The genius who counterattacked the mainland

As Xu Tiancai and his companions emerged from the Demonic Abyss ruins, the sun shone upon them, yet it could not dispel the heavy gloom weighing on their hearts due to their new mission. The mountains and rivers in the distance remained unchanged, but they knew that beneath this seemingly peaceful surface, a tremendous crisis was quietly surging, like a volcano about to erupt, waiting for the right moment to devour everything.

"What exactly is the greater crisis that the Star God of War mentioned? We must find out as soon as possible." Xu Tiancai's eyes were deep, and the power of the stars flickered in his eyes, as if echoing his inner uneasiness and determination.

Agang tightened the battle axe in his hand, and the eternal fighting spirit jumped on the axe blade. He said in a muffled voice: "No matter what it is, we just need to keep getting stronger. We can fight one by one and a group by a group!" Although his words were heroic, his brows were slightly frowned, and he obviously realized the seriousness of the matter.

Lin looked up at the sky, the wind element brushing gently around her, ruffling her hair. "The world is so vast, where should we even begin? Perhaps we should seek out other powerful individuals or forces and discuss countermeasures together." Her voice was soft, yet resolute. The wind element seemed to sense her emotions, whistling through the air as if to cheer her on.

The Ice Princess nodded slightly, tapping the ground with her wand, each tap emitting a wave of icy magic. "I've heard that in the Phantom Flame Empire to the south, there's a group of powerful fire magicians who are well-versed in the mystical powers of the world. We could go there first and take a look."

The white-robed figure's flute played a deep, soothing sound, its notes echoing through the air as if telling an ancient and mysterious tale. "Deep in the eastern sea of ​​clouds lie a group of hidden musicians and warriors. Their power should not be underestimated, and perhaps they too can be of assistance to us."

After discussion, they decided to split into two groups: Xu Tiancai, Lin, and Agang would head south to the Fantasy Flame Empire, while the Ice Princess and the man in white would head east to the Sea of ​​Clouds.

Xu Tiancai and his group sped southward. Along the way, they passed through dense forests, where the trees so densely blocked out the sun that only dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves. Strange bird calls echoed through the trees, and colorful birds hopped from branch to branch, their feathers gleaming brilliantly, like elves frolicking through the woods. The ground beneath their feet was soft and damp, covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and rotting branches, emitting a fragrant earthy aroma and a faint scent of humus.

However, the closer they got to the Phantom Flame Empire, the more they felt a strange heat. The once refreshing air became unbearably hot, as if an invisible flame were roasting the earth. The stream beside the road gradually dried up, revealing a cracked riverbed. The rocks on the riverbed were scorching hot, emitting bursts of heat.

"There's something wrong with this heat. It seems like a powerful fire force is at work." Lin said with a frown. She controlled the wind element to form a thin shield around her, trying to resist the heat wave.

Ah Gang didn't care at all. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "I think this heat is quite refreshing. It's a good opportunity for me to stretch my muscles." As he spoke, he swung his battle axe a few times. The axe cut through the air and brought up a wave of heat.

Xu Tiancai watched his surroundings warily, the power of the stars coursing slowly through him, ready to respond to any danger. "Everyone, don't take it lightly. This could be just the tip of the iceberg of the crisis we're about to face."

When they arrived at the border of the Phantom Flame Empire, they were horrified by the sight. The once bustling border town had been reduced to ruins, houses burned to the ground, leaving only shattered walls emitting black smoke. The streets were littered with corpses—both civilians and soldiers—their bodies, charred and emitting a pungent odor.

"Who did it? So cruel!" Agang roared angrily, his eyes were red, and he gripped the battle axe tightly, his joints turning white from the force.

Xu Tiancai squatted down and examined a corpse. He found some strange black runes on the body, which emitted a faint dark aura. "This is not an ordinary fire attack. It seems that there is a dark force behind it."

Lin gazed at the surrounding ruins, her heart filled with grief. She closed her eyes and tried to use the element of wind to sense the scene at the time of the crime. After a moment, she opened her eyes and said palely, "I saw it. It was a group of people in black robes. They controlled black flames, scorching everything they walked into. They seemed to be searching for something, and if they couldn't find it, they would go on a killing spree."

"A man in black robe? Could he be the remnant of the Dark Demon?" Xu Tiancai stood up, a hint of worry in his eyes.

Ah Gang brandished his battle axe and shouted, "No matter who they are, we must avenge these dead!"

Xu Tiancai pondered for a moment and said, "Let's first enter the Huanyan Empire and find the imperial family or powerful people there to learn more about the situation before making any plans."

Upon entering the Phantom Flame Empire, they found it in chaos. Flames raged through the city, and civilians fled in all directions, their cries and shouts mingling. The soldiers fought hard, but faced with the strange black flames, they seemed powerless.

Xu Tiancai and his companions searched the city for the imperial palace. Along the way, they encountered many injured soldiers and civilians, stopping to heal them. Lin used wind elements to dispel the flames within the wounded, Agang used his eternal fighting spirit to strengthen their bodies, and Xu Tiancai used the power of the stars to repair their damaged meridians.

Finally, they arrived at the imperial palace. It had also been attacked, with some buildings burned down, but some soldiers still held out. After Xu Tiancai explained his purpose, the soldiers led them to meet the king of the Huanyan Empire.

The King of the Phantom Flame Empire was a tall, dignified, middle-aged man. He wore a magnificent robe of flames, his eyes etched with fatigue and worry. "Are you the warriors from afar? My country is suffering a great disaster. If you can lend a hand, I will reward you handsomely."

Xu Tiancai clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, we have witnessed the evil deeds of the black-robed man on the road. We suspect that dark forces are behind this. We are here to investigate this matter and jointly deal with any greater crisis that may arise."

The king nodded and said, "These black-robed men suddenly attacked. Their flames are extremely powerful and carry a dark, corrosive effect. Although our fire magicians fought hard, they were unable to withstand them. According to our intelligence, these black-robed men seem to be searching for an ancient artifact. Legend has it that this artifact possesses powerful power that can change the world."

"Divine Artifact? Your Majesty, do you know what this divine artifact looks like and what its functions are?" Lin asked.

The king shook his head and said, "I'm not entirely sure. I only know that this artifact is related to the power of fire and darkness. It might be a treasure that can fuse these two powers."

Xu Tiancai pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, we want to check the places where the black-robed man is active to see if we can find some clues."

The king agreed to their request and sent a fire magician to lead the way for them.

They followed the fire magician to an abandoned castle. The castle was surrounded by a strong smell of dark fire, and the walls were blackened by smoke and covered with strange runes.

"This is where the black-robed men once stayed. They stayed here for a while and seemed to be performing some kind of ritual." said the fire magician.

After Xu Tiancai and the others entered the castle, they found it filled with black robes and strange magic props. Lin found a black magic book in a room, which contained some dark fire magic training methods and some clues about the artifact.

"It's mentioned here that the artifact is called 'Ghost Flame Magic Crystal' and was created by an ancient dark fire demon. It can perfectly combine the power of fire and the power of darkness. The user can gain powerful power, but at the same time the mind will be eroded by the dark power." Lin said, looking at the magic book.

"Such a dangerous thing must not be allowed to be obtained by the man in black robe." A Gang said.

Xu Tiancai studied the magic book carefully and discovered a place mentioned in it: an ancient volcano on the border of the Phantom Flame Empire. Legend has it that the "Phantom Flame Magic Crystal" is sealed in the magma deep within the volcano.

"We must rush to that volcano and stop the black-robed man from obtaining the 'Phantom Flame Magic Crystal'." Xu Tiancai said.

Just then, shouts and cries of killing erupted from outside the castle. They emerged to find a group of black-robed figures approaching. Their leader was a tall, mysterious figure cloaked in black robes. His eyes gleamed red, and in his hand he held a black wand, the tip of which burned with black flames.

"You ants, how dare you spy on our secrets? Today is the day you die!" said the black-robed leader coldly.

Ah Gang brandished his battle axe and rushed forward first: "I want to see how powerful you are!"

The black-robed leader swung his wand, and black flames leaped towards Agang like a giant black dragon. Undeterred, Agang's axe's eternal fighting spirit erupted, colliding with the black flames. The flames and fighting spirit intertwined, sending up a shower of energy sparks.

Lin manipulated the wind element, forming wind blades that shot towards the black-robed figure. The blades, sharp as flying knives, sliced ​​through the air and flew towards the black-robed figure's vital parts. The black-robed figure waved his wand, releasing black flames to block the wind blades.

Xu Tiancai unleashed his "Starlight Shining Sword." The multicolored, flowing sword transformed into a blazing sun in his hand, and the sword energy showered down upon the black-robed figure like sunlight. Wherever the sword energy reached, the black-robed figure's robe was ripped, and his body was wounded.

However, the number of black-robed men was huge, and their black flames were extremely powerful. During the battle, Xu Tiancai and his companions gradually discovered that the black flames of the black-robed men seemed to be able to absorb the surrounding flame power, becoming increasingly powerful.

"This is not a solution. We have to find a way to break their black flames." Xu Tiancai shouted.

Lin suddenly thought of a solution. She said to Xu Tiancai, "Use the power of the stars and my wind elemental power. Let's try to create a new power that can restrain the black flames and break their defenses."

Xu Tiancai nodded, and he and Lin began to merge the power of the stars with the power of the wind element. Ah Gang drew the firepower of the black-robed men to the side, buying them time.

After some effort, Xu Tiancai and Lin successfully merged a new power - the power of star wind. This power showed a light blue light, which contained the vastness of the stars and the agility of the wind.

Xu Tiancai unleashed the power of Star Wind, sending a pale blue light surging towards the black-robed figure like a tide. Wherever the Star Wind's power reached, the black flames of the black-robed figure were quickly extinguished, their defenses broken.

"Good job!" A Gang shouted excitedly. He took the opportunity to launch a more fierce attack, swinging his battle axe among the crowd of black robes as if he was in an empty space.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the black-robed leader turned around and tried to escape. How could Xu Tiancai let him go? He cast the "Star Shield" to trap the black-robed leader, and then subdued him with the power of star wind.

"Tell me, why are you looking for the 'Phantom Flame Magic Crystal'? And who is the force behind you?" Xu Tiancai asked coldly.

The black-robed leader snorted coldly and said, "Do you think I'll tell you? You have no idea what kind of power you're facing. This world is about to be ruled by darkness. Your resistance is futile."

Xu Tiancai increased the output of the Star Wind Power, and the black-robed leader suddenly felt a sharp pain, his face turning pale. "Hurry up and tell me!"

The black-robed leader hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "We are from the Dark Temple, and our master is the Dark Pope. He ordered us to search for the 'Phantom Flame Crystal' in order to open the Dark Portal, unleash the ancient power of darkness, and plunge the world into eternal darkness."