I dominated the game from the start with cards.

After the dazzling white light engulfed everything, the expected excruciating pain did not occur. Li Xuan felt a dizzying sensation, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a strange space. Multicolored light points floated around him, as if he were in a dreamlike galaxy. The feeling of restraint was gone, and he tried to move his limbs; everything was normal. "Li Xuan! Are you alright?" Mu Yang's concerned voice came. Li Xuan turned to look; Mu Yang, Old Zhou, and Sister Wu were all there, but their faces were still pale, clearly not fully recovered from the energy shock. "I'm fine," Li Xuan looked around, "Where is this?" "I don't know," Old Zhou shook his head, "I've never seen this place before." Just then, a cheerful voice interrupted: "Looks like we were teleported by that guy's runes!" The speaker was a burly young man named Lin Yu, a partner they had met in the previous level. He was enthusiastic and outgoing, and quite skilled, quickly becoming friends with Li Xuan and the others. “That rune…” Li Xuan recalled the scene of Tie Lang chanting the incantation earlier, and a sense of unease crept into his heart. “It doesn’t seem to be an offensive spell.” “Indeed,” Old Zhou pondered for a moment, “Although that energy fluctuation was powerful, it didn’t have any obvious destructive power. It’s more like some kind of spatial teleportation medium.” Sister Wu walked to Li Xuan’s side, carefully checked his body, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was unharmed: “Looks like we were lucky, it was a false alarm.” “Don’t let your guard down,” Mu Yang calmly reminded him, “The situation here is unclear, we must be careful.” As soon as he finished speaking, a strange noise suddenly came from afar. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall figure slowly emerging from the darkness. It was Tie Lang! Tie Lang held the mysterious rune above his head, and the rune released streaks of black lightning that shot towards Li Xuan and the others. The black lightning danced in the air like serpents, carrying a chilling energy fluctuation. Li Xuan and the others dodged in all directions, the black lightning constantly striking the ground around them, blasting out large craters. Lin Yu picked up a stone and threw it at Tie Lang, trying to distract him, but Tie Lang easily dodged it. “This guy’s rune power is strange,” Li Xuan observed Iron Wolf’s movements while dodging the lightning attacks. “It’s not like ordinary energy attacks.” “Watch out!” Mu Yang suddenly shouted, shoving Li Xuan aside. A black lightning bolt grazed Li Xuan’s clothes, exploding a deep crater in the ground. “Thank you!” Li Xuan was shocked; if Mu Yang hadn’t intervened in time, he probably would have been hit. Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden, hiding in the shadows, were annoyed that Iron Wolf’s attacks hadn’t achieved the desired effect. They wanted to intervene themselves, but hesitated because they were wary of Elder Zhou’s dispelling spell. “It seems this rune isn’t an attack method…” Li Xuan muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the rune in Iron Wolf’s hand. A bold guess gradually formed in his mind, “Could it be…” He suddenly turned to Elder Zhou, “Elder Zhou, do you think this rune might be…” He lowered his voice, only letting Elder Zhou hear the last part of his sentence. Elder Zhou’s expression changed drastically. Li Xuan leaned closer to Old Zhou, lowering his voice to almost a whisper, "...Is it some kind of key?" Old Zhou's expression changed drastically, his pupils contracting. He gave Li Xuan a deep look and whispered, "You...you actually thought of that!" He paused, then added, "If that's the case, then things are troublesome..." Hiding in the shadows, Scorpion cursed, "Useless!" She turned to Ice Maiden, a ruthless glint in her eyes. "Looks like we'll have to take action ourselves! This old guy's dispelling spell is troublesome, but if we coordinate properly, we might have a chance." Ice Maiden nodded expressionlessly, her slender fingers drawing a graceful arc in the air, and an ice-blue longsword appeared out of thin air, radiating a chilling aura. "Wait!" Scorpion suddenly called out to Ice Maiden, narrowing her eyes as she carefully observed the situation on the battlefield, her brows furrowed. "Wait...that kid seems to have discovered something..." She was referring to Li Xuan. At this moment, Li Xuan was intently observing the runes in Iron Wolf's hand. The black lightning continued to rage, cratering the surrounding ground. While dodging the black lightning, Mu Yang tripped over a piece of gravel, his knee slamming heavily into the ground, instantly staining his trousers with blood. "Mu Yang!" Li Xuan cried out, trying to rush over, but was forced back by a bolt of black lightning. Mu Yang gritted his teeth, struggling to stand up, but his injured knee made it difficult for him to move. He watched the approaching black lightning, his heart filled with despair. "Don't worry about me! You guys go first!" Mu Yang shouted, his voice hoarse. Li Xuan's heart tightened. He knew Mu Yang was trying to use himself to distract Iron Wolf, buying them time to escape. He gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes. Just then, Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden moved. Ice Maiden moved like lightning, transforming into a streak of blue light as she rushed towards Elder Zhou, her ice sword gleaming coldly. The scorpion circled behind Li Xuan, a pair of sharp venomous stingers appearing in its hands, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. Facing the Ice Maiden's attack, Elder Zhou dared not be careless. He quickly formed hand seals, a golden shield appearing before him, blocking the Ice Maiden's attack. However, the Ice Maiden's attacks were relentless, like a storm, and the golden shield teetered on the brink of collapse. Sensing the killing intent behind him, Li Xuan whirled around, barely dodging the scorpion's attack. The scorpion, having missed its first strike, sneered and launched another attack. Li Xuan had to dodge the scorpion's attacks while simultaneously keeping an eye on Mu Yang's situation, finding himself in a precarious situation. Just at this critical moment, Li Xuan's spiritual perception suddenly detected a faint energy fluctuation around the rune in Iron Wolf's hand. This energy fluctuation was completely different from the energy fluctuation of the black lightning he had sensed earlier; it seemed to be… the rune's weakness? A thought flashed through Li Xuan's mind, a bold idea forming in his head… He looked at Mu Yang, his eyes resolute, “Cover me!” Li Xuan took a deep breath, his mind highly focused, the faint energy fluctuations becoming increasingly clear in his perception. He was certain that this was the weakness of the runes in Iron Wolf's hand. A daring plan quickly took shape in his mind. “Lin Yu!” Li Xuan shouted, his tone urgent and firm, “Attract Iron Wolf's attention, the more intense the better!” His newly acquainted partner, Lin Yu, was naturally enthusiastic and forthright, with a fighting style that was also open and aggressive. Although his strength was not as great as Iron Wolf's, his fierce courage was enough to keep Iron Wolf occupied. Hearing Li Xuan's instruction, he roared without hesitation, wielding his giant axe and pouncing on Iron Wolf like a tiger descending a mountain. Iron Wolf was caught off guard by Lin Yu's sudden attack, and his attention, which had been focused on Mu Yang, was drawn to him.

He roared, the black lightning in his hand becoming even more violent, clashing fiercely with Lin Yu's giant axe, producing a deafening roar. Taking advantage of the entanglement between Iron Wolf and Lin Yu, Li Xuan crouched low and silently circled behind Iron Wolf. He held his breath, his eyes fixed on the rune in Iron Wolf's hand, his mental perception fully activated, trying to detect the faint energy fluctuations. Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden also noticed Li Xuan's movements. A sinister glint flashed in Poison Scorpion's eyes, and he was about to intervene, but was desperately stopped by Old Zhou. "Your opponent is me!" Old Zhou roared, his hand blazing with golden light, forcing Poison Scorpion to fight with all his might. Ice Maiden was entangled by Sister Wu. Although Sister Wu was not good at fighting, she was proficient in various medical and support skills. Using her agile movements and various unique potions, she managed to restrain Ice Maiden. The battlefield situation changed in an instant. Li Xuan had already circled behind Iron Wolf, only a few steps away from him. He took a deep breath, concentrating all his strength in his right leg, and then kicked hard at Iron Wolf's wrist, which was holding the rune. "Ah!" Iron Wolf screamed, the rune flying from his hand, tracing an arc in the air. Lin Yu reacted quickly, catching the falling rune and crushing it without hesitation. The rune shattered without causing an explosion or other terrible consequences as everyone had expected; instead, it crumbled into dust like an ordinary stone. "What happened?" Iron Wolf was astonished. He hadn't fully mastered the rune's usage, only managing to unleash a fraction of its power, and it had been so easily countered. The others were also stunned, momentarily speechless. Was this powerful rune just a facade? Had their perilous battle just been a false alarm? Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Scorpion suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha...a bunch of fools! This is just an appetizer; the real killing move is yet to come!" Scorpion's words sent a chill down everyone's spines, a sense of foreboding creeping over them. She slowly raised her right hand, and a black vortex was slowly forming in her palm... Li Xuan seized the opportunity, tensing his leg muscles and unleashing a powerful side kick that struck Iron Wolf's wrist, which was gripping the rune. Iron Wolf cried out in pain, the rune flying from his hand, tracing an arc in the air. In the blink of an eye, Lin Yu rushed forward and caught the falling rune. Without hesitation, he squeezed it tightly with his fingers, and with a crisp "crack," the rune shattered, as if crushing a fragile biscuit. The expected explosion, shockwave, and even the strange energy fluctuations did not occur. After the rune shattered, apart from a pile of fine black powder scattered on the ground, there were no other unusual phenomena. Everyone held their breath, cautiously observing their surroundings, fearing any sudden change. However, apart from the sound of the wind and their rapid breathing, everything was quiet, as if the thrilling battle just moments before had been an illusion. Iron Wolf stared at the scene in disbelief, his face filled with shock and confusion. He hadn't fully mastered the use of this rune, only barely managing to unleash a portion of its power. He had thought it would turn the tide of the battle, but it had been so easily countered. He looked at Li Xuan and Lin Yu, his eyes filled with anger and resentment, yet also tinged with fear. After a brief silence, everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed. Old Zhou broke the silence first, letting out a long sigh of relief, and said, "It seems we were lucky. This rune doesn't seem to be as powerful as we thought." Sister Wu also wiped the sweat from her forehead, saying with lingering fear, "Yes, it was a false alarm. Luckily, Li Xuan reacted quickly, and Lin Yu was quick-witted too." Lin Yu scratched his head and chuckled憨厚ly, "Hehe, it's all good luck, all good luck." Li Xuan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile. He knew that this wasn't entirely due to luck, but rather his keen observation and decisive action had played a crucial role. He had long since noticed that Iron Wolf wasn't proficient in controlling the rune, which was why he dared to take the risk. Just as everyone was immersed in the joy of surviving a close call, Poison Scorpion suddenly burst into laughter, a sharp and piercing laugh that sent chills down everyone's spines. "Hahaha... a bunch of fools! You really think this is the end? This is just the appetizer; the real killing move is yet to come!" Poison Scorpion's words were like a thunderclap, instantly pulling everyone back to reality from their joy. A chill ran from their feet to their heads, casting a shadow over everyone's hearts. They realized that the real danger might have only just begun. Scorpion slowly raised his right hand, a black vortex slowly forming in his palm, radiating a chilling energy. Ice Maiden simultaneously raised her right hand, a similar black vortex appearing in her palm, echoing Scorpion's. The two black energies intertwined and merged in the air, forming an even larger vortex, emanating an even more powerful aura. Scorpion and Ice Maiden, their eyes icy, said in unison, "It's time..." Then, they simultaneously released their black vortexes...