I dominated the game from the start with cards.

The dazzling light seemed to devour everything, and the enormous portal hovered in the air like the eye of a mysterious beast, staring down at the crowd. The power surging within the portal grew stronger and stronger, and a strange energy fluctuation filled the air, making everyone's heart race.

Curiosity and apprehension mingled in everyone's hearts. What lay beyond this portal?

Is it a trial leading to a higher level, or a deadly trap?

No one knows the answer.

Li Xuan took a deep breath, his eyes resolute. The hatred for his sect, the pursuit of the truth—all these drove him forward. He took the lead, stepping into the dazzling light. His figure gradually disappeared, as if swallowed by the light. Mu Yang followed closely behind, without the slightest hesitation. He knew that no matter what lay ahead, good or bad, he would fight alongside Li Xuan. Old Zhou stroked his beard, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, but ultimately stepped into the teleportation portal. Sister Wu, Lin Yu, and the mysterious Ling Feng also followed without hesitation. Inside the teleportation portal, a blinding light flashed, and everyone felt as if their bodies were being torn apart, a wave of intense pain washing over them. Lin Yu couldn't help but let out a painful groan, and Sister Wu's face turned pale, her lips tightly biting. "Ah!" Lin Yu's cry echoed in the space, carrying a trace of fear and helplessness. This sudden, intense pain caught them off guard. Li Xuan gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain in his body. He felt a powerful force tearing at his body, as if trying to break him into countless pieces. He struggled to stay conscious, knowing that once he lost consciousness, he might never wake up again. Mu Yang supported the staggering Lin Yu, asking with concern, "Are you alright?" Lin Yu shook his head, his face still pale, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The bright light gradually faded, and everyone found themselves in an unfamiliar space. The sky here was an eerie dark red, and the earth was barren, devoid of any vegetation. A nauseating stench permeated the air, making it feel suffocating. "Where is this?" Lin Yu covered his nose, saying with disgust. Old Zhou looked around, his brows furrowed. "This place... feels very dangerous." Just then, a rustling sound came from afar, as if something was approaching. "Be careful!" Ling Feng whispered a warning, his voice tinged with caution. Everyone immediately became alert, gripping their weapons tightly, their eyes warily fixed on the direction from which the sound came. Li Xuan closed his eyes, concentrated, and sensed the energy fluctuations around him. Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Left..." Li Xuan murmured, his voice soft but full of confidence. Before he finished speaking, a dark shadow darted out from behind a rock on the left, lunging at Lin Yu. The shadow was incredibly fast, bringing with it a foul stench. Caught off guard, Lin Yu cried out in alarm, about to be tackled to the ground. In the nick of time, Mu Yang shoved Lin Yu aside, exposing himself to the shadow's attack. "Mu Yang!" Li Xuan cried out. However, just as the shadow was about to touch Mu Yang, a flash of cold light appeared, and the shadow was cleaved in two, splattering foul-smelling green liquid. The one who had struck was Ling Feng, who held a sharp dagger in his hand, dripping with green liquid, looking particularly eerie in the dark red light of the sky. "Thank you." Mu Yang steadied himself and gave Ling Feng a grateful look. Lin Yu, recovering from his shock, patted his chest in relief, "That was close! Thank you, Mu Yang, and thank you to... Brother Lingfeng." Lingfeng nodded slightly, saying nothing, only cautiously glancing around. Li Xuan, however, noticed a detail: just before the shadowy figure appeared, he sensed a faint mental fluctuation. This fluctuation guided him to accurately predict the direction and time of the shadowy figure's appearance. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his mental perception seemed to have been enhanced in this space; it was no longer just a vague premonition, but he could clearly pinpoint the specific location and time of danger. Just as everyone regained their footing, a deep roar came from afar, causing the ground to tremble slightly. Old Zhou's expression hardened: "That roar... it's probably not from a benevolent force. We should find a place to hide and observe the situation before making any decisions." However, Li Xuan had a different idea: "Old Zhou, I think we should actively investigate the source of the sound. Hiding is certainly safe, but it will also cause us to miss the opportunity to understand this space. Moreover, if the other party is a powerful enemy, passively hiding will only make things more dangerous." "Li Xuan, you're being too impulsive!" Old Zhou's tone was stern. "We know nothing about this place; acting rashly will only put us in danger!" "Old Zhou, my mental perception has been enhanced here; I can foresee danger in advance." Li Xuan tried to persuade Old Zhou. "Besides, hiding forever isn't a solution; we'll have to face the danger here sooner or later." "You..." Old Zhou wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Sister Wu. “Old Zhou, Li Xuan’s words make sense. We can’t just wait passively forever,” Sister Wu said gently. “However, we must be careful and try to avoid direct confrontation.” Old Zhou sighed. He knew he couldn’t persuade Li Xuan otherwise, so he had to compromise: “Alright, as you say. But if we encounter danger, we must retreat immediately. We must not be reckless!” Li Xuan nodded, a confident smile on his lips. He looked at Mu Yang and Ling Feng: “Let’s go.” The three of them carefully advanced in the direction from which the roar came, with Sister Wu and Old Zhou following closely behind. A tense atmosphere filled the air; every step felt like walking on a knife’s edge. Suddenly, a huge, mysterious creature pounced out of the darkness, charging straight at Sister Wu. “Sister Wu, be careful!” Mu Yang shouted, quickly stepping in front of Sister Wu, drawing his longsword and engaging the mysterious creature in combat. The creature’s claws were incredibly sharp, gleaming with a cold light. Mu Yang could only dodge and look for an opportunity to counterattack. "Damn it..." Mu Yang cursed under his breath. This creature's speed and strength far exceeded his expectations... Li Xuan's eyes sharpened, and his dagger was already drawn... Li Xuan's eyes sharpened, and his dagger was already drawn. He wanted to rush forward to help, but Old Zhou grabbed him: "Li Xuan, calm down! Even if you and Mu Yang join forces, you might not be its match. We need to find its weakness!" The mysterious creature's claws were incredibly sharp, gleaming with a cold light, and each swing carried a fierce gust of wind. Mu Yang could only dodge while looking for an opportunity to counterattack. His longsword tried several times to pierce the creature's vitals, but it was blocked by its thick scales. "Damn it..." Mu Yang cursed under his breath. This creature's speed and strength far exceeded his expectations, and he gradually felt his strength failing. Sister Wu hid behind Mu Yang, anxiously observing the battle, tightly gripping a medical scalpel in her hand, ready to provide support at any time. Lingfeng calmly observed the mysterious creature's attack pattern. He discovered that although the creature was fierce in its attacks, it would briefly reveal a fist-sized weak point on its back when it attacked, which did not seem to be covered by scales.

"Mu Yang! Behind it!" Ling Feng shouted a warning. Upon hearing this, Mu Yang immediately changed tactics, no longer trying to confront it head-on, but instead using its agile footwork to dodge attacks and look for an opportunity to attack its back.

Li Xuan also saw the weakness. An idea struck him, and he said to Lin Yu, "Lin Yu, you're the fastest. When Mu Yang draws its attention again, you go around to its back and attack that weak point!" Lin Yu nodded, gripping his longsword tightly, his eyes fixed on the mysterious creature's every move. The mysterious creature let out another deafening roar, brandishing its claws and lunging at Mu Yang. Mu Yang dodged the attack with a sidestep, shouting, "Now, Lin Yu!" Lin Yu seized the opportunity, his feet propelling him forward, using his increased speed to quickly circle behind the mysterious creature like lightning. He raised his longsword, pouring all his strength into it, and slashed fiercely at the weak point. "Roar!" The mysterious creature let out a painful roar, its massive body trembling violently, its attack slowing slightly. Green blood gushed from the wound, splattering onto Lin Yu's face. Seeing this, everyone's spirits lifted; they all saw a glimmer of hope for victory. However, just then, a rustling sound suddenly came from the surrounding darkness, like countless tiny claws scraping the ground. Ling Feng's expression changed, and he whispered, "Not good, this is just the beginning..." Li Xuan's heart sank, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind. He looked around, and it seemed that more eyes were watching them from the darkness, flashing with an eerie green light. "It's here..." Li Xuan gripped the dagger in his hand and said in a deep voice. Lin Yu's longsword was deeply embedded in the back of the mysterious creature, the blade cutting through the scales and flesh with a clear sound. Green blood gushed out, like a strange fountain, splashing all over Lin Yu's face. The mysterious creature let out a deafening roar, its massive body trembling violently, and its previously storm-like attack slowed down. "Good opportunity!" Mu Yang seized the opportunity, his longsword striking the mysterious creature's abdomen like a venomous snake's tongue, where there was also a relatively weak spot in the scales. The blade pierced in, blood splattered, and the mysterious creature let out another painful howl. Seeing their attack was effective, everyone's spirits soared, and their fighting spirit was high. Li Xuan's eyes were sharp as he calmly analyzed the battle: "Its weak points are its back and abdomen. Everyone, focus your attacks on those two areas!" Old Zhou also joined the battle. Although he was old, he was still agile, wielding his cane with great force, each strike landing heavily on the mysterious creature. Sister Wu stood by, ready to treat any injured companions, her medical instruments gleaming with a metallic sheen. Under the combined attack of everyone, the mysterious creature's movements became increasingly sluggish, and its roars gradually weakened. Finally, it crashed to the ground, its massive body slamming heavily into the earth, kicking up a cloud of dust. "Phew..." Lin Yu let out a long sigh, wiping the blood from his face, a smile of excitement spreading across his face: "Finally solved!" However, before everyone could relax, Ling Feng's voice rang out again, tinged with seriousness: "Don't be too happy yet, this is just the beginning..." As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the surrounding darkness, like countless tiny claws scraping the ground, sending chills down everyone's spines. In the darkness, pairs of eerie green eyes flickered, like demons from hell, greedily watching them. "It's here..." Li Xuan gripped the dagger in his hand, his heart sinking, an ominous premonition rising within him. He looked around, sensing the approaching danger, his mind highly focused. Suddenly, a spider-like creature darted out of the darkness, moving with lightning speed, pouncing straight at the nearest, Sister Wu. Sister Wu cried out in alarm, and before she could react, the spider's sharp claws slashed her arm. "Sister Wu!" Seeing this, Mu Yang immediately swung his sword at the spider, forcing it back. However, more spiders surged from the darkness, surrounding the group like a tide. Li Xuan's mental perception went into overdrive, sending a powerful jolt of pressure through him, as if he were trapped in an invisible cage. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Everyone be careful, these spiders are poisonous!" Before he finished speaking, Li Xuan took a sudden step forward, his dagger flashing as it precisely pierced the head of a spider. Green venom spurted out, hissing and corroding. "This way!" Li Xuan pointed to a faintly visible passage ahead, his tone resolute. Without hesitation, the group followed him, running towards the unknown passage, the swarm of spiders hot on their heels.

At the end of the passage, a huge stone door appeared, covered with runes that shimmered with strange light.

Old Zhou stopped, staring intently at the runes, and muttered to himself, "These runes... I feel like I've seen them somewhere before..."

He reached out and slowly touched the runes on the stone door, when suddenly, a powerful force repelled him...