The exploration team slowly descended the steps. The surrounding fog grew thicker, reducing visibility to almost nothing; they could only perceive their surroundings through spiritual energy. The steps were covered with obscure and difficult-to-understand runes, and with each step, they could feel a mysterious power surging beneath their feet.

As they ventured deeper, a chill gradually crept in, seemingly piercing their very bones. The experts from the Linghe Merchant Guild took out their warming magical artifacts to ward off the cold. At the same time, they vigilantly observed their surroundings, prepared for any unforeseen dangers that might suddenly appear.

As they reached the top of the stairs, a vast underground space appeared before them. The space was filled with a ghostly blue light, the source of which was a massive stone platform suspended in mid-air. On the platform lay a crystal coffin radiating a soft glow, and within it seemed to be a blurry figure.

"Be careful, this place is strange," an elder of the Spirit Sword Sect whispered a warning. The group slowly approached the stone platform, their eyes fixed on the crystal coffin. Just as they were about ten meters from the platform, suddenly, a swarm of eerie blue ghosts surged forth from all directions. These ghosts moved erratically, emitting chilling cries, and pounced on the exploration team.

The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect quickly formed a sword formation, their sword energy crisscrossing, attempting to annihilate the ghosts. However, the ghosts were illusory, and the sword energy passed through their bodies without causing any real damage.

The disciples of Wanbaoge used their magical artifacts to launch attacks. The flames spewed from the "Flame Dragon Cauldron" burned the ghosts, but only made the ghosts' figures pause slightly; the lightning power released by the "Nine Heavens Thunder Pearl" flickered among the ghosts, but it was also ineffective.

Seeing this, the experts of the Linghe Merchant Guild cast various spells. They tried to use "binding spells" to restrain the ghosts' movements, but found that the ghosts could easily break free. Just when everyone was at a loss, one of the experts of the guild had a flash of inspiration and said, "These ghosts seem to be invisible, but perhaps they react to some kind of special spiritual energy fluctuation. Let's try changing the frequency of the spiritual energy."

The disciples of Wanbaoge immediately adjusted the frequency of the spiritual energy output from their magical artifacts. At the same time, the sword cultivators also circulated their spiritual energy, altering the fluctuations of their sword energy. This time, when the sword energy and magical artifact attacks came into contact with the ghosts, the ghosts let out painful cries, and their forms began to dissipate.

With the combined attack of the group, the number of ghosts gradually decreased. However, at that moment, the figure inside the crystal coffin suddenly moved. Immediately afterwards, a powerful mental shockwave erupted from the crystal coffin, sweeping towards the exploration team.

Everyone felt a sharp pain in their heads, as if countless needles were piercing them. Lin Yang activated the power of the mysterious light point, forming a mental shield that withstood part of the impact. He shouted, "Everyone, hold on! Concentrate and resist this mental force!"

The experts from the Linghe Chamber of Commerce cast mental spells to enhance everyone's mental defenses. The sword cultivators of the Lingjian Sect steadied their mental defenses by circulating spiritual energy. The disciples of the Wanbao Pavilion also channeled their spiritual energy into their magical artifacts, using their power to resist mental attacks.

With everyone's efforts, they finally withstood the mental attack. However, the lid of the crystal coffin slowly opened, and a cultivator dressed in an ancient robe slowly sat up. His face was as pale as snow, and his eyes revealed a trace of confusion and indifference.

"Why have you trespassed into this place?" The voice of the ancient cultivator echoed in the space, as if it came from a distant place.

Lin Yang stepped forward and said respectfully, "Senior, we come from the Spirit Ruins Market. We have come here after many hardships in order to find a way to restrain the dark power of the 'Shadow Society'. We have no intention of offending you, and we hope that you can enlighten us."

The ancient cultivator remained silent for a moment before saying, "'The Shadow Society'? I didn't expect such an evil organization to still exist. Well, since you've managed to come here, you must have some luck."

With a wave of his hand, illusory images appeared in the surrounding space. These images depicted an ancient history: long ago, an evil force similar to the "Shadow Society" existed on this continent. To combat this evil, the cultivators of that time left behind a mysterious magical artifact in this ruin, an artifact possessing the powerful ability to suppress dark forces.

“That magical artifact is hidden deep within this space, but it is surrounded by numerous traps and dangers. If you can find and obtain it, you might be able to fight against the ‘Shadow Society’,” the ancient cultivator said.

Upon hearing this, the exploration team's eyes filled with hope. After thanking the ancient cultivator, they prepared to continue their search for magical treasures. The ancient cultivator watched their retreating figures, sighed softly, seemingly lost in thought.

The exploration team followed the directions given by the ancient cultivators, encountering numerous traps and mechanisms along the way. In some places, the ground suddenly collapsed, revealing bottomless abysses; in other places, countless sharp hidden weapons shot out from the walls.

The experts from the Linghe Chamber of Commerce, with their understanding of mechanisms, continuously deciphered the traps. They carefully observed the surrounding environment, searching for the trigger points of the mechanisms and methods to break them. When encountering traps where the ground collapsed, they used earth magic to stabilize the ground; when faced with flying projectiles, the disciples of Wanbaoge manipulated magical artifacts to form shields, protecting everyone.

The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect led the way, vigilantly observing their surroundings and ready to respond to any potential dangers. Their sword energy severed some hidden mechanisms and ropes, preventing further harm.

After a difficult journey, the exploration team finally arrived at a huge cave. The cave was filled with intense spiritual energy, suggesting that a mysterious artifact might be hidden within. However, the cave entrance was blocked by a powerful spiritual barrier.

The experts from the Linghe Chamber of Commerce took out their detection artifacts to study the composition of the spiritual energy barrier. They discovered that the barrier was made up of various interwoven spiritual energies, requiring a specific combination of these energies to break through.

The disciples of Wanbaoge and the experts of the Merchant Guild worked together, experimenting with various combinations of spiritual energy. After countless attempts, they finally found the correct method to break the barrier. As spiritual energy was injected, the spiritual energy barrier gradually dissipated, and the exploration team stepped into the cave.

The cave was ablaze with light, and in its center, a magical artifact radiating multicolored light floated in the air. This artifact resembled a longsword, its blade surrounded by mysterious runes that shimmered with immense power. The exploration team had finally found the legendary artifact that could suppress the power of darkness, but whether they could successfully retrieve it remained to be seen. A powerful protective force was subtly surging around the artifact, signaling the imminent arrival of a new challenge.