Isabe had also received John''s message and quickly prepared everything, although they hid quite far away.


    After all, they were dealing with a semigod-tier powerhouse!


    If he detected their presence nearby, he would surely be cautious, and that was thest thing they wanted.


    Isabey hidden in the snow, well-camouged by the surrounding white.


    Despite her perfect concealment, she felt her knees and limbs growing unbearably cold, as if they no longer belonged to her.


    It was cold... bitterly cold.


    But no matter what, they had to endure.


    They could not afford any slip-ups.


    Only then could they achieve their goal.


    John, watching the coordinates draw ever closer, felt a slight relief.


    He then swiftly flew towards the snowy in.


    stair also sensed the air around him getting progressively colder.


    He disliked this icy sensation intensely and frowned as he watched John''s departing direction, then quickened his pace.


    He had initially thought to enjoy a leisurely game of cat and mouse, but the surrounding temperature was ufortably low.


    If that was the case, he decided to capture John first and then deal with the others.


    Unexpectedly, John flew over a snowy in and instead of continuing forward, he stopped mid-air.


    "So, have you run out of ces to run, or are you just too tired to move?"


    stair taunted with a smirk, slowly approaching John.


    This man had caused him too much humiliation.


    He could no longer tolerate his existence and was determined to make him suffer a painful death.


    John felt a sense of relief as he sensed he was directly above a magic array.


    He then began to gradually activate the magic array using the power of control.


    Previously, Isabe and the others had already ced energy stones along each edge of the magic array.


    However, the energy stones had been buried by the heavy snow and blizzard.


    Still, John could distinctly feel the energy fluctuations beneath him, subtle yet discernible.


    "I just think there''s no need to run anymore because today you are destined to die here," John said with a faint smile, his words dripping with provocation.


    stair actuallyughed in response, ring at the man before him.


    "I''ve seen people seek death, but never someone as eager to die as you."


    "Since that''s the case, go ahead and die then!" stair bellowed.


    Froststorm!


    In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to be torn apart by the immense energy.


    A tornado rose from the ground, swirling with the snow around it and howling towards John.


    It seemed to carry the force of a thousand thunders, imbued with an irresistible power.


    It was a power from nature itself and from the power of control—a terrifying force.


    Those hiding in the distance could not clearly see what was happening due to the massive blizzard, but they could still make out the tornado that had risen from the ground.


    The temperature around them dropped even more, and worry began to settle in their hearts.


    Nothing must happen to John! He was their only hope, and he had already instructed them to set up in advance.


    Now, they had done everything they could; the rest was up to John.


    John also felt the tornadoes, mixed with their apocalyptic energy, but he was not afraid; instead, he sneered.


    Moments ago, he might have feared stair''s desperate retaliation.


    But now that he was here, fear was no longer a sensation he entertained.


    Today, one of them would indeed perish, but it would not be him.


    John made no move to resist; instead, he swiftly lowered his altitude andnded on the ground.


    The ground was covered with half a meter of snow, which began to swirl rapidly under the influence of the tornado.


    Soon, the tornado swept away the surface snow, revealing a thickyer of ice.


    The ice was etched with silver streaks that faintly glimmered.


    The chaotic winds and swirling snow made it hard to see clearly, but the silver lines were just discernible through the storm.


    Seeing John seemingly powerless and descending to the ground, stair''s heart swelled with triumph.


    Of course!


    He knew John must have no ability to resist now and was merely awaiting his end.


    He wasn''t worried about any traps John might have set; after all, he had chased John here without losing sight of him.


    John had no chance to escape.


    Once John was dead, the rest would be like ants to him—easy to exterminate at will.


    John, watching the tornadoes swirling towards him, sneered.


    Kneeling on one knee, he mmed his palm fiercely onto the ice.


    Boom!


    With the power of control, energy instantly triggered the magic array etched into the ice.


    In an instant, the silver lines on the ice surged with magical power.


    A gigantic hexagram appeared before the two men, and the iing tornadoes abruptly vanished.


    John felt his power of control uncontrobly being sucked into the hexagram.


    stair felt a force draining energy from his body, the speed of the loss so rapid he couldn''t react in time.


    He looked down in horror at the hexagram on the ground, then at John within the hexagram, his eyes almost bleeding with shock.


    "You! It was you!"


    stair cried out in horror as he felt the power within him slowly dissipating.


    His status plummeted from semigod-tier down to apocalyptic-tier, and then to transcendent-tier.


    Simultaneously, his power of control was rapidly declining, falling from an initial 21% down to 15%, and it continued to drop.


    His body felt like a balloon with a puncture, the immense energy within swiftly leaking out.


    This escaping energy was then rapidly absorbed by the hexagram magic array on the ground.


    "What have you done?!"


    stair gritted his teeth, trying to protect his power, but he found himselfpletely unable topete with the hexagram array below.


    How could this be? What was happening?


    When he had first arrived, his body was a conduit for the array!


    The entire realm had been encircled by the elder''s array, allowing them to enter with emerald-tier strength and suddenly be semigod-tier powerhouses.


    They had indeed used the power of control to boost their cultivation, but why was the power of control now rapidly declining, and why was the strength within his body beingpletely drained?


    John''s power of control was also rapidly depleting, dropping from 65% to 50%.


    Yet, he showed no sign of panic; instead, he sneered at stair.


    "What doesn''t belong to you will eventually be lost!" John dered coldly.


    "No matter how long you possess it, if it''s not truly yours, it will never be. Even if you''ve stolen immense energy, in the end, you will lose it all."


    stair''s face nched with shock, horrified not only by the loss of his physical strength but also by the unknown hexagram array.


    Gritting his teeth, he resolved not to die here.


    He didn''t fear death, but he dreaded a death without purpose.


    The pests had not yet been eradicated, and the elder had not yet sessfully descended into this secret realm.


    If he were to die now, his death would be utterly meaningless.


    No!


    Such an event could not be allowed to happen.


    He had to leave this ce, he had to ensure the elder''s sessful arrival in this world.


    Desperately biting down on his teeth, he attempted to flee outwards, but...


    Bang!


    His flying figure seemed to hit an invisible barrier.


    He was rebounded back, crashing down onto the hexagram.


    In that moment, the hexagram seemed to bind him with an invisible force, immobilizing himpletely.


    Simultaneously, the speed at which his power was draining increased dramatically.


    He had fallen from transcendent-tier to diamond-tier.