A flicker of doubt arose in the hearts of these two Sacred Beast Flamingos. Could this seemingly young human mage before them have already reached the level of Archmage? That thought made them hesitate. Having attained a high degree of human intelligence, they understood that if Bai Ling truly possessed the strength of an Archmage, even as Sacred Beasts, they would absolutely be no match for her. Dealing with an Archmage would be a trivially easy task for her.

Although the gap between the Archmage realm and the third tier of Saint Magister seems to be only one level, the distance between them is like an endless, bottomless trench—they are incomparable. The difference in strength between them is surely unimaginable; otherwise, with so many Saint Magisters in this world, not a single Archmage would have ever appeared.

But upon seeing the trace of blood at the corner of Bai Ling's mouth, the two Flamingos immediately understood that Bai Ling could not possibly be an Archmage. If she were, she would never have been injured by their magical assault, not even superficially. It was clear that while Bai Ling's strength was formidable, at most she could be considered a mage extremely close to the Archmage realm, yet her actual power was still far removed from a true Archmage.

Instantly, the two Flamingos resumed the strange, melodic tone they had used when casting their forbidden curse earlier.

The sole advantage Sacred Beasts hold when compared to human Saint Magisters is that the magical energy stored within a beast’s body is several times that of a human Saint Magister.

Thus, the immense magical energy expended in casting that forbidden spell just moments ago was practically nothing to these two Flamingos. Previously, Bai Ling’s highly defensive magical shield had rendered their speed advantage completely useless; they couldn't rely on speed to attack her. Now that they saw Bai Ling harmed by their magical attack—though not severely—it was equivalent to finding an effective method to deal with her: a war of attrition.

Both Flamingos were certain that when it came to draining magical reserves, no human could ever match them, unless that human was an Archmage. And Bai Ling was clearly not an Archmage. Moreover, she was now injured; even if it wasn't critical, her strength would undoubtedly be compromised.

In that scenario, the one who would ultimately lose would be Bai Ling.

Upon hearing the peculiar cries of the two Flamingos, both Mo Han and Bai Ling’s expressions changed. It seemed the two Sacred Beasts intended to defeat them through sheer magical output.

As the two Flamingos began chanting their spell, the fire elements throughout the entire space started surging rapidly, slowly converging near the two Sacred Beasts.

Mo Han understood that Bai Ling had already sustained damage from the preceding magical barrage. If these two Flamingos were allowed to continue their assault, Bai Ling would absolutely be unable to withstand their attacks. Fortunately, the Nine-Headed Serpent King seemed wary of the destructive power of the Flamingos' magic and did not take the opportunity to launch a joint assault, instead watching from a distance nearby.

Furthermore, the Serpent King had already suffered from the Flamingos' magic earlier and had learned its lesson; it had no intention of closing the distance, instead erecting a magical shield in front of itself. That way, even if any residual magic from the ensuing battle reached it, it would pose no threat.

They absolutely could not let these two Flamingos complete their spell. Seeing this opportunity, Mo Han no longer hesitated and hastily cast a 'Flight' spell upon himself. Mo Han knew well that the two Flamingos were naturally superior in speed; if he relied solely on his Dou Qi to fly, he would never be able to match their pace. However, with the aid of the wind-elemental Flight spell, his flying speed would significantly increase, potentially allowing him to threaten them.

With the assistance of the Flight spell, Mo Han’s speed indeed increased substantially. He instantly transformed into a white blur, rocketing towards one of the chanting Flamingos. But the Flamingo, even while casting its spell, still had enough reserve awareness to notice Mo Han.

Seeing Mo Han close in, it merely flapped its wings and transformed into a streak of crimson light, deftly evading his attack. Its speed was even faster than when it had attacked them before. Even the accelerated Mo Han couldn't catch up. It seemed that while chanting, the Flamingos' mobility also increased.

Witnessing this, Mo Han felt truly troubled. He couldn't match their speed. Fortunately, the spells the Flamingos were casting were high-level, all requiring a specific duration. Seeing this, a sudden idea sparked in Mo Han’s mind. Previously, Bai Ling had endured their magic because she feared the attacks would shift to her. Now, with the Nine-Headed Serpent King showing no immediate aggression, why should he stand idly by and take punishment?

The power of a forbidden curse was immense, but surely it couldn't be faster than his own escape speed. Realizing this, Mo Han hesitated no longer. He flew directly toward Bai Ling, shouting, "Let's go!"

Grabbing the arm Bai Ling extended, he rapidly bolted back the way they came.

He chose to run on the ground, utilizing the surrounding trees for cover, rather than using the Flight spell. This way, the Flamingos' aerial advantage would be nullified. Combined with Mo Han’s already fast running pace and the aid of wind magic, only a few flashes were seen as Mo Han and Bai Ling zipped through the forest, soon vanishing from the Flamingos' sight.

The two Flamingos seemed utterly unprepared that individuals of Mo Han and Bai Ling's caliber would simply flee without a second thought—it was quite undignified. They froze momentarily, and by the time they reacted, Mo Han and Bai Ling were gone from view.

But in the next instant, the two Flamingos let out furious cries, immediately transforming into two red lines that shot rapidly toward the direction Mo Han and Bai Ling had fled. In the end, only the distant Nine-Headed Serpent King remained, frozen and uncomprehending, as the fierce battle abruptly dissolved.

However, the Serpent King knew its current speed couldn't possibly catch up to Mo Han and the others, so it stayed put instead of joining the pursuit with the Flamingos.

Mo Han hadn't run far before he heard the piercing cries of the Flamingos behind him, making him dare not slow down.

But the Flamingos lived up to their name as kings of the sky. Even exerting his utmost, the distance between them gradually shrank. At this point, Bai Ling, who had been dragged along by Mo Han, began to struggle.

Bai Ling was primarily a mage, unlike Mo Han who practiced both magic and martial arts. To evade the Flamingos, she couldn't use the Flight spell; she was barely keeping pace with Mo Han thanks to his help and the assistance of wind magic. However, such prolonged running was extremely draining. Before long, Bai Ling’s face was flushed, and her breathing grew heavy.

"I can't. If this continues, we definitely won't shake them off; instead, we'll deplete our strength," Bai Ling said slowly, pulling back the still-running Mo Han.

Mo Han knew Bai Ling spoke the truth. For the Flamingos, this level of aerial pursuit was as easy as breathing for humans. If Mo Han and Bai Ling continued running like this, it would certainly impact their ability to fight effectively.

It was better to stop, find an opportunity, and deliver a fatal blow to these two Flamingos, permanently solving the problem. But this hinged entirely on seizing the right moment.

Just then, the two Flamingos rapidly closed the distance to Mo Han and Bai Ling. But being intelligent Sacred Beasts, the Flamingos dared not attack rashly when Bai Ling and Mo Han suddenly stopped. Instead, they hovered nearby, their gazes fixed firmly on the pair, searching for the optimal moment to strike.

"It seems we can only give it our all," Bai Ling said quietly to Mo Han. "It’s fortunate the Nine-Headed Serpent King is no longer a threat. Facing only two Flamingos, we might still have a chance. If we cooperate well, we should be able to defeat them, or at the very least, force them to retreat."

"In a moment, I will cast an advanced spell that might temporarily restrict the movement of these two Flamingos. But with my current abilities, I can barely manage it with the aid of the Water Spirit Staff, so the duration will likely be very brief. Therefore, when I tell you to attack, you must strike these two Flamingos with all your might, injuring them as much as possible. This might be enough to drive them away."

Hearing Bai Ling’s words, Mo Han’s eyes lit up, and he responded, "If that's the case, I'm confident we can beat them. But why only injure them? Why not kill them?"

"It's not that I don't want to kill them," Bai Ling replied with a bitter smile, shaking her head. "You must understand that these Flamingos, even among the Ancient Sacred Beasts, are considered top-tier entities. Their defensive capabilities are perhaps the most outrageous among all Sacred Beasts. Even with the Holy Sword of Light, you might not achieve an instant kill. Unless you can strike them repeatedly, but my magic power simply cannot restrain two Sacred Beasts for a prolonged period. I doubt we’ll have enough time to break through their defenses."

"That resilient?" Mo Han questioned skeptically. "Isn't the Nine-Headed Serpent King also an Ancient Sacred Beast? Yet its defense seemed only slightly stronger than the common Sacred Beasts in the Outer Magic Forest. Given enough time with the Holy Sword of Light, I’m certain I could defeat it."

Bai Ling shook her head upon hearing this. "Actually, these Ancient Sacred Beasts are like us humans. Although they all belong to the rank of Sacred Beasts, there are still disparities in strength among them, just as there are among humans. When two mages of the same level fight, one will inevitably be stronger than the other; it's just a matter of the magnitude of the difference."

"We don't have time for explanations now. I will begin casting the spell shortly, but these two Flamingos definitely won't grant me enough time to finish. You must do your best to buy me time, defending against their attacks until my spell is complete. When you hear me say 'attack,' immediately launch a full-power assault on them."

Mo Han nodded in agreement, and Bai Ling began to chant softly.

A string of magical incantations flowed elegantly from Bai Ling’s lips: "Endless magic shall turn into endless hope; Spirits of Wind, gather beside me, form the Chaos Barrier! Spirits of Water, flow like yielding waves, coalesce into the Realm of Ages! Spirits of Earth, relinquish your mutual hostility, undo the chains of the heart! Spirits of Fire, bind yourselves with the Crimson Lotus Threads, weave the Net of Space!"

As Bai Ling’s incantation unfolded, Mo Han’s expression grew grave. Although Mo Han did not know exactly what spell Bai Ling was casting, he recognized the immense difficulty of the chant: summoning multiple elemental spirits simultaneously to weave a spell. Generally, apart from a few top-tier forbidden curses or highly specialized magic, such combined incantations were never used.

One had to remember that different elemental spirits repel one another; merging them is extraordinarily difficult. That is why most people on this continent can only study a single type of magic and cannot cultivate several different elemental attributes simultaneously. Of course, there are extremely rare individuals who, due to innate factors, can break these limitations and learn several different types of magic, like Mo Han and Bai Ling.

Even so, executing complex composite magic involving different elements is inherently dangerous; a slight misstep can lead to immediate and devastating backlash from the spell's own power. Thus, even though Mo Han and Bai Ling studied together, Mo Han could only manage simple composite spells. He couldn't fully master the advanced ones, and the higher the spell level, the greater the mastery required. Only someone like Bai Ling, who deeply understood the principles of composite magic, could so easily perform such advanced combinations.

Leaping up