I dominated the game from the start with cards.

Shadow Fiend's figure gradually solidified, transforming from a blurry outline into a tall, imposing black figure, shrouded in thick shadows, like a demon crawling out of hell. His scarlet eyes coldly swept over Li Xuan and the others, radiating a chilling killing intent. The oppressive feeling was even greater than before, like a mountain pressing down on their hearts, making it hard to breathe. Li Xuan's heart tightened. He didn't know what Shadow Fiend had gone through recently, but he clearly realized that this would be an unprecedentedly fierce battle. "His aura... has become stronger." Mu Yang's voice was low and heavy, the longsword in his hand humming slightly, as if sensing its master's tension. "Everyone be careful, his speed and strength have increased." Ling Feng's voice was hoarse and low, he gripped his staff tightly, his eyes fixed on Shadow Fiend's every move. The battle was about to begin. Shadow Fiend launched the first attack, like a black lightning bolt, instantly closing in on Lin Yu. Lin Yu reacted quickly, raising his shield to block. However, the Shadow Fiend's power far exceeded his expectations. A tremendous impact sent Lin Yu staggering back several steps, his arm numb, his hand torn, blood streaming down his arm and staining his clothes. "Lin Yu!" Bai Yao exclaimed, her eyes filled with worry. "I'm alright!" Lin Yu gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and raised his shield again. Li Xuan's expression also turned serious; he knew he couldn't continue on a passive defense. He took a deep breath, concentrating his mental energy, sensing everything around him. The Shadow Fiend was incredibly fast and its attacks were fierce, but Li Xuan, with his keen senses, always managed to dodge its attacks at the last second. "Mu Yang, cover me!" Li Xuan shouted, conjuring a dazzling energy wave in his hand. Mu Yang understood immediately; he swung his longsword, forcing back the Shadow Fiend that tried to approach Li Xuan. Li Xuan seized the opportunity, slamming the energy wave into the Shadow Fiend. The energy wave, accompanied by a whistling sound, struck the Shadow Fiend squarely in the chest. Shadow Fiend swayed and took a few steps back. This was Li Xuan's newly learned skill—"Sky-Piercing Slash," incredibly powerful, even Shadow Fiend couldn't completely withstand it. "It worked!" Li Xuan was overjoyed; he knew he had found Shadow Fiend's weakness. Shadow Fiend let out an angry roar, his figure disappearing into the shadows again. Everyone cautiously looked around, not daring to relax for a moment. "Where is he?" Lin Yu's voice trembled slightly. Suddenly, Shadow Fiend appeared behind Bai Yao, his claws viciously grabbing at her. "Bai Yao, watch out!" Li Xuan cried out in alarm… Li Xuan's heart sank. In the nick of time, he flashed, appearing behind Bai Yao like a ghost, pushing her aside. At the same time, a dazzling golden energy wave burst from his hand, rushing straight towards Shadow Fiend. This was his newly learned skill—"Sky-Piercing Slash." Shadow Fiend seemed to have not expected Li Xuan's speed to be so fast, and could only hastily dodge to the side. The energy wave grazed his shoulder, missing a vital spot but leaving a deep scorch mark. Black smoke curled from the wound. Shadow Fiend let out a painful roar and staggered.

"A good opportunity!" A glint flashed in Li Xuan's eyes. He was about to press his advantage when Shadow Fiend suddenly transformed into a cloud of black mist and vanished. "Be careful!" Ling Feng's voice rang in everyone's ears. The next moment, the surrounding scenery began to distort and change. The desolate ruins transformed into a dense forest, with towering ancient trees blocking out the sun, and a damp atmosphere permeating the air. Li Xuan and the others found themselves in an unfamiliar jungle, the surroundings eerily quiet. "An illusion!" Li Xuan immediately realized that Shadow Fiend had changed tactics and was using the environment to create illusions to confuse them. "Everyone be careful, don't be fooled!" Li Xuan warned, closing his eyes and releasing his mental energy to sense everything around him. In the world of mental perception, false illusions have nowhere to hide. Li Xuan clearly sensed that Shadow Fiend's true form was hidden behind a huge ancient tree, waiting for its chance to strike. "He's there!" Li Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and pointed in the direction of the ancient tree. Mu Yang and Ling Feng reacted quickly, immediately rushing towards the ancient tree. Bai Yao also condensed a holy light, illuminating the surrounding darkness. Seeing his presence exposed, Ying Sha no longer concealed himself and emerged from behind the ancient tree. A cold smile played on his lips as he conjured a black energy ball in his hand and hurled it at Mu Yang and Ling Feng. Mu Yang and Ling Feng coordinated perfectly, dodging the energy ball's attack and then flanking Ying Sha from both sides. Caught in the middle, Ying Sha remained calm, chanting incantations. Suddenly, numerous black tentacles surged from the ground, coiling towards the group. These tentacles seemed to possess life, writhing nimbly and moving with incredible speed, making them impossible to defend against. The group was quickly overwhelmed, struggling to cope with the sheer number of dark creatures. "What are these things?" Lin Yu asked, brandishing his weapon. "They look like some kind of dark creature," Mu Yang replied in a low voice. Li Xuan frowned, carefully observing the dark creatures, trying to find their weakness. Suddenly, he noticed that these dark creatures seemed extremely sensitive to light. Whenever Bai Yao's light shone on them, they would let out painful howls, and their bodies would begin to weaken. "Bai Yao, attack them with your light magic!" Li Xuan shouted. Upon hearing this, Bai Yao immediately condensed the light in her hand into a huge pillar of light and shone it towards the dark creatures. The intense light instantly enveloped the entire battlefield. Under the light, the dark creatures let out shrill screams, their bodies rapidly dissolving into wisps of black smoke that dissipated into the air. "It worked!" Li Xuan was overjoyed. It seemed he had found the weakness of these dark creatures. "Roar—" Just then, a deafening roar came from afar... After the deafening roar, a huge figure slowly emerged from the depths of the forest. It was a colossal beast covered in black scales, its eyes flashing with scarlet light, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression. "What kind of monster is this?!" Lin Yu exclaimed. "Be careful, that's Shadow Fiend's summoned beast—the Shadow Dragon!" Ling Feng said gravely. The appearance of the Shadow Dragon made the battle even more complicated. It was not only enormous and incredibly strong, but also possessed powerful dark magic. It spewed out a mouthful of black flames, sweeping towards the group. Li Xuan and the others quickly dodged, the flames leaving a deep scorch mark on the ground. "Mu Yang, Ling Feng, you two continue to hold off Shadow Fiend, Bai Yao and I will deal with this dragon!" Li Xuan decisively made a tactical arrangement. "Understood!" Mu Yang and Ling Feng replied in unison. The two charged towards Shadow Fiend again, their attacks pouring down like a storm, forcing Shadow Fiend to defend with all its might. At the same time, Li Xuan and Bai Yao also began a fierce battle with the Shadow Dragon. Li Xuan, with his agile movements, constantly dodged the dragon's attacks while searching for its weaknesses. Bai Yao continuously cast light spells to weaken the dragon's power. "Sky-Piercing Slash!" Li Xuan seized an opportunity, unleashing another burst of golden energy that struck the demonic dragon squarely in the abdomen. The dragon roared in pain, staggering. Li Xuan knew this was his best chance. He gathered his energy again, preparing to deliver the fatal blow. Just then, Bai Yao suddenly cried out, "Li Xuan, watch out!" Startled, Li Xuan turned around to see Ying Sha had somehow circled behind him, a ball of black energy swirling in his hand, hurtling towards him. In the nick of time, Bai Yao shielded Li Xuan, taking the blow with her own body. "Bai Yao!" Li Xuan's eyes widened in horror. He caught the fallen Bai Yao, his eyes filled with pain and self-reproach. A trickle of blood escaped Bai Yao's lips, but she forced a weak smile at Li Xuan, despite the pain: "I'm alright, you must... win..." Li Xuan gripped Bai Yao's hand tightly; her hand was cold and limp. His heart felt as if it were being torn apart, a surge of intense anger and sorrow welling up within him. Their eyes met, needing no words, their trust and love amplified infinitely in that moment. He knew he had to win, for Bai Yao, and for himself. Mu Yang witnessed all of this, his heart filled with rage. He recalled his previous defeat against Ying Sha, a time when he had almost lost his companions. He gripped his weapon tightly, his eyes filled with determination: "I must defeat you!" After a fierce battle, Ying Sha seemed to be showing signs of fatigue. The black aura emanating from him gradually weakened, and his movements became sluggish. "It seems he's about to give up," Ling Feng said. However, at that moment, Ying Sha suddenly pulled a mysterious magical artifact from his robes. It was a black crystal ball, radiating powerful dark energy. "What is this?" Li Xuan's heart sank, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Ying Sha raised the black crystal ball high above his head, chanting incantations. The crystal ball emitted an increasingly intense dark light, and the surrounding space began to distort and deform… “Prepare to face true despair!” Shadow Fiend’s chilling voice echoed in the air. The black crystal ball in Shadow Fiend’s hand emitted a chilling dark energy, distorting space as if it would collapse at any moment. Li Xuan tightly held the unconscious Bai Yao, his eyes burning with fury. He recalled the moment Bai Yao stood in front of him, his heart aching. Mu Yang’s thoughts were pulled back to a fierce battle from the past. At that time, he was a novice, almost powerless against Shadow Fiend’s overwhelming power. His companions fell one by one, and despair and helplessness overwhelmed him. The crushing defeat in that battle became a permanent scar in his heart.

Now, Shadow Fiend stood before him once more, wielding an even more bizarre power. The old fear and anger churned within him, ultimately transforming into a burning fighting spirit. "I will not lose again!" Mu Yang roared, his weapon erupting with dazzling light as he charged straight at Shadow Fiend. Ling Feng frowned, the black crystal ball in Shadow Fiend's hand giving him an extremely dangerous feeling. He had never seen such a magical artifact before; the dark power it emitted seemed capable of devouring everything. He had to be careful, not letting this power spiral out of control. Although Lin Yu was filled with fear, seeing his companions fighting so bravely, he mustered his courage and joined the battle, wielding his weapon. He knew this was not the time to retreat; only by uniting could they defeat the formidable enemy before them. Shadow Fiend looked at Mu Yang charging forward again, a disdainful sneer playing on his lips. "Overestimating yourself!" The crystal ball in his hand shone brightly, unleashing a powerful burst of dark energy that sent Mu Yang flying. Seeing this, Li Xuan quickly handed Bai Yao over to Lin Yu to care for, then rose to face Shadow Fiend. He knew that the crystal ball in Shadow Fiend's hand was the greatest threat, and he had to find a way to destroy it. While dodging Shadow Fiend's attacks, Li Xuan carefully observed the changes in the crystal ball, trying to find its weakness. After a fierce battle, Shadow Fiend's attack rhythm began to slow, and his breathing became rapid. The black aura around him gradually weakened, as if he had consumed a lot of energy. "It seems this crystal ball is incredibly powerful, but using it comes at a considerable price," Li Xuan thought to himself. Just when Li Xuan thought victory was assured, Shadow Fiend suddenly stopped attacking. He raised the crystal ball high, chanting incantations. The crystal ball emitted an even stronger dark light, and the surrounding space began to tremble violently. A suffocating sense of oppression enveloped the entire battlefield, as if the end of the world was about to arrive. "Feel despair!" Shadow Fiend's voice became low and hoarse, and the crystal ball in his hand suddenly burst forth with a blinding light… "I offer my blood as a sacrifice…"