At this critical moment, Su Ran's voice resounded like a great bell throughout the ice chamber. Despite their injuries, the disciples' eyes were resolute, and they obeyed Su Ran's command without hesitation, gathering their spiritual power together.
Su Ran stood at the front of the crowd, her ice sword gleaming with an icy blue light. As she guided the spiritual energy gathered by the crowd, she chanted incantations and cast the high-level ice spell "Ice Soul Condensation Array." Centered on Su Ran, rings of icy blue runes slowly emerged, releasing a powerful suction force as they flickered, frantically drawing in the surrounding ice-type spiritual energy.
Sensing the threat of this powerful force, the black vines lunged forward even more frantically. The barbs on the vines gleamed with an eerie black light, like sharp daggers, attempting to tear through the group's defenses. However, Su Ran and the others remained steadfast and unmoved. As the rune light intensified, a massive ice-blue shield appeared around them. The black vines struck the shield with resounding thuds; the shield trembled slightly, yet remained steadfast and unbreakable.
Seeing its vine attack thwarted, the dark figure roared in fury. It blurred into a streak of black light, charging towards Su Ran and the others. Wherever it passed, the air seemed to tear apart, emitting a piercing shriek. Su Ran's eyes sharpened; she knew the dark figure was about to personally break the stalemate. She took a deep breath, gripped her ice sword, and perfectly fused her own spiritual power with the combined strength of the others, preparing to meet the dark figure's attack.
As the shadowy figure drew near, Su Ran swung his ice sword fiercely, unleashing a sword aura imbued with powerful ice-elemental energy. The sword aura, like a roaring ice dragon, lunged at the shadowy figure with bared fangs and claws. The shadowy figure, however, neither dodged nor evaded. He extended a black palm, from which a dense cloud of black mist surged. The mist rapidly condensed into a gigantic black hand, meeting the ice dragon head-on.
The ice dragon and the black hand collided, unleashing a burst of intense light. Instantly, spiritual energy surged throughout the ice chamber, ice shards mingling with black mist. The powerful impact shattered the surrounding ice, sending massive chunks of ice crashing down from the ceiling. Su Ran and the others struggled to maintain their ice-blue shields, barely managing to withstand the shockwave.
However, the shadowy figure was powerful and did not back down after the initial attack. He waved his hands again, and black mist surged towards Su Ran and the others like a tide. Various hideous ghost faces vaguely appeared within the mist, emitting shrill cries, attempting to disturb their minds. Su Ran sensed the shadowy figure's intention and shouted, "Everyone, calm yourselves! Don't be fooled by this illusion!" At the same time, she circulated her spiritual power, infusing the ice sword with the power of the "Heart-Cleansing Mantra." The ice sword's light became even purer, dispelling some of the black mist surrounding them.
The disciples also circulated their respective cultivation techniques to resist the illusions. They gritted their teeth, enduring the mental pressure, and continued to channel spiritual energy into Su Ran. With everyone's combined efforts, the ice-blue shield stabilized once more, resisting the erosion of the black mist.
Seeing his plan fail, a ruthless glint flashed in the shadowy figure's eyes. He rapidly formed hand seals and chanted a string of obscure incantations. As the incantation was uttered, the floor of the ice chamber began to tremble violently, and black cracks spread outwards. From the cracks poured countless black skeleton soldiers, wielding black bone blades, letting out sinister roars as they charged towards Su Ran and the others.
Su Ran frowned, watching the surging skeleton soldiers, knowing she could no longer afford to be passively defensive. She addressed the group, "Listen up, everyone! Spread out and use your best ice spells to attack the skeleton soldiers' joints and disrupt their rhythm!" The disciples obeyed and quickly dispersed.
The eldest disciple unleashed "Ice Shard Piercing," sending countless sharp ice shards erupting from the ground and hurtling towards the horde of skeletons. The shards precisely struck the skeletons' joints, and in an instant, skeletons fell one after another, the sound of shattering bones echoing throughout the air. The second senior sister then cast "Ice Flower Withering Spell," causing ice flowers to bloom amidst the skeletons. The blooming ice flowers released a powerful chill, freezing the surrounding skeletons into blocks of ice. The younger disciples were not to be outdone, each casting their own spells, sending ice arrows and ice balls flying towards the skeletons.
However, the skeleton soldiers were numerous, surging in wave after wave. Despite their valiant resistance, they were gradually becoming overwhelmed. Seeing the critical situation, Su Ran silently pondered a solution. Her gaze swept over the crystal ball of ice spirit energy floating in the center of the ice chamber, and suddenly an idea struck her.
While fending off the skeleton soldiers' attacks, Su Ran approached the Source of Ice Spirit. She knew that only by harnessing the power of the Source of Ice Spirit could she have a chance to turn the tide of battle. As Su Ran drew nearer to the Source of Ice Spirit, she sensed an even more powerful and purer ice-type spiritual energy.
As Su Ran approached the Source of Ice Spirit, the powerful and pure ice-type spiritual energy flowed into her meridians like a warm current. She could feel the will and expectations of the ice-type powerhouses from a thousand years ago contained within this power. Su Ran took a deep breath, attempting to establish a deeper connection with the Source of Ice Spirit, fusing her own spiritual energy with its power.
Just as Su Ran was struggling to fuse her powers, the skeleton soldiers had already broken through part of the group's defenses and charged towards her. Seeing this, the eldest disciple quickly cast "Ice Shield Protection," erecting a massive ice shield in front of Su Ran, temporarily blocking the skeleton soldiers' attacks. However, under the skeleton soldiers' frenzied attacks, cracks appeared on the ice shield.
Su Ran closed her eyes, her forehead covered in sweat. She was in the crucial stage of merging with the Source of Ice Spirit. The sounds of attacks and shouts from the outside world seemed to fade away as she immersed herself completely in the fusion with the power of the Ice Spirit. Suddenly, Su Ran felt a powerful force surge forth from the Source of Ice Spirit, coursing through her meridians and gradually merging with her own spiritual power.
When Su Ran opened her eyes again, they gleamed with an icy blue light, and she exuded an aura of awe. The ice sword in her hand shone brightly, its blade surrounded by wisps of icy spiritual energy. Su Ran gently swung the ice sword, unleashing a sword aura imbued with icy power. This sword aura was completely different from her previous attacks; wherever it passed, space seemed to freeze, instantly encasing the skeleton soldiers in ice, rendering them immobile.
Seeing Su Ran successfully fuse with the power of the Ice Spirit, the shadowy figure's eyes flashed with surprise and resentment. He intensified his control over the skeleton soldiers, who, disregarding the danger of being frozen, charged towards Su Ran relentlessly. Su Ran coldly snorted, his figure flashing like an icy blue lightning bolt, weaving through the horde of skeletons. With each swing of his sword, large numbers of skeletons were either slain or frozen.
Seeing Su Ran's incredible prowess, the disciples' morale soared. They cooperated with each other, attacking the skeleton soldiers even more fiercely. The eldest disciple unleashed "Ice Storm," a gale carrying ice that raged through the skeleton horde. The second senior sister assisted with "Ice Feather Arrow Rain," countless ice feathers shooting towards the skeletons like arrows. The younger disciples also used their respective strengths, their ice magic blooming brilliantly within the ice chamber.
With everyone working together, the skeleton soldiers' offensive was gradually contained. Seeing that the skeleton soldiers were difficult to defeat, the shadowy figure decided to deal with Su Ran himself. He flashed and instantly appeared in front of Su Ran, a black fist carrying powerful dark energy slamming towards her. Su Ran was fearless; she raised her ice sword and met the attack with "Ice Spirit Slash," which was infused with the power of ice spirits.
The ice sword collided with the shadowy figure's fist, unleashing a powerful burst of light. Within the light, the forces of ice and darkness clashed, relentlessly impacting the surrounding space. The walls of the ice chamber cracked further under the force of this powerful impact, sending shards of ice flying everywhere. Su Ran gritted her teeth, unleashing her full power of ice spirit to try and suppress the shadowy figure's dark power.
The shadowy figure sensed Su Ran's change and grew increasingly enraged. He abruptly increased his power, the dark energy surging like a tidal wave, gradually suppressing Su Ran's icy spirit power. Su Ran's body began to tremble slightly, but the determination in her eyes never wavered. She knew that if she retreated now, everyone would be doomed.
Just as Su Ran was about to give up, she suddenly felt a familiar power coming from behind her. It turned out that the disciples had gathered their last bit of spiritual energy and transferred it to Su Ran through their eldest brother. A warm current surged in Su Ran's heart, and she used this power to unleash her power once more, her icy spiritual energy instantly breaking through the suppression of the dark power of the shadow.
A powerful, icy-blue light erupted from Su Ran's body, illuminating the entire ice chamber like an icy-blue sun. Under this light, the dark figure let out a painful roar. Its form began to blur, as if it might vanish at any moment. Taking advantage of this, Su Ran unleashed his strongest attack—"Ice Spirit Annihilation Slash."
A massive, icy blue sword aura slashed towards the shadowy figure, freezing everything in its path. The figure tried to dodge, but it was too late. The sword aura struck him heavily, and the figure let out a shrill scream as his body shattered into countless black fragments, dissipating into the air.
As the shadows dissipated, the skeleton soldiers also lost control, turning into piles of broken bones scattered throughout the ice chamber. The ice chamber finally returned to calm, and everyone collapsed wearily to the ground, their faces beaming with the joy of surviving a catastrophe.
Su Ran slowly walked to the group and looked at them gratefully: "Thanks to everyone this time, I could not have defeated the shadow without your support."
The eldest brother said with a smile, "We are one..."
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