it was these energies that maintained the reorganization of the Sand Golem.

Xu Tiancai carefully observed the energy array and found that the center of the array was a huge ochre crystal, which contained tremendous power of the earth element.

"We can't destroy it directly, otherwise it may cause a greater disaster. This crystal may be the key to unlocking the secret of the Sand Puppet." Xu Tiancai said.

At this moment, the sand puppets seemed to sense the danger of the energy array and rushed towards the crowd recklessly, their numbers greater than before and their attack even more ferocious. The pressure on the mysterious figure and the man in white increased dramatically. The veins on the mysterious figure's forehead bulged as he concentrated on maintaining his chaos energy shield. The man in white played the flute faster and faster, his lips bleeding.

Lin and the Ice Princess assisted Agang in fending off the Sand Golems' attacks. Lin's Wind Shield constantly shifted in shape, sometimes transforming into sharp cones of wind to pierce the Golems, sometimes acting like a flexible wall to deflect their attacks. The Ice Princess's icy magic surged like a surging tide, sending waves of icy attacks surging towards the Golems, freezing any that approached into ice sculptures.

Xu Tiancai concentrated on studying the energy array and the ochre-colored crystal. He cautiously extended his hand, trying to sense the energy within the crystal. As his hand approached the crystal, an ancient and powerful force of the earth element surged into his mind, and he saw a series of images: a vast expanse of land, where all things flourished under the nourishment of the earth element. The heart of the earth element was like the core of this land, controlling everything.

"I understand. We need to use the opposite force to neutralize this energy and cut off its connection with the Sand Puppet." Xu Tiancai shouted.

Following Xu Tiancai's instructions, everyone began to adjust their powers. Lin transformed the wind element into a dissolving force, blowing it towards the energy array. The Ice Princess condensed the cold power within her ice magic into a special energy wave, attacking the energy array. Agang's eternal fighting spirit was infused with wood fighting spirit, which restrained the earth element. The mysterious figure separated the light portion of the chaotic energy and fired it at the energy array. The man in white played a special flute note, the sound waves imbued with purifying power, impacting the energy array.

Under the renewed attack, the ochre-colored light within the energy array began to flicker, and the connection between it and the sand puppets grew weaker and weaker. The sand puppets' movements became increasingly chaotic, with some attacking each other and others spinning in circles.

As the last ray of light dissipated from the energy array, the sand puppets completely lost their ability to reassemble and turned into piles of loose sand. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew that the danger was not completely over.

Xu Tiancai looked at the ochre-colored crystal, wondering how to obtain its power. He knew that this power was closely related to the Heart of Earth Element and might be an important clue to finding it.

"We need to find a way to safely absorb the power of this crystal and prevent it from getting out of control," said Xu Tiancai.

Everyone gathered around the crystal and began to discuss a solution. Lin suggested using wind elements to construct a stable energy container, slowly channeling the crystal's power into it. The Ice Princess suggested using ice magic to temporarily freeze the crystal and then try to extract its power. Agang suggested using the power of a battle axe to break the crystal, releasing the power and then controlling it with fighting spirit. The mysterious figure suggested wrapping the crystal in chaotic energy, neutralizing its power before drawing it in. The man in white suggested using the harmonious power of a flute to calm the energy within the crystal and then absorb it.

After some discussion, Xu Tiancai decided to try Lin's method first. Lin waved her hands, and wind elements gathered around her, forming a transparent, rotating energy container. She carefully brought the container close to the crystal, attempting to channel the crystal's power into it.

However, the moment the container touched the crystal, a powerful suction force emanated from the crystal, instantly engulfing the wind element container and pulling Lin towards the crystal. Xu Tiancai quickly grabbed Lin's arm, but the powerful suction also caused him to slide towards the crystal.

"Everyone come and help!" Xu Tiancai shouted.

Agang, the Ice Princess, the mysterious figure, and the man in white immediately rushed forward, each exerting their strength to try to pull Xu Tiancai and Lin down. Agang plunged his battle axe into the ground, pushing off with his feet, his muscles tensing. The Ice Princess used her icy magic to create chains of ice around them, wrapping them around her. The mysterious figure transformed chaotic energy into strong ropes, connecting them. The man in white played his flute, the sound of which became an invisible force, strengthening everyone.

With everyone's combined efforts, the suction force finally weakened. Lin, looking pale, said with lingering fear, "The power of this crystal is even greater than we imagined. We can't act rashly."

The group refocused their strategy, deciding to conduct a deeper study of the energy surrounding the crystal. Searching for clues within the ruins, they uncovered ancient murals depicting ancient sacrificial rituals, with figures surrounding similar ochre-colored crystals, seemingly channeling and controlling some form of energy.

Following the clues in the murals, they discovered that they needed to perform a specific ritual at a specific time and location to safely access the power of the crystal. They began calculating the time, determining the location, and preparing the items needed for the ritual.

While waiting for the right time, the dangers of the desert persisted. As night fell, the temperature in the desert plummeted, and the wind biting the bone. Everyone lit a bonfire and sat around it, recovering their strength while keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.

Suddenly, a deep roar echoed in the distance, like the wrath of a demon from the depths of the desert. Everyone immediately stood up, ready for action. In the darkness, pairs of green eyes loomed, gradually approaching. They were a pack of desert wolves, their bodies a pale gray in the moonlight, their eyes gleaming with greed and ferocity.

Ah Gang brandished his battle axe, stood at the front, and shouted loudly: "Come on, beasts!"

The desert wolves attacked, their speed soaring towards the group like streaks of gray lightning. Lin quickly cast "Wind Dance of Space and Time," creating a wind shield around them. Wind blades whistled outside the shield, slashing several approaching desert wolves. The Ice Princess waved her wand, and icy magic spread across the ground, freezing the claws of several desert wolves to the ground.

The mysterious figure formed hand seals, and the forces of darkness and light merged in his palms into a chaotic energy ball, which he threw towards the wolf pack. The energy ball exploded in the pack, blowing several desert wolves away. The man in white played the flute, and the sound of the flute transformed into a flock of shimmering light birds. They pounced on the wolves, attacking them with their sharp beaks and claws.

Xu Tiancai unleashed his "Star Creation Sword," his sword energy crisscrossing the wolves, creating streaks of blood. However, the desert wolves were numerous, and they ignored casualties and continued their frantic attack.

During the battle, everyone discovered that these desert wolves seemed to be driven by some force, and their attacks had a certain pattern, as if they were executing some kind of order.

"There may be a more powerful existence controlling them. We must get rid of them as soon as possible." Xu Tiancai shouted.

Everyone increased their attack power, coordinating their attacks. Each swing of Agang's battle axe felled several desert wolves; Lin's wind blades grew sharper, continuously reaping the lives of the desert wolves; the Ice Princess's ice attack expanded in range, freezing large swathes of the desert wolves; the mysterious figure's chaotic energy constantly shifted, effectively killing the wolves; the white-clothed figure's flute became increasingly passionate, and the light bird's power grew stronger.

After a fierce battle, the desert wolves were finally repelled. But everyone dared not relax at all, as they knew that this desert was full of unknown dangers, and obtaining the Heart of Earth Elemental was still difficult.

As the time approached, everyone prepared according to the ritual depicted in the mural. They placed the ancient artifacts recovered from the ruins in specific locations on the ruins of the stone platform. Xu Tiancai stood before the ochre-colored crystal, holding a jeweled ritual dagger—a key item revealed in the mural.

When the first rays of sunlight from rising illuminated the ruins, it was time for the ceremony to begin. Xu Tiancai chanted something, and following an ancient incantation, he plunged the dagger into the ground next to the crystal. Suddenly, a powerful wave of energy surged from underground, and the ruins began to vibrate violently.

The earth elemental power within the crystal surged like a raging torrent, spreading outward. Following the ritual's instructions, everyone channeled their powers, directing this force. Lin used wind to stabilize the energy's flow, the Ice Princess used her ice magic to cool the overly violent energy, Agang used his eternal fighting spirit to maintain its balance, the mysterious figure used chaotic energy to regulate its properties, and the man in white soothed the restlessness of the energy with the sound of a flute.

Through everyone's efforts, the earth element's power was gradually tamed. The crystal began to emit a soft, earthy-yellow light, and within it appeared a map. The map showed a vast underground palace, and in the center of the palace, a brilliantly radiant object shone. That must be the Heart of Earth.

"We have found the location of the Heart of Earth Element, but this underground palace does not look simple." Xu Tiancai said while looking at the map.

After packing up their belongings, they set out, following the map, towards the underground palace. After several days of wandering through the desert, they finally found an entrance hidden beneath the sand dunes. The entrance was blocked by a massive stone doorway, engraved with ancient runes and patterns.