Chapter 43: The Challenge of the Ice Tomb Puzzle

Inside the ice tomb, Kyle and the others watched as the ice layers on the surviving members of the Lingyao Clan were melting slowly, and they were filled with anxiety. Just as they were racking their brains to think of other ways to rescue them, a translucent blue humanoid figure suddenly emerged from the depths of the ice tomb. It emitted a cold aura, with a faint blue light surrounding its body, and its eyes revealed vigilance and hostility.

"Who are you? Why did you break into this ice tomb and disturb the sleeping ones?" The figure spoke in a cold voice that echoed in the ice tomb.

Kyle took a step forward and said politely, "We are adventurers from afar. We have no intention of offending. We discovered this ice tomb and the Lingyao Clan survivors sealed in the ice. We are determined to rescue them. I hope you can trust us."

However, the Ice Spirit remained unmoved. It said stubbornly, "Over the years, countless people with ill intentions have tried to break into the ice tomb and destroy everything here. As the guardian spirit of the ice tomb, I will never let you succeed." With that, the Ice Spirit waved its hands, and the surrounding cold air quickly condensed, forming countless sharp ice spikes that shot towards the main characters.

Kyle quickly gathered the stardust power and formed a protective barrier in front of everyone, blocking the attack of the ice spikes. Elsa also cast her ice magic, trying to communicate with the Ice Spirit and resolve this misunderstanding. "We really have no ill intentions. We have already learned about the plight of the Lingyao Clan and are working hard to find a way to rescue the survivors."

However, the Ice Spirit didn't believe them and continued to launch attacks. Morgan activated his illusion ability, trying to interfere with the Ice Spirit's actions. But the Ice Spirit was extremely sensitive to the surrounding cold air. Before Morgan's illusions could get close, they were dispersed by the cold air it controlled. Cavin observed the Ice Spirit's attack pattern on the side, trying to find its weakness.

"This Ice Spirit is very powerful and is highly wary of us. This won't work if it goes on like this," Cavin shouted.

The battle lasted for a while, and both sides reached a stalemate. While resisting the Ice Spirit's attacks, Kyle was also thinking about how to make the Ice Spirit believe their intentions. Suddenly, he had an idea and shouted to the Ice Spirit, "Look, we have already found some clues to unlock the ice tomb and have been trying various methods. If we were here to destroy it, why would we go to so much trouble?"

As he spoke, Kyle took out the scales of the Ice-Winged Snow Dragon that they had collected before and showed them to the Ice Spirit. "These scales helped us open the top of the ice tomb. We truly want to help the surviving members of the Lingyao Clan."

The Ice Spirit's attack paused slightly, and the hostility in its eyes seemed to weaken. Taking this opportunity, Elsa said, "We are willing to help you repair your damaged guarding power. In exchange, can you give us some hints to help us solve the puzzles in the ice tomb and rescue these survivors?"

The Ice Spirit was silent for a moment, as if thinking about Elsa's proposal. Finally, it said slowly, "If you can really help me repair my guarding power, I can give you some guidance. But if you have any improper behavior, I will never show mercy."

The main characters exchanged a look and nodded in agreement. The Ice Spirit told them that the puzzles in the ice tomb were closely related to the history of the Lingyao Clan, the stardust power, and the cold energy. To rescue the survivors, they had to touch the ice sculptures in the ice tomb in a specific order and, at the same time, decipher the deep meaning of the ancient characters.

Under the guidance of the Ice Spirit, the main characters came to a corner of the ice tomb, where a row of ice sculptures was placed. The Ice Spirit pointed at the ice sculptures and said, "These ice sculptures represent important events in the history of the Lingyao Clan. You must touch them in the correct order to activate the energy in the ice tomb."

Kyle carefully observed the ice sculptures and found that each ice sculpture was engraved with some small runes. Cavin stepped forward and began to decipher these runes. After some research, he found that the runes recorded the interactions between the Lingyao Clan and the stardust power and cold energy in different periods.

"I think I understand," Cavin said. "The order of these ice sculptures should be arranged according to the development process of the Lingyao Clan's mastery of the stardust power and cold energy."

Everyone began to try touching the ice sculptures according to Cavin's inference. However, when they touched them for the first time, there was no reaction. The Ice Spirit reminded them, "Your order might be wrong. The timing of touching each ice sculpture is also crucial. You must touch it when the cold energy and stardust power reach a certain balance to activate the correct energy."

The main characters fell into deep thought. They realized that this puzzle was much more complicated than they had imagined. Kyle concentrated his mind and felt the flow of the surrounding cold energy and stardust power. Elsa used her ice magic to adjust the intensity of the cold energy. Morgan and Cavin assisted on the side, constantly observing the changes in the runes on the ice sculptures.

After many attempts, they finally found the correct order and timing. When the last ice sculpture was touched, a low rumbling sound echoed in the ice tomb, and a blue light shot out from the ice sculpture and converged in the center of the ice tomb.

"Well done," the Ice Spirit said. "But this is just the first step. Next, you need to decipher the deep meaning of those ancient characters and find the key to unlocking the seals of the survivors."

The Ice Spirit led the main characters to the wall of the ice tomb, which was engraved with dense ancient characters. These characters were similar to those seen on the ice sculptures and runes before but were even more complex. Cavin began to decipher these characters again. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and he was fully focused.

As time passed, Cavin finally made some progress. "These characters record the ceremony of the Lingyao Clan sealing the survivors and the method of waking them up. But a part of the content seems to be missing. We need to find the missing part to fully decipher it."

The main characters searched everywhere in the ice tomb, hoping to find the missing clues. Morgan found a broken ice block in a hidden corner, and there seemed to be some characters engraved on the ice block. He quickly called the others over.

Cavin carefully studied the characters on the ice block. After some piecing together and deciphering, he finally fully understood the method of waking up the survivors. However, this method required a powerful stardust power and cold energy as support, and their current power was still far from enough.

At this time, the Ice Spirit said, "To obtain enough power, you need to help me repair my guarding power. In the depths of the ice tomb, there is an energy source that has been eroded by time, resulting in the damage to my guarding power. If you can repair it, you can not only help me but also obtain enough power to wake up the survivors."

The main characters didn't hesitate to decide to help the Ice Spirit. Under the guidance of the Ice Spirit, they came to the depths of the ice tomb. There was a huge ice cave here, which emitted a powerful cold energy, but the energy fluctuations were very chaotic.

Kyle and the others began to repair the energy source according to the Ice Spirit's instructions. Kyle used the stardust power to stabilize the flow of energy, and Elsa used her ice magic to repair the damaged ice walls. Morgan and Cavin assisted on the side, clearing away the surrounding debris.

After some efforts, the energy source gradually returned to stability, and the Ice Spirit's guarding power was also enhanced. At the same time, the main characters also felt a powerful force surging into their bodies.

"Now, you have enough power to wake up the survivors," the Ice Spirit said. "Follow the method deciphered before and complete the final ceremony."

Kyle and the others returned to the center of the ice tomb and began the ceremony of waking up the survivors according to the method recorded in the ancient characters. Kyle released a powerful stardust power, and Elsa guided the cold energy to merge with it. Under the action of the powerful force, the ice layers on the surviving members of the Lingyao Clan began to melt rapidly.

As the ice layers melted, the faces of the surviving members of the Lingyao Clan gradually regained their ruddy complexion, and their breathing became steady. The main characters watched all this nervously, filled with anticipation. However, just as the ice layers were about to completely melt, something abnormal happened during the ceremony, and a powerful backlash force rushed towards the main characters...