When Sophia returned to the surface area of Shadow City with Elder Lawrence, his appearance underwent a dramatic change. The dark energy contained within Shadow City quickly flowed into Elder Lawrence''s body. He gradually began to take on a solid form, signaling that his resurrection process hadmenced.


    Of course, Sophia noticed the transformation in Elder Lawrence. In response, she took a few steps back, creating distance between them. She concealed herself in a hidden spot, carefully observing Elder Lawrence''s every move. Although she wasn''t very familiar with him, she felt a deep sense of caution.


    After about a quarter of an hour, Elder Lawrence''s form finally stabilized. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and smiled in the direction where Sophia was hiding.


    "You don''t need to worry. The reason for my transformation is that I spent too long in the underground tomb. I need some time to adjust to the environment outside the tomb," Elder Lawrence spoke in a gentle tone, cing no pressure on Sophia. He made no attempt to approach her.


    Sophia, in her werewolf form, slowly stepped out from her hiding ce. She scrutinized Elder Lawrence closely and, after confirming that he posed no immediate threat, she directly questioned him.


    "It seems you''ve absorbed the dark energy around you. Although you were once a member of the Night des, you im to have betrayed them. So why are you still absorbing dark power? How can I trust you now? Once you possess enough dark power, it will be easy for the Night des to control you."


    Elder Lawrence sighed, his expression suddenly turning somber. "You''re right. After absorbing so much dark energy, I would be more susceptible to the Night des'' control. But I have no other choice. I cannot use any power except for dark energy. If I don''t absorb it, I won''t be able to exist outside the underground tomb for long.


    Do you really want to see my spirit fade away like that?"


    Faced with Elder Lawrence''s response, Sophia found herself at a loss for words.


    "If you still trust me, then hurry and take me to the desert of the Deste Canyon. Our enemies are there. Both the Werewolf God and other members of the Night des are hiding there, plotting their schemes," Elder Lawrence revealed crucial information.


    Upon hearing this, Sophia chose to believe Elder Lawrence.


    "Alright! I''ll take you there right away! However, it''s quite far from here to the desert of the Deste Canyon, so it will probably take us about a day and a half to arrive," Sophia exined, although she felt her exnation was somewhat redundant. Elder Lawrence, as a former member of the Night des, would surely have extensive knowledge about the Deste Canyon.


    Elder Lawrence nodded. "We don''t need to rush. ording to my divination results, it would be most advantageous for us to arrive in two days."


    With Elder Lawrence''s assurance, Sophia led him toward the direction of the desert of the Deste Canyon.


    At almost the same time, Elder Howard met with Irving in Irving''s shelter. The two of them needed to formte a battle n for the uing conflict. Without a solid n, their efforts could easily end in failure.


    However, Irving and Elder Howard hadpletely opposing views on the battle strategy.


    "I''ve already put in so much effort into this n. Are you really suggesting that the Night des should strike first? How do I know you aren''t plotting against us from behind?" Elder Howard stood up angrily, addressing Irving.


    Elder Howard''s battle n clearly involved having Irvingunch the first attack, with Howard and the other Night des coordinating with him. In contrast, Irving''s strategy was to have the Night des take the initiative.


    Elder Howard felt that both he and the Night des had already contributed significantly to this battle n. He believed that once the fightingmenced, Irving must be the one to attack first, ensuring a bnce in the contributions from both sides.


    Irving, upon hearing Elder Howard''s inquiry, replied directly. "If you believe I''m going to scheme against the Night des from behind, then you''re perfectly free to refuse to cooperate with me. My stance is quite simple: I cannot trust you Night des. How can I be sure that in the battleground you''ve prepared, there aren''t traps set specifically for me?


    After all, the Night des have a history of burning bridges."


    Irving''s tone remained calm as he responded.


    In Irving''s view, there was no need for him to argue with the other party. He had no intention of making any concessions, and he felt that even withoutpromising, he would still seed in the negotiations this time.


    Elder Howard''s expression shifted slightly. He was aware that the Night des'' reputation wasn''t very good, but he also believed that Irving''s credibility with the Night des wasn''t strong either. Moreover, it seemed that Irving was under more pressure than the Night des at that moment.


    As Howard''s anger subsided somewhat, he returned to his seat and said slowly, "Actually, it''s not impossible for the Night des to strike first. However, I can only promise to use the power of magical formations to initiate the attack. If the magical formations cannot contain the Werewolf God, you must join the battle immediately."


    Elder Howard took a step back from his original position. He felt that since the magical formations in the Deste Canyon were also set up by the Night des, allowing the magical formations to attack first essentially meant that the Night des were the ones making the first move.


    Upon hearing Elder Howard''s words, a faint smile appeared on Irving''s face. "You have indeed made some concessions, but I still believe your n is not advisable. The power of the Werewolf God is growing stronger. Relying solely on the magical formations will not be enough to contain the Werewolf God. Therefore, I believe that at the start of the battle, you must personally engage.


    Only your formidable strength can potentially suppress the Werewolf God right from the outset."


    Irving''s argument held a degree of reason. While the Night des'' magical formations could be effective to some extent, they were not particrly flexible. If the Werewolf God reacted immediately, the damage the magical formations could inflict would be minimal.


    "Are you implying that if I do not take action, you will assume weck sincerity? Do you really think I would agree with what you just said?" Elder Howard was now on the verge of exploding.


    From Howard''s perspective, Irving''s words indicated that he had no intention of cooperating at all.


    Irving remained silent for a moment. He sensed that Elder Howard''s mindset had shifted, and he felt he needed to rify things quickly.


    "I think you don''t need to be overly anxious. Do you really believe I would want you and the Werewolf God to perish together? If you and the Werewolf God were to be taken out, I would have no way to rescue Vicky. After all, the dead are not bound by contracts. And if you were eliminated, I suspect your subordinates would quickly move to eliminate Vicky as well, wouldn''t they?"


    Elder Howard nodded. "You''re right. I''ve already given orders to my subordinates that if I happen to fall in battle, they will directly kill yourpanion Vicky." His tone remained almost unchanged as he spoke. Howard felt this was a perfectly normal course of action.


    Irving stood up and looked around at the scenery surrounding his shelter. "I remember not long ago, your Night desunched an attack here, didn''t you? Although it wasn''t you leading the members of the Night des during that attack, you should have some understanding of what happened, right?"


    Elder Howard nodded silently. He felt a bit confused; he didn''t understand why Irving was bringing up the previous attack. Was Irving trying to convince him in this way? Or did he want Howard to feel that the Night des owed him something?


    "You don''t need to be so anxious. I mentioned the earlier battle just to make you understand one thing: unexpected situations can arise in every fight. While we have nned the majority of our strategy, the Werewolf God will also employ adaptable tactics. Therefore, from the outset, we must concentrate all our strength.


    After youunch the attack, I will definitely join the battle immediately, because I wouldn''t risk setting traps for you that could lead to both our destruction."


    Irving''s words finally convinced Elder Howard. He let out a sigh. "Perhaps you''re right. In that case, I''ll proceed ording to your n. However, I must remind you not to modify the battle n any further. The time until the battle starts is already very short.


    I need to give my subordinates some time to familiarize themselves with our strategy. If you change it again, my subordinates won''t have time to adjust."


    Irving nodded. "I won''t modify the battle n any further. What I''ve shared with you is the entirety of my strategy. I believe this n will definitely seed."


    Elder Howard didn''t say anything more. He simply stood up and quickly left. While Elder Howard had abandoned his own battle n, it didn''t mean he fully trusted Irving. He intended to use the remaining time to reinforce the magical formations in the desert of the Deste Canyon. In the event of a crisis, Elder Howard could still rely on these magical formations to bolster his strength.


    In a closely matched and perilous battle, every effort to increase the chances of victory could potentially determine the oue. Elder Howard was well aware of this.