Mark stood on the ice field, the sun shining on his face, bringing a hint of warmth. He carefully took out the energy stone fragment he had just found in the laboratory from his arms. The fragment lay quietly in his hand, as if it was a sleeping gem, waiting to be awakened.
He took a deep breath and put the two fragments together. At this moment, a strange change occurred. An invisible force was generated between the two fragments, and they began to move slowly toward each other, like two magnets, and finally fit tightly together. A dazzling light burst out from the place where the fragments touched, covering Mark's entire body.
In the light, Mark felt a strong energy pouring into his body. This energy rushed through his blood vessels, like a warm current, from the heart to the limbs, and finally gathered in his palm. He felt that his body was full of power, as if he could control everything.
When the light dissipated, Mark was surprised to find that the two fragments had merged into a more perfect energy stone. This energy stone exudes a faint blue light, and there seems to be energy flowing slowly inside, like a living heart.
Mark held the fused energy stone in his hand, and he felt a wonderful connection with the world around him. He could feel the wind on the ice field, hear the sound of ice cracking in the distance, and even sense the joy and desire for freedom in the heart of the Ice Abyss Beast.
The Ice Abyss Beast stood not far away, with green light flashing in its eyes, and looked at Mark quietly. Mark tried to send a simple greeting to the Ice Abyss Beast. He concentrated and passed his thoughts through the energy stone.
"Hello, my friend." Mark said silently in his heart.
The Ice Abyss Beast seemed to feel Mark's greeting, and a hint of surprise flashed in its eyes, and then it let out a low roar, which was a hint of friendliness and curiosity.
Mark's heart surged with excitement. He was able to communicate with the Ice Abyss Beast! He tried to send more information to the Ice Abyss Beast, asking it if it was willing to travel with him and look for other energy stone fragments together.
The Ice Abyss Beast was silent for a while, then it slowly walked to Mark's side, gently rubbed Mark's body with its huge head, indicating that it was willing to travel with Mark.
"Where are we going next?" Mark said, touching the neck of the Ice Abyss Beast.
The Ice Abyss Beast let out a low roar, as if responding to Mark's question.
"Do you know the whereabouts of the other fragments?" Mark raised his eyebrows, and he subconsciously felt that the Ice Abyss Beast might know something. The Ice Abyss Beast lowered its head, gently nudged Mark's arm with its nose, and then took a step and walked in one direction.
Seeing this, Mark immediately followed.
"It seems that you really know something." Mark said with a smile,
"Then please lead the way."
The Ice Abyss Beast did not answer, it just moved forward firmly towards the goal.
One person and one beast left a series of footprints on the ice field, which gradually disappeared in the wind and snow, as if they had never appeared. They passed through patches of wasteland covered with ice and snow, and occasionally saw some cold-resistant plants growing tenaciously in the cracks of ice and snow. The leaves of these plants were dark green, with a thin layer of ice crystals covering the edges, and they shimmered in the sun.
As they went deeper, the surrounding environment began to change. The snow on the ice field gradually decreased, replaced by dense forests. These trees are tall and old, their trunks are covered with thick moss, and crystal icicles hang on the branches. The snow in the forest is not as heavy as on the ice field, and the sunlight can shine on the ground through the gaps in the treetops.
Mark noticed that the trees in the forest were arranged in an orderly manner, as if following a certain pattern. He stopped and carefully observed the surrounding environment, trying to find out the pattern of the arrangement of these trees. The Ice Abyss Beast also stopped, and it seemed to be waiting for Mark's instructions.
"These trees..." Mark whispered to himself, his eyes wandering between the trees, "They seem to be guiding us."
He closed his eyes and tried to feel the breath of the forest. The wind in the forest, with the fragrance of the trees and the chill of the ice and snow, gently brushed his cheeks. He took a deep breath and let his consciousness merge with the forest.
Suddenly, he felt a strange wave coming from the depths of the forest. The fluctuation was so weak that he might not have noticed it at all if it weren't for the energy stone in his hand. He opened his eyes and looked into the depths of the forest, where some power seemed to be calling him.
"We have to go there," Mark said to the Ice Abyss Beast, with a hint of firmness in his voice.
The Ice Abyss Beast seemed to have sensed the fluctuation as well, and it growled in agreement. The man and the beast began to move deeper into the forest, their footsteps rustling on the thick fallen leaves.
As they went deeper, the light in the forest became dimmer and dimmer. Mark urged the energy in his body to condense a small fireball in his hand, and the fire illuminated the road ahead. The Ice Abyss Beast's eyes flashed green in the darkness, providing Mark with an additional source of light.
They passed through a dense bush and came to an open space. In the center of the open space was a huge tree, its crown was more lush than other trees, and ancient vines were entwined around its trunk. Mark approached the tree, and he felt the calling power become stronger.
He reached out and gently touched the trunk. The trunk was covered with a thick layer of moss, which felt soft and moist. He closed his eyes and extended his perception into the tree, trying to establish a connection with it.
"Ancient guardian, can you tell me what is calling me?" Mark asked in his heart.
The tree did not answer directly, but its vitality responded to Mark in a special way. He felt a warm force flowing from the trunk into his body, which guided him around to the other side of the tree.
There, he found a hidden cave. The entrance to the cave was cleverly covered by vines and fallen leaves, and if it were not for the guidance of the tree, he might not have found it at all.
"It seems that we have found it." Mark said to the Ice Abyss Beast, with a hint of excitement in his tone.
The Ice Abyss Beast walked to the front of the cave, and it gently arched the vines at the entrance with its nose, as if to confirm whether it was safe inside. Then, it turned its head and growled at Mark, indicating that he could enter.
"I hope to find some clues here." Mark said, bending down and carefully entering the cave. The cave was dark, with only a faint light coming in from the entrance.
"Roar——" The voice of the Ice Abyss Beast echoed in the cave, and Mark felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet. He used a small fireball to illuminate the surroundings and found that there was no danger in the cave.
"Don't be nervous, I just want to see if there are any clues here."
Mark found that there were some ancient murals carved on the walls of the cave.
Mark used a small fireball to illuminate the cave and found that the murals in the cave depicted scenes of ancient humans living together with creatures similar to the Ice Abyss Beast.
"These murals..." Mark looked at the contents of the murals and was shocked.
The contents of the murals were vivid, depicting a world that Mark had never seen before. In the picture, ancient humans and Ice Abyss Beasts fought side by side to resist the threats from other creatures. There seemed to be some special connection between them, a tacit understanding that transcended race and language.
Mark carefully observed the murals and found clues about the energy stone fragments, pointing to an ancient temple deep in the ice field. On the mural, ancient humans placed a stone emitting blue light in a towering temple. Around the temple, countless ice beasts guarded the temple, their eyes full of awe and piety.
Mark continued to walk along the mural, and at the end of the cave, he found a small altar.
There were some ancient utensils on the altar, and in the middle was a round stone plate. There were some strange symbols engraved on the stone plate, which were very similar to the symbols on the energy stone.
Mark walked forward carefully and placed the energy stone in his hand on the stone plate. At this moment, the symbols on the stone plate suddenly emitted a faint light, and the whole cave began to vibrate slightly.
"What's going on?" Mark was startled, and he subconsciously took a few steps back.
The ice beast stood beside him, its body tense, and seemed to be alert to the upcoming changes. The murals in the cave began to emit a faint light. In the light, the scenes on the murals seemed to come alive, and the figures of ancient humans and ice beasts danced in the light.
Mark felt a powerful force gushing out of the energy stone, which flowed through his body and resonated with the power in the cave. He felt that his consciousness seemed to be pulled into an ancient time and space. He saw the scene of ancient humans and ice beasts living in harmony, and saw them guarding the energy stone together and protecting the peace of the world.
Suddenly, the vibration in the cave stopped, and the light gradually dissipated. Mark felt his consciousness return to reality. He opened his eyes and found that he was still standing in the cave, and the energy stone in his hand was emitting a faint light. The route map to the temple emerged in his mind.
"It seems that we have found the way to the temple." Mark said to the ice beast, with a hint of firmness in his voice.
The ice beast let out a low roar, as if responding to Mark's words. One man and one beast left the cave, and they continued to move in the direction of the temple.