This time marked an enormous gain; even Mo Han hadn't anticipated advancing directly to the rank of Divine Mage. Though his martial arts hadn't reached the standard of a Sword God, achieving the dream yearned for by all humanity—that of a Divine Mage—filled Mo Han with elation for a long time.

Moreover, Mo Han had acquired some ancient martial techniques and magic. If he, Bai Ling, Daili, and the others could quickly master these ancient spells and skills before the (Underworld Race) invasion, his confidence in facing the approaching army in the near future would significantly increase.

However, just as Bai Ling and Mo Han were preparing to depart, that Blithe seemed poised to say something but ultimately held back. Bai Ling had no intention of pressing the issue. If Blithe wished to speak, he would; if he didn't, further questioning would be futile. Thus, she left the Ancient Blue Ruins with Mo Han. The only real trouble was the Seven Star Dragon Orb, which had been reduced to shards. Yet, she had promised the Saint Dragon Patriarch and the Demon Dragon Patriarch that she would return it. Now that it was broken, she worried whether those two patriarchs would forgive her.

Heh, Mo Han wondered how flabbergasted and furious the Saint Dragon Patriarch and the Demon Dragon Patriarch would be if they knew he had completely absorbed all the energy of the Seven Star Dragon Orb. Nevertheless, Mo Han had no intention of truthfully revealing the absorption of the Dragon Orb's power to them.

The specific course of action could only be determined step by step.

Yet, Mo Han wasn't overly concerned. After all, he was now a god-level master, on par with the Saint Dragon Patriarch and the Demon Dragon Patriarch. Even if they wished to make things difficult for him, they would have to think twice. Furthermore, Mo Han was even more confident that they wouldn't dare make trouble for him.

After watching Mo Han depart, Blithe sighed softly, "Master, I have completed the task you assigned me, and the event you predicted has not materialized.

But your predictions are never wrong. I only truly hope that this time your prediction was an error, as that might buy the races of the Dragon Soaring Continent some more time."

After saying this, Blithe spoke with a tone of faint disbelief, "But can this Chen Mo Han truly shatter the barrier of the Ancient Blue Ruins by himself, making your words come true?" "However, Master, rest assured, if the situation you predicted does occur, your disciple will certainly do my utmost to try and salvage some time."

Blithe's tone carried an undeniable conviction.

Having uttered these words, he slowly turned and walked toward the very center of the circular lake.

As Blithe passed, the lake waters eerily parted on both sides, forming a passage along the lakebed for him to walk upon.

After Blithe's figure vanished beneath the water, the lake swiftly returned to its former state, everything settling back into tranquility.

It was as if that passage had never existed.

Meanwhile.

Mo Han and his companions followed the narrow, foggy path that Blithe had carved out with his immense magical power.

They swiftly exited the sphere of influence of the Ancient Blue Ruins, taking even less time than their journey in.

Mo Han and his group were back in the Forest of Death, on the outskirts of the white mist.

Since they were now far from the edge of the Forest of Death, it would take some time to traverse it completely. Having essentially accomplished the goal of this journey, and with no need to rush, Mo Han decided to slow down their return with Bai Ling and study the ancient books Blithe had given him within the Forest of Death.

Taking out the ancient texts Blithe had provided from the spatial ring, although they knew the Ancient Blue Ruins held many treasures, Mo Han and Bai Ling were startled by what they saw inside the spatial ring: it was crammed, floor to ceiling, with countless weapons and suits of armor.

These items were clearly top-tier Saint-grade weapons or secondary Divine Artifacts, just a step below true Divine Artifacts, but a clear tier above the finest weapons on the continent. They were even a grade higher than the weapons Mo Han and Bai Ling had found earlier in Bai Ling’s Magical Divine Hall. However, these objects weren't what shocked them. Since both Mo Han and Bai Ling already possessed ancient Divine Artifacts, these weapons, though precious, held little practical use for them.

What truly captivated Mo Han and Bai Ling was a small bookshelf inside the spatial ring. On this shelf rested a row of ancient, time-worn books. Mo Han and Bai Ling had only picked up a few before being utterly absorbed by their profound content.

These texts not only recorded numerous lost ancient magics and martial techniques but also detailed the long-vanished lightning-element magic and the spatial magic that mages dream of—all recorded with perfect clarity. Because of this, even though Mo Han and Bai Ling possessed deep cultivation, they couldn't help but feel intense excitement upon seeing these things.

Throughout the entire journey back, Mo Han and Bai Ling were engrossed in studying the material within the books. Since Bai Ling was a magical genius, even though her current magic rank was one tier below Mo Han's, her level of magical proficiency and experience surpassed his by several tiers. Many difficult ancient spells, she could grasp almost entirely after reading them just once, forcing Mo Han to marvel at her magical talent.

The only regret was that Bai Ling's current strength prevented her from unleashing those astonishingly powerful Divine Curses. However, the secrets to casting these curses were now thoroughly ingrained in her mind. It was believed that as soon as Bai Ling broke through to a god-level magical strength, she would become a genuine Divine Mage, not a demigod like Mo Han.

Nevertheless, with Bai Ling’s guidance, Mo Han’s rate of progress was also astonishingly fast. Although there was still some distance between him and those who had truly cultivated to the god-level, the gap was no longer vast; he was already far better off than when he had just advanced.

Thus, a journey that should have taken a few days stretched into nearly half a month before Mo Han and Bai Ling finally reached the edge of the Forest of Death. In just another half-day's travel, they would completely leave the Forest of Death’s territory, where Latin and Jack were waiting for them outside.

But at that precise moment, Bai Ling, whose expression had been calm until then, showed a flicker of surprise and let out an "Eh."

Bai Ling then spoke, her voice laced with worry, "I sense that the magical barrier I placed outside the Forest of Death is gone."

Mo Han’s face tightened upon hearing this. He knew that when Bai Ling laid down that magic barrier, she had woven a small thread of her own mana and spiritual energy to connect with it. This meant that as long as they weren't too far from the barrier, Bai Ling could sense its status.

If the barrier had vanished, it meant Jack and the others were likely in trouble. Moreover, Bai Ling's barrier was not something ordinary magical beasts could breach; only beasts reaching the Saint Beast level might manage it. If Jack and the others truly encountered a Saint Beast of that caliber, they would be in grave danger.

With this thought, a wave of unease washed over Mo Han. He and Bai Ling dared not delay, rushing swiftly toward where Jack and the others were supposed to be. However, the closer they got, the more intense that feeling of dread became in Mo Han’s heart.

Upon reaching the location where Jack and the others had established their camp, Mo Han was immediately stunned by the sight before him. Where the camp should have been was now a scene of utter devastation. Traces of fighting were everywhere within the camp perimeter, and what worried Mo Han the most was the ground, saturated with blood.

Mo Han quickly identified the substance: it was human blood, not that of a magical beast. If a person lost this much blood, no matter how strong they were, survival would be impossible. Mo Han could only pray silently that this blood didn't belong to either Latin or Jack, though he knew the chances were minuscule.

"Judging by these marks, this must have happened yesterday,"

Bai Ling stated gravely after assessing the surroundings. "And I notice that the traces of combat seem to extend in one specific direction. However, the fighting appears extremely fierce, suggesting the strength gap between the two sides wasn't huge—the magical beast was likely only at the level of an ordinary Saint Beast, not an Ancient Saint Beast. Since no one is left here, I suspect Latin and the others were either abducted by the beast or fled, and they are probably not in immediate mortal danger."

Finishing her assessment, Bai Ling pointed in one direction and declared, "I believe the beast took Latin and the others and headed this way. We must pursue them immediately; perhaps we can still save them." Mo Han followed the direction Bai Ling indicated, noticing that it wasn't far from the direction they had entered the Forest of Death.

Leaping to

For more novels, visit storyread.net.