Chapter 360: This Is Not Our Trouble
While the Angel Guild took action to address the disaster caused by Sophia, the Night Blades were also taking their own measures. However, the enthusiasm for action among the Night Blades was not as high as that of the Angel Guild.
Although several elders of the Night Blades received very accurate information from the members in the field, they did not take immediate action. Elder Astra suggested informing Shadow Celestial.
"If Shadow Celestial does not wish for us to act, then acting recklessly would surely provoke his anger. That would be a very bad situation for all of us," Elder Astra argued.
Astra successfully persuaded the other elders. When this matter was brought to Shadow Celestial, his reaction was quite strange. Shadow Celestial simply said, "I understand. Although Sophia and I are allies, I cannot completely control the actions of my allies. Moreover, this crisis is not our trouble. So you all just need to continue managing the affairs of the Night Blades."
After saying this, Shadow Celestial chose to leave. Elder Astra noticed that Shadow Celestial appeared to be even more powerful than before. However, he believed that the Chaos Entity would soon take action. Not long ago, the Chaos Entity had told Elder Astra that it would definitely draw Irving and Shadow Celestial to the same place. This meant that a battle between Irving and Shadow Celestial was inevitable.
After Shadow Celestial departed, the other Night Blades elders were filled with concern. In their view, the strength of the Night Blades had diminished compared to before. Although Shadow Celestial was immensely powerful, he did not intend to offer help to the Night Blades. Shadow Celestial seemed to treat the Night Blades merely as a tool.
"I feel that the power of the Night Blades is rapidly declining. Shadow Celestial must have plundered all the important weapons and items we had. The reason he has become stronger than before is that he has harnessed the power contained within those items," one of the Night Blades elders complained.
While the other elders shared similar sentiments, they dared not voice their complaints. Elder Astra approached one of the elders and softly said, "Let's not discuss this matter any further; let's focus on our own affairs."
With that, Elder Astra directly left the gathering.
For Elder Astra, the internal situation within the Night Blades was becoming increasingly favorable. More and more members were expressing dissatisfaction with Shadow Celestial's performance. This meant that Elder Astra's upcoming actions would be considerably easier, and he might gain the support of additional Night Blades members.
However, he still did not plan to take immediate action, as he felt he needed to gather more strength. Elder Astra decided to seize the opportunity to stealthily steal a crucial item when Shadow Celestial was not paying attention. He was well aware that within the Night Blades, there was an artifact far more powerful than the Dark Portal. This artifact had always been personally safeguarded by Shadow Celestial, and Elder Astra believed it was the key to defeating him.
Yet, stealing this artifact would pose numerous challenges. The primary difficulty lay with Shadow Celestial himself, who placed immense importance on the artifact. In the absence of formidable enemies, Shadow Celestial would undoubtedly keep the artifact on his person. Thus, Elder Astra had been waiting for the moment when Shadow Celestial encountered a powerful adversary.
Fortunately for Elder Astra, he would not have to wait long; the Chaos Entity had already lured Irving to the vicinity of Shadow Celestial's secret base. Hidden within that base was a chaotic artifact that Shadow Celestial had recently acquired. He would never relinquish this chaotic artifact, which meant that Shadow Celestial would soon be arriving near the secret base.
The Chaos Entity waited at the entrance of the secret base, deliberately lingering for a while until Irving caught up. At that moment, the Chaos Entity vanished quickly.
"What does the Chaos Entity mean? He could have run away faster. It seems his purpose is not to shake off my pursuit but to lead me here," Irving sensed that something was amiss.
However, he did not panic, as he believed his strength could handle any unexpected situation. Now that the Chaos Entity had left, Irving began to carefully observe his surroundings. Soon, he noticed that the chaotic energy here was significantly stronger than in other places.
"Could it be that an artifact is hidden here?" Irving immediately made a judgment.
Following the traces of chaotic energy, he pressed on. Before long, he pushed open the large door of Shadow Celestial's secret base. At the moment the door swung open, Shadow Celestial reacted instantly.
Shadow Celestial took immediate action in that moment.
Although Shadow Celestial's reaction speed was incredibly fast, he still could not arrive at his secret base immediately. This allowed Irving to explore the depths of the secret base for a period of time.
As Irving ventured deeper into the base, he came across a crossbow radiating chaotic energy. The moment he laid eyes on the crossbow, he experienced an unusual memory. In this memory, the crossbow was used to launch an attack against the Dark Abyss. The crossbow, imbued with powerful chaotic energy, seemed capable of inflicting severe damage on dark forces.
"Perhaps I can use this crossbow to fight against the Dark Overlord?" Irving hesitated slightly. While the crossbow's chaotic power could harm dark forces, the Dark Overlord wielded immensely potent dark power. Irving was uncertain whether this crossbow would be able to damage the Dark Overlord. Thus, he decided to take the crossbow back to the real world.
Irving slowly placed his hand on the crossbow, deliberately slowing his movements to ensure he would not be eroded by the chaotic energy. The chaotic energy did attempt to corrupt him, but its efforts were unsuccessful. Irving finally managed to fully control the crossbow in his grasp.
He decided to return to the real world immediately, knowing that the moment he took hold of the crossbow, Shadow Celestial would certainly have locked onto him. However, Irving's speed was somewhat lacking. Just as he was about to teleport back to the real world, Shadow Celestial appeared before him.
Then, a powerful chaotic energy directly thwarted Irving's attempts to return to the real world.
"Did you really think you could easily steal someone else's treasure and escape unscathed? Leave that treasure behind! It does not belong to you!" Shadow Celestial did not launch an immediate attack, as he was not a match for Irving at that moment.
He was not as strong as Irving, and Irving was armed with the chaotic crossbow. The chaotic arrows could inflict significant damage on enemies. Additionally, the chaotic arrows not only attacked using chaotic energy but also caused the wounds to bleed continuously. Any healing spells would be ineffective against the damage caused by the chaotic arrows. Therefore, Shadow Celestial felt extremely tense when facing Irving, who held the chaotic arrows.
Irving was indeed unprepared for Shadow Celestial's sudden appearance. Initially, he felt quite tense, but upon observing Shadow Celestial's demeanor, he relaxed. He realized that his current advantage was greater than that of Shadow Celestial. Therefore, Irving responded with a calm question, "Is this artifact yours? Aren't all chaotic artifacts supposed to belong to the Smith family? I just want to take this crossbow back to Vicky."
Although Irving and Shadow Celestial had clashed before, it seemed neither of them wished to treat the other as a mortal enemy. Shadow Celestial scoffed at Irving's words. "I remember telling you before that even the ancestors of the Smith family were conjured by me. All the so-called treasures of the Smith family belong to me."
Shadow Celestial was not lying, but Irving certainly would not agree with that statement. He replied coldly, "Perhaps! But this artifact is already in my hands, and I absolutely won't allow you to take it away. If you really want this artifact, then come and take it from me!"
Having reached this point in their conversation, Shadow Celestial had no reason to hesitate. He immediately unleashed a chaotic spell. Countless illusory figures surged toward Irving. Instinctively, Irving dodged the attacks from these figures.
In a sudden move, Shadow Celestial swapped places with one of the illusions behind Irving, appearing right behind him. He pulled out a dagger that emitted a ghostly blue glow from his pocket. This dagger, infused with powerful chaotic energy, would erode Irving if it struck him.
Realizing the danger, Irving swiftly turned around and drew the Staff of Calamity. Although the staff itself was not particularly sturdy, it held up against the attack from the dagger infused with chaotic energy. The staff successfully blocked the dagger's strike, giving Irving the opportunity to aim the chaotic arrow at Shadow Celestial.
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Even though Irving was unsure of the proper way to operate the chaotic arrow, he managed to fire it successfully. The illusory arrow, enveloped in immense chaotic power, shot toward Shadow Celestial. Upon seeing the chaotic arrow, Shadow Celestial chose to flee immediately.
Within Shadow Celestial's secret base was a hidden passage for a quick escape, one he was very familiar with. Shadow Celestial's sudden retreat surprised Irving momentarily. However, once he regained his composure, Irving quickly made the decision to return to the real world. As long as he returned to the real world, he could ensure that the chaotic arrow would remain under his control.