Ancestor Dou Hu and Ancestor Tie Yi exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with alarm and disbelief. They had assumed Jiang Chen wouldn't dare show himself.
At least, based on the intelligence they'd gathered, Jiang Chen's cultivation hadn't yet reached a level where he could stand as their equal.
Yet the young man who now appeared before them—whether in bearing or in power—already carried the unmistakable aura of a grandmaster, a born leader.
That aura made both of these great ancestors draw in a sharp breath of cold air.
Ancestor Dou Hu's bell-wide eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at Jiang Chen, as though trying to divine some hidden secret from the young man.
But Jiang Chen was shrouded in a faint layer of golden light, which only deepened the inexplicable sense of mystery surrounding him.
It was a presence that even these Divine Dao ancestors could not see through.
"To catch thieves, first capture their king! Tie Yi, old man—let's take this brat down together!" Ancestor Dou Hu understood the situation clearly. This mouse tide was far beyond their power to reverse.
But taking down Jiang Chen? That was still a viable plan.
Despite having fought each other to the death moments ago, the two now moved in perfect sync. The instant Ancestor Dou Hu's words left his mouth, both transformed into streaks of light and hurtled toward Jiang Chen high in the sky.
But their little scheme was destined to fail.
The moment they launched themselves forward, the True Spirits of the Four Great Divine Beasts appeared simultaneously at every cardinal direction around them.
The domain field projected by the Four Divine Beasts working in concert locked both of them inside at once.
This was only the preliminary domain formed by the Four Beasts joining forces—its control hadn't yet reached a heaven-defying level, but it was already showing results.
Ancestor Dou Hu immediately felt his speed drop sharply. The very void seemed to warp around him, making every movement agonizingly difficult.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
BOOM!
A rift tore open in the void.
Meanwhile, the Taisui White
The Vermilion Bird Divine Beast was not idle either. Yuanzhu Heavenly Fire blazed at full power—terrifying celestial flames erupted outward like a volcanic eruption, carrying a world-scorching force that swept across the battlefield.
Any single one of these four attacks from the True Spirits would have been enough to threaten the lives of these two Divine Dao ancestors. And they were striking together.
The domain field alone weakened the enemy while amplifying their own strength.
Ancestor Dou Hu's heart sank. Seeing the colossal sword bearing down on him, he flickered sideways and barely—just barely—dodged the strike.
But evading that sword did not mean he was safe. A torrent of searing heat crashed down from above, the terrifying burning force threatening to char the top of his head.
Dodge—he had to keep dodging!