As for Mo Han, he was responsible for guarding the rear, while the weakest, Latin and Rocky, walked in the middle. Once they reached a shadowed area, Bai Ling casually cast several light-based illumination spells that hovered above everyone’s heads.

However, for someone of Bai Ling's power, casting such illumination spells was as easy as breathing, and the light they emitted was astonishingly bright, almost completely illuminating the area around Mo Han and the others, shining like several small suns, tightly focused on the group as they proceeded into the depths of the cave.

They walked like this for nearly half a day. As Bai Ling had predicted, apart from the terrain being difficult—some spots absolutely requiring them to use the Flight spell to cross—they encountered no danger whatsoever. The tough paths didn't hinder their speed in the slightest. Mo Han even felt, based on the cave's layout, that they were likely moving closer to the surface. At this rate, he figured they would successfully traverse the entire cave by today.

Just as Mo Han was lost in thought, he suddenly felt as if someone was peering at him from behind. It was a fleeting sensation, but Mo Han instinctively whirled around, looking back, yet saw nothing unusual—just the encompassing darkness a few meters beyond his companions.

But Mo Han knew that split-second feeling was no illusion. With his current Sword Saint strength, his sense of danger was countless times sharper than that of ordinary people.

There was absolutely no room for misjudgment. His heart grew heavier; it seemed this journey would not be so smooth after all.

At that moment, Bai Ling, who had been leading the way, abruptly stopped.

This greatly puzzled Latin and the others. Seeing Mo Han’s expression, Bai Ling knew he must have detected something, and she asked, "Did you feel it too?" Mo Han, hearing this, nodded gravely and replied, "You noticed it too? I thought it was just my imagination again."

"Yes, I felt it just now," Bai Ling answered, clearing up Mo Han's doubt. "Although it was brief, just a flicker. But the feeling was crystal clear. There's no mistake."

Latin and Rocky, along with Jack, grew more confused listening to their conversation, not understanding what Mo Han and Bai Ling were discussing. Jack, who had been restless, could hold back no longer and blurted out, "Boss. What are you and Miss Bai Ling talking about? We don't understand a thing."

Mo Han just smiled faintly and said, "It seems the road ahead won't be quiet. Be careful, all of you. Understand?" Hearing Mo Han’s words, Jack and the others weren't fools; they knew something was up, something their current strength couldn't perceive.

But Mo Han and Bai Ling, being exceptionally strong, could sense it. Hearing this, Latin and the others dared not be careless. In the unfamiliar environment, they all drew their weapons, maintaining a cautious watch.

Mo Han also unsheathed the Bright Holy Sword and held it ready. In this strange place, even Mo Han dared not let his guard down. Based on that fleeting sensation, the opponent managed to react to his turning and conceal themselves so quickly that Mo Han couldn't locate them. This skill alone made Mo Han deeply wary of whatever mysterious entities lay ahead.

Bai Ling was not idle either. She wove a magical protective barrier around the group, a pale blue light screen tightly enveloping Mo Han, Latin, and the others. This way, should any sudden situation arise, Bai Ling was confident the shield would grant them ample time to react.

"What do we do now?" Latin, rarely seeing Bai Ling so cautious, felt a touch of nervousness and couldn't help but ask.

"What else can we do? Naturally, we keep moving," Mo Han replied to Latin with a smile.

"Relax. With our Miss Bai here, there won't be any problems. I refuse to believe anyone on the Dragon Ascent Continent is stronger than our Bai Ling, wouldn't you agree?" Bai Ling shot Mo Han a sidelong glance and said helplessly, "You're certainly good at showering me with compliments at times like these."

"Heh heh, I'm just stating the facts. Don't be so modest, Bai Ling. As the saying goes, the capable should do more work," Mo Han stood his ground, shamelessly voicing his opinion, which earned him a few eye-rolls from Latin and Jack.

Still, they slowly moved forward, though much more cautiously. The only sounds were their light footsteps and the occasional drip of water, emphasizing the profound silence.

They journeyed on without incident, and in the blink of an eye, they had covered more than half the distance, arriving in a relatively spacious cavern. Yet, nothing happened. Mo Han felt a growing sense of confusion—were those mysterious entities simply letting them pass? Just then, above them, countless massive, sharp stone stalactites hanging from the ceiling emitted a strange sound, followed by a faint surge of magical fluctuation. Immediately, all the giant stone spikes above them detached and plummeted downwards, hurtling toward Mo Han and his party.

Witnessing this, Mo Han’s expression shifted drastically. If there were only a few of these huge spikes, he wouldn't have been afraid. But with so many striking simultaneously, the resulting power would be terrifying. He feared Bai Ling’s magical barrier would be unable to withstand the destruction caused by such a concentrated impact.

At that critical moment, Bai Ling once again displayed her formidable power. The blue light screen that had enveloped the group suddenly flared brightly, rapidly shifting from pale blue to a deep, intense blue. Just then, the stone spikes slammed directly onto the magic barrier Bai Ling had erected.

As the rocks struck the barrier, they produced dull, thudding noises, like heavy blows against leather, making an unpleasant sound for all to hear. The light screen of Bai Ling's magic barrier shook violently, appearing as if it might shatter at any second, yet it held fast, protecting everyone within.

In an instant, hundreds of stone spikes had struck the blue light screen. Although the screen's color had dimmed considerably, it still tightly enclosed the group. Outside the barrier, the broken shards of stone lay packed densely, piled nearly half a foot thick—a testament to the sheer volume and terrifying destructive force of the bombardment.

This further highlighted Bai Ling’s extraordinary magical prowess. Since this magic barrier needed to run continuously for an extended period, she couldn't deploy the most high-level protective magic. This spell was, at best, a guardian magic spell of upper-middle tier, perhaps only a Level 7 spell. Judging by the damage inflicted by the falling spikes, a Level 7 protective barrier should never have been able to withstand such a ferocious, simultaneous assault.

Yet, Bai Ling had managed to endure the attack, which should have been impossible, purely relying on her supreme control over magic. Mo Han believed he could have defended against these spikes too, but only by employing much higher-level spells—at least Level 8 or above. If he had tried to cast a barrier of this level, Mo Han knew he certainly wouldn't have survived the impact. This, he realized, was the difference between a third-rank Archmage and a first-rank one. The same spell, cast by mages of differing power levels, yielded vastly different results.

However, Bai Ling’s face appeared somewhat pale; clearly, while she had managed to stop the attack through sheer magical skill, it had not been easy. This capability commanded the profound admiration of Mo Han and the others.

"Bai Ling, how are you? Are you hurt?" Seeing her pale complexion, Mo Han couldn't help but ask out of concern.

Bai Ling merely shook her head with a smile, indicating she was fine, before calmly stating, "It seems our opponent is truly formidable. To summon so many spikes to fall at once... I can’t think of any Earth elemental magic that could produce this effect?" Hearing Bai Ling’s question, Mo Han paused, then rapidly cycled through the Earth magic he knew, surprised to find no spell capable of causing such devastation. Yet, the magic fluctuations he sensed were undeniably characteristic of an active Earth elemental burst, meaning the attack was definitely Earth magic.

Reaching this conclusion left Mo Han feeling somewhat dejected. Noticing his demeanor, Bai Ling offered a rare smile and said, "Never mind. If my guess is correct, this probably isn't Human race Earth magic. Otherwise, given my knowledge of the continent's human magic, I would certainly have some clue."

Though Bai Ling spoke to the whole group, Mo Han understood perfectly that she was trying to comfort him. Filled with gratitude, he smiled back to show her he was alright.

After hearing Bai Ling's analysis, Mo Han’s eyes brightened. It was the only logical explanation. Given Bai Ling's magical cultivation, even if it were some long-lost ancient Earth magic, she should have recognized it, or at least had some hint. Furthermore, Earth magic primarily focuses on defense; offensive spells constitute only a small fraction of the total Earth disciplines. But the magic used just now was clearly an extremely potent Earth attack, one they had never encountered before—hence Bai Ling’s speculation.

Hearing her analysis, and having witnessed the power of that magical barrage, Latin and the others swallowed hard. If Bai Ling hadn't protected them, they all believed that despite their own strength, they couldn't have withstood such a widespread shower of stone spikes. Now, Bai Ling suggested the magic didn't originate from humans. They didn't know what kind of sacred entity could unleash such spells. Humans are always anxious about unknown terrors, and Latin and his group were no exception; their faces grew grim. Jack couldn't help but ask, "If it wasn't human, could it be Ghosts? What other creatures possess such powerful magical capabilities?"

(Ghost: Refers to high-level human mages whose souls do not dissipate upon death but linger in the mortal realm. These residual souls wander the world, continuing their practice until they form a spectral state, at which point their magical power greatly increases. However, these Ghosts exist only in legend; no one has ever truly seen one.)

Hearing Jack's question, Mo Han couldn't help but laugh and scold him, "Jack, your imagination is running wild! Setting aside whether Ghosts exist in this world, even if they did, they would still be human souls, wouldn't they? No matter how powerful, they would still use human magic! Didn't you hear Bai Ling say the opponent isn't human? How could it be a Ghost? That’s nonsense!"

At Mo Han's reprimand, Jack realized his guess was off base and sheepishly scratched his head, laughing. But Jack's interruption successfully dispelled the slightly heavy atmosphere that had settled over the group. They decided to proceed, though their pace this time was much slower than before, and everyone remained significantly more alert.

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