I dominated the game from the start with cards.

Ye Ling crouched down, his fingertips lightly brushing against the symbols on the ground. They weren't deeply engraved, as if hastily drawn with some kind of sharp tool, the lines rough yet strangely precise.

The symbol itself resembled a twisted eye, its pupil faintly glowing red. Staring at it for too long seemed to suck away one's soul. A nauseating, sweet-smelling odor emanated from the symbol, mixed with a heavy aura of evil, causing Ye Ling to frown.

"What is this?" Shu Yao also came closer, looking at the symbols on the ground, her delicate brows furrowed. "I don't know," Ye Ling shook his head, "but this thing is definitely not simple, the disappearance of the Shadow is very likely related to it."

He pulled a blank card from his pocket and tried to absorb the symbol into it, but found that the card did not react at all. "It seems that ordinary absorption methods are ineffective against it."

Before they could study the symbol further, a powerful sense of oppression suddenly descended, and a strong stench of blood filled the air. Ye Ling abruptly stood up, his expression changing drastically: "Not good, an even more powerful spirit has arrived!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a colossal figure slowly emerged from the depths of the cave. It was a tall, muscular demon spirit, radiating a suffocating crimson light. He wielded a massive demonic axe, its blade gleaming with a chilling light.

The Blood Demon, just as described in the ancient texts, was brutal and bloodthirsty, brimming with destructive power. Upon appearing, the Blood Demon uttered no words; his crimson eyes locked onto Qingyue, who was closest to him, and then he swung his demonic axe violently, unleashing a crimson beam of light like lightning towards her. Qingyue reacted swiftly, her delicate body flashing, barely dodging the fatal blow.

However, the aftershock of the demonic axe still sent her flying, crashing heavily to the ground. "Qingyue!" Shu Yao exclaimed, rushing over to check on Qingyue's condition. Ye Ling stood in front of Shu Yao and Qingyue, his spirit sword flashing, his gaze coldly fixed on the Blood Demon.

He knew a fierce battle was inevitable. The Blood Demon let out a deafening roar and raised his demonic axe once more.

This time, his target was Ye Ling. Ye Ling took a deep breath, channeling his spiritual power into his spirit sword, preparing to meet the Blood Demon's attack. Just then, he suddenly caught sight of Qingyue lying on the ground. Her clothes had been torn by the aftershocks of the demonic axe, revealing her fair skin, on which a deep wound was clearly visible, from which blood was gushing out.

Ye Ling's heart sank... "Damn it..." he muttered, his voice filled with suppressed rage. Qingyue lay injured on the ground, her clothes torn by the demonic axe, revealing her fair skin with a gruesome wound from which blood gushed, staining the surrounding soil red. Seeing Qingyue's injury, Ye Ling's heart clenched, a surge of anger rising within him, burning away his reason. He gritted his teeth, gripping his spirit sword tightly until his knuckles turned white.

"Qingyue!" Shu Yao cried out in alarm, kneeling beside Qingyue and pressing her trembling hands against her bleeding wound. Qingyue was pale, her lips bloodless, and she groaned weakly. Tears welled up in Shu Yao's eyes, and she frantically pulled out a medicine bottle from her bosom, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Damn it!" Ye Ling roared, his eyes burning with fury. Without hesitation, he drew a card that shimmered with golden light from his deck—the legendary "Mountain God's Guardian".

This was the most powerful card he possessed so far, and he would never use it lightly unless absolutely necessary. The card left his hand, transforming into a golden light that shot into the sky, rapidly expanding in mid-air to become a towering phantom mountain. The phantom mountain emitted powerful spiritual energy fluctuations, forming an indestructible golden barrier that stood before Ye Ling, Shu Yao, and Qing Yue.

"Boom!" The Blood Demon's giant axe slammed into the golden barrier, producing a deafening roar. The barrier trembled violently, but remained standing.

Instead, a powerful rebound force erupted from the barrier, forcing the Blood Demon back several steps. The Blood Demon staggered backward, his crimson eyes filled with astonishment. He hadn't expected this seemingly weak human to be able to withstand his full-force attack. He raised his head, carefully examining Ye Ling and the towering mountain phantom before him.

Ye Ling stood behind the barrier, coldly watching the Blood Demon, his eyes filled with icy killing intent. He continuously poured spiritual energy into the "Mountain God's Protection" card to maintain the barrier's stability. He knew this was only a temporary defense, and the Blood Demon's attacks would soon return. Taking advantage of this brief respite, Shu Yao fed Qingyue healing pills and used her spiritual energy to help her heal.

Qingyue's complexion improved slightly, but the wounds were still shocking. The Blood Demon steadied himself, his eyes flashing with even greater ferocity. He licked his lips, revealing a cruel smile.

“Interesting…” His deep voice was like a roar from hell, “But do you think you can stop me with just this card?” He raised the giant axe in his hand, blood light surging on the blade, and an even more powerful force was gathering… A bloodthirsty smile appeared on the Blood Demon’s lips as he slowly raised the giant axe in his hand.

"The game is only just beginning." A hint of contempt flashed in the Blood Demon's crimson eyes. He slowly raised his giant axe, the blade surging with bloody light, and a suffocating pressure spread out.

"The game? Now it truly begins!" he roared, slamming his giant axe down with tremendous force. A crimson blade of light tore through the air, hurtling towards the golden barrier guarded by the mountain god. At the same time, the ground trembled, and countless blood-red figures emerged from the earth, emitting sharp, piercing howls. These blood demon monsters were small in stature but had ferocious faces and claws like knives, swarming towards Ye Ling and the others.

"Damn it!" Ye Ling cursed under his breath. Although the Mountain God's Guardian could withstand the Blood Demon's frontal attacks, it couldn't handle the numerous Blood Demon minions. He quickly drew a "Flame Storm" card from his deck. The card, writhing in flames, transformed into a fire dragon that swept out, incinerating the leading group of Blood Demon minions.

However, the number of Blood Demon minions was simply too great; as soon as one batch was burned to death, another surged up, seemingly endless. Ye Ling maintained the Mountain God's Protection while constantly switching cards to deal with the Blood Demon minions.

While using her spiritual power to heal Qingyue, Shu Yao anxiously watched the battle unfold. Seeing Ye Ling struggling to cope, she was filled with worry.

"Ye Ling, don't be reckless, we need to work together to find a solution!" Her voice was gentle yet firm, exceptionally clear amidst the chaotic battlefield. Hearing Shu Yao's voice, Ye Ling felt a warmth in his heart. He understood that he wasn't fighting alone. He took a deep breath and slapped a card shimmering with silver light onto the Mountain God's Guardian.

"Mirror Copy!" The illusory mountain peak flickered, creating an identical golden barrier that simultaneously blocked the attacks of both the Blood Demon minions and the Blood Demon itself. With the mirror copy barrier, Ye Ling's pressure lessened considerably, and he began to ponder how to completely defeat the Blood Demon.

The Blood Demon's attacks grew increasingly fierce, and the two golden barriers trembled violently, seemingly on the verge of shattering at any moment.

"This can't go on!" Ye Ling gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping over the cards in his hand, finally settling on one that emitted a ghostly blue light. "Netherworld Ghost Fire!" This card was one he had recently acquired; it possessed immense power, but its use was conditional, requiring a large amount of spiritual energy. Just as Ye Ling was about to make a desperate gamble, Qingyue weakly grasped Shuyao's hand, saying with difficulty, "Sister Shuyao... I... I can..." Shuyao looked down at Qingyue, her eyes filled with even greater worry.

"Qingyue, your injuries haven't healed yet, don't move around!" Qingyue shook her head, her eyes resolute.

“I…I have a way…to weaken the Blood Demon…” She bit her finger and dripped a drop of blood onto a jade pendant.

The jade pendant emitted a soft light, and Qingyue's wounds healed at a visible speed. At the same time, the Blood Demon suddenly let out a painful roar. He clutched his chest, his face contorted in agony. The crimson light emanating from him dimmed, and the power of his attack noticeably weakened. Ye Ling's heart stirred; he understood Qingyue's method. Qingyue was a descendant of the Spirit Race, and her bloodline possessed a natural suppressive power against the Demon Race.

"A good opportunity!" Ye Ling no longer hesitated and threw out the Netherworld Ghost Fire card.

The eerie blue flames transformed into a gigantic ghostly claw, emanating a chilling aura, and lunged at the Blood Demon. Suppressed by Qingyue's bloodline, the Blood Demon's strength was greatly diminished, making it utterly unable to withstand the attack of the Netherworld Ghost Fire. It let out a desperate roar, was swallowed by the ghostly claw, and vanished into a sea of ​​eerie blue flames. With the Blood Demon's disappearance, the Blood Demon minions also turned into black smoke and dissipated.

Calm returned to the battlefield, with only the crackling of burning flames.

Ye Ling looked at the cards in his hand, but he didn't feel as relaxed as he had imagined. He thought about all the dangers he had encountered along the way: the disappearance of the shadowy figures, the appearance of the blood demon... the dangers of this supernatural world seemed endless.

"Ye Ling..." Shu Yao's voice interrupted Ye Ling's thoughts. Ye Ling turned to look at Shu Yao and Qing Yue, forcing a smile. "It's alright..." Qing Yue looked at Ye Ling, her eyes filled with worry. "Brother Ye Ling, you..." Ye Ling shook his head and put away the card in his hand.

"Let's go, we can't stay here any longer." He turned and walked away, his back looking somewhat forlorn. Suddenly, a cold voice came from afar... "Want to leave? Not so easy..." The flames gradually died down, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

Ye Ling gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

From his initial accidental awakening to his encounter with Shu Yao, and then to his battles with various supernatural beings, scenes flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern. The eerie laughter of the shadowy figure, the bloodthirsty rage of the ghostly demon, and the current power of the Blood Demon all made him realize that this supernatural world was far more dangerous than he had imagined.

He gripped the card tightly, his eyes hardening. This path was destined to be fraught with thorns, but he would not back down. He would protect those around him, and he would uncover the secrets hidden within himself. "Ye Ling..." Shu Yao's gentle voice pulled Ye Ling back to reality.

He turned to look at Shu Yao and Qing Yue, a warm smile on his face. "I'm fine." Qing Yue looked at him worriedly, "Brother Ye Ling, are you really alright? You look very tired." Ye Ling ruffled Qing Yue's hair, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things." His gaze returned to the center of the battlefield, where traces of the Blood Demon's battle remained.

Suddenly, he noticed a detail: where the Blood Demon had disappeared, a strange symbol was left on the ground, emitting a faint red light.

He had seen this symbol before when fighting the Shadow, but he hadn't paid it any attention then. Now, however, he thought it might be connected to the Blood Demon's power. A bold guess surfaced in Ye Ling's mind: if he could destroy this symbol, could he weaken or even control the Blood Demon's power? This idea excited him, but also made him a little uneasy. He shared his discovery and thoughts with Shu Yao and Qing Yue.

Shu Yao pondered for a moment, "Ye Ling, your idea is very possible, but we know nothing about this symbol, and acting rashly could be very dangerous."

Qingyue also said worriedly, "Yes, Brother Ye Ling, we'd better be careful."

Ye Ling nodded. "I know, I'll be careful. But I think this is a worthwhile opportunity. If we can find a way to destroy the symbols, we can turn the tide of the battle." They began to carefully examine the symbols on the ground, trying to find some clues. Ye Ling drew a "Spirit Detector's Eye" card from his deck, a card that could detect fluctuations in spiritual energy.

As the card was activated, a pale blue light shone on the symbol, causing its red light to flicker, seemingly resisting the detection. "It seems this symbol indeed contains powerful spiritual energy."

Ye Ling said, "We need to find a way to disrupt its energy flow."

Shu Yao suggested, "I can try using spirit needles; perhaps we can seal its spiritual power." Qing Yue also said, "I can try using the Spirit Clan's secret techniques to purify it." The three of them divided the work and carefully began their operation. Shu Yao used spirit needles to insert into several acupoints around the symbol, attempting to seal its spiritual power flow.

Qingyue chanted an ancient incantation, and a white light enveloped the symbol, attempting to purify the evil power within. Ye Ling stood guard nearby, ready to respond to any unexpected situations. However, just as they were about to succeed, the red light of the symbol suddenly became even more dazzling, and a powerful force erupted, shattering all of Shu Yao and Qingyue's attacks.

The Blood Demon's voice rang out again, filled with anger and mockery: "Overestimating yourselves! Do you think you can stop me like this?"

Ye Ling's heart sank. It seemed the Blood Demon had detected their intentions and strengthened its defenses. He didn't know if they could still successfully destroy the symbols, nor how to break through the Blood Demon's defenses. "Watch out!" Ye Ling suddenly shouted, pulling Shu Yao and Qing Yue behind him. The surrounding darkness intensified, and a figure flickered in and out of existence in the shadows…

"Who?"