Deep in the temple, a strange energy wave spread out, the ground began to shake violently, cracks spread like spider webs, and ice crystals on the wall fell down, making a crisp shattering sound. Mark, who was originally unconscious, woke up in the vibration. He groaned and struggled to get up from the ground. The world in front of him was blurred, and dust and blood covered his face. He shook his head and tried to wake himself up. His vision gradually became clear, and he saw Albert's tree-man body standing beside the corpse of the giant beast not far away, like a silent guardian. "Albert..." Mark called in a low voice, enduring the severe pain in his body like a burning fire, and moved step by step to Albert's side. He reached out to touch Albert, but was worried about disturbing him. Albert was motionless, like a sculpture, and only the slightly swaying branches on his body showed that he was still alive.
Mark carefully observed Albert and found that the green light on his body was more intense than before, and the stone slab behind him could no longer suppress the energy of the tree man.
Mark breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Albert should have turned into a tree again. As long as he was alive, there was hope.
Suddenly, a huge crack appeared in the ground, and the dark abyss seemed like a giant beast opening its bloody mouth. Before Mark could react, he fell into the abyss with Albert and the body of the giant beast. During the fall, the wind was howling and the gravel was flying. Mark held on to Albert's trunk tightly, and the black substance turned into a ball, wrapping up the two of them. He was filled with fear and despair, but he could only close his eyes tightly and pray for a miracle. After an unknown amount of time, the downward trend finally stopped. The black ball fell heavily on a hard plane, making a muffled sound. The ball broke into countless pieces and quickly merged into Mark's body. Mark felt that his bones were about to fall apart. He clenched his teeth, endured the severe pain, and slowly opened his eyes. This is a huge underground cave, and the walls around it are engraved with strange runes, flashing with a faint light. In the center of the cave, an altar radiated dazzling light, like a beacon in the dark, guiding lost travelers. Mark and Albert fell on the altar.
The light on the altar enveloped them, and a mysterious power poured into their bodies, repairing their injuries. The wounds on Mark's body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, the broken bones were reconnected, the pain gradually disappeared, and was replaced by a warm and comfortable feeling.
The light of the altar gradually intensified, and the green light on Albert's body became more dazzling. The branches that were originally like dead wood were stimulated by the light of the altar, and tender green leaves grew, which appeared crystal clear under the light. The tender green leaves spread along Albert's body, and soon formed a green armor, isolating Albert from the light of the altar.
Mark felt a powerful energy pouring into his body from the altar, which not only healed the injuries left by the battle, but also strengthened his strength. But he felt that the flow of black matter in his body became slow, as if it was incompatible with this energy.
In the center of the altar, a fragment of holy stone emitting soft white light slowly rose up, emitting powerful energy fluctuations, like the beating of a heart, impacting the surrounding space one by one. At the same time, a gap opened at some point in the top of the cave, and a beam of moonlight happened to shine down and fell on the fragment of holy stone. After the fragment of holy stone absorbed the moonlight, the light became more dazzling, like a dazzling sun, emitting a light that was impossible to look directly at. A strong suction came from the fragment, pulling Mark towards the fragment.
Mark tried to stabilize his body and control the black matter in his body to form resistance, but found that the suction was too strong to resist. He could only watch himself getting closer and closer to the fragment of holy stone. The moment he touched the fragment, he felt a blur in his consciousness, and countless pictures flashed in his mind, spinning rapidly like a revolving lantern. Ancient prophecies, whispers of gods, the destruction of the world... These fragmented and disorderly pictures impacted his consciousness, making him feel a splitting headache.
After an unknown amount of time, Mark woke up again and found himself in a white space, with nothing around him, as if he was in a chaotic void.
He turned around and looked around, but Albert was nowhere to be found.
"Albert? Where are you?"
Mark's voice echoed in the space, but no one answered.
Just then, an illusory figure appeared in front of them, and the figure gradually solidified, revealing Selina's familiar face. Selina looked at them, her eyes full of sadness and helplessness.
"Long time no see, my friend." She spoke softly, her voice like a valley orchid, with a hint of sadness.
"Selina!" Mark's eyes were full of surprise. "The Ice and Snow Goddess is really you!!"
Selina smiled slightly, but her smile was bitter. "I'm sorry to meet you in this way. When you see this image, I should have been dead."
She paused and continued, "I have to tell you something about his conspiracy."