Isabella 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 become cautious, and that was the last thing they wanted.
Isabella lay hidden in the snow, well-camouflaged 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 plain.
Alastair 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 uncomfortably low.
If that was the case, he decided to capture John first and then deal with the others.
Unexpectedly, John flew over a snowy plain and instead of continuing forward, he stopped mid-air.
"So, have you run out of places to run, or are you just too tired to move?"
Alastair 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, Isabella and the others had already placed 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.
Alastair actually laughed in response, glaring 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!" Alastair bellowed.
Froststorm!
In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to be torn apart by the immense energy.
"You! It was you!"
Alastair 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?!"
Alastair gritted his teeth, trying to protect his power, but he found himself completely unable to compete 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 become 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 being completely 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 Alastair.
"What doesn't belong to you will eventually be lost!" John declared 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."
Alastair's face blanched 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 successfully 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 place, he had to ensure the elder's successful 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 him completely.
Simultaneously, the speed at which his power was draining increased dramatically.
He had fallen from transcendent-tier to diamond-tier.