The icy storm, carrying a chilling aura, surged towards the massive black shadow like a roaring ice dragon. The black mist surrounding the shadow was instantly dispersed by the storm's impact. Its body was rapidly covered in ice, and its movements became sluggish.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Ran swiftly formed hand seals, unleashing "Ice Cage!" Countless ice shards abruptly rose from the ground, trapping the enormous black shadow within. The shadow struggled furiously, cracking the ice on its body with a series of snapping sounds. The Blood Shadow Sect woman steadied herself, ignoring her injuries, and once again transformed into a streak of blood-red light, charging towards the shadow. She targeted the weakest point in the shadow's ice layer, her curved blade imbued with the power of blood spirit, and stabbed down fiercely.

"Pfft!" The curved blade successfully pierced the shadowy figure's body. The figure let out a painful roar, and the black energy on its body, like materialized tentacles, coiled towards the Blood Shadow Sect woman. The Blood Shadow Sect woman hurriedly withdrew her blade and retreated, but several black energy tentacles still grazed her arm, leaving several black wounds. A black mist quickly rose from the wounds, clearly containing a potent poison.

Lin Feng was extremely anxious. While continuing to maintain the Ice Spirit Storm, he shouted to the Blood Shadow Sect woman, "Hold on!" At the same time, he took out a healing pill from his storage bag and tossed it to her. The Blood Shadow Sect woman took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation, circulating her spiritual power to suppress the toxins in her body.

Xuanfeng wasn't idle either; he continuously infused golden runes into the ice cage, strengthening its restraint on the shadowy figure. The shadowy figure struggled frantically within the cage, its strength beyond imagination, causing the ice cage to teeter on the brink of collapse.

Just as the group and the shadowy figure were locked in a stalemate, a mysterious voice came from the depths of the forest: "Hmph, a bunch of ignorant brats, daring to trespass into this cursed forest." As the voice faded, an old man dressed in a black robe slowly emerged from the mist. The old man had white hair, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and he held an ancient-looking cane in his hand.

Lin Feng and the others looked at the old man warily. Xuan Feng asked loudly, "Who are you? What is your relationship with this shadowy figure?" The old man sneered, "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you shouldn't have come here. This shadowy figure is a divine beast that guards this forest. You have injured it, and none of you will leave today."

Lin Feng frowned. "We're only searching for fragments of the Spirit Source; we mean no harm. This cursed forest holds clues to the fragments, and we must find them." The old man paused, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "Spirit Source fragments? You know about them?"

Su Ran interjected, "That's right, we are collecting fragments of spiritual energy to prevent a great catastrophe on the continent. If you know the whereabouts of the fragments, please let us know; we would be eternally grateful." The old man remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone as if he were weighing something.

At this moment, the black shadow trapped in the ice cage let out another earth-shattering roar, and the ice cage finally shattered under its strain. After being freed, the black shadow's aura grew even denser. It shifted its gaze from Lin Feng and the others to the black-robed elder, letting out a low whimper, as if pleading for help.

The old man gently waved his cane, and a soft light shone towards the shadowy figure, causing its injuries to heal rapidly. Lin Feng and the others, seeing this, knew something was wrong and immediately assumed fighting stances, preparing to engage again. The old man, however, raised his hand to stop them, saying, "Enough. Considering you are after the spirit source fragments and trying to prevent the disaster, I will not hold it against you. This shadowy figure will no longer attack you."

Everyone was puzzled, but they temporarily lowered their guard. Lin Feng asked, "Senior, do you know the exact location of the Spirit Source Fragment in this forest?" The old man nodded slightly, "Of course I know. This Spirit Source Fragment is in an ancient ruin deep within the forest. However, that ruin is fraught with danger, with many traps and guardian beasts. Are you sure you want to go?"

The Blood Shadow Sect woman gritted her teeth. "We're determined to go. No matter how dangerous it is, we must find the fragment." A hint of admiration appeared in the old man's eyes. "Good, you have courage. In that case, I'll show you the way. But you must agree to one condition."

Xuanfeng asked, "Senior, please speak. We will do our best to help you." The old man slowly said, "If you can truly gather the fragments of the Spirit Source and quell the disaster on the continent, you must promise me that you will use the power of the Spirit Source to repair this cursed forest. This forest was once a peaceful place, but it was cursed due to an accident. I have been guarding it for many years, just waiting for a destined person to restore its vitality."

Lin Feng and the others exchanged glances and nodded in unison. "Don't worry, senior. If we succeed, we will definitely keep our promise." The old man nodded in satisfaction, then used his cane to draw a simple map on the ground and explained it to everyone in detail.

The old man in black robes drew a rough map on the ground with his cane and explained in detail: "Following this path, you will pass through a poisonous swamp. There are several natural stone bridges over the swamp, but they are in disrepair and must be used with extreme caution. Beyond the swamp lies a stone forest, which contains many traps. Triggering these traps will unleash a swarm of puppets to attack. Emerging from the stone forest, you will reach the ruins. There is a powerful guardian beast guarding the entrance to the ruins, so be prepared."

Lin Feng and the others carefully noted down the route and key points, then bowed to the old man in thanks. Xuan Feng said, "Senior, rest assured, if we have the opportunity, we will definitely restore life to this forest." The old man nodded slightly, and his figure gradually disappeared into the mist.

Composing themselves, the group followed the old man's directions. Before long, they reached the edge of the poisonous swamp. Greenish bubbles rose to the surface, emitting a pungent stench. The stone bridge over the swamp was indeed as the old man had described—dilapidated, in some places reduced to a narrow ridge.

The Blood Shadow Sect woman frowned. "This stone bridge is so difficult to cross. If one is not careful and falls into the poisonous swamp, they will be corroded to death instantly." Lin Feng pondered for a moment. "I'll try to reinforce the stone bridge with the power of ice spirits." As he spoke, he circulated his spiritual power, and the power of ice spirits surged continuously towards the stone bridge. However, as soon as the power of ice spirits touched the stone bridge, it hissed and was quickly corroded by the poisonous gas emanating from the swamp.

Seeing this, Xuanfeng waved his staff, "Earth Condensation!" A thick layer of soil instantly covered the surface of the stone bridge, temporarily blocking the corrosive effects of the poisonous gas. Lin Feng seized the opportunity and once again used his Ice Spirit power to condense a solid layer of ice on the soil. "Everyone, be careful as you cross, stay close to me," Lin Feng said, taking the lead on stepping onto the stone bridge.

The group cautiously followed behind Lin Feng, proceeding slowly step by step. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew past, causing the stone bridge to shake violently. Su Ran slipped and nearly fell into the poisonous swamp. Lin Feng reacted quickly, extending his spear, which Su Ran grabbed to steady herself. "Be careful, everyone. This poisonous swamp is not simple; it seems some kind of force is interfering," Lin Feng warned.

Having finally crossed the poisonous swamp, the group arrived at the Stone Forest. The Stone Forest was filled with strangely shaped rocks. Xuanfeng cautiously surveyed their surroundings. "Everyone be careful, traps could be triggered at any moment." Just as he finished speaking, the ground suddenly shook, and huge rocks rose from the ground, cutting off their retreat. At the same time, many stone golems surged forth from all sides, wielding stone fists and charging towards the group.

Lin Feng, spear in hand, faced the nearest stone golem. "Ice Spirit Pierce!" Icy blue spiritual energy transformed into countless sharp ice spikes, shooting towards the stone golem. The stone golem, however, showed no fear, charging directly into the ice spikes. Though its body was scratched by the ice spikes, its attack remained undiminished.

Su Ran formed hand seals, "Ice Guardian!" A thick ice shield enveloped everyone. The stone golem's stone fist slammed into the ice shield, producing a dull thud, and cracks appeared on its surface. The Blood Shadow Sect woman spotted a crack in the ice shield, swung her scimitar, and unleashed a torrent of blood spirit power like a sharp blade towards the stone golem. The stone golem was struck, its body swaying a few times, but it quickly regained its footing and continued its attack.

Xuanfeng knew this couldn't continue, so he maintained his ice shield while observing the stone golem's movements. Suddenly, he noticed that the golem's joints seemed vulnerable, so he shouted, "Attack the stone golem's joints!" Hearing this, Lin Feng swung his spear and thrust it towards the golem's joint. This thrust, imbued with powerful ice elemental energy, severed one of the golem's arms.

Seeing this, the other stone golems turned their attack on Lin Feng. Taking advantage of the situation, Su Ran unleashed an ice spell, "Ice Shackles!" Chains of ice rose from the ground, binding the stone golems' legs. The Blood Shadow Sect woman and Xuan Feng joined the attack, and together they finally defeated all the stone golems.

After a fierce battle, the group successfully emerged from the stone forest. Ahead, an ancient ruin appeared before them. The ruin's gate was tightly shut, and a guardian beast resembling a lion lay before it. The beast was enormous, radiating powerful spiritual energy. It slowly raised its head, its golden eyes coldly fixed on the group.

Sensing the power of the guardian beast, Lin Feng and the others dared not act rashly. Xuan Feng said in a low voice, "This guardian beast is extremely powerful. We cannot fight it head-on. We need to think of a plan." The Blood Shadow Sect woman's eyes flickered, "Perhaps we can distract it and then look for an opportunity to attack its weakness." Su Ran nodded in agreement, "I can use ice magic to create some ice sculptures to attract its attention. You can take the opportunity to find its weakness and launch an attack."

After the discussion, Su Ran took the lead. She quickly formed hand seals, chanting, "Ice Illusion!" Instantly, numerous lifelike ice sculptures appeared around the ruins—birds, beasts, and even humanoid ice sculptures. The guardian beast, upon seeing these ice sculptures, let out a cry...