He nodded repeatedly, "There is absolutely no mistake, Your Majesty the Queen, that person is Mr. Mo Han, who previously entered the Elven Forbidden Land. I saw him emanating from the Forbidden Land today, but halfway through, something seemed to happen to him, and he hurriedly left in this direction."

Upon hearing this, the Elven Queen frowned in thought. If it truly was Mo Han, then he must have discovered the tracks of the Dark Race upon exiting, which is why he left in such haste and fought a fierce battle here? And it must have been Mo Han who won. Although the Elven Queen couldn't understand why she came to this conclusion, as she hadn't witnessed any of it herself, she held an unwavering faith in Mo Han, believing he must have emerged victorious. Furthermore, there was no blood visible anywhere nearby, clearly indicating Mo Han hadn't been injured.

Moreover, in her memory, she had never heard of the Dark Race having a habit of taking captives. Given the nature of the Dark Race, if they encountered a human, they would never leave a single one alive. Based on all these reasons, the Elven Queen concluded that Mo Han had defeated the Dark Race in combat. However, since he was victorious, why did Mo Han leave in such a hurry without saying a word? Could it be that there was some progress regarding Anna’s situation? Thinking of this, the Elven Queen quickly addressed an Elven guard beside her, "Belanger, go to the Forbidden Land immediately and ask Nice if Brother Mo Han has emerged yet.

Also, if he left any message or said anything. Inform me at once after you have done that. The rest of you, search the area separately here, and notify me immediately of any news."

After issuing a string of commands, the Elven Queen stood anxiously, deep in thought. At this moment, Tremor, the Captain of the Guards who had been standing by the Queen's side, spoke up, "Your Majesty, I believe the guards could not have been mistaken; Brother Mo Han must have discovered something, which is why he left in such a hurry. I believe Brother Mo Han will certainly rescue Anna, so please, do not worry too much."

Hearing this, the Elven Queen could only nod helplessly. Indeed, she was worrying about Anna too much, causing her to lose her composure.

By this time, the guards searching the surrounding area had also returned one after another. Without needing a report, the Elven Queen had already guessed that there would likely be no findings. Mo Han and the others must have already left the sphere of influence of the Elven Forest. Now, all they could do was wait quietly for news; worrying further was useless.

As for Mo Han, led by the Dark Race warrior Aden, he arrived at a valley not far from the Elven Forest. It seemed Anna was imprisoned in a structure within this valley, which was within Mo Han's speculation, as these Dark Race members needed to monitor the movements of the Elven Forest at all times.

Therefore, they naturally would not venture too far from the territory of the Elven Forest.

At this point, Aden, who was walking ahead, spoke coldly, "The Elven Princess you seek is in a structure within this valley. If you believe you are strong enough, go in and save her." After saying this, Aden stared coldly at Mo Han, a trace of mockery in his eyes, as if Mo Han’s journey was nothing more than a suicide mission, destined for failure.

Seeing this, Mo Han couldn't be bothered to argue with him. Instead, he cast a high-level binding spell, restraining Aden and his companions, and then erected a high-tier Earth elemental barrier to trap them inside. He stated calmly, "I advise you not to waste your energy. Neither this Wind Bind nor the Wall of Earth can be broken by you in your current state. You best remain inside quietly, otherwise..." Mo Han did not finish his threat, but the implication was clear enough for Aden and the others to understand.

However, they merely snorted coldly and ignored Mo Han, beginning to meditate quietly to recover. Mo Han, seeing this, also stopped paying attention to them and walked directly toward the valley.

Just as Mo Han’s figure slowly disappeared, the Dark Race mage Tiralla spoke with worry, "If Lord Dark General knows we brought this fellow here, I fear for our lives. You know the Dark General’s methods; we might end up wishing for death."

Aden scoffed proudly, "What are you afraid of? I have my reasons for doing this. The Dark General’s injuries have almost fully recovered; he has essentially regained his former strength. Do you think a mere Saint Magus can defeat the Dark General, whose strength approaches that of a Sword God? Preposterous. What I'm doing is simply letting this brat walk into a trap. When the Dark General slays this threatening human mage, we will have earned great merit. Besides, considering the situation back then, if we hadn't agreed, do you think this brat would have easily let us go? It’s much better to proactively lead him here to his death, isn't it? Therefore, the Dark General will only praise us, not blame us. Rest assured."

Hearing Aden's response, Tiralla admired him, "You are indeed thoughtful. This way, not only do we get revenge and let this brat die by Lord Dark General’s hands, removing a threat, but we also earn great merit. It’s a win-win situation! I would never have thought of all this."

Aden beamed proudly, "Of course. We will wait here until our strength recovers, then figure out how to break free from this cursed barrier. Afterward, Lord Dark General will report our achievements to His Majesty the Dark King. Then, the Dark King himself will personally boost our strength. By then, we won't have to fear these wretched humans anymore."

Hearing Aden’s words, Tiralla’s eyes also shone, as if he could already see his glorious future. The two began dreaming inside Mo Han's barrier. Not long after Mo Han entered the valley, he saw a temporarily constructed structure in the open clearing at the center of the valley. It stood out starkly against the surrounding scenery and should be the house where Anna was imprisoned, as Aden had mentioned. However, there seemed to be no immediate danger nearby. Mo Han dared not be careless, knowing Aden would never have brought him here so easily.

Clearly, there must be something Aden was relying on, which is why he complied with Mo Han's demand.

Thinking this, Mo Han softly chanted an incantation: "Goddess of the Earth, who governs the land, permit me to borrow your great energy to seal off all evil forces. All harm shall become insignificant before you. Appear—Earth Guardian." As Mo Han finished his spell, a layer of yellow light shimmered around him, tightly enveloping him. Mo Han was casting 'Earth Guardian,' the most advanced defensive magic in Earth elemental arts. It was arguably the strongest protective spell second only to the highest light defense, 'Sacred Light Barrier.' However, the drawback of the Sacred Light Barrier was that it couldn't move, which is why Mo Han chose 'Earth Guardian' to protect himself.

Just as Mo Han was approaching the small house, he suddenly felt a strong aura of darkness pressing toward him—an intensity that made him uneasy. At that moment, Mo Han noticed a figure shrouded entirely in black mist standing beside the house; the moment he saw the figure, Mo Han knew his identity. Who else but that Dark General could possess such an intense dark aura? Mo Han was intimately familiar with this powerful dark energy from his time in Tianlong City.

Thinking this, Mo Han inwardly groaned. Hadn't this Dark General been injured by his Exorcism Needle? Logically, it should take at least a year to recover, but it had been less than half a year, and his injuries seemed completely healed. This was completely beyond Mo Han’s expectation. Judging by the aura emanating from him, Mo Han knew the General's injuries were indeed fully mended.

Mo Han cursed himself internally; he had considered so many possibilities but had neglected to consider the Dark General's condition. Now, facing this Dark General, Mo Han felt not a shred of confidence. If Little Mo and Little Han were here to help, Mo Han would have some confidence, but now, alone, even with the Thunder Beast Little Dragon, he wouldn't be a match for that Dark General.

Just then, the Dark General spoke coldly, "Who are you, and how did you come here?" Mo Han was about to reply, but fearing his voice would be recognized, he quickly altered his tone, adopting a flat voice: "I am merely a lost mage who stumbled here unintentionally. Please forgive me; I shall leave now." After saying that, he attempted to turn and leave.

But the Dark General was not someone who could be so easily fooled. He detected a clue in Mo Han's voice, realizing the man was deliberately disguising it. Since Mo Han had changed his voice, the General didn't immediately recognize it, yet the sound felt slightly familiar. Therefore, he certainly wouldn't let Mo Han leave. He said coldly, "Is that so? Do you think I would believe you? Since you’ve come, don't even think about leaving alive." With that, the Dark General’s figure flickered, and he instantly appeared before Mo Han. Because his face was entirely obscured by black mist, Mo Han couldn't discern his appearance, only seeing the General staring coldly at him with eyes that glowed with a strange luminescence.

Seeing this, Mo Han knew he wouldn't be allowed to leave alive today. Since the General clearly wouldn't let him go alive, Mo Han stopped pretending and mockingly said, "What's the matter? Weren't you satisfied last time in Tianlong City? Do you want to be struck by another Exorcism Needle today? Don't worry, I have plenty of Exorcism Needles. I’ll give you as many as you want, guaranteed genuine, fair trade for everyone."

Upon hearing this, the Dark General recognized Mo Han’s voice—it was the young man who had ambushed him in Tianlong City. However, because Mo Han had been wearing a dragon robe and a dragon crown at the time, with the hanging beads obscuring part of his face, the General hadn't recognized his appearance. But Mo Han's voice? He would never forget it, even if he died. After being ambushed by Mo Han, all he thought of day and night was revenge, yet he feared he wouldn't find Mo Han. To think Mo Han would deliver himself right to his doorstep now! Realizing this, raging fury ignited in the Dark General’s eyes, and an suffocating, intense aura radiated from his entire being, slowly closing in on Mo Han.

"Boy, do you know that after being ambushed and injured by you, the person I most wanted to kill was you?" the Dark General hissed in a chilling voice. "If it weren't for you, how could I have fallen to the hands of you weak humans back then? To think you dare to seek me out actively! You walk the path to heaven but choose the gate to hell! Rest assured, today I will not let you die so easily. I will make you taste all the suffering of this world, make you wish for life but be unable to find it, and teach you the consequences of offending me." The deep hatred in the Dark General's tone showed how intensely he resented Mo Han for the ambush back then.

Mo Han scoffed disdainfully upon hearing this and retorted, "Spare me the dramatics. Losing is losing; stop making excuses. Are all people from the Underworld this shameless? You truly disgrace your Dark King. Moreover, even if it was an ambush, you were just clumsy; you can't blame others. Have your Dark Race members never used tricks to harm others? Why are you only allowed to scheme against others, but others aren't allowed to scheme against you?"

Mo Han’s sharp words left the Dark General speechless, unable to utter a sound. Finally, he simply snorted coldly and said grimly, "Boy, say whatever you want while you still can speak. I will soon make it so you cannot even weep."

With that, the Dark General slowly approached Mo Han, a trace of disdain in his eyes, as if he didn't consider Mo Han a threat at all. In his mind, killing Mo Han was no different from crushing an ant.

Seeing this, Mo Han dared not be careless and quickly summoned Little Dragon from his spatial ring. With a loud roar, the Thunder Beast’s massive body instantly appeared beside Mo Han. The Dark General’s eyes flickered with surprise upon seeing the sudden appearance of the Thunder Beast; clearly, he had no idea how Mo Han summoned it. Leaping—