Disappointment

Finally, Sam suddenly stopped what he was doing, pointed at the computer screen, and shouted excitedly, "Found it!"

Everyone immediately gathered around, leaned under the light, and looked at the documents he had spread out and the records on the computer. Bai Haorui also opened his eyes, walked over, and stood behind Sam. His eyes fell on those records. His fingertips lightly brushed a local newspaper from 1985. Pure Yang True Fire jumped slightly, and he could clearly feel the faint sacred atmosphere remaining in the photo.

"On March 17, 1985, in the night sky northwest of Ohio, a meteorite appeared out of thin air and suddenly disappeared at low altitude, leaving no crater or any trace of impact." Sam pointed out. Looking at the astronomical observation records on the computer, he spoke excitedly, "Nine months before Anna was born, more than a dozen local residents witnessed this meteorite, and Anna's hometown is in the center of this area."

"You're quite a nerd." Ruby raised his eyebrows and said with a smile.

"Look, I think this meteorite is Anna himself who fell." Sam turned to the next page of information and continued, "Also here, at the same time, on March 18, 1985, in Kentucky Prefecture Union, someone also witnessed a meteorite falling and landing in the open space outside the town. There were also no traces of impact, only traces of burnt ground."

Ruby immediately asked, "Is that her Grace?"

"It's very possible." Sam nodded, "Anna's soul and her Grace were separated at the same time. The time of the fall must be almost the same, and the location will not be too far away. Ohio and Kentucky are next to each other, and the time difference is only one day, which is completely consistent."

"Okay, then the scope has been reduced to an entire state." Dean twitched the corner of his mouth, with a hint of helplessness in his tone. Kentucky zhou is so big, and looking for a little angel Grace is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Look, this is a beginning after all." Sam looked at him and said seriously, "At least we have a clear direction now, and we are not just running around like headless flies."

The others temporarily walked out of the study, leaving space for Sam to continue investigating, allowing him to pinpoint the specific location of Grace more accurately. Ruby stayed and pulled a chair to sit next to Sam. There were only two of them left in the study. The light of the desk lamp stretched their shadows long and reflected on the bookshelf behind them.

Bai Haorui didn't go far. He leaned against the wall outside the study door, seemingly looking at the night outside the window, but in fact Spiritual Sense was running. He clearly heard every conversation between the two people in the study, and his brows frowned more and more.

In the study, Ruby spoke first, with a very soft voice and a hint of apology. "Sam... I'm sorry."

Sam raised his eyes and glanced at her, then continued flipping through the file in his hand, "Why are you apologizing?"

"Bringing this mess to you." Ruby said with a hint of self-blame in his tone, "If I had known earlier that Anna was a fallen angel, and that I would have been pursued by both Heaven and Hell, I should not have said so much and brought her to you."

"It's okay, we can handle it." Sam shook his head with a calm tone.

"Not this time." Ruby immediately retorted, leaning forward slightly and looking into Sam's eyes, "You definitely don't want to be caught between these two armies, just like Godzilla fought against King Kong. Even if we escape one side, the other side will definitely kill us."

"Then what do you want? Leave Anna and run away?" Sam frowned, with a hint of displeasure in his tone, "No way. We can't leave her. Listen, I know the angel scared you, but..."

"Don't worry about angels, I'm afraid of Alastair." Ruby interrupted him, with a hint of fear in her voice that she didn't even notice.

Sam was stunned for a moment. "Alastair?"

"The one you saw in the church." Ruby's voice deepened, "He is almost the chief inquisitor of Hell, the most ruthless the Hangman under Lucifer, the Picasso who uses a razor. Torturing people is his lifelong pursuit, and the souls who die in his hands will not even have a chance to be reincarnated."

"So?" Sam looked at her, still expressionless.

"So you could have dragged him out and thrown him back into the Hell pit... provided you didn't waste your abilities." Ruby looked at him with a hint of encouragement in his tone, "Don't you remember how strong you were when you dealt with Samhain last Halloween?"

"Ruby..." Sam's brows furrowed even more tightly, with a hint of warning in his tone.

"No, your ability - you are getting more and more rusty now." Ruby refused to give up and continued, "You used to be able to easily crush the heart of a demon, but now? It takes you a long time to even make a low-level demon."

"Yes, then how do I get back to practicing?" Sam's voice turned cold. Of course he knew what Ruby wanted to say.

Ruby looked into his eyes and said word for word, "You know the method. You know exactly what you should do."

"No, I won't do that again." Sam immediately shook his head with a firm tone, but his hands under the table were clenched tightly unconsciously.

"Sam..."

"I said no." Sam suddenly raised his voice and interrupted her, "I will not drink demon blood again, and I will not use that kind of power again. Don't mention it again."

Ruby looked at his tense face and finally gave in. He just sighed softly, "Okay, then you'd better pray that Anna can get her power back, otherwise we will all die."

Outside the study door, Bai Haorui leaned against the wall, sighed softly, and frowned.

Silently thinking: Ruby, this woman, really has no good intentions. She has been encouraging Sam to use demonic abilities and drink demonic blood. Sam refused firmly, but I could feel that his heartbeat was accelerating and his breath was fluctuating. I couldn't stop it last time. Alastair failed to protect the people around him. The feeling of powerlessness has been gnawing at him. His desire for power is getting stronger and stronger. If he continues like this, sooner or later he will be completely pulled into the water by Ruby. No, I have to keep an eye on him and I can't let Sam go further into the abyss.

Pamela was driven home by Dean after dark. Before leaving, she left an amulet for Anna and a bottle of herbal medicine that could repair meridians for Bai Haorui. She cursed and said, "Next time you fight those bitch angels, remember to be tougher!"

After delivering Pamela, Dean was leaning against the car outside the house, drinking beer.

At this moment, Sam ran out of the study excitedly with a stack of materials, and waved to Dean and Anna who had just walked into the room. "Hey."

Dean turned to look at him and raised his eyebrows. "What did you find?"

"I think I found the location of Grace." Sam said with a smile, his eyes full of excitement, and he spread the information in his hand on the table in the living room.

Everyone gathered around the desk again. Sam spread an old local newspaper from Kentucky state Union in 1985 on the table, pointed to a report on it, and traced the title with his fingertips.

The headline of the newspaper read "A miracle from heaven! A century-old oak tree grew in a vacant lot overnight." The accompanying picture showed a thick oak tree with lush branches and leaves, which was much taller than the surrounding trees.

"Kentucky zhou Union. I found some records of local miracles." Sam looked at everyone and explained seriously, "In March 1985, there was a A fully grown oak tree suddenly grew out of the empty space that was originally bare. The locals said that the tree looked to be at least a hundred years old and it grew up overnight. They said it was the manifestation of God."

Dean looked at Anna and raised his eyebrows. "Anna, what do you think?"

Anna's eyes fell on the oak tree on the newspaper, her body trembled slightly, and a familiar throbbing flashed through her eyes. She nodded vigorously, and her tone was affirmative. "It's Grace. Absolutely." This is where my Grace. Grace fell. It can easily cause this phenomenon. With its pure creative origin, it can revive dead trees and make seeds grow into towering trees in an instant."

Dean was stunned for a moment, looking at the oak tree on the newspaper, a little unbelievable. "So, where Grace landed, it brought not destruction, but..."

"Pure creation." Anna looked at him and said word by word, "The source of the power of angels is creation, not destruction. But many people in Heaven have long forgotten this."

Bai Haorui stood behind Sam, and his fingertips gently brushed the photo of the oak tree on the newspaper. Pure Yang True Fire spread along the fingertips, beating slightly. He could clearly feel that there was an extremely pure sacred aura remaining on the photo, which came from the same source as the aura on Anna. Even after more than twenty years, it still had not dissipated.

He thought silently in his heart: So that's it. Angel's Grace is the pure source of creation.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Dean immediately came back to his senses and patted the table, "Pack your things, let's set off now, go to Kentucky state Union, find the oak tree, and get your Grace back."

"Leave now?" Anna was stunned for a moment, a little surprised.

"Otherwise?" Dean raised his eyebrows, "Waiting for Uriel to come to the door with a group of angels, or waiting for Alastair to come with Hell's army? The more we delay for one minute, the more danger we will have. If we set off overnight, we can reach Union before dawn."

Everyone had no objections and immediately started packing. Sam put all the information and maps into the backpack. Dean went to check the weapons and put Holy Oil bullets, holy water, and exorcism salt into the backpack.

Bai Haorui carried the mahogany sword on his back, and put cinnabar, yellow talisman, Five Emperor Coins, and Soul-Subduing Talisman and Spirit-Locking Array into his backpack. Talisman Paper. "Three Altars Body-Refining True Fire Art" has been operating to the extreme, and Pure Yang True Fire in the meridians is ready to go. He knows that this trip will not be smooth sailing.

At one o'clock in the morning, Impala drove out of Bobby's scrapyard, drove onto the empty interstate highway, and sped away in the direction of Kentucky state.

There was endless darkness outside the car window, with only the car lights illuminating the road ahead. Two light beams pierced the darkness, drawing long shadows on the empty highway. The roar of the engine was particularly clear in the silent night, and the sound of rock music was turned down very low by Dean. The atmosphere in the car was a bit depressing, and no one spoke.

Dean is holding the steering wheel, staring at the road ahead, and glancing at the rearview mirror from time to time. Sam is sitting in the passenger seat, holding a map in his hand, giving Dean directions from time to time, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the position of Union on the map, silently deducing every aspect of the plan in his mind to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Anna and Ruby were sitting in the back seat. Anna was leaning against the car window, looking at the rapidly receding night outside the window. His eyes were full of complex emotions, including expectations, fear, and relief. Bai Haorui was leaning on the outermost side of the back seat. On the side, he closed his eyes and adjusted his breath, seemingly sleeping, but in fact Spiritual Sense was spread out all the time, alert to any abnormal aura within a few kilometers. At the same time, he was running "Three Altars Body-Refining True Fire Art" to adjust the Pure Yang True Fire in his body to its peak state, ready for battle at any time.

Dean looked at Anna and Ruby in the rearview mirror and Bai Haorui with his eyes closed, and suddenly laughed, breaking the silence in the car.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

Dean smiled and said, "Nothing. It's just an angel and a demon sitting in the back seat. It's like the beginning of a bad joke... or a story in an adult magazine."

"I told you to read less magazines." Sam smiled bitterly and shook his head.

The car fell into silence again, with only the low drumbeat of rock music intertwined with the roar of the engine, accompanying them all the way south, towards the Kentucky state.

When it was just dawn, Impala finally drove into the boundary of Kentucky state Union.

The car drove along the country road for more than ten minutes and finally stopped in front of the oak forest. The early morning mist had not dissipated and enveloped the entire forest. The air was filled with the smell of grass and dew, and the chirping of birds kept coming and going in the forest.

The five people got out of the car one after another and stood on the edge of the grass, looking at the particularly conspicuous century-old oak tree in front of them.

It grows in the middle of the grass. Its trunk is so thick that two adults can hug it. It has lush branches and leaves, and is much taller than the surrounding trees. Even the early morning mist cannot hide its vigorous vitality. The lines on the bark are deep and bear the traces of time. Compared with the surrounding oak trees that are only 20 or 30 years old, they look out of place. It perfectly confirms the record in the newspaper that "a hundred-year-old tree grows overnight."

Dean whistled and looked up at the huge tree crown. "It's so beautiful. No wonder the locals think it's a miracle."

Anna walked slowly to the oak tree, her steps were very gentle, as if she was approaching a lost treasure. She stretched out her hand and gently touched the rough tree trunk with her fingertips. The moment her fingertips touched the bark, her body trembled slightly, and tears instantly filled her eyes.

She could clearly feel that her Grace breath remained here, that familiar, warm, and original power that belonged to her. Even after more than twenty years, it was still engraved in her soul.

"This is where Grace landed, I can feel it." Anna's voice was trembling as he looked back at the crowd.

"Are you ready?" Dean looked at her, holding the shotgun tightly in his hand, scanning the surroundings vigilantly to prevent angels or demons from suddenly appearing.

Anna took a deep breath, nodded, shook his head again, and said with a wry smile, "Actually, no. I don't even know whether getting Grace back is a good thing or a bad thing for me."

Sam walked forward, looked at her, and asked seriously, "Anna, what are we looking for? Is Grace an entity like a stone? Or is it light? How should we find it?"

Anna's hand slowly slid down from the tree trunk. She closed her eyes and carefully felt the atmosphere around her. But not long after, she suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes full of disappointment, and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It's not here anymore. It's long gone. Someone took it away."

"What?" Dean frowned instantly and took a step forward, "Are you sure? Is it buried underground? We can dig it up and take a look."

"No." Anna shook his head, his tone full of powerlessness, "Grace's breath can be felt even if it is buried a thousand meters underground. But there is nothing here except a little residual warmth. It has been taken away."

A few people stood under the huge oak tree. The early morning sunlight passed through the leaves and cast mottled light and shadow on their faces. An atmosphere of disappointment instantly enveloped everyone.

Dean kicked the pebbles on the ground irritably and cursed, "Damn it! We came all the way here, but we didn't find anything?!"

Sam squatted down, looked at the ground, frowned, and his mind was racing: Who will take away Grace? Except Anna himself, who can find and Take away the angel's Grace? Angel? Only angel can do it. Uriel? Castiel? Or someone else in Heaven?

Bai Haorui walked to the oak tree, touched the trunk with his fingertips, ran "Three Altars Body-Refining True Fire Art", and injected a trace of Pure Yang True Fire into the trunk. True Fire spread along the lines of the trunk, and he could clearly feel that the remaining sacred aura here was mixed with another familiar angelic aura - exactly the same as the aura on Uriel.

He retracted his hand, looked back at everyone, and said in a serious tone, "It's Uriel. Grace was taken away by him. His breath remains in the tree trunk. It's very fresh. He must have been here recently."

"That son of a bitch." Dean's eyes turned red instantly and he punched the tree trunk hard.

After leaving the oak forest, several people failed to find a suitable motel - Uriel could easily find their traces through surveillance, but densely populated towns were more dangerous. In the end, they found an abandoned barn deep in the cornfield as a temporary hiding place.

The wooden walls of the barn are full of holes, the moonlight leaks from the roof, the ground is filled with dried wheat straw and abandoned farm tools, a rusty rake is leaning against the corner, and the air is filled with the smell of mold and dust. Outside the barn is an endless cornfield, and the evening wind blows through the corn leaves, making a rustling sound, as if countless people are approaching in the dark, which makes people feel scared.

A few people were hiding on the second floor of the barn, taking advantage of the moonlight that filtered through the holes in the roof, with lingering disappointment on their faces. Dean was pacing back and forth on the wheat straw impatiently, and his boots made a clicking sound when he stepped on the dry wheat straw. Sam leaned against the pillar, flipping through the remaining information, trying to find a way to fight against the angel. Anna sat on the pile of straw, eyes closed, brows furrowed, trying to hear Angel Radio's voice again.

Bai Haorui was leaning against the railing on the second floor of the barn, holding the mahogany sword in his hand, with a faint red-gold True Fire lingering on his fingertips. His Spiritual Sense had spread out, covering the entire barn and several kilometers of cornfields around it. No trace of angelic or demonic breath could escape his perception. He Soul-Subduing Talisman has been laid out at the four corners of the barn, and Spirit-Locking Array and Demon-Expelling Formation have been drawn on the ground. The runes of the two systems are intertwined, forming a tight barrier that can not only trap the intruding angels and demons, but also buy them time to escape at critical moments.

"We still have spell bags with us. I think we should go back to the secret room of Bobby's house." Dean stopped and took the lead in breaking the silence. His tone was full of irritation, "The wind is leaking from all sides here. It is no different from the open air. When the angel comes, we won't even have a place to hide."

"Then what? Hide for a lifetime?" Ruby's voice suddenly came from downstairs, and then her figure appeared at the top of the stairs.

"I'm just thinking of a way!" Dean immediately retorted.

"Oh, then your method is really good!" Ruby glanced at him, was supported by Sam, leaned against the pillar and sat down, took the water handed over by Anna, took a sip, and continued, "Anna's Grace is gone, do you understand? She can't turn back into an angel and can't protect us. We can't fight Heaven and Hell at the same time. There may be a chance to deal with one side, but it's absolutely impossible to attack both sides together."

At this moment, Anna suddenly raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Uh... everyone?" Anna's voice was trembling, "Angel Radio made a sound again."

Sam immediately stepped forward and asked nervously, "What are they talking about?"

"It's strange... it's like a recording, it keeps looping." Anna closed his eyes and listened carefully, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter. "The content is "Dean·Winchester must hand over Anna to us before midnight, otherwise...""

Dean's heart suddenly rose. "What else?"

Anna suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Dean, and said word by word, "... or we will throw him back to Hell."

"That son of a bitch Uriel." Dean gritted his teeth and cursed.

Sam immediately looked at Anna and said in an urgent tone, "Anna... Do you know of any weapons that can deal with angels? For example... that can kill them? Anything will do, we will find it now."

Anna looked at him and shook his head regretfully. "There is nothing we can get now... at least not now. The only ones that can kill angels are Angel Blade, and there are a few weapons made by God himself. They are all in Heaven's arsenal, and we can't get them at all."

"Wait, wait." Dean interrupted them immediately, "I think we should call Bobby and call him back from the resort. He is well-informed and may know how to deal with angels."

"Dean, what can he tell us that we don't know?" Sam frowned, "We have gone through all his books and all his files. Calling Bobby now will only drag him into the water."

"I don't know, but we have to come up with something!" Dean's voice suddenly rose.

Bai Haorui, who had been leaning against the railing, turned around and looked at the four people. His tone was calm but unquestionable, suppressing the chaotic quarrel on the scene.

"It's unrealistic to go back to Bobby's house. Uriel and Castiel must have set up a plan there, waiting for us to fall into their trap." Bai Haorui's eyes swept over everyone, and finally landed on Regarding Dean, "The only way now is to stay here and wait for midnight. Since Uriel has given a time limit, he will definitely come. He will not let Anna go, let alone me."

"Haorui, those are two archangels, and they may bring other angels with them. Can your formation trap them?" Dean looked at him, with worry in his tone. Last time in the wooden house, Bai Haorui tried his best, but only had a chance to kill Uriel. This time, the opponent must be prepared.

"We won't be trapped for too long, but it's enough for us to buy time." Bai Haorui smiled and patted the peach wood sword in his hand. The runes on the sword lit up slightly, "Also, Uriel's target is Anna, and me. Last time I I almost killed him and embarrassed him in front of Castiel. He must have wanted to kill me first to avenge his shame. If we really fight, I will hold Uriel and Cas over to see if you can persuade him, or at least entangle him."

"What about Hell? What if Alastair comes?" Ruby raised her head and looked at Bai Haorui, with a hint of unnoticeable nervousness in her tone. She was really afraid of Alastair.