Armed with the rich spoils from the treasure vault of the frigid abyss, Su Yao and her companions returned safely to their base. With the help of the new supplies, the base was gradually growing stronger, but Su Yao's sense of urgency remained undiminished. She knew that in this icy apocalypse, only by continuously stockpiling resources and constantly strengthening their capabilities could they possibly cope with the unknown crises.

That day, the system issued a notification: On the edge of the frigid continent lies a dark forest shrouded in darkness and snow. Within that forest grows a strange tree called the "Frost Crystal Tree," whose trunk and fruit contain an extremely high concentration of frost crystal energy. This energy can not only replenish the power of those with supernatural abilities and help them break through bottlenecks, but it can also be converted into a special energy source, providing stronger power support for the base's defensive facilities. Furthermore, the forest may also conceal many lost civilization ruins and mysterious treasures, possessing immeasurable value in enhancing their survival capabilities in the frigid world and rebuilding their homes.

After discussing with Ling Yu and the cloaked figure, Su Yao decided to immediately head towards the Dark Night Forest. As they traveled towards their destination, the closer they got to the Dark Night Forest, the colder and more biting the air became, and the denser the darkness grew. The once pale, icy world was gradually being eroded by an eerie, ghostly darkness, as if even the light was being swallowed up by this forest.

The moment they stepped into the Dark Forest, a powerful sense of oppression washed over them. A thick fog permeated the forest, reducing visibility to almost nothing. The surrounding trees were tall and twisted, their branches laden with sharp icicles, like natural blades. The snow on the ground was not its usual white, but a chilling dark gray, as if tainted by the power of darkness.

Suddenly, a sinister howl echoed through the forest, shattering the silence. Immediately afterward, a pack of shadowy ice wolves, resembling wolves but radiating a dark, eerie glow, emerged from all directions. Their eyes gleamed with an eerie red light, and the icy breath they exhaled could instantly freeze the surrounding air.

Ling Yu reacted swiftly, wielding his ice sword, and an ice wall rose from the ground in front of everyone, temporarily blocking the ice wolves' attack. The cloaked figure took out several talismans from his bag, chanting incantations, and the talismans instantly transformed into several golden rays of light, rushing towards the wolf pack and temporarily immobilizing some of the ice wolves. Taking advantage of this opening, Su Yao used her spatial abilities to gather some dry branches and rocks around her, forming sharp weapons, which she fired at the ice wolf pack. Many ice wolves were hit and fell down howling in pain.

However, the Shadow Ice Wolves seemed endless, surging forward wave after wave. In the fierce battle, Ling Yu discovered that these ice wolves' weakness lay in a black crystal core located in their chests. Therefore, he concentrated his energy, fusing his ice-type power with the power of the lightning crystal core, transforming it into lightning-fast attacks that precisely struck the crystal cores on the ice wolves' chests. With each strike to a crystal core, an ice wolf fell and vanished.

After a fierce battle, they finally repelled the Shadow Ice Wolves. But before they could even catch their breath, the ground in front of them suddenly began to tremble violently, and a huge Frost Crystal Tree slowly rose from the ground. This Frost Crystal Tree was tens of meters tall, with a thick trunk, and its entire body emitted a ghostly blue crystalline light. The fruits on the tree were as dazzling as brilliant stars.

As Su Yao approached the Frost Crystal Tree to collect its fruit and trunk, suddenly, the tree's branches began to lash out at them as if alive. Wherever the branches struck, space seemed to be torn apart, emitting whistling sounds. The cloaked figure quickly cast a spatial stabilization spell to prevent being swept into another dimension by the branches. Ling Yu leaped into the air, engaging the flailing branches in combat. His ice sword drew sparks from the Frost Crystal Tree's branches, but the branches were extremely resilient and difficult to cut.

Su Yao calmed down and activated the system's scanning function, carefully analyzing the structure and energy flow of the Frost Crystal Tree. She quickly discovered that the tree's roots were its energy core. Using her spatial abilities, she descended underground to the tree's roots. There, she saw a massive sphere of frost crystal energy, surrounded by complex energy veins. Su Yao cautiously approached the energy sphere and, using the system's energy absorption function, began to draw energy from the Frost Crystal Tree.

As the energy was extracted, the Frost Crystal Tree's attacks gradually weakened. Taking advantage of this, Ling Yu and the cloaked figure intensified their attacks, severing many branches of the Frost Crystal Tree. Ultimately, Su Yao successfully stored the Frost Crystal Tree's energy orbs, along with a large quantity of trunk and fruit, into her system space.

Where the Frost Crystal Tree stood, they discovered the entrance to an ancient ruin hidden underground. A faint light emanated from the ruin, seemingly beckoning them. Without hesitation, the three entered. The ruin was filled with various traps and mysterious runes. They cautiously proceeded along the passageways, deciphering many mechanisms and acquiring valuable magical items and ancient technological devices along the way.

As they ventured deeper into the heart of the ruins, they discovered a massive treasure chest. A powerful magical shield surrounded the chest. After some effort, they managed to break through the shield and open the chest. Inside, the chest was filled with various precious gems, rare metals, and ancient texts containing information on powerful magic and technology.

However, just as they were preparing to leave the ruins with the treasures from the chest, the ruins began to shake violently, and cracks appeared in the walls, as if they were about to collapse. They quickly ran towards the exit and successfully escaped at the last moment before the ruins completely collapsed.

Despite the numerous dangers they faced, their journey through the Dark Forest was incredibly fruitful. They returned to base with the energy of the Frost Crystal Tree and many precious treasures, resources that would bring new hope for the base's development and the survival of everyone. Su Yao knew that in this frigid apocalypse, the quest for supplies was endless; they must always be prepared to face the next challenge, to explore for more resources and life, and to strive to preserve humanity's future in this icy wasteland.