Sunset Mountain Range

Yulan Continent.

In the year 9990, Linley and Beibei formed an equal contract and headed to the Ernst Institute for testing.

At the same time, the Magic Teleportation Array in the South Sea lit up as the Blue Star Plane saw its first "large-scale" arrival of powerful individuals, the weakest of whom were at the eighth rank. Furthermore, there were not only humans but also Magic Beasts.

This was a rare sight in the Yulan Continent. After all, apart from forming contracts, humans and Magic Beasts rarely coexisted peacefully.

Amidst this crowd, Fang Yun stood at the very back, completely unnoticed.

Even Kawent, the strongest human among those who had arrived, did not take note of Fang Yun.

"So many people actually came?"

The Lion-Headed Man guarding the South Sea array looked somewhat surprised and spoke up, "Kawen went over there and only managed to find this many?"

Kawen was the bewitching youth who had previously traveled to the Blue Star Plane. He was also a Gatekeeper that Beirut had plucked from the Necropolis of the Gods.

"Not a single god-level among them. How truly weak."

The Lion-Headed Man sneered. If not for the orders of Lord Beirut, this group of Saint-level beings would have ended up as his food.

"You lot are lucky. I don't feel like eating humans right now, so get lost!"

The Lion-Headed Man waved his hand, and the entire group was sent flying toward a newly constructed island nearby.

Faced with this display of power from the Lion-Headed Man, everyone was powerless to resist. Their faces turned pale—a god-level! This was definitely a god-level expert!

As expected, the Yulan Continent was a place far superior to the Blue Star Plane!

Although they were somewhat fearful, deep down, they also felt a surge of excitement. God-level! This was the realm beyond the Saint-level.

After being "tossed" onto the nearby barren island by the Lion-Headed Man, not only did no one complain, but they even thanked him.

Following this, the humans and Magic Beasts split into two separate groups.

Furthermore, both the humans and the Magic Beasts formed their own smaller cliques.

"Everyone."

Kawent stepped forward with a serene expression and said, "According to our agreement, once we arrived in the Yulan Continent, we would no longer restrict each other's actions. Therefore, now that we have left that barren island, you are free to do as you please."

This was a constraint agreed upon before coming here. After all, arriving in a brand-new world without any rules might lead to unnecessary trouble.

But arriving in the Yulan Continent was different; here, there was a path beyond the Saint-level. No one wanted to yield that path to anyone else.

"Heh, you don't need to tell us that."

A turtle the size of a palm spoke, its voice carrying a hint of age.

Having said that, the turtle flew directly into the ocean and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Following the turtle's departure, the other Saint-level Magic Beasts also flew away from the barren island one after another.

"Everyone, I shall take my leave first."

Kawent smiled cheerfully before flying off as well.

He firmly believed that there was a divine guide for him here; being able to come to this place was the instruction of a great god.

It was because of this belief that he had suppressed other voices in the Bai'ou Empire and come here personally. After all, for an empire, the strongest individuals were its pillars; no one knew what would become of an empire without its strongest protectors.

But he was a loyal believer of the great god, and for his faith, he could abandon everything.

Beirut was well aware of this group's arrival.

However, it would not be easy for them to return. For anyone wishing to go back to the Blue Star Plane, he had the Lion-Headed Man charge them the standard cost for the teleportation array.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be interesting if these fellows just went back.

"You say there are super-experts in the Blue Star Plane?"

Beirut withdrew his attention from the group and asked casually.

Beside him was another divine clone of the bewitching youth, Kawen. It was his strongest divine clone, at the Mid-level God stage.

Kawen dared not hide anything and recounted his experiences in full detail.

"That mysterious expert seems very eager for more people to come to the Yulan Continent."

Finally, Kawen ventured a cautious guess.

Because whether it was the Yulan Continent or the god-level realm, it was that mysterious expert who had caused him to inadvertently leak the information, seemingly to attract experts from the Blue Star Plane.

Beirut narrowed his eyes.

A mysterious expert.

Kawen was not considered weak even among Mid-level Gods, otherwise, he would not have been captured to serve as a Gatekeeper for the Necropolis of the Gods.

He felt that this person was very strong, at least at the level of a Six-Star Fiend, and possibly even an Asura-level expert.

The strongest might be an Asura, and aside from that, only some ordinary Saint-level lifeforms?

This Blue Star Plane seemed very much like a plane created by some powerful expert.

Reaching the god-level allowed one to open up small plane spaces, but they were usually very small. Only extremely powerful experts, perhaps Highgods, might be able to open up slightly larger planes.

But regardless of whether they were gods or Highgods, the Overgod could not establish teleportation arrays to planes they had created.

Could it be that this Blue Star Plane is a newly born plane?

A thought flashed through the mind of Beirut.

Material Planes were formed countless years ago, even earlier than the establishment of the Divine Planes. Could it be that planes are still being born continuously?

Beirut did not understand, but it seemed this possibility was not entirely out of the question.

After thinking for a long time, Beirut still could not figure it out.

"Forget it, since it has been born, there must be a reason."

Beirut did not want to dwell on it any further. In any case, the birth of this Blue Star Plane had provided him with quite a bit of amusement, and that was enough.

If it were truly established by a Overgod, he could never guess the intentions of a Overgod. Rather than constantly guessing, it was better to wait and see what would happen. As a Highgod, he was confident that all of this remained within his control.

"I hope you can bring some fun to the Yulan Continent."

Beirut felt a sense of anticipation.

Rhine Empire, Chiyang City.

Fang Yun easily detached himself from the others and prepared to begin his travels across the Yulan Continent.

When he first read the original story, he had been captivated by its content. Now that he had arrived in this world, he naturally felt infinite anticipation in his heart.

It was not just curiosity about Linley, but also curiosity about this infinitely wonderful world.

In a restaurant.

Fang Yun ordered a table full of delicacies, all of which were ingredients that could not be seen on the Blue Star.

There were even dishes made from the meat of low-level Magic Beasts, though the prices were very high.

A table of dishes like this already cost nearly one gold coin, attracting the attention of many people in the restaurant.

Those who could afford to eat at this restaurant were not commoners; they were all people with some wealth. But even for them, they would be reluctant to spend a gold coin on a single meal, unless they were children of large families.

Therefore, in their eyes, Fang Yun was likely a disciple of some major clan.

"Young Master, this is the Fuer Wine gifted by our boss."

At this moment, a waiter walked over carrying a tray with an exquisitely shaped wine pot and a specially crafted wine glass. Although the pot looked delicate, its capacity was not large, holding at most three small cups.

"A gift?"

Fang Yun had not ordered any wine. It was not that he could not drink, but rather that he rarely did, as he truly could not feel the joy of drinking.

He did not like the feeling of being drunk, and at his level, even if he were drunk, he could sober up in an instant.

"Yes."

The waiter's face was full of flattery. "If you spend one gold coin in our restaurant in a single visit, we gift a pot of Fuer Wine. This is fine wine from the Liulan Winery of the Yulan Empire."

"Liulan Winery?"

Fang Yun smiled. "Good, thank me for your boss."

The Liulan Winery of the Yulan Empire was extremely famous throughout the entire Yulan Continent, and their fine wines even supplied the royal families of various empires.

For a small restaurant to be able to obtain fine wine from the Liulan Winery—even if it were likely one of their lower-tier varieties—was not something an ordinary person could achieve. It seemed the owner of this restaurant was also a person of status and standing.

"This is only right."

The waiter said respectfully before taking his leave.

Fang Yun picked up the wine and took a sniff, his eyes brightening slightly. "It actually doesn't smell like alcohol."

He then poured a cup and took a sip, feeling quite surprised.

This Fuer Wine, despite being called wine, lacked the harsh spiciness of alcohol; instead, it had a unique sweet and sour flavor. Rather than calling it wine, it was more like a beverage with a slight alcoholic content.

It was truly magical that the Yulan Continent had such a drink.

It seemed that this Liulan Winery also had some unique qualities.

As the empire with the most powerful economy and culture on the Yulan Continent, the Yulan Empire was naturally more prosperous than the others.

Although the Rhine Empire and the Luo'ao Empire were also considered two of the four great empires of the Yulan Continent, they paled in comparison to the O'Brien Empire and the Yulan Empire.

Not to mention anything else, the O'Brien Empire had the War God, and the Yulan Empire had the High Priest. As for the Rhine Empire and the Luo'ao Empire, they did not even have many powerful Saint-level experts.

This alone destined the Rhine Empire and the Luo'ao Empire to be in a weak position.

During the period when Saint-level experts dominated the situation on the Yulan Continent, these two empires could still exist. But once the God-level experts began to dominate the situation on the Yulan Continent, it was destined that these two empires would be annexed.

However, being able to establish an empire in the era when the High Priest and the War God existed was enough to show that these two empires were not entirely without merit. It was just that lacking God-level experts meant they were destined not to last long.

"Fuer Wine, ah. I had the fortune to drink a cup once before. That taste, tsk tsk..."

At a table in the distance, a member of a mercenary group saw this scene and could not help but speak up.

"This stuff is too expensive; how could ordinary people bear to drink much of it?"

A female mage at the table said.

The fame of Fuer Wine was quite significant in this Chiyang City. However, for them, it was not that they could not afford it, but that it was simply too expensive—one gold coin only filled a small pot, which would not last long at all.

Tasting it occasionally is fine, but buying it long-term is out of the question.

"No, I can't take it anymore, I have to go get a jug."

The person who spoke first stood up directly.

"Machen!"

The female mage couldn't help but speak up.

However, she was stopped by another burly man, "Let him buy it. We're going on a mission this time, and who knows when we'll be back."

"Brother Falan, do you still not know the destination?"

The female mage couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

As a mercenary group, there are generally two ways to survive.

One is to hunt magical beasts to obtain magical beast cores, as these things are extremely precious.

The other is to accept tasks from employers.

This time, they had been hired by an employer. However, the destination had never been mentioned, but because of the high commission, they had accepted it.

Falan pondered for a moment, then whispered, "I've already inquired. This time, it might be to escort someone to the Holy Union."

"The Holy Union?"

Not only was the female mage stunned, but the other companions were also taken aback.

The Rhine Empire is located in the southeastern part of the Yulan Continent, while the Holy Union is in the northwest. Traveling from the Rhine Empire to the Holy Union? Even the shortest route would require crossing the Yulan Empire and the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It is indeed an extremely time-consuming mission, and also an extremely dangerous one.

Although the group's conversation was quiet, it still couldn't escape Fang Yun's ears.

Although Fang Yun's true body is only at the Saint-level, because of the existence of his Highgod clone, his Saint-level true body also possesses a portion of Willpower, making his strength very formidable. However, in the Yulan Continent, he had no intention of using his Willpower.

After all, once Willpower is used, it would be easy for others to guess that he has a Highgod clone.

Ordinary people might not be able to sense it, but Beirut would certainly be able to feel it. Therefore, before he fully understood Beirut, he could not expose himself.

Even without using Willpower, there is no Saint-level expert below the God-level who is his match.

Heading to the Holy Union?

Linley is currently at the Ernst Institute in the Holy Union.

He would go to see Linley, but not right now; after all, there were still many wonders of the Yulan Continent he had yet to see.

For instance, the Sunset Mountain Range.

As one of the three most dangerous places on the Yulan Continent, the Sunset Mountain Range has very little in the way of true descriptions. It is simply where Linley found three Saint-level dragon clan members to awaken the bloodlines of his family members.

And since Chiyang City in the Rhine Empire is right next to the Sunset Mountain Range, Fang Yun prepared to go to the Sunset Mountain Range to find a Saint-level dragon to serve as his mount.

There are quite a few Saint-level magical beasts on Blue Star, but the most famous dragons on Blue Star are the Velociraptors.

Other Saint-level dragon species had never appeared there.

Moreover, he is a Highgod on Blue Star, so he has no need for a mount. Coming to the Yulan Continent with his true body is different; taming a Saint-level dragon would be an extremely interesting endeavor.

After all, his current mindset is not as steady as other Highgods.

Thinking of this, Fang Yun felt that the food in his mouth was no longer as delicious. He wanted to take the food with him, but he didn't have a spatial ring.

It seems he needs to get a spatial ring first.

A spatial ring is a treasure in the Yulan Continent, but it is not impossible to obtain. For example, Clayde of the Fenlai Kingdom actually possesses a spatial ring.

Therefore, the royal family of the Rhine Empire is also very likely to possess one.

In any case, the Rhine Empire will be destroyed in the future, so having this spatial ring would be a waste; it might as well be given to him.

He can be considered the poorest Highgod; setting aside Highgod Power, perhaps his wealth doesn't even compare to that of a low-level god.

After leaving the restaurant, Fang Yun prepared to head to the Sunset Mountain Range first to tame a Saint-level dragon. Then, he would go to the imperial capital of the Rhine Empire to see if he could get his hands on a spatial ring.

Of course, he only wanted to tame a Saint-level dragon; he did not want to sign a contract.

Ordinary Saint-level magical beasts are not qualified to be his contracted magical beasts.

After purchasing a white horse, Fang Yun left Chiyang City and headed directly toward the Sunset Mountain Range.

It must be said that there are still many people heading to the Sunset Mountain Range for training or to hunt magical beasts; one could see people coming and going from time to time.

However, most of them were in groups, at least small squads of two or three people; Fang Yun was the only one traveling alone.

Generally, those who dare to head to the Sunset Mountain Range alone are either confident in their own strength or fools.

But because of Fang Yun's age, most people assumed that Fang Yun was just some young master from a family who had come to the Sunset Mountain Range on a whim.

Shortly after Fang Yun passed by, a man in leather armor noticed him, then ran over to a group of people resting by the roadside and said, "Big brother, there's a lone traveler ahead. Looks like he's heading to the Sunset Mountain Range."

"A lone traveler? Are you sure?"

One of them, a Duyanlong, asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

The man nodded hurriedly, "He's a young lad, twenty at most."

Twenty-something; even if he had started cultivating from the womb, how strong could he be?

"Heh, good."

Duyanlong chuckled and looked at the man, "Follow him quietly. As long as he enters the Sunset Mountain Range, then..."

As he spoke, Duyanlong made a fist-clenching gesture.

"Understood."

The man acknowledged the order and quickly departed.

Duyanlong looked at the others, "Let's go. Follow from a distance; don't let him get suspicious. I hope this isn't a losing venture."

Not every business deal was profitable.

"Yes."

The group then followed behind.

In the Sunset Mountain Range, the most dangerous things were not the Magic Beasts, but humans.

The moment the man began following Fang Yun from a distance, Fang Yun noticed him. He chuckled inwardly, I'm bored anyway, might as well play with you lot.

Just as Fang Yun was thinking about how to toy with these fellows, an old man pulling a little girl in tattered clothes sat by the side of the road.

The little girl saw the person behind Fang Yun, a flicker of terror deep in her eyes, and she carefully huddled closer to the old man.

The old man naturally noticed the person too and felt some fear, but he still moved a bit further to the side of the road.

"Grandpa."

The little girl seemed to know what was about to happen and couldn't bear it.

The old man could only sigh softly, continuing to hold the little girl tightly without saying a word.

Fang Yun, on the other hand, turned his head to glance at the little girl, smiled, and then continued forward on his white horse.

Just as they reached the edge of the Sunset Mountain Range, the sky had already darkened.

Although there were many people on the road at the start, by this point, it was basically deserted. Everyone tried their best to avoid others; after all, no one wanted to be ambushed by a stranger.

Snort!

Perhaps sensing some danger, the white horse let out a heavy snort.

"You've got pretty good senses, you fellow."

Fang Yun patted the white horse's neck and smiled, "Alright, it's fine, let's go."

He then continued riding the white horse deeper into the Sunset Mountain Range.

As soon as Fang Yun entered, the group behind him caught up.

"Boss, he probably discovered us."

The man who had been following Fang Yun at the front spoke up.

Duyanlong nodded, a cold sneer on his lips, "The kid is quite sharp. Let's go, chase him."

With that, he led the way into the Sunset Mountain Range.

The Sunset Mountain Range at night was even more dangerous than during the day, so very few people chose to enter it after dark.

In their view, Fang Yun had entered the Sunset Mountain Range specifically to shake them off. However, he was thinking too simply; no one they had set their sights on had ever managed to escape.

Once the group entered the Sunset Mountain Range, the shadows of the trees made it even darker than it was outside.

"Stay alert."

Though Duyanlong was confident, he did not let his guard down.

This was the Sunset Mountain Range, after all; one might encounter a Magic Beast at any moment.

The group then skillfully assumed a defensive formation and cautiously continued forward.

"This kid really isn't afraid of death."

One of them couldn't help but remark.

"Don't worry, he wouldn't dare go too deep."

Duyanlong stated flatly.

A young man in his twenties—how could he dare to go deep into the Sunset Mountain Range at night? It was impossible.

If he really was foolish enough to go too deep, they would just have to count it as their bad luck.

"Eh? Where is he?"

After chasing for a while, night had fully set in. Inside the Sunset Mountain Range, it was now pitch black. Duyanlong frowned slightly, "He wouldn't have actually gone into the depths, would he?"

The group could not find any trace of Fang Yun.

"Boss, what do we do now?"

The others hadn't expected that this kid would actually choose to head deep into the Sunset Mountain Range.

"Keep looking; if we can't find him, we'll rest here for now."

Duyanlong pondered for a moment before speaking.

"This is just too pathetic..."

Fang Yun had already deliberately slowed his pace, yet who would have thought these guys could still lose his trail.

If it were daytime, this group could naturally keep up, but at night, the difficulty increased significantly for them.

Fang Yun thought for a moment, then left his white horse behind and flew directly toward the interior of the Sunset Mountain Range alone.

He needed to go find a high-level Magic Beast first.

Soon, a massive, level-eight ape was being carried back by Fang Yun.

Thud...

He tossed the giant ape down, and the creature didn't dare to harbor a single complaint.

It had been sleeping soundly when, out of nowhere, a powerhouse arrived, grabbed it without a word, and took to the skies.

It had been jolted awake in an instant.

A Saint-level powerhouse!

"Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Fang Yun said with a smile, "As long as you do one thing well..."

"You just need to make sure they can't sleep tonight, understand?"

Fang Yun looked at the ape and added.

These guys were his current source of entertainment; killing them outright would be too boring.

A level-eight Magic Beast possessed high intelligence and could naturally understand the words of the powerhouse before it.

Although it didn't understand why this powerhouse wanted it to scare a group of humans, it didn't dare to ask any questions.

It let out a few roars and set off.

Scaring a few warriors who were at most level-six was far too easy.

Fang Yun watched the ape depart, then flew to the tallest tree and lay down on a branch, where he could perfectly observe the figures of the group.

At this moment, the group was feeling rather discouraged.

"Damn it, that kid actually went deep inside."

One person couldn't help but curse.

This trip had been a waste; they could only hope to run into some unlucky souls or catch a few Magic Beasts tomorrow.

"Forget it, let's get some rest early and talk about it tomorrow."

Duyanlong said directly, "Bulin, today you..."

However, before he could finish his sentence, the group heard a roar.

"Watch out, stay alert!"

Duyanlong became vigilant in an instant.

Although they were still in the outer reaches of the Sunset Mountain Range, the nights here were still very dangerous.

Thump...

Thump...

Heavy footsteps echoed.

The group immediately looked toward the side with caution.

When the ape stepped out in front of them, everyone's faces turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Blood-Veined Great Ape!"

Someone's teeth chattered.

The Blood-Veined Great Ape was a level-eight Magic Beast, a creature that belonged much deeper in the Sunset Mountain Range, and it was incredibly powerful.

Why would a Blood-Veined Great Ape be in this outer region!

However, they had no time to think, as the Blood-Veined Great Ape roared and charged straight at them.

"Defend!"

Duyanlong was the first to react and shouted in a hurry.

In an instant, the others hurriedly circulated their battle qi, forming defensive barriers of various colors.

However, just as they thought the Blood-Veined Great Ape was about to charge at them, it suddenly darted into the nearby jungle and vanished without a trace.

The group stood there with sweat on their brows, momentarily unsure of what had just happened.

"Quick, get ready to leave this place!"

Duyanlong didn't know what was going on either, but it was clear that they could no longer stay here.

The others hurriedly packed up their belongings.

However, just as they were preparing to head back, the figure of the Blood-Veined Great Ape appeared once again on the path they had come from...

Throughout the night, the outer perimeter of the Sunset Mountain Range echoed with almost constant roars.

Many people on the outskirts of the mountains were trembling in fear, for these roars belonged to an eighth-level Magic Beast, the Blood-Veined Great Ape!

Even many low-level Magic Beasts fled in succession, causing the outer perimeter of the mountain range to fall into an inexplicable state of chaos.

Everyone was puzzled as to why an eighth-level Magic Beast would appear on the outskirts of the mountain range.

It was well known that such occurrences were extremely rare; otherwise, they would never have dared to spend the night on the outskirts of the mountains.

At a small encampment.

Many young people felt nervous as they heard the roars that erupted from time to time.

They were students from West Magic Academy who had come to the Sunset Mountain Range for a trial, but they had never heard of an eighth-level Magic Beast appearing in the outer perimeter.

The young female instructor leading them also wore a grave expression; it was not her first time in the Sunset Mountain Range, nor was it the first time she had encountered an eighth-level Magic Beast, but it was the first time she had encountered one on the outskirts of the Sunset Mountain Range.