I dominated the game from the start with cards.

The stone door slammed shut with a deafening roar, completely isolating Li Xuan and his group from the outside world. A thick darkness swallowed the last ray of light, plunging them into an abyss where they couldn't see their own hands. A damp, putrid stench filled the cold air, making them nauseous. Li Xuan felt his heart pounding, a strange sense of oppression enveloping him. He gripped the dagger tightly, the cold touch on his fingertips offering a slight sense of reassurance. "Watch out!" Mu Yang's deep voice came from beside him. Almost simultaneously, Li Xuan felt a chilling aura approaching. He instinctively leaped backward, barely dodging a fierce attack. The dagger struck something, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound. "What's that?" Lin Yu exclaimed, quickly lighting his torch, the faint light barely dispelling a small patch of darkness. In the firelight, a tall figure slowly emerged, shrouded in darkness, his face obscured except for two scarlet eyes that gleamed in the shadows, like a demon from hell. He wielded a massive black scythe, radiating a chilling aura. "Shadow Demon!" Old Zhou's voice trembled slightly; he was clearly startled by the sudden appearance of this monster. The Shadow Demon uttered a low, guttural sound, as if squeezed from the depths of its throat, carrying a chilling echo, "To pass this trial, you must defeat me." Sister Wu, pale-faced, gripped Lin Yu's arm tightly, her body trembling slightly. Although Lin Yu was also somewhat frightened, he forced himself to remain calm, shielding Sister Wu behind him. "Everyone be careful, this Shadow Demon is not easy to deal with," Mu Yang calmly warned, drawing his longsword from his back and assuming a defensive stance. The Shadow Demon didn't waste any words, launching another attack. His movements were lightning-fast, the black scythe in his hand slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Li Xuan, with his agile movements, barely dodged the Shadow Demon's attacks, but he could sense its immense power; each attack carried an overwhelming force. "Mu Yang, cover me!" Li Xuan shouted. He knew he couldn't defeat the Shadow Demon alone; he needed to cooperate with his companions. Mu Yang understood immediately. He wielded his longsword and engaged the Shadow Demon in fierce combat. Lin Yu also joined the battle, using his torch to harass the Shadow Demon, trying to find its weakness. Sister Wu stood by, ready to heal any injured companions. The battle dragged on for a long time, and Li Xuan and the others gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. The Shadow Demon's speed and strength far surpassed theirs; they could only barely defend themselves, finding no opportunity to retaliate. Li Xuan felt a sense of powerlessness. He realized that if this continued, they would eventually be killed by the Shadow Demon. He had to find a way to defeat it. "I have to try..." Li Xuan muttered to himself, a resolute glint in his eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes… Li Xuan closed his eyes, concentrated, and activated his special ability—mental perception. Everything around him seemed to slow down. He could feel the subtle energy flow in the air, the rapid heartbeats of his companions, and even the sound of distant dripping water was clearly discernible. However, when he tried to sense the Shadow Demon's aura, he found it shrouded in a mist, blurry and elusive. The Shadow Demon's presence was sometimes strong, sometimes weak, fleeting and uncertain, as if it were not a physical entity but some kind of illusory projection. This strange phenomenon made Li Xuan's heart sink. He had never encountered such a situation before, which indicated that the Shadow Demon was more dangerous than he had imagined. Just then, Mu Yang roared and charged towards the Shadow Demon. The longsword in his hand drew a sharp arc, aiming straight for the Shadow Demon's chest. However, the Shadow Demon merely swung its arm, and a powerful dark force sent Mu Yang flying, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Mu Yang!" Li Xuan's heart tightened, and he quickly opened his eyes. Seeing this, Lin Yu roared and charged forward, brandishing his torch. The burning flames seemed to have a certain restraining effect on the Shadow Demon; its body sizzled under the heat of the flames, as if it were being melted away. However, this effect was fleeting. After the flames died down, the Shadow Demon's body instantly returned to normal, leaving no trace. "Useless, your attacks are ineffective against me," the Shadow Demon chuckled, its tone full of mockery. Seeing this, Elder Zhou's expression turned solemn. He knew he couldn't delay any longer. He took a deep breath, formed hand seals, and chanted incantations. A powerful energy wave emanated from him, distorting the surrounding air. "Heavenly Gang Subdues Demon!" Elder Zhou roared, and a golden light shot from his hand, striking the Shadow Demon directly.

The Shadow Demon, not to be outdone, clasped its hands together, and a surge of black energy erupted from its body, forming a black barrier that blocked the golden light's attack. The golden and black light collided, emitting a dazzling light that trembled the entire space. For a moment, Elder Zhou and the Shadow Demon were locked in a stalemate, neither able to gain the upper hand. Li Xuan anxiously observed the battle from the sidelines, filled with a sense of powerlessness. He knew he had to do something, but he didn't know how. The Shadow Demon's bizarre abilities left him helpless, and his companions were gradually falling behind. Suddenly, a cry of alarm broke the stalemate. Li Xuan turned sharply and saw Sister Wu lying on the ground, her face pale, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth. It turned out that during the battle, Sister Wu, while treating the injured Mu Yang, had been accidentally caught in the Shadow Demon's dark power and injured. "Sister Wu!" Lin Yu cried out, rushing to Sister Wu's side and helping her up. "I...I'm fine..." Sister Wu said weakly, but her pale face and trembling body betrayed her. Seeing this, the Shadow Demon let out a chilling laugh: "It seems your choice was unwise..." It slowly raised its black scythe, the blade gleaming with a terrifying cold light. The Shadow Demon's chilling laughter echoed in the empty pass, like the death knell, striking everyone's heart. The black scythe it slowly raised, its blade leaping with a chilling light, seemed poised to reap lives at any moment. Sister Wu leaned weakly against Lin Yu, her face as pale as paper, the blood at the corner of her mouth a shocking sight. Mu Yang struggled to get up, but collapsed again, groaning in pain. An atmosphere of despair spread like a thick fog, suffocatingly oppressive. Li Xuan clenched his teeth, his fists so tight his nails dug deep into his flesh. He was unwilling to give up, but facing the powerful and eerie Shadow Demon, he felt a profound powerlessness. Just then, Li Xuan's gaze inadvertently swept across his surroundings. He noticed that whenever the Shadow Demon attacked, strange black runes would appear on the surrounding walls, shimmering with an eerie light, as if absorbing something. When the Shadow Demon stopped attacking, these runes would gradually fade away and disappear. A bold guess surfaced in Li Xuan's mind: could the Shadow Demon's power be related to these runes? He immediately told Elder Zhou about his discovery. Elder Zhou observed carefully for a moment and pondered, "What you said is very likely. These runes look like some kind of energy gathering point. If we can destroy these runes, we might be able to weaken the Shadow Demon's power." A glimmer of hope illuminated Li Xuan's heart. He forced himself to calm down and carefully observed the distribution and changing patterns of the runes, trying to find their weakness. "Li Xuan, be careful!" Mu Yang's weak voice suddenly rang out. Li Xuan turned around sharply and saw that the Shadow Demon had appeared in front of him at some point, its black scythe raised high, about to slash down fiercely at him. At the critical moment, Li Xuan instinctively leaped backward, narrowly dodging a fatal blow. The scythe tore his sleeve, leaving a deep wound from which blood gushed out instantly. "Li Xuan!" Sister Wu cried out, struggling to come and help. "Don't come any closer!" Li Xuan shouted, stopping her. "Take care of Mu Yang!" He looked at the Shadow Demon again, his eyes filled with determination. He knew he had to find a way to destroy the runes as soon as possible, or they would all die here. The Shadow Demon let out a low roar and charged again, wielding its scythe. While dodging the Shadow Demon's attacks, Li Xuan continued to observe the runes around him. He discovered that these runes were not static, but rather flowing according to some kind of pattern, as if undergoing some kind of energy cycle. Suddenly, Li Xuan's gaze locked onto a rune located behind the Shadow Demon. This rune was larger than the others, and its light was much brighter. He sensed that this rune was the key node in the entire energy cycle. "Elder Zhou, attack the largest rune!" Li Xuan shouted, pointing at the rune. Elder Zhou immediately understood Li Xuan's intention. He took a deep breath, concentrating all his energy into his hands. A golden light shot out from his hands again, striking the largest rune... Li Xuan's gaze was fixed on the rune; he knew their fate depended on this strike. His heart pounded violently, as if it would burst from his chest. "It must succeed..." he murmured. The golden light struck its target! The enormous rune trembled violently like a heart struck, emitting a piercing buzz, its black light flashing wildly, like a dying beast struggling. Then, cracks appeared on the rune's surface, spreading rapidly like a spiderweb. "Boom!" With a deafening roar, the enormous rune shattered, turning into specks of black light that dissipated into the air. At the same time, the light of the other runes dimmed, as if they had lost their energy source. The Shadow Demon let out a painful roar, its massive body swaying violently, the black scythe in its hand falling to the ground with a dull thud. "Now!" Li Xuan shouted, "Everyone, attack together!" Mu Yang, who had been enduring the pain, now had a glint in his eyes. He struggled to his feet, picked up a sharp dagger from the ground, and charged towards the Shadow Demon. Sister Wu also mustered her strength, conjuring a soft white light in her hand to provide healing and support to everyone. Lin Yu roared excitedly, brandishing his giant axe and charging towards the Shadow Demon like a tiger descending a mountain. Li Xuan didn't rush in rashly. He knew his close-combat abilities were insufficient, and more importantly, he needed to constantly observe the battle, find the Shadow Demon's weaknesses, and direct everyone to launch effective attacks. Although the Shadow Demon's power was weakened, it was still not to be underestimated. It swung its massive fist, forcing Mu Yang back, then kicked Lin Yu away. Although Sister Wu's healing white light could alleviate their injuries, it seemed somewhat ineffective against the Shadow Demon's relentless attacks. Li Xuan calmly observed the Shadow Demon's attack patterns. He discovered that while the Shadow Demon possessed immense strength, its attack speed was relatively slow, and its attack trajectory was rather predictable. He immediately commanded Mu Yang: "Mu Yang, attack its left leg! Its left leg is the slowest!" Upon hearing this, Mu Yang immediately changed his attack strategy. He no longer engaged the Shadow Demon in direct combat, but instead used his agile movements to repeatedly circle around to the Shadow Demon's left side, attacking its left leg with his dagger. The sharp dagger left deep wounds on the Shadow Demon's leg, effectively limiting its movement speed. Seeing that Mu Yang's attacks were effective, Li Xuan again commanded Lin Yu: "Lin Yu, attack its head with your giant axe! Its head is the weakest point!" Upon receiving the command, Lin Yu immediately raised his giant axe high and brought it down fiercely towards the Shadow Demon's head.

The Shadow Demon seemed to sense the danger and suddenly raised one hand to block the giant axe's attack.

The immense force made Lin Yu's hands go numb, and he almost lost his grip on the giant axe. "Such strong defense!" Lin Yu thought to himself in surprise. Li Xuan frowned slightly; it seemed the Shadow Demon's defense was even stronger than he had imagined. Just then, he noticed a black gem on the Shadow Demon's chest, emitting a faint black light, as if it were the source of the Shadow Demon's power. "Attack that gem!" Li Xuan pointed at the gem on the Shadow Demon's chest and shouted loudly. Upon hearing this, Mu Yang and Lin Yu immediately turned their attack towards the gem. The Shadow Demon seemed to sense their intentions, letting out an angry roar. His body suddenly swelled up, and a black aura emanated from him, enveloping the entire level. "Not good! He seems to be going to..." Old Zhou's expression changed drastically, but before he could finish speaking, the Shadow Demon suddenly threw a punch, striking Lin Yu squarely in the chest. Lin Yu screamed, flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground, motionless. "Lin Yu!" Sister Wu cried out in alarm, trying to rush over to help Lin Yu, but found herself bound by an invisible force, unable to move. "His power... has grown stronger again..." Old Zhou muttered to himself, his eyes filled with despair. Li Xuan stared intently at the Shadow Demon; he knew they were facing an unprecedented crisis...