Chapter 288: Powerful Strength!

Lin Xuan's gaze was sharp. He shifted his body to the side, quickly dodging the giant claw suddenly thrust out by the Anteater. Immediately following, the Dagger in his hand transformed into a streak of silver light, striking straight for its eye. At the same time, Feng Baobao was not idle; her body leaped lightly into the air, spinning in mid-flight. Her colorful blade swung down like a flowing light, targeting the same most vulnerable part of this beast.

"This guy's strength is freakishly high, be careful." While reminding his companions, Wang Zhenqiu searched for an opportunity to strike. He suddenly exerted force through his feet, his body darting toward the side of the Anteater at an incredible speed. Simultaneously, he gathered Qi into his palms, preparing to deal it a heavy blow. "Hey!" Following a low shout, two condensed blasts of Qi roared out, slamming into the monster's body. Yet, shockingly, the energy collision that should have caused significant damage could only slightly shake the opponent's massive frame.

"Damn it, its skin is thick as hell!" Seeing this, Wang Zhenqiu frowned slightly. Just as everyone fell into a brief moment of chaos, the behemoth did not stop its offensive—it shook its head, and subsequently, its entire upper body was encased in a layer of rock as hard as iron. This sudden change made its already exceptionally sturdy defense even harder to penetrate, and at this moment, it launched a new round of fierce counterattacks!

Seeing this situation, Lin Xuan felt secretly anxious: If things continued like this, they would likely become increasingly passive... He had to find a way! While thinking, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind, "I've got it!"

No sooner said than done, Lin Xuan quickly retracted his Dagger, his right hand pinching into several peculiar hand seals. "You two get ready to support me!" Having said that, he charged headlong into the massive dust cloud kicked up by the Anteater, completely ignoring the gravel and debris splashing all around. At the same time, Feng Baobao and Wang Zhenqiu nodded in tacit understanding, the two immediately adjusting their stances to be ready to cooperate for an attack or retreat at any moment.

After a violent fluctuation came from within the smoke, a 'thud' sound was heard from inside—as heavy as if something had been forcefully thrown to the ground. Immediately following was Lin Xuan's excited voice: "That's it! It's been immobilized! Take advantage of this moment to finish it off!" It turned out that at the critical moment, relying on his extraordinary perception and judgment speed, this youth had found a way to break it—by disrupting the flow of energy within the monster's brain to make it lose its ability to resist for a short time!

Hearing these words, Feng Baobao reacted immediately, leaping into the center of the dust, her blade falling without mercy; on the other side, Wang Zhenqiu was not idle either, following closely behind to unleash a series of continuous attacks. At this very moment, the three formed a perfect collaborative mode, each exerting their strengths to strive toward their common goal.

When the last lingering echoes faded away, the sky-filling yellow sand finally settled down slowly, leaving behind only a figure covered in wounds but still insisting on standing... They had done it! The three looked at each other's slightly disheveled appearances, but smiles appeared on their faces in unison—this was the smile of victory that belonged to them.

However, although the battle had ended, the crisis had not been completely resolved. "This counts as temporarily safe, but we still cannot let our guard down. Who knows if we will encounter even more powerful enemies?" After saying this, Lin Xuan turned to the other two companions and asked: "How is it? Do you still have the strength to continue on the road? We must find clues to leave here as soon as possible."

Feng Baobao shook the weapon in her hand and said in a relaxed tone: "No problem! This little bit of exercise doesn't count for anything at all."

"Haha, well said!" Hearing the girl's reply, Wang Zhenqiu, who was equally exhausted but full of spirit, agreed: "Let's go, brothers and sisters, let's advance toward the next destination together!" Just as the three of them were preparing to leave this area and head toward an unknown destination, they suddenly felt an unusual fluctuation of aura coming from not far away.

"Wait a moment, it seems like something is approaching us?" Lin Xuan stopped his footsteps in alert.

No sooner had Lin Xuan finished speaking than the surrounding ground began to shake. The three immediately stood back-to-back in vigilance, their gazes scanning the surroundings.

"What is the situation?" Xiao Qing asked with a frown, her hand already prepared with a talisman, ready to be unleashed at any time.

"I don't know, but it feels wrong," Lin Xuan said in a low voice. His keen intuition told him that things were not looking good.

Suddenly, one after another, giant Black Scorpions emerged from the cracks in the ground. They were over half a meter long, their backs pitch-black and shiny, their tails held high, and their venomous stingers flickering with dangerous cold light. In an instant, the three were surrounded by these ugly and terrifying creatures.

"Holy crap! This isn't a joke, is it?" Seeing this, Wang Zhenqiu couldn't help but gasp, "This thing is just too disgusting."

"Don't get distracted, hurry and think of a way!" Feng Baobao gripped the Dagger in her hand tightly, her eyes sharp, seemingly considering how to break through. "The three of us cannot act separately; once we fall into a situation of fighting alone, it will be even more troublesome."

At this time, the largest scorpion at the front fiercely waved its front pincers, emitting a sharp sound, seemingly giving an attack command to its companions. Following this order, hundreds of Black Scorpions surged toward them like a flood.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath: "Baobao is right, we must work together to have a chance to get out of here. I'll be responsible for defending the left side, Baobao you take the right; Xiao Qing, you stand in the middle and use your skills to interfere with this group of monsters!"

Hearing this, Xiao Qing nodded, her hands forming seals as she softly chanted a spell. Faint green smoke immediately permeated the air, and the movements of those few scorpions that had charged the fastest became sluggish, clearly affected by some kind of power. Taking this opportunity, Lin Xuan drew the Long Sword on his back and swept across a wide area, forcing the enemies attempting to approach him back a few steps; on the other side, Baobao's movements were equally swift and unparalleled, her figure agile as she moved with ease among the sea of insects, every strike causing her opponents to lose their fighting ability.

However, despite the three's tacit cooperation, there were simply too many enemies. Gradually, even the usually optimistic and cheerful Wang Zhenqiu showed a look of anxiety on his face: "This isn't a way to go on... We need to find their weakness!"

After Feng Baobao pierced the heart of a large scorpion in front of her with her sword, she turned her head to look at her two companions beside her: "There is a path in that corner, perhaps we can escape through there, but our current position is at least fifty or sixty meters away from there..."

"Understood, let's take turns providing cover as we advance!" Lin Xuan proposed. Just like that, whenever one person needed to adjust their breathing or dodge an attack, the other two would immediately fill the gap. The tacit understanding between them added a sense of peace of mind to the originally difficult journey. After unremitting efforts, the three finally fought their way out of the encirclement and arrived near the exit that Baobao had mentioned.