I dominated the game from the start with cards.

After ceasing his attack, Shadow Fiend did not immediately launch a new offensive. A near-contemptuous smile played on his lips as he slowly approached Li Xuan and the others. Each step was steady and powerful, as if pressing down on their hearts, bringing immense pressure. The surrounding air grew increasingly solid, oppressive and suffocating, as if foreshadowing an impending storm. "You are truly tenacious," Shadow Fiend's voice was low and hoarse, tinged with mockery, "but this ends here." Li Xuan and the others watched Shadow Fiend warily, not daring to relax for a moment. Bai Yao gripped her long whip tightly, her beautiful face filled with solemnity. Mu Yang silently protected Li Xuan behind him, calmly observing the surrounding situation. Although severely injured, Lin Yu still stood, his eyes burning with an indomitable flame. The Star Compass in Ling Feng's hand had completely lost its light, its pointer drooping limply. His face was pale, his lips trembling slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately no sound came out. He looked up at Shadow Fiend, his eyes filled with fear and despair. Shadow Fiend's smile grew increasingly sinister. He slowly raised his right hand, black energy condensing in it to form a massive black sphere. The sphere emanated a chilling energy fluctuation, seemingly intent on devouring everything around it. "It's over..." Shadow Fiend's voice was icy and merciless. Just when everyone thought Shadow Fiend was about to launch a fatal attack, he suddenly changed his target. The black sphere shot towards Ling Feng like an arrow, its speed too fast for anyone to react to. "Ling Feng!" Li Xuan cried out in alarm, but it was too late to stop him. Ling Feng didn't even have time to let out a scream before being struck by the black sphere. The Star Compass in his hand shattered instantly, turning into specks of starlight that dissipated into the air. Ling Feng's body was also sent flying by the immense impact, crashing heavily to the ground, motionless. "No..." Bai Yao covered her mouth, her eyes filled with tears. Lin Yu roared in grief and anger, wanting to rush forward, but Mu Yang held him back tightly. "Calm down, Lin Yu! Rushing in now is just suicide!" Mu Yang's voice was low and firm, but his trembling hands betrayed his inner fear and unease. Ying Sha looked at Ling Feng lying on the ground, a cruel smile on his face. He slowly walked towards Ling Feng, like a cat toying with its prey. Li Xuan gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with anger and resentment. He suppressed his grief, trying to calm himself. He knew this wasn't the time for sorrow; he had to find a way to survive and avenge Ling Feng! He closed his eyes, pushing his mental power to its limit, sensing everything around him. Ying Sha's energy fluctuations, the surrounding environment, even the fine dust in the air, were clearly presented in his mind. Suddenly, he sensed an anomaly in Ying Sha's energy fluctuations. It was an extremely subtle fluctuation; without his special mental perception, it would have been impossible to detect. Li Xuan abruptly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them. "Now..." he whispered. Li Xuan took a deep breath, concentrating all his mental power on that one point. He felt as if his body had become a taut bow, ready to unleash a deadly arrow at any moment. "Mu Yang, cover me!" Li Xuan roared. Although Mu Yang didn't understand Li Xuan's intentions, he didn't hesitate to stand in front of Li Xuan, using his own body to block Ying Sha's attacks. Ying Sha's attacks came like a storm, and Mu Yang gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on. He knew he couldn't fall; he had to buy time for Li Xuan. Li Xuan seized this opportunity, gathering all the energy within him into a dazzling ball of light in his hand. The ball of light emitted powerful energy fluctuations, as if it would tear apart the surrounding space. "Now!" Li Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and slammed the ball of light in his hand fiercely towards Ying Sha. The ball of light was as fast as lightning, striking Ying Sha in the blink of an eye. Ying Sha clearly hadn't anticipated Li Xuan's attack; he groaned, his body involuntarily taking a few steps back. Although he wasn't fatally injured, a look of surprise appeared on his face. "You..." Ying Sha stared at Li Xuan in disbelief, his eyes filled with shock and confusion. Although Li Xuan's attack hadn't fatally injured Ying Sha, it had made him realize that he wasn't invincible. This gave Li Xuan and the others a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of hope to turn the tide. "Mu Yang, I'm entrusting Ling Feng to you!" Li Xuan shouted again. Mu Yang glanced at Ling Feng lying on the ground, a resolute glint in his eyes. He took a deep breath, pushing his internal energy to its limit. "Don't worry, Li Xuan, I will definitely protect Ling Feng!" Mu Yang's voice was firm and powerful. Ying Sha looked at Mu Yang, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes. He raised his right hand again, black energy condensing in his hand, forming a larger black sphere. "Overestimating yourself!" Ying Sha sneered, slamming the black sphere in his hand hard towards Mu Yang. Mu Yang knew he couldn't dodge; he could only grit his teeth and take the blow. The black sphere struck Mu Yang's chest with a dull thud. Mu Yang's body flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. "Mu Yang!" Li Xuan exclaimed, trying to rush over, but was blocked by Ying Sha.

"Your opponent is me!" Shadow Fiend said with a sneer. Li Xuan gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with anger and resentment.

He knew he couldn't act impulsively; he had to calm down and look for an opportunity to retaliate.

Just then, Bai Yao walked over, gently patted Li Xuan's shoulder, and said, "Don't give up, Li Xuan, we still have a chance."

Bai Yao's voice was gentle yet firm, like a warm current flowing through Li Xuan's heart. He looked up at Bai Yao, his eyes filled with gratitude and trust. Bai Yao looked at Li Xuan, a complex expression flashing in her eyes. She remembered her past failures, and she knew she couldn't give up. She had to encourage everyone to cheer up and find a chance to fight back. "I..." Bai Yao was about to say something when she suddenly stopped. She looked into the distance, her eyes filled with shock... Bai Yao's gaze flickered for a moment, as if she had returned to that fierce battle many years ago. Smoke filled the air, flames raged, and her former teammates fell one by one, leaving her alone, facing a powerful enemy. Despair, fear, and helplessness overwhelmed her like a tide. But she survived in the end, relying on her unwavering belief and indomitable will. Now, a similar situation had occurred again, and she knew she couldn't repeat the same mistakes. “Li Xuan,” Bai Yao’s voice trembled slightly, yet remained exceptionally firm, “We can’t give up, there’s still a chance!” She glanced around, her gaze landing on the injured Mu Yang and Ling Feng, a strong sense of responsibility welling up within her. “We’re a team, we must fight together, we must survive together!” Looking into Bai Yao’s resolute eyes, Li Xuan’s inner fire reignited. He knew what Bai Yao had been through, and he knew the weight of her words. He took a deep breath, suppressing the sorrow and anger in his heart, his gaze sharpening once more. “You’re right, Bai Yao, we can’t give up!” Lin Yu had been carefully observing Shadow Fiend, trying to find his weakness. He noticed that whenever Shadow Fiend launched an attack, the surrounding environment would subtly change, the energy in the air seemingly converging towards him. Could it be…? A bold guess flashed through Lin Yu’s mind. He suddenly raised his head and shouted, “Li Xuan! Shadow Fiend’s power source might be the surrounding environment!” Hearing Lin Yu’s shout, Li Xuan’s heart skipped a beat. He carefully observed the surrounding environment and indeed discovered some anomalies. A faint black aura permeated the air, seemingly constantly flowing into Shadow Fiend's body. If the connection between Shadow Fiend and this aura could be severed, perhaps his power could be weakened! Thinking this, Li Xuan no longer hesitated. He charged towards the source of Shadow Fiend's power, attempting to disrupt it. However, Shadow Fiend seemed to have already sensed Li Xuan's intention. He sneered, strengthened his defenses, and launched an even more ferocious attack on Li Xuan. Black energy surged towards Li Xuan like a tidal wave. He struggled to resist but was still struck, his body crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Mu Yang struggled to stand, but was kicked away by Shadow Fiend, losing consciousness again. Bai Yao and Ling Feng were also severely injured and unable to fight. Shadow Fiend looked at the people lying on the ground but did not continue his attack. He slowly turned around, leaving behind a cold voice: "This is just the beginning..." His figure flashed and disappeared into the night. "Li Xuan..." Bai Yao crawled with difficulty to Li Xuan's side, her eyes filled with worry. Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes, looked at Bai Yao, and weakly uttered two words: "Don't be afraid..." Li Xuan gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and struggled to get up. Lin Yu's discovery brought him a glimmer of hope. He knew that as long as they could destroy the source of Shadow Fiend's power, they still had a chance. He staggered towards that direction. The source of the black aura seemed to be a strangely shaped black stone, radiating a chilling energy fluctuation. Shadow Fiend sneered, seemingly having anticipated Li Xuan's actions. He flashed, blocking Li Xuan's path, black energy condensing into a sharp dagger in his hand, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression. "Overestimating yourself." Shadow Fiend's voice was cold and ruthless. Li Xuan's mental energy was highly concentrated, predicting Shadow Fiend's attack trajectory. He dodged the dagger's thrust to the side, simultaneously throwing a punch, trying to disrupt Shadow Fiend's actions. However, Shadow Fiend's speed far exceeded his expectations. Li Xuan's attack missed, and Shadow Fiend seized the opening, kicking him in the chest, sending him flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground. Shadow Fiend gave Li Xuan no chance to breathe, pressing forward relentlessly. His black dagger blurred into afterimages, relentlessly attacking Li Xuan's vitals. Li Xuan struggled to defend himself, but was already at his limit, suffering multiple wounds, his clothes stained crimson with blood. "Li Xuan!" Bai Yao's cries were heart-wrenching, but she was powerless to stop this brutal battle. Mu Yang and Ling Feng also struggled to their feet, but collapsed again due to their severe injuries. Li Xuan felt his consciousness fading; he knew he had reached his limit. Shadow Fiend's attacks grew increasingly fierce, and he could only barely dodge with instinct. Finally, Shadow Fiend's dagger pierced his shoulder, the intense pain causing him to groan. Shadow Fiend looked at Li Xuan lying on the ground, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. He didn't continue attacking, but slowly turned, his gaze sweeping over Bai Yao and the others, his cold voice echoing in the night: "This is just the beginning..." With that, he vanished into the darkness. “Li Xuan…” Bai Yao struggled to crawl to Li Xuan’s side, tears streaming down her face. She trembled as she reached out to touch Li Xuan’s wounds, but found her own hands shaking uncontrollably. Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes, looked at Bai Yao, and smiled weakly: “Don’t cry…we…haven’t lost yet…” Mu Yang and Ling Feng also struggled to approach, their faces filled with pain and despair. Lin Yu stared intently in the direction where Ying Sha had disappeared, his eyes flashing with resentment and anger. The group lay heavily injured on the ground, a shadow of defeat hanging over them.

Li Xuan pondered Ying Sha's departing words, "This is just the beginning..." These six words echoed in his mind like a curse. He had a feeling that a huge conspiracy was hidden behind it all, and a strange sense of unease welled up in his heart.

He cautiously observed his surroundings, trying to find any clues.

Suddenly, he felt a slight tremor in the ground...