I dominated the game from the start with cards.

Li Xuan's finger hovered a few centimeters above the shield's surface, pointing to a dim node almost imperceptible to the naked eye. "Here," he said confidently, yet with a hint of unease he couldn't explain, "I think... this is the key." Everyone looked in the direction Li Xuan was pointing, but most shook their heads blankly. Lin Yu gritted his teeth, his face pale, sweat soaking his clothes. He had been injured in the previous battle with the monster, and this damned runic power seemed to be worsening his wounds, waves of pain washing over him, but he endured it, not wanting to distract everyone. "I can't see anything... Li Xuan, are you sure?" Mu Yang crouched down, carefully examining the shield, the eerie blue light casting shifting shadows on his face. "Indeed, the light here seems... somewhat different." He reached out, his fingertips lightly touching the node Li Xuan was pointing to; a faint energy fluctuation instantly spread through his fingertips, causing him to abruptly withdraw his hand. “There’s something here! It seems to be connected to the energy of the entire shield.” Old Zhou leaned on his cane, but his cloudy eyes gleamed with wisdom.

“Xiao Lixuan’s senses are always sharp. Since he has noticed something unusual, there must be a problem. We might as well give it a try; it’s better than sitting and waiting to die.”

Sister Wu took out some herbs from her backpack and carefully bandaged Lin Yu's wounds.

"Lin Yu, bear with it. These herbs can temporarily suppress your injuries."

Her gentle voice and practiced movements eased Lin Yu's tension slightly. Just then, a figure silently appeared at the cave entrance. "Looks like you've run into trouble." A deep, slightly hoarse voice rang out; it was Ling Feng. He was tall, shrouded in a black cloak, obscuring his face, revealing only a pair of deep eyes that gleamed with an inexplicable light. "Ling Feng! You've come!" A hint of surprise flashed in Li Xuan's eyes. Ling Feng had appeared at crucial moments several times to help them. Although he didn't know his purpose, Li Xuan believed he was a friend, not an enemy. "This shield requires a specific method to break." Ling Feng walked to the shield, examined it carefully, and then looked at Li Xuan. "The node you discovered is key, but we can't attack it directly." Mu Yang frowned. "Not attack directly? Then what do we do? We don't have much time!" The eerie blue light in the cave grew stronger, as if foreshadowing some impending danger. “These nodes are the energy hubs, and also the shield’s weaknesses,” Lingfeng paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, “but they are connected in some way, and need to be activated in a specific order to disarm the shield.” Mu Yang believed they should attack the nodes directly for a quick victory. “I think we should…” Before he could finish, Lingfeng interrupted him, “Acting rashly will only trigger a counterattack from the shield, with unimaginable consequences.” Li Xuan fell into deep thought; Lingfeng’s words made him realize that things were far more complex than he had imagined. He looked up at everyone; each face was filled with anxiety and unease… He took a deep breath, “Lingfeng, do you know the activation order?” Lingfeng shook his head, his face hidden in shadow beneath his black cloak, making his expression impossible to discern. “I don’t know the specific order, but I know that incorrect activation will trigger a strong counterattack, and might even strengthen the shield.” Mu Yang frowned, pacing back and forth, his anxiety evident in his clenched fists. “But we don’t have time! This place is getting increasingly eerie; the longer we drag this out, the worse it will be for us! We might as well take a gamble and attack the nodes directly; maybe we can find the correct sequence!” “No!” Ling Feng’s voice was low and firm. “It’s too risky! Once we trigger a counterattack, none of us will escape!” A tense atmosphere filled the air. The two opposing opinions clashed, making the already oppressive cave even more stifling. Lin Yu’s breathing became increasingly rapid, and the pain in his wounds intensified. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress a groan, but his pale face and trembling body betrayed his suffering. Seeing this, Sister Wu sighed with heartache. She walked to Lin Yu’s side and gently supported him. “Lin Yu, don’t worry, I can temporarily stabilize your injuries so everyone can focus on studying the shield.” She took out a delicate silver box from her backpack, and a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out as she opened it. She took out some specially made ointment and gently applied it to Lin Yu’s wounds. As soon as the ointment touched the wound, a cooling sensation spread, and Lin Yu felt the pain lessen considerably, his breathing gradually becoming steady. "Sister Wu... thank you..." he said gratefully, his eyes filled with emotion. Sister Wu smiled gently, "Don't mention it, we're companions, helping each other is only right." Her actions were like a warm current flowing through everyone's hearts, dispelling tension and anxiety, bringing hope and strength. Li Xuan watched Sister Wu's busy figure, a warmth welling up in his heart. He knew that although Sister Wu's medical skills couldn't completely heal Lin Yu's injuries, they could buy them precious time. He took a deep breath, his gaze falling again on the shield shimmering with a deep blue light. He knew he had to make a decision quickly. Ling Feng's warning echoed in his ears, and he felt Mu Yang's anxiety deeply. Time was ticking away, danger was closing in, and he had to find a balance between risk and caution. “Lingfeng,” Li Xuan’s voice was calm and firm, “you said that incorrect activation will trigger a counterattack, so do you know how to deal with such a counterattack?” Lingfeng was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “I can try to resist some of the counterattack, but I can’t guarantee to completely neutralize it, and besides, my power is limited…” A resolute glint flashed in Li Xuan’s eyes. He looked at Lingfeng and said firmly, “That’s enough. I’ve decided to take the risk.” He turned to Mu Yang, “Mu Yang, I know you’re worried about time, but acting rashly will only put us in a more dangerous situation. Believe me, we will definitely find the correct activation sequence.” He walked to the shield, took a deep breath, and locked his gaze on one of the nodes. He told Lingfeng to prepare to deal with possible counterattacks, while he drew a specially made weapon from his waist—a jet-black dagger with a strange light shimmering on its blade. He slowly brought the dagger closer to the node… “Wait!” Lingfeng suddenly spoke, a barely perceptible tension in his voice, “Are you sure you want to… start from this node?” Li Xuan’s fingers paused slightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes, but quickly, he nodded firmly and gently touched the node with his weapon. The shield instantly emitted a blinding light… The shield burst forth with a blinding beam of light, shooting straight at Li Xuan. In the nick of time, Lingfeng flashed, blocking Li Xuan’s path. His black cloak fluttered, and he stretched out his hands, a cloud of black mist condensing in his palms, forming a shield that blocked the beam of light. The beam of light collided with the black mist, producing a piercing sizzling sound, and a burnt smell filled the cave. Lingfeng groaned, his body swaying slightly, clearly finding it difficult to withstand the attack. “This shield’s counterattack is stronger than I expected!” he said in a deep voice, the black mist gradually dissipating, revealing his slightly pale face. Li Xuan's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward to support Ling Feng. "Are you alright?" Ling Feng shook his head. "I'm fine, but the shield's counterattack seems... to have a pattern." He looked up at the shield, his eyes flashing with thoughtful light. "The intense light emitted by the shield the moment you touched the node, its direction and intensity, seem to be related to the location and force of your touch." Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Li Xuan's eyes. "You mean, the shield's counterattack is predictable?" "That's right." Ling Feng nodded affirmatively. "If we can grasp this pattern, we can predict the direction and intensity of the counterattack in advance, thus effectively defending and attacking." Li Xuan immediately understood Ling Feng's intention. He walked to the shield, carefully observing each node and the subtle energy flow between them.

He gently touched another node with his weapon again, this time carefully controlling the force and angle.

Sure enough, the shield emitted a bright light again, but this time the light was much weaker than before, and its direction had changed. After several tests, Li Xuan gradually grasped the pattern of the shield's counterattack. He discovered that each node on the shield corresponded to a specific counterattack method, and these counterattack methods were interconnected. He explained these patterns to everyone in detail and formulated an attack plan. "Mu Yang, you attack node three. Lin Yu, you're in charge of node five. Sister Wu, you're in charge of node seven. Ling Feng, you're responsible for covering us and be ready to deal with any emergencies," Li Xuan calmly directed everyone. "Remember, the order and intensity of the attacks must be precise, otherwise it will trigger a stronger counterattack." Everyone nodded, indicating that they understood. Mu Yang took a deep breath, walked to node three, condensed a ball of flame in his hand, and slammed it towards the node. Almost simultaneously, the shield emitted a buzzing sound, and a beam of red light shot towards Mu Yang. Ling Feng was prepared, and a black mist appeared in time to block the red beam. Next, Lin Yu and Sister Wu also attacked nodes five and seven respectively. With each attack on a node, the shield's light dimmed slightly, bringing them closer to success. The atmosphere in the cave grew increasingly tense; everyone's nerves were taut, and they dared not relax for a moment. Just as the shield's light was about to completely disappear, the runes suddenly released a powerful suction force. Everyone felt their bodies lighten, and an invisible force pulled them towards the shield… “What’s going on?!” Mu Yang exclaimed, struggling to steady himself. Li Xuan's expression changed. “Not good! This shield…” Before he could finish speaking, an even stronger suction force arrived, and everyone could no longer resist, being pulled towards the center of the shield… Ling Feng let out a low growl, his hand under his cloak gripping something tightly. The suction force suddenly intensified, and Li Xuan and the others were like leaves in the wind, involuntarily swept towards the center of the runic shield. A strong sense of weightlessness washed over them, the wind howled in their ears, and their vision began to blur. “Steady!” Li Xuan shouted, trying to control himself, but found that the power within his body was uncontrollably flowing outwards, as if being swallowed by a giant vortex. He turned to look at the others and found them, like him, pale-faced and swaying. At the critical moment, Lingfeng roared, his hand beneath the black cloak suddenly opening, a dazzling golden light erupting from his palm, instantly forming a barrier that enveloped everyone. The suction force remained, but the golden barrier stood firm, firmly resisting the pull of the runes. "Hurry up!" Lingfeng's voice came from beneath the cloak, slightly urgent, "I can't hold on much longer!" Li Xuan understood; he knew this was the final sprint. He took a deep breath, enduring the weakness caused by the loss of power within him, and shouted, "Mu Yang, Node Three!" Mu Yang was already prepared; flames surged in his hands, transforming into a fire dragon, roaring as it charged towards Node Three. With a deafening boom, the fire dragon collided with the node, erupting in dazzling light. The shield's light visibly dimmed. "Lin Yu, Node Five!" Lin Yu brandished his longsword, its blade flashing like snow, its chilling aura penetrating, precisely striking Node Five. The shield dimmed again. "Sister Wu, Node Seven!" Sister Wu lightly tapped her staff, a green light flowing into Node Seven, causing ripples on its surface, and the shield's light weakened once more. With each node attacked, the shield's light gradually diminished, and everyone's hope grew stronger. They seemed to see the dawn of victory, the hope of breaking the shield and escaping. However, just as the shield's light was about to completely disappear, an even stronger suction force suddenly surged from the center of the rune, the golden light barrier trembled violently, and Ling Feng's face turned even paler. "Quick! The final blow!" Ling Feng's voice was almost a roar. Li Xuan gritted his teeth; he knew this was the final crucial moment. He mobilized all the remaining power within him, condensing it in his hand, transforming it into a sharp sword aura, thrusting straight towards the core of the shield. The sword aura collided with the shield, producing a deafening roar. The shield's light finally vanished completely, and the runes shattered, dissipating into starlight. The suction force also disappeared, and everyone crashed heavily to the ground, gasping for breath. Before they could even feel relieved, Li Xuan suddenly felt a sharp dizziness; his strength was almost completely drained, and his mental perception began to malfunction. He struggled to stand up, but found his body trembling uncontrollably, and everything before his eyes blurred. "Li Xuan!" Mu Yang's voice came from afar, tinged with anxiety. Li Xuan tried to respond, but found he didn't even have the strength to speak.

He felt his consciousness slowly fading, and everything before him began to darken... "I... my power..." Li Xuan managed to utter a few words before everything went black and he lost consciousness.

Lingfeng looked at the unconscious Li Xuan, his eyes flickering beneath his cloak. He murmured softly, "This... is just the beginning..."