NOVEL WEB Chapter 355: Advancing Their Own Plans
For the next three days, Irving stayed at home, pondering how he should initiate his plan in the world of the shelter game. Although the jade pendant in his possession allowed him to locate Sophia within the shelter game, Irving had not yet figured out what to do once he found her.
Irving could not ascertain Sophia's condition. He didn't believe Jony's words; he thought Jony was merely eager to gain the power of the Blood Moon, which drove him to kill Sophia. Yet, he had no way to truly confirm whether his judgment was correct.
So, over these three days, Irving made all the necessary preparations. He gathered all of his precious weapons and items. Additionally, during this time, he had meaningful discussions with Aron and James. Both Aron and James decided to join Irving in his quest.
Irving chose not to bring more people along to the shelter game. If he had too many companions, it was likely that the Night Blades would discover their whereabouts early on. Sophia could very well have formed an alliance with the Night Blades. Irving needed to keep his movements as discreet as possible.
After finalizing all his preparations, Irving headed straight to the headquarters of the Angel Guild. Aron and James were already waiting for him there.
"You should all be ready by now," Irving said. "We are about to enter the shelter game! Our goal this time is to find Sophia! Of course, if we encounter any members of the Night Blades during this process, we must eliminate them all."
Before they set off, Irving made one last reminder to Aron and James. They understood what actions they needed to take and agreed with Irving's decision.
Thus, the three of them entered the world of the shelter game. Initially, they appeared in their respective shelters. It took them about an hour to finally converge at the edge of the ruins in the Desolate Canyon.
"According to the pendant, Sophia must be within the ruins of the Desolate Canyon. However, the ruins are extremely dangerous. If either of you feels too afraid, you can leave now," Irving said. He wasn't pretending to be polite; he genuinely felt it was right to give James and Aron an opportunity to withdraw. After all, the upcoming actions would undoubtedly be perilous. If they believed they could not survive, they should indeed have the chance to back out.
James smiled and shook his head. "I'm not afraid of danger. Besides, even if I leave now, I won't have any other important tasks to attend to. I won't be able to return to the White family in a short time."
Aron's expression remained unchanged as he calmly stated, "I believe Sophia has definitely formed an alliance with the Night Blades. Therefore, this operation can significantly weaken their influence. As a member of the Angel Guild, I absolutely won't pass up this opportunity."
James and Aron's responses delighted Irving. "In that case, let's follow the pendant's guidance and move forward!"
Irving then led James and Aron into the ruins of the Desolate Canyon. The terrain there was extremely complex, filled with twisted and bizarre monsters. The Desolate Canyon had suffered numerous attacks from powerful beings, each possessing different abilities. As a result, the monsters within the ruins were usually corrupted by various forms of power. Your next read awaits at empire
When facing these creatures, Irving and his companions had to fight with utmost caution. This cautious approach slowed their progress considerably. It took them half a day to finally traverse the edge of the Desolate Canyon ruins.
Almost immediately after Irving and his group entered the ruins, members of the Night Blades discovered their presence. The Night Blades stationed in the Desolate Canyon quickly relayed this information to the elders of their faction. Naturally, this news soon reached Shadow Celestial.
Shadow Celestial did not expect Irving to return to the shelter game world so soon. He had assumed that Irving would remain in the real world for a long time.
"I understand! Do not act rashly for now! Just keep an eye on Irving and his group. Inform me of their positions at all times!" Shadow Celestial issued new instructions to the Night Blades members. He did not intend for them to interfere with Irving's actions, believing it would only place him at a greater disadvantage.
Shadow Celestial still had not determined Irving's true intentions. "Is Irving really here to target me? Even if he harbors a deep hatred for the Night Blades due to Elder Astra's actions, he shouldn't be heading to the ruins of the Desolate Canyon. Shouldn't he come directly to the Night Blades headquarters to find me?"
Shadow Celestial was filled with confusion. However, he did not plan to handle this matter alone. Deep within the ruins of the Desolate Canyon lay a hidden location—the hiding place of his ally, Sophia.
Although Shadow Celestial could not pinpoint the exact location of Sophia's hiding place, he felt it was necessary to provide her with a warning. He conjured an illusory raven in the palm of his hand.
"Irving and his companions have entered the ruins of the Desolate Canyon. I'm not sure if they are coming for you, but I think you should prepare yourself," Shadow Celestial said.
After delivering this message, the illusory raven quickly flew away. "I've informed you of the situation. How you choose to respond to Irving is now up to you."
Shadow Celestial decided to retreat into the background for the time being. He continued to advance his own plans, and he believed that to ensure his success, he must avoid drawing Irving's attention.
The raven created by Shadow Celestial soon arrived in front of Sophia. After hearing the raven relay the message, Sophia crushed it without hesitation.
"Why is he coming for me? Has he discovered my secret?" Sophia muttered to herself.
In Sophia's view, Irving was her enemy. After all, Irving had previously fought against the Blood Moon and was eager to weaken its power. Sophia had completely mastered the power of the Blood Moon, and she identified herself with it.
Jony's words to Irving were not entirely false. Sophia had indeed been strongly influenced by the Blood Moon. However, this situation was entirely voluntary on Sophia's part. She understood very well that to fully control the power of the Blood Moon, she needed to embrace it willingly.
After contemplating for a while, Sophia finally decided to take the initiative. She would not allow herself to be ambushed by her enemies. Leaving her hiding place, she began to search for Irving and his companions in the ruins of the Desolate Canyon.
Although Sophia acted swiftly, she could not immediately locate Irving and the others. Meanwhile, Irving and his companions soon pinpointed Sophia's current location.
Looking at the jade pendant in his hand, Irving couldn't help but reflect, "It seems Sophia has realized that we are in her vicinity. From her current position, I can deduce that she has been searching for us."
Irving's words caused a slight sense of concern for James and Aron. "Doesn't that mean Sophia is definitely our enemy? Could it be that Jony wasn't lying? Are we really going to have to eliminate Sophia?" Aron fired off a flurry of questions.
Aron felt that Sophia had provided him with a lot of help in the past. Therefore, he hoped for a favorable outcome for her.
James remained silent, as his relationship with Sophia had never been particularly good. Irving let out a sigh.
"That situation might very well arise. However, regardless of the circumstances, we must take appropriate action. If Sophia truly is our enemy, then we have no choice but to eliminate her."
Irving was indeed reluctant to eliminate Sophia. However, if she had completely fallen under the control of the Blood Moon, he would have to make the painful decision to act.
Just as Irving finished speaking, Sophia's cold and sinister voice echoed from not far away. "Do you really think you can eliminate me? You are far too overconfident!"
The shock of Sophia's words caught Irving and the others off guard. Nevertheless, their extensive combat experience kicked in, and they immediately entered a state of readiness upon hearing her voice.
Irving quickly drew his staff and almost instantaneously cast a defensive spell. A transparent shield appeared around him and his companions. However, the moment the shield manifested, it was surrounded by a liquid that resembled blood.
This blood-like liquid was, in fact, an attack initiated by Sophia. She had materialized the power of the Blood Moon. Anyone contaminated by this materialized Blood Moon power would gradually transform into a werewolf.
"You think I would just sit here defensively because you've found me? Weren't you just saying you wanted to eliminate me? You can't defeat me with mere defense!" Sophia taunted.
At that moment, Sophia was unable to break through Irving's defenses. In an attempt to provoke Irving, she hoped to draw him and his companions away from their protective magical formations.
However, Irving wasn't solely focused on defense; he had been observing Sophia's every move. He hoped that she had not been entirely consumed by the Blood Moon. But after watching for a while, he had to admit that his initial judgment was wrong.
The power Sophia wielded had indeed transformed entirely into the power of the Blood Moon, and she had begun to actively seek to turn other humans into werewolves. This behavior was fully aligned with the will of the Blood Moon.
"It seems you have indeed been completely corrupted by the power of the Blood Moon! I have no other choice; I must take action against you," Irving said, his tone tinged with resignation.