Mo Han stepped forward, speaking in a low voice, "Alright, let's take him to Toby's place for temporary refuge first. We can discuss the rest later."

"Oh, little darling, are you all alone? Do you have any companions with you?" Mo Han gently stroked the little girl's head, asking with affection. However, Mo Han suspected the question was pointless; if others were around, they wouldn't have let this little girl venture out alone to look for food.

The little girl merely shook her head slightly, indicating she was entirely alone and said nothing more. Mo Han understood she was likely in deep shock, and questioning her now would yield nothing. Settling her down was the priority.

With that thought, Mo Han instructed Daili to hold the little girl and follow him back in the direction they had come from.

Yet, just as they neared Toby's doorstep, Mo Han suddenly realized he was trapped in an ambush once more. He waved a hand to stop Daili who was following him, looking toward the empty street ahead with disdain as he spoke, "What is it? Unable to beat me head-on, so now you resort to tricks? I see you’re nothing special after all."

As Mo Han’s voice faded, a dark shadow slowly materialized in the center of the street.

Daili recognized the mysterious shadow that had appeared twice before and immediately grasped Mo Han's meaning. She clutched the little girl protectively, her hand resting on her knight's sword, ready for any sudden development.

The mysterious shadow, upon appearing, let out a harsh, grating laugh. "Kid, you're clearly smarter than I anticipated. How did you detect my ambush? Did you spot some flaw?"

Mo Han certainly wasn't about to tell him.

He had sensed something amiss based on the faint trace of killing intent lingering in the air and the almost imperceptible magical fluctuations. He merely sneered, "With your paltry third-rate skills, you think you can ambush me? Call me grandpa three times, and I might consider telling you the reason. Otherwise, you can spend all the time you want figuring it out yourself. Though I doubt your dull mind could ever locate your own weak points. It's simply wishful thinking."

The shadow didn't seem bothered by Mo Han's mockery. It chuckled again. "Kid, I'm growing fonder of you the more I look at you. How about changing your mind now? There's still time. I can overlook your impudence yesterday and give you another chance."

"Unfortunately, I find you increasingly disagreeable," Mo Han replied languidly. "And I distinctly remember your offense yesterday. I take that quite seriously. So even if you wanted to become my underling now, I might not accept."

Hearing Mo Han's reply, the shadow cackled, finding it amusing. "Then you'll have to work hard. Don't disappoint me. Today's difficulty won't be the same as yesterday’s; I haven't had my fill yet. I hope you don't finish too quickly—that would waste my good intentions."

Mo Han completely ignored him, responding with a smile, "Don't worry. Even if you die, I'll be fine, so stop fretting over such unrealistic matters. You should spend your time thinking about how you'll beg for mercy when I finally track you down."

"Heh heh, I look forward to that day. You should put in the effort too," the shadow replied with a grin. Anyone unaware of the context might think the two were friends encouraging each other.

After saying this, the shadow slowly vanished.

Simultaneously with the shadow's disappearance, six figures enveloped entirely in black emerged from the sides of the street. They radiated an intense killing aura that surged toward Mo Han and the others. Even Daili felt the sharp chill of the murderous intent, instinctively tightening her grip on her weapon, while the little girl’s face had gone deathly pale with fright.

The moment Mo Han saw the six figures, he instantly understood that their skill level was at least that of a Great Swordsman. After the shadow's monstrous enhancements, they likely exceeded that benchmark. He estimated he could barely handle three of them simultaneously; any more would be troublesome.

Thinking quickly, Mo Han urgently said to Daili, "You stay here and protect the little girl. Xiao Mo, stay and protect her. Xiao Han, come with me to deal with them. Be careful with everything."

With that, he raised the Holy Sword of Light he had been gripping. Xiao Han and Xiao Mo immediately followed Mo Han's instructions and took their positions.

Just then, the black-clad figures moved furiously, charging toward Mo Han's group at high speed. Mo Han rushed forward to meet them, firmly engaging the assault of four of them. The remaining two bypassed Mo Han and rushed straight ahead, but they were intercepted by Xiao Han.

The moment they clashed, Mo Han inwardly groaned. These black-clad men's martial techniques were clearly superior to his initial assessment, nearing the level of Great Swordsmen. Furthermore, the mysterious shadow, having suffered a setback the previous time, had noted the Holy Sword of Light in his hand. Consequently, as they surrounded him, the attackers consciously avoided direct confrontation with the Holy Sword of Light, trying not to clash head-on. Except for the very first exchange where one attacker's weapon was nicked by Mo Han, they avoided any further hard hits. However, the fact that their weapons could sustain a blow from the Holy Sword of Light without shattering indicated that the weapons these figures carried were certainly not ordinary items.

Moreover, the attacks of these black-clad figures were suicidal; they exhibited no defense whatsoever, focusing entirely on offense. Coupled with the fact that their martial skill wasn't vastly inferior to his own, Mo Han quickly found himself on the defensive, relying solely on the Holy Sword of Light to hold his ground.

This, however, ignited Mo Han's fighting spirit. With a fierce shout, Mo Han forced one attacker back with a sword thrust and immediately unleashed an Aura attack toward the black-clad figure on his left. The attacker hastily moved to block, but Mo Han had infused his Aura with Wind elemental magic, instantly increasing its power and speed far beyond what the Aura alone possessed. This clearly caught the opponent by surprise.

With a loud bang, the blocking attacker, caught completely off guard, was driven back several steps by Mo Han's empowered Aura, his body trembling. He had clearly been injured by Mo Han's Wind-infused Aura. Seizing the brief gap left in the encirclement, Mo Han lunged toward the attacker he had just forced backward.

The Holy Sword of Light carved a graceful arc through the air, streaked with white light, descending upon the attacker's body. The man had nowhere to dodge and could only raise his sword to parry. But how could he possibly block the full force of Mo Han's strike while wielding the Holy Sword of Light?

With a dull thud, the Holy Sword of Light shattered the attacker's weapon and sliced through his protective Aura as easily as cutting vegetables, cleaving the man in two. At that moment, the attacks of the other black-clad figures only just reached Mo Han's back, all of which he managed to block.

Although one attacker was killed, the remaining figures seemed completely unaffected, maintaining their reckless assault on Mo Han. However, with one less combatant, their combined offensive momentum was noticeably weaker.

Meanwhile, the two figures attacking Xiao Han could not penetrate her protective barrier at all. Whenever their weapons struck her barrier, ripples would spread across the surface, and the impact would be repelled. Yet, the attackers seemed oblivious, continuing their frenzied assault on Xiao Han's barrier, as if they would not give up until it was broken. But it was utterly futile, while Xiao Han’s own attacks were entirely evaded by their superior martial skills—neither side could land a blow, resulting in a stalemate.

Just then, Xiao Han let out a furious roar, and her entire body vanished momentarily. In the next second, she reappeared next to one of the black-clad men—the teleportation move she had used before. The attacker hastily swung his sword to strike, but Xiao Han completely ignored his attack, instead launching a dark sphere of energy directly at the man's center mass. It struck with precision, blasting him backward. His weapon, meanwhile, hitting Xiao Han’s protective Aura, had absolutely no effect and was neutralized by her barrier.

The attacker struck by Xiao Han thrashed a few times on the ground before dissolving into a pool of green fluid, vanishing in a grotesque manner. The other attacker Mo Han had split in half had also transformed into the same green puddle at some point. Clearly, these black-clad figures reverted to this state upon death.

Seeing this, Mo Han understood that these men must have been controlled by some kind of drug, explaining their behavior. This reminded him of the Shadow Church's Yin Lei techniques used against him—similarly fearless of death, similarly enhancing the controlled subject's abilities, and similarly devoid of self-awareness. By killing them, he was effectively granting them salvation; otherwise, they would spend their entire lives as soulless killing machines for the shadow, leading to far more deaths.

With this realization, Mo Han hesitated no longer. He ordered Xiao Mo to join the fray against the remaining black-clad men. With Xiao Mo’s addition, coupled with the fact that Mo Han and Xiao Han had already eliminated two of the attackers, their strength had been significantly diminished. Xiao Mo's entry further widened the gap in power between the two sides.

Leaping into...