The Four Great True Spirits moved almost in perfect unison.
Jiang Chen stood to the side, watching the battle with keen eyes. So long as the Four Divine Beasts managed to pin Ancestor Yin Chui down, he would immediately deploy the Water-Fire True Dragon Rope and seize him in one fell swoop.
This kind of opportunity would vanish in the blink of an eye. He could not afford even the slightest misstep. A moment's hesitation on Jiang Chen's part might cost him the chance entirely.
Most critically, the battle was taking place not far from the Gold Demon lineage's encampment. Ancestor Yin Chui's companions could arrive to reinforce him at any moment.
And what worried Jiang Chen most of all was that he could sense an incredibly terrifying power emanating from within that encampment.
That power was something he, Jiang Chen, absolutely could not contend with. Even if the Four Divine Beasts combined their strength alongside him, they might not be able to withstand it.
Perhaps even adding Xia Tianze to the mix still wouldn't be enough. That power might be comparable to the ancient Great God Sovereign Liuli.
For that reason, Jiang Chen wanted this fight resolved as quickly as possible.
Ancestor Yin Chui was clearly more cautious than Ancestor Yin Feng had been. While fighting, he continuously emitted shrill howls—obviously signaling Ancestor Jin Xiao for help.
Jiang Chen's mind remained steady as a mountain. His Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil locked tightly onto the battlefield, waiting for the perfect moment.
When the Black Tortoise Divine Beast's tremendous gravitational force blanketed the area around Ancestor Yin Chui, Jiang Chen's mind stirred: "Now's my chance!"
He activated the Water-Fire True Dragon Rope, which transformed into two streams of profound power—one yin, one yang. Like a pair of Water-Fire True Dragons roaring proudly through the void, they surged with overwhelming momentum, sweeping left and right as if to cleave heaven and earth apart.
Ancestor Yin Chui had been cautious, but he never expected danger to arrive so close at hand. The moment he sensed the tremendous might of the Water-Fire True Dragon Rope, he tried to pull back and retreat—only to discover that his speed had already been suppressed by the Black Tortoise Divine Beast. He could barely manage a third of his full swiftness.
"This is bad!" Ancestor Yin Chui panicked, howling desperately to call Ancestor Jin Xiao for aid. He knew that if Ancestor Jin Xiao arrived even a breath too late, the consequences would be dire.
Jiang Chen clearly had no intention of giving him that time. His hand seals flickered in rapid succession, driving the Water-Fire True Dragon Rope to its absolute limit. The rope blazed as two streaks of radiance, coiling around Ancestor Yin Chui at dizzying speed.
In the span of a single blink, Ancestor Yin Chui's entire body was wound tight without a single gap. His fighting power had been completely sealed by the Water-Fire True Dragon Rope.
And at that very moment, Jiang Chen could already feel an boundless aura surging toward them from the direction of the encampment.
"Everyone—the old demon of the Gold Demon lineage is coming! Return to your positions and fall back!"
Jiang Chen had absolutely no desire to cross blows with the old ancestor of the Gold Demon lineage right now. He knew that once a fight broke out, it would inevitably devolve into a drawn-out stalemate—or worse, a quagmire.
Even if a confrontation was unavoidable, neither the time nor the place was right.
The Four Great True Spirits heeded Jiang Chen's call and vanished one after another, returning to Jiang Chen's body. Without a moment's hesitation, Jiang Chen flicked the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, which flared into a beam of light several zhang long, and shot off into the distance.
In the blink of an eye, the vast distance between heaven and earth seemed to compress. The laws of the void appeared to be entirely disregarded as Jiang Chen's form flashed across thousands of li in an instant.
Ancestor Jin Xiao arrived on the scene a single breath after Jiang Chen departed.
The residual heat of battle had not yet dissipated.
Ancestor Jin Xiao probed the area for a brief moment, and his expression darkened—he had already sensed that Ancestor Yin Chui had seemingly vanished without a trace.
"Who dares?!" Ancestor Jin Xiao howled at the sky, fury surging through every fiber of his being.