The Ice Abyss Beast roared excitedly and suddenly accelerated its climbing speed, reaching the top of the cave in a few steps. The cave entrance was much smaller than expected. The Ice Abyss Beast squeezed its body out with great effort, and Mark followed it out.
Mark slid down from the back of the Ice Abyss Beast, and his legs softened and he almost fell. He held the Ice Abyss Beast's thick legs and stood firmly before looking around.
"Huh... I'm finally out." Mark exhaled, rubbed his sore arms, and looked up at the sky. It was night at this moment, and the sky was full of stars, shining like diamonds scattered on a black curtain, dazzling. A bright moon hung high in the sky, casting cold moonlight on the earth.
"This is..." Mark looked around and found himself in a huge underground cave. The top of the cave was covered with glowing crystals, illuminating the entire cave like daylight, like a huge crystal palace, crystal clear and beautiful. On the walls of the cave, various strange plants grow, emitting a faint fluorescence, like a dreamlike fairyland.
There is a fresh breath in the air, mixed with a faint energy fluctuation, which makes Mark feel refreshed. He took a deep breath, felt this strange energy, and felt that the fatigue of his body had dissipated a lot.
The Ice Abyss Beast also came out of the cave. It stretched its body and let out a satisfied roar. It walked to Mark and rubbed Mark's shoulder with its huge head, as if expressing its joy.
"It seems that we are lucky to come to such a magical place." Mark smiled and patted the neck of the Ice Abyss Beast. His eyes were attracted by an ancient altar in the center of the cave. The altar was made of unknown black rocks, with complex runes carved on the surface, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.
On the altar was a gem emitting soft light. The gem was oval and crystal clear. There seemed to be liquid flowing slowly inside, emitting a charming halo. The light of this gem and the light of the crystal on the top of the cave complement each other, making the entire cave more beautiful.
"What is that?" Mark pointed to the gem on the altar and asked curiously.
The Ice Abyss Beast looked in the direction of Mark's finger, and it let out a low roar, as if it was also curious about the gem. It took a step and walked towards the altar.
"Wait," Mark hurriedly followed, "Be careful, we don't know what this gem does."
The Ice Abyss Beast walked to the altar and stopped. It lowered its head and carefully observed the gem, with green light flashing in its eyes, as if thinking about something.
Mark also walked to the altar, walked around the altar, and carefully observed the runes on the altar. He had never seen these runes before, but he felt inexplicably familiar, as if he had seen these runes a long time ago.
"These runes..." Mark whispered to himself, his fingers gently stroking the runes, feeling the energy fluctuations contained in them, "I seem to have seen them somewhere..."
It seems to be very similar to the runes that Carl found before, but it is different.
The gem exudes a soft light, as if attracting him to come closer. He couldn't help but reach out and want to touch the gem.
"Roar!" The Ice Abyss Beast suddenly roared, as if warning Mark.
However, Mark's hand had already touched the gem.
The moment his fingers touched the gem, the runes around the altar suddenly lit up, emitting a dazzling light. The light of the gem also became stronger, and a powerful energy surged out of the gem, enveloping Mark and the Ice Abyss Beast.
Mark felt a numbness in his body, his eyes went black, and he lost consciousness. The Ice Abyss Beast also wailed and fell to the ground. The energy fluctuations of the entire cave became more intense, and the light flickered, as if something big was about to happen.
"What is this place..." Mark whispered, his voice weak and powerless.
He slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on a soft grass. Above his head was a blue sky with white clouds, and the sun was warm and comfortable.
He struggled to sit up, looked around, and found himself in a valley. The valley was surrounded by towering peaks, which were covered with dense forests and lush. In the middle of the valley, a clear stream flowed slowly, and the stream was so clear that the pebbles at the bottom of the stream could be clearly seen.
"Ice Abyss Beast..." Mark thought of the Ice Abyss Beast, and he stood up quickly and looked around for the Ice Abyss Beast.
"Roar--" A low roar came from not far away.
Mark looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the Ice Abyss Beast was standing by the stream, lowering his head to drink water. It didn't seem to be hurt, but it looked a little tired.
"Great, you're okay." Mark breathed a sigh of relief, and he walked to the Ice Abyss Beast and patted its neck.
The Ice Abyss Beast raised its head and looked at Mark, with green light flashing in its eyes. It stretched out its tongue and licked Mark's face, as if expressing its joy.
"Where are we?" Mark looked up at the peaks around the valley, full of doubts.
The Ice Abyss Beast let out a low roar, and it seemed that it could not answer this question.
Mark gently stroked the thick fur of the Ice Abyss Beast, feeling its warm body temperature. "It seems that we have been teleported to somewhere," he muttered to himself, his eyes sweeping across the unfamiliar environment around him, "This valley... is completely different from the world we were in before."
The Ice Abyss Beast rubbed Mark's arm and made a low snoring sound, as if agreeing with him. It shook its huge head, and two streams of white air spurted out of its nostrils. The air in the valley was fresh and cool, with a hint of grass and wood fragrance. The sun shone on the body warmly, making people feel comfortable and relaxed.
"We have to figure out where this is first," Mark patted the Ice Abyss Beast's neck and motioned it to stand up, "Also, what exactly is that gem, and why does it have such a powerful power?" He frowned, recalling everything that happened in the cave, and his heart was full of doubts and uneasiness.
The Ice Abyss Beast slowly stood up and let out a low roar, as if responding to Mark's words. It shook its hair, and some fine dirt and grass fell from it.
Mark and the Ice Abyss Beast began to walk along the stream. They needed to explore this new environment and look for possible clues. From time to time, birds chirped in the valley, and the stream gurgled. Everything seemed so peaceful and harmonious. However, Mark's uneasiness did not decrease because of this. He knew that behind all this calmness, there might be unknown dangers.
They walked for a while and found an open meadow dotted with colorful flowers, butterflies and bees flying among the flowers, a vibrant scene. Mark stopped and carefully observed the surrounding environment, trying to find some useful clues.
The Ice Abyss Beast sniffed around in the grass. Its intuition told it that there might be something important hidden here. Suddenly, it stopped and stared at a piece of ground where the soil seemed a little loose.
Mark noticed the strangeness of the Ice Abyss Beast. He walked over and dug up the soil with his hands. Under the soil, a corner of a metal box was exposed. He carefully dug out the box and found that it was an ancient metal box with some strange patterns engraved on it, which was somewhat similar to the runes in the cave.
"What is this?" Mark's heart moved, and he felt that this box might be related to their arrival. He gently opened the box, and there was a piece of parchment inside, with a map drawn on the paper. The map marked some special places, one of which was marked with a red cross.
"It seems that this is a treasure map." Mark said to himself. He studied the map carefully and found that the place on the map was somewhat similar to the valley where they were.
The Ice Abyss Beast also came over, and it nudged the map with its nose, and seemed to be very interested in this map. Mark put the map away. He knew that this map might be the key to their way home.
"We have to follow the mark on the map and find the place with the red cross." Mark said to the Ice Abyss Beast, "There may be a way for us to leave here."
The Ice Abyss Beast let out a low roar to express his agreement. One person and one beast began to move forward along the route on the map. They crossed the grass and entered the forest. The forest was dense with trees, and the sun shone through the gaps in the treetops, dappling on the ground. Their footsteps made a rustling sound on the fallen leaves, and the cries of animals came from the forest from time to time, adding a touch of mystery.
They walked for a long time and finally came to the place marked on the map. Here is a small lake with clear water. There is a small island in the middle of the lake, and there is an ancient stone pavilion on the island.
"It seems that we have to go over and take a look." Mark pointed to the island in the lake and said. Together with the Ice Abyss Beast, he carefully crossed the lake and came to the island.
In the stone pavilion, they found a stone tablet with some ancient words engraved on it. Mark read these words carefully, and a strong shock surged in his heart. These words recorded an ancient legend. According to the legend, there is a powerful energy source hidden in this world, and only the chosen people can find and control this power.
At this moment, there was a sudden noise from the other side of the lake, and a group of people in black robes appeared by the lake, their eyes fixed on the island in the lake, with greedy light flashing in their eyes.
"Oh no, we've been discovered." Mark was shocked.