I dominated the game from the start with cards.

Black mist churned, like the entrance to hell slowly opening. The Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden chanted obscure incantations, their hands moving rapidly, forming complex and eerie hand seals. Streams of black energy flowed from their fingertips, infusing the surging black mist. The previously ethereal phantoms, after absorbing this energy, began to solidify, as if possessing flesh and blood. The black mist around them thickened, radiating a suffocating oppressive aura. Li Xuan and the others were already struggling to deal with these phantoms; now, with their power surging, they were even more difficult to contend with. Sharp claws tore through the air, attacking with a piercing whistle, each strike containing enough power to be fatal. Li Xuan's mental perception frantically warned him; he constantly dodged and weaved, yet still felt incredibly strained. Just then, a gigantic figure charged into the battle from the side, unstoppable like a tiger descending a mountain. He wielded a massive spiked club, swinging it with gusts of wind and deafening roars. This man was Iron Wolf, an outsider for the mysterious organization, known for his strength and brutality. "Watch out!" Li Xuan shouted, warning his teammates to be wary of the new enemy. However, it was too late. Li Xuan and the others were busy dealing with the phantoms' attacks and had no time to spare for anything else. Lin Yu couldn't dodge in time and was struck in the arm by Iron Wolf's club, letting out a cry of pain as his weapon flew from his hand. He staggered back a few steps, his face instantly turning pale, a gruesome wound appearing on his arm, blood gushing out. "Lin Yu!" Mu Yang cried out in alarm, trying to rush forward to help, but he was entangled by several phantoms and couldn't break free. Iron Wolf's arrival completely shattered the already precarious balance. Li Xuan and the others were now caught in a pincer movement, the situation rapidly deteriorating. "Hahaha! A bunch of ants, daring to oppose us!" Iron Wolf laughed wildly, his spiked club like the Grim Reaper's scythe, relentlessly reaping lives. Li Xuan gritted his teeth; he knew this couldn't go on. He had to find a way to break this stalemate, or they would all die here. He tried to get closer to Iron Wolf, looking for an opportunity to counterattack, but found that Iron Wolf's strength far exceeded his own. Every collision made his arm numb and his tiger's mouth ache. "Damn it!" Li Xuan cursed inwardly, forced back again by Iron Wolf's blow. He looked up at Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden, and found that they were still performing that mysterious ritual. The black mist grew thicker and thicker, almost obscuring the entire sky, and a chilling energy was constantly accumulating. "Is it not done yet?" Poison Scorpion asked impatiently. Ice Maiden remained expressionless and coldly uttered a single word: "Almost done." Just then, a deafening roar suddenly came from within the black mist, like that of an ancient ferocious beast, carrying a terrifying aura that made one's soul tremble. Poison Scorpion's face showed an excited smile: "Finally... done..." After the earth-shattering roar in the black mist, a huge figure slowly emerged. It resembled a giant wolf, but was several times larger than an ordinary wolf, its body covered in black scales that shimmered with a metallic sheen. Its scarlet eyes, like two will-o'-the-wisps, emitted a chillingly fierce light. "This is...your trump card?" Li Xuan asked in a low voice, enduring the numbness in his arm. The Poisonous Scorpion smiled coldly: "How about it? Scared now? This is our carefully bred magical beast, the 'Shadow Wolf'! Its power is enough to crush you ants!" The Shadow Wolf howled to the sky, a visible shockwave spreading out from it, scattering the surrounding phantoms like leaves blown by a gale. "Damn it!" Li Xuan cursed under his breath, knowing he was in deep trouble. The appearance of the Shadow Wolf completely changed the course of the battle. The Iron Wolf grinned maliciously, swinging its spiked club, and attacked Li Xuan again. "Boy, prepare to die!" Although Li Xuan's mental perception sensed the general direction of the Iron Wolf's attack, the Iron Wolf was too fast for him to completely dodge. The spiked club whistled down, and Li Xuan barely dodged it, but his shoulder was still grazed. A sharp pain shot through him, and he staggered back several steps, nearly falling. "Li Xuan!" Mu Yang shouted anxiously. His wounds had reopened from the strenuous activity, and blood stained his clothes, but he gritted his teeth and continued fighting, hoping to buy Li Xuan some time. "Mu Yang, take care of yourself!" Li Xuan yelled back. He knew he couldn't fall; he was the core of the team, and if he fell, the others wouldn't be able to hold on for long. He took a deep breath, enduring the pain, and faced the Iron Wolf again. He knew that a head-on confrontation wasn't the solution; he had to find the Iron Wolf's weakness. Just then, the Shadow Wolf moved. Like a black lightning bolt, it pounced on Mu Yang in an instant. Mu Yang was already severely injured, and faced with such a swift attack, he was powerless to resist. "No!" Li Xuan's eyes widened in horror. He wanted to help, but he was too far away. At the critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Mu Yang. It was Elder Zhou! He stood in front of Mu Yang, a longsword appearing in his hand, its blade gleaming with a pale blue light. "Though I am old, I am not yet at the point of being slaughtered!" Elder Zhou said in a deep voice, his longsword meeting the Shadow Wolf's claws. "Elder Zhou!" Li Xuan and Mu Yang shouted simultaneously. Elder Zhou's longsword clashed with the Shadow Wolf's claws, producing a piercing metallic clang. Although Elder Zhou was experienced, he was ultimately old, how could he withstand the Shadow Wolf's ferocious power? He was forced back, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. "Elder Zhou, be careful!" Sister Wu's voice came from afar; she was busy treating the other wounded and couldn't come to help. Li Xuan looked at everything before him, filled with a sense of powerlessness. He knew that if this continued, they would all die here. Just then, he sensed an unusual energy fluctuation. This energy fluctuation... came from his own body! "This... is..." Li Xuan murmured to himself.

Suddenly, he felt his mental perception greatly enhanced, and everything around him became incredibly clear; he could even perceive the finest dust particles in the air.

He saw the Iron Wolf's attack trajectory, the Shadow Wolf's weakness, and even... another pair of eyes hidden in the shadows... "Wait..." Li Xuan suddenly spoke. Although Li Xuan's mental perception sensed the general direction of the Iron Wolf's attack, the Iron Wolf was too fast for him to completely dodge. The Iron Wolf's spiked club whistled towards him. Li Xuan gritted his teeth, dodged to the side, and the club grazed his ribs, causing a burning pain. He knew he couldn't fight head-on; he had to find the Iron Wolf's weakness. His mental power scanned the Iron Wolf's entire body like radar, capturing every subtle movement—muscle contractions, breathing frequency, even blood flow. The Shadow Wolf pounced on Old Zhou again. Old Zhou struggled to defend himself but gradually weakened. Sister Wu disregarded the danger and rushed to Old Zhou, handing him a special item she was carrying. "Old Zhou, this is an exorcism talisman; it can enhance your exorcism spells!" Sister Wu shouted, her voice trembling slightly, but her eyes were resolute. This exorcism talisman was Sister Wu's prized possession. She obtained it after completing an extremely difficult mission in the Infinite Flow Space and had always been reluctant to use it. But now, she knew that only Elder Zhou could stop the Shadow Wolf and protect everyone. Elder Zhou took the talisman, a resolute look appearing on his aged face. He affixed the talisman to his forehead, and the runes instantly emitted a dazzling light, a powerful energy surging into his body. The longsword in his hand also hummed, the pale blue light on its blade intensifying, like burning blue flames. With the item, Elder Zhou's spell power greatly increased. He roared, his longsword unleashing a series of sharp sword energies that struck the Shadow Wolf like lightning. The Shadow Wolf let out a painful howl, its black scales beginning to peel away, revealing the bright red muscle tissue beneath. The black smoke surrounding everyone began to dissipate, and the hideous phantoms melted away like snow, disappearing without a trace. The pressure on Li Xuan and the others greatly lessened. Seizing the opportunity, Li Xuan kicked Iron Wolf in the knee. Caught off guard, Iron Wolf staggered, his spiked club slipping from his hand. "Now!" Li Xuan thought to himself, about to press his advantage, when he suddenly sensed an unusual energy fluctuation. This fluctuation didn't originate from Iron Wolf, but from…his own body! His mental perception suddenly increased several times over; everything around him became crystal clear, and he could even sense the subtle energy flows in the air. With this enhanced perception, he saw an extremely fine wisp of black mist. This mist didn't come from the Shadow Wolf, but from…Iron Wolf! This black mist coiled around Iron Wolf's body like tiny venomous snakes, slowly seeping into his body. Li Xuan was startled; he realized that this black mist might be the real threat. However, after regaining his footing, Iron Wolf revealed a sinister smile, pulling out a mysterious rune from his robes. This rune emitted a powerful, evil aura. "It seems the real show has only just begun…" Iron Wolf's deep voice echoed in the air. He raised the rune high above his head, it radiating a blinding red light, a suffocating sense of oppression enveloping everyone. "Li Xuan..." Mu Yang's voice carried a hint of fear. Li Xuan didn't answer, his gaze fixed on the rune in Tie Lang's hand, his mental energy highly concentrated, trying to probe its secrets. He felt a powerful force surging from the rune, a force... that felt incredibly familiar... yet utterly strange... "This... could it be..." Li Xuan murmured, his voice interrupted by an inexplicable force. The exorcism talisman's power was beyond imagination; the Shadow Wolf howled in agony under the holy light, the black smoke rapidly dissipating, and the hideous phantoms vanished with it. Old Zhou's hair and beard stood on end, his longsword wielding with ferocious force, forcing the Shadow Wolf to retreat steadily. The pressure eased abruptly, and Li Xuan seized the opportunity, taking advantage of Tie Lang's momentary loss of balance, delivering a sharp side kick to Tie Lang's knee. Iron Wolf grunted, his massive body crashing to the ground, his spiked club flying from his grasp and slamming to the earth with a dull thud. "A good opportunity!" Lin Yu roared, brandishing his giant axe and charging towards Iron Wolf, ready to deliver the fatal blow. However, Iron Wolf showed no panic, only a chilling smile. He scrambled to his feet, his movements agile beyond that of a burly man who had just been knocked down. He pulled a black rune from his robes, its surface engraved with bizarre patterns, radiating a chilling, malevolent aura. Li Xuan's mental perception triggered a frantic warning, a strong sense of crisis washing over him. He shouted, "Watch out! There's something wrong with that rune!" Lin Yu's giant axe was already raised high. Hearing Li Xuan's warning, he hesitated slightly, but the momentum of his attack was irreversible. Iron Wolf held the rune high above his head, its radiant red light casting a suffocating pressure over everyone present. Li Xuan concentrated his mental energy intensely, attempting to probe the secrets of the runes, only to find his mental power utterly ineffective, unable to penetrate the energy barrier surrounding them. "This…could it be…" Li Xuan murmured, a strange sense of familiarity welling up within him, yet he couldn't recall where he'd seen anything similar before. Just then, Iron Wolf uttered an obscure incantation, and the red light on the runes suddenly intensified. The surrounding space began to distort and deform, and a powerful energy wave spread outwards. Li Xuan felt as if his body was bound by an invisible force, unable to move. He watched helplessly as the red light on the runes grew stronger and stronger, eventually transforming into a dazzling white light that devoured everything around it. When the white light dissipated, Iron Wolf's figure had vanished. In its place stood a massive black vortex, its center radiating a chilling aura, like a gateway to another world. "Li Xuan!" Mu Yang called out Li Xuan's name anxiously, trying to break free of the restraints, but found himself unable to move either. Old Zhou and Sister Wu were also affected by the energy fluctuations; their faces turned pale, and they slumped helplessly to the ground. Li Xuan felt his consciousness gradually blurring, his body seemingly being pulled by a tremendous suction force, flying towards the black vortex. "This... what is this..." Li Xuan used his last bit of strength to utter a few words with difficulty, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.

He reached out, trying to grasp something, but only grasped emptiness… “I…I sensed…the aura of my sect…”