Huang Liang carried Hong Kui's body to the bottom of the altar. The ice surface here was smooth and bright, like an ice rink in the morning.
Nine Sun shone brightly on the earth. Strangely, only one reflection appeared on the ice.
There are some sparse and messy white lines on the ice, like the blades of ice skates cutting across it. But from a distance, they form many unique patterns.
Huang Liang walked along the ice until he reached the center of the altar.
He saw that the ice patterns there revealed the outline of a wolf. Next to this outline was a symbol composed of two triangles, with a small ice hole at the apex where the triangles intersected.
Footsteps sounded behind me.
He glanced back; everyone else had come down as well.
He placed Hong Kui's body on the ground, turning him to his side so that he was curled up in a wolf-like shape.
This burial site seems tailor-made for Hong Kui.
Huang Liang thought of the White Wolf King again; everything is preordained.
He then placed the Soul of Ice into Hong Kui's already stiff hand.
Qingmu walked over, squatted down next to Huang Liang, and said, "This is the best place for him."
Huang Liang nodded, and suddenly couldn't help but shed tears. If he didn't know that Martha was still waiting anxiously at the gate of the manor in Vancouver, he really wanted to stay in this icy world with Hong Kui.
Qingmu patted him on the back and said, "Everyone has their own destiny."
Huang Liang said, "But I don't know what my destiny is."
Qingmu said, "From the day you realized the value of freedom and broke free from the shackles of your own mind, your mission was already complete. Go home, go back to the person who loves you, don't keep her waiting too long."
The Crow cawed, "Caw, that's exactly what I wanted to tell you."
Looking into the distance, Qingmu said, "I want to too, but not now."
Huang Liang asked, "What else do you want to do?"
Qingmu said, "We must go back and shut down the altar that has already been activated."
Huang Liang said, "I'll go with you."
Qingmu said, "We are Guardian, just like Hong Kui; we bear a mission. You are different. You, Professor Su, Mrs. Larry, Alice, and Ivan —you don't need to risk your lives anymore. It's pointless. The path across the ice plains shouldn't be closed yet; you can go back."
Situ added, "Once the other Holy Land close again, we may never be able to return to Earth."
Petru took Mrs. Larry's hand and said, "Madam, let's go back."
Mrs. Larry neither feigned sympathy nor hesitated, saying, "Alright, I'll go back and write a book about you."
Alice said timidly, "I... I'll go with the lady."
Su Huilan looked at Qingmu, but in the end, she didn't say anything. She just nodded vigorously at him.
Petru suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Su Huilan, "If... if you can, please remember what you promised me."
Su Huilan nodded and said, "If I could go back."
Petru smiled gratefully, then turned to Mrs. Larry and stammered, "I, I just, I just..."
The lady smiled and said, "You're a loyal and kind man. I'm so glad to have you by my side on this long and arduous journey. I will always remember you and these days. No matter how many light-years apart we are, our love will remain."
Petru was so excited he couldn't speak, he just kept nodding.
The Crow gently pecked at Qingmu's scalp and said, " Guagua, I suddenly feel like crying."
With the plans settled and farewells finished, the people went in different directions. Qingmu, Situ, Duwa, and Petru, each carrying their own Sacred Staff, sensed the call of their ancestral spirits and headed to their Holy Land.
Huang Liang, Su Huilan, Mrs. Larry, Alice, and Ivan then walked back along the path Huang Liang had taken.
Huang Liang returned to the place where the battle had just taken place. The bodies of Itjenetjer and Horemheb had been frozen into ice, but their faces were still vaguely recognizable.
Mrs. Larry crouched down and looked at it carefully.
Alice said, "Are they really two Ancient Egypt the Mummy brought to life? This is truly the greatest miracle in archaeological history."
Mrs. Larry said, "This is a miracle in the history of life."
They continued walking.
A mist began to rise over the ice field.
This was something Huang Liang had never seen before, but Su Huilan knew what it meant. She glanced back, silently wishing the others a successful mission.
The fog grew thicker, blurring visibility.
Huang Liang said, "No, we'll lose our way this way."
Su Huilan said, "Then let's stop for a moment. If we continue through the fog, we might end up in an unknown place."
They huddled together in the thick fog, waiting for the weather to improve.
The fog came quickly and went quickly. Before long, the sky was bright again.
Just as they were about to continue, Mrs. Larry suddenly called out, " Alice! Where's Alice?"
That's when people realized Alice was missing.
Su Huilan immediately became alert and asked Huang Liang, "Did you leave the Soul of Ice in the altar?"
Huang Liang said, "Yes, that belongs to Hong Kui, you all saw it."
"Oh no!"
Everyone guessed what was going to happen and ran frantically toward the altar.
Just then, the earth began to shake, and the sound of ice shattering came from beneath our feet. In the distance, the ice surface began to crack, with fissures crawling across the ice field like giant snakes.
When they arrived at the altar, water had already begun to seep out from the cracks in the ice.
The center of the altar had been transformed into a pool, bubbling and steaming. Mist rose from the surface, making it seem like a hot spring.
Alice stood in the middle of the water, which was up to her waist, and the water level was slowly rising.
She held her wrist high, blood dripping from it and falling into the water.
Qingmu, Situ, Petru, and Duwa also rushed back.
They watched in astonishment, knowing it was too late.
" Alice!" Mrs. Larry cried out to her, "Why? Why you?"
"Madam, we will all witness a great era!" Alice laughed in the water; were it not for the blood dripping from her wrist, she would have looked like a lotus emerging from the water.
Huang Liang was both shocked and furious. "How did you do that? No one except the descendants of the Chayak Family can open this altar. Hong Kui is dead, could it be that you are also...?"
Alice said, "Those two great the Mummy must have told you that. They have no idea about the wisdom the Itza People displayed in their struggle against Gaia."
" Alice! Tell me what's going on?" Mrs. Larry said. "I know you too well, I don't believe you're Parasites! And your feelings for Anderson aren't fake, that's something Parasites can't fake!"
"Madam, I'm sorry, I lied to you, but I didn't mean to." Alice smiled faintly. " Anderson is buried here, and I will go with him."
Who exactly are you?
I am Alice.
"I know you are Alice. I'm asking about your true identity!"
"Madam, do you remember the Two-Faced Goddess that Mr. Yeger mentioned?"
" Two-Faced Goddess?" Mrs. Larry thought for a moment. "I know. He discovered a common but poorly documented female deity in many ancient civilizations called Yilias, also known in some places as Aixilisi. She has two sides; she is both evil and good."
Alice said, "The legendary Two-Faced Goddess was the destroyer of the old world and the rebuilder of the new world. The people of the old world saw her as a demon, while the people of the new world saw her as a savior. Yeg later corrected the pronunciation of her name, calling her ' Alice,' but unfortunately, he didn't have time to write it in the book."
Alice... Qingmu had already arrived, glanced at Situ unintentionally and saw that he was calm and showed no abnormality.
You say you're a goddess?
"No, I am not a god. I am merely fulfilling my own mission. Like those who have guarded the Holy Land for generations behind you, I too have my own legacy and mission. I am not Parasites, but I must accomplish this today. I don't even know if it's the right thing to do, but I must. This task is etched into my genes like a stamp. We have been waiting for this day. In the ancient prophecy, I will destroy this world with my own hands and die with it."
The water gradually rose above Alice's neck, and blood was still seeping from her wrists, forming a pale red patch around her.
"No! Alice!" Mrs. Larry cried.
"I'm going to find Anderson." Alice left with a final smile.
People watched helplessly as the icy water submerged her face. Unlike Hong Kui, her body did not float to the surface; only a crimson stain remained on the ice, gradually fading away.