The Xuanfeng Sect members concealed themselves, coldly observing the fierce battle in the valley. At this moment, the men in black had suffered heavy casualties under the relentless attacks of Lin Yang and his group, but they continued to put up a stubborn resistance. Meanwhile, Lin Yang's side, after a fierce battle, was gradually showing signs of exhaustion.

Su Ran's forehead was covered in sweat; maintaining the "Dark Ice Prison" was extremely taxing on her. She bit her lower lip, struggling to hold on, and the dark energy within the ice prison began to become somewhat chaotic. Qin Yue, on the other hand, was completely focused on maintaining the runic array to prevent the men in black from breaking through. His face was slightly pale, and his hands trembled slightly.

Ling Feng also had several wounds on his body, blood staining his clothes, but his eyes remained resolute, his longsword flashing incessantly, each strike carrying a death wish. Lin Yang was also in bad shape; the massive depletion of his star power left him feeling weak, but facing the ferocious black-clad men, he dared not slacken his guard in the slightest.

Just as the stalemate was reaching its conclusion, another group of people arrived. The leader was a burly man, radiating a scorching aura; he was none other than Yan Long, one of the two protectors of the Yan Shen Sect. Yan Hu followed closely behind, with a group of disciples from the Yan Shen Sect behind them.

Yanlong was taken aback when he saw the scene in the valley, then burst into laughter: "Haha, I didn't expect the people from Xuanfeng Sect to have arrived first and were hiding on the sidelines watching the show. It seems that this peerless treasure will be contested today."

Xuan Feng Ao, realizing his whereabouts had been discovered, no longer concealed himself and revealed himself with his seven sons and disciples. He sneered, "Yanlong, your Yanshen Sect has arrived at just the right time. However, this treasure is not for your Yanshen Sect to monopolize."

Yanlong glanced at Xuan Fengao with disdain: "Xuan Fengao, stop talking big. If you're so capable, come and take it with your strength."

The two sides were on the verge of battle, and the atmosphere instantly became tense. But then, a sudden change occurred on the side of the men in black. The men in black, who had been fiercely fighting Lin Yang and his group, suddenly stopped attacking and quickly retreated to the side, seemingly waiting for something.

Seeing this, Lin Yang and the others temporarily stopped what they were doing and looked around warily. They saw a tall man in black robes slowly emerge from the group of men in black. He wore a hideous mask, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleamed with an eerie light.

The man in black robes glanced at everyone present and slowly spoke, his voice low and hoarse: "It's laughable that you people are fighting tooth and nail over a non-existent treasure. But since you're all here, then stay."

With that, the man in black robes waved his hands, unleashing a powerful dark force that surged towards the crowd with overwhelming force. This force carried an aura of endless decay and death; wherever it passed, the ground cracked rapidly, and trees withered instantly.

The disciples of the Xuanfeng Sect and the Yanshen Sect were the first to be hit. Some of the lower-level disciples were directly blasted away by the force, spitting out blood. Xuanfeng Ao and Yanlong's expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly used their respective techniques to defend themselves. An ancient folding fan appeared in Xuanfeng Ao's hand. He pushed the Xuanfeng Sect's technique to its limit, and a gust of wind surged from the fan, attempting to disperse the dark power. Yanlong, on the other hand, was engulfed in raging flames, forming a wall of fire to block the invasion of the dark power.

Lin Yang and the others also sensed the immense threat posed by this dark power. Lin Yang knew they had to work together, so he shouted, "Everyone, now is not the time to fight! This black-robed man is powerful; if we don't unite, we'll all die here!"

Ling Feng, Su Ran, and Qin Yue all nodded. Su Ran, suppressing her exhaustion, once again cast ice magic, erecting a thick ice wall in front of them to try and slow the impact of the dark power. Qin Yue quickly inscribed runes on the ice wall to enhance its defenses. Ling Feng, longsword in hand, prepared to use his sword intent to buy more time for everyone should the ice wall break.

Lin Yang closed his eyes, focusing all his energy on circulating the power of the stars, trying to find a weakness in this dark force. He felt the power of the stars flowing rapidly within his body, creating a strange resonance with the dark force outside. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them.

"I've found a way! Su Ran, fuse ice magic with dark elements and use the coldness of ice to suppress the activity of this dark power; Qin Yue, use runes to disrupt the flow of dark power; Ling Feng, prepare your strongest attack and wait for my command." Lin Yang quickly issued the orders.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately sprang into action. Su Ran gritted her teeth and poured her last bit of power into the ice wall. Dark elements and ice magic fused perfectly, and a layer of chilling black light emanated from the surface of the ice wall, successfully resisting part of the impact of the dark power. Qin Yue's hands moved swiftly, runes flashing and merging into the ice wall, causing the dark power to become chaotic before it.

Lin Yang seized the opportunity, gathering the power of the stars between his palms to form a massive stellar vortex. "Now, Ling Feng!" Lin Yang shouted.