After a short rest, the group continued along the passage led by Xuanfeng. The passage became increasingly narrow, and strange runes began to appear on the stone walls on both sides. The runes shimmered with a faint light and exuded an ancient and mysterious aura.

Xuanfeng frowned, a hint of wariness in his eyes: "These runes are not simple. Everyone be careful and try not to touch them." Su Ran curiously leaned closer to examine them. She saw that the runes had peculiar shapes, resembling some kind of ancient script, yet unlike any script she knew. The lines of the runes were twisted and meandering, as if containing a mysterious power, making her feel vaguely uneasy.

Lin Feng gripped his spear tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily: "Senior, could these runes trigger some kind of trap?" Xuan Feng shook his head: "I'm not sure either, but most runes in ancient ruins are accompanied by danger, so it's best to be cautious." The Blood Shadow Sect woman also abandoned her usual arrogance, closely following behind the group, her curved blade ready to deal with any unexpected situations.

As the group cautiously advanced, the passage suddenly began to shake violently. The mysterious runes shone brightly, and streams of runic power surged from the stone walls, weaving together in the air to form a massive runic net that enveloped the group. Seeing this, Xuanfeng hurriedly waved his staff, releasing a golden light barrier in an attempt to block the runic net. However, the runic net was incredibly powerful, and the light barrier cracked the moment it made contact.

"Everyone, attack together!" Xuan Feng shouted. Su Ran gathered ice spirit power, erecting a thick ice shield in front of her, and simultaneously unleashed ice arrows, sending countless ice arrows hurtling towards the rune net, attempting to shatter it. Lin Feng's spear erupted with an icy blue light as he channeled ice spirit power into it, forcefully hurling it towards the rune net. The spear transformed into an icy beam, piercing fiercely into the rune net, temporarily slowing its descent. The Blood Shadow Sect woman wielded her curved blade, rapidly spinning around the group, forming a blood shadow shield to resist the runic power emanating from the rune net.

However, the power of the rune network was simply too great. Ice arrows shattered upon impact, and Lin Feng's spear was also knocked away by its force. The Blood Shadow Sect woman's Blood Shadow Shield teetered precariously under the impact of the rune power. Just as the rune network was about to engulf everyone, Xuan Feng roared and poured all his spiritual power into his staff. The tip of the staff shone brightly, like a small sun, and a golden pillar of light shot into the sky, forcefully pushing the rune network back. After a brief stalemate between the rune network and the golden pillar of light, the light finally dimmed and slowly dissipated.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the passage floor suddenly cracked open, revealing a huge black hole. A powerful suction force emanated from the black hole, pulling everyone towards the opening. Xuan Feng hurriedly plunged his staff into the ground to try and steady himself, shouting, "Quick, grab onto something around you!" Su Ran reached out and grabbed a protruding rock, while Lin Feng clung to a stone pillar. The Blood Shadow Sect woman reacted a little slower, and half of her body had already been sucked into the black hole. Seeing this, Su Ran didn't hesitate to grab her arm and pull her out with all her might.

Just as everyone was locked in a stalemate with the black hole's suction, a sinister roar suddenly echoed from within. Immediately afterward, a gigantic black claw emerged from the black hole, lunging towards them. Xuan Feng's eyes sharpened; he swung his staff, unleashing a golden sword aura towards the black claw. The sword aura struck the claw, leaving only a shallow mark. The black claw continued its attack, seemingly about to seize Su Ran. Lin Feng, frantic with worry, disregarded the danger, releasing his grip on the stone pillar and rushing towards Su Ran, shielding her with his body from the black claw.

The black claws gripped Lin Feng, instantly leaving several deep bloody gashes. Lin Feng groaned, spitting out a mouthful of blood. But he endured the excruciating pain, refusing to release his grip on Su Ran's hand. Su Ran's eyes reddened, her heart filled with both gratitude and anxiety. She gathered all her ice spirit power and unleashed the forbidden spell of the Ice Spirit Clan, "Absolute Zero Freeze." The surrounding temperature plummeted, and the entire passage was instantly covered by a thick layer of solid ice, freezing the black claws within, rendering them immobile.

Taking advantage of this brief respite, Xuanfeng cast another spell, condensing a massive golden rune above the passage. The rune shone brightly, emitting a powerful repulsive force that neutralized the black hole's suction. The group finally escaped the black hole's pull and breathed a sigh of relief. But before they could catch their breath, the frozen black claws suddenly unleashed a powerful force, shattering the ice instantly. Immediately afterward, a gigantic black figure slowly crawled out of the black hole.

This was a monster resembling a black panther, its entire body covered in black scales that gleamed with a cold light. Its eyes were like two burning flames, radiating a bloodthirsty light. The monster opened its blood-red maw and let out a deafening roar, causing stones to fall from the walls of the passage. Xuan Feng said with a solemn expression, "This is an ancient remnant species, the Black-Scaled Panther. It is incredibly powerful; we must go all out."

Su Ran quickly adjusted

The black-scaled leopard roared and pounced on the group like a black lightning bolt, its speed almost too fast for them to react. Xuanfeng hurriedly waved his staff, releasing a series of golden light bullets that shot towards the black-scaled leopard like meteors. The light bullets struck the leopard, but only sparked on its scales, failing to cause any real damage.

Despite his injuries, Lin Feng picked up his spear from the ground, gathering his ice spirit power, the spear tip gleaming with a ghostly blue light. Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward, the spear like a dragon emerging from the sea, aiming straight for the black-scaled leopard's throat. The black-scaled leopard reacted swiftly, tilting its head to easily dodge the fatal blow, while simultaneously lashing out with its claws towards Lin Feng. Lin Feng quickly dodged, but was still grazed by the claws, his clothes torn, a bloody gash appearing on his arm.

Taking advantage of the moment, the Blood Shadow Sect woman transformed into a streak of blood, circling behind the Black Scale Leopard. Her curved blade gleamed coldly as she viciously stabbed at the leopard's hind leg. The Black Scale Leopard, in pain, roared and turned to bite the Blood Shadow Sect woman. She hastily retreated, but the leopard's sharp teeth still tore her sleeve.

Su Ran unleashed his full power of ice magic, causing the temperature inside the passage to plummet and a thick layer of ice to quickly form on the ground and walls. The black-scaled leopard, running on the ice, slipped and its speed was somewhat affected. Taking advantage of this, Su Ran used "Ice Shard Piercing," sending countless sharp ice shards erupting from the ground towards the leopard. The leopard nimbly leaped and dodged, most of the ice shards missing their mark, but a few still pierced its abdomen, leaving shallow wounds from which a trickle of blood seeped.

Enraged, the black-scaled leopard bristled, its scales standing on end, and it let out a low roar. Then, it spewed forth a torrent of black flames that swept towards the group like a raging tide. Wherever the flames passed, the ice melted instantly, and the temperature inside the passage rose sharply. Xuanfeng swiftly erected a golden shield in front of them, attempting to block the black flames. The flames struck the shield, producing a hissing sound; the shield flickered and teetered on the brink of collapse.

"These flames are too powerful! Everyone, let's all work together!" Xuan Feng shouted. Lin Feng continuously channeled his ice spirit power into his spear, then hurled it with all his might. The spear transformed into an ice-blue meteor, plunging into the black flames and temporarily halting their spread. The Blood Shadow Sect woman also gathered all her spiritual power into her scimitar, then hurled it with all her might. The scimitar, glowing with blood-red light, pierced through the black flames like a sharp arrow, striking the Black Scale Leopard's shoulder. The Black Scale Leopard winced in pain, and the onslaught of the black flames faltered slightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Ran swiftly formed hand seals, unleashing the Ice Spirit Clan's advanced spell, "Ice and Snow." A fierce wind instantly swept through the passage, swirling snowflakes like goose feathers, and the temperature plummeted once more. The black flames gradually extinguished under the impact of this extreme cold. The black-scaled leopard was also covered in a thick layer of ice and snow, its movements becoming even more sluggish.

However, the Black-Scaled Leopard was, after all, an ancient species, possessing immense power. It shook off the ice and snow from its body and roared as it charged at the group once more. This time, it was faster and stronger. Xuan Feng's golden shield shattered instantly under its impact, and Xuan Feng was forced back several steps, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Lin Feng rushed forward, using his spear to block the black-scaled leopard's attack. The leopard's claws gripped the spear, and with a powerful swing, Lin Feng was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the passage wall and spitting out another mouthful of blood. Seeing this, the Blood Shadow Sect woman and Su Ran were greatly alarmed. They rushed towards the black-scaled leopard, desperately trying to buy Lin Feng some time.

The Blood Shadow Sect woman wielded her curved blade, engaging the Black Scale Leopard in close combat. Every move was fierce and ruthless, but the Black Scale Leopard's hide was thick and tough, making it difficult for her attacks to inflict fatal damage. Su Ran, on the other hand, continuously cast ice spells, attempting to restrict the Black Scale Leopard's movements. However, the Black Scale Leopard was too fast, easily dodging many of the spells.

Just as everyone was in dire straits, Lin Feng struggled to his feet. Watching his companions fight the Black Scale Leopard to the death, a resolute determination welled up within him. He closed his eyes and began to mobilize the hidden power within his body. On the verge of life and death, Lin Feng suddenly grasped a deeper level of application of the Ice Spirit Power. His entire body emitted a strong icy blue light, the surrounding temperature plummeted, the ice in the passage instantly became even more solid, and even the air seemed to freeze.

Lin Feng gripped his spear tightly once more. The ice elemental power within it had undergone a qualitative change, becoming more condensed and powerful. He roared and charged towards the Black Scale Leopard like a bolt of icy blue lightning. Sensing the immense threat emanating from Lin Feng, the Black Scale Leopard abandoned its attack on the Blood Shadow Sect woman and Su Ran.