The conflict between the dragons and humans thus subsided, but unfortunately for them, Ye Han was aware that the whole commotion had originated because of him. How could Ye Han possibly let the battle die down?
After the dragons and the eight Holy Rank human warriors left, Ye Han stood in thought for a moment, then vanished from the spot. Shortly thereafter, he arrived in the territory of the eighth and ninth-rank magical beasts.
"I'll come for you tonight," Ye Han said, looking towards the distant mountains and forests, commencing his task.
Having discovered that the mysterious energy in the magical cores could strengthen his soul, Ye Han had been worried about these cores. Now, they were indispensable to him. Setting up powerful formations required a vast number of magical cores for energy, and to quickly elevate his zombie rank, he also needed the mysterious energy within these cores.
Gazing upon the countless eighth and ninth-rank magical beasts before him, Ye Han began his hunt. To avoid prematurely alerting the dragons, he first set up an illusionary formation, a bit cumbersome but much safer. He also established a soul connection with the undead servants in the Doomsday Prison.
Ye Han's soul power had grown significantly stronger than before. He could now transport thousands of magical beasts at once. Soon, the majority of the eighth and ninth-rank magical beasts were secretly captured by Ye Han. The lifeless Doomsday Prison, with the influx of so many magical beasts, finally lost its previous eerie silence.
"Phew," Ye Han finally finished transporting the last batch before nightfall, but countless more magical beasts remained outside. However, Ye Han did not plan to continue capturing them, as he had bigger targets in mind.
Using his sensitivity to aura, Ye Han searched for the gathering place of five dragons amidst the undulating mountain ranges. The Transverse Mountain Range was so vast that its exact boundaries were unknown. Ye Han delved deeper, gradually reaching the heart of the Transverse Mountain Range.
"I didn't expect these big lizards to choose such a fine spot." Finally, about fifty miles into the central area of the Transverse Mountain Range, Ye Han found his target.
Ye Han cautiously surveyed his surroundings, concealing all his aura. Without touching the ground and activating his full speed, he left a trail of afterimages in the dark forest. Moving swiftly, Ye Han made no sound.
He ran wildly up the mountain, hiding in a dense forest, and watched the five giant dragons from afar. "It seems you've started to fear as well," Ye Han murmured, observing the surroundings.
The dragons were surrounded by mountains in a naturally formed circular valley. The five dragons lay around the perimeter, and judging from their positions, they had a 360-degree view of their surroundings. Anyone approaching to hunt them would be immediately spotted. Moreover, they were safeguarded against sneak attacks from behind.
"This won't be easy," Ye Han thought, looking at the positions of the five dragons. Attacking any one of them would instantly draw the other four dragons' attacks from different directions.
"Wait," an idea suddenly struck Ye Han. Although dragons are known for their slumber, given the current situation, it was unlikely that these five dragons would sleep here for five years.
Ye Han stayed still in his spot, setting up a formation to conceal his aura. He observed the five dragons during the day and cultivated at night.
Ever since Xiaoya fell into a slumber, Ye Han had not missed a single day of cultivation. Little by little, his consistent effort was bound to pay off with a level increase.
A month passed uneventfully, with the five dragons showing no signs of leaving. However, Ye Han was in no rush.
"Roar!" After five more days, one of the previously quiet dragons could no longer contain itself. The dragon roar came from a late-stage Holy Rank Fire Dragon.
"Morantus, are we just going to keep waiting like this?" the Fire Dragon, identified as Gabrila, said to the largest dragon in front, Morantus. "Gabrila, we're not here for fun, we have a mission," Morantus replied, opening his huge dragon eyes, his voice echoing throughout the valley.
"Do we really have to wait here for five years then?" Gabrila, getting up slowly, swept its massive tail across the mountainside behind it, causing stones to scatter.
"What else do you propose?" Morantus replied with a hint of anger, his powerful dragon aura spreading.
"Flap, flap," Gabrila's huge wings beat slowly, lifting its enormous body into the air. "Roar, I've had enough. You wait if you want," Gabrila said, ignoring the other four dragons and flying away.
Ye Han, who was closely watching everything from below, quickly locked onto Gabrila's aura and stealthily followed. Gabrila was not flying fast, its huge head looking around.
Twenty miles later, Ye Han released his ninth-rank peak aura. "Hey, big lizard in the sky, where are you off to?" he called out to Gabrila.
"Roar, insignificant human, what did you just call me?" Gabrila stopped and turned around, confronting Ye Han on the ground.
"Big lizard," Ye Han replied casually, standing on the ground, looking coldly at Gabrila in the sky. The late-stage Holy Rank pressure immobilized him.
"Roar, you will pay for your words, insignificant human," Gabrila roared, diving down, its huge claw smashing mercilessly towards Ye Han.
"Boom!" The ground shook as a gigantic dragon claw buried deep into the earth, trees around being violently uprooted by the force.
"Big lizard, you're quite fiery," Ye Han's voice came from behind Gabrila this time. A hint of disbelief flashed in Gabrila's huge eyes. A ninth-rank human had escaped its late-stage Holy Rank attack, infuriating Gabrila even more.
"Die, insignificant human!" Gabrila's massive tail slammed towards where Ye Han was, its mouth ejecting scorching dragon flames.
As the dragon flame erupted, all the trees within a thirty-foot radius immediately ignited and turned to ash, while the space the dragon flame passed through distorted under the intense heat.
"Boom!" A fiery explosion lit up the sky, and the powerful blast spread wildly. A single breath of dragon flame completely devastated everything within a fifty-foot radius, leaving the once lush ground scorched and yellowed. Trees within a hundred feet visibly withered at a visible rate.
"Big lizard, you really are fiery," Ye Han commented, looking quite disheveled. Most of his snow-white hair was singed, and his black robe, scorched by the dragon flame, was now tattered and emitting white smoke. Severe burn wounds covered his body.
"You..." Gabrila was in disbelief, seeing the disheveled Ye Han. He knew well the speed of the dragon flame he had unleashed.
"Big lizard, want to know how those four big lizards died?" Ye Han, seemingly indifferent to his burns, changed into a new black robe and carelessly discarded the ruined one.
"What did you say, insignificant human?" Gabrila stared intensely at Ye Han, suddenly alert at his words.
"If you want the answer, follow me," Ye Han said, turning into a blur as he swiftly moved away. Gabrila stood still, pondering Ye Han's words.
"Big lizard, are you afraid?"
"Fear? The noble dragon race knows no fear," Gabrila roared in response to Ye Han's taunt, beating his massive wings furiously and chasing after him.
Watching Gabrila rapidly closing in, Ye Han couldn't help but admire the dragons' innate abilities. Despite their massive size, they could fly so fast and silently.
To better execute his plan, Ye Han used a teleportation technique but didn't conceal his aura. Soon, he arrived at an open grassland. Smiling slightly, he took out a Holy Rank magical core, furiously infused it with energy, and then slammed it into the ground. A circle of red light appeared on the grassland within a twenty-foot radius, revealing a complex formation on the ground before it vanished again.
After completing his preparations and seeing the approaching black dot, Ye Han waved his right hand, and a mountain of flesh appeared behind him.
It was the corpse of the Black Dragon, Nilasek.