Chapter 47: The Challenge of the Temple

Kyle, Elsa, Morgan, and Cavin successfully collected the Thousand-Year Cold Crystal and the Heart of the Spirit Marsh. After a brief moment of joy, they were well aware that there was still a long way to go before they could purify the "Dark Erosion" energy and rescue the surviving members of the Lingyao Clan. At present, the ancient temple that housed the "Purifying Light" became their next objective. According to the vague clues provided by the Ice Spirit, the ancient temple was located in a mysterious forbidden area, surrounded by a powerful magical barrier, and it would not be easy to enter.

With firm determination, the four of them embarked on the journey to the ancient temple. Along the way, they traversed through intricate ice valleys. The cold wind howled in the valley, and the shrill sound of the wind was like the wailing of ghosts, making one's hair stand on end. The ice walls on both sides towered into the clouds, emitting a cold light under the refraction of the sunlight, as if they could collapse and bury them at any moment.

"The environment in this ice valley is extremely harsh. Everyone, be careful and don't get hit by the falling ice," Kyle said loudly, while vigilantly observing the area above and reminding his companions. Elsa closely followed behind Kyle, and her ice magic was always ready to deal with any unexpected situations. Morgan and Cavin took care of each other to ensure the safety of the rear of the team.

However, the danger came faster than they had imagined. Deep in the ice valley, a mysterious energy fluctuation suddenly swept in, instantly interfering with their magical perception. The light of the Thousand-Year Cold Crystal in Kyle's hand began to flicker unsteadily, as if it was resonating with this mysterious energy in some way. "This energy is not right. Everyone, focus and stabilize your own magic," Kyle shouted.

Just then, a huge Ice Rock Monster slowly emerged from the ice wall. It had a massive body, composed of hard ice and rocks. Every step it took made the ground tremble. The Ice Rock Monster's eyes flashed with an eerie green light. It opened its huge mouth and spat out a stream of icy rock spikes, shooting towards the main characters.

"Quick, dodge!" Elsa quickly cast her ice magic and erected a thick ice wall in front of everyone, blocking the attack of the rock spikes. Taking the opportunity, Kyle brandished his stardust long sword and charged towards the Ice Rock Monster. The stardust power on the sword blade shimmered with light as he tried to find the Ice Rock Monster's weak point. Morgan used his illusion ability to create multiple illusions around the Ice Rock Monster, interfering with its vision. Cavin stood at the rear, muttering incantations and casting supportive magic to enhance the strength of his companions.

During the intense battle, the interference of the mysterious energy became more and more intense. Kyle found that his stardust power was greatly restricted, and every attack became extremely difficult. The Ice Rock Monster also seemed to sense their predicament and launched more violent attacks. It suddenly waved its huge arm, shattering the ice wall and spitting out rock spikes again.

"This won't work. We have to find a way to get rid of the interference of this mysterious energy," Elsa said anxiously. While dodging the rock spikes, Kyle was thinking of a solution. Suddenly, he noticed that although the light of the Thousand-Year Cold Crystal was flickering under the impact of the mysterious energy, there was a regular fluctuation. He had an idea and shouted to Elsa, "Elsa, use your ice magic to cooperate with the energy fluctuation of the Thousand-Year Cold Crystal. Maybe we can neutralize this mysterious energy."

Elsa understood immediately and immediately cast her ice magic, injecting the cold energy into the Thousand-Year Cold Crystal. The light of the Thousand-Year Cold Crystal instantly became stable and intense, emitting a pure cold energy that countered the mysterious energy. As the cold energy was released, the interference of the mysterious energy gradually weakened, and the magical perception of the main characters slowly recovered.

"Now's the time!" Kyle shouted. Taking advantage of the Ice Rock Monster's brief pause, he increased the stardust power to its maximum and stabbed towards the core of the Ice Rock Monster with his sword. Morgan also gathered all his strength at this moment and launched a fatal attack on the Ice Rock Monster with his illusion. Under the combined attack of everyone, the Ice Rock Monster let out a roar, and its huge body crashed to the ground, turning into a pile of ice blocks and rubble.

After defeating the Ice Rock Monster, the four of them continued their journey. After several days and nights of trekking, they finally arrived at the forbidden area where the ancient temple was located. There stood a magnificent and ancient temple in front of them. The walls of the temple were engraved with mysterious runes, exuding an ancient and powerful aura. The gates of the temple were tightly closed, and a faint magical barrier surrounded it.

"This is the ancient temple, but how do we break through this barrier?" Morgan said with a frown. Cavin stepped forward and carefully observed the runes, trying to find clues to break the barrier. "These runes are somewhat similar to the ones we saw in the ice tomb before, but they are even more complex. We need to find the correct order and method to open the barrier."

Just as everyone was deep in thought, a group of flying monsters swooped down from the sky. These monsters resembled bats but had sharp ice wings. Their eyes flashed with a blood-red light as they launched attacks on the main characters. Kyle and the others quickly reacted and cast their respective magics to fight against the monsters.

Elsa used her ice magic to summon ice arrows and shoot them at the flying monsters. Kyle brandished his sword and repelled the approaching monsters one by one. Morgan used his illusion ability to shuttle through the group of monsters and unexpectedly attack their vital parts. Cavin cast buff magic for his companions at the rear and, at the same time, looked for an opportunity to break the barrier.

During the battle, Cavin noticed that the monsters' attacks seemed to have a certain connection with the runes of the temple. Every time the monsters launched an attack, the runes on the temple walls would flicker. He had an idea and shouted to his companions, "Everyone, pay attention. The monsters' attacks might be the key to breaking the barrier. We touch the runes in the order of the monsters' attacks. Maybe we can open the barrier."

After hearing this, everyone immediately adjusted their tactics. While fending off the monsters' attacks, they paid attention to the flickering order of the runes. After some effort, they finally found the correct order. Kyle touched the runes in sequence. As the last rune was touched, the magical barrier flashed with light and slowly dissipated, and the gates of the temple slowly opened.

The four of them entered the temple. An ancient and mysterious aura permeated the interior. Various gemstones were inlaid on the walls, emitting a faint light that illuminated the way forward. In the center of the temple hall, there was a huge stone platform, and on the stone platform was placed a crystal emitting a soft light, which was the "Purifying Light" they had been searching for so desperately.

However, when they approached the stone platform, the ground suddenly began to shake, and a series of spikes protruded from the ground. Kyle quickly activated the "Ice Heart Protection" skill, forming an ice shield to protect everyone from the spikes. Elsa used her ice magic, trying to freeze the spikes and stop their attacks.

While dealing with the spike attacks, Morgan noticed that there were some strange patterns and characters engraved on the ground around the stone platform. After careful study, he found that these patterns and characters were related to the purification ceremony. "Everyone, come quickly. These patterns and characters might be the key to activating the Purifying Light," Morgan shouted.

Kyle and the others quickly gathered around. Cavin carefully deciphered the characters and found that they recorded the specific steps and precautions of the purification ceremony. According to the records, they needed to place the Thousand-Year Cold Crystal, the Heart of the Spirit Marsh, and the "Purifying Light" in a specific order and inject the corresponding magical power to activate the purification ceremony.

The four of them carefully placed the Thousand-Year Cold Crystal and the Heart of the Spirit Marsh on the stone platform according to the records. Then, Kyle and Elsa injected the stardust power and cold energy into them respectively. When their powers were injected, the light of the "Purifying Light" became even more intense, illuminating the entire temple.

However, just as the ceremony was about to be activated, a powerful dark energy surged out from the depths of the temple, attempting to prevent the purification ceremony from proceeding. The dark energy condensed into a huge black shadow and pounced towards the main characters.