I dominated the game from the start with cards.

The black-robed man appeared too suddenly, and the oppressive aura surged forth like a tidal wave, almost engulfing the three. Li Xuan's mental senses frantically warned him, and a sharp, stinging pain made his scalp tingle. This black-robed man was stronger than any enemy they had encountered before! "Run!" Li Xuan roared, rushing towards the exit first. Lin Yu and Mu Yang followed closely behind, not daring to hesitate for a moment. However, a black barrier appeared out of thin air at the exit, like an indestructible wall, blocking their path. "Trying to escape? Too late!" The black-robed man let out a chilling laugh, waving his hands, and countless small black shadows surged out from behind him, swarming towards the three like locusts. Although these small black shadows were not individually strong, their numbers were numerous, and their movements were agile, making them impossible to defend against. Li Xuan and the other two were immediately plunged into a fierce battle, back to back, wielding their weapons, struggling to fend off the attacks of the small black shadows. Just then, a figure appeared at the edge of the battlefield like a ghost. He was dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, and a silver mask concealed his face, revealing only a pair of cold, ruthless eyes. An aura even more sinister than the black-robed man emanated from him, like a demon from the abyss. The air seemed to freeze the moment the mysterious figure appeared. He slowly raised a hand, pointing at Lin Yu. A beam of black energy shot from his fingertip, moving with incredible speed. "Lin Yu!" Li Xuan exclaimed, trying to warn Lin Yu, but it was too late.

The black energy beam struck Lin Yu in the chest. He groaned, coughed up blood, and collapsed to the ground, his life hanging in the balance. "Lin Yu!" Mu Yang cried out in grief, his eyes bloodshot.

He brandished his long sword, attacking the surrounding shadowy figures frantically, wanting to avenge Lin Yu.

Li Xuan suppressed his grief and anger. He knew this was not the time for sorrow. He had to calm down and find a solution. He stared intently at the mysterious figure, his mental energy highly focused, trying to sense its weakness. Suddenly, he noticed something unusual. The black energy emanating from the mysterious figure seemed to have some connection with the small black shadows—a subtle flow of energy… “Mu Yang!” Li Xuan roared, “Attack those small black shadows! Don’t linger! Hold them off!” His gaze shifted to Ling Feng, who had been silently observing from afar. “Ling Feng, cover Mu Yang!” Li Xuan’s voice carried an unquestionable command, his tone resolute and determined. He stared intently at the mysterious figure, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I think… I’ve found it…” he murmured, a cold smile playing on his lips. Seeing Lin Yu fall, a raging fire ignited in Li Xuan’s chest. That fire churned within him, almost consuming him. But he knew that anger was useless now; only calmness could find a way out. He forced himself to take a deep breath, focusing his attention on the mysterious figure before him. The figure was surrounded by black energy, like a giant vortex constantly absorbing the surrounding energy. The small black shadows, like fragments separated from this vortex, were agile and ferocious. Li Xuan's mental perception was at full power, tracking the energy flow. He discovered that the relationship between the mysterious figure and the small shadows wasn't a simple control relationship, but rather an energy symbiosis. The existence of the small shadows seemed to constantly provide energy to the mysterious figure, maintaining his immense power. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Li Xuan. He saw it! At the center of the mysterious figure's energy vortex, there was a tiny node where the energy flow briefly paused. That was the weakness! "Mu Yang! Ling Feng!" Li Xuan's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the chaotic battlefield, "Attack the center of his energy vortex! There's a node there, his weakness!" Mu Yang and Ling Feng carried out Li Xuan's orders without hesitation. Mu Yang's longsword, imbued with a sharp blade aura, thrust straight towards the center of the mysterious figure's energy vortex. Ling Feng's figure flickered like a ghost, a gleaming dagger appearing in his hand seemingly out of nowhere, as he attacked the vital point from the side. The mysterious man clearly hadn't expected Li Xuan to see through his weakness, and was momentarily flustered. However, his strength was formidable, and he quickly regained his composure, rapidly forming hand seals to summon more shadowy figures, attempting to block Mu Yang and Ling Feng's attacks. Just then, a graceful figure joined the battle. Bai Yao, Li Xuan's lover, possessed an alluring figure, yet exuded an undeniable aura of power. She wielded a long staff, chanting incantations, and a soft white light enveloped Lin Yu, who lay on the ground. The white light flowed gently into Lin Yu's body, healing his wounds. "Li Xuan, be careful!" Bai Yao cried anxiously, her eyes filled with worry and love, as she healed Lin Yu. Although Mu Yang and Ling Feng's attacks hadn't completely shattered the mysterious man's defenses, they had prevented him from fully engaging. The mysterious figure was held back, and Li Xuan seized the opportunity, his figure flashing as he closed in. A short knife appeared in his hand, its blade gleaming with a ghostly blue light—a weapon he had crafted from special materials specifically to deal with this energy entity. Li Xuan's speed was lightning fast, arriving before the mysterious figure in the blink of an eye. Without hesitation, he thrust his short knife towards the central node of the mysterious figure's energy vortex. "You…" The mysterious figure's eyes widened in horror, seemingly unable to believe that Li Xuan had actually found his weakness. The moment the short knife pierced the node, a powerful energy surge erupted, shaking the earth. Li Xuan was forced back several steps, staggering as he steadied himself, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes unusually resolute. The mysterious figure let out a shrill scream, and the black energy vortex around him fluctuated violently, like a dam about to collapse. The small black shadows also let out sharp shrieks, turning into black smoke and dissipating. While healing Lin Yu, Bai Yao anxiously watched Li Xuan. Her eyes were filled with worry and love, and her cherry lips parted slightly as she repeatedly murmured, "Li Xuan, be careful! You must be careful!" Her slender fingers gripped her staff tightly, her knuckles turning white. White light flowed in her hands, continuously surging into Lin Yu's body, and Lin Yu's face gradually regained a trace of color. Li Xuan looked at the mysterious man struggling in pain, feeling no pity. The tragic scene of his sect's destruction flashed through his mind: raging flames engulfing familiar buildings, the corpses of his fellow disciples lying haphazardly on the ground, the air thick with the stench of blood… His master's sorrowful eyes before his death were like a sharp knife, piercing his heart. "Ah!" Li Xuan roared, his eyes turning bloodshot, the fire of revenge burning fiercely within him. He gripped his short sword tightly and charged at the mysterious man again. Mu Yang and Ling Feng also recovered from their brief shock, exchanging a glance, their eyes filled with determination. They knew this was a life-or-death battle; they had to fight with everything they had to protect themselves and avenge their fallen comrades. Mu Yang's longsword flashed like a storm, slicing through the approaching shadows one by one. Ling Feng moved like a ghost across the battlefield, his dagger piercing the vitals of the shadows with deadly precision; each attack was clean and swift. The mysterious man, surrounded by Li Xuan, Mu Yang, and Ling Feng, was gradually losing ground. His once powerful energy vortex was now broken and on the verge of collapse. His eyes were filled with fear and despair; he knew his defeat was inevitable. Just then, the mysterious man suddenly pulled a mysterious object from his robes. The object was pitch black, strangely shaped, and engraved with eerie runes. A powerful suction force emanated from the object, absorbing the surrounding energy. Li Xuan, Mu Yang, Ling Feng, and even Bai Yao, who was healing Lin Yu, all felt their bodies growing weaker, their energy rapidly draining away. To their horror, they found their bodies being pulled towards the mysterious artifact as if out of their control. "What is that?!" Mu Yang cried out in terror. Li Xuan, enduring his weakness, struggled to concentrate, carefully observing the mysterious artifact. Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply. He saw a familiar symbol on the artifact—the symbol of his sect! "This…how is this possible?!" A storm raged within Li Xuan; he felt as if he had fallen into a giant whirlpool, everything around him blurring into a hazy blur. What earth-shattering conspiracy lay hidden behind this?

The mysterious figure, watching the crowd struggle in agony, revealed a sinister smile: "Let you become sacrifices!" He abruptly raised the object in his hand above his head... The mysterious object emitted a low, buzzing sound, like a greedy beast, devouring all the energy around it. Li Xuan felt his consciousness begin to blur, his body feeling light, as if he would be sucked into the dark vortex at any moment. Bai Yao's healing spell was interrupted, her face pale. She clung tightly to Lin Yu, trying to resist the powerful suction, but she was powerless. Although Lin Yu was still recovering from serious injuries, he did his best to protect Bai Yao, preventing her from being sucked away. Mu Yang's face was ashen. He swung his longsword, trying to cut through the suction, but it was like cutting cotton, completely ineffective. Ling Feng searched everywhere for a way to break the spell. He moved swiftly around the crowd, trying to find the mysterious object's weakness. However, the object seemed impenetrable, its suction growing stronger and stronger. "Is...this how it's going to end?" Mu Yang's voice carried a hint of despair. Just as everyone was about to collapse, Li Xuan's gaze was fixed on the mysterious artifact. He trembled as he pointed to a symbol on the artifact, his voice hoarse: "That...that's..." Everyone looked in the direction Li Xuan was pointing and their expressions turned to shock. On the surface of the artifact was clearly the same symbol as Li Xuan's sect! An ancient pattern, a phoenix spreading its wings, soaring, lifelike. "This...how is this possible?" Mu Yang's eyes widened in disbelief. This discovery was like a thunderbolt, exploding in everyone's hearts. How could the sect's symbol appear on this mysterious artifact? What secret was hidden behind this? Could the sect's destruction be connected to this mysterious artifact, and to this mysterious person, in some unknown way? Fragments of the sect's past suddenly flashed through Li Xuan's mind. His master's kind smile, the scene of his fellow disciples practicing together, and... the raging fire, the corpses lying scattered everywhere... these images intertwined, giving him a splitting headache. He tried desperately to grasp those blurry fragments of memory, but he couldn't hold onto them. "Master... our sect..." Li Xuan murmured to himself, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. He felt he was getting closer and closer to the truth, yet he was shrouded in a fog, unable to see the path ahead. The mysterious man looked at the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, a smug smile on his face. "What? Surprised? Soon, you will understand everything." The object in his hand shone brightly, and its suction reached its peak. Li Xuan felt his body being torn apart bit by bit, his consciousness gradually fading. He used his last bit of strength to stare intently at the sect's symbol, with only one thought in his mind: I must know the truth... I must... "Ah!" A scream pierced the night sky... Li Xuan's vision went dark... He felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss... A voice echoed in his ears: "You... have finally come..."