Ye Han, with a sly smile on his face, silently moved among the beast horde. He didn't even glance at the seventh-order beasts at the forefront, swiftly passing through to where the eighth-order beasts were gathered.
The hierarchy among magical beasts was strict, and different levels of beasts did not mingle together, hence the significant distance between the seventh and eighth orders. As high-level beasts, eighth-order creatures had their own territories, and no seventh-order beast dared to encroach within thirty feet of them.
Surveying the dense array of eighth-order beasts, Ye Han estimated there were at least twenty to thirty thousand of them. The number of seventh-order beasts was even higher, reaching thirty to forty thousand.
Only then did Ye Han truly understand why the Hengduan Mountain Range was known as one of the four most dangerous places on the Qingming Continent. Just the seventh and eighth-order beasts alone were enough to annihilate an army of hundreds of thousands of humans, not to mention the ninth-order beasts and those at the saint level, let alone the divine-level beasts. Admitting to himself, Ye Han couldn't help but acknowledge that the innate abilities of beasts far surpassed those of humans. An eighth-order beast was comparable to a ninth-order human. It was difficult for humans to kill beasts of the same order.
Ye Han wandered silently among the eighth-order beasts for a long time before shaking his head and moving towards the area of the ninth-order beasts, becoming increasingly cautious as he went deeper.
As he ventured further, ninth-order beasts gradually came into view, with over a hundred feet separating them from the eighth-order beasts. The first ninth-order beast Ye Han encountered was the "Wolf Poison Spider King," a dark-element beast known for its toxic spider silk and eight poisonous claws. It could also emit a disorienting mental attack from its eyes. Encountering it spelled certain death for any being below the saint level, and even ninth-order beings would struggle to survive.
Having some understanding of magical beasts, Ye Han quickly recalled information about the Wolf Poison Spider King, smiled faintly, and continued inward. The deeper he went, the more diverse and unknown the species of beasts became, many of which Ye Han had never seen or heard of before, but they all seemed formidable.
Almost ten thousand ninth-order beasts quietly resided in their territory, occasionally engaging in fierce fights, with the losers quickly consumed by other beasts, leaving only a magic core behind.
Ye Han continued to move through the area of ninth-order beasts, looking increasingly frustrated.
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed from a great distance ahead, causing all ninth-order beasts to prostrate themselves on the ground, not daring to move.
Ye Han looked curiously at the reaction of the ninth-order beasts and smiled slyly as he moved towards the source of the sound.
Before him were hundreds of Winged Dragons, each three meters long, with huge wings on their backs and bird-like heads. They supported their massive bodies on two large hind legs, with thick necks, red tongues, and sharp teeth.
"Winged Dragons," Ye Han exclaimed in surprise. These creatures, not true dragons but offspring of other flying beasts and dragons, didn't belong to the dragon lineage but possessed some dragon abilities.
Dragons held a high status among magical beasts, so Winged Dragons inherited the same prideful nature. Although they were ninth-order beasts, they disdained associating with other ninth-order creatures.
"Looks like it's you guys," Ye Han said, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the hundreds of Winged Dragons before him. Just then, he noticed something that made him overjoyed.
In the midst of hundreds of Winged Dragons, Ye Han observed a colossal black Winged Dragon, ten meters in length, roaring towards the sky — the source of the earlier roar. The other Winged Dragons bowed their heads in front of this black one.
"The King of the Winged Dragons," Ye Han murmured. In every species of magical beasts, there existed a king, larger and stronger than its counterparts, and this black Winged Dragon was the king of its kind.
"You're mine," Ye Han fixated on the black Winged Dragon, growing increasingly fond of it. On the continent, there was a profession known as Dragon Knight, who rode Winged Dragons.
The strength of Dragon Knights was widely acknowledged on the continent. Every swordsman and mage dreamed of having a Winged Dragon as a mount. A swordsman combined with a Winged Dragon could fight in the air, even without reaching the saint level, thanks to the dragon's flying ability. Additionally, the dragon's strength and innate abilities could significantly enhance their power.
For mages, having a Winged Dragon for protection meant they didn't have to worry about swordsmen getting close during battle. The dragon's vast wings could easily keep approaching swordsmen at bay.
Ye Han was now at the edge of the beast army, and he surmised that saint-level beasts must be nearby. Direct action would undoubtedly attract their attention, leading to dire consequences. Frowning in contemplation, he suddenly remembered something vital.
"Of course, how could I forget this?" He closed his eyes, delving into his memories. Moments later, he recalled a specific formation from the memories of the Immortal King.
"There, with this, I don't believe they can sense anything."
Among the Immortal King's memory of formations was an Illusionary Formation, capable of deceiving the eyes and soul senses of enemies. It rendered everything happening inside the formation imperceptible to those outside.
Ye Han chose a formation called the Illusory Shadow Formation. Once activated, everything seen and sensed from the outside would appear as if the formation had never been activated. It projected an illusion, misleading the soul senses of those investigating it. Only those with soul power more than twice as strong as Ye Han's could perceive through it.
Moreover, the Illusory Shadow Formation wasn't just an illusionary formation but also a trapping formation. Without substantial power, escape was impossible.
Ye Han quickly reviewed the setup of the Illusory Shadow Formation. The complex and profound formation pathways slowly became clear in his mind. Thanks to the Immortal King's centuries of understanding and contemplation of formations, Ye Han grasped the concept quickly. However, mastering it entirely was another matter. Thus, the formations he had set up so far hadn't released their full power but were sufficient enough.
Hurrying back to the gathering area of the eighth and ninth-order beasts, Ye Han moved among them, their magic cores vanishing one by one.
Lacking spirit stones on this continent, Ye Han had to use the magic cores of beasts as a substitute. He quickly collected nearly a hundred cores of various attributes and began setting up the formation.
Following the setup method in his mind, Ye Han carefully arranged the formation, placing multiple magic cores at each energy point, each of different attributes, to maximize the formation's effect and duration.
As time passed, Ye Han, using his evasion technique, set up the formation around the Winged Dragon area. He had to collect more magic cores twice when he ran out. By the time the sun was high in the sky, a complex and vast illusionary formation had been established on the Qingming Continent, waiting for activation.
Ye Han didn't activate it immediately, not because he didn't want to, but because many Winged Dragons had flown out to hunt. Roughly fifty left each time, and by noon, most had returned, except for the largest black Winged Dragon. Ye Han waited for its return.
As the sun moved westward, two hours passed, and the massive Winged Dragon had not yet returned. Ye Han continued to wait patiently. All his preparations were for that one Winged Dragon.
A loud roar echoed from the distant horizon, and gradually, a dark shadow appeared in the sky, growing larger as it approached. The gigantic wings of the dragon created a fierce whirlwind as it descended towards the group of Winged Dragons.
With a thunderous crash, the huge dragon landed heavily on the ground, stirring up clouds of dust.
"It's back. Let's begin," Ye Han whispered from his hidden position. He formed hundreds of intricate hand signs with his hands crossed over his chest, then pressed his hands toward the nearby magic cores.
A surge of powerful energy instantly flowed into the magic cores, activating the Illusory Shadow Formation. From the outside, however, there appeared to be no change; the grass remained grass, and the Winged Dragons remained as they were.
The huge black Winged Dragon was the first to sense the change in its surroundings. The once bright and sunny land suddenly turned gray and dim. All other sights, including the hundreds of Winged Dragons around it, vanished, leaving only the black dragon in a seemingly endless void.
The black dragon, now alone in this vast space, was enraged. Its massive wings flapped wildly, emitting dazzling black flames.
Ye Han emerged from the gray void, having used the illusionary formation to isolate the Winged Dragon King from the others.
A rapid blur streaked across the sky, heading straight for Ye Han, who swiftly dodged.
Another huge shadow followed, smashing down where Ye Han had just evaded. His figure moved rapidly, and the dragon's vast wings struck the gray space fiercely, but with no effect.
Enraged by Ye Han's dodging, the black Winged Dragon roared and flapped its huge wings, attacking Ye Han again.
"Not bad for a beast with dragon lineage, to keep up with my speed," Ye Han mused. Although he wasn't using his full speed potential, his natural speed was already comparable to that of an early saint-level being.
Winged Dragons, blessed with the dragon lineage's greatest gift of rapid flight, combined with formidable strength and some magical abilities, had become the favorite mounts of people on the continent. Of course, possessing a true dragon would be even better, but a Winged Dragon was a highly prized possession in itself.