Ambush

On the other side, a strong sense of unease lingered in Kalei's heart, urging Big Black to rush toward the Temple of the Moon.

When he arrived at the Temple of the Moon, he found Laria and Lilin safe and sound inside the temple, with nothing amiss, and he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

He vaulted off Big Black's back, rubbed his slightly aching waist, and was about to enter the temple.

Just then, a short, thin Night Elf man wearing plain linen clothes walked over from the shadows behind the Moonwell, carrying a basket filled with herbs.

Kalei glanced at him, assuming he was there to deliver medicine for Lilin, so he didn't pay much mind, merely nodding in greeting.

The Night Elf man smiled in return, then turned his head and carried the basket into the temple.

His steps were light, barely making a sound, but the moment his figure crossed the temple threshold, a sudden, intense sense of crisis surged in Kalei's heart.

With a jolt, he released some of his natural energy. This natural energy immediately turned violent and furious, and the source of that fury was none other than that man.

Startled, Kalei shouted loudly, "Watch out, a demon has entered!"

At this moment, Laria had already entered the prayer phase of the ritual magic and was completely unaware of the outside, while the only person in the temple capable of acting was the priestess Lilin, who was in charge of guarding the wounded.

Lilin had not originally noticed the Night Elf man entering the temple, but upon hearing Kalei's warning, she immediately dropped what she was holding, turned around, and looked at the man.

The Night Elf man was none other than Sain in disguise.

On his way here, he had used Salomon's mount to block Salomon's pursuit, then rushed to the temple to carry out his pre-planned assassination of the High Priestess Laria.

Once Laria was assassinated and corrupted by him, more than half of his mission would be a success.

He hadn't expected his actions to be delayed by Salomon and then run into Kalei, leading to his plan being exposed.

In his desperation, he could no longer afford to hesitate; he quickly pulled a dark green dagger imbued with powerful shadow energy from his person and lunged at the back of High Priestess Laria.

In this moment of crisis, the priestess Lilin remained exceptionally calm. She raised her hand toward Laria's back and chanted loudly, "Elune, please protect your kin."

Generally speaking, pure Moon Priestesses are not combatants and possess little power of their own; all their strength is derived from Elune.

Therefore, when casting spells, as long as they receive a response from the Goddess, they can freely command all the moonlight energy around them.

Following Lilin's chant, the moonlight within the temple seemed to take on substance, gathering behind Laria to form an invisible shield that blocked Sain's dagger just in time.

"Sizzle--"

The moment the shadow energy on the dagger touched the moonlight energy, a violent collision occurred.

Bang, bang, bang! After several consecutive explosions, the moonlight shield was shattered, and the precious dagger filled with shadow energy was blown to pieces.

Sain had not expected his meticulously planned strike to fail like this. He let out a loud cry, attempting to gather the shadow energy in his body to unleash a powerful shadow bolt at Laria.

But just then, a thick vine suddenly burst from the ground outside the temple, winding around his limbs like a viper and binding him firmly in place, completely ending his delusions.

It turned out that while Kalei was warning Lilin, he hadn't been idle, using the remaining natural energy in his body to cast Entangling Roots on Sain.

Although more than half of his spirit and mana had yet to recover, the nearby Moonwell was a great help to him at this moment.

He easily released a powerful Entangling Roots, pulling Sain out from inside the temple.

Sain, having suffered repeated setbacks and being dragged across the ground like a dead dog, was exploding with rage.

He shed his disguise, revealing his true Satyr form, and a surge of shadow flames erupted from his body, burning through the vines. He then condensed the shadow energy within him and hurled a barrage of shadow bolts at Kalei, cursing incessantly as he threw them: "Damn brat! You've ruined my plan! I'm going to kill you! No, I'm going to eat you! Eat your flesh, drink your blood, and crush your soul!"

Damn, it really was a Satyr behind this. Kalei cursed, turned around, mounted his Saber, and fled.

Just kidding—a demon like a Satyr was originally transformed from a Night Elf; not only did they retain the agility and strength of a Night Elf, but they also mastered fel and shadow powers. Against an opponent of the same rank, most combatants could hardly stand a chance, let alone Kalei, whose spirit and magic were nearly exhausted. What else could he do but run?

Big Black, beneath Kalei, also sensed the danger and, without needing Kalei's control, began darting left and right to move out of Sain's attack range.

Sain had been driven out of his mind by Kalei's provocation. He moved his two long, fur-covered legs, chasing after Kalei like the wind, continuously hurling shadow bolts, swearing to shoot Kalei down.

Kalei rode Big Black in circles around the temple, attempting to dodge Sain's pursuit. Unfortunately, Sain was too fast, staying hot on his heels and closing the distance.

Kalei felt a moment of panic, wondering if he should use arcane magic to fight back.

Just then, Laria's voice rang out from the temple entrance: "Lost soul fallen into darkness, face your fate; Elune shall grant you judgment!"

Sain, who was relentlessly chasing Kalei, shuddered upon hearing this, as if doused in ice water. He snapped out of his rage, turned, and ran for his life.

He had run less than two or three steps when a soft yet blindingly brilliant white light flashed in the sky. The light was not scorching, but it carried an irresistible holy power, enveloping the entire Temple of the Moon garden.

Under the radiance of this white light, the world seemed to stand still.

Sain, who had been running, was struck as if by lightning; he froze in place, then his body went limp, as if all his strength had been drained, and he slowly collapsed, never to move again.

"Is it... over?"

Kalei leaned against Big Black, looking at Sain with lingering fear, then at the calm sky, and let out a slow breath.

As expected of the Goddess's power; it solved this demon with such ease.

Kalei made a gesture of gratitude to the Goddess over his chest and climbed down from Big Black.

He walked slowly to Sain's side and took a look, discovering that although Sain had collapsed, he was not yet completely dead.

Sain stared with his pale yellow eyes, glaring at Kalei as he cursed: "Damn brat... don't get cocky! You saved that old hag, but you can't save the entire Bristlelimb Village! Haha... no one can stop the Master's plan!"

Kalei's expression shifted slightly. Just as he wanted to press him on "who the Master is" and "what the plan actually is," Sain slowly closed his eyes. His deformed body seemed to turn into shards of glass, gradually cracking bit by bit until it shattered into countless starlight particles and vanished into the air.

At this moment, Lilin helped Laria walk out from inside the temple. Laria's face was somewhat pale; clearly, the interruption of the ritual had taken a significant toll on her spirit.

Kalei quickly composed himself, stepped forward, and asked with concern: "Are you both alright? That was truly perilous just now."

Laria smiled and said, "We are fine. We owe you our thanks for the timely warning; otherwise, who knows what might have happened."

She sighed, "It is just a pity that the ritual magic was only halfway through. The shadow energy within those wounded had not been fully purged before that interference interrupted us."

Kalei said, "As long as you are unharmed, that is all that matters. We can find another way to handle their treatment."

Laria nodded slightly, looking toward the village entrance with a frown, "Are the Furbolg Shaman attacking?"

Kalei nodded, "More than just a few. Many have come; I suspect the entire Bristlelimb Tribe is here."

Laria and Lilin were both taken aback.

Lilin asked, "Why so many? Have these furbolgs all gone mad?"

Kalei replied, "It is a long story." He then recounted the battle at the valley entrance, the appearance of the Furbolg Shaman, Sain's disguise and sneak attack, and his own theories regarding the matter.

For the first time, a grave expression appeared on Laria's face as she asked, "You mean to say there is a mastermind behind the furbolgs, and their target is me?"

Kalei said, "Not necessarily you. Their primary goal was to assassinate or corrupt a high priestess. You simply happened to be here, so they set their sights on you."

Lilin, listening from the side, could not help but interject, "Kalei, please watch your words. A high priestess is favored by the Goddess; how could she possibly fall for their treacherous schemes?"

Laria shook her head, "No, Lilin. The Goddess's power is infinite, but the Goddess has her own enemies. We are servants of the Goddess, here to serve her, not to cause her trouble. Do you understand?"

Lilin quickly lowered her head, "I heed your teachings, sister."

Laria nodded, then smiled at the slightly awkward Kalei, "Do not take Lilin's words to heart. I believe your speculation is very sound, and I agree that this is their goal. However, they have another objective besides this one."

Kalei asked, "Oh? What objective?"

Laria replied, "The Moonwell in the village."

Kalei said, "The Moonwell... that fellow mentioned the village earlier... has something happened to the Moonwell?"

Laria sighed, "The Moonwell here has been tainted."

Kalei exclaimed in surprise, "How? The Moonwell possesses its own purifying properties; how could it be so easily tainted?"

Laria said, "You are correct that the Moonwell has purifying properties, but it cannot withstand the infusion of powerful dark energy."

"This Satyr was not powerful enough on his own, but he cast a melting medium into the well, a medium linked to a powerful, evil entity."

"To generate its water, the Moonwell must commune with the ley lines and collect natural energy. That evil entity has established a connection with the Moonwell through the medium, using the ley line channels to continuously pump dark energy into the well. In time, once the dark energy accumulates to a certain point, this Moonwell will likely be completely corrupted."

Kalei frowned, "You mean the Moonwell is not yet fully tainted, but an evil entity is currently pumping dark energy into it?"

Laria nodded, "Precisely."