A dazzling light and overflowing spiritual energy clashed as the golden pillar of light and the black shield remained locked in a stalemate. Veins bulged on Xuan Feng's forehead as he strained his staff to amplify the power of the light pillar. The monster, too, desperately maintained its shield, its tentacles' eyes flashing with ferocity and boundless rage.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Feng shouted, "Ice Spirit Sky-Splitting Thrust!" He hurled his Ice Spirit Spear, its tip gleaming with an icy blue light, shooting towards the monster like a shooting star. The spear broke through the airflow generated by the collision of spiritual energy, piercing straight into the monster's shield.

With a deafening boom, the Ice Spirit Spear pierced the black shield, unleashing a powerful burst of ice spirit energy. Under the combined assault of the golden beam of light and the Ice Spirit Spear, the black shield finally succumbed, cracking and shattering with a loud bang.

Without the shield's protection, the golden beam struck the monster directly. The monster let out a piercing scream, its body trembling violently. Its scales began to fall off under the impact of the beam, revealing raw flesh beneath, and wisps of black smoke rose from the wounds.

However, this monster was extremely tenacious. Despite being severely injured, it showed no sign of retreating. Suddenly, its massive body twisted violently, its eight tentacles flailing wildly, unleashing a black storm that swept towards the group.

The storm was mixed with countless sharp wind blades, like razor blades cutting through the surrounding air with a hissing sound. Lin Feng hurriedly cast "Ice Shield" again, and at the same time, Xuan Feng quickly set up a barrier of light in front of everyone.

The wind blades struck the ice shield and the barrier of light, producing a dense clanging sound. Deep marks were slashed across the surface of the ice shield, and the barrier of light shook violently, its light flickering. Taking advantage of a lull in the monster's attack, the Blood Shadow Sect woman flashed forward and charged at the monster again. Her Blood Spirit Curved Blade shone brightly, crimson spiritual energy flowing through its blade, clearly preparing to unleash a powerful strike.

"Blood Spirit Slash!" The Blood Shadow Sect woman shouted, raising her scimitar high. A massive, crescent-shaped, blood-red blade of light shot out from the blade, striking the monster like lightning. Sensing the danger, the monster swiftly moved a tentacle to meet the blade of light.

"Crack!" The tentacle was severed by the crimson blade light, blood gushing from the cut. Enraged, the monster unleashed its remaining seven tentacles at the Blood Shadow Sect woman. The woman moved with agility, weaving freely among the tentacles, constantly searching for the monster's weaknesses.

Su Ran wasn't idle either. She quickly formed hand seals and chanted, "Ice Guardian, Frozen Cage!" The ground beneath the monster's feet froze rapidly, and a thick ice wall rose from the ground, firmly trapping the monster's lower body.

The monster struggled fiercely, causing cracks to appear in the ice, but it was still unable to break free. Lin Feng seized the opportunity, recalled the Ice Spirit Spear, and once again gathered all his ice spirit power, forming a huge ice-blue rune at the tip of the spear.

"Ice Spirit Rune Explosion!" Lin Feng hurled his spear fiercely, sending icy blue runes hurtling towards the monster along with the spear. The runes exploded the moment they touched the monster's body, unleashing a powerful burst of ice spirit energy that enveloped the monster.

The monster roared in agony under the impact of the ice elemental power. Its wounds widened, staining the surrounding ground crimson with blood. However, just when everyone thought the monster was about to be defeated, an unexpected event occurred.

A thick black mist suddenly surged from the black vortex behind the monster. The mist quickly spread, enveloping the monster's body. Nourished by the mist, the monster's wounds began to heal at a visible speed.

"What's going on?" Su Ran's expression changed drastically, her eyes filled with shock.

The woman in white said anxiously, "This black mist must be related to that mysterious force; it can help monsters recover from their injuries. We can't continue to attack passively like this; we must find a way to break through this mist."

Lin Feng frowned, quickly thinking of a solution. He looked around and noticed that the stalactites on the cave ceiling were dimming under the erosion of the mist. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Senior Xuanfeng, use your staff to attack the stalactites on the cave ceiling and make them fall. Su Ran, prepare to use your ice spirit power to fix the falling stalactites together, forming a giant ice cone. Blood Shadow Sect girl, continue to attract the monster's attention, and I will take the opportunity to stab this ice cone into the vortex behind the monster, cutting off the source of this black mist," Lin Feng said quickly.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately nodded in understanding. Xuanfeng waved his staff, and beams of light shot towards the stalactites at the top of the cave. Under the impact of the light, the stalactites broke and fell downwards.

Su Ran moved her hands rapidly, and a continuous stream of ice spirit power surged forth, quickly fixing the fallen stalactites together. In the blink of an eye, a huge ice cone took shape, its surface radiating a chilling aura and shimmering with a cold light under the reflection of the multicolored light.

The Blood Shadow Sect woman moved with lightning speed, her Blood Spirit Curved Blade wielding itself in a relentless, impenetrable attack as she charged towards the monster. She cried out repeatedly, unleashing streaks of crimson blade light that forced the monster's attention to her. Enraged, the monster unleashed its seven tentacles, lashing out at the Blood Shadow Sect woman with a frenzied whistling wind; any strike would be instantly pulverized.

Taking advantage of the moment when the monster was distracted, Lin Feng stealthily made his way towards the black vortex behind it. He was completely focused, carefully dodging the attack range of the monster's tentacles, while also guarding against the spiritual energy fragments that occasionally flew towards him from all around.

While keeping an eye on Lin Feng's actions, Xuan Feng continuously cast light spells to attack the monster, relieving the pressure on the Blood Shadow Sect woman. Rays of light shot out from the tip of his staff, accurately striking the monster's body. Although they couldn't inflict fatal damage, they did slightly slow down the monster's movements.

When Lin Feng was only a few steps away from the black vortex, the monster seemed to sense the danger, and a tentacle suddenly swept towards him. Lin Feng's eyes sharpened, and he quickly dodged to the side, simultaneously thrusting out his Ice Spirit Spear, striking the side of the tentacle and dissipating some of its force. Even so, Lin Feng was still grazed by the tentacle, feeling a sharp pain in his body, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.

However, Lin Feng did not back down at all. He endured the pain, grabbed the ice spike, and hurled it towards the black vortex with all his might. The ice spike, like a shooting star, pierced straight into the black vortex with unstoppable momentum.

"Boom!" A deafening roar erupted from the black vortex, ice spikes shattering within it. Powerful ice elemental energy surged forth, disrupting the black mist. The monster let out a terrified roar, its body trembling violently. Its previously healed wounds reopened, gushing blood like a fountain.

Deprived of the nourishment of the black mist, the monster's strength was greatly reduced. The Blood Shadow Sect woman seized the opportunity and unleashed her strongest attack. "Blood Spirit Purgatory Slash!" The Blood Spirit Curved Blade in her hand shone brightly, and a blood-red blade beam, tens of meters long, shot into the sky with a world-destroying aura, slashing towards the monster.

The blade struck the monster precisely, instantly cleaving its body in two, black blood splattering everywhere. The monster's upper body collapsed limply to the ground with a dull thud, while its lower body remained trapped in the ice prison created by Su Ran.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at the dead monster. However, before they could fully relax, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed through the cave.

"Hahaha, do you think killing this stupid guardian beast will change anything? How naive!" A hollow voice echoed in the cave, full of mockery and disdain.

Lin Feng gripped the Ice Spirit Spear tightly and asked warily, "Who are you? Show yourself if you dare!"

"Hmph, you don't need to know who I am. However, now that you've come to the Abyss of Illusions, don't even think about leaving easily. The secrets of the Abyss of Illusions are not something you ants can pry into," the mysterious voice said.

The woman in white's expression changed, and she hurriedly said, "You must leave quickly! The owner of this voice is incredibly powerful; we are no match for him."

"Trying to leave? Too late!" As soon as the mysterious voice fell, countless black vines suddenly surged out from all around the cave. The vines were covered with sharp thorns and quickly spread towards the group.

Lin Feng swiftly unleashed his ice elemental power, forming an ice wall around them to block the black vines' attacks. Xuan Feng also continuously cast light spells, scorching the approaching vines. However, these vines seemed endless, surging in wave after wave, gradually weakening the power of the ice wall and the light spells.

Just when everyone was in dire straits, Su Ran suddenly noticed some strange runes on the ground beneath her feet. These runes emitted a faint light, which flickered continuously under the impact of the vines.

"Look, everyone, these runes!" Su Ran shouted hurriedly.

Lin Feng looked down and a thought struck him: "These runes might be the key to breaking through our current predicament. White-robed lady, you have a deep understanding of the Illusionary Sea Abyss, do you know the meaning of these runes?"

The woman in white crouched down, examined the runes carefully, and her expression changed slightly: "These runes seem to be part of an ancient sealing rune, possibly connected to the Heart of the Illusionary Sea. If we can decipher the complete information of the runes, we might find a way to leave this place, and perhaps even find the Heart of the Illusionary Sea."

Upon hearing the name "Heart of the Illusory Sea," a glimmer of hope ignited in everyone's eyes. However, at that moment, the black vines launched an attack.