Reminded by the Blood Shadow Sect woman, everyone realized that the shadowy figure was the key to controlling the corpses. They abandoned their fight with the corpses and charged towards the shadowy figure with all their might. The mysterious swordsman took the lead, his longsword gleaming with even more dazzling light, his sword energy shooting towards the shadowy figure as if it were tangible. Lin Feng followed closely behind, his ice-elemental spiritual power surging on his ice halberd. With a roar, "Ice Dragon Rifts the Sky!" a huge ice dragon shot out from the tip of the halberd, carrying endless chill, and pounced towards the shadowy figure.

Xuan Feng's palms danced, gathering a whirlwind that transformed into a massive tornado, carrying countless wind blades and surging towards the shadowy figure with overwhelming force. Su Ran swiftly conjured several enormous ice pillars around the shadowy figure, which shot towards it like arrows, blocking its escape routes. The woman in white chanted a mysterious incantation, and a gigantic sun appeared in the sky, unleashing scorching flames that crashed down on the shadowy figure like a meteor. The female general and the Blood Shadow Sect woman moved with lightning speed, their weapons gleaming coldly, flanking the shadowy figure from both sides, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

The shadowy figure, sensing the powerful attacks from the group, was terrified. However, as a key member of the Shadow Cult, he was no ordinary person. He raised his black dagger high and chanted an even more obscure incantation. As the incantation rang out, the corpses of the already annihilated black-clad men suddenly exploded, turning into puffs of black smoke. This smoke quickly coalesced, forming a massive black shield that firmly protected the shadowy figure within.

The mysterious swordsman's sword energy struck the black shield, producing only a muffled sound; the shield merely trembled a few times but did not shatter. Lin Feng's ice dragon crashed into the shield, instantly dissolved by the black power within, turning into a puddle of water. Xuan Feng's tornado, carrying wind blades, slammed into the shield, shattering the blades and being dispersed by the black shield's power. Su Ran's ice pillar struck the shield, only to be deflected and shattered into countless ice shards. The white-clad woman's blazing sun struck the shield, only to be absorbed by it, becoming part of its power.

The moment the female general and the Blood Shadow Sect woman approached, they were blasted away by the powerful force emanating from the shield, crashing heavily to the ground. Lin Feng and the others were shocked to see this, not expecting the shadow's defense to be so strong. However, they did not give up, and they all gathered their spiritual power again, preparing to launch a new round of attacks.

Just then, the mysterious swordsman suddenly closed his eyes, and his aura began to undergo a strange change. An ancient and mysterious aura emanated from him, causing the surrounding space to tremble. Then, the mysterious swordsman slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. He plunged his longsword into the ground, and then rapidly formed hand seals.

As the mysterious swordsman formed hand seals, golden runes suddenly appeared on the ground, rapidly spreading and completely enveloping the black shield of the shadowy figure. The mysterious swordsman roared, "Break!" The golden runes shone brightly, clashing with the power of the black shield. In an instant, the entire palace shimmered with light, overflowing with spiritual energy.

Under the powerful force of the golden runes, cracks began to appear in the shadowy figure's black shield. Seeing this, the shadowy figure was filled with terror, knowing that if the shield broke, he would be in dire straits. Therefore, he poured all his magical power into the shield, attempting to repair the cracks.

Seeing the mysterious swordsman working tirelessly to break through the shadowy figure's shield, Lin Feng and the others dared not relax their vigilance. Lin Feng once again gathered the power of his Ice Halberd, unleashing "Absolute Zero." A layer of crystal-clear frost appeared at the tip of the halberd, and the surrounding temperature plummeted, freezing even the air into ice crystals. He hurled the Ice Halberd towards the shadowy figure's shield, and the halberd shot towards it like a meteor.

Xuanfeng unleashed "Howling Wind," raising his hands upwards, causing a massive vortex of wind to swirl wildly within the palace. Centered on the shadowy figure's shield, the vortex relentlessly tore at its strength. Su Ran conjured a massive ice shield, its surface covered in mysterious runes. She hurled the ice shield at the shadowy figure's shield, freezing deep trenches into the ground wherever it passed.

The woman in white unleashed "Fire God's Judgment," conjuring a flaming longsword in her hand. The sword burned with an even fiercer flame than before, seemingly capable of incinerating everything in its path. She slashed the flaming sword at the shadowy figure's shield, unleashing a massive burst of fiery sword energy that struck the shield. The female general and the Blood Shadow Sect woman also rose again, channeling all their spiritual power into their weapons, and launched another attack on the shadowy figure's shield from both sides.

Under the combined attack of the group, the shadowy figure's black shield finally succumbed, and with a loud "boom," the shield...

With a deafening roar, the black shield that the shadowy figure relied on for protection finally shattered. The impact of the shattering shield was like a powerful storm, sweeping across the entire palace. The broken shield turned into countless black fragments, shooting out in all directions like projectiles, emitting sharp whistling sounds.

Lin Feng and the others were prepared and immediately used their spiritual power to defend themselves. The mysterious swordsman flashed and instantly appeared in front of Lin Feng and the others. He wielded his longsword rapidly, weaving a barrier of sword energy that blocked the black fragments that were hurtling towards them. The black fragments struck the sword energy barrier, producing a series of crisp "clanging" sounds, and then turned into wisps of black smoke that dissipated into the air.

The shadowy figure, now freed from the shield's protection, was instantly exposed to the group's attacks. His face turned deathly pale, his eyes revealing a hint of fear, but even more so, resentment. He knew his mission had utterly failed, and if he didn't find a way to escape, he would surely die here.

Lin Feng's eyes were icy as he looked at the shadowy figure and said, "You can't escape today. Surrender obediently!" With that, he waved his hand, and the ice halberd returned to his grasp. The tip of the halberd gleamed coldly, pointing at the shadowy figure. Xuan Feng also manipulated wind-elemental spiritual power, compressing the air around the shadowy figure to form invisible shackles, attempting to restrict its movements.

Su Ran swiftly conjured a thick layer of ice beneath the shadowy figure's feet, freezing them firmly. The woman in white gathered flames in her hands, ready to launch a fatal attack at any moment. The female general and the Blood Shadow Sect woman, weapons in hand, slowly approached the shadowy figure, ready to strike at the slightest sign of movement.

Looking at the crowd surrounding him, the shadowy figure felt a surge of despair. But as a master of the Shadow Cult, he possessed an intense will to survive. Suddenly, he bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood that transformed into a mist in the air. The mist quickly spread, emitting a pungent, fishy stench.

Under the cover of the blood mist, the shadowy figure began to blur. His hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals as he chanted incantations. With each movement, eerie roars echoed faintly from within the blood mist. Suddenly, a gigantic black demonic hand emerged from the mist, reaching out to grab the group. The hand was the size of a small mountain, its five fingers sharp and hooked, radiating a chilling aura.

The mysterious swordsman frowned slightly and said, "Hmph, a death throes!" He plunged his longsword into the ground, where golden runes reappeared. The runes coalesced into a golden pillar of light, shooting skyward and colliding with the black demonic hand. With a deafening boom, the golden pillar of light and the black demonic hand neutralized each other, dissipating into countless rays of light and black smoke in the air.

As the blood mist dissipated, the dark figure reappeared before everyone's eyes. He looked extremely disheveled, blood constantly trickling from the corner of his mouth, his clothes tattered. Yet, a hint of madness still shone in his eyes. He suddenly turned and charged towards the "Spiritual Scripture" on the stone platform. He knew in his heart that if he could obtain the "Spiritual Scripture," there might still be a glimmer of hope for survival.

How could Lin Feng and the others let him succeed? They all used their movement techniques to give chase. The mysterious swordsman was the fastest, appearing in front of the dark figure in an instant like a white lightning bolt. He held his long sword horizontally, blocking the dark figure's path, and coldly said, "Do you think you can still encounter the Holy Scripture?"

A ruthless glint flashed in the shadowy figure's eyes. He lunged at the mysterious swordsman, his black dagger aimed at the swordsman's throat. The mysterious swordsman, unperturbed, deftly dodged the attack, then slammed the hilt of his sword heavily into the shadowy figure's chest. The shadowy figure groaned, flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground.

Just then, the "Spiritual Scripture," which had been placed on the stone platform, suddenly emitted a dazzling light. The light illuminated the entire palace, and everyone was forced to close their eyes by the sudden brilliance. As the light gradually dissipated, the "Spiritual Scripture" slowly floated into the air, its pages turning automatically, and mysterious runes flew out from the pages, swirling around the "Spiritual Scripture."

Everyone watched in astonishment, wondering why the "Lingxiao Sacred Scripture" had suddenly undergone such a change. Just then, the palace floor began to tremble violently, and cracks spread out like a spider web. From the cracks, a large amount of black demonic energy surged out, quickly filling the entire palace.

The mysterious swordsman's expression changed, and he said, "This is bad. The anomaly of the 'Lingxiao Sacred Scripture' may have triggered some kind of restriction hidden in the palace, bringing even greater trouble."

As the demonic energy surged forth, a colossal black shadow slowly emerged from it. The shadow stood tens of feet tall, radiating a powerful aura of evil. Its eyes, like two burning flames, stared at the crowd, unleashing a deafening roar.

This demonic figure appears to be the ultimate guardian of the "Spiritual Firmament," awakened after the "Spiritual Firmament" began to malfunction. The demonic figure raised its enormous hand and fiercely...