The group successfully found the first fragment of the spiritual source, their joy overflowing. Lin Feng held the fragment, which emitted a faint blue light, in his hands and examined it carefully. Although the power contained in the fragment was weak, it had a subtle connection with the aura of the "Chaotic Spiritual Source".

"This fragment, though small, seems to contain endless mysteries," Lin Feng said softly, his eyes revealing curiosity and focus.

Xuanfeng nodded slightly, his gaze also falling on the fragment: "That's right, the power of this spirit source fragment is not to be underestimated, and we must keep it safe. However, finding the other fragments will probably be even more difficult."

The woman from the Blood Shadow Sect sheathed her scimitar, wiped the sweat from her brow, and said, "No matter how difficult it is, now that we've taken the first step, there's no turning back. But how do we find the next fragment?"

Su Ran frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "We found this place through clues from runes and the crystal ball. Perhaps we can go back to that circular space and examine the crystal ball more closely; we might discover new clues."

Everyone agreed with Su Ran's assessment and decided to return to the circular space where the crystal ball was located. Walking back along the blue passage, the Shadow Bats that had been injured by Lin Feng's ice-based sonic attack were nowhere to be seen, and a faint fishy smell permeated the passage.

Soon, everyone returned to the circular space. The enormous stone platform still stood in the center, and the crystal ball on it continued to shine. Xuanfeng stepped forward and carefully observed the flashing pattern of the crystal ball's light once more. This time, he discovered that the frequency of the crystal ball's light seemed to be faster than before, and the color of the light had also undergone some subtle changes.

"Look everyone, the light from this crystal ball seems a little different than before," Xuanfeng said.

Lin Feng and the others gathered around and, after careful observation, also noticed the changes in the crystal ball. Su Ran used her ice spirit power to try to sense the flow of spiritual energy around the crystal ball, hoping to find clues. Suddenly, her expression changed slightly: "I feel that the fluctuations of spiritual energy around the crystal ball are abnormal, as if they are pointing in a new direction."

Following Su Ran's gaze, everyone saw a faint beam of light emanating from the crystal ball, illuminating the wall of the circular space. They hurried to the wall and discovered faint runes appearing where the light had struck. These runes differed from those in the previous passage, being more complex and mysterious.

Xuanfeng concentrated, trying to decipher the meaning of these runes. Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead, showing how difficult it was to interpret the runes. After a long time, Xuanfeng finally let out a long sigh and said, "These runes seem to be suggesting that the next fragment of the spiritual source is in the southwest of the ruins, and that there is a powerful guardian there."

"Another powerful guardian, it seems we cannot let our guard down." Lin Feng gripped his spear tightly, his eyes resolute.

After a short rest and replenishing their spiritual energy, the group headed southwest of the ruins. Along the way, the temperature inside the passage gradually increased, and the surrounding walls became scorching hot, as if a fiery power was surging deep within the passage.

As they ventured deeper, a sea of ​​fire appeared ahead, its raging flames blocking their path. Huge pillars of fire shot skyward from the inferno, emitting a whooshing sound that inspired awe and fear.

"This sea of ​​fire is so fierce, how are we supposed to get across?" The Blood Shadow Sect woman frowned as she looked at the sea of ​​fire before her.

Lin Feng stared at the sea of ​​fire, sensing its temperature and spiritual energy fluctuations, and said, "The spiritual energy fluctuations in this sea of ​​fire are extremely chaotic, and ordinary spells would probably be unable to withstand them. But I think we might be able to use the principle of the mutual restraint between ice and fire to try to open a passage."

After speaking, Lin Feng infused his spear with ice spirit power and then swung it forcefully towards the sea of ​​fire, unleashing a massive ice-blue sword aura. The sword aura collided with the fire, producing a sizzling sound and filling the air with steam. However, the power of the fire was too great, and Lin Feng's ice spirit sword aura could only temporarily suppress a small area.

Seeing this, Xuanfeng waved his staff and released an earth-based spell, creating an earthen wall in the sea of ​​fire, temporarily halting its spread. Su Ran also used an ice-based spell to help Lin Feng expand the area where his ice spirit power could suppress the sea of ​​fire.

Working together, the group managed to carve out a narrow passage through the inferno. Flames on both sides of the passage continued to press inward, threatening to engulf it at any moment. Daring not to linger, they hurriedly moved forward along the passage.

Just as the group was about to pass through the sea of ​​fire, a giant fire lizard leaped out of the flames. Its entire body was covered in red scales, each scale radiating a blazing light, and it spewed flames from its mouth as it pounced on the group.

Lin Feng reacted swiftly, raising his spear to meet the fire lizard's attack. The ice elemental power on the spear collided with the flames spewed by the fire lizard, creating a dazzling interplay of ice and fire.

The fire lizard was enormous, yet incredibly agile. The moment it landed, the ground sizzled from its scorching feet, sending sparks flying. Lin Feng's Ice Spirit Spear collided with the flames it spewed, the powerful spiritual energy ripples spreading outwards, causing the flames on both sides of the passage to flicker.

Xuanfeng knew he couldn't panic at this moment. While maintaining the earthen wall to block the surrounding sea of ​​fire, he quickly thought of a solution. "Everyone, hold on! This fire lizard is powerful. We can't fight it head-on. We need to find its weakness!" Xuanfeng shouted, his voice still clearly audible amidst the howling of the fire.

The Blood Shadow Sect woman transformed into a streak of blood-red light, circling behind the fire lizard. Her curved blade gleamed coldly as she slashed fiercely at the lizard's hind leg. The blade struck the lizard's scales, but only sparks flew, failing to inflict any real damage. Sensing the attack from behind, the fire lizard lashed out with its tail, like a thick, fiery whip, aiming for the Blood Shadow Sect woman. The woman reacted with lightning speed, dodging the attack with a swift movement. The fiery tail grazed the hem of her garment, instantly reducing it to ashes.

Su Ran continuously cast ice spells, attempting to lower the temperature around the fire lizard and weaken its power. Ice spikes shot towards the fire lizard like meteors, turning into puddles the moment they touched its body. Although they failed to harm it, they did slow down the fire lizard's movements slightly.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Feng channeled his Ice Spirit power to its limit, condensing a thick layer of ice armor onto his spear. With a roar, he charged towards the Flame Lizard like a blue lightning bolt, his spear aimed straight for the lizard's eye. Seeing this, the Flame Lizard opened its maw, spewing out an even more intense burst of flame, attempting to engulf Lin Feng. Lin Feng neither dodged nor evaded, but thrust his spear forward with a sudden burst of power. The ice armor rapidly melted under the intense heat, transforming into a powerful shockwave that dispersed the flames, the spear tip barely touching the Flame Lizard's eyelid.

The fire lizard roared in pain and rage, its roar shaking the passageway and causing the surrounding sea of ​​fire to surge and churn. It swung its head violently, sending Lin Feng flying. Lin Feng flipped in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground, but he felt his chest heaving.

"This can't go on. These fire lizards are too strong; our attacks are ineffective," Lin Feng said, wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Xuanfeng had just completed a complex spell incantation. His staff shone brightly, and a golden rune flew from its tip, shooting towards the fire lizard. The rune exploded on the lizard, unleashing a dazzling golden light containing powerful sealing energy that temporarily restricted the fire lizard's movements.

"Everyone, take this opportunity to attack its abdomen, where its defenses are relatively weak!" Xuanfeng shouted.

Upon hearing this, everyone rushed towards the fire lizard. Lin Feng swung his spear again, Su Ran conjured a giant ice sword, and the Blood Shadow Sect woman poured all her blood spirit power into her scimitar. The three launched their attack simultaneously, aiming directly at the fire lizard's abdomen.

Sensing danger, the fire lizard struggled desperately, trying to break free from the sealing runes. Just as everyone's attacks were about to hit, the fire lizard broke free of the seal, twisting its body violently, causing Lin Feng's spear to miss, only leaving a shallow wound on its abdomen. Su Ran's ice sword struck the lizard's scales, producing a crisp sound, but failed to pierce them. The Blood Shadow Sect woman's curved blade did manage to pierce a little, but the intense heat emanating from the fire lizard forced her to quickly withdraw.

The fire lizard was enraged to the extreme. Its entire body flared with flames, and the surrounding sea of ​​fire seemed to be summoned, converging towards it. Soon, the fire lizard's body grew even larger, and its aura became increasingly terrifying. It opened its blood-red maw, and a huge pillar of fire shot towards the group. Wherever the pillar of fire passed, the air seemed to ignite, and the walls of the passage were scorched red-hot.

Lin Feng quickly conjured a massive ice shield, which he and Su Ran used to shield the group. The pillar of fire struck the ice shield with a deafening roar, and the ice shield rapidly melted under the intense heat, turning into a large puddle of water. The force of the impact of the flames sent everyone staggering backward and crashing to the ground.

Just as everyone was in danger, the first fragment of spiritual energy, which had been quietly resting in Lin Feng's arms, suddenly shone brightly. A soft blue light shot out from the fragment and struck the fire lizard. After being illuminated by the blue light, the fire lizard's previously violent emotions seemed to be calmed, and the temperature of its flames also decreased slightly.

"This fragment seems to have a certain restraining effect on it!" Lin Feng said with delight.

Xuanfeng immediately reacted: "Lin Feng, use the fragments to distract its attention, and we'll take the opportunity to attack."