I dominated the game from the start with cards.

Li Xuan's fingers touched the symbol in the center of the stone gate, and a powerful energy instantly surged into his body, making him feel a tingling sensation. The light on the stone gate became even more dazzling, then quickly dimmed, the symbol stopped flashing, and returned to calm. The mechanical puppets' attacks also stopped, standing stiffly in place, as if they had lost their power. "What's going on?" Lin Yu looked around warily, his weapon still tightly gripped in his hand. Li Xuan withdrew his hand, carefully sensing the energy surging within his body. "I think... I've found the key to opening the stone gate." "What key?" Mu Yang stepped forward, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. Li Xuan pointed to the patterns on the stone gate and explained, "The attack trajectories of these puppets correspond to the symbols on the stone gate. As long as these symbols are triggered in a specific order, the stone gate can be opened." Bai Yao smiled alluringly, her eyes like silk, "So, you already know the order to open it?" Li Xuan nodded and told everyone the flashing sequence of the symbols he had observed. “Three from the left, two from the top, one from the right… and finally the symbol in the center.” Mu Yang repeated Li Xuan’s instructions, a glint of light in his eyes. “This method… is somewhat similar to an ancient formation recorded in our sect.” “Now is not the time to discuss this,” Lin Yu interrupted. “We need to act quickly. Who knows if these puppets will activate again?” Everyone agreed and immediately began to act. Li Xuan was in charge of command, while the others were responsible for luring the puppets to attack specific symbols on the stone gate. Ling Feng’s figure was elusive, moving among the puppets like a ghost. The dagger in his hand precisely pierced the joints of the puppets, restricting their movement and creating opportunities for the others. However, just as everyone was working in perfect harmony and about to trigger the last symbol, an accident occurred. A sharp blade hidden in a puppet’s arm suddenly popped out, slicing Ling Feng’s arm. Blood dripped onto the ground, appearing particularly glaring in the dim environment. “Ling Feng!” Bai Yao exclaimed, rushing forward to check on Ling Feng’s injury. Ling Feng clutched his wound, his face pale, but he forced himself to remain calm. "I'm fine, just a minor injury." But his trembling hands betrayed his pain. The sudden turn of events made everyone's hearts leap into their throats. Li Xuan frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart. He sensed an even more powerful energy surging within the stone gate, as if something terrifying was about to burst forth.

"Quick! The last symbol!" Li Xuan shouted, disregarding everything else, leaping forward and stabbing his dagger fiercely at the symbol in the center of the stone door. As the last symbol was triggered, the stone door creaked open with a dull thud. A chilling aura seeped from the crack, sending shivers down one's spine. Li Xuan stood before the stone door, gazing into the bottomless darkness, a strong sense of unease rising within him. "What...is inside?" Bai Yao's voice trembled slightly. Li Xuan didn't answer, but slowly reached out and gripped his dagger tightly… "We'll find out when we go in." The last symbol on the stone door, struck by the rough metal arm of the mechanical puppet, flashed with a dazzling light. The light rippled outwards, creating strange halos in the dim underground space. Li Xuan held his breath, his heart pounding. He could feel a powerful force surging behind the stone door. "Click—" A dull thud broke the tense silence. A crack appeared in the center of the stone door, widening until finally, the two heavy stone doors slowly opened inward, revealing a bottomless, dark passage behind. A cold, damp aura emanated from the crack, mixed with an indescribable ancient scent that sent chills down everyone's spine. Before the crowd could cheer, a powerful suction suddenly emanated from the opened stone door, like a giant vortex, pulling everything around it inward. Li Xuan felt his body go light, his feet lost their footing, and he was uncontrollably thrown towards the stone door. He instinctively reached out to grab something, but grasped nothing. "Ah!" Lin Yu's cry of alarm rang in his ears, and then he too was sucked into the stone door. Bai Yao, Mu Yang, and even the injured Ling Feng were not spared, one after another being sucked into the unknown darkness. After a dizzying spin, Li Xuan crashed heavily to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through his back, causing him to groan involuntarily. He struggled to his feet, looked around, and found himself in a completely unfamiliar space. It was a huge cave, its ceiling inlaid with glowing crystals that emitted a faint, eerie light, barely illuminating the surroundings. The cave walls and floor were pitted and covered with all sorts of strange runes and patterns, exuding an eerie aura. "Cough cough..." Li Xuan heard a few coughs, turned around, and saw that Bai Yao, Mu Yang, Lin Yu, and Ling Feng had also been sucked in and were now scrambling to their feet. "Where is this?" Lin Yu asked, rubbing his sore backside, looking completely bewildered. Li Xuan shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either. He stood up and cautiously observed his surroundings. He noticed that on the cave floor, besides the runes and patterns, there were traps that flickered with different lights. Some traps emitted a scorching red light, some a cold blue light, and some a nauseating green light. A strong sense of danger surged into Li Xuan's heart; he immediately realized that this place was far more dangerous than they had imagined. "Watch your step!" he shouted a warning. Almost the instant his words fell, Mu Yang's foot accidentally stepped on a red-glowing stone slab. The slab instantly lit up, and a burst of scorching flames erupted from the ground, heading straight for Mu Yang. "Mu Yang!" Li Xuan cried out in alarm, trying to rush over to help, but it was too late. "Wind!" At the critical moment, Lin Yu shouted, pushing his hands forward with all his might. A powerful gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, forming a wind wall in front of Mu Yang, blocking the oncoming flames. The flames, blocked by the wind wall, crackled and popped, the intense heat scorching the surrounding air, making everyone feel suffocated. Just when everyone thought they had escaped a disaster, a series of cracking sounds suddenly came from the top of the cave. Dozens of sharp ice spikes fell from the cave ceiling, like hailstones, crashing down on everyone... Li Xuan looked up sharply, his pupils contracting suddenly. "Get out of the way!" he roared, his body quickly dodging to the side. Bai Yao grabbed the still-stunned Ling Feng, and the two barely dodged the falling ice spikes. The danger had only just begun. The heat waves of the flames licked at the wind wall Lin Yu had created, crackling and popping, the air thick with the smell of burning. Mu Yang, still shaken, gasped for breath; the flames had almost grazed his cheek, and he could feel the scorching heat. "Thanks, Lin Yu!" Mu Yang gratefully patted Lin Yu's shoulder. Lin Yu grinned, "No problem, brothers, no need to be polite!" Though he said this, the fine beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his earlier tension. Before everyone could catch their breath, the cracking sound from above rang out again, and more ice spikes rained down from the cave ceiling like a deadly ice rain. "Damn it!" Li Xuan cursed under his breath, pulling Bai Yao to quickly dodge. The ice spikes struck the ground with a crisp cracking sound, sharp shards flying everywhere. Bai Yao held Li Xuan's hand tightly, her body pressed close to his, and said, "No matter what, we'll be together." Li Xuan felt her love and trust, a warm current welling up in his heart. He gripped Bai Yao's hand in return, his eyes resolute, "Don't worry, I will definitely protect you!" Although Ling Feng was injured, he was still agile, nimbly dodging the falling ice spikes, occasionally using his short sword to shatter some flying towards others. "This can't go on, we need to find the pattern of this trap!" Li Xuan dodged while observing the surrounding environment, trying to find the trigger mechanism. "I remember!" Lin Yu suddenly shouted, "I encountered a similar trap in a similar trap space before!" Everyone immediately looked at Lin Yu, their eyes filled with hope. "The trap in that space also alternated between flames and ice spikes; I almost died in it!" Lin Yu's tone carried a hint of lingering fear, "I remember, the trap in that space was triggered by ground pressure! As long as we control our steps, we can avoid triggering the trap!" "Pressure triggered?" Li Xuan immediately understood Lin Yu's meaning. He carefully observed the ground and noticed that the runes and patterns on it seemed to follow a certain pattern. "Everyone, try to step on the areas without runes!" Li Xuan shouted a reminder. The group immediately followed Li Xuan's instructions, moving cautiously to avoid stepping on the rune-covered areas. Sure enough, once they controlled their steps, the frequency of trap triggers decreased significantly. They moved forward cautiously; the air in the cave grew thinner, and breathing became increasingly difficult. In the dim light, a faint glow seemed to appear at the end of the cave. "Look! There seems to be something there!" Mu Yang said, pointing to the end of the cave.

Following Mu Yang's pointing finger, everyone looked and discovered a treasure chest emitting a strange light at the end of the cave. The chest lay there quietly, as if waiting for their arrival. "A treasure chest?" Bai Yao's eyes flashed with excitement. "What could be inside?" Li Xuan's eyes also flickered with curiosity, but more so with wariness. This cave was fraught with danger, and the appearance of this treasure chest only made him more uneasy. "Be careful, this might be another trap!" Li Xuan said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the treasure chest. He slowly approached the chest, his dagger already gripped tightly, ready to deal with any sudden danger… Suddenly, he sensed an unusual energy fluctuation emanating from the chest. This energy fluctuation… it was familiar… "Wait!" Li Xuan abruptly stopped. "This energy fluctuation…" Li Xuan frowned, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him, making him recall a scene from the past. It was when he was still a novice explorer, alone, he had stumbled into a tomb full of traps. Deep within the tomb, there, too, was a treasure chest emitting a strange light. In his youthful arrogance, he recklessly opened the treasure chest, triggering a deadly trap. Had his master not arrived in time, he would have perished. The energy fluctuations emanating from that treasure chest were identical to those before them. "What's wrong, Li Xuan?" Bai Yao noticed Li Xuan's unusual behavior and asked with concern. Li Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the harrowing memory in his mind. "This treasure chest... is very dangerous." Lin Yu also came closer, carefully examining the treasure chest. "This light... is indeed a bit strange." He suddenly remembered something, his expression changing. "I remember! I encountered a similar trap in a similar space! It was a secret chamber filled with flames and ice spikes, and the treasure chest was in the center. I almost died in there!" Lin Yu's description made everyone's hearts sink, and the flame of hope that had risen instantly extinguished. This seemingly tempting treasure chest might be hiding deadly danger. "Then how did you escape?" Mu Yang asked. Lin Yu recalled, "The traps in that space were triggered by ground pressure. The ground around the treasure chest was riddled with deadly mechanisms. I was greedy and rushed straight for the chest, triggering the traps and nearly being engulfed by flames and ice spikes. Luckily, I reacted quickly, retreated in time, and figured out the pattern of the mechanisms, thus escaping by sheer luck." "Pressure triggered?" Li Xuan immediately understood Lin Yu's meaning. He carefully observed the ground around the treasure chest and indeed discovered some subtle patterns. These patterns were cleverly hidden in the shadows of the cave, difficult to spot without careful observation. "Everyone be careful, the ground around this treasure chest might be full of traps!" Li Xuan warned, "Try to step on my footprints and don't move around." The group cautiously followed behind Li Xuan, approaching the treasure chest step by step. The surrounding air seemed to become heavy, each step taken with extreme caution, for fear of triggering some deadly trap. Li Xuan sensed the immense danger hidden behind the light emanating from the treasure chest. He gripped his dagger tightly, his mind highly focused, ready to deal with any unexpected situation. "Wait..." Li Xuan suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on the ground in front of the treasure chest, where a stone slab seemed to be slightly raised. "There..."