Chapter 206: The Gathering at the Underground Tomb
This remark made Elder Howard even more anxious. "What additional information do we need? Do you think what we have is insufficient? We already know that Lawrence has betrayed the Night Blades! We also know that Irving and his group are in the underground tomb. If we don\'t enter the tomb in time, one of them will surely figure out the secrets hidden within."
Although Elder Howard didn\'t have extensive knowledge about the underground tomb itself, he understood that the secrets it held were crucial for the Night Blades. "We absolutely cannot allow them to uncover this secret."
In reality, the information Elder Howard had was not entirely accurate. The secrets of the underground tomb were not what mattered most to the Night Blades; rather, it was the secrets of the Blood of the Abyss that held the greatest significance.
While the Blood of the Abyss could grant the power of the Werewolf God, it did not mean that uncovering the secrets of the underground tomb would lead to revelations about the Blood of the Abyss.
After all, the Werewolf God was merely one of the gods who wielded the power of the great being found at the depths of the Abyss of Death.
The Werewolf God was not even the most powerful being among all the gods who had obtained the Blood of the Abyss. Although Elder Howard\'s information was not entirely accurate, he still managed to persuade Elder Kent.
"You\'ve convinced me! Let\'s hurry and enter the underground tomb," Kent agreed. "The Night Blades who were previously following Lawrence should know how to access the tomb. We can have them lead us there."
While Kent had initially hesitated to enter the underground tomb, once he made the decision, his actions were swift. Guided by one of Lawrence\'s most trusted subordinates, Elder Howard and Elder Kent quickly arrived at the entrance of the underground tomb that Lawrence had discovered.
Facing the simple door before them, both Howard and Kent hesitated slightly. Although there was a lock hanging on the door, to them, it appeared to be quite rudimentary. They could almost destroy the door with their own strength without needing a key.
"Are you sure you haven\'t taken a wrong turn? Did Lawrence really enter the underground tomb from here?" Elder Howard asked the guiding member of the Night Blades in a harsh tone.
The member, hearing the question, quickly replied, "I often saw Lawrence come here when following his orders. He also linked this door to the underground tomb. So, I believe this door is the entrance. As for whether Lawrence actually entered the tomb through this door, I\'m not entirely sure."
The response infuriated Elder Howard.
"Why didn\'t you clarify things from the beginning? Are you deliberately trying to slow us down?" Elder Howard accused, his suspicion growing that the member might be an undercover agent left by Lawrence.
He was already considering the possibility of killing him. If there was even the slightest mistake in the member\'s answers, Elder Howard would not hesitate to eliminate him.
The member of the Night Blades looked terrified in response to Elder Howard\'s intimidation. "I have always been truthful! Even though I was once one of Lawrence\'s trusted subordinates, he wouldn\'t share such important information with me.
The only reason I brought you and Elder Kent here is because I believe this door is the most likely entrance to the underground tomb. I truly have not lied; you must believe me!"
Elder Howard\'s gaze was icy as he scrutinized the member\'s expression. Just then, Elder Kent spoke up with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "This door certainly cannot be opened easily. I just tried; even using all my strength, I couldn\'t destroy this door or the lock on it."
Kent\'s words drew Elder Howard\'s attention. He decided not to exert further pressure on the guiding member of the Night Blades, as he felt the member was likely telling the truth. Elder Howard slowly walked over to stand beside Elder Kent. The two of them began to study the door in front of them carefully.
As they studied the door before them, the two men gradually sensed a powerful aura of death emanating from behind it. It seemed that more corpses were buried beyond the door. The moment they perceived this deathly energy, they both simultaneously confirmed that the underground tomb was indeed behind the door.
"You haven\'t led us astray; the underground tomb should be behind this door! But how are we supposed to enter? We don\'t have the key," Elder Howard muttered, glancing at the lock on the door.
The previously panicked member of the Night Blades quickly interjected, "Elders, I might know where to find the key to this door. I remember that Lawrence once hid a treasure chest in a basement at the very center of Shadow City. The key should be inside that chest."
Elder Howard and Elder Kent exchanged glances and then sent another member of the Night Blades to accompany him to retrieve it.
Fifteen minutes later, the two Night Blades members returned. They indeed brought back a treasure chest, but it also had a lock on it.
"Elders, we couldn\'t open the lock on the treasure chest, so we could only bring the entire chest back," one of them explained.
Elder Howard took the chest from them. He first summoned his dark powers to generate a mist that seeped into the chest.
"There is indeed a key inside the chest. However, I\'m not sure if this key will open the door in front of us," Elder Howard said calmly to Elder Kent.
Elder Kent remained silent as he stepped up to the treasure chest and brought his left hand down with a heavy strike. Although Lawrence had taken great care, he had not made the chest indestructible. Kent\'s blow successfully shattered the chest.
Amid the fragments, Elder Howard and Elder Kent found the key. The key they discovered was Lawrence\'s spare key. Lawrence possessed two keys that could open the entrance to the underground tomb.
The first key was, of course, the one Lawrence used himself, while the spare key was meant to ensure that he could still gain access to the tomb in case of unforeseen circumstances.
The two Night Blades elders approached the large door with the key in hand. The moment the key made contact with the lock, everyone in the room felt the temperature around them plummeting rapidly.
"This key must be the real one. We need to be very cautious once we enter the underground tomb," Elder Kent said as he used the key to unlock the door, glancing over at Elder Howard.
In Kent\'s view, the actions within the underground tomb would undoubtedly be fraught with danger, and they had to exercise sufficient caution.
Elder Howard was sometimes impulsive, so it was essential to give him reminders before they proceeded. Howard nodded seriously.
"I understand. I will be very careful while moving through the underground tomb, and I will follow your instructions."
Elder Howard and Elder Kent did not intend to let the other members of the Night Blades enter the underground tomb. In their view, the strength of the remaining members was insufficient.
The moment the two elders fully opened the door to the underground tomb, everyone in the room heard agonizing wails.
Elder Howard addressed the group, "You can leave now! Before we return, you must stand guard at the door and make sure no one goes out!"
The other Night Blades members had long wanted to escape this room. Upon receiving Elder Howard\'s command, they quickly fled.
Meanwhile, the two elders stepped through the doorway. As soon as they entered, the door slammed shut behind them.
"It seems we need to find another exit if we want to get out of the underground tomb," Elder Kent remarked slowly upon witnessing this scene.
Kent was not particularly panicked. He believed that encountering danger in the underground tomb was quite normal. Moreover, with Lawrence and Irving already inside, he felt confident that he and Elder Howard together would be at least as capable as Lawrence and Irving.
As the two Night Blades elders ventured deeper into the tomb, a shift in the surrounding power became apparent. Both Lawrence and Irving could sense the change in energy within the underground tomb.
However, neither of them immediately considered the reason for the change in energy within the underground tomb. Only the werewolf leader quickly thought of a possible explanation.
"I believe that some other powerful beings have entered the underground tomb. It could very well be those two Night Blades elders," he said, directing his gaze toward Irving.
Irving took a moment to think calmly before slowly nodding. "I believe your assumption is quite valid. Aside from those two Night Blades elders, I can\'t think of anyone else strong enough to have entered the underground tomb.
It seems that all the various forces in Shadow City have gathered in the tomb. Perhaps we can use this opportunity to eliminate Lawrence and the two Night Blades elders altogether.
You might even be able to regain control of Shadow City! You could transform Shadow City into the core territory of your werewolf clan!"