Before she finished her words, the starlight completely dissipated, and Irene's figure disappeared without a trace.
“You…!!!” The blood drained away from the Oracle’s face in an instant, and his pupils suddenly constricted due to extreme shock and disbelief.
The taunting remark about the secret origins of the Enlightenment Society, especially the information about the "original three" and "sneaking around," was like the most vicious curse, piercing through the identity he was so proud of.
Even the "Puppeteers" who are currently active under the nose of the Holy Light Church are not qualified to know the secrets of the Enlightenment Society.
How did an outsider know about this 'witch'?
Could it be that what she said is true?
His withered body began to tremble violently, and the vast dark energy exploded and surged uncontrollably around him, causing chaos in the collapsing ice abyss beneath him.
But he knew that the time had really come.
If he delays any further, the price he will pay will put him in a deeper passive position.
He could only suppress this overwhelming hatred and shock deep in his eyes.
The furious roar finally turned into a low roar:
"See you later!"
With a flash of black light, the Oracle's body completely disappeared from this devastated frozen hell.
All that was left behind was a doomsday-like collapse and dead silence.
After the remaining dark magic of the Oracle and the aftermath of the space tearing nearby completely subsided, the ice dust stopped roaring and surging, starlight circulated around Irene, and she quickly formed seals with her hands.
A cold moon-like shadow appeared in front of her, and the soft light of the stars and the moon poured out like water, covering a seemingly empty ice crevice.
There was a slight flash of light and shadow, and Mark, Anna, Monica, the seriously injured Enzo, and the listless Xiao Mu instantly appeared on the ground covered with broken ice.
Anna and Monica's faces turned pale and they were almost exhausted because their magic power had been forcibly extracted.
The blood oozing from Enzo's wound had turned into dark red frost.
Although Mark was protected from most of the impact by Xiao Mu, his sternum collapsed and his breath was weak. Only the sharp mind in his eyes was still there.
Xiao Mu curled up tiredly beside Mark.
A barely perceptible trace of heartache flashed across Irene's eyes, which was quickly replaced by a deep solemnity.
She pressed her hands lightly, and the starlight, which was even more intense and had a purifying effect, completely covered the four people and one body.
"Moon Phase: Meditation. Remove the remaining tracking marks and foul energy from him."
Her voice was cold and carried unquestionable authority.
The moonlight penetrated into the bodies of the four people like a living thing, especially the parts of Mark's body where the colorful black light was dim, as well as the origin cores of Monica and Anna.
The fragmented dark power from the Oracle and the polluted energy from the Heart of the Star Remains were like ice and snow encountering their nemesis, and they quickly melted and annihilated under the burning of the starlight.
Then, the moonlight, full of vitality, caressed their wounds, the broken bones made subtle healing sounds, and the dried-up source of magic power began to slowly recover.
Enzo's violent coughing finally subsided and his breathing became noticeably smoother.
Anna and Monica's weakened aura finally stabilized.
Mark forced himself to sit up straight, his bloodstained face filled with urgency and endless questions: "Mammy! You...what on earth is going on..."
Irene raised her hand to interrupt him. Her eyes, which had regained their youthful radiance but held a depth far beyond her age, stared directly at Mark with an almost cold composure.
"Mark, put away your questions. Right now, you are too weak."
Her eyes swept over the four people who had just struggled back from the brink of death, and her tone was firm: "The truth? That is a burden that requires strength to bear.
"Unless you reach the legendary realm, you won't even be qualified to know the edges of the chessboard. You will only become worthless discarded pieces, at the mercy of others like you did this time."
Mark's words got stuck in his throat, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.
Enzo struggled to say something, but ended up just punching the ice hard.
Monica's eyes flashed, and Anna pursed her pale lips.
"As for that so-called 'Oracle,'" A trace of cold mockery appeared on the corner of Irene's mouth as she cast her gaze towards the scene of collapse and destruction deep in the rift valley. "Does he think that obtaining the Star Relic Heart is a victory?
"Heh, little did he know that what he took away wasn't power, but the source of the 'darkness' of the entire ice field.
"The troubles he and the Enlightenment Society behind him will have to deal with next will be a million times more 'interesting' than crushing a few bugs like you.
"Don't worry about them chasing you anymore. Once you've lost your usefulness, you're no longer worth distracting Qizhi from his precious attention."
Mark took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and asked a more practical question: "Then how can we become stronger as quickly as possible? How can we…"
"The ice plains are no longer safe, and the core area is bound to be in chaos. Furthermore, this place itself isn't a good place to advance." Erin interrupted him and gave clear directions, "Go to the western part of the continent, the perennial battlefield between the orcs and the human kingdoms—the Lor Swamp.
"Or perhaps even more dangerous, the buffer zone between the Demon Realm and the human race—the Misty Forest. It's a meat grinder, but also the cradle of the strong.
"The lingering will and unwillingness of the fallen heroes of past generations will give rise to violent monsters far superior to those of the outside world and ruins containing unique laws. It is an excellent place to hone combat skills, break through ranks, and obtain the rare materials needed to advance to Legendary status.
"There, every bit of survival experience is bloody, but also genuine."
At this moment, Monica, who had been observing silently, finally spoke. Her voice was low and weak, yet remarkably calm. "Sir Irene, Mark's magic... that colorful black light, and behind him... there's that 'mysterious being' who seems to be able to suppress all magic..."
She looked straight into Irene's eyes. Perhaps this former elder of Mark should know that the Oracle had previously called Mark "the Unfathomable" in shock and anger, as well as the special nature of Mark's power.
Irene's eyes suddenly became extremely deep, as if hiding a darkness that even the stars could not illuminate.
She was silent for a moment, and finally just shook her head slowly, with a slight movement but with an unshakable determination, ending the topic:
"That's not something you should explore right now, nor is it something I can discuss easily. The unknown is sometimes the best barrier. Focus on the present, survive, and become strong enough."
Her eyes swept across everyone, and finally landed deeply on Mark, with a hint of indescribable complexity and entrustment.
Without any extra farewell words, she walked straight towards Mark, and her fingers, which were thin but contained vast star power, lightly touched the location of his space equipment "Starlight Gap".
A pure essence, far exceeding the moonlight magic of the Black Gold Gang Xingyue that had been seen before, penetrated the barrier of the space equipment without any hindrance and injected into the "Xingyue Black Gold" that had been dormant for a long time.
The complex star and moon runes on the black gold surface seemed to wake up, and a faint light flashed through them for a moment, and then they became silent again.
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