Under Lin Yang's leadership, the various factions in the Lingxu Market were busily preparing for their entry into the mysterious ruins. They were well aware that this exploration was fraught with unknowns and dangers, and therefore meticulously prepared. The weapon refiners of the Linghe Chamber of Commerce worked day and night to forge various practical magical artifacts for everyone, such as spirit plates capable of detecting traps and protective shields to withstand attacks; the alchemists refined a large quantity of pills to restore spiritual energy, heal wounds, and detoxify, just in case. The Lingjian Sect selected its most elite sword cultivators, who repeatedly practiced their sword formations, striving to maximize their combat effectiveness within the ruins. The Wanbao Pavilion brought out its treasured maps and ancient texts, attempting to find more clues about the ruins.

With everything prepared, Lin Yang led the members of each faction to the entrance of the ruins. The entrance was shrouded in a mysterious light curtain, exuding an ancient and enigmatic aura. Lin Yang took a deep breath and stepped into the light curtain first, followed closely by the others.

Upon entering the ruins, a narrow and deep passage comes into view. The walls on both sides are inlaid with stones that emit a faint glow, barely illuminating the path ahead. An ancient atmosphere permeates the passage, as if time has stood still here for a thousand years.

The group proceeded cautiously when suddenly, a member of the Linghe Merchant Guild triggered a mechanism on the ground. Countless sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground like blades. Lin Yang reacted swiftly, using spatial magic to distort the space around the spikes, neutralizing the attack. He warned everyone, "Be careful, everyone. This ruin is riddled with traps; we cannot let our guard down."

Continuing deeper, the passage led to a spacious hall. In the center stood a colossal statue depicting a majestic, ancient being, sword in hand, his gaze fixed ahead as if guarding something. Just as the group was observing the statue, a swarm of stone golems suddenly emerged from around the hall. These golems, each over two people tall, wielded enormous stone axes and charged towards the group.

The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect quickly formed a sword formation, their sword energy crisscrossing as they engaged the puppets in fierce combat. However, the puppets' bodies were incredibly tough, and ordinary sword energy could only leave shallow marks on them. Seeing this, Lin Yang circulated his spiritual power, infusing the power of the mysterious light point into his sword and unleashing a powerful sword technique. A sword energy imbued with immense power slashed out, directly cleaving one of the puppets in two.

Members of other factions also employed various methods. Disciples of the Wanbao Pavilion manipulated magical artifacts, emitting beams of light to attack the joints of the puppets, attempting to disrupt their movements. Members of the Linghe Chamber of Commerce threw out specially made pills; the impact of the exploding pills temporarily repelled some of the puppets.

After a fierce battle, the group finally defeated all the puppets. But before they could even catch their breath, the floor of the hall suddenly began to shake. The statue's eyes flashed red, and then the statue slowly began to move. It walked heavily towards the group, each step causing the ground to tremble.

Lin Yang knew that the power of this statue was far greater than that of the previous puppets, so he quickly discussed countermeasures with the leaders of various factions. "This statue is incredibly powerful. We can't fight alone; we must unite. The Spirit Sword Sect will use its sword formation to restrain its movements, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion will use its magic weapons to attack its weaknesses, and our Spirit Harmony Chamber of Commerce will assist everyone by providing spiritual power support and defensive protection." Everyone nodded and quickly acted according to the plan.

The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect unleashed their strongest sword formation, rapidly rotating around the statue, their sword energy forming a net, attempting to restrict its movements. Zhao Wanbao, the head of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, personally controlled a powerful magical artifact—the Heaven-Shaking Bell. He infused the bell with spiritual energy, and its ringing sound, like an invisible force, vibrated through the statue's body. The statue's movements noticeably slowed.

Lin Yang led the members of the Linghe Chamber of Commerce to set up defensive arrays around the statue to prevent it from harming them with its counterattacks. At the same time, he constantly observed the statue's movements, trying to find its weakness. During the fierce battle, Lin Yang noticed a brief fluctuation of spiritual energy appearing in the statue's chest area each time it swung its sword. He immediately shouted, "Attack its chest! That's its weak point!"

Upon hearing this, members of various factions focused their attacks on the statue's chest. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect unleashed fierce sword energy, while the magical artifacts of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion also converged on the chest. Under the combined assault, a crack appeared in the statue's chest. As the attack continued, the crack widened until finally, the statue collapsed with a deafening roar, turning into a pile of rubble.

After successfully defeating the statue, an entrance leading underground appeared where it had collapsed. A mysterious and powerful aura emanated from the entrance, as if beckoning them. Lin Yang knew the real test might lie below, but they had no way back. He looked at the group and said firmly, "Let's move forward. We must uncover the secrets of this ruin." So, with trepidation, they headed towards the underground entrance, where even more unknown dangers and challenges awaited them.