The genius who counterattacked the mainland

The dark aura spread like a surging tide, instantly dyeing the surrounding sky a pitch-black black. Xu Tiancai and the others stood at the valley's exit, their brows furrowed as they gazed at the dark clouds swirling over the desert. A howling wind whipped up, carrying sand and gravel that lashed at everyone, creating a rustling sound like the prelude to the forces of darkness.

"This aura is filled with an unprecedented evil, it is definitely not an ordinary thing." The mysterious figure's eyes were solemn, and the power of darkness and light were looming in his palms, as if he was instinctively alert to the impending danger.

Agang gripped his battle axe tightly, his arm gleaming with golden light from his eternal fighting spirit. His muscles tensed like a cheetah about to pounce on its prey. "No matter what it is, I'll fight it and never back down!" His voice remained firm and powerful in the raging wind, revealing fearless courage.

Lin narrowed her eyes slightly. Wind elements slowly gathered around her, forming visible vortexes. She tried to use them to sense the secrets within the dark clouds. After a moment, her face turned pale. "These clouds seem to harbor countless dark creatures. Their auras are chaotic and powerful, as if driven by some sinister force."

The Ice Princess waved her wand, and a thick ice shield quickly formed before them. The lines on the shield shimmered with a cold blue light, shielding them from the encroaching darkness. "We can't just sit here and wait for death. We need to find shelter first, and then we can figure out a countermeasure." Her eyes were calm, and despite her inner fear of the unknown danger, she remained composed.

The white-clad figure's flute playing became rapid and passionate. The sound of the flute transformed into an invisible force, forming a sonic shield around the group. This resonated with the ice shield, strengthening their defenses. Simultaneously, a flock of shimmering birds of light emerged from the flute's sound, flying towards the dark clouds, attempting to ascertain their true nature. However, as the birds approached the cloud's edge, they were engulfed by a powerful dark force and instantly vanished without a trace.

"This dark force is too strong. We have to leave this area as soon as possible." Xu Tiancai made a prompt decision and held the colorful sword in his hand. The colorful light on the sword was particularly dazzling in the darkness, guiding everyone.

They advanced swiftly along the desert's edge. The sand beneath their feet grew soft and difficult to walk on, as if imbued with malevolent force under the influence of the darkness. Dark clouds followed them like shadows, expanding and widening. The sinister roar grew clearer, like the roar of a demon, terrifying and chilling.

As they fled, they discovered the ruins of an abandoned ancient city. The walls were dilapidated, much of them crumbling, revealing the shattered remains of buildings within. An ancient and mysterious aura permeated the city, a touch eerie, yet compared to the overwhelming darkness and dark clouds, it seemed a place of temporary refuge.

"Enter the ancient city! Maybe we can find some clues or defensive measures inside." Xu Tiancai shouted and led everyone towards the ancient city.

Upon entering the ancient city, they discovered a complex layout, with narrow, winding streets and ancient, peculiar architecture. The walls were covered in strange symbols and patterns, though they had become blurred by the passage of time. They searched the city for a place to hide or defend themselves, eventually discovering a relatively intact circular building in the heart of the ancient city. Its gates were closed, and upon them was a large, mysterious rune, faintly glowing.

The mysterious figure stepped forward and carefully examined the runes on the door. "I've never seen this rune before, but it seems to contain some kind of sealing power. If we can decipher it, perhaps we can escape within and use this sealing power to resist the attacks of the dark creatures." He formed hand seals, slowly infusing the power of darkness and light into the rune, attempting to explore its secrets.

The others set up defenses around the perimeter. Agang stood at the doorway, his battle axe held across his shoulders, observing his surroundings with vigilance. Lin manipulated the wind element, forming wind barriers around the building, blocking out the dust and darkness. The Ice Princess continuously strengthened the ice shield, expanding its coverage until it enveloped the entire circular building. A figure in white played a flute, its music echoing throughout the city, disrupting the evil forces of the encroaching darkness.

After considerable effort, the mysterious figure finally found a way to decipher the rune. With a resounding shout, he infused the rune with a powerful surge of chaotic energy. The rune instantly shone brightly, and the door slowly opened. Everyone quickly entered the building, discovering a vast circular hall. The dome was painted with a starry sky, and in the center sat a stone platform, upon which rested a softly glowing crystal ball.

"This crystal ball seems to be the core object here. Perhaps it is related to the defense mechanism of this ancient city." Xu Tiancai walked closer to the stone platform and observed the crystal ball carefully.

At this moment, a sharp whistling sound came from outside. The dark creatures had already chased to the ancient city. They crashed into the ancient city's defense barrier, making bursts of roaring sounds, as if they wanted to completely destroy the ancient city.

"We have to activate the defense of this ancient city as soon as possible, otherwise it won't last long." The Ice Princess said anxiously.

Everyone began searching the hall for a way to activate the defenses. Lin discovered several energy pipes on the wall connected to the crystal ball, a faint glow of energy flowing through them. Following the pipes, she found a control panel in a corner of the hall. It was covered in buttons and joysticks, but also inscribed with incomprehensible symbols.

The mysterious figure stepped forward again, drawing on his understanding of energy and runes, and began to decipher the symbols on the control panel. After some searching, he finally found the button sequence to activate the defense. He pressed the buttons in sequence and pulled the joystick. The crystal ball on the stone platform suddenly glowed brighter, and energy quickly spread throughout the ancient city through the pipes.

Outside the ancient city, rays of light rose from the ground, forming a massive energy shield that kept the dark creatures out. The dark creatures attacked the shield frantically, and the dark forces collided with the shield's light, splashing bursts of energy sparks that illuminated the entire desert surrounding the ancient city.

"We are safe for now, but this is not a long-term solution. We have to find a way to completely dispel this dark cloud, otherwise the entire desert will fall into endless darkness and disaster." Xu Tiancai looked at the sky outside shrouded in darkness, his heart full of worries.

During this brief respite, everyone began to study the information contained within the crystal ball. Xu Tiancai infused the crystal ball with the power of the stars, attempting to resonate with its energy and gain more secrets about the dark cloud and this ancient city. As the star power was infused, images emerged from the crystal ball, revealing that this ancient city was once a fortress against the forces of darkness, protected by a group of powerful magicians and warriors. This dark cloud had also appeared once before, summoned by an evil dark demon, intent on devouring the light and vitality of the world.

"So that's how it is. The power of this dark demon is so strong. We must find its true form to completely stop this disaster." Xu Tiancai said.

However, just as they were thinking about countermeasures, the crystal ball suddenly flashed with an intense light, and the picture showed that the dark demon had noticed their presence and was sending more powerful dark creatures to attack the ancient city.

"Oh no, we've been discovered. This force is stronger than the previous dark creatures, and our defense may not be able to hold up." Lin said worriedly.

Everyone faces a difficult choice: continue to defend the ancient city, rely on the existing defense mechanism to fight against the dark creatures, and look for the weakness of the dark demon; or take the risk to rush out of the ancient city, take the initiative to attack, and look for the real body of the dark demon surrounded by dark creatures.

A Gang said without hesitation: "I advocate taking the initiative. Instead of sitting here and waiting to die, we might as well give it a try. We have experienced so many challenges along the way, are we still afraid of these dark creatures?" There was a flame of battle burning in his eyes, eager to confront the dark forces head-on.

The Ice Princess frowned and said, "It's too risky to take the initiative. We are not fully aware of the number and strength of the dark creatures outside. Once we are surrounded, we may not even have a way to retreat. I think we should first hold on to the ancient city, make use of the defense facilities and resources here, further enhance our strength, and then look for opportunities." Her tone was calm, and she analyzed the pros and cons based on the actual situation.

Xu Tiancai pondered for a moment, then said, "Agang is right. While proactively attacking is dangerous, we can't always be on the defensive. Furthermore, only by finding the Dark Demon's true form can we fundamentally resolve the problem. However, the Ice Princess's concerns are not without reason. We can't act rashly." He looked at the mysterious figure and the man in white. "What do you think?"

The mysterious figure crossed his arms, thought for a moment, and then said, "Perhaps we can combine the two. First, send some people out to investigate the situation, attract the attention of the dark creatures, and search for the traces of the Dark Demon. The other part will stay in the ancient city to continue to study defense and attack strategies, and be ready to provide support at any time."

The man in white nodded in agreement. "This plan is feasible. I can use the power of the flute to create illusions to confuse the dark creatures, making it easier for those who go out to explore."

After some discussion, everyone finally decided to follow the mysterious figure's advice. Xu Tiancai, A Gang, and Lin volunteered to go out and investigate, while the mysterious figure, the Ice Princess, and the man in white stayed behind in the ancient city to guard the crystal ball and maintain defenses.

Xu Tiancai wielded a multicolored sword, Agang gripped a battle axe, and Lin was surrounded by wind elements. The three of them prepared themselves, waiting for the man in white to create his illusion. The man in white began to play a flute, the melodious sound transforming into phantoms identical to the three of them in the air. The phantoms rushed out of the ancient city in different directions, attracting a large number of dark creatures to attack.

Xu Tiancai and his companions seized the opportunity to break out of the ancient city from a relatively vulnerable direction, heading towards the depths of the dark clouds. As soon as they left the ancient city's defenses, they were attacked by a swarm of dark bats. These dark bats were enormous, their eyes flashing red, and their mouths spewing black flames.

Agang swung his battle axe, slashing at the dark bats with golden fighting spirit, driving them back one after another. "These little monsters are not enough!" he shouted, charging forward bravely.

Lin manipulated the wind element, forming sharp wind blades that sliced ​​the dark bats' wings, causing them to fall. "Don't be careless, this is just the beginning," she warned.

Xu Tiancai unleashed his "Star Creation Sword." The multicolored sword's light streaked across the night sky like a rainbow, its energies crisscrossing the air, slashing through the vast swarms of dark bats. However, the number of dark bats seemed endless. As soon as one wave was repelled, another surged in.

During the battle, Xu Tiancai discovered that these dark bats seemed to be arranged and attacking according to a certain formation. The dark power between them echoed with each other, forming a powerful attack network.

"These dark creatures are not unorganized. Everyone, be careful and find the flaws in their formation!" Xu Tiancai shouted.

Lin, with her keen sense of wind, soared through the air, overlooking the dark bat formation. Suddenly, she noticed a larger, more powerful dark bat king at the center of the formation, seemingly directing the actions of the entire bat swarm.

"Attack the Bat King! He is the key!" Lin shouted, pointing at the Bat King's position.

Xu Tiancai and A Gang obeyed the command and charged towards the Bat King. Xu Tiancai unleashed his "Star Shield" to defend against the surrounding dark bats' attacks, while simultaneously channeling the power of the stars into his colorful sword, ready to deliver the fatal blow to the Bat King. A Gang, his entire body surging with eternal fighting spirit, his battle axe blazing with light, rushed towards the Bat King like a golden meteor.

Just as they were about to approach the Bat King, he suddenly opened his huge mouth and spewed out a powerful wave of dark energy. This energy wave was like a black tsunami, sweeping towards Xu Tiancai and the others.