Mark was immersed in the study of the rune book, and time seemed to stand still. The cave was quiet and peaceful, with only the soft light emitted by the luminous plants, gently rhythmic like breathing. The Ice Abyss Beast also crouched beside Mark, quietly staring at the ancient book, occasionally emitting a low snort.
Suddenly, a subtle "crackling" sound came from the top of the cave, breaking the silence. Mark raised his head alertly, and several pieces of rubble fell from the top of the cave, hitting the ground, making a dull sound. The Ice Abyss Beast also stood up immediately, and let out a warning growl at the top of the cave, a low "woooo" sound came from the depths of his throat, and the hair on his back stood up slightly.
Mark realized the danger and quickly closed the book and held it in his arms. He stood up and looked at the top of the cave vigilantly. The vibration of the cave top became more and more violent, and the "crackling" sound became more and more frequent. More rubble fell and hit the luminous plants, knocking down several leaves. The scattered juice made a "hissing" corrosion sound, and bursts of white smoke came out when it fell on the ground, and a pungent smell filled the air.
A huge black shadow fell from above, breaking more luminous plants, and the scattered juice splashed, forming small pits on the ground with white smoke. The huge black shadow obscured the light of the luminous plants, and the cave was instantly dimmed. Only the weak light emitted by the fireball barely illuminated the surroundings.
After the black shadow landed, dust flew, choking Mark to cough a few times. He covered his mouth and nose with his hands, squinted his eyes, and tried to see the true face of the black shadow.
When the dust settled, a huge monster appeared in front of Mark. It has a spider-like body, eight thick legs covered with black carapace, shining with a metallic luster. It has a pair of huge bat-like wings on its back, and the wings are spread out to a width of ten meters. They are covered with black scales, reflecting the dim light in the weak light. The most horrifying thing is that it actually has a hideous human face, with black lines all over it, a pair of scarlet eyes flashing with ferocious light, and a mouth full of sharp teeth, like saw teeth.
The monster let out a deafening roar, and the sound waves shook the stalactites in the cave to fall. It waved its sharp claws and pounced on Mark and the Ice Abyss Beast.
The Ice Abyss Beast went forward fearlessly, opened its huge mouth, revealed its sharp fangs, and sprayed out an ice-blue cold current. The cold current roared at the monster like an ice dragon.
The cold current hit the monster and made a dull sound. The surface of the monster's body was covered with a thin layer of ice, and its movements slowed down for a moment. But it soon broke free from the frozen bondage, waved its sharp claws, and hit the belly of the Ice Abyss Beast fiercely.
The Ice Abyss Beast let out a painful whine, and its huge body was knocked out and hit the rock wall heavily, making a loud "bang". It struggled to stand up, but the severe pain from its abdomen made it difficult to move.
Mark's heart tightened when he saw this. He immediately mobilized the rune power in his body, quickly formed seals with his hands, and muttered something. A rune flashing with golden light condensed in front of him, quickly expanded, and formed a translucent rune shield.
The monster roared and rushed towards Mark, and its sharp claws grabbed the rune shield fiercely, making a harsh friction sound. The rune shield vibrated violently, but it did not break.
Mark gritted his teeth and maintained the rune shield with all his strength. He knew that if the shield broke, he would not be able to resist the monster's attack.
The monster's attack became more and more fierce, and the cracks on the rune shield became more and more. Mark felt that the energy in his body was being consumed rapidly, and he had to come up with a solution as soon as possible.
He glanced at the Ice Abyss Beast lying on the ground, and his heart was extremely anxious. He must protect his companions and himself.
He took a deep breath and injected the power of the two energy fragments into the rune shield. The light of the rune shield suddenly increased, illuminating the entire cave.
The monster's attack was blocked by the reinforced rune shield. It let out an angry roar and waved its claws to attack again.
Mark took advantage of the gap between the monster's attacks and quickly flipped through the rune book in his arms, looking for a rune formation that could restrain the monster. His fingers quickly flipped the pages of the book, and his eyes quickly swept over the dense runes.
"Found it!" Mark was delighted. He found a rune formation called "Imprisonment Formation". This formation can trap the target for a period of time, giving him a chance to escape.
He immediately memorized the runes required for the formation, and then began to mobilize the energy in his body to prepare to draw the formation.
"Ice Abyss Beast, help me block it!" Mark shouted to the Ice Abyss Beast.
The Ice Abyss Beast struggled to stand up, let out a low roar, and rushed towards the monster again...
The Ice Abyss Beast staggered towards the monster, with obvious scars on its body, and its movements were much slower than before. It opened its huge mouth and sprayed out an ice-blue cold current again, trying to slow down the monster's movements. The monster was hit by the cold current and let out a painful roar. Its movements were obviously slower, but it still stared at Mark fiercely.
Sweat beads oozed from Mark's forehead, and his hands quickly moved in the air, drawing the runes required for the "Imprisonment Array". The complex rune trajectories flashed light blue light in the air, like swimming light snakes. The air in the cave seemed to become heavy because of the energy fluctuations. Several small creatures hiding in the cracks of the rocks were frightened by the energy fluctuations and fled in panic.
"Roar!" The monster roared again, waving its huge claws, and slapped the Ice Abyss Beast away. The Ice Abyss Beast hit the wall of the cave heavily, let out a whine, and slid to the ground weakly.
Mark's heart tightened, and he drew the runes faster. He had to complete the formation before the monster attacked again. The monster's roar was deafening, and it stepped forward with its thick legs, approaching Mark step by step. The ground trembled slightly with its steps, and some small gravel fell from the top of the cave.
"It's almost there!" Mark gritted his teeth and sped up the drawing. The last rune was completed, and the entire formation instantly lit up with dazzling light, illuminating the entire cave like daylight. A complex rune pattern appeared under the monster's feet, emitting powerful energy fluctuations.