Thunderous crashes echoed as the stones swirling overhead hurtled toward me. I stared intently at Old Moe charging forward, wondering how I could possibly defeat him. That was the question consuming my mind.
Sharp cracks rang out as the stones struck me. Instantly, the Bloodlash extending from my spine split the stones into fragments.
With a sudden rush, Old Moe stopped about twenty or thirty meters ahead. He didn’t attack right away, instead retracting the Phoenix Blade, raising both hands, and murmuring something under his breath.
"Careful now, brother. It’s my turn."
Just as I was about to speak, I heard a crackling—the fragments from the stones shattered by Bloodlash still floated around me. Now I realized those fragments were wrapped in purple lightning.
In an instant, I cried out in alarm. The stone shards, crackling with purple lightning, shot toward me with blinding speed. There was no escape. I tried to dissolve into mist to dodge, but my body was already beyond my control.
Suddenly, I felt black Deathbane Aura pouring out of my body, forming a protective shield. A massive amount of aura condensed around me.
My vision was cut off from the outside. The sound of creaking and heavy thuds surrounded me. All I could feel was the immense impact on my body, and the Deathbane Aura was being consumed at a staggering rate, as if I was being completely drained.
At that moment, I noticed the stone fragments wrapped in purple lightning shattering against the black, crystalized Deathbane Aura surrounding me.
"When Deathbane Aura condenses enough, it can do this, brother. If those stones hit you, neither of us would make it out unscathed."
Just as I was about to ask John Chou what to do next, I saw Old Moe already standing before the crystal block formed from Deathbane Aura, his dragon-claw-like hand clenched tight, striking toward me.
With a sharp crack, the crystalized aura shattered completely. In that instant, my body turned to mist—there was a thunderous boom, and the air around me seemed to explode, flames erupting everywhere.
I cried out as the searing pain of fire swept through my body. In a flash, I left Old Moe’s location, darting to the edge of the space via the Specter Web. Suddenly, with a roar, the White Tiger leapt down from its pillar, jaws wide open.
With a wet splatter, I couldn’t see exactly what it was, but something spewed from the White Tiger’s mouth. Instantly, I condensed my form and drifted aside to evade.
With a boom, the Bloodlash along my spine was sliced into several segments. Glancing down, I saw the water’s surface split into neat blocks, then, with a sharp crack, the water exploded, spraying everywhere.
The White Tiger kept attacking me, while Old Moe stayed far off in the sky, clearly controlling the beast from a distance.
“You’ve got to dodge, brother. Whatever you do, don’t turn to mist. The moment the Specter Web breaks, you need to react immediately.”
I nodded. Suddenly, the White Tiger let out another howl and spewed something at me. I dove straight into the water, narrowly dodging the attack.
There was something in the water—I sensed it again through the Specter Web. John Chou had been silent for a while. All I could do was hide beneath the surface, thinking hard. Defeating Old Moe seemed almost impossible. From afar, he could command the Four Sacred Beasts to attack, and up close, his spiritual techniques and personal strikes were deadly threats.
A powerful current wrapped around me, and I realized my body was completely out of control, dragged toward the depths. I could clearly sense it now—below was the Black Tortoise, mouth agape, swallowing water in torrents. I was being pulled straight toward those rows of sharp teeth. I tried to turn to mist, but some force stopped me.