The ice-armored giant opened its eyes, a cold, eerie light flashing within them, and swept its gaze across the group in the stone chamber. An invisible pressure instantly spread out. The people from Spirit Wind Valley and Blood Shadow Sect were intimidated by this pressure, and they all unconsciously took a few steps back. Su Ran and the others also felt immense pressure. She quickly circulated her spiritual energy and shouted, "Everyone, stay calm! Don't panic!"

The ice-armored giant let out a deafening roar that echoed throughout the stone chamber, making everyone's eardrums ache. Then, he raised his massive ice fist and slammed it down towards the Lingfeng Valley members closest to him. The Lingfeng Valley Master's face instantly turned deathly pale. He hurriedly shouted, "Quickly, activate the Lingfeng Sword Formation!" The Lingfeng Valley members reacted swiftly, forming a peculiar array of positions, their spiritual energy converging to create streaks of azure wind blades that met the ice-armored giant's fist head-on.

"Boom!" The wind blades collided with the ice fist, unleashing a burst of intense light and overflowing spiritual energy. Although the wind blades temporarily blocked the ice fist's attack, the ice-armored giant possessed astonishing strength. After holding out for a moment, the wind blades shattered, and the ice fist continued its downward press. Just as the ice fist was about to strike the group from Spirit Wind Valley, Su Ran intervened. She unleashed the Ice Spirit Clan's ultimate technique, "Ice Spirit Guardian Shield," and a thick, ice-blue shield appeared above the group from Spirit Wind Valley, forcefully withstanding the ice-armored giant's attack. The shield trembled violently under the powerful impact, and cracks appeared on its surface, but it ultimately withstood the attack.

Seeing this, a complex look flashed in the eyes of the Blood Shadow Sect woman, then she shouted, "Sisters, we can't stand idly by! Cast the Blood Shadow Soul-Stealing Curse!" The Blood Shadow Sect members formed hand seals and chanted incantations, and streaks of red light flew from their hands, shooting towards the ice-armored giant. Wherever the red light passed, the air seemed to be scorched, emitting a "sizzling" sound. Sensing the threat, the ice-armored giant temporarily abandoned its attack on the Spirit Wind Valley group, and swung its other arm, instantly raising an ice wall to block the Blood Shadow Soul-Stealing Curse. The red light crashed into the ice wall, melting large holes in it, but ultimately failed to break through.

At this moment, Su Ran's disciples also joined the fray. Lin Feng unleashed the "Ice Spirit Binding Technique," countless ice chains erupting from the ground and binding the ice-armored giant's legs. The ice-armored giant roared and struggled fiercely, the ice chains teetering on the brink of collapse. Seizing the opportunity, the eldest disciple unleashed an upgraded version of "Ice Dragon Descent," a larger and more powerful ice dragon roaring as it charged towards the ice-armored giant. The ice dragon opened its massive jaws and lunged at the giant. The ice-armored giant threw a punch, colliding with the ice dragon, sending ice shards flying and cracking the floor and walls of the stone chamber.

Despite being temporarily suppressed by the combined attacks of the group, the ice-armored giant was simply too powerful, and defeating him completely would be no easy task. Moreover, as the battle continued, everyone's spiritual energy was being depleted more and more. While fending off the ice-armored giant's occasional sweeping attacks, Su Ran pondered a strategy. She noticed that before each attack, the runes on the ice-armored giant's body would flicker, seemingly accumulating power. If they could interrupt his power-accumulation process, perhaps they could find a breakthrough.

Su Ran conveyed her thoughts to the Valley Master of Lingfeng Valley and the woman from the Blood Shadow Sect via spiritual transmission. The two nodded slightly in agreement. The three then secretly began organizing their respective forces, preparing for a deadly combined attack. Su Ran signaled her disciples to prepare to unleash their strongest ice-based spells, the Valley Master of Lingfeng Valley instructed everyone to gather all their wind-based spiritual power, and the woman from the Blood Shadow Sect had her sisters prepare to unleash their most powerful Blood Shadow spells.

As the ice-armored giant prepared to launch another powerful attack, its runes flashing, Su Ran shouted, "Attack!" Su Ran's disciples struck first, countless ice spikes and blades raining down on the giant. The Spirit Wind Valley members also unleashed their power simultaneously, their azure wind blades coalescing into a massive tornado that roared towards the ice-armored giant. The woman from the Blood Shadow Sect rapidly formed hand seals, uttering a series of obscure incantations. A gigantic red blood shadow emerged from behind her, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced on the ice-armored giant.

The three powerful forces struck the ice-armored giant simultaneously, causing it to roar in pain. Cracks appeared on its ice armor, and the runes on its body dimmed considerably. However, the ice-armored giant did not fall. Enduring the pain, it swung its arms and attacked the group frantically. Su Ran and the others hurriedly dodged, but some were still caught in the crossfire and suffered injuries of varying degrees.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, the second senior sister, who had been silently observing the ice-armored giant, suddenly noticed something on the giant's chest.

The second senior sister noticed a tiny rune mark on the ice-armored giant's chest. Unlike the runes on other parts of the body, this mark's light dimmed briefly whenever the giant suffered a powerful attack. A thought struck her, and she quickly used her spiritual power to transmit her message to Su Ran: "Senior sister, that rune mark on the giant's chest might be the key. Try attacking there!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ran immediately shouted, "Everyone, focus your attacks on the rune mark on the giant's chest!" Hearing this, everyone adjusted their attack direction. Lin Feng conjured a sharp ice-shard spear, channeled all his spiritual power, and hurled it with a roar, sending it hurtling towards the giant's chest like a blue lightning bolt. The Blood Shadow Sect woman also directed her subordinates to unleash several Blood Shadow spells that bypassed the giant's defenses, heading straight for the chest mark. The Valley Master of Spirit Wind Valley rapidly formed hand seals, manipulating several wind blades that spiraled towards the rune mark.

The ice-armored giant seemed to sense the danger, raising its arm to block the attack, but it was too late. Lin Feng's ice-shard spear struck first, followed by the Blood Shadow spell and the wind blades from Spirit Wind Valley. The runic markings flashed, the ice-armored giant's movements noticeably slowed, more cracks appeared in its ice armor, and its spiritual energy fluctuations became chaotic.

However, the ice-armored giant did not yield. It let out a furious roar, and the runes on its body suddenly burst forth with intense light, unleashing a vast and violent power from within. Everyone felt an overwhelming force strike them, leaving no time to dodge, and they were all blasted away. In the instant she was thrown back, Su Ran activated her Ice Spirit Shield to protect the disciples around her, but even so, the shield shattered instantly, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The people of Lingfeng Valley and Blood Shadow Sect also suffered heavy losses, with many injured and lying on the ground. The Ice Armor Giant pressed forward, each step it took creating massive cracks in the ground. Just as despair gripped the crowd, a melodious and ancient tune suddenly resounded from the ruins. This melody seemed to come from antiquity, carrying a mysterious power that calmed the mind.

Upon hearing the melody, the ice-armored giant instantly ceased its furious actions. It slowly raised its head, the ferocity in its eyes gradually fading, replaced by a trace of confusion and reminiscence. Su Ran and the others were also drawn by the melody, temporarily forgetting the danger. They looked in the direction of the melody and saw a stone platform slowly rising at the end of the stone chamber, upon which rested an ancient book emitting a soft glow.

The light from the ancient books resonated with the melody, and the spiritual energy within the stone chamber calmed down. The ice-armored giant, as if drawn by something, slowly walked towards the stone platform. Seeing this, Su Ran's heart stirred. Despite her pain, she said to the others, "This might be an opportunity. Let's follow, but we must be careful." Although the Valley Master of Spirit Wind Valley and the woman from Blood Shadow Sect had their doubts, they had no better option at the moment and could only nod in agreement.

The group cautiously followed the ice-armored giant to the vicinity of the stone platform. The giant walked to the platform, slowly knelt down, and bowed its head before the ancient book. Su Ran and the others dared not approach rashly, but merely observed from a distance. Suddenly, the light emanating from the ancient book intensified, and a figure flew out from it, hovering in the air. The figure gradually coalesced into the image of an old man dressed in an ice-blue robe.

The old man had a kind face. He glanced at everyone and slowly said, "You are all destined to be here. This ice-armored giant was originally a spirit guarding the treasures of this ruin, but due to the passage of time, the seal has loosened, and it has fallen into a frenzy." Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.

The old man continued, "These ruins were left by the ancestors of the Ice Spirit Clan to test their descendants. Although the Ice Spirit Clan has vanished, their legacy should not be broken. Now, you have worked together to awaken this remnant of my soul. If you can pass the final test, you will have the opportunity to obtain the supreme treasure of the Ice Spirit Clan."

Su Ran hurriedly asked, "Senior, what is this final test?" The old man smiled and said, "This test is to see if you can comprehend the core mystery of the Ice Spirit Clan—the fusion of ice and heart. The power of the Ice Spirit lies not only in powerful spells, but also in the purity and peace of the heart. You must, within this stone chamber, each comprehend the mystery of the Ice Spirit within half an hour. If anyone succeeds in comprehending it, then they have passed the test."

Having said that, the old man waved his hand, and instantly, ice-blue light screens appeared within the stone chamber, separating the group. Su Ran, within one of these screens, calmed herself and began to recall her experiences after receiving the Ice Spirit Clan's inheritance, pondering the connection between the use of spiritual power and her inner self. She thought of how her disciples had been too eager for quick results, their control over spiritual power unstable, but after patient guidance, they had gradually become proficient. Wasn't this a manifestation of how inner restlessness and tranquility affected spiritual power?

Within the light screen, Lin Feng closed his eyes, clearing his mind of all distractions. He sensed the flow of icy spiritual energy around him, attempting to align his heart with this force.