In the sky, amid the wind and rain, the Azure Dragon spiraled downward, roaring as it charged toward me. My body felt petrified, bound by some invisible force—I couldn't move at all. All I could do was stare in shock.
"Azure Dragon Aspect, withdraw..."
Suddenly, Old Moe opened his eyes and, with a whoosh, flew to a spot four or five meters in front of me. Stretching out his right hand, he commanded the spiraling Azure Dragon, which instantly radiated a blue-green glow. The storm clouds above began to scatter, and the Azure Dragon coiled around the pillar, spiraling upward to return to its perch.
I was already soaked through by the rain, dripping wet. Now able to move, I shook my head, wiped the water from my body, and shouted loudly.
"Old Moe, why? Why are you fighting John Chou? Tell me, Old Moe, I don't want to see the two of you..."
"Enough, Ethan Zhang. Just watch quietly. There are things in this world that someone must do. I don't want to explain anything to you. Ethan, walking on the edge of a blade—one misstep, and you'll be doomed forever. That's what you are now. If you truly love Rachel Lan, then stand aside and watch carefully."
Old Moe left me with those words, and I shouted again.
"Old Moe..."
A wave of sorrow surged in my heart. I stared blankly at Old Moe as he flew toward John Chou, who was still trapped in the hurricane, purple lightning constantly piercing his body. Old Moe continued to gesture with his hands.
"Vermilion Bird Aspect, solar flame..."
With a thunderous boom, a swath of crimson flames erupted across Old Moe's body, sending a wave of scorching heat toward me. Instantly, steam rose from my skin as the water on me evaporated. The blistering temperature was palpable even from a distance.
Inside the hurricane, I saw particles of blood-red energy rising. John Chou seemed to want to disperse and then reassemble himself, but he was completely immobilized, staring blankly as a mass of flames burst into the storm. It was the Phoenix Blade. I watched Old Moe raise the Phoenix Blade and stab it toward John Chou's true form.
The power of the flames raged wildly, accompanied by a tremendous roar. The fire spread rapidly, and in an instant, the hurricane vanished. John Chou was now entirely charred, while Old Moe held the Phoenix Blade, flames surging from his back.
With a loud bang, I stared as John Chou's body began to disintegrate in the flames, turning into black smoke. My heart skipped a beat, and I cried out, clenching my fists and preparing to rush forward.
"John Chou..."
Instinctively, I gripped Hell's Sentinel in my hand, then raised it and struck at the invisible barrier before me.
Just as Hell's Sentinel was about to hit the barrier, flames erupted with a boom. It was the Vermilion Bird, extending a burning claw to grab my weapon with a metallic snap.
"Aiya, Ethan Zhang, get back! I'm going to die!"
Hell's Sentinel suddenly shouted. I looked instinctively and saw the entire blade had turned bright red, beginning to soften completely.
"Vermilion Bird, let me in!" I shouted at the Vermilion Bird before me, but it seemed not to recognize me. A surge of fire erupted, and with a deafening roar, I was blasted back by a massive explosion.
The moment I hit the ground, half of Hell's Sentinel had already melted away. With a swoosh, the weapon slipped from my hand and stabbed into the earth, its surface still glowing bright red.
"I told you to get out of the way, damn it, Ethan Zhang! I nearly died!"
I stared blankly at Hell's Sentinel, then at the fading Vermilion Bird. It didn't recognize me at all. I recalled the Vermilion Bird once attached to my body saying there were countless Vermilion Birds, and that their power varied from person to person.
Within the Fourfold Beast Array, John Chou had vanished. Aside from the drifting black smoke, he was nowhere to be seen. My heart twisted in pain, and I shouted, scrambling to my feet.
"Son-in-law, don't shout. Even though I'm trying to deal with John Chou, if it were that easy, I wouldn't have gone through so much trouble."
Old Moe said this, gazing at the drifting black smoke in the air.
I tried to sense what was happening inside, but my Specter Web couldn't enter the Fourfold Beast Array. Whenever I extended it, it vanished instantly, and my mind filled with the roaring images of the Four Sacred Beasts.
The black smoke gradually dispersed, and then a streak of blood-red appeared in the air. Slowly, particles of blood began to coalesce, but I noticed the process was much slower than before.
John Chou appeared in the air again, looking troubled, but still wearing a smile.
"The condensation is much slower now, John Chou. Continue."
Old Moe continued speaking as he pressed the attack against John Chou.
At that moment, John Chou's whole body glowed red as he began to flee, dodging the Phoenix Blade in Old Moe's hands and drifting around the Fourfold Beast Array.
"Aren't you going to use your instinct, John Chou? Your killing instinct!" Old Moe shouted as he chased after him.
"Ah, it's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't anymore, haha."
John Chou drifted toward me, his eyes smiling at me. I stared wide-eyed as Old Moe, wielding the Phoenix Blade, slashed at him from behind.
"Behind you..."
No sooner had I spoken than Old Moe's Phoenix Blade struck John Chou's back. The pain was intense—John Chou screamed. It was the first time I'd ever seen him like this.
The flames died down, and John Chou landed at the edge of the Fourfold Beast Array, his back to me. A large patch of his back was charred black, showing no signs of recovery. It seemed Old Moe had pushed him to the brink.
"Black Tortoise Aspect, move..."
As Old Moe spoke, thunderous sounds echoed again and again. I saw massive stones rise from the ground and float into the air, forming a barricade that completely sealed off the space around John Chou.
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"Based on my calculations, if I scatter your ghost soul two more times, you'll disappear completely."
Old Moe's eyes showed no emotion as he stared coldly at John Chou.
"Is that so? Haha."
As soon as John Chou finished speaking, Old Moe raised his hand and a bolt of purple lightning whipped out, crackling as it struck. In an instant, John Chou was entangled by the lightning, black smoke rising from his body.
My mood had hit rock bottom. John Chou had completely lost the ability to resist. He strained to turn his head, forcing a stiff smile at me.
"Brother, don't just stand there. Give me a hand, use your brain, think!"
My mind buzzed. Old Moe charged at John Chou, the Phoenix Blade stabbing straight into his chest. With a bang, John Chou vanished once again.
Then came a series of creaks as the stones in the sky moved toward the drifting black smoke. Old Moe flew to the center, at the highest point, staring at the cloud of black smoke.
I calmed myself, and the black energy on my body gradually receded, returning within me. I reverted to human form. Wanting to enter the Fourfold Beast Array, I realized only humans could do so. As soon as I approached, I felt the inviolable power of the Four Sacred Beasts blocking my way, refusing to let me in.
But now, things were different. I had completely suppressed the ghostly part within me—there wasn't a trace of ghost aura left. I walked forward slowly, just one or two meters from the barrier, yet I felt no threat from the Fourfold Beast Array.
"Son-in-law, don't come any closer. You may be human, but your mind—the Four Symbols know it well. They won't allow you to enter."
Old Moe shouted, and I stopped. Just as he'd said, I was standing outside the Fourfold Beast Array, afraid to move any further. A dangerous sensation made me tremble all over—a fear of the Four Symbols, a human's instinctive dread.
"Vermilion Bird, are you there? Please, help me—find a way to get me into the Fourfold Beast Array."
I spoke sincerely from my heart, but for a long while, the Vermilion Bird within me gave no response.
"Gale..."
Old Moe shouted, and a fierce wind rose inside the Fourfold Beast Array, scattering the drifting black smoke. A streak of blood-red appeared as those blood-red particles re-emerged.
"Stop hiding, John Chou."
A gentle sigh drifted out, and then more and more blood-red particles began to gather. John Chou appeared in the air once again, his expression half-smiling as he looked at Old Moe, silent and showing no sense of crisis. At that moment, I noticed John Chou looking at me.
I stared at him, wide-eyed. From his gaze, I sensed something unusual—trust. For the first time, John Chou looked at me with trust, and even a hint of expectation. My mind buzzed at the realization.
The stones in the sky began to move again, shifting position until they surrounded John Chou on all sides, sealing him in once more.
"Come on, Lan Qinmo. A man of your stature wouldn't show mercy, would he?"
John Chou suddenly shouted in fury as the flames on Old Moe's back burst forth in a fierce crimson glow.
Without another word, Old Moe raised the Phoenix Blade high. Instantly, wind and clouds surged within the Fourfold Beast Array, and purple lightning gathered in the gaps between the stones.
"This is the last, John Chou."
"Ah, the last..."