The figure, formed from icy mist, had barely finished speaking when a fierce storm of ice spikes swept towards the group. The ice spikes were incredibly sharp, whistling through the air and seemingly tearing tiny cracks in the space they passed through. Su Ran's expression hardened, and he hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, don't panic! Form a defensive sword formation!"

The disciples reacted swiftly, adjusting their positions around Su Ran according to the sword formation. Their ice swords resonated with each other, their spiritual energy flowing to form a shimmering ice shield in front of them. The storm of ice spikes slammed into the shield, producing a series of rapid "bangs," sending ice shards flying. The powerful impact made the disciples' arms go numb.

While maintaining the sword formation, Su Ran looked up at the icy figure, secretly speculating about its origin and strength. This single attack revealed that this ice shadow was no ordinary being, likely possessing cultivation far exceeding that of most. "This ice shadow must be a guardian spirit set up by a powerful ice-elemental expert. To obtain the inheritance, we must first overcome its challenge," the old man said solemnly.

Su Ran nodded slightly, a resolute glint in her eyes: "Everyone, stabilize the sword formation and follow my command. We'll find its weakness and strike with all our might." After speaking, she circulated her spiritual power, continuously pouring her own strength into the ice shield to stabilize the sword formation's defense.

The icy mist figure seemed to sense the strength of their defenses. It roared and vanished into the mist in an instant. Immediately afterward, the icy mist within the ice chamber began to surge wildly, pressing down on the group from all directions. Within the mist, countless ice blades flickered, slicing towards the sword formation.

"Not good, it's trying to disrupt our sword formation!" Su Ran's heart tightened. She could feel the pressure of the icy mist increasing, and the spiritual energy consumption of the sword formation growing larger and larger. Just then, a disciple, unable to withstand the attack of the ice blades within the icy mist, let out a muffled groan, and the sword formation showed a slight loosening.

Seeing this, Su Ran did not hesitate to allocate some of her spiritual power to help the disciple stabilize his defense, while shouting loudly, "Everyone, hold on! We can't let the sword formation break!" However, the attacks from the icy mist figure became more and more intense, and the pressure on the sword formation increased, and it looked like it was about to collapse.

Suddenly, Su Ran had a flash of inspiration. She circulated her spiritual power and unleashed a special ice-based spell. The ice sword in her hand shone brightly, and a beam of icy blue light shot into the sky, instantly dispelling some of the surrounding icy mist. Taking advantage of this brief opening, Su Ran discovered the location where the icy mist figure had reformed.

"Now! Everyone, follow me and attack in that direction!" At Su Ran's command, the disciples gathered their spiritual energy into their ice swords and unleashed powerful ice spells in the direction Su Ran pointed. Ice dragons, ice arrows, ice explosions, and various other spells intertwined, forming a powerful force that blasted towards the icy figure.

The icy mist figure seemed caught off guard by the sudden and fierce counterattack, unable to dodge in time and struck by the spell. The icy mist instantly churned and surged, blurring its form. However, it was not defeated, quickly reforming its shape, its eyes flashing with an even more ferocious light.

"It seems it has a backup plan; everyone must remain vigilant." Su Ran gripped his ice sword tightly, watching the icy mist figure warily, preparing for its next attack. At that moment, the icy mist figure roared again, causing the ice chamber to shake violently, and ice crystals rained down from the ceiling. Su Ran shouted, "Dodge the ice crystals!" The disciples quickly used their movement techniques, nimbly weaving through the swirling ice crystals. Then, the icy mist figure waved its hands, and countless ice shards suddenly shot out from the ground, rapidly attacking the group.

Su Ran lightly touched the ground with her toes, her figure soaring into the air like a swallow. Her ice sword danced rapidly, shattering the ice shards that approached her. Her gaze, sharp as lightning, swept across the battlefield. She saw the disciples fighting individually, struggling to defend themselves. One disciple, unable to dodge in time, was slashed on the arm by an ice shard, blood splattering and staining the surrounding ice red.

"This can't go on. We must take the initiative and disrupt its rhythm!" Su Ran thought to herself. She spotted the icy mist figure's location and used "Ice Shadow Illusion Step," transforming into several icy blue phantoms as she charged towards it. Seeing this, the icy mist figure spewed out a thick pillar of ice, shooting straight at Su Ran. Su Ran skillfully twisted her body in mid-air, avoiding the direct impact of the ice pillar, while simultaneously gathering all her spiritual power in her ice sword and thrusting it fiercely towards the core of the icy mist figure.

The icy figure stretched out an icy arm to defend itself, the ice sword piercing the arm and sending up a shower of ice shards. At that moment, the other disciples responded to Su Ran's call, disregarding their own danger and attacking the icy figure from all directions. Ice arrows and blades surged towards the icy figure like a tidal wave, instantly enveloping it in the light of the attack.

However, the icy figure was incredibly powerful. It emitted a strong aura of ice-elemental spiritual energy, which shattered everyone's attacks. Then, it flashed and appeared behind a disciple, striking him with a palm. The disciple, caught off guard, was sent flying, crashing into the ice wall, coughing up blood and losing consciousness.

Su Ran felt a surge of anxiety, a resolute glint in her eyes. She channeled all her spiritual power, unleashing the forbidden spell, "Ice Soul Sky-Splitting Slash." Her ice sword shone brightly, and a massive, ice-blue sword aura, tens of meters long, shot into the sky. Wherever the sword aura passed, space seemed to be torn apart, emitting a hissing sound. Sensing this powerful threat, the icy mist figure ceased its attacks on the other disciples, focusing all its energy on building a defensive shield.

The icy blue sword energy slammed into the defensive shield of the icy mist figure, unleashing a deafening roar. Cracks appeared in the walls of the ice chamber, and large chunks of ice fell. The icy mist figure's defensive shield teetered on the brink of collapse under the impact of the sword energy, finally shattering with a loud "bang." The icy mist figure also suffered a backlash, becoming even more ethereal and teetering on the verge of collapse.

Taking advantage of the moment, Su Ran rushed towards the icy mist figure, preparing to deliver the final blow. Just as her ice sword was about to pierce the icy mist figure, it suddenly transformed into countless icy mist particles and dissipated into the air. Su Ran was startled and cautiously looked around. She knew the icy mist figure was definitely still nearby and could launch a fatal attack at any moment.

Just as everyone was on edge, the temperature in the ice chamber suddenly plummeted, and their breath instantly froze. Su Ran sensed a powerful force quietly gathering in a corner of the ice chamber. She whispered a warning to her disciples, "Be careful, it's over there!" Everyone immediately moved in the direction Su Ran pointed, reforming their defensive formation.

Suddenly, a massive ice fist burst forth from the icy mist, hurtling straight towards the group. Wherever the fist passed, the air was compressed into white shockwaves. Su Ran shouted, "Defend with all your might!" The disciples poured all their spiritual energy into their defensive sword formation, creating a thick ice shield in front of them.

The ice fist slammed heavily onto the ice shield, causing it to crack and splinter. The shield finally succumbed to the immense force of the ice fist and shattered. The powerful impact sent everyone flying, including Su Ran, whose blood churned and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of her mouth.

Just as everyone was in dire straits, the old man suddenly pulled out a jade pendant emanating an ancient aura from his robes. The pendant was covered in mysterious runes, which shimmered with a faint light. The old man held the pendant high, chanting incantations. The pendant shone brightly, and a mysterious power surged from it, enveloping the figure in the icy mist.

The icy mist figure seemed wary of this mysterious power, letting out an angry roar as it attempted to evade it. But the mysterious power clung to it relentlessly.