Lin Yang and the others stood before the massive stone gate of the Shadowy Ancient Land. The faint light of the runes illuminated their faces, making each of them look extremely solemn. Lin Yang stepped forward, carefully examining the runes and patterns on the stone gate, trying to find a way to open it.

He reached out and gently touched the runes. The moment his fingertips made contact, a strange power surged through his arm, and some vague information instantly surfaced in his mind. "These runes seem to be telling an ancient story, related to a battle between darkness and light. To open the stone gate, we may have to trigger the runes in a specific order," Lin Yang said, frowning.

No one dared to be careless, and they all gathered around Lin Yang, following his instructions. Under Lin Yang's guidance, they carefully touched the runes one by one, following the rhythm and order in which they lit up. As the last rune was triggered, the stone door emitted a muffled rumble and slowly opened. An old and decaying aura rushed out, causing everyone to frown.

Beyond the stone gate lay a deep, dark passage, its sides wreathed in eerie blue flames that flickered unsettlingly. The group moved forward, their footsteps echoing amplified in the silent corridor. Suddenly, three paths appeared ahead, each shrouded in varying degrees of mist, making it difficult to discern directions.

"How should we choose?" a disciple asked in a low voice, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion and worry.

Lin Yang carefully observed the flow of mist at each intersection, trying to find clues. Su Ran closed her eyes, using her keen senses to probe the aura emanating from each passage. "The left passage gives me a faint, chilling aura, perhaps related to my ice magic; the middle passage has a very complex aura, as if mixed with various different powers; the right passage is filled with a dark and oppressive aura, inspiring fear," Su Ran said slowly.

After pondering for a moment, Ling Feng said, "Dark artifacts are related to dark power, so the passage on the right is more likely, but it could also be a trap."

Lin Yang pondered for a moment and said, "We'll split into three groups and explore separately. If we encounter any danger, we'll immediately use signal flares to call for help." Everyone nodded and then headed towards different passages.

Lin Yang led several disciples into the right-hand passage. The darkness within the passage grew increasingly intense, like a tangible dark liquid, constantly eroding their willpower. Suddenly, countless black tentacles emerged from the darkness, sweeping towards them. Lin Yang roared, unleashing his "Starry Sky Sword Curtain," condensing stellar power into a protective barrier around them. The tentacles struck the barrier, hissing and releasing plumes of black smoke.

"Don't panic, everyone! Maintain defense!" Lin Yang shouted while maintaining the light barrier. A disciple seized the opportunity and unleashed "Fireball," sending a massive fireball hurtling towards the tentacle, shattering it to pieces. However, even more tentacles surged forth from the darkness, an endless stream.

Lin Yang's heart stirred, and he fused the power of the stars with the dark power from the ancient text, unleashing "Star Dark Devouring." A powerful suction force erupted from his hand, devouring the surrounding dark tentacles and some of the dark aura. During the devouring process, Lin Yang felt his own power increasing, and his control over the dark power becoming more proficient.

Taking advantage of a slight lull in the dark tentacles' attack, the group quickened their pace and rushed forward. Before long, a huge cave appeared ahead, with a black stone platform in the center. On the platform, there seemed to be an object emitting a faint dark light.

"Could that be the Dark Relic?" a disciple exclaimed in surprise. Just as everyone was about to approach the stone platform, a group of dark figures suddenly appeared around the cave. These figures gradually coalesced into warriors clad in black armor, wielding sharp blades, their eyes coldly fixed on the group.

"It seems we've encountered a variant of the guardian beast. Everyone be careful!" Lin Yang said. Without a word, the shadowy warriors charged towards the group, brandishing their blades. Lin Yang unleashed his "Starry Sky Slash," his sword energy crisscrossing as he charged towards the shadowy warrior at the forefront. The shadowy warrior remained fearless, his blade clashing with the sword energy, producing a crisp metallic clang.

The other disciples also unleashed their spells, engaging in fierce combat with the shadow warriors. One disciple cast "Azure Wood Prison," thick vines sprouting from the ground in an attempt to trap the shadow warriors, but they were easily severed. Meanwhile, Ling Feng and his disciples also faced numerous crises.

Within the central passage Ling Feng traversed, various strange forces intertwined, forming powerful turbulent energy currents. The disciples constantly dodged the impacts of these currents while simultaneously dealing with attacks from stone monsters that suddenly emerged from the walls. Ling Feng unleashed the "Lingxiao Illusion Sword," its numerous sword shadows repelling the approaching stone monsters.

One disciple was unfortunately struck by the energy turbulence, his body instantly blasted away by the powerful force. Seeing this, Ling Feng immediately rushed over and used his spiritual energy to stabilize the disciple's injuries. "Everyone, concentrate!"