The incessant ringing of the bells grew ever sharper, the crisp sound seeming to drill into everyone's ears until it became painfully abrasive. Young Master Liu felt a sudden, intense wave of dizziness wash over him. He quickly glanced at those beside him and saw that their expressions and gazes were clearly affected. Cursing inwardly, Liu swiftly turned his attention to James and the others near the entrance of the Heavenly Palace. It was then that the truth dawned on him: those people were rapidly stuffing something into their ears.

Just then, Scholar Jia seemed to sense that something was amiss. He was heard clutching his whip before his chest, and he began to chant the funerary prayers of the Mojin Xiaowei in a loud voice.

Liu swiftly plugged both of his ears with his index fingers. Instantly, the sound of the bells diminished significantly, and the throbbing in his head eased. He urgently shouted to those around him, "Everyone, block your ears!"

Prompted by Liu's warning, everyone scrambled to find something—some used their fingers, others improvised—to cover their ears. Finally, everyone could quietly observe the contest of sorcery unfolding.

At this moment, the magical duel between Hatton and Scholar Jia inside the arena, while lacking the explosive choreography of a direct physical clash, seemed to have entered its critical phase. Hatton, still masked by the clown visage, remained utterly expressionless. The ringing continued like a violent storm, while Scholar Jia's lips ceaselessly urged on the incantation. The mystical symbols etched onto his long whip pulsed with light along its shaft. However, Scholar Jia’s countenance appeared strained and rigid.

Suddenly, the bell in Hatton's hand abruptly ceased its shaking. The sharp peal died out instantly. Just as confusion rippled through the onlookers, the bell in Hatton's grasp erupted in a blinding golden light. In the next moment, the entire bell began to swell and stretch without pause, transforming in the blink of an eye into something resembling a golden pagoda, over a meter high and nearly as thick as a man. A bizarre voice drifted out from behind the clown mask: "Oppose the divine, and receive the punishment you deserve!"

With that, the bell—now undeniably a golden pagoda—flew from Hatton’s hand, soaring upward before descending menacingly towards Scholar Jia. Seeing the imminent danger, Liu cried out urgently, "Senior, be careful!"

Scholar Jia seemed aware that peril was upon him. He let out a long cry, raising the long whip above his head with both hands, and roared, "Ancestors of generations, protect me!"

The instant Liu blurted out, "Don't overexert yourself!" the golden pagoda plummeted from the sky, landing directly atop the elevated shaft of Scholar Jia's whip. Scholar Jia staggered, spewing a mouthful of blood, and his knees buckled, forcing him onto the ground.

The golden pagoda radiated light, continuing its swift descent. As it seemed certain to crush Scholar Jia beneath it, the onlookers’ hearts turned to ice. They watched helplessly, realizing it was too late to intervene or rescue him. Liu painfully squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear witnessing Scholar Jia being flattened by the pagoda.

At that very moment, a miracle unfolded. Just as Scholar Jia’s form was about to be completely engulfed by the dazzling golden radiance of the pagoda, a streak of white light shot skyward, forcefully halting the mountain-crushing descent of the golden pagoda. For a suspended instant, the expanse of gold light and the shaft of white light merged silently, hovering about a meter above the ground, locked in a tense standoff, neither yielding an inch.

Scholar Jia now lay slumped sideways on the ground, eyes shut tight, utterly motionless. Everyone could see that the white light was emanating directly from the Mojin Xiaowei token resting on his neck.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Liu shouted hoarsely, "We concede this round! Hatton, withdraw your artifact!"

Hatton, still standing silently with the clown mask on and white gloves adorning his hands, gave no sign of having heard Liu's words.

Seeing that Hatton made no move to recall his artifact, Fan Debiao clearly grew agitated. He spat out a torrent of curses, "Damn it, you African monkey! Didn't you hear we surrendered? Take back your damn magic weapon!"

Suddenly, James on the opposing side sneered, "It's useless! Once Hatton activates this set of artifacts, it requires a living sacrifice to be withdrawn, otherwise, not even his own soul will return. That's because his soul has been handed over to his god; only upon securing a living sacrifice will his god release his soul."

Everyone's hearts sank. Fan Debiao roared and lunged towards Scholar Jia in the center of the arena, seemingly intending to physically drag him out from under the golden pagoda.

A chorus of shouts erupted: "Don't go!"

But it was too late. Fan Debiao had rushed within a meter of Scholar Jia, when a bizarre thing occurred. The moment Fan Debiao touched the boundary enveloped by the intertwined golden and white light, he was unexpectedly flung backward into the air without warning, landing hard several meters away. Fan Debiao collapsed, grimacing in pain, gasping in sharp, ragged breaths. It appeared the two opposing beams of light in stalemate generated a strange field that permitted no one to approach them.

Liu quickly rushed to Fan Debiao's side and helped him up. Rescuing Scholar Jia, it seemed, was going to be exceedingly difficult. Those two beams of light possessed some kind of mystic power; approaching them was impossible. Could it truly be as James claimed—that the person caught within the light had to offer their life as the ultimate sacrifice to end the conflict?

James seemed unconcerned about Hatton's potential return, while the fate of Scholar Jia sent everyone into a frenzy of anxiety. After all, he was already severely injured; if Hatton’s artifact remained active, Scholar Jia would surely succumb to his wounds. For a time, everyone was at a loss for what to do.

James suddenly interjected with a sinister grin, "It seems Hatton and Elder Jia are locked in a prolonged stalemate. But in my estimation, our side has already won. Daoist Liu, waiting goes against the American ethos of seizing every second to accelerate the pace of civilized development. Why don't Daoist and I proceed with the final supernatural contest now?"

Saying this, James removed his glasses and shed his suit jacket. A man dressed like a special operations soldier stepped up behind him and casually unfurled a long black robe, draping it over James's shoulders. James fixed his gaze, sharp and malicious, onto Liu, who met the stare calmly and silently.

They remained locked in this visual confrontation for about a minute. The onlookers watched as James's eyes gradually turned red, his complexion growing dusky. His silhouette also began to undergo a strange transformation. First, his waist seemed to curve outward, and his arms started to spread to his sides. The black robe covering him appeared to inflate, as if filled with gas.

Observing these changes, everyone felt a prickle of unease. Fan Debiao muttered under his breath, "What the heck is this old rogue up to? Is he trying to turn into a bird?"

Suddenly, a faint, strange sound drifted in from outside the grand hall. Liu inadvertently glanced towards the source of the noise but saw nothing unusual. He quickly refocused his attention on James, whose entire body was now subtly radiating an eerie aura.

At this point, James let out a strange, low shriek, rapidly drawing the black robe up to completely envelop his face and arms. Everyone blinked, thinking just as Fan Debiao had: what sorcery was this old fellow brewing?

The black robe continued to convulse, and the unnatural aura filled Liu with growing dread. He had a powerful premonition that what was contained within the fabric was a fiend! Another peculiar sound echoed from outside the Heavenly Palace. Before anyone could react, the black robe suddenly burst open with a thwump, revealing a sight that sent a wave of horror through every person present. The creature that emerged from the confines of the robe bore absolutely no resemblance to a human face or form; it was a massive, purplish-black bat! This bat, standing over a meter and a half tall, possessed a body as dark as midnight, its head a deep purplish-black hue, and two blood-red eyes fixed upon the crowd with malicious intent. Its mouth, resembling that of both a rodent and a fox, gaped open, revealing rows of long, sharp, crimson incisors, as it hissed at them, "I, Jordani, a noble Count of the Blood Clan, shall drain the blood of you lowly species, ensuring you find no peace for eternity!"

Liu gasped inwardly, "My God, James is actually a member of the most mysterious Western Blood Clan!"

This was truly terrifying!

Just then, Scholar Jia suddenly roared sternly, "As a Count of the Blood Clan, you should know the primary edict of the bloodline: survival through 'seclusion,' hiding from the world and never revealing yourselves! You dare to openly violate the most sacred law of the Blood Clan! Do you realize that such an act will invite the harshest punishment from your own kind, and moreover, implicate your entire lineage in a slaughter decreed by every house?"

James threw his head back and laughed wildly, "Ignorant, humble humans, do you truly believe you will leave here alive to disclose my identity? Furthermore, the Blood Clan is divided into the Demon Faction and the Secluded Faction. We of the Demon Faction do not adhere to the seclusion doctrine of the latter. We embrace terror and slaughter; in our eyes, you humans are merely the lowest form of creature, to be commanded and butchered at will."

Hearing James’s declaration, Liu roared in fury, clapping his hands together. A powerful white Gang Qi instantly surged through his body. He glared at the arrogant James, "You are nothing but a blood-sucking bat, a Yao guai at best in China. I, Liu Dashao, have followed the Dao for over ten years. From the day I entered the Daoist Gate, I swore an oath before the ancestral tablets to eradicate demons and slay monsters—that is my lifelong vow. Today, I shall execute this demon on Chinese soil, as a warning to your Western dark legions: do not trespass upon the celestial might of China. Whoever violates our Hua Xia, though they come from afar, shall be justly punished!"