I dominated the game from the start with cards.

The runes on the fragment shimmered with an eerie light, as if guiding a direction. Li Xuan carefully put it away; he knew it was the key to finding the Shadow Gate. "This light... seems to point north," Bai Yao murmured, a hint of worry on her alluring face. "But the north is the Death Swamp, a place fraught with danger, where even advanced explorers dare not venture lightly." "We have no choice," Li Xuan's voice was firm and cold. "For our sect, for the truth, even if it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, I will brave it!" Mu Yang patted Li Xuan's shoulder calmly, saying, "We'll go with you." Lin Yu enthusiastically echoed, "That's right, Brother Xuan, with brothers united, our strength is unbreakable!" Ling Feng nodded, a strange light flashing in his eyes: "I will do everything I can to help you." And so, the five of them embarked on a perilous journey northwards. The Death Swamp, just as its name suggested, was permeated with the aura of death. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and beneath their feet lay a muddy swamp, from which bubbles rose and made nauseating noises. After walking for a long time, they came to a thicket of thorny brambles. The brambles were dense and numerous, forming a natural barrier that blocked their path. "Damn it, how are we going to get through this?" Lin Yu complained. He tried to hack at the brambles with his weapon, but found them exceptionally tough and impossible to cut. Just then, Lin Yu accidentally cut his arm with a thorn. A piercing pain shot through the wound, and blood flowed down his arm. "Lin Yu!" Li Xuan rushed forward to check on Lin Yu's injury, and Bai Yao asked with concern, "How are you? Is it serious?" Lin Yu gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and said, "It's nothing, just a small cut..." However, the pain in the wound intensified, and Lin Yu's face turned pale. Li Xuan looked at Lin Yu's wound, his heart filled with self-reproach. If it weren't for him, Lin Yu wouldn't have been injured. He clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with anger and resentment. Suddenly, Li Xuan's mental perception was activated; he sensed a hidden path within the thorn bushes. "Wait!" Li Xuan exclaimed, "I feel... there seems to be a path here!" Li Xuan closed his eyes, concentrated, and confirmed the location of the hidden path again. He opened his eyes and pointed to an inconspicuous spot in the thorn bushes, saying, "It's right there. Let's be careful." Everyone looked in the direction Li Xuan pointed and indeed found a gap in the thorn bushes, almost imperceptible without careful observation. A hint of surprise flashed in Bai Yao's eyes; she had gained a deeper understanding of Li Xuan's special ability. "Brother Xuan, your ability is amazing!" Lin Yu exclaimed, his pain seemingly lessening. Li Xuan didn't say much and bent down to slip into the gap first. Mu Yang, Bai Yao, Lin Yu, and Ling Feng followed closely behind, carefully traversing the thorn bushes. The path was winding and treacherous, but fortunately there were no other obstacles. Led by Li Xuan, they successfully traversed the dangerous thicket. "Phew..." Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally, we're through. This damned place is a trap at every turn." "Don't let your guard down," Mu Yang calmly reminded them, "The Death Swamp is fraught with danger; we can't afford to be careless." Just then, a sharp cry rang out from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw a flock of fiery red birds circling overhead. These birds were enormous, with wingspans exceeding two meters. Their eyes gleamed with ferocity, and their sharp beaks were like swords. "Oh no, flamingos!" Bai Yao's expression changed, and she exclaimed, "They can breathe fire!" As soon as she finished speaking, several flamingos swooped down, spewing out streams of scorching flames as they attacked the group. "Get out of the way!" Li Xuan shouted, pulling Bai Yao to dodge quickly. Mu Yang and Lin Yu also reacted swiftly, each finding cover to avoid the attack. Lingfeng's figure flashed, disappearing from the spot like a ghost, reappearing atop a tall, withered tree. Flames fell to the ground, hissing, instantly igniting the dry grass and sending up plumes of black smoke. The air was thick with the suffocating smell of burning. "Damn it, there are too many flamingos!" Lin Yu shouted from behind a boulder. Li Xuan frowned, knowing they had to find a way to escape the flamingos' attack quickly, or they would all perish. He looked around, searching for usable terrain. "Mu Yang, Lin Yu, cover me!" Li Xuan suddenly said, "I'll find a chance to counterattack!" Mu Yang and Lin Yu exchanged a glance and nodded. Mu Yang, longsword in hand, rushed out of cover to meet the swooping flamingos... Mu Yang, longsword in hand, the blade drawing streaks of silver light in the air as he met the swooping flamingos. Flames rained down, and Mu Yang wielded his longsword, parrying each strike. However, the flamingos were numerous and their attacks fierce, and Mu Yang was overwhelmed. His arm was burned by the flames, and the burning pain made him groan. Lin Yu, wielding a giant axe, swung his sword with wide, sweeping strokes, each strike accompanied by a whistling sound, aiming at the flamingos. Although his attacks were powerful, his large size made him less agile than Mu Yang, and he narrowly escaped being struck by the flamingos' flames several times. Li Xuan, hiding behind cover, carefully observed the flamingos' attack patterns. He discovered that although the flamingos attacked fiercely, their attacks had relatively long intervals between them, giving them opportunities to counterattack.

"Mu Yang, watch out for their attack gaps!" Li Xuan shouted a warning.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yang immediately understood Li Xuan's meaning. He endured the pain in his arm, concentrating intently to carefully observe the flamingos' movements. Finally, he seized an opportunity; after the flamingos breathed fire, he swiftly swung his blade. A sharp flash of light appeared, and a flamingo cried out in pain as it plummeted from the sky. "Well done!" Seeing this, Lin Yu's morale soared. He wielded his giant axe, attacking the flamingos even more fiercely. With Li Xuan's guidance, Mu Yang and Lin Yu's teamwork became increasingly seamless. They seized the gaps in the flamingos' attacks, constantly counterattacking, and one flamingo after another was brought down. Bai Yao nestled tightly against Li Xuan, her hand gently clutching his clothes, her eyes filled with dependence. She said, "Brother Xuan, I'm not afraid with you here." Li Xuan gently patted Bai Yao's hand and softly said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." His gaze, however, remained fixed on the battlefield, searching for the best opportunity to attack. Ling Feng stood on a withered tree, watching the fierce battle between the group and the flamingos. His eyes deepened, as if lost in some memory. He recalled encountering similar flamingos in the Infinite Flow Space, where he had nearly lost his life. That experience was etched into his memory, making him even more determined to defeat them this time. He took a deep breath, leaped down from the tree, and joined the battle. His movements were as swift as a ghost, his dagger like the fangs of a viper, each strike precise and deadly. With everyone's combined efforts, the number of flamingos gradually decreased. Finally, as the last flamingo fell, the battle was over. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground to recover their strength. "Finally, it's over," Lin Yu said, wiping the sweat from his brow, still shaken. However, before they could catch their breath, Li Xuan suddenly stood up, pointed ahead, and said, "Look!" Everyone looked in the direction Li Xuan pointed and saw a huge stone gate ahead. The stone gate was covered with strange patterns, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura. "This..." Mu Yang frowned, staring at the stone door. "What's behind this stone door?" Li Xuan didn't answer, but slowly walked towards the stone door... "Be careful..." Bai Yao whispered a reminder. The smoke gradually dissipated, leaving the smell of burnt feathers in the air. Lin Yu lay on his back on the ground, panting heavily, his giant axe carelessly discarded beside him. Mu Yang sat cross-legged, treating the burns on his arm with simple bandages, his brow furrowed, seemingly still reliving the thrilling battle. Bai Yao nestled beside Li Xuan, gently wiping the sweat from his brow, her eyes full of concern. Ling Feng still stood on the withered branches of the dead tree, his figure seemingly blending into the shadows. The fierce battle seemed to have left no mark on him; he simply gazed quietly into the distance, his eyes deep and complex. The flamingos' attack methods, their sharp cries, even the smell of burning in the air, all brought him back to the level that had almost cost him his life. A deluge of fiery feathers, a searing pain… those memories surged back like a tidal wave, almost overwhelming him. He gripped the dagger tightly, his knuckles turning white. This time, he would never repeat the same mistake. “What… what lies behind this stone door?” Mu Yang broke the brief silence, his gaze fixed on the towering stone door before him. The stone door stood amidst the desolation, like a sleeping giant, radiating a suffocating oppressive aura. The intricate and eerie patterns carved upon it appeared even more mysterious and unpredictable in the dim light. Li Xuan slowly rose and walked to the stone door. He didn't immediately try to open it, but instead carefully observed the patterns. These patterns weren't simple decorations; they resembled some kind of ancient script or symbol, seemingly telling an untold story. “These patterns…” Li Xuan murmured to himself, gently stroking the cold stone surface, his fingertips feeling the undulating texture of the patterns. He vaguely felt that these patterns were mysteriously connected to the destruction of his sect, and even to this entire Infinite Flow space. Bai Yao walked to Li Xuan's side, gently took his arm, and said softly, "Brother Xuan, be careful." Her tone carried a hint of worry; the eerie aura emanating from the stone door made her uneasy. Li Xuan turned to Bai Yao and smiled, giving her a reassuring look. He then turned his gaze back to the patterns on the stone door, a strong premonition rising within him: unraveling the secrets of these patterns might be the key to finding the truth. "Mu Yang, Lin Yu, come and take a look. Do you recognize these patterns?" Li Xuan called to his companions. Mu Yang and Lin Yu also walked to the stone door, carefully observing the patterns. Lin Yu scratched his head, looking bewildered: "What...what is all this? It looks like scribbles, I can't understand it at all." Mu Yang pondered for a moment, then said, "The style of these patterns is very ancient, like the script of some lost civilization. I've seen similar patterns in the database of the Infinite Flow Space before, but I'm not entirely sure what they mean." Ling Feng also jumped down from the tree and walked to the stone door, his gaze sweeping over the patterns. He didn't speak, but a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes. Li Xuan noticed Ling Feng's unusual behavior and his heart skipped a beat. He was about to ask when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine... He whirled around, only to see an empty wilderness, nothing at all. "What's wrong, Brother Xuan?" Bai Yao noticed Li Xuan's odd behavior and asked with concern. Li Xuan shook his head. "Nothing, I'm probably just too nervous." But a vague unease lingered in his heart, a feeling that something was watching them from the shadows. He took a deep breath and focused his attention again on the patterns on the stone door. "No matter what, we have to figure out the meaning of these patterns..." Li Xuan's voice was low and firm. His fingers slowly moved along the lines on the stone door, suddenly stopping at a particular symbol...