Mu Feng manipulated the magical artifact, and a multicolored light screen enveloped the hall, its soft glow containing immense power. The crowd was astonished by this power, both delighted that Mu Feng had successfully mastered the artifact and worried whether this power would truly bring about unforeseen changes as rumored.

"The power of this magical artifact is peculiar; it doesn't seem as evil as the rumors suggest, capable of controlling all the dark forces in the world," Mu Feng said, sensing the information transmitted by the artifact. Lin Yang frowned slightly, pondering why the mysterious force firmly believed this artifact possessed such powerful and malevolent abilities.

"Perhaps the mysterious forces have misunderstood the power of the magical artifact, or perhaps they have ulterior motives and are deliberately spreading such rumors," Lin Yang speculated. Everyone agreed that Lin Yang's words made a lot of sense; the mysterious forces' actions had always been enigmatic, and their purpose was far more complex than it appeared.

Just as everyone was discussing, they suddenly felt the entire ruins begin to shake violently. "Not good, something seems to have changed!" a guardian of the Flame God Sect said warily. Lin Yang circulated his Star Power, sensing the changes in the outside world, and discovered that a powerful dark force seemed to be gathering outside the ruins.

"It's a mysterious force. They must be unwilling to accept defeat and have gathered more men to come," Lin Yang said with a grave expression. The group quickly prepared for battle, knowing that an even more difficult fight was about to begin.

Soon, a group of black-robed figures surged into the ruins like a tide. This time, there were more black-robed figures, and they were also stronger. Leading them was a tall, imposing old man in black robes with a terrifying aura. His eyes flashed with blood-red light, and he held a black staff in his hand. At the top of the staff was a huge black gem, from which surged a dense dark power.

"Hand over the magic treasure, or you will all die!" The black-robed elder's voice boomed like a bell, echoing throughout the hall. Lin Yang stepped forward, shielding Mu Feng behind him, and shouted back, "You evil scoundrels, don't even think about taking the magic treasure! With us here, your schemes will not succeed!"

The old man in black robes sneered, "You? Today is your death day!" With that, he waved his staff, and a black beam of light shot out from the gem at the top of the staff, hurtling towards Lin Yang and the others. Wherever the beam of light passed, space seemed to be torn apart, revealing black cracks.

Lin Yang hurriedly activated "Star Shield," and a golden shield instantly appeared, enveloping everyone. The black beam of light struck the Star Shield, producing a deafening roar. The shield trembled violently, its light flickering erratically. Lin Yang felt an immense pressure bearing down on him, and his legs involuntarily sank into the ground.

Seeing this, disciples from other sects unleashed their respective defensive spells to help Lin Yang withstand the attack. The Xuanfeng Sect disciples cast the "Clear Wind Guardian Array," creating a cyan wind wall around the shield, slowing the impact of the black light pillar. The Yanshen Sect disciples cast the "Infernal Barrier," forming a sturdy barrier of blazing flames that, along with the Star Shield and the Clear Wind Guardian Array, resisted the black light pillar.

However, the black-robed elder's attacks were too powerful, and the group's defenses gradually crumbled. Cracks appeared on the Star Shield, the wind wall of the Gentle Breeze Guardian Array began to thin, and the flames of the Infernal Barrier gradually dimmed under the erosion of dark power.

"Hold on, everyone! We can't let them break through the defenses!" Lin Yang shouted, gritting his teeth and channeling his star power to its limit, trying to strengthen the star shield's defensive capabilities. Just as everyone was struggling to hold on, Mu Feng suddenly felt an unusual fluctuation emanating from the magic weapon in his hand.

"I sense that the magic weapon can use our power to fight back!" Mu Feng said hurriedly. Lin Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted, "Mu Feng, try to guide the power of the magic weapon, let's fight back together!"

Mu Feng nodded, concentrating his mind and channeling his spiritual power, along with the power passed to him by everyone, into the magical artifact. The artifact shone brightly, its multicolored light clashing with the dark pillar of light. With the artifact's power, the Star Shield became sturdy again, and the Gentle Breeze Guardian Array and the Infernal Barrier also regained their strength.

The old man in black robes was surprised to see this. He increased the power output of his staff, making the black beam of light even thicker, and the dark power surged against everyone's defenses like a raging tide. But now, with the help of the magical artifact, everyone was no longer as passive as before.

Seeing the opportunity, Lin Yang shouted to the crowd, "Let's all launch an attack together! Use the power of our magic weapons to deliver a fatal blow!" Everyone responded and unleashed their strongest spells.

An elder of the Xuanfeng Sect unleashed the "Xuanfeng Sky-Splitting Spell," creating a massive azure rift in the sky. A powerful tearing force surged from the rift, sweeping towards the black-robed man. Meanwhile, a protector of the Yanshen Sect unleashed the "Yanshen World-Burning Spell," and a colossal phantom of the Yanshen appeared behind him, wielding a giant flaming sword and slashing towards the black-robed man.

Lin Yang unleashed the strongest move of the "Starry Sky Sword Manual," the "Starry Sky Chaos Slash." A chaotic, stellar power condensed on the Starry Sky Golden Sword, and a sword aura containing the power to cleave the heavens and earth shot towards the black-robed elder. Su Ran, meanwhile, used an upgraded version of "Dark Ice Prison Burial," perfectly fusing ice magic with dark elements to create a dark ice prison within the group of black-robed figures, trapping them inside. The screams of the black-robed elder echoed continuously from within the ice prison.

Mu Feng guided the magical artifact, releasing beams of multicolored light that swiftly dispelled the dark power wherever it passed. Under the combined attack of the group, the black-robed men's ranks were thrown into chaos. Many were struck by various spells and collapsed to the ground.

Seeing the heavy casualties among his men, the black-robed elder was both shocked and furious. He knew that easily seizing the magical treasure today was impossible, so he decided to retreat temporarily and wait for an opportunity to return. The black-robed elder waved his staff, and a cloud of black smoke instantly spread out, enveloping the black-robed figure. When the smoke dissipated, the black-robed figure had vanished without a trace.

The group watched the direction the man in black robes had disappeared, remaining vigilant. They knew the mysterious force would not let the matter rest, and even fiercer clashes were inevitable in the future.

"Although we repelled them this time, the mysterious forces will definitely come again. We must find a way to improve our strength as soon as possible, and at the same time, study how to better utilize the power of magical artifacts," Lin Yang said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, everyone left the ruins. Back at their sects, the various sects began to summarize their experience at the ruins and discuss long-term strategies for dealing with the mysterious force. In Lin Yang's sect, the sect leader convened an emergency meeting with all elders and core disciples.

"Although we successfully prevented the mysterious forces from seizing the magical treasures during this trip to the ruins, their strength should not be underestimated. We must strengthen the sect's defenses and improve the cultivation level of our disciples," the sect leader said solemnly.

Lin Yang stepped forward and said, "Sect Master, I suggest that we strengthen cooperation with other sects and establish a closer alliance. This way, when facing mysterious forces, we can better coordinate our actions and exert greater power."

The elders nodded in agreement, and one elder said, "Lin Yang is right. It will be difficult for us to completely defeat the mysterious force if we fight alone. Only by joining forces can we have a greater chance of winning."

After some discussion, the sect decided to send envoys to other major sects to discuss establishing a close alliance. At the same time, the sect began formulating a series of cultivation and improvement plans to encourage disciples to cultivate diligently and enhance their strength.

Lin Yang then went into seclusion again to further enhance his control over the power of the stars and perfect the "Starry Sword Manual." During his seclusion, Lin Yang studied the mysteries of the power of the stars day and night, attempting to deeply integrate the power of the stars with every part of his body in order to achieve a state of complete control and effortless mastery.

After returning to Zixiao Palace, Su Ran devoted herself entirely to cultivation. She delved into the techniques of fusing ice magic with dark elements, attempting to create more powerful spells. She experimented tirelessly in the Ice Valley, combining the coldness of ice magic with the eerie properties of dark elements to create a brand-new spell—"Dark Ice Shard Storm." When cast, this spell creates a storm of dark ice shards around the caster. These shards are not only incredibly sharp but also possess an corrosive effect of dark power, making them incredibly powerful.

Within the Xuanfeng Sect, disciples diligently practiced the Qingfeng spell day and night. Taking the battle in the ruins as an opportunity, they refined and innovated the Qingfeng spell. Some disciples attempted to combine the power of the Qingfeng with movement techniques, creating more agile combat skills that allowed them to dodge attacks more quickly and find weaknesses in their enemies during battle.

The disciples of the Flame God Sect focused on enhancing the power and diversity of their fire magic. They continuously trained in the sect's fire training grounds, attempting to fuse different types of fire, creating a powerful spell called "Five-Colored Flame Burst." This spell combines five different types of fire, producing an explosion several times more powerful than a regular Flame Burst.

While the major sects were actively improving their strength, a mysterious force was also secretly plotting a new conspiracy. After returning to the mysterious force's stronghold, the black-robed elder immediately summoned all core members.

"Those guys managed to escape this time, and they even got their hands on the magic weapon. But we can't give up now. We must find a way to retrieve the magic weapon and complete our plan!" the black-robed elder said angrily.

A man in black robes stepped forward and said, "Chief, we can start from within their alliance, find a way to sow discord among them, and make them fight each other. That way, we can reap the benefits."

After a moment of contemplation, the old man in black robes said, "This plan is feasible, but we need to proceed with caution and avoid being discovered by them. In addition, we must continue to search for ways to enhance our own strength. I have heard that in the extremely cold lands, there is an ancient palace sealed by ice and snow, which may contain powerful cultivation techniques and magical treasures. We can send people to explore it."

"Yes, leader!" the black-robed figures responded in unison. Then, the mysterious force split up, one group plotting to sow discord among the various sect alliances, while the other embarked on a journey to the frigid lands.