I dominated the game from the start with cards.

Li Xuan stopped, his gaze fixed on the ground in front of the treasure chest. A slightly protruding stone slab stood out starkly against the seamless surface around it. "Something... seems off there." Bai Yao followed Li Xuan's gaze, her brows furrowing slightly. "Is it a trap?" A hint of worry flashed across her alluring face, and she instinctively tightened her grip on her whip. "Very likely." Li Xuan crouched down, carefully examining the protruding stone slab. The surface was smooth, without any patterns, but Li Xuan's keen intuition sensed a dangerous aura. "I'll try it." Lin Yu, with his forthright personality, was about to step forward. "Wait!" Li Xuan stopped him. "Too reckless. We don't know how this trap works." He took a small stone from his backpack and gently placed it on the protruding slab. The moment the stone touched the slab, it sank in and disappeared. At the same time, a faint "click" sound came from beneath the slab, as if some mechanism had been activated. "There really is a trap!" Mu Yang said in a deep voice, his face grave. "Everyone be careful!" Li Xuan warned, "There might be more than one trap." He looked around again, examining every detail on the ground more carefully. The cave was dimly lit, and the light emanating from the treasure chest became the only illumination, stretching the surrounding shadows longer, deeper, and more unsettling. Li Xuan took a deep breath and slowly walked around the protruding stone slab, continuing to approach the treasure chest. Every step was taken with extreme caution, as if walking on a knife's edge. Bai Yao, Mu Yang, and Lin Yu followed closely behind him, not daring to relax their guard for a moment. They approached the treasure chest step by step, and the light from the chest grew brighter and brighter, illuminating a small area around them. The treasure chest seemed to be made of some unknown metal, its surface smooth as a mirror, reflecting the dim light of the cave, adding to its mystery. Just when they were only one step away from the treasure chest, something unexpected happened! Mu Yang was at the back. He had just taken a step when he was suddenly struck by an invisible force, falling heavily to the ground like a kite with a broken string, clutching his chest in pain. "Mu Yang!" Li Xuan and the others were shocked and quickly turned to check on him. Mu Yang was pale, his lips were purple, and large beads of sweat covered his forehead. He was groaning in pain, seemingly enduring immense suffering. "What happened?" Lin Yu asked anxiously. Li Xuan frowned, his gaze sweeping around, trying to find the source of the attack on Mu Yang. However, the cave was empty; there was no trace of any other creature besides them. "It's some kind of invisible energy attack..." Li Xuan said in a low voice, a strong sense of unease rising within him. The traps around this treasure chest were more complex and dangerous than he had imagined. He raised his head, his gaze falling once more on the treasure chest emitting a strange light. The treasure shone brightly, yet concealed a deadly intent... "This treasure chest..." Li Xuan murmured, his tone heavy with worry.

Li Xuan's gaze was fixed on Mu Yang, who was groaning in pain, and he was extremely anxious.

This invisible attack was impossible to defend against and impossible to fathom. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew this was not the time to panic; he had to find a way to break free as soon as possible. "Concentrate and sense the flow of energy around you!" Li Xuan said in a deep voice, while quickly activating his mental perception ability. Everything around him seemed to slow down, and the subtle energy fluctuations in the air became clearly visible in his mind. He saw invisible energies weaving through the cave like gossamer threads, sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing; it was these energies that constituted the invisible force attacking Mu Yang. "These energies... have a pattern!" Li Xuan was delighted. He discovered that the movement of these energies was not completely random, but rather followed a specific pattern in a cyclical manner. As long as he could grasp this pattern, he could predict the trajectory of the attack and thus avoid it. "Follow me, watch your step!" Li Xuan shouted, taking the first step. Using his mental perception ability, he predicted the landing point of the next wave of energy attacks in advance, cleverly avoiding the danger zone. Bai Yao and Lin Yu followed closely behind, carefully stepping in Li Xuan's footprints. They were dancing on a knife's edge, every step fraught with danger and challenge. But Li Xuan's mental perception played a crucial role, helping them escape danger time and again. Invisible energy attacks relentlessly assailed them, yet they skillfully evaded them, seemingly teetering on the edge of death, always managing to grasp at the last moment. The light of the treasure chest drew ever closer; the dawn of victory seemed within reach. However, just as they were about to reach the chest, a sudden change occurred! "Crack, crack, crack—" A piercing mechanical grinding sound shattered the cave's silence. The ground around the treasure chest suddenly cracked open, and mechanical arms sprouted from it like mushrooms after rain, quickly surrounding the chest. These mechanical arms were entirely black, their spikes gleaming with a chilling light, like the fangs of a venomous snake, sending shivers down one's spine. "Be careful!" Li Xuan's expression changed drastically. He abruptly pulled Bai Yao and Lin Yu behind him, watching the mechanical arms warily. He knew the real challenge had only just begun. The number of mechanical arms increased dramatically, densely covering the area around the treasure chest and completely blocking their path. These arms swung nimbly, their spikes slicing through the air with a cold light, as if ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment. The atmosphere in the cave suddenly tensed, filled with a dangerous aura. Li Xuan took a deep breath, his gaze fixed firmly on the mechanical arms, and slowly drew a dagger from his waist. A flash of cold light, the blade reflecting a chilling gleam in the dim light. "It seems..." Li Xuan licked his lips, a cold smile appearing on his lips, "We have to force our way through..." He paused, his sharp eyes sweeping over the group, "Are you ready?" "Ready!" Bai Yao, Lin Yu, and Mu Yang answered in unison, their eyes flashing with determination. Even with the menacing blades before them, they were fearless, for they knew that they fought side by side, fearless. "Alright!" Li Xuan shouted, his figure flashing like lightning, leading the charge into the encirclement of mechanical arms. The dagger in his hand danced like a serpent, its cold light flashing, each swing precisely striking the joints of the mechanical arms, shattering them. Lin Yu followed closely behind, roaring as he slammed his fists into the mechanical arms like hammer blows. He attempted to break these steel constructs with brute force, but the mechanical arms were exceptionally agile, easily dodging his attacks and retaliating with lightning speed. Lin Yu couldn't dodge in time, and a spike from one of the mechanical arms slashed his arm, blood gushing out instantly. "Lin Yu!" Bai Yao exclaimed, looking at Lin Yu with concern. "I'm fine!" Lin Yu gritted his teeth, quickly bandaged his wound, and charged back into the fray. His eyes burned with raging fury, his attacks becoming even more ferocious, as if he wanted to vent all his anger on these mechanical arms. Ling Feng, meanwhile, used a strange spell to interfere with the mechanical arms' control center. He formed hand seals, chanting incantations, and strange energy fluctuations emanated from his body, enveloping the mechanical arms. Affected by the energy fluctuations, the mechanical arms sluggished, and their attacks lost their accuracy. Mu Yang seized the opportunity and launched another attack. He calmly observed the weaknesses of the mechanical arms, each attack precise and deadly. His longsword flashed like lightning, severing mechanical arms one by one. However, there were simply too many mechanical arms, and they were constantly regenerating. Destroyed arms were quickly replaced by new ones, seemingly endless. Bai Yao looked at Li Xuan with worry, her eyes full of concern. She held Li Xuan's hand tightly and said, "Brother Xuan, we must be careful." Li Xuan squeezed Bai Yao's hand back, giving her a reassuring look. He knew that this battle would be extremely difficult, but they had to persevere, for survival, for hope. Ling Feng's expression suddenly changed. He remembered encountering a similar trap in another dimension. The scene from that time flooded his mind like a nightmare, the devastating losses still vivid in his memory. "Not good! The energy source of these mechanical arms..." Ling Feng's words were interrupted by a piercing alarm. Just as everyone was struggling against the mechanical arms, the treasure chest suddenly emitted a blinding light, instantly illuminating the entire cave and making it impossible to look directly at it. This intense light seemed to be the prelude to some more powerful attack, foreshadowing greater danger to come. "This..." Li Xuan stared at the blinding light, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart... In the blinding white light, Ling Feng staggered backward, the horrific scenes of the past flashing through his mind. It was a space filled with metal and flames, the same treasure chest, the same mechanical arms, only larger in scale and more numerous. His former team, a dozen or so comrades who fought side by side, had only escaped alive with him and two others. The ear-piercing metallic scraping sound, the screams of his companions, still echoed in his ears, haunting him like a nightmare. "It's energy resonance! The light from the treasure chest will amplify the power of the mechanical arms!" Ling Feng roared, his voice distorted with fear. Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat; Ling Feng's fear was genuine. He quickly scanned his surroundings. The speed and power of the mechanical arms' attacks were indeed constantly increasing. Lin Yu, who had been barely managing to defend himself, was now in grave danger, with several new wounds on his body. Bai Yao's face also turned pale. She tightly protected Li Xuan, vigilantly watching everything around them. "Damn it! What the hell is this thing!" Lin Yu roared, desperately trying to repel one mechanical arm, but more mechanical arms surged forward like a tide, surrounding him completely.

"Lin Yu! Be careful!" Upon seeing this, Mu Yang immediately swung his sword to provide support. His longsword transformed into streaks of silver light, forcing back the mechanical arms that were attacking Lin Yu.

Li Xuan's mind raced; he had to find a way to break the spell. He remembered a special crystal he'd obtained in another level, said to absorb energy fluctuations. Perhaps this crystal could be used to counteract the energy resonance of the treasure chest. "Bai Yao, block it for me!" Li Xuan shouted, taking the crystal from his backpack. The crystal was deep purple, its surface shimmering with a strange light, seemingly responding to the energy emanating from the treasure chest. Bai Yao stepped in front of Li Xuan without hesitation, her whip whirling like the wind, repelling the approaching mechanical arms one by one. "Brother Xuan, go ahead and do it, I'll protect you!" Li Xuan took a deep breath and aimed the crystal at the treasure chest. The crystal began to tremble slightly, its surface shining even brighter, as if absorbing the energy emanating from the treasure chest. At the same time, the mechanical arms' attack speed and power began to weaken, easing the pressure on Lin Yu and Mu Yang considerably. However, just when everyone thought the crisis was about to pass, the treasure chest's light suddenly intensified, even overshadowing the crystal's radiance. A powerful energy surge erupted from the treasure chest, blasting the crystal from Li Xuan's hand away. "No!" Li Xuan reached out to grab the crystal, but it was too late. The crystal shattered on the ground. The treasure chest's light vanished, plunging everything back into darkness. However, this brief darkness was even more unsettling. A strong sense of crisis welled up in Li Xuan's heart; he felt something terrible was about to happen. "Be careful!" Mu Yang's voice rang out in the darkness. Almost simultaneously, countless red lights shot out from the darkness, attacking the group… Li Xuan narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the mechanical arm's attack patterns and the changes in the treasure chest's earlier light, seemingly searching for a crucial clue. He whispered, "This light… it's like some kind of…"