The ice sculpture shattered, and countless ice shards imbued with runic power shot towards the demonic shadow like projectiles. Bound by the storm vortex, the demonic shadow could hardly dodge the sudden attack of ice shards. The ice shards pierced its body, causing it to roar in pain, and its body, which had originally exuded a powerful evil aura, trembled slightly.

The woman in white, drawing upon the power of runes, elevated her fire attacks to new heights, unleashing the "Blazing Sun Heaven-Burning Technique - Ultimate." The already blazing sun in the sky became even hotter and more dazzling, flames pouring down like a celestial river, completely engulfing the demonic shadow. Flames and ice shards intertwined on the demonic shadow, the clashing of fire and ice creating powerful energy fluctuations that shook the entire palace to the point of collapse.

The female general and the Blood Shadow Sect woman seized the opportunity and attacked simultaneously. The female general's spear burst forth with dazzling light as she unleashed the "Dragon Flame Demon-Slaying Spear," its tip spitting flames like a dragon, piercing straight at the demonic shadow. The Blood Shadow Sect woman, meanwhile, infused her soft whip with runic power, instantly hardening it like iron. She swung the whip, using the "Blood Shadow Demon-Binding Whip" technique to entangle the demonic shadow's arm, attempting to immobilize it so that the female general's attack could strike a vital point.

The demonic shadow sensed an unprecedented crisis and struggled with all its might. Black demonic energy surged wildly, attempting to break through the encirclement of the storm vortex, flames, and ice shards. The storm vortex shook violently from the impact of the demonic energy, and the flames were also forced back somewhat, but the group did not give up and continued to unleash their attacks with all their might.

The mysterious swordsman had been observing the demonic figure's movements. He noticed a slight disturbance in the flow of demonic energy at the figure's chest as it parried the attacks. Knowing this was a golden opportunity, he immediately unleashed "Sword Piercing the Sky - Deadly Strike." The mysterious swordsman transformed into a streak of light, his sword gleaming with runic light, shooting towards the demonic figure's chest like a shooting star.

Just as the mysterious swordsman's sword was about to pierce the demonic shadow's chest, the shadow seemed to sense the fatal threat. It twisted its body forcefully, causing the sword to deflect, merely grazing its chest and leaving a deep wound. Nevertheless, the sword still severely injured the demonic shadow, and a large amount of black demonic energy surged from the wound.

After being injured, the demonic shadow became even more frenzied. It recklessly broke free from the Blood Shadow Sect woman's soft whip, and with a swing of its arm, sent the female general flying. The female general spat out a mouthful of blood in mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground. Seeing this, the Blood Shadow Sect woman rushed over to check on the female general's injuries.

Seeing the female general injured, Lin Feng was filled with rage. He gathered all his spiritual power and runic power into the Ice Halberd, unleashing his strongest attack, "Ice Annihilation of Heaven and Earth." Mysterious runic patterns appeared on the Ice Halberd, and a huge pillar of ice-blue light shot out from the tip of the halberd, like a giant blade that split the heavens, slashing towards the demonic shadow.

At the same time, Xuanfeng unleashed "Wind's Funeral Song - Forbidden Spell," a forbidden spell he had never used before. He forcibly condensed the wind elements throughout the space, forming a massive wind cage that trapped the demonic shadow within, continuously compressing it in an attempt to shred it. Su Ran also cast "Ice Prison Reincarnation," creating a massive ice vortex beneath the demonic shadow's feet, constantly pulling its body downwards. The woman in white compressed her flames into a giant fireball, unleashing "Flame Burst Impact" at the demonic shadow.

Enveloped by the barrage of attacks, the demonic shadow let out a deafening roar. Its demonic energy clashed violently with the combined power of the attacks, creating a dazzling display of light and overflowing energy. The palace walls and floor crumbled and shattered, and the crowd, under the immense pressure of the energy surge, struggled to breathe.

But everyone understood that they couldn't give up now. Empowered by the runes, their attacks grew stronger. The demonic shadow's resistance gradually weakened, and cracks began to appear on its body, from which black demonic energy leaked continuously.

Finally, under the combined attack of everyone, the demonic shadow let out a defiant roar and its body exploded. A powerful shockwave spread outwards, and everyone quickly circulated their spiritual energy to defend themselves. Fortunately, protected by the power of the runes, they only suffered minor injuries.

As the demonic shadow vanished, the demonic energy within the palace gradually dissipated, and the light of the "Spiritual Scripture" dimmed, slowly settling to the ground. Looking at the "Spiritual Scripture" on the ground, everyone was filled with mixed emotions. They had nearly lost their lives in this arduous battle, but ultimately succeeded in defeating the demonic shadow.

However, a new question arose in everyone's minds: who would possess the "Spiritual Firmament." Lin Feng looked at the "Spiritual Firmament," recalling his arduous journey. To increase his strength and protect those around him, he had endured countless hardships, and he felt he deserved to possess it. Xuan Feng, on the other hand, believed he had also contributed to the victory in this battle.

Xuanfeng believed that he had also contributed a great deal in this battle, and that his sect had always been dedicated to studying various mysterious cultivation techniques. If the "Lingxiao Sacred Scripture" could be brought back to the sect, it would surely allow the sect to make further progress on the path of cultivation and make a greater contribution to the entire cultivation world. Therefore, he felt that he also had a strong desire for the "Lingxiao Sacred Scripture".

Su Ran recalled her struggles to survive in her previous predicament and the many efforts she made to become stronger. In this battle against the Demon Shadow, she also played an important role, using her ice-type spiritual power to help everyone restrict the Demon Shadow's movements on multiple occasions. She felt that the "Lingxiao Holy Scripture" might be able to help her unlock more mysteries of ice-type spiritual power and improve her strength to cope with unknown dangers in the future. Therefore, she also believed that she had a reason to obtain the "Lingxiao Holy Scripture".

The woman in white gazed at the "Spiritual Cloud Scripture" radiating a mysterious light on the ground. She came from a family of fire-based cultivators, whose members had always longed for a top-tier cultivation technique to revitalize the family. In this battle, she had severely injured the Demon Shadow with her powerful fire attacks. If she could obtain the "Spiritual Cloud Scripture," it might be able to help her family escape their current predicament and achieve glory. Therefore, she did not want to give up her pursuit of the "Spiritual Cloud Scripture."

The female general's injuries had eased slightly. She stood up, her gaze resolute as she looked at the crowd. Having protected her country for many years, she deeply understood the importance of strength in defending the nation. If she could obtain the "Lingxiao Sacred Scripture," thoroughly study it, and pass it on to the soldiers, it would undoubtedly enhance the army's overall strength, better resist foreign invasion, and protect the peace of the people. Therefore, she felt it was perfectly reasonable for her to vie for the "Lingxiao Sacred Scripture."

The woman from the Blood Shadow Sect reflected on how the sect had always been seen as an outcast by other sects, hindering its development. She believed the "Spiritual Firmament Scripture" might be the key to changing the sect's fate, allowing it to gain its rightful place in the cultivation world. Having fought alongside others and made significant efforts in this battle, she was determined to claim ownership of the "Spiritual Firmament Scripture."

The mysterious swordsman, observing the diverse thoughts among the crowd, sighed inwardly. He hadn't been particularly attached to the "Spiritual Firmament," focusing solely on achieving the pinnacle of swordsmanship. However, he understood that if the "Spiritual Firmament" caused conflict among them, it could easily lead to infighting and render all their previous efforts futile. Therefore, he spoke up: "Gentlemen, we have just endured a life-or-death battle with the Demon Shadow. It would be a waste to turn against each other over the 'Spiritual Firmament.' Let's discuss a fair way to determine its ownership."

Lin Feng nodded and said, "What the mysterious swordsman said is very true, but I wonder what method would be considered fair?"

Xuanfeng pondered for a moment and said, "How about we decide by competition? Each of us will use our unique skills, and the people present will judge who is stronger. The 'Lingxiao Sacred Scripture' will then belong to them."

Su Ran frowned: "This doesn't seem fair. Everyone has different strengths, and it's inevitable that there will be bias if the winner is determined solely by a competition."

The woman in white chimed in, "Miss Su Ran is right. For example, I am skilled in fire attacks. If I encounter an opponent who is better at defense in a competition, I may not be able to show my true strength. The result of such a competition would be difficult to convince the public."

After pondering for a moment, the female general said, "In that case, why don't we have a comprehensive test? Let's set up several different tests, covering aspects such as the application of spiritual power, adaptability, and strategic wisdom, to fully assess everyone's abilities. Ultimately, the ownership of the 'Spiritual Firmament' will be determined based on the overall scores of all the tests."

After listening to the female general's suggestion, everyone agreed that it made sense and began to discuss the specific tests. After some discussion, they decided to set up three tests.

The first test was "Spiritual Power Control." In a corner of the palace, there were some specially made crystal balls, which were extremely sensitive to spiritual power. Everyone had to take turns injecting spiritual power into the crystal balls, and judge the purity, control, and uniqueness of the spiritual power based on the crystal balls' reactions.

The woman from the Blood Shadow Sect stepped forward first, channeling the sect's unique spiritual power into the crystal ball. The crystal ball initially glowed with a faint blood-red light, and as the light flickered, faint blood shadows appeared. It seemed as if blood was flowing within the crystal ball, demonstrating the unique and eerie nature of her spiritual power. However, in terms of the purity of her spiritual power, it was slightly inferior compared to some others who specialized in cultivating the purity of their spiritual power.

Next, the woman in white infused the crystal ball with her fiery spiritual energy. Instantly, the crystal ball was engulfed in raging flames, the fire displaying a strange pale blue hue and reaching an extremely high temperature, igniting even the surrounding air. While the uniqueness and intensity of the spiritual energy were remarkable, her control was slightly flawed due to the violent nature of the flames.

Su Ran stepped forward, gathering her ice-elemental spiritual power and gently channeling it into the crystal ball. A magnificent [object/structure] quickly condensed within the crystal ball.