The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　They didn't even dig it out of the ice coffin.

　The entire interior of this palace is meticulously designed. Any alteration to it could disrupt the environment and cause mutations.

　Therefore, sometimes it's better to stay the same than to change.

　After leaving the palace, Dark and Ergani continued their raid on the temple. Around 3:15 PM, Arvit's party was the first to arrive from the "Divine Kingdom."

　Dak and his party happened to be stopping at the entrance to the "Divine Kingdom" when they went to greet them.

　Arvit looked to be in good condition, and the team returned with a full load, having encountered virtually no danger.

　The only unexpected thing the team encountered was that they ran into even more resurrected "ice statues" during the sweep.

　Those "ice statues" even left their original locations and wandered around the temple.

　This caused the part of the temple that had been cleared of danger to become dangerous again.

　"The ice statue is resurrected."

　Dark was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

　"Have a large number of 'ice statues' revived in the temples of this mortal realm?" Arvit asked.

　Dark slowly shook his head and said, "No."

　"That's a change caused by something within the 'Divine Kingdom'," said Arvit. "I suspect it's the influence of the 'Moon Goddess's' birth anomaly."

　Dark said, "It's very likely."

　Arvit then asked, "And on your end, is the Beast of Life useful?"

　Dark said, “Very useful. I’ve stored all the ‘divine bodies’ I brought with me in the ‘Magic Heaven,’ and freed up a large number of ‘Orbs of Truth’... However, it’s almost full again now.”

　He swept through the temples in the present world, collecting all the "ice statues" into the "Orb of Truth," and is making good progress so far.

　At this point, Dak mentioned the palace that housed the "divine body" of an angel.

　Arvit was very surprised when she heard this, and agreed with Dark's approach.

　The most important thing when exploring ruins is to "lighten the load." Otherwise, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the gradually accumulating mysteries and unknowns.

　In this part of the temple located in the present world, there are still many mysteries similar to that palace that have not yet been solved.

　They planned to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire temple before addressing each issue one by one.

　After encountering the palace containing the angel's "body," Dark and Ergane solved two more unsolved mysteries. However, they subsequently discovered nothing comparable to the angel's "body."

　Dark's original idea was to find the key to the existence of the "walking" rule, and then destroy it so that the temple here could also unleash speed.

　Unfortunately, their luck hadn't yet reached the point of "wishing for everything." Their subsequent plan was to thoroughly search the temple again during their return journey from the temple entrance to their base outside, continuing their search for the key to unlocking the secrets.

　But Arvit's arrival changed this plan.

　After quickly inquiring about the situation, Yalvit prepared to lead the team back to meet up with the group led by Angry and Aquinita, following the predetermined route.

　While the resurrected "ice statues" were nothing to her, they were quite dangerous to Angry and Aquinita.

　“In that case, let’s split up. I’ll go and meet Aquinita,” Dark said.

　Arvit glanced at Ergani and couldn't help but laugh, "Of course, no problem."

　The two then rearranged the number of accompanying maids and returned to the "Divine Kingdom," quickly heading in two different directions according to the map.

　……

　Ergani's presence is indeed a guarantee of safety.

　However, Dark himself did not intend to rely on it excessively. He summoned [Demon King Aleister] to maximize the power of the "devourer" and continuously devoured targets to strengthen himself on the way to the rescue.

　Although the "ice statues" have been resurrected, their intelligence is limited. Once they lose their "targets," they cannot trigger their defensive or offensive instincts and will wander aimlessly through the temple like zombies, lacking any collective consciousness. Therefore, this actually reduces the probability of encountering a large number of resurrected "ice statues" simultaneously.

　For Dac, this means a significant increase in security.

　It wasn't difficult for him to deal with the "ice statue" one-on-one.

　The acquisition of the "Lunar Armor" is one of his sources of confidence. If he is unlucky enough to encounter a large number of "Ice Statues," he can use this opportunity to hone his control over the "Lunar Armor."

　As for "Moon Goddess" Serena, she will temporarily travel with Claire. Although Serena has only been a goddess for two days, a goddess is a goddess after all, and with Claire's guidance, her safety will not be a problem.

　Therefore, the only ones who need support here are Angry and Aquinita.

　That being said.

　Angry and Aquinita are both experienced explorers, and they have ways to deal with danger.

　Unless you're unlucky enough to encounter a large cluster of "ice statues" that you're unlikely to see, there shouldn't be any major problems.

　As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, can't you at least run away?

　Hmm...maybe I really can't outrun him.

　So that's where the problem lies.

　Dark had dealt with a large number of "ice statues" and knew how terrifying demigod-level creations were.

　The best way for the team to deal with the "ice statues" is not to "run away", but to take precautions and get away in advance before provoking them.

　He believed that both Angry and Aquinita possessed this judgment.

　From 3:30 to 4:00 PM, after a half-hour rapid journey, Dark finally found Aquinita's team according to the map.

　The good news is that the team suffered minimal losses; the bad news is that they were trapped inside a palace.

　What blocked them were only two "ice statues".

　The two "ice statues" stood guard on the left and right of the entrance, completely blocking the palace, which had only one entrance and exit.

　Aquinita's team has only managed to hold on this long thanks to the indestructibility of the building.

　Dark found the distress signal they left behind on the road, which allowed him to pinpoint their location and find them.

　"It can only be said that there are differences even among 'ice sculptures'."

　As soon as Dak approached, he sensed two exceptionally powerful auras.

　The aura of those two "ice statues" was extremely close to that of gods; in conventional combat, they were almost equivalent to gods.

　This is something that has never happened before.

　After their resurrection, the "Ice Statues" are essentially at the standard demigod level, their strength varying depending on the divine power of their respective rules. Therefore, while dangerous, their divine power is not insurmountable. Thus, as long as one responds appropriately according to the rules mastered by the "Ice Statues," even those lacking sufficient raw power may be able to defeat them.

　However, the two "ice statues" before him were clearly more powerful than demigods. "Could it be because their resurrection took too long?"

　Dark thought quickly.

　If the resurrection of these "ice statues" is due to the birth of the "Moon Goddess", then...

　Since nearly two days have passed since their resurrection, it is possible that unprecedented variables have occurred.

　Considering that these "ice statues" and the "divine body" are essentially the same individual from two different timelines, their inner essence is originally "god," and perhaps their strength is just gradually recovering to the level of "god."

　This speculation is clearly not a positive one, but it is indeed a possibility. In that case, the situation would become quite serious.

　"One person per person"

　Suddenly, Dark heard Ergani speak.

　He immediately focused his attention on the "ice statue," nodded in response, and said, "Okay!" Then, the armed evolution began!

　Evolved into "Lunar Goddess"!

　The first move, "Moon Goddess's Bow," locks onto the target. After firing three arrows in quick succession, the user enters "Invisibility" mode and rapidly approaches.

　Then transform the "Moon Goddess Bow" into the "Moon Goddess Spear" and thrust the spear while the target "Ice Statue" is briefly stunned.

　The "Moon Goddess Spear" condensed moonlight on its shaft, instantly extending to a hundred meters. With its 50% penetration effect activated, it pierced through the chest and abdomen of the target, the "Ice Statue," pinning it to the wall.

　He continued his rapid approach, the "Moon Goddess Spear" in his hand quickly shortening towards the target "Ice Statue." It then transformed into the "Moon Goddess Sword," decapitating it at close range!

　As the "ice statue" head flew out, Dark raised his left hand and released "Lunar God's Eclipse" without holding back at all.

　He didn't know what kind of divine power the "ice statue" possessed. But as long as he could strike first and obliterate it, it didn't matter. Unless it was a "life" type authority that could resurrect on the spot, it was all the same.

　Under the uninterrupted illumination of forty-eight beams of "moonlight," the "ice statue," whose aura was so powerful it was almost godlike, shattered instantly.

　As Dark sheathed his sword and stood there, Ergani had already completely taken control of the "ice statue".

　The "ice statue," which also possessed a near-divine aura, was now frozen in place like an ice sculpture puppet, its hands hanging limply without any reaction. Clearly, its already limited intelligence had been completely lost.

　Ergani did not destroy it, but instead took out a "Sphere of Truth" and sealed the "ice statue" inside.

　Although the "ice statue" has lost its intelligence, it is still intact and can merge with the "divine body".

　—The premise is that a corresponding "divine body" exists.

　In fact, most of the "ice statues" do not have corresponding "divine bodies". That is not to say that they never existed in the first place, but rather that some changes occurred over a long period of time, causing a large number of "divine bodies" to disappear.

　The purpose of collecting those "ice statues" without "divine bodies" now is simply to study them after the exploration is over, to see if anything can be gained from them.

　If all else fails, just use it as raw material for refining.

　Although it can most likely only be used for random crafting, the base of god-level materials is there, so the probability of randomly crafting high-quality magical spirits will be higher.

　Anyway, it will come in handy eventually.

　After quickly dealing with the two "ice statues," Dark summoned Aquinita and the others who were hiding in the palace.

　Aquinita and the others, having escaped danger, all breathed a sigh of relief.

　As Dak listened to Aquinita recount her experiences since setting out, he entered the palace and took a peek inside.

　After finding nothing in the palace, he retreated. Aquinita, suppressing a laugh, tossed him a "Sphere of Truth." Inside was the only rare item she had found in the palace—a statue no bigger than the palm of her hand.

　Dak took out the statue and glanced at it, discovering that it was actually the statue of the "Goddess of Ice and Snow".

　Moreover, because it is finely carved, every detail is present, making it incredibly lifelike.

　This made him want to use this statue as a basis to create a magical elf in imitation of the "Goddess of Ice and Snow".

　Of course, he was just thinking about it.

　Because, let's not even talk about whether it will succeed. Even if it does succeed, it will only incur the wrath of the "Ice Goddess".

　This essentially provides the "Ice and Snow Goddess" with a tracking device, making it easier for her to retaliate.

　Therefore, in this era, it is extremely risky to imitate the gods and create magical spirits at will.

　Even if the resulting magical spirit is just a one-star useless card, it's the same.

　After a short rest, once Aquinita's team members had calmed down, Dark announced their departure.

　The two teams merged, with Aquinita remaining the team leader.

　The team's objective remained unchanged: a large-scale sweep along the predetermined route. Dark did not participate in the team's operational planning; instead, he served as a safety intermediary, acting as a "henchman" alongside Ergani.

　Meanwhile, Arvit, who had found Angry's party, completely took over the team and began to sweep through the area as well.

　into the night.

　The two teams completed their missions and met up at their base at the entrance to the "Divine Kingdom".

　By this time, Claire's team had arrived quite some time ahead of schedule.

　All members of the four teams have arrived.

　Then they left the temple and headed to their camp. An hour later.

　When everyone arrived at their lodgings, some packed up and others ate, and the once quiet lodgings outside the palace became lively again.

　Meanwhile, Darkdemon opened the "Gate of Heaven" in a hidden room and led Alvette and the others inside to investigate.

　The "light of life" emanating from the "beast of life" illuminated the ecological laboratory.

　Walking through it, bathed in its radiance, one naturally feels warmth.

　Even minor injuries on the body's surface heal quickly.

　With this "beast of life" around, even the harshest environment becomes comfortable and pleasant.

　Claire was deeply impressed by this, her gaze towards the "Beast of Life" filled with fervor.

　Shortly after leaving the "Graveyard of Beasts," she headed straight for the "Temple of the Snow Mountain Goddess." She didn't know much about the fire that Dark had discovered in the "Temple of Life," but now she finally witnessed the possibility of the "Beast of Life."

　For the "Sage of Beasts," this kind of fire that can selectively cultivate life is simply too tempting.

　but it does not matter.

　What belongs to Dak is hers.