In the sky, the enormous black rune flickered with an eerie light, resembling a monstrous beast ready to devour its prey, exuding a chilling aura of evil. The elder of the Netherworld Palace had a ferocious expression as he fully activated the "Dark Forbidden Spell." His body trembled slightly from the immense backlash of spiritual energy, but his eyes shone with unwavering resolve.

The Bloodblade Sect expert stood aside, holding the "Ice Soul Frost Crystal Sword," vigilantly observing the movements of the crowd in the Spirit Ruins Market. He knew that once the "Dark Forbidden Curse" was activated, although it might turn the tide of the battle, his side would also pay a heavy price. He had to seize this opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the Spirit Ruins Market.

Inside the Spirit Ruins Market, everyone felt the terrifying pressure from the "Dark Forbidden Curse," and the atmosphere was extremely tense. Lin Yang quickly made a decision: "Disciples of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, activate your defensive magic treasures to the fullest extent and strengthen the defensive array; sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect, prepare your sword array counterattack; everyone else, maintain stable spiritual energy and await orders!"

The disciples of Wanbaoge frantically manipulated their magical treasures, maximizing the power of defensive artifacts such as the "Flame Melting Ice-Breaking Shield" and the "Ice-Controlling Spirit Orb." The defensive array shone brightly, clashing with the malevolent light of the black runes in the sky. Meanwhile, the sword cultivators of Lingjian Sect pushed the "Spirit Concealing Ice-Breaking Sword Array" to its limit, their sword energy surging wildly within the array, ready to launch a counterattack at any moment.

The "Dark Forbidden Spell" was finally activated. A black beam of light descended from the sky like a meteor, hurtling towards the Spirit Ruins Market with devastating force. Wherever the beam passed, space distorted, emitting sharp shrieks. The defensive array trembled violently under the impact of the black beam, its light flickering erratically, as if it would shatter at any moment.

"Hold on! We can definitely hold them off!" Lin Yang shouted, his voice amplified by spiritual energy, echoing throughout the battlefield and instilling great confidence in everyone.

The people of Lingxu Market gritted their teeth, desperately trying to resist the attack of the "Dark Forbidden Spell." However, the power of the black pillar of light was simply too great; the light of the defensive array gradually dimmed, and cracks appeared everywhere. Finally, with a deafening roar, the defensive array shattered, and the black pillar of light continued its charge towards Lingxu Market.

"No!" the crowd in the Spirit Ruins Market exclaimed. At this critical moment, Lin Yang stepped forward, tightly gripping the magical artifact he had obtained from Illusion Star Island, pouring all his spiritual power into it. The artifact shone brightly, its multicolored light colliding with the black pillar of light, erupting in a dazzling display.

Under the powerful impact, Lin Yang swayed precariously, but he still held on with all his might. "For the Spirit Ruins Market, I will never retreat!" Lin Yang roared in his heart.

Inspired by Lin Yang's actions, the crowd in the Lingxu Market unleashed their final strength. The sword cultivators of the Lingjian Sect unleashed their ultimate move, "Sword Piercing the Sky," sending countless sword energies soaring into the sky and slashing towards the black pillar of light. The disciples of the Wanbao Pavilion also threw their magical weapons at the black pillar of light; the spiritual energy from the explosions of the weapons, combined with the sword energy and multicolored light, worked together to resist the "Dark Forbidden Curse."

With everyone's concerted efforts, the black pillar of light's attack was finally halted. The pillar of light stopped in mid-air, creating a stalemate with the forces of the people from the Spirit Ruins Market.

The elder of the Netherworld Palace was both shocked and furious to see that the Dark Forbidden Spell had failed to destroy the Spirit Ruins Market in one fell swoop. "How is this possible? They actually blocked the Dark Forbidden Spell!"

The Bloodblade Sect experts also had grim expressions: "We can't give them a chance to catch their breath. While they're fully engaged in resisting the forbidden spell, we'll launch a general offensive!"

Thus, the remaining forces of the Dark Alliance, along with the remaining strength of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect and the Puppet Sect, led by experts from the Blood Blade Sect, charged towards the Spirit Ruins Market. Wielding weapons and unleashing various spells, they attempted to break through the defenses while the people of the Spirit Ruins Market resisted the "Dark Forbidden Spells."

The people of Lingxu Market faced an unprecedented crisis. Ahead lay the immense pressure of the "Dark Forbidden Curse," while behind them, the enemy launched a frenzied attack. But they did not flinch. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect, while resisting the "Dark Forbidden Curse," also diverted some of their strength to defend against the enemy's assault. Sword formations flashed, sword energy crisscrossed, repelling any approaching enemies.

The disciples of Wanbaoge used the remaining magical treasures to counterattack the enemy. The "Demon Suppression Pagoda" released a powerful suction force, pulling some enemies into the pagoda; the "Spirit Shadow Tracking Crossbow" continuously fired bolts, accurately targeting the enemy.

Amidst the fierce battle, the logistics personnel and auxiliary cultivators organized by the Linghe Chamber of Commerce were also busy. They risked their lives to deliver spiritual energy supplies and healing pills to the frontline defenders, ensuring the continued combat capability of the defensive forces.

However, the enemy's offensive was too fierce, and the people of Lingxu Market gradually began to falter. A sword cultivator was struck by the enemy's magic and fell to the ground; a disciple of Wanbao Pavilion had his magic weapon destroyed by the enemy, and the backlash of spiritual energy caused him to vomit blood.

Just as the Lingxu Market was on the verge of collapse, the several factions that had split within the Linghe Merchant Guild once again played a crucial role. They launched an even fiercer attack from the enemy's rear, disrupting the enemy's offensive rhythm. The "Dark Alliance" and its allied forces were forced to divert some of their forces to deal with the threat from the rear.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the people of Lingxu Market quickly adjusted their defenses. Seeing the enemy's formation in disarray, Lin Yang had a sudden inspiration: "This is an opportunity! Let's launch a desperate counterattack!"

Under Lin Yang's command, the people of Lingxu Market unleashed their final strength. The sword cultivators of the Lingjian Sect unleashed the ultimate move of the "Lingyin Ice-Breaking Sword Formation," the sword formation blazing with light as a massive, five-colored sword aura slashed towards the enemy. The disciples of the Wanbao Pavilion concentrated all their offensive magical treasures, launching a full-scale attack. The purifying spiritual energy released by the "Purifying Spirit Bottle," the spiritual energy fluctuations of the "Puppet-Breaking Divine Needle," and the power of other magical treasures converged, forming a powerful torrent of spiritual energy that surged towards the enemy.

Caught in a pincer attack, the Dark Alliance and its allied forces were thrown into chaos. Disciples of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect were struck by the purifying spiritual energy, their poisonous mist dissipating, but they themselves were severely injured. The puppets of the Puppet Sect shattered under the onslaught of the spiritual energy. The Blood Blade Sect experts and the Netherworld Palace elders, seeing the situation spiral out of control, were filled with despair.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" shouted the Bloodblade Sect expert, leading the remaining forces in a hasty retreat. The Dark Alliance and its allied forces scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in disarray under the pursuit of the crowd from the Spirit Ruins Market.

The people of Lingxu Market successfully repelled the enemy and won the great battle. The battlefield was a scene of devastation, littered with fragments of magical artifacts, puppet remains, and enemy corpses. Although exhausted, the people of Lingxu Market beamed with the joy of victory.

"We succeeded! We defended the Lingxu Market!" a sword cultivator shouted excitedly.

"Yes, this is the result of everyone's joint efforts," Lin Yang said with satisfaction.

However, Lin Yang knew that this battle was only a temporary victory. Although the "Dark Alliance" had been defeated, their remnants still existed and could return at any time. Moreover, this great battle had caused enormous losses to the Lingxu Market, and the reconstruction work would face tremendous challenges.

"Don't let your guard down, everyone. The 'Dark Alliance' will definitely not give up easily. We must recover our strength as soon as possible, strengthen our defenses, and prevent the enemy from attacking again," Lin Yang said to everyone.

The people of Lingxu Market nodded in agreement. They knew that the road ahead was long, and the peace of the cultivation world needed their collective protection. After this thrilling battle between good and evil, what kind of development would Lingxu Market see? What new moves would the remnants of the "Dark Alliance" make? Everything was uncertain, but the people of Lingxu Market were prepared to meet the challenges ahead.

The Lingxu Market quickly began post-battle cleanup and reconstruction. The Linghe Chamber of Commerce organized personnel to clear the battlefield and collect scattered fragments of magical artifacts and spiritual materials, all of which are valuable resources needed for reconstruction. At the same time, the Chamber of Commerce contacted merchants in various regions to urgently allocate building materials and spirit crystals in preparation for the market's reconstruction.

Wanbaoge was responsible for repairing and upgrading the defensive facilities within the market. The weapon refiners analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the defensive magical artifacts used in this battle and further improved the "Primordial Spirit Shield Array." They planned to incorporate more rare spiritual materials into the array to enhance its defensive power and stability, ensuring it could better withstand enemy attacks next time.

Led by their elders, the sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect reviewed the battle. They summarized their experiences and lessons learned, adjusting and refining their sword formations and techniques to address the problems that arose during the fight. The sword cultivators also intensified their training to improve their strength, preparing themselves to protect the Spirit Ruins Market.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the "Dark Alliance" fled to a secluded valley. The Bloodblade Sect experts and the "Netherworld Palace" elders, their faces grim, sat in a cave within the valley discussing their next move.

"We suffered heavy losses this time; the strength of the Lingxu Market exceeded our expectations," the Bloodblade Sect expert said through gritted teeth.

The elder of the Netherworld Palace frowned slightly: "The Spirit Ruins Market must have been severely weakened after this great battle. We cannot give up now; we must find a way to recover our strength and launch another attack."

"But our strength has been greatly reduced. What should we do?" the Bloodblade Sect expert said helplessly.

"I've heard that in the distant Southern Wilderness, there's a mysterious ruin containing powerful magical treasures and cultivation techniques. We can go there to seek opportunities and improve our strength." A greedy glint flashed in the eyes of the "Netherworld Palace" elder.

Upon hearing this, the Bloodblade Sect expert's heart stirred: "Alright, then let's go to the Southern Wilderness. Once we obtain powerful magic weapons and cultivation techniques, we'll make the Spirit Ruins Market pay a heavy price!"