Rise of the Otherworld.

Zhang Hao's longsword, brimming with immense spiritual power, pierced the ice beast's chest like a black meteor, its force piercing the crack in its chest with unwavering force. The ice beast, as if sensing a fatal threat, twisted its massive body, its muscles tensing as it swiftly attempted to evade the devastating blow. Its tense breathing could be heard in the air, echoing like the beat of a heavy drum in the narrow space. However, Zhang Hao's attack was swift and precise, and his longsword managed to penetrate the crack just slightly. The ice beast roared in agony, its voice filled with rage and resentment, like a hammer, striking the hearts of the crowd. With this roar, more cracks appeared in the ice armor on its chest, spreading like a spiderweb.

The old man's fire spell followed closely behind, hurling itself at the ice beast's chest like a surging wave of flame. The intense heat spread instantly, threatening to reduce everything around it to ash. The ice armor sizzled under the scorching flames, melting rapidly like grease on a hot pan. The pungent smell filled the air, causing one to frown. The woman's ice spear also carried a powerful impact, slamming into the ice beast's chest like a cannonball. The cracks in the armor widened, sending shards of ice flying, gleaming coldly in the dim light.

The ice beast, enraged to the point of rage, pawed the ground furiously with its hooves, shattering the solid ice and sending bullets flying in all directions. Immediately, a faint blue light emanated from it, like a deep ocean, emitting a chilling aura. A powerful surge of icy spiritual energy rapidly spread from the ice beast, sweeping across the entire frozen lake like an invisible storm. The waters of the lake began to churn violently, the once calm surface instantly becoming turbulent. Masses of ice rose from the surface, forming various shapes, some like sharp daggers, others like massive shields. They surrounded the ice beast like a group of guards on standby, ready to attack their master at any moment's command.

"Oh no, it's about to launch a stronger attack!" The mysterious man shouted, his voice carrying a hint of nervousness and alertness. He knew very well that the upcoming attack would be extremely powerful, and that everyone could be in dire straits if they weren't careful. He quickly reinforced the earth wall around everyone, quickly forming seals with his hands and muttering something. As he moved, the earth wall quickly became thicker and taller, and the surface was gleaming with the light of earth runes. Those runes seemed to come alive, gleaming with mysterious power. Lingyu also controlled the wind spiritual power to form a rotating wind shield outside the earth wall. The wind shield whirred like a huge whirlpool, trying to cushion the impending attack. The wind spiritual power and the earth spiritual power intertwined to form a solid line of defense to protect everyone.

The ice beast roared, a roar that seemed to pierce everyone's souls and send tremors through their bodies. Ice chunks shot towards them like cannonballs, swiftly leaving them with little time to react. With overwhelming force, these ice chunks collided with the earthen walls and wind shields, creating a deafening sound as if the entire world were collapsing. The earthen walls trembled under the fierce impact, and the rune lights flickered, as if ready to go out at any moment. While the wind shield's powerful force could deflect some of the ice chunks, a large number still broke through the defenses and rained down upon the group.

Zhang Hao and his companions defended themselves with all their might against the attack, their spiritual shields gleaming as they withstood immense pressure. Under the impact of the ice, the shields tottered like a small boat in a storm. Suddenly, a massive block of ice broke through the layers of defense and, like a ferocious beast, hurled itself towards Zhang Hao. Unable to dodge, the ice grazed his shoulder, sending him flying like a kite with its string cut, landing heavily on the ground. His body slid a distance across the ground, leaving a deep mark.

"Zhang Hao!" everyone exclaimed, their voices filled with worry and concern. The woman quickly cast a healing spell, her hands gleaming with a soft light. A warm glow, like a spring breeze, enveloped Zhang Hao, alleviating his injuries. Zhang Hao gritted his teeth and stood up. His face was slightly pale, but his eyes were filled with determination, as if burning with an eternal flame. "I'm fine. Everyone, keep fighting. We can't fall here!" His voice, though slightly hoarse from the pain, was firm and powerful, like a shot of adrenaline in the arm for everyone.

At this moment, the ice beast attacked again, and another ice storm arrived. This time, the storm was more violent than before, with more ice, faster speed, and greater force. Everyone knew they could no longer passively accept the attack and must take the initiative, looking for opportunities to counterattack. The old man manipulated the flames to resist the ice while looking for a chance to attack the ice beast. His eyes were fixed on the ice beast, like a falcon watching its prey, not missing a single detail. He watched the moment the ice beast opened its mouth again, ready to spit out an ice cone, and accurately fired a fire spell into the ice beast's mouth. The flames raged in the ice beast's mouth like a ferocious fire dragon. The ice beast roared in pain, its body trembling violently, and a large amount of water vapor spewed from its mouth, like a volcano about to erupt.

Taking advantage of the ice beast's brief moment of confusion, Zhang Hao and Ling Yu exchanged a glance, understanding each other's intentions as they launched their attacks simultaneously. Using his agility, Zhang Hao quickly approached the ice beast like a ghost, his figure flashing across the ice, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. Ling Yu controlled the wind blades, countless of which, like a swarm of angry bees, attacked the ice beast, shielding Zhang Hao's movements. The wind blades left scars on the ice beast's body. While these scars weren't fatal to the ice beast, they distracted it. Zhang Hao targeted the largest crack on the ice beast's chest and thrust his sword in again, then swung it with all his might. This strike exhausted all his strength, and the sword writhed in the wound on the ice beast's chest, causing the ice beast to let out a shrill scream that echoed throughout the passage, chilling everyone's blood.

The ice armor on the ice beast's chest finally shattered, revealing the soft flesh beneath. The flesh trembled slightly in the cold air, as if telling of the ice beast's pain. The woman seized the opportunity, condensing multiple ice spikes and raining them down upon the ice beast's wounds. The ice spikes, with a piercing chill, pierced the ice beast's wounds with pinpoint precision. Under the combined attack of the crowd, the ice beast finally collapsed, collapsing into a pool of icy water. The pool of icy water spread across the ground, as if announcing the ice beast's defeat.

Everyone looked at each other wearily, their clothes tattered and their bodies covered in scars. Although they had defeated the ice beast, time had also passed in this fierce battle. Not daring to delay, they hurried towards the island in the center of the lake, hoping to quickly find the key. They knew that time was running out and more challenges awaited them...