After a short rest, the group set off together towards the Ice Abyss. As they approached the abyss, the temperature grew increasingly frigid; even with their spiritual energy protecting them, they could feel the bone-chilling cold. The surrounding ice walls shimmered eerily in the sunlight, as if concealing countless unknown dangers.

Lin Feng, walking in the middle of the group, kept a close eye on the surroundings. He suddenly noticed strange patterns on the ice wall, patterns that seemed to faintly flow with some kind of power. "Everyone be careful, these ice walls are strange, they might be hiding traps," Lin Feng whispered a warning. The group immediately became more alert and slowed their pace.

Just then, countless ice arrows suddenly shot out from the ice wall, hurtling towards the group. Ling Yun reacted quickly, immediately unleashing his protective sword energy to form a light barrier, blocking the ice arrows one by one. The others also cast their spells, and in an instant, the ice arrows struck the various magical shields, producing a series of clanging sounds.

Seizing the opportunity, the Blood Shadow Sect woman flashed forward like a ghost, rushing towards the ice wall and plunging her dagger deep into it. As the dagger pierced the ice, the patterns on the wall shimmered, and the mechanism that fired the ice arrows ceased functioning. "It seems these mechanisms are controlled by specific runes; destroying the runes will disable them," the Blood Shadow Sect woman remarked.

The group continued their journey, finally reaching the edge of the icy abyss. The abyss was bottomless, a powerful suction force emanating from below, seemingly intent on swallowing everything in its path. Lin Feng leaned out, channeling his spiritual energy to sense the abyss's interior. At the bottom lay a vast icy lake, and in its center, a fragment emitting a faint glow—one of the token fragments they sought. However, surrounding the lake, a colossal ice beast lurked, radiating an intensely cold aura that made breathing difficult.

The sect leader frowned: "This ice beast is powerful. If we go down rashly, we will definitely be in a tough fight. Let's discuss a strategy first."

Xuanfengzi said, "We can first use magic to distract the ice beast, and then let those with high lightness skills take the opportunity to go down and seize the fragments."

Ling Yun nodded in agreement: "My lightness skill is decent, I'll go down and retrieve the fragment. Everyone else, use magic to restrain the ice beast from up here."

The female general patted Ling Yun on the shoulder: "Be careful, we will do our best to distract the ice beast."

Everyone was ready. Xuan Fengzi was the first to unleash a wind spell, sending a gust of wind sweeping towards the ice beast at the bottom of the icy abyss. Enraged by the wind, the ice beast let out a deafening roar and stood up. Immediately afterward, Lin Feng used ice magic, conjuring massive ice pillars around the ice beast in an attempt to trap it. The sect leader also joined in, unleashing a powerful fire spell; the blazing flames clashed with the ice beast's icy aura, creating a large amount of mist.

Seizing the opportunity, Ling Yun used his lightness skill to dash towards the bottom of the icy abyss like a black lightning bolt. Sensing someone approaching the fragment, the ice beast immediately abandoned its fight with the others and turned to pounce on Ling Yun. Ling Yun dodged the attack in mid-air. However, the ice beast wouldn't give up; it opened its massive maw and shot a piercing ray of ice towards Ling Yun.

Ling Yun was startled and quickly circulated his spiritual power, forming a shield in front of him. The icy rays struck the shield, causing it to tremble violently, and Ling Yun's blood and qi surged from the powerful force. Just as Ling Yun was about to give way, the female general fired several sharp spear beams from above, striking the ice beast's body and temporarily diverting its attention.

Taking advantage of the moment, Ling Yun sped up and finally reached the center of the frozen lake, reaching out to grab the glowing fragment. The instant he grasped the fragment, the frozen lake suddenly trembled violently, and huge waves of ice surged forth. The ice beast, even more enraged, charged recklessly towards Ling Yun. Knowing he couldn't linger in battle, Ling Yun used all his strength to fly upwards towards the icy abyss.

However, just as Ling Yun was about to fly out of the icy abyss, a group of men in black suddenly appeared at the edge of the abyss. These men in black were quite powerful, and the leader of them held a black longsword in his hand. He looked at Ling Yun with cold eyes and said, "Hand over the fragment, or you will all die."

The sect leader roared, "You despicable villains have been following us all along, trying to reap the benefits without lifting a finger!"

The man in black sneered, "Enough with the nonsense, we're taking this fragment today." With that, he waved his hand, and his men attacked Ling Yun and the others. Ling Yun handed the fragment to Lin Feng for safekeeping, then joined the others in fighting the enemy.

Ling Yun and the sect leader joined forces to fight the leader of the men in black. Ling Yun's swordplay was fierce, each strike imbued with powerful sword intent; the sect leader, on the other hand, unleashed various exquisite spells, coordinating perfectly with Ling Yun. However, the leader of the men in black was extremely powerful.

The man in black was extremely powerful, holding his own against the combined attack of Ling Yun and the sect leader. He wielded his black longsword, creating a series of sword shadows, each carrying a sinister aura that seemed capable of piercing through everyone's spiritual energy shields.

Ling Yun unleashed his strongest sword technique, "Starry Sky Rift," his sword blazing with light as streaks of star-like sword energy shot towards the man in black. The sect leader, not to be outdone, swiftly formed hand seals and chanted incantations. A massive fiery phoenix then shot from his palm, carrying intense heat as it hurtled towards the man in black.

The man in black wore a solemn expression. He plunged his black longsword into the ground, and a black mist rapidly spread out from the sword, forming a solid defensive barrier. The Starry Sword Qi and the Flaming Phoenix collided with the barrier, unleashing a deafening roar. For a moment, the edge of the Ice Abyss flickered with light, and ice shards flew everywhere.

On the other side, the female general and the Blood Shadow Sect woman fought back-to-back, surrounded by a group of men in black. The female general's spear moved like a dragon, each thrust carrying immense force, repelling any approaching men in black. The Blood Shadow Sect woman, on the other hand, was agile, her dagger weaving freely through the men in black, seizing opportunities to deliver fatal blows. However, the sheer number of men in black gradually made them struggle.

Lin Feng and Xuan Fengzi were also fighting valiantly against the men in black. Lin Feng continuously cast ice spells, creating ice walls on the ground to block the men's attacks, while also occasionally firing ice spikes at them. Xuan Fengzi used wind spells to blow some of the men in black off balance, then attacked with wind blades. But the men in black were fearless, charging forward wave after wave, making the situation increasingly critical.

Seeing his companions in dire straits, Ling Yun was extremely anxious. While fighting the leader of the men in black, he pondered a way to break the deadlock. Suddenly, he noticed tiny cracks appearing on the ice beneath the leader's feet as he cast a defensive spell. A thought struck Ling Yun; he deliberately created an opening, drawing the leader's full-force attack.

Seeing an opportunity, the leader of the men in black immediately brandished his longsword, a black blade of light piercing towards Ling Yun's chest. Ling Yun dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. At the same time, he slammed his longsword into the ice beneath the leader's feet. With a cracking sound, large cracks appeared on the ice.

Ling Yun shouted, "Everyone be careful! The ice is about to collapse!" Hearing Ling Yun's shout, everyone used their movement techniques to jump towards safety. The leader of the men in black also realized something was wrong, but it was too late. The ice collapsed with a roar, and many of the men in black, including the leader, fell into the icy abyss.

However, some of the men in black hadn't fallen into the icy abyss. Seeing their leader fall, they became even more frenzied. A ruthless glint flashed in one of the men's eyes. He pulled a black bottle from his robes, uncorked it, and a plume of black smoke billowed out. The smoke quickly spread, instantly melting the ice and snow in its path and releasing a pungent odor.

Upon smelling the odor, Lin Feng's expression changed drastically: "This is bad! It's Soul-Devouring Poison Smoke! It will corrode our souls! Everyone, hold your breath and circulate your spiritual energy to resist!" Hearing this, everyone immediately circulated their spiritual energy, forming a spiritual energy shield around their mouths and noses to block the poisonous smoke from entering.

However, the Soul-Devouring Poison was extremely potent, and the spiritual energy shield gradually weakened under its erosion. The female general felt dizzy and almost dropped her spear. The Blood Shadow Sect woman also felt as if her soul was being pulled by an invisible hand, suffering unbearable pain.

Ling Yun knew that if things continued this way, everyone would die here. While resisting the corrosive effects of the poisonous smoke, he looked around, trying to find a way to break the cycle. Suddenly, he saw a huge ice crystal not far away, and a pure power seemed to flow within it. A thought struck Ling Yun; he guessed that this ice crystal might be able to purify the Soul-Devouring Poisonous Smoke.

Ignoring the danger, Ling Yun charged towards the ice crystal. A man in black immediately brandished his longsword to block him. A resolute glint flashed in Ling Yun's eyes. He unleashed a move called "Sword Shadow Storm," countless sword energies swirling around him and slicing the man in black who was blocking his way into pieces.

Ling Yun approached the ice crystal, channeling all his spiritual energy into his sword before forcefully slashing at it. With a crack, a fissure appeared in the ice crystal, from which a pure power surged forth. Ling Yun swung his sword again, shattering the ice crystal completely. The pure power, like a clear spring, rapidly spread towards the Soul-Devouring Poison Smoke.

Purified by the pure power, the Soul-Devouring Poisonous Smoke gradually dissipated. Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could even rest, the leader of the black-clad men who had fallen into the icy abyss climbed back up. He was soaking wet, and his eyes were filled with resentment.

The leader of the men in black swung his longsword, sending a black sword aura hurtling towards Ling Yun. Ling Yun, already greatly depleted of his spiritual energy, couldn't dodge in time, and the sword aura struck his shoulder, instantly staining his clothes crimson with blood.

The female general was extremely anxious when she saw Ling Yun injured.