I dominated the game from the start with cards.

A dazzling bolt of lightning tore through the thick darkness, like a flash of lightning piercing the night sky, heading straight for the dense black energy behind the Dark Soul.

Ye Ling held his breath, his heart pounding. He had staked everything on this "thunderous strike."

Dark Soul seemed to sense the danger, letting out a sharp scream as its body swayed violently in an attempt to dodge the fatal blow.

However, the lightning was too fast and struck the ball of black energy in an instant.

With a deafening roar, the black energy churned violently like an exploding explosive, causing the entire dark vortex to tremble.

Dark Soul let out a shrill scream, its form becoming ethereal, as if it might vanish at any moment.

Ye Ling did not let his guard down; he knew the matter was not over yet. Following his previous insights, he carefully searched around Dark Soul's body.

Sure enough, behind the Dark Soul, he discovered a place with abnormal energy fluctuations, like a tiny vortex, constantly absorbing the surrounding dark energy.

"This is it!" Ye Ling was overjoyed. He was almost certain that this was the entrance to the Dark Soul's soul.

However, Dark Soul also sensed that Ye Ling was approaching the crucial point, and she let out an angry roar, launching a super-powerful attack.

Dark power rapidly gathered, forming a huge black sphere in front of her, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression, and crashed towards Ye Ling and the others.

"Watch out!" Ye Ling shouted, concentrating all the power of his cards to form a shield that shimmered with various colors of light in front of him.

Qingyue drew her sword without hesitation. The sword emitted a unique light characteristic of the Spirit Race, and a powerful force erupted instantly, forming a sword aura that met the black sphere head-on.

Shu Yao clenched her hands tightly, chanting incantations as she unleashed healing and defensive powers, enveloping the three of them in a soft white light.

The black sphere collided with their defensive forces, creating a massive explosion.

A powerful shockwave swept outwards, seemingly shattering the surrounding darkness.

The aftershocks of the explosion gradually dissipated, revealing a scene of utter devastation. Ye Ling and the others were thrown back several steps by the impact of the explosion, all sustaining injuries of varying degrees.

Qingyue's arm was scraped, and blood flowed down the wound.

Shu Yao's body was shaken so badly that she was on the verge of collapse, her face was pale, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Ye Ling felt that his strength was almost exhausted and his spiritual energy was empty, but he knew he could not give up.

He struggled to his feet, his gaze fixed on Dark Soul, the card in his hand shimmering faintly.

The figure of Dark Soul became even more ethereal, as if it might vanish at any moment. But she did not give up the fight, her eyes flashing with venomous light, and she uttered a hoarse voice: "You... don't even think about it..." The aftershocks of the explosion echoed in the darkness, leaving behind a scene of devastation.

Qingyue clutched her blood-soaked arm, her face pale, but her eyes were resolute, showing no sign of backing down.

Shu Yao knelt on one knee, her slender body trembling slightly, the bloodstains at the corner of her mouth shockingly visible, but she still tried her best to maintain her defensive spiritual power to prevent the darkness from encroaching again.

Ye Ling's situation was also not optimistic. He felt that the spiritual energy in his body was like a dried-up river, almost exhausted.

Each breath was accompanied by a sharp pain in his chest, but he gritted his teeth, his eyes burning as he stared intently at the tiny vortex behind Dark Soul.

He knew this was their only chance of victory, their only hope.

At this critical moment, he made a bold decision.

"Cover me!" Ye Ling's hoarse voice was exceptionally clear in the silence after the explosion.

Qingyue and Shuyao responded to his call without hesitation.

Despite the excruciating pain in her arm, Qingyue brandished her sword, its blade flashing as she severed the remaining dark forces that tried to approach Ye Ling.

Shu Yao gritted her teeth and poured all her remaining spiritual power into the defensive array, forming a solid barrier that protected Ye Ling within it.

The moment the dark sphere was blocked, Ye Ling rushed towards the spot behind the Dark Soul without hesitation. With trembling hands, he drew an epic card radiating golden light from his deck—"Key of Souls".

This card was obtained from his previous adventures and had been treasured ever since; now it has finally come in handy.

He channeled the power of the "Key of the Soul" into the tiny vortex. The vortex began to spin violently, emitting a dazzling light, like a door about to open. Dark Soul sensed the danger and let out a piercing scream, trying to stop Ye Ling, but it was too late.

"Open!" Ye Ling roared, pouring all his remaining power into the "Key of Soul".

A burst of golden light flashed, and the vortex expanded instantly, forming an entrance leading to the depths of the Dark Soul's soul.

Dark Soul let out a desperate scream, her body began to tremble violently, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Ling infused the power of another card in his hand—"Annihilation Light"—into it. This was currently his strongest attack card.

"It's over!" Ye Ling's voice was tinged with weariness, but also filled with determination.

The power of the Annihilation Light surged into Dark Soul's soul entrance like a raging flood, frantically devouring her soul.

Dark Soul let out a shrill scream, and her body began to rapidly dissipate, turning into specks of black mist that merged into the surrounding darkness.

Victory seemed within reach, but just as the Dark Soul was about to completely dissipate, a sinister glint flashed in her eyes… “Want to kill me? Then let’s go to hell together!”

A powerful dark force erupted from the remnants of the Dark Soul's body, like a giant black python, coiling around Ye Ling's body... The dark force clung to Ye Ling like a leech, and its icy, bone-chilling aura rapidly eroded his body.

Ye Ling felt his consciousness gradually fading, and his body seemed to be frozen, unable to move.

He watched helplessly as darkness spread, and a wave of despair washed over him.

"Ye Ling!" Shu Yao and Qing Yue cried out in terror. Ignoring their own injuries, they rushed towards Ye Ling.

Shu Yao was even faster. She used all her strength to pounce on Ye Ling, hugging him tightly and using her frail body to shield him from the encroachment of darkness.

"I won't let anything happen to you, we'll live together!" She looked at Ye Ling with deep affection, her eyes filled with love and determination.

The warmth of her body penetrated through her thin clothes and reached Ye Ling, dispelling some of the chill.

He looked at Shu Yao's pale yet resolute face and was deeply moved.

He wanted to respond to her, but found that he didn't even have the strength to speak.

Qingyue also arrived. She brandished her sword, trying to sever the dark power binding Ye Ling. However, the power was extremely stubborn, and her sword could not harm it in the slightest.

"It's no use. This is the last resentment of the Dark Soul. Only by purifying her soul can it be completely dispelled."

A weak voice came from the side; it was Elder Ling. He had appeared beside them at some point, holding a spirit stone that emitted a soft light in his hand.

Elder Ling placed the spirit stone on Ye Ling's forehead and chanted incantations. The spirit stone's light gradually intensified, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

A warm and powerful force surged from the spirit stone, slowly flowing into Ye Ling's body to fight against the dark forces.

The dark forces seemed to sense the threat and began to churn violently, trying to break free from the spirit stone's restraints.

Ye Ling's body trembled violently, as if he were going through a fierce tug-of-war.

Shu Yao hugged Ye Ling tightly, feeling his body trembling, her heart aching.

She continuously channeled her spiritual energy into Ye Ling's body, hoping to provide him with some assistance.

Time passed second by second, the light of the spirit stone gradually dimmed, and beads of sweat appeared on Elder Ling's forehead.

Finally, with a soft sound, the dark power that had been binding Ye Ling completely dissipated, turning into specks of black mist that vanished into the air.

Ye Ling collapsed weakly into Shu Yao's arms, panting heavily.

He felt as if he had just escaped death, and was completely exhausted.

"It's alright, it's alright..." Shu Yao gently stroked Ye Ling's hair and comforted him softly.

Ye Ling slowly opened his eyes, looking at Shu Yao's concerned gaze, his heart filled with gratitude.

He recalled the hardships he had endured along the way, and how he had only been able to persevere because of Shu Yao and Qing Yue by his side.

He secretly vowed that he would cherish them even more from now on.

However, at that moment, a powerful sense of oppression came from afar.

Ye Ling looked up and saw the Blood Demon's figure appear not far away, coldly watching them.

"Do you think this is the end?" Blood Demon's voice was cold and full of killing intent. "The show has only just begun..." Ye Ling leaned against Shu Yao's chest, his rapid breathing gradually calming down.

Elder Ling took back the spirit stone, his face solemn, and the fine beads of sweat on his forehead had not yet dried.

Qingyue looked around warily, her sword still tightly gripped in her hand.

After the dark spirits dissipated, the cave was eerily silent for a time, with only the occasional sound of dripping water echoing through it.

Ye Ling closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting back to the past. When he first entered the Spirit Realm, he was just an ordinary person who knew nothing about the supernatural.

It was Shu Yao's meticulous care and Qing Yue's righteous assistance that allowed him to escape danger time and time again.

From initial fear and confusion to gradually gaining control of his own power, the road has been arduous and long. He recalled Shu Yao's gentleness in healing his wounds and Qing Yue's unwavering determination in fighting alongside him, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He secretly vowed that no matter how bumpy the road ahead, he would protect them and safeguard this precious friendship.

He opened his eyes, but the sight before him made his heart sink. The Blood Demon's figure appeared at the cave entrance like a ghost, his crimson eyes flashing with chilling killing intent. "You think this is the end?"

The Blood Demon's voice was deep and hoarse, tinged with a hint of mockery, "The show has only just begun."

Ye Ling struggled to stand up, feeling dizzy from the weakness in his body.

He knew that in his current state, his chances of defeating the Blood Demon were slim.

Moreover, the dissipation of the Dark Soul did not seem to weaken the Blood Demon's power; on the contrary, it made him appear even stronger.

He instinctively gripped the card in his hand, his heart filled with unease. He didn't know what other tricks the Blood Demon had up its sleeve, nor whether he could withstand the upcoming attacks.

Shu Yao and Qing Yue also sensed the danger and immediately stood beside Ye Ling, assuming a defensive stance.

A faint green light emanated from Shu Yao's hand, ready to heal Ye Ling at any moment. Qing Yue held her sword horizontally in front of her, her eyes warily fixed on the Blood Demon.

Elder Ling walked up to Ye Ling and said in a low voice, "Child, it's up to you now."

Remember, your strength comes from within; don't let fear consume you.

After saying that, he handed a jade pendant to Ye Ling, saying, "This is a small token of my appreciation; perhaps it can be of some help to you."

Ye Ling took the jade pendant. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and a strange power slowly flowed into his body, making him feel a sense of clarity.

He took a deep breath, carefully put the jade pendant away from his body, and looked firmly at the Blood Demon.

The Blood Demon sneered and slowly raised his hand, a dense aura of darkness gathering in his palm.

"Let me show you what true despair is!" Just then, the dark aura around the spot where the Dark Soul had just dissipated began to surge again.

Ye Ling's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over him. He knew the Blood Demon wouldn't let this opportunity slip by… "Looks like you have accomplices…" A chilling smile curled at the corner of the Blood Demon's lips as he turned his gaze to the depths of the cave, slowly saying, "Come out, I know you're here." He stretched out his hand, pointing to a corner in the darkness. The air seemed to freeze, a suffocating sense of oppression spreading through the room.