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The wind and sand gradually subsided, and the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the desolate Gobi Desert, dyeing the undulating sand dunes into a golden red. Mark helped Albert walk slowly. Every step Albert took affected his broken ribs, which made him pale and sweat.

"Hiss..." Albert suddenly groaned in pain, and his body shook involuntarily.

Mark hurriedly stopped, held Albert steady, and asked with concern: "What's wrong?"

Albert took a deep breath, endured the pain, and said: "The energy of the tree man began to be agitated again." He spoke in a very light voice, as if he would die at any time.

Mark then remembered that in the underground tomb before, Albert almost exhausted his life energy in order to protect himself. Without the replenishment of life energy, the alienation of the tree man began to relapse again.

He looked around, his eyes swept across the desolate Gobi Desert, hoping to find some place to stop and rest. There was no grass growing on the Gobi Desert, nothing but yellow sand and jagged rocks. In the distance, the rolling sand dunes were like sleeping beasts, lying quietly in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Just when Mark was about to give up, he suddenly found a dilapidated temple not far away. Most of the walls of the temple had collapsed, leaving only a few broken pillars supporting the crumbling roof. The tiles on the roof had long fallen off, revealing the mottled wooden beams inside.

"Look over there!" Mark pointed in the direction of the temple and said, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Albert looked in the direction of Mark's finger and saw the dilapidated temple. He nodded slightly in agreement. The two supported each other and walked towards the temple. Their steps were slow, and every step was extremely difficult. The wind and sand blew from time to time, rolling up the yellow sand all over the sky, hitting their faces, making them feel a burst of pain. Finally, they came to the temple. The gate of the temple had long been dilapidated, with only half of the door panel hanging precariously on the door frame. The door panel was covered with cracks and scratches, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

Mark gently pushed the door panel open, making a harsh "creaking" sound. The door panel opened in response, revealing the dim scene inside. The interior of the temple had long been dilapidated, with broken walls and scattered rubble everywhere. The ground was covered with thick dust, and the air was filled with a musty and dusty smell, which made people feel suffocated. Mark supported Albert and walked into the temple carefully. They looked around, their eyes swept through the dim temple, hoping to find something useful.

Suddenly, Mark's eyes were attracted by something. In the center of the temple, there was a strange statue of a god. The statue was carved from black stone, with a strange shape and a hideous face. It held a crystal in its hand, which emitted a faint light and was particularly eye-catching in the dim temple.

Mark's heart moved, and he realized that this crystal might contain energy. He hurriedly helped Albert to walk to the statue and carefully observed the crystal in his hand. The crystal was light blue, smooth like jade, and emitted a soft light. Although the light was weak, it gave people a feeling of vitality.

"This crystal... looks like a god stone." Mark whispered, with some doubts in his tone.

Albert also observed the crystal carefully, and he nodded slightly to show his agreement.

Mark carefully brought the fragment of the holy stone close to the crystal. The moment the two stones touched, the light of the crystal suddenly increased, like a small sun, illuminating the entire temple.

The fragment of the holy stone also began to absorb the energy of the crystal, and the light on the fragment gradually increased.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

The statue, which had closed its eyes, suddenly opened its eyes. Its eyes were red, like two burning flames, emitting a frightening light. Two red rays of light shot out from the eyes of the statue, enveloping Mark and Albert.

Mark felt a powerful force imprisoning him, making him unable to move. His heart was filled with fear, and he realized that he might have entered some forbidden area.

The statue slowly stood up and let out a low roar, which echoed in the temple like thunder. Its huge palm stretched out towards Mark and Albert, as if to grab them.

"Be careful!" Albert exclaimed, and pushed Mark away with all his strength.

Mark was pushed away by Albert and avoided the attack of the statue. He fell to the ground and rolled around awkwardly for several rounds before he could barely stabilize his body.

He raised his head and looked at the statue in horror. The statue's body was tall and mighty, like a hill, and its body was engraved with complex runes, which emitted a strange light, as if it contained some mysterious power.

The statue walked towards Mark step by step, and each step made a dull sound, like an earthquake, shaking the entire temple.