Chapter 164: Chaotic Anomaly
Faced with two panic-stricken subordinates, a look of disappointment crossed Elder Seville's face. He scolded them, iron in his tone, "What nonsense are you two spouting?! There is no terrifying monster behind us! Both of you calm down immediately!"
Elder Seville was acutely aware that the current chaos would not last.
Once Irving and others such as Aron and Anna coordinated their efforts, the plans he and the Night Blades had concocted were doomed to fail.
"Elder! We are not lying! That terrifying monster is right behind us, and it's about to reach us!"
One of the Night Blades members shouted as he sprinted towards Elder Seville.
The other Night Blades member ran towards the nearest exit of the hollow.
In his view, not even Elder Seville could guarantee his safety anymore. To survive, he believed it was imperative to leave this place of conflict at once.
"Stop! As an elder of the Night Blades, I command you not to take a single step outside this hollow!" Elder Seville bellowed at the member attempting to flee.
However, it seemed his command fell on deaf ears.
"It appears I must take matters into my own hands and clean house! I will show no mercy to subordinates who do not follow my orders!" Elder Seville declared.
Elder Seville took a step forward and began to generate dark energy orbs around his body.
He intended to use these orbs, filled with dark energy, to strike down the fleeing Night Blades members.
However, before Elder Seville could act, he suddenly sensed a very powerful presence deep underground, moving toward the hollow.
"He's coming! He's getting closer!"
Exclaimed a Night Blades member cowering behind Elder Seville, his voice trembling and causing confusion among everyone present.
Aron and Anna also ceased their actions.
They sensed the formidable entity approaching the hollow.
Irving and the residual spirit of the Smith family ancestor were still engaged in battle with the artifact-generated persona of the Smith family ancestor.
Like the others, however, Irving and his allies turned their attention towards the narrow passageway at the end of the hollow.
Everyone could hear the sound of flowing water emanating from the narrow passage.
As they watched, a pool of black liquid surged from the passage. Upon contact with the floor of the hollow, the liquid transformed into several black humanoid figures.
These black figures lunged towards the nearest person.
Aron, who was closest to the narrow passage, decided to act immediately.
He grabbed his weapon and fiercely struck at the black figures.
The events that followed left everyone present with expressions of extreme shock on their faces.
Aron's weapon passed directly through the black figures without causing them any harm.
Yet Aron himself let out a pained cry. When the others carefully observed Aron's condition, they suddenly noticed a huge wound on his upper body.
"Do not attack these black figures. Our attacks will only rebound back onto ourselves!" Irving's voice came as he continued to battle the artifact-generated apparition of the Smith family ancestor. Despite being engaged in combat, Irving was still able to monitor the situation at the end of the hollow.
Although Irving did not understand exactly what these black figures were, he had quickly discerned their method of combat.
At the moment Irving's warning was uttered, Benjamin quickly moved to Aron's side. He grabbed Aron by the shoulders and dragged him to where Anna and Vicky were standing.
Elder Seville watched this unfold with mixed feelings.
"Trouble follows trouble! I haven't even eliminated Irving and the others yet, and now these indestructible black figures appear!"
Elder Seville's assessment was similar to Irving's.
He also did not know how to eliminate these black figures.
After pondering for a moment, Elder Seville decided to lead his subordinates in a quick retreat.
"The situation is now dire! Staying here further, our plans will surely fail. Let's retreat quickly."
After saying this, Elder Seville led his subordinates at top speed toward the entrance of the hollow. Benjamin glanced in the direction of Elder Seville, intending to pursue him.
But Vicky immediately stopped him.
"Chasing Elder Seville now is pointless. We must first help Irving win this battle." Vicky stated, having regained her composure completely.
As a highly talented manager, Vicky could swiftly determine the priorities in a complex situation.
"I will take care of Aron here! You two go and assist Irving. If we can quickly defeat the monster masquerading as my family's ancestor, then we can retreat."
Benjamin and Anna nodded, then joined the fight against the artifact's apparition of the Smith family ancestor.
With the help of Benjamin and Anna, Irving soon gained the upper hand in the battle.
"You need not struggle any longer! You simply cannot defeat us. The presence of the Smith family ancestor's spirit prevents you from calling upon the powerful chaotic forces."
Irving taunted while still engaged in battle.
"You don't understand, even if you defeat me, it doesn't mean you have won the final victory. I can transfer all my power to the Chaotic anomaly."
The artifact-generated persona of the Smith family ancestor proclaimed before transforming into a golden light.
This golden light shot towards the black figures at the end of the hollow.
Upon being struck by the golden light, the black figures seemed to gain even more formidable power. All the black figures gradually merged together, forming a sphere teeming with writhing tentacles and emitting nauseating, frightening sounds.
"It seems that this creature is the Chaotic anomaly. I can feel an incredibly powerful chaotic force emanating from it."
Irving observed, glancing at the undulating sphere with tentacles, reminding his companions.
"What should we do now? Should we really fight the Chaotic anomaly?"
Vicky approached Irving, urgently seeking his advice.
Although Vicky had grown to be quite decisive, she still relied on Irving's judgment in matters of combat.
Irving shook his head.
"It's unlikely we can succeed in fighting the Chaotic anomaly here. The only thing we can do is use the power of your family's artifact to seal it away."
As he spoke, Irving directed his gaze towards the residual spirit of the Smith family ancestor.
The spirit raised his hands and conjured a talisman between them.
"You just need to attach this talisman to the Chaotic anomaly. After that, the talisman will form a seal that will encase the anomaly."
At this moment, the voice of the Smith family ancestor's spirit had become very ethereal.
During the recent battle, the spirit of the Smith family ancestor had been greatly weakened.
The spirit could no longer sustain itself for much longer. In about half an hour, it would completely dissipate into nothingness.
"I must remind you of something important. Even if you manage to seal the Chaotic anomaly, the seal will not last very long. You must enhance your own power within a very short period. Only by doing so can you completely destroy the Chaotic anomaly before it breaks the seal. That is all I can tell you. My power has been fully depleted, and I will soon vanish."
The spirit of the Smith family ancestor said.
The words spoken by the spirit of the Smith family ancestor brought a sense of sadness to everyone present.
For some of them, it was their first time meeting the Smith family ancestor.
However, it must be acknowledged that during the battle, the Smith family ancestor provided substantial assistance to them.
Irving spoke with a tone of solemn resolve, "I understand! I will absolutely enhance my strength quickly!"
After making this declaration, Irving, holding the talisman given to him by the residual spirit of the Smith family ancestor, approached the Chaotic anomaly.
By this time, the Chaotic anomaly had amassed a formidable amount of chaotic energy.
Its tentacles were even capable of launching isolated attacks on Irving.
"I know you're hiding in the deepest part of the Chaotic anomaly. I may not have a way to handle the Chaotic anomaly at this moment. However, you should understand that my strength can be swiftly increased. Once I am powerful enough to defeat the Chaotic anomaly, I will pull you out from its body and make you pay the corresponding price."
Irving said, addressing the artifact he believed was concealed within the Chaotic anomaly.
The Chaotic anomaly seemed agitated as Irving spoke.
It continuously waved its tentacles, each imbued with powerful chaotic forces, launching attacks at Irving.
Despite the onslaught, Irving managed to place the talisman on it.
In that instant, the Chaotic anomaly suddenly froze.
Around it, a series of apparitions made up of countless orbs of light appeared, resembling doors. These spectral doors layered upon each other, forming a robust barrier.
Thus, the Chaotic anomaly was thoroughly sealed.
After completing the seal on the Chaotic anomaly, Irving tested the strength of the seal.
"It seems this seal cannot be easily broken! For the time being, we do not need to worry about the threat posed by the Chaotic anomaly."
Turning back to the others, Irving continued.
"However, we have even more important tasks ahead! Donald and Sophia have not yet been rescued! We must go and save them!"
Irving knew that their subsequent actions needed to be executed even more swiftly.