Lin Yang and the others maintained their defensive spells with all their might, locked in a stalemate with the surging black flames. The black flames seemed to possess a life of their own, constantly assaulting their defenses, emitting a hissing sound, causing the defensive spells to flicker and teeter on the verge of collapse.

Seeing everyone struggling to hold on, the man in black robes let out a sinister laugh: "You think you can stop my plan? Today is your death day!" With that, he quickly formed hand seals and chanted incantations. The black flames on the stone platform became even more intense, and the temperature rose sharply, as if the surrounding air was being ignited.

Lin Yang gritted his teeth, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He knew this couldn't go on; he had to take the initiative. "Listen up, everyone! We can't just stay on the defensive. Prepare to counterattack with me!" Lin Yang shouted, his voice filled with determination and resolve.

Su Ran replied, "Lin Yang, we'll listen to you!" She maintained the ice wall while preparing to unleash a more powerful ice spell. Ling Feng gripped his longsword tightly, his eyes focused, ready to launch a fierce attack at any moment. The other disciples nodded in agreement; although their faces showed fatigue and tension, their fighting spirit remained undiminished.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Yang unleashed "Star Shattering Void," one of his strongest attacks to date. A golden sword aura, imbued with powerful stellar energy, tore through space, slashing towards the black-robed man. Simultaneously, Su Ran unleashed an upgraded version of "Ice Extreme Meteor Shower," causing countless massive ice meteorites to appear in the sky, whistling as they plummeted towards the black-robed man and the black flames. Ling Feng unleashed the Spirit Sword Sect's top-tier sword technique, "Lingxiao Sword Shadow Kill," his figure transforming into several afterimages as he rushed towards the black-robed man like lightning, his longsword gleaming coldly, aiming straight for the man's vital points.

The other disciples also displayed their unique abilities. The Xuanfeng Sect disciples unleashed the "Xuanfeng Fury Wave Technique," creating a huge whirlwind that engulfed some of the black flames, attempting to weaken their power. The Yanshen Sect disciples unleashed a modified version of the "Yanshen Descent Spell," with the phantom of the Yanshen wielding a giant flaming sword, slashing towards the black-robed man. The flaming sword carried a world-destroying aura, distorting space wherever it passed.

The man in black robes sensed the immense power of the group's attacks, and his expression changed slightly. He dared not underestimate them any longer, gathering his dark power to its limit in both hands, forming a sturdy black shield in front of him. Golden sword energy struck the black shield, unleashing a deafening roar. The shield trembled violently, cracks appearing everywhere; ice meteorites collided with the shield, shattering instantly into countless ice shards; Ling Feng's sword shadow pierced the shield, producing a crisp sound, but it was unable to penetrate the shield's defenses; the Flame God's flaming greatsword struck the shield, sending sparks flying, and the shield's light flickered erratically.

As the group attacked the black-robed man, the black flames relentlessly assaulted their defenses. The Star Shield finally gave way, shattering with a bang. The powerful impact sent Lin Yang staggering back several steps, a trickle of blood escaping from his lips. Su Ran's ice wall also collapsed under the flames' corrosive force, and Su Ran, struck by the aftershocks, turned pale. Ling Feng and the other disciples also suffered varying degrees of impact, but they endured the pain and continued their attacks.

Taking advantage of the moment when the group's defenses were breached, the black-robed man launched a counterattack. With a wave of his hands, black flames condensed into several enormous fire serpents, lunging towards the group. The fire serpents were incredibly fast, reaching them in an instant. Seeing this, Lin Yang quickly gathered his star power in his hand, forming a golden sphere of light, and hurled it at the fire serpents. The golden sphere collided with the fire serpents, unleashing a dazzling light. The fire serpents' bodies were shattered by the sphere, but some still managed to break through the defenses and pounce on the other disciples.

Ling Feng stepped forward, unleashing his "Sword Control of Heaven and Earth," his longsword flashing to form a sword energy barrier that blocked the fire serpents hurtling towards the disciples. However, the fire serpents were too powerful; the sword energy barrier gradually dissipated under their impact, and Ling Feng was struck by one, falling to the ground.

Just as everyone was in danger, Lin Yang suddenly noticed that the black ancient book on the stone platform seemed to be one of the sources of the black-robed man's power. He had an idea and shouted to Su Ran, "Su Ran, use ice magic to restrain the black-robed man, I'll destroy that ancient book!" Su Ran nodded and cast "Absolute Zero Ice Domain", instantly freezing the space around the black-robed man, slowing down his movements.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Yang used the "Starry Sky Instantaneous Step," transforming into a streak of starlight and rushing towards the stone platform. The black-robed man noticed Lin Yang's intention, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. He struggled to break free from the ice's restraints, and a dark blade shot towards Lin Yang. Sensing the attack from behind, Lin Yang quickly dodged to the side, but was still slashed on the arm by the dark blade, blood staining his sleeve.

Lin Yang did not flinch. Enduring his injuries, he continued charging towards the stone platform. As he approached, black flames surged towards him. Lin Yang unleashed an enhanced version of his "Star Shield," the "Starry World Shield." The golden shield emitted a dazzling light, blocking the black flames.

Lin Yang reached for the ancient book on the stone platform. The instant his hand touched it, a powerful dark force surged into his body. Lin Yang felt as if countless steel needles were piercing his meridians, the dark force attempting to erode his soul. Lin Yang gritted his teeth and circulated his stellar power to resist it. The stellar power flowed like a clear spring through his meridians, continuously dispelling the dark force.

While Lin Yang was battling the dark forces, the man in black robes launched another attack. He unleashed the "Dark Devouring Curse," causing the surrounding dark power to surge wildly and sweep towards Lin Yang and the other disciples. Su Ran and the others quickly cast defensive spells, but under the immense power of the "Dark Devouring Curse," their defensive spells were as fragile as paper and were instantly breached.

Dark power enveloped everyone, and they felt as if countless hands were pulling at their bodies, constantly devouring their strength. Lin Yang knew the situation was critical. He concentrated his mind and focused all his energy on guiding the power of the stars, trying to force the dark power out of his body while simultaneously destroying the ancient book to cut off the black-robed man's source of power.

Just as everyone was filled with despair, the ancient book in Lin Yang's hand suddenly flashed with light. The surging dark power instantly stopped devouring everyone and instead converged towards the ancient book. Lin Yang was startled, unsure of what had happened to the ancient book. But he sensed that this might be a turning point.

As dark power poured into the ancient text, the runes on it shone brightly, and an ancient and mysterious voice emanated from it: "I am a remnant of the will of the ancient god of darkness. Today, I sense the pure power of the stars and wish to form a pact with the host to fight against evil together." Lin Yang's heart stirred; he knew this opportunity was once in a lifetime. "I am willing to form a pact with you, but you must help us defeat this black-robed man and protect the cultivation world," Lin Yang said.

"Very well, I will bestow upon you a portion of my power to help you defeat the enemy before you," the mysterious voice replied. As soon as the words were spoken, a powerful and pure dark force surged into Lin Yang's body. This dark force was completely different from the one that had previously tried to corrupt him; it was gentle yet powerful, perfectly merging with Lin Yang's stellar power.

Lin Yang felt his power instantly increase several times over, and his eyes became even more determined. "Don't panic, everyone! I've obtained the power of the ancient book; we still have a chance!" Lin Yang shouted.

Lin Yang unleashed a new spell, "Starry Chaos Break," which fused the power of stars and the power of darkness. A chaotic sword aura containing the two extreme powers of stars and darkness shot out from his hand, slashing towards the black-robed man. Wherever the sword aura passed, space was torn apart, and the power of darkness and the power of stars intertwined, unleashing a world-destroying force.

The man in black robes sensed the terrifying power of the sword energy, and his expression turned extremely grim. He exerted all his strength, gathering all his dark power in front of him to form an indestructible black barrier. The chaotic sword energy struck the black barrier, unleashing a deafening roar, and the entire ruins trembled violently under the impact of this powerful force.

Under the attack of the chaotic sword energy, the black barrier gradually developed cracks, and finally shattered with a "boom". The black-robed man was thrown backward by the powerful impact, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Lin Yang gave the black-robed man no chance to catch his breath. He flashed to the man's side, his Starry Golden Sword gleaming with a light that mingled with starlight and darkness, and thrust it towards him. The black-robed man looked at Lin Yang in terror, trying to use magic to defend himself, but he was already severely injured and his strength greatly diminished, making him unable to withstand Lin Yang's attack.

Just as Lin Yang's sword was about to pierce the black-robed man, the man suddenly turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished. Lin Yang knew that the black-robed man must have used some kind of life-saving method to escape, but he had no time to worry about that at the moment.

Lin Yang turned back to the group, who looked at him with surprise and admiration. "Lin Yang, you're amazing! You actually managed to fuse with the power of the ancient text and defeat the man in black!" Ling Feng exclaimed.

Lin Yang smiled slightly: "This is not my achievement alone. It is because everyone worked together that we were able to turn things around."

At this moment, the light of the ancient book gradually dimmed, and it returned to calm. Lin Yang carefully put the ancient book away. He knew that although he had temporarily formed a contract with this ancient book, its secrets still needed to be further explored.

The group rested briefly in the ruins, recovering some of their spiritual energy. Lin Yang looked around and said, "Although this incident has temporarily come to an end, the relationship between the mysterious force and these ruins is still unclear. We must inform all the major sects about the situation here and raise their awareness."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then they left the ruins. Back at the sect, Lin Yang recounted his experiences in the ruins in detail to the sect leader and elders. Upon hearing this, the sect leader said with a grave expression, "It seems the mysterious forces have been plotting to utilize the power of these ancient ruins. We cannot let our guard down."

Therefore, the sect leader immediately dispatched people to other major sects to spread the news. Upon learning of this, the major sects of the Demon-Suppressing Alliance strengthened their patrols and defenses of the Spirit Illusion Mountain Range and other potentially dangerous ruins.

Lin Yang then began to study the contract he had signed with the ancient book and the secrets hidden within it. He discovered that the book contained information about an ancient god of darkness, as well as some powerful dark spells. However, these spells required extremely pure stellar power and dark power to be combined in order to be cast, and the slightest mistake could result in being devoured by the dark power.

During his research of the ancient texts, Lin Yang also discovered some clues about a mysterious force. The texts mentioned that this mysterious force seemed to be searching for a way to awaken the true power of the ancient dark god, and this method might be related to mysterious items found in several ruins.

Lin Yang was well aware of the seriousness of the matter. He compiled these clues and shared them with the major sects of the Demon-Suppressing Alliance. After discussion, the major sects decided to establish a special investigation team, with Lin Yang as the team leader, to conduct an in-depth investigation into the mysterious force's conspiracy, search for items that might be related to awakening the ancient dark god, and thwart the mysterious force's plan in advance.

Lin Yang led the investigation team on another perilous journey. Their first destination was Shadow Valley, another place in the Spirit Illusion Mountains rumored to be connected to a mysterious force. Shadow Valley was shrouded in shadow year-round, and eerie sounds often emanated from within, inspiring fear in all who beheld it.

As they arrived at the entrance to Shadow Valley, a sinister aura enveloped them. The trees at the entrance were twisted and deformed, as if corrupted by some evil force. Lin Yang circulated his Star Power, sensing the situation within the valley. "The dark power inside the valley is dense. Everyone must be careful; there may be dangerous monsters and mysterious forces lying in ambush," Lin Yang said.

The group cautiously entered Shadow Valley, a dark and damp place covered in moss. Suddenly, a pack of Shadow Wolves appeared ahead. These wolves were agile, shrouded in shadow, their eyes gleaming with an eerie green light. They let out low growls and pounced on the group.

Lin Yang swiftly unleashed sword techniques from the "Starry Sky Sword Manual," his sword energy surging as he engaged in a fierce battle with the Shadow Wolves. Su Ran used ice magic to try and freeze the Shadow Wolves; Ling Feng displayed sharp swordsmanship, weaving through the wolf pack; the other disciples also displayed their unique abilities, fighting a desperate battle against the Shadow Wolves.

During the battle, Lin Yang discovered that these Shadow Wolves seemed to be able to manipulate shadows, their bodies moving freely within them, greatly hindering the group's attacks. A thought struck Lin Yang, and he shouted to the group, "Everyone, be careful! These Shadow Wolves are using shadows to move. Let's use fire magic to illuminate our surroundings and restrict their movement!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples of the Flame God Sect unleashed a flurry of fire-based spells. "Flame Burst," "Flame Dragon Break," and other spells were cast in quick succession, illuminating the entire valley. The Shadow Wolves, slowed by the flames, found themselves vulnerable. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the group launched an attack, driving the Shadow Wolves back one by one.

However, just when everyone thought they were about to defeat the Shadow Wolves, a gigantic Shadow Wolf King charged out from the depths of the valley. The Shadow Wolf King exuded a powerful dark aura, its eyes flashed with blood-red light, and it spewed a black flame from its mouth, hurtling towards the group.

"Oh no! Everyone, get out of the way!" Lin Yang shouted. The crowd quickly used their movement techniques to dodge the black flames. The black flames struck the ground, instantly creating a huge crater; the ground was scorched and emitted a pungent odor.

The Shadow Wolf King roared and led the remaining Shadow Wolves to charge at the group once more.