Besieging Ming Ye

Starlight knew well that a single spell was far from enough to cause significant damage to his opponent; at most, it would only buy him a brief moment to catch his breath.

In a battle between a magic caster and a melee fighter, maintaining a proper distance is undoubtedly the key to victory. Even the most powerful mage cannot escape the fate of being suppressed once they are drawn into close-quarters combat.

Take Po Kong, for instance. Even though his War God Battle Qi provided excellent resistance against elemental magic, Starlight was confident he could firmly suppress his movements at mid-to-long range.

However, once a Swordsman or Assassin reaches the Saint Rank, their battle qi can form projected blades just like magic, and a mage's long-range advantage vanishes in an instant.

The Ming Ye he was facing now was exactly like that.

Unlike the previous opponents he had encountered, the Night Elf Saint Ranks had been extremely restrained in combat, clearly holding back. But Ming Ye was different; every strike he unleashed was saturated with killing intent, aimed entirely at taking a life.

Carrying the exhausted Moen, Starlight used instant movement several times in succession. Yet, almost every time he landed, Ming Ye’s relentless follow-up attacks would sweep past him in the blink of an eye, several times narrowly grazing the hem of his clothes.

Under Eventador’s guidance, his instant movement had reached a level where it produced almost no spatial ripples. Nevertheless, his opponent seemed to possess a special method of locking onto him. The blade followed him like a shadow, clinging to his position relentlessly.

“This can’t go on. Just dodging will only make things worse!” Starlight felt a surge of anxiety, yet he struggled to find a way to break the deadlock.

Since Ming Ye’s opening strike had reduced everything within a hundred meters to rubble, Starlight had lost all cover. In a contest of speed, he could never hope to compete with a Saint Rank powerhouse renowned for agility.

Even more terrifying was that Ming Ye was gradually adapting to the patterns of Starlight’s instant movement during the pursuit. Coupled with the fact that Starlight had to look after Moen, it was only a matter of time before he was caught.

“Slippery brat, I’m tired of this game of cat and mouse!”

This time, just as Starlight’s figure emerged from the air, he heard Ming Ye’s cold voice ringing in his ear.

Though there was an element of chance involved, Ming Ye had miraculously predicted his trajectory and set up an attack formation in advance.

Seeing the flickering fire of the crimson giant scythe swinging toward his chest, Starlight realized it was too late to dodge again! He had no choice but to find a way to take the blow head-on.

At this critical juncture, Noah, hanging from Starlight’s waist, suddenly erupted with a powerful surge of energy. The formidable soul power of a Saint Archmage manifested as an invisible blade, slamming violently into Ming Ye’s head.

Caught off guard, Ming Ye was left dazed and dizzy by the sudden impact. The giant scythe in his hand veered off course, only slicing through the front of Starlight’s tunic, though the searing battle qi still left a fiery red scorch mark on his chest.

“What are you standing there for? Run! This is the limit of what I can do!” Noah’s urgent voice echoed in his mind, snapping the startled Starlight back to his senses.

However, Starlight did not flee immediately. Instead, he quickly pressed a hand against the ground. Instantly, a rock spike shimmering with a dark light erupted from the earth, shooting toward Ming Ye’s heart like a bolt from a bow.

This was no ordinary earth magic. Starlight had skillfully infused the rock spike with highly corrosive dark elements, giving it not only incredible piercing power but also the terrifying ability to corrode anything it touched.

The spell sent Ming Ye flying a great distance. The sharp rock spike pierced through the protective battle qi on his chest, leaving a blood-red hole two fingers wide.

Faintly visible, the dark elements acted like a greedy beast, constantly eroding the wound in an attempt to devour his life force.

However, under Ming Ye’s immense strength, the rampaging dark energy was soon forcibly suppressed. Even the gruesome hole in his chest began to heal at a staggering rate.

But what truly made Ming Ye wary was that sudden, lightning-fast soul impact.

“Damn it! Who is it!?” Ming Ye clutched his head and let out an earth-shaking roar.

He never suspected that the powerful soul impact had come from the unremarkable old book at Starlight’s waist. He mistakenly thought a master was secretly assisting Starlight, and for a moment, he became hesitant to act.

He naturally couldn't have known that this was Noah’s full effort, and such an opportunity would only come once.

But even after scanning the surroundings for several seconds, he found no one else, which only fueled his fury.

Those few seconds gave Starlight the breathing room he needed. He quickly distanced himself from Ming Ye and set up several layers of magic along the way, sealing off the space around him.

While this wasn't enough to completely stop Ming Ye’s movements, it gave Starlight the space to counterattack.

“Damn brat... I don’t know what kind of trick you used, but I don’t believe you can always be this lucky!”

Finally regaining his composure, Ming Ye confirmed that there were no other Saint Ranks within several hundred meters. He turned to look at Starlight, who had already opened up some distance, his once-handsome face now twisted into a terrifying snarl.

“This time, I won’t give you another chance!”

With a furious roar, the giant scythe in his hand slashed through the void. The sharp battle qi seemed to split the very space in two, snapping more than half of the mana traps Starlight had meticulously laid out in an instant.

Just as Ming Ye broke free from the restraints and prepared to launch another fierce assault on Starlight, a flash of golden light suddenly appeared from his flank, slamming into him with tremendous force.

Po Kong, wielding his giant shield, charged out from the ruins like a ghost, launching a precision ambush from a blind spot.

“What... is going on!?” Ming Ye tumbled twice in the air before managing to stabilize himself, hurriedly using his scythe to parry Po Kong’s follow-up strike.

He was shocked to find that the young human who had forced him back had taken the full brunt of his earlier explosion and yet seemed to have suffered very little damage.

Even more shocking was how Po Kong had managed to evade his strict detection. After all, from any angle, Po Kong did not possess the traits of an assassin.

“I knew you old geezer were up to no good! Luckily, my reactions were fast enough!”

Po Kong used his heavy shield to forcefully deflect the scythe’s blade, stepping back in the same motion while skillfully shifting his weapon into its sword-and-shield mode.

At the same time, a faint shimmer of light was slowly merging with Po Kong’s body. His aura suddenly surged, becoming exceptionally distinct.

It turned out that at the moment Ming Ye was about to erupt, Moen had quickly bestowed the Power of Nature upon Po Kong and Xia Duo, briefly erasing their presence. Even Ming Ye, who was skilled at detection, had failed to notice them in time.

Ming Ye had mistakenly thought the two were incapacitated by his attack and hadn't given them a second thought.

After Po Kong, who specialized in defense, had endured the initial damage, he had been hiding silently among the rubble, waiting for this very opportunity.

Facing the sudden intervention of Po Kong, Ming Ye did not feel anxious about the two-on-one situation.

But just as he was about to make his next move, another razor-sharp aura suddenly locked onto him.

Xia Duo’s graceful figure quietly appeared at the edge of the battlefield. Her longbow was pointed straight at him, with three fiery red arrows already notched and ready to fly.

At this point, all of his actions were completely locked down by the members of Starry Moon Shadow. If he dared to make any sudden move, he would surely face a lethal blow.