Lin Yang and his group lurked in the shadows, keeping a close eye on the figures of the "Shadow Society" members bustling around the dark altar. The "Shadow Society" members looked tense, seemingly sensing the approaching danger, and frequently glanced around warily.

"We can't wait any longer. Once they complete their ritual preparations, the consequences will be unimaginable," Lin Yang said in a low voice, his eyes revealing determination. The crowd nodded slightly, each gripping their weapons or magical artifacts, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

Just then, a black-robed member of the Shadow Order stepped onto the altar, holding a black crystal that emitted a ghostly glow. He placed the crystal in the groove in the center of the altar, and instantly, the runes on the altar shone brightly, and a powerful and evil force began to spread around.

"Attack!" Lin Yang commanded, and the crowd leaped out of their hiding places like tigers, rushing towards the altar. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect took the lead, unleashing a fierce sword formation. Their sword energy was like a rainbow, instantly killing several "Shadow Society" members who approached the altar.

The members of the Shadow Society were caught off guard by the sudden attack, but they quickly recovered, drawing their weapons and unleashing evil magic to engage in fierce combat with the crowd. For a moment, shouts of battle and the clash of spells mingled together, echoing throughout the ancient city.

The disciples of Wanbaoge manipulated their magical artifacts to launch ranged attacks on the members of the "Shadow Society." The "Flaming Dragon Cauldron" spewed out raging flames, engulfing a group of "Shadow Society" members, who let out screams of agony; the lightning released by the "Nine Heavens Thunder Pearl" lashed out like silver snakes, striking enemies and causing their bodies to tremble uncontrollably.

The experts of the Linghe Chamber of Commerce used the art of divination and strategy to set up various auxiliary formations. Some formations could interfere with the spellcasting of the "Shadow Society" members, greatly reducing their power; others could enhance the combat power of their own members, making the sword cultivators' sword energy more sharp and the magic weapons more powerful.

During the battle, Lin Yang discovered that the Shadow Society seemed to be setting up an even more powerful and evil formation around the altar. Once the formation was complete, it would be even more difficult for them to stop the ritual. He made a decisive decision and said to the elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, "Elder, we must stop them from completing the formation. You lead the sword cultivators to destroy the formation's core!"

The elder of the Spirit Sword Sect nodded and then led the sword cultivators towards the center of the formation. However, the Shadow Society also realized their intentions and dispatched a group of powerful guards to defend the center of the formation.

The sword cultivators and the guards engaged in a fierce close-quarters battle. The sword cultivators' swordsmanship was superb, each strike containing powerful spiritual energy, but the guards were equally formidable, unleashing a variety of unpredictable moves, making it a close and evenly matched contest.

During the fierce battle, a swordsman was accidentally cut by a guard's weapon, bleeding profusely. Ignoring the pain, he continued wielding his sword and fighting the enemy. Seeing this, members of the Linghe Merchant Guild quickly cast healing spells to stop the bleeding and heal the wounded swordsman, allowing him to rejoin the battle.

Meanwhile, the disciples of Wanbaoge discovered that the leader of the "Shadow Society" was standing behind the altar, directing the resistance. They decided to concentrate the power of their magical artifacts to attack the leader, attempting to disrupt the "Shadow Society's" command.

"Concentrate your attack on the leader!" shouted Zhao Wanbao, the head of Wanbao Pavilion. Disciples manipulated their magical artifacts, unleashing powerful attacks towards the leader of the "Shadow Society." The flames of the "Flame Dragon Cauldron," the lightning of the "Nine Heavens Thunder Pearl," and the light emitted by other magical artifacts converged into a powerful torrent of energy, rushing towards the leader.

The leader of the Shadow Society's expression changed drastically. He quickly cast a defensive spell, forming a black shield in front of him. A torrent of energy struck the shield, unleashing a dazzling light. The shield trembled violently, but it temporarily withstood the attack.

Taking advantage of the moment when the attention of the Shadow Society members was diverted, Lin Yang quietly approached the altar. He circulated his spiritual power, unleashing the power of the mysterious light to its fullest extent, preparing to destroy the black crystal on the altar, which was the key to stopping the ritual.

However, just as he was about to reach the crystal, a master of the "Shadow Society" discovered his intention and rushed over to stop him. This master wielded a black longsword, the blade exuding a sinister aura, and slashed fiercely at Lin Yang.

Lin Yang dodged the longsword attack with a sidestep, then unleashed a sword technique infused with spatial power. A spatial rift appeared before the expert, its powerful suction pulling his arm in. The expert was terrified and struggled desperately, but to no avail. Lin Yang seized the opportunity and struck again, killing the expert instantly.

Finally, Lin Yang arrived at the altar. He reached out and grasped the black crystal, attempting to remove it from the groove. However, the crystal seemed to be integrated with the altar, emanating an evil power that constantly assaulted his spiritual energy. Lin Yang gritted his teeth, channeling all his spiritual energy to resist the crystal's power.

Meanwhile, the battle on the Spirit Sword Sect elders' side had also reached its climax. Led by the elders, the sword cultivators finally broke through the guards' defenses and arrived at the array's core. The core was a stone pillar radiating black light, its surface covered with evil runes.

"Destroy the array's core!" shouted the elder of the Spirit Sword Sect. The sword cultivators poured their spiritual energy into their swords and slashed at the stone pillar. Sword energy rained down on the pillar, causing cracks to appear and black light to flicker intermittently.

Seeing that the array's core was about to be destroyed, the members of the "Shadow Society" attacked the sword cultivators even more frantically. But the sword cultivators did not back down; relying on the sword array, they fought back fiercely against the enemy's attacks.

Thanks to the sword cultivators' efforts, the array's core finally succumbed and collapsed with a crash. With the destruction of the array's core, the evil array that the Shadow Society had set up around the altar instantly became ineffective, and the power of the Shadow Society members' spells was also greatly reduced.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Yang increased his spiritual power output again and finally succeeded in removing the black crystal from the altar. As soon as the crystal left the altar, the light of the runes on the altar quickly dimmed, and the ritual was forced to stop.

Seeing this, the leader of the Shadow Society roared in fury: "You damned bastards, how dare you ruin our plans!" He charged toward Lin Yang recklessly, his weapon flashing with a frenzied light.

Lin Yang handed the black crystal to the Linghe Merchant Guild member beside him, then turned to face the leader of the "Shadow Society." He unleashed his strongest sword technique, engaging the leader in a life-or-death duel.

The two figures clashed before the altar, their swords and weapons exchanging dazzling sparks. The leader of the "Shadow Society" was incredibly powerful; each of his attacks contained destructive force. However, Lin Yang, relying on the power of the mysterious light and his unwavering will, repeatedly withstood the attacks and sought opportunities to counterattack.

During the fierce exchange, Lin Yang noticed that the leader would briefly expose an opening in his chest when he attacked. He seized the opportunity, and as the leader launched another attack, Lin Yang skillfully dodged the attack and then swiftly thrust his sword into the leader's chest.

The leader of the Shadow Society was unable to dodge in time and was stabbed in the chest by Lin Yang's sword. He spat out a mouthful of blood, swayed a few times, and then collapsed to the ground.

Upon seeing their leader fall, the Shadow Society members were thrown into chaos. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Shadow Society launched a final attack, and the members were routed, scattering in all directions.

After successfully thwarting the Shadow Society's ritual, the group remained vigilant. They knew that although the Shadow Society's plan had failed this time, they would not give up easily. Lin Yang and the others quickly left the abandoned ancient city and returned to the Spirit Ruins Market.

Upon returning to the Lingxu Market, Lin Yang entrusted the black crystal to the experts of Wanbaoge for research, hoping to find a way to completely eliminate the "Shadow Society." Meanwhile, the various factions in the Lingxu Market did not relax their defenses, continuing to strengthen their vigilance and preparing for any possible retaliation from the "Shadow Society."

Having weathered this crisis, the Lingxu Market is now more united than ever. All factions understand that only through collective effort can they protect their home and resist the threat of evil forces like the "Shadow Society." Meanwhile, the remnants of the "Shadow Society" are lurking in the shadows, plotting new schemes, and an even greater storm may be brewing. But the people of Lingxu Market are prepared; they will meet future challenges with unwavering faith and indomitable fighting spirit.