Elder Lawrence listened with fury to Irving's words. He did not immediately attack Irving, knowing that the King of Lightning was about to arrive. As long as the King of Lightning showed up, he wouldn't have to face Irving's threat alone."I know what you're thinking. You must believe that the King of Lightning will soon appear before us. But how can you be sure he will attack me?" Irving said, just as the ruins of the Shadow City headquarters suddenly erupted in a violent explosion.
A golden tiger burst forth from the rubble, surrounded by crackling bolts of electricity. The King of Lightning had transformed back into his tiger form.
The appearance of the King of Lightning caused the three individuals beside Irving to feel a twinge of fear. Nick and Benjamin both took a step back. Although they had never encountered the King of Lightning before, seeing the golden tiger so close allowed them to gauge the immense power it possessed.
Aron, while not showing much change in expression, also felt a hint of concern.
The King of Lightning surveyed Irving and the others, then turned his gaze to Elder Lawrence. Ultimately, he chose to launch an attack on Lawrence.
Elder Lawrence could not understand why, with so many potential targets around, the King of Lightning would still fixate on him for an attack.
As the King of Lightning pursued Elder Lawrence, Aron anxiously turned to Irving.
"Why are you still standing here? We should take this opportunity to team up with the King of Lightning and eliminate Elder Lawrence once and for all."
Upon hearing Aron's words, Irving let out a cold laugh. "If you really want to do that, then go ahead and act on your own. But I must remind you that if you get too close to the King of Lightning, he will likely see you as prey as well. With your strength, you won't be able to withstand his attack."
Irving's reasoning was undoubtedly sound. However, Aron was not convinced. To him, Irving was simply wasting time.
"There's no point in threatening me right now. Are we really just going to stand by and watch? Are we going to wait until the King of Lightning has killed Elder Lawrence before we can take further action?"
In response to Aron's challenge, Irving coldly replied, "Don't forget that before we set out, you promised me you would follow my orders. I have already made my instructions very clear, so there's no need for you to keep talking nonsense."
Irving's words made Aron very uncomfortable. Yet, he had no way out. Before they departed, he had indeed promised Irving that he would follow his instructions during the mission.
"I actually think this is quite good; at least we won't encounter any threats during the operation," Nick said with a slightly awkward smile, trying to ease the tension.
Aron did not respond; he simply took a step back, distancing himself from Irving as much as possible.
Benjamin didn't really understand why Irving was acting this way, but he felt it wasn't his place to question him in front of others.
The four of them fell into an uncomfortable silence. Nick was about to say something to break the awkwardness when an unusual sound emerged from beneath the rubble of the control center.
Everyone turned their attention toward the source of the strange noise. Under their watchful eyes, several stone slabs from the ruins were pushed aside.
A werewolf emerged from the debris, and it was none other than the werewolf leader. The moment he saw the werewolf leader, Irving and the others immediately readied themselves for battle.
The werewolf leader was startled by the presence of Irving and the others. He assumed they were subordinates of Elder Lawrence and members of the Night Blades.
The werewolf leader quickly entered a frenzied state. "No matter how many members of the Night Blades there are, I will never submit again! I remember everything you have done to the Wolf Blood Clan. You will have to pay for this!"
With that declaration, the werewolf leader lunged at Irving, launching an attack.
However, Irving did not engage in battle. Instead, he drew upon the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl within his body to block the werewolf leader's attack.
"We are not members of the Night Blades. In fact, I was unaware of your Wolf Blood Clan's existence until now," Irving calmly explained after halting the werewolf leader's assault.
The murderous intent radiating from the werewolf leader gradually lessened. However, he still didn't fully trust Irving; he continued to scrutinize Irving and those around him with his crimson eyes.
"If I were truly a member of the Night Blades, I would have ambushed you here alongside Elder Lawrence. Do you really think that with my strength combined with Elder Lawrence's, we wouldn't be able to eliminate you quickly?"
Upon hearing Irving's words, the werewolf leader completely withdrew from his frenzied state. Meanwhile, several more werewolves crawled out from beneath the rubble.
"These werewolves are members of the Wolf Blood Clan, and I am their leader. We ended up here because the Night Blades captured us and imprisoned us," the werewolf leader explained, clarifying why he and his subordinates were present.
Irving nodded calmly. "I believe what you're saying. In fact, there is room for cooperation between us. We are enemies of the Night Blades as well, and we want to eliminate Elder Lawrence." S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Upon hearing Irving's statement, the expression on the werewolf leader's face became noticeably more excited than before.
"If that's the case, with your help, our plan to eliminate Elder Lawrence will be realized very quickly," the werewolf leader said, clearly hoping for cooperation with others. Before they were captured by the Night Blades, the Wolf Blood Clan had been collaborating with other intelligent beings in the Desolate Canyon.
"I can indeed help you eliminate Elder Lawrence. But do you really think that's the most beneficial course of action for us?" Irving asked a question that left everyone puzzled.
"Isn't eliminating Elder Lawrence the most advantageous thing to do? What could possibly be more beneficial than that?" the werewolf leader inquired, a hint of confusion in his tone.
Irving smiled. "Don't you want to completely eradicate the Night Blades' influence in the Desolate Canyon?"
Irving's words not only shocked the werewolf leader but also astonished the people behind Irving. Aron, Nick, and Benjamin finally understood what Irving's true plan was. They now realized why Irving had previously chosen not to launch a direct attack on Elder Lawrence.
"I certainly want to eliminate the Night Blades' power entirely. However, the Night Blades are extremely powerful. It will be quite challenging for us to eliminate Elder Lawrence. I believe we should proceed steadily, gradually weakening the Night Blades' strength," the werewolf leader replied, not easily swayed by Irving's argument.
He felt that Irving's plan was a bit too far-fetched. The Night Blades had been present in the Desolate Canyon for quite some time. They had even managed to build a well-equipped city there. Given this situation, how could the Night Blades possibly be easily eliminated? Moreover, when facing significant threats, the Night Blades would receive reinforcements.
"I know you're very cautious and that you don't believe my plan can ultimately succeed. But are you really that anxious? You could join me and see the full scope of my plan," Irving patiently persuaded the werewolf leader.
In the end, the werewolf leader chose to side with Irving. Together, they began to track the movements of Elder Lawrence and the King of Lightning.
Irving was not worried about losing their trail because he had utilized a spell that Elder Lawrence had previously used to pinpoint the exact location of the King of Lightning. Elder Lawrence had employed the same method to keep the King of Lightning pursuing Irving earlier.
During the pursuit of the King of Lightning and Elder Lawrence, the werewolf leader provided Irving with a detailed account of the situations faced by the Wolf Blood Clan. The Wolf Blood Clan was a dominant group within the Desolate Canyon. Even the primitive tribes that worshiped the King of Lightning were fearful of the Wolf Blood Clan.
After the Night Blades arrived in the Desolate Canyon, the Wolf Blood Clan had once allied with other intelligent beings to confront the Night Blades.
In the beginning, their efforts had achieved significant results. The power of the Night Blades had never been able to grow very large. However, once the Night Blades discovered the secret of the Abyss of Death, they gained an unusually powerful strength. It was at that time that Elder Lawrence was dispatched here.
"In the final battle, our Wolf Blood Clan, along with our allies, was defeated by Elder Lawrence. Our allies were completely wiped out. Elder Lawrence believes that the members of the Wolf Blood Clan possess immense power.
That is why he imprisoned the surviving members of our clan in a warehouse filled with an abundance of equipment," the werewolf leader said with a tone of deep anger directed at Irving and the others.
Upon hearing about the warehouse filled with equipment, Irving immediately asked the werewolf leader, "Where is this warehouse? Why didn't you mention it sooner? We need to hurry back there right now!"
In Irving's mind, the warehouse in Shadow City must have contained a great deal of rare equipment. If they could seize this opportunity to acquire a substantial amount of gear, the strength of Irving and his companions would be significantly bolstered.
However, the werewolf leader's next statement poured cold water on Irving's enthusiasm. "That warehouse has been completely destroyed. Aside from the weapons we managed to carry out, everything else has turned to ashes. Even if you went back, you wouldn't find any of those weapons or items that once existed."