I dominated the game from the start with cards.

Chapter 69 Thorns Appear Again, Adding Obstacles to the Road Ahead

The howling of the sandstorm gradually subsided, the dust in the air slowly settled, and visibility gradually improved. Li Xuan stood still, his chest heaving, his breathing slightly rapid. The fierce battle with Shadow Princess and Dark Shadow had exhausted him, but he remained vigilant, his sharp eyes scanning his surroundings. Mu Yang and Lin Yu struggled to their feet, their wounds still throbbing. Sister Wu hurriedly stepped forward, skillfully tending to their wounds, her gentle voice tinged with worry: "Are you alright?" "I'm fine," Mu Yang shook his head, his gaze resolute, "These injuries are nothing." Lin Yu grinned, patting his chest: "Just superficial wounds, nothing serious!" Old Zhou walked to Li Xuan's side, asking with concern, "How are you feeling?" Li Xuan took a deep breath and slowly said, "I'm alright, just a little tired." However, before he could finish speaking, a soft footstep came from the sandstorm, breaking the brief silence. Li Xuan abruptly stopped, looking around warily. He sensed a new danger approaching, a chilling killing intent that sent shivers down his spine. "Who goes there?!" Li Xuan hissed, gripping his weapon tightly. From the sandstorm, two figures slowly emerged. One was a tall man with short, fiery red hair, wielding a pair of gleaming daggers; the other a petite woman with long, ice-blue hair, radiating an icy aura. "Poison Scorpion! Ice Maiden!" Old Zhou's expression changed, and he exclaimed in shock. Poison Scorpion was renowned for his poison, his attacks ruthless and unpredictable; Ice Maiden was proficient in ice magic, her attacks fierce and difficult to parry. These two were infamous assassins in the Infinite Flow Space; he never expected them to appear here. Poison Scorpion's lips curled into a cruel sneer as he charged at Lin Yu, daggers in hand. Lin Yu hastily engaged, but Poison Scorpion's daggers moved with impenetrable force, forcing Lin Yu to retreat, several bloody gashes soon appearing on his body. The Ice Maiden cast ice spells from the side, shooting ice spikes at Mu Yang. Mu Yang dodged left and right, narrowly avoiding the ice spikes, but he was also covered in frost, which slowed his movements.

Upon seeing this, Li Xuan's heart sank.

He knew that these were yet another obstruction sent by a mysterious force.

It seemed their enemy was stronger and more cunning than they had imagined. "I'll handle the Poison Scorpion, you all watch out for the Ice Maiden!" Li Xuan shouted, his figure flashing as he blocked Lin Yu's path. His weapon transformed into a silver light, clashing with the Poison Scorpion's twin stingers, producing a piercing metallic clang. Sparks flew as Li Xuan and the Poison Scorpion locked in combat, their figures moving swiftly through the sandstorm, evenly matched. "Hmph, overestimating yourselves!" the Poison Scorpion sneered as he attacked, "Do you think you can advance so easily?" Li Xuan ignored the Poison Scorpion's taunts, focusing entirely on countering its attacks, his eyes flashing with a cold light. He knew this battle was crucial; a single misstep would plunge them into utter destruction. The Ice Maiden watched coldly from the sidelines, a cold smile playing on her lips. She slowly raised her hands, a powerful surge of ice energy gathering in her palms. "Prepare to meet your death!" the Ice Maiden's voice was icy and chilling, as if it came from the depths of hell. Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat, sensing a powerful threat approaching. He whirled around to see the Ice Maiden's ice energy had condensed into a massive ice ball, radiating a suffocating chill. The ice ball hurtled towards Li Xuan and the others… "Scatter!" Li Xuan roared. His shout was like thunder, exploding in the sandstorm. Lin Yu and Elder Zhou reacted quickly, rolling to the sides to dodge. But Mu Yang, due to his previous injuries, was a step slower and couldn't dodge in time. The massive ice ball grazed past him, sharp ice shards cutting his arm. He groaned and fell to the ground, his arm a gruesome sight of blood mixed with ice shards. "Mu Yang!" Li Xuan's heart tightened, glancing worriedly at the fallen Mu Yang. But he was currently entangled by a venomous scorpion and unable to escape. The scorpion's stingers were like a viper's tongue, each strike deadly, forcing Li Xuan to fight with all his might. "Do you think you can advance so easily?" Scorpion's cold laughter was particularly jarring in the sandstorm. His attacks grew increasingly fierce, each strike aimed directly at Li Xuan's vitals. Li Xuan gritted his teeth, his weapon wielding a relentless barrage, barely managing to parry Scorpion's attacks. He knew he had to deal with Scorpion quickly before he could help Mu Yang. Seeing Mu Yang fall, Ice Maiden's eyes flashed with a cold light. She condensed ice spikes again, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. Seeing this, Sister Wu disregarded her own safety and rushed in front of Mu Yang, spreading her arms to shield him with her own body from the ice spikes. "Sister Wu!" Mu Yang cried out in alarm, watching helplessly as the ice spikes pierced Sister Wu's body. Sister Wu groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, but she still held tightly to Mu Yang, showing no sign of retreat. "You bunch of bastards!" Lin Yu roared furiously, his eyes bloodshot, brandishing his weapon as he charged towards Ice Maiden. Old Zhou joined the battle. Though aged, he remained agile, wielding his cane with impressive speed, forcing the Ice Maiden to temporarily abandon her attack on Mu Yang. The battle intensified, with flashing swords and deafening shouts echoing through the sandstorm. Li Xuan's fight with the Poison Scorpion reached its climax, their figures clashing like lightning in the sandstorm, sparks flying with each impact. Seizing a moment when the Poison Scorpion was attacking, Li Xuan delivered a powerful kick to the chest, sending the Poison Scorpion flying. Just as he was about to give chase, he suddenly felt a chilling killing intent coming from behind. He whirled around to find the Ice Maiden had somehow circled behind him, a sharp ice sword materializing in her hand, aimed at his heart. In the nick of time, Li Xuan activated his mental perception. However, he discovered that the Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden's auras were intertwined, making it difficult to discern their weaknesses. This made him uneasy, as if something was beyond his control. Just as the ice sword was about to pierce Li Xuan's heart, a figure suddenly appeared behind him, blocking the Ice Maiden's attack. "Be careful!" Mu Yang's weak voice rang out. The ice sword pierced Mu Yang's shoulder, blood instantly staining his clothes. He staggered, but endured the excruciating pain, pushing Li Xuan away. "Mu Yang!" Li Xuan cried out, watching helplessly as Mu Yang fell. A surge of intense anger and self-reproach welled up within him; if it weren't for saving him, Mu Yang wouldn't have been injured. Seeing this, a hint of triumph flashed in the eyes of the Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden. They closed in again, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Li Xuan. At this critical moment, Old Zhou, leaning on his cane, walked out shakily. He muttered incantations, and a strange energy fluctuation emanated from his body, forming a semi-transparent protective shield that enveloped everyone. The attacks from the Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden struck the shield, creating ripples, but they couldn't penetrate its defenses. "This is... the Light of Protection?" Lin Yu looked at Elder Zhou in surprise. He knew Elder Zhou was a veteran with many powerful skills, but he hadn't expected him to possess such a defensive ability. Elder Zhou's face was pale, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Clearly, maintaining this protective shield was extremely taxing on him. He gasped for breath and said, "I... I can only hold on for a little while. You... you need to think of something quickly..." Li Xuan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He activated his mental perception ability again, trying to find the weaknesses of the Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden. However, their auras remained intertwined, like a complex mystery, making them difficult for him to grasp. The Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden seemed to have sensed Li Xuan's intentions. They exchanged a glance, and a cold smile appeared on their lips. They stopped attacking individually and began to coordinate their attacks. Their attacks surged like a tide, wave after wave, without any pause. Li Xuan's brain worked at lightning speed. He carefully observed the movements of the Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden, analyzing their attack patterns. He discovered that although their auras intertwined, their attacks followed a certain pattern. The Scorpion's attacks were swift and direct, while the Ice Maiden's attacks were cold and unpredictable. The two complemented each other, forming a perfect offensive and defensive system. "Lin Yu, you hold off the Scorpion. Mu Yang, cover me!" Li Xuan quickly made a judgment and directed everyone to change positions. Lin Yu brandished his weapon, attracting the Scorpion's attention. Mu Yang, enduring the pain, used his weapon to block the Ice Maiden's attacks. Li Xuan took the opportunity to circle around behind the Scorpion and the Ice Maiden, his weapon gleaming coldly, aiming at their backs. Just as he was about to launch an attack, the Scorpion and the Ice Maiden suddenly stopped attacking. They turned to look at Li Xuan, a strange light flashing in their eyes. "You think you can defeat us?" the Scorpion sneered. "We haven't even used our true strength yet!" The Ice Maiden's voice was like shards of ice, sending a chill down one's spine. They clasped their hands together, and a powerful energy wave emanated from their bodies, distorting the surrounding air. Old Zhou's protective shield trembled violently and was on the verge of shattering.

"Oh no, they're about to unleash their combined attack!" Old Zhou exclaimed. Li Xuan's heart sank. He knew that the combined attack of the Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden was incredibly powerful. Could they withstand it again? The Poison Scorpion and the Ice Maiden's bodies began to merge, their auras mingling, and a suffocating sense of oppression spread out. Old Zhou's protective light flickered violently, as if it might shatter at any moment. At the critical moment, Li Xuan's mental perception exploded, capturing the fleeting energy flow trajectory during their fusion. This trajectory was complex and brief, yet like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, it illuminated Li Xuan's thoughts. "Lin Yu, three steps to the left front, diagonal slash! Mu Yang, retreat five steps, ground spike! Sister Wu, prepare to heal!" Li Xuan's commands were concise and rapid, each word containing precise calculations. Lin Yu executed the orders without hesitation, his long sword whistling through the air as he fiercely slashed at the empty space to the left of the fused Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden. The blade sliced ​​through the air, creating ripples of energy. At the same time, Mu Yang swiftly retreated, pressing his hands to the ground. Sharp spikes burst forth from the earth, pointing directly at the bottom of the fused body. Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden clearly hadn't anticipated Li Xuan's ability to analyze their attack pattern in such a short time, much less that they would attack what appeared to be empty space. The fusion process was interrupted, and the powerful energy fluctuations became slightly disordered. With a deafening "Boom!", a huge crater exploded at the fused body's intended attack location. Lin Yu and Mu Yang's attack had precisely blocked their escape route. "Damn it!" Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden's voices echoed from within the fused body, filled with anger and resentment. They forcibly reversed the energy flow, avoiding the fatal attack, but the fusion process was also affected, the originally smooth energy flow becoming sluggish. Li Xuan seized this fleeting opportunity, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Now!" he shouted, his figure flashing like a ghost, appearing behind the fused body. A cold glint flashed in his hand as he precisely pierced the weakest point of the fused body's energy. "Ah!" A shrill scream rang out as the fused entity trembled violently, a powerful energy wave spreading outwards. Elder Zhou's protective light finally succumbed, shattering into starlight. Li Xuan and the others were forced back several steps by the energy wave, but excited smiles appeared on their faces. They had successfully stopped the fusion of Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden, and inflicted heavy damage on them. However, Poison Scorpion and Ice Maiden did not give up. Their eyes flashed with a crazed light, and they chanted incantations, an even colder aura emanating from them. "Since you're courting death, don't blame us for being impolite!" Poison Scorpion's voice was hoarse and deep, like a demon from hell. "Icebound Purgatory!" Ice Maiden's voice was icy cold, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and frost filled the air. They clasped their hands together again, an even more powerful energy wave emanating from them. The surrounding space began to distort, and a powerful energy wave surged towards Li Xuan and the others… Poison Scorpion smiled coldly: "It's over…"