Chapter 197: A Sudden Crisis

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

However, before they could figure out what to do, the black wave began to riot again. Invisible black material covered the entire cave. If they had not reacted in time and reinforced the defensive barrier again, the defensive barrier would have broken, and the consequences would be immeasurable.

However, this was only the beginning. The temperature in the air became lower and lower, so much so that a layer of faint ice crystals had formed between their brows. Even their movements became slower.

A flame ignited on Yan Hua’s fingertip. This flame seemed small, but in fact, it was extremely scorching. It was like a small sun, temporarily dispelling the cold and forcing the surrounding temperature to rise by a few degrees.

Only the two of them with deep cultivation could resist the cold here. If it were anyone else, they would have already become ice crystals.

“Let me see what’s going on down here.”

The luminous pearl on the wall had long been swallowed. It could be said that they could not see anything around them. In addition, due to the influence of the black substance, the two of them could not see clearly at all.

Just as Yan Hua’s voice fell, the flames on his hand suddenly became extremely large as if they were expanding. Then, they split into many parts and flew towards the depths of the cave like shooting stars. The scene looked very spectacular. Countless flames rose up like a brilliant fireworks display, lighting up the entire cave.

Ren Zeyuan could not help but reveal a look of joy. “Elder Yan, you still have a way.”

Sparks bloomed in the sky as they touched the black substance. It was clearly like a fog, but it was burnt until it emitted white smoke. It was as if something had been burnt, and the strange smell was even more obvious.

However, in an instant, Ren Zeyuan’s smile froze on his face. He could vaguely see that the creature underground had lost its human form. It was completely covered by the black substance, as if it was wrapped in a swamp.

From the way he dressed, it was obvious that he was the City Lord!

Ren Zeyuan was stunned on the spot. He was so shocked that he could not speak. “What should we do? The City Lord’s situation is getting more and more serious.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the black substance that had been burned by the flames appeared once again. Like a spring, it instantly enveloped the flames.

The outer layer of the flames instantly became pitch-black and extremely dim. The orange-red flames became smaller and smaller, like an old man at the end of his life. Then, as if they had been assimilated, they all turned black.

The black flames throbbed incessantly, and the substance that was emitted from them also turned black. It was as if they had been assimilated and polluted, filled with an ominous darkness.

Ren Zeyuan and Yan Hua saw that the situation was not good and hurriedly retreated. The black flame was like a long dragon as it pounced over in an instant. It opened its bloody mouth, wanting to swallow the two of them.

It was unknown when it started, but a huge array pattern appeared on the ground. The array was originally dignified and upright. It was engraved with mysterious totems and patterns. Those totems seemed to be Kirin, Dragon, Bai Ze, and other auspicious beasts that could be used to suppress evil.

However, now that it was eroded by the evil energy, the edges of these patterns had been weakened. Even the eyes of those auspicious beasts were filled with black fog. Moreover, the light of the formation that was originally white had also become dim.

Right under the eyes of Ren Zeyuan and Yan Hua, the outermost layer of the formation had already dissipated, and it was moving towards the inner circle at an extremely fast speed.

Ren Zeyuan could not help but frown when he saw this. “How could this be?” He hurriedly recited the incantation and saw that the array formation totem on the ground was getting darker and darker. Not only was the outer circle dissipating, even the inner circle had long been corroded by more than half. However, it had been hidden very well previously, so they actually did not notice anything.

The situation was far more serious than they had imagined!

Seeing the scene in front of them, Yan Hua also revealed an incredulous look. “So these things can disguise themselves. They’ve already eroded more than half of the array formation before we knew it.”

If they hadn’t seen the City Lord’s riot this time, which had caused the seal here to shake, the array formation would have been exposed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have noticed it until the seal formation was completely eroded.

However, by that time, it would be too late. The consequences would be unimaginable.

Ren Zeyuan’s fingertip shot out a huge amount of spirit energy, trying to wipe away the black marks on the array formation. However, the black substance seemed to have a life of its own. Not only did the spirit energy not wash them clean, it even seemed to be assimilating them.

It could be seen that they were extremely polluting. Even spiritual power had turned black. Ren Zeyuan’s face suddenly turned pale, and the stench in his throat surged. He forcefully suppressed it.

“Elder Yan, please lend me a hand.”

Upon seeing this, Yan Hua’s green spiritual power burst out, as if bringing with it an extremely strong life force. It was able to disperse a piece of filth. The green and white spiritual power interweaved together, producing a huge amount of energy that covered this space. Even the air was affected and distorted.

It was not easy for the black color to be suppressed. The two of them did not have time to let out a sigh of relief. However, in the next second, the two spiritual powers were simultaneously devoured by the ferocious counterattack of the black dragon.

Ren Zeyuan and Yan Hua’s faces turned pale as they both spat out large mouthfuls of blood.

“You guys go first. If you stay here, you might also be contaminated. I can still control it a little here, but I won’t be able to control it very soon…”

As a weak voice came from deep underground, Ren Zeyuan knew that it was the City Lord’s voice. “But, City Lord –”

How could they leave with ease in this state?

“City Lord, we’ll stay and help you.”

“Not only will you not be able to help me if you stay here, you’ll be dragged down by me instead. Go!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge wave of spirit energy rushed out from deep underground. The spirit energy looked white, but there were layers of black substances surging outside. It was filled with an ominous aura of death.

However, this wave of spirit energy did not attack. It only pushed Ren Zeyuan, Yan Hua, and the others further away.

“This place has already been contaminated. You have to be careful in the future. I can still hold on….”