The Sunset Mountain Range

Yulan Continent.

In 9990, Linley and Beibei formed an Equal Contract and went to take the entrance test at the Ernst Institute.

At the same time, the Magic Teleportation Array in the South Sea lit up. For the first time, a "large-scale" group of experts from the Blue Star Plane arrived. Even the weakest among them was an eighth-rank fighter. And there were not only humans, but magical beasts as well.

Such a thing was rarely seen on the Yulan Continent. After all, except when bound by a contract, humans and magical beasts could hardly coexist peacefully.

Among them, Fang Yun stood at the very back, unnoticed.

Even Kawent, the strongest of the humans who had arrived this time, hadn't noticed him.

"So many people came?"

The Lion-Headed Man guarding the South Sea Teleportation Array looked surprised. "Kawen went over there and found all these people?"

Kawen was the strange young man who had gone to the Blue Star Plane earlier. He was also the Gatekeeper Beirut had captured from the Necropolis of the Gods.

"And not a single one of them is a god. They're really weak."

The Lion-Headed Man mocked them. If not for Lord Beirut's orders, these Saint-level beings would all have ended up as his food.

"You're in luck. I don't feel like eating people right now. Get lost!"

The Lion-Headed Man waved his hand, sending the entire group flying to the small island Beirut had recently built nearby.

No one could resist the Lion-Headed Man's power. Their expressions changed drastically. A god! He was definitely a god!

As expected, the Yulan Continent was far beyond the Blue Star Plane!

Though they were somewhat frightened, deep down they were also excited. The god level—that was the realm beyond Saint-level.

The Lion-Headed Man had "thrown" them onto a nearby deserted island, but instead of complaining, they thanked him.

After that, the humans and magical beasts split into two groups.

And that wasn't all. The humans formed their own little groups, as did the magical beasts.

"Everyone."

Kawent stepped forward with a peaceful expression and said, "As agreed, once we arrived on the Yulan Continent, we would no longer restrict one another's actions. So once we leave this deserted island, we'll be free to do as we please."

That was the agreement they had made before coming here. After all, in a completely new world, things could get troublesome if they had no rules.

But the Yulan Continent was different. Here, there was a path beyond Saint-level. No one wanted to give that path up to someone else.

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

A turtle no bigger than a palm spoke in a hoarse, aged voice.

After speaking, it flew straight into the sea and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

As the turtle vanished, the other Saint-level magical beasts flew away from the deserted island one after another.

"Everyone, I'll be going on ahead."

Kawent smiled and flew off.

He firmly believed that a god was guiding him here. His arrival was the will of a great god.

It was because of this belief that he had silenced the other voices in the Bai'ou Empire and come here in person. After all, the strongest fighter was the pillar of any empire. Without its strongest fighter, no one knew what would become of the empire.

But he was a faithful follower of a great god. For his faith, he could give up everything.

Beirut knew all about the group's arrival.

However, returning would not be easy. Anyone who wanted to go back to the Blue Star Plane would have to pay the Lion-Headed Man the usual cost of using the Teleportation Array.

Otherwise, there'd be no fun in letting them go back.

"You're saying there are super-powerful experts on the Blue Star Plane?"

Beirut turned his attention away from the group and asked casually.

Beside him stood another Divine Clone of the strange young man Kawen. It was his strongest Divine Clone, a Mid-level God.

Kawen didn't dare hide anything. He recounted his entire experience in detail.

"That mysterious expert seems to want more people to come to the Yulan Continent."

At the end, Kawen offered his cautious guess.

After all, both the Yulan Continent and the god level were things the mysterious expert had let slip to him seemingly by accident. It was as if he'd been trying to attract the Blue Star Plane's experts.

Beirut narrowed his eyes.

A mysterious expert.

Kawen wasn't weak, even among Mid-level Gods. Otherwise, Beirut wouldn't have captured him to serve as a Gatekeeper in the Necropolis of the Gods.

The mysterious expert felt very powerful. At the very least, he had to be a Six-Star Fiend. He might even be an Asura expert.

Could the strongest being be an Asura, with only some ordinary Saint-level beings besides him?

The Blue Star Plane seemed like a plane created by some powerful expert.

Once someone reached godhood, they could open up small dimensional spaces, but they were usually tiny. Perhaps only an exceptionally powerful expert, like a Highgod Sovereign, could create a somewhat larger plane.

But whether created by a god or a Highgod Sovereign, no Overgod could establish a Teleportation Array in such a plane.

Could the Blue Star Plane be a newly born plane?

A thought crossed Beirut's mind.

The Material Planes had come into existence countless years ago, even before the Divine Planes were established. Could new planes still be forming?

Beirut didn't know, but it seemed possible.

After pondering for a long time, Beirut still couldn't figure it out.

"Forget it. If it came into existence, there must be a reason."

Beirut didn't want to think about it anymore. The birth of the Blue Star Plane had already brought him plenty of amusement. That was enough.

If it really had been created by an Overgod, he couldn't possibly guess what an Overgod was thinking. Rather than keep speculating, he might as well see what happened. As a Highgod Sovereign, he was confident that nothing could escape his control.

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

Beirut was looking forward to it.

The Rhine Empire,

Chiyang City.

Fang Yun easily separated himself from the others and prepared to travel around the Yulan Continent.

When he had first read the original story, he'd been captivated by it. Now that he was in this world, he naturally felt an endless sense of anticipation.

He wasn't just curious about Linley. He was also fascinated by this endlessly wondrous world.

At an inn.

Fang Yun ordered a table full of delicacies, made with ingredients unavailable on the Blue Star Plane.

Some of the dishes were even made with low-level magical beast meat, which was extremely expensive.

The food on the table cost nearly a gold coin, drawing the attention of quite a few people in the inn.

No one who could afford to eat there was poor. Most were fairly well-off. But even they wouldn't spend a gold coin on a single meal, unless they were scions of a major family.

So, in their eyes, Fang Yun was probably the young master of some prominent family.

"Young master, our boss would like to give you this bottle of Fuer Wine."

A waiter came over with a finely made wine jug on a tray, along with a specially crafted cup. The jug looked elegant, but it held very little—at most three small cups.

"A gift?"

Fang Yun hadn't ordered any wine. It wasn't that he couldn't drink; he simply rarely did, since he couldn't see the appeal.

He didn't like being drunk, and at his level, even if he did get drunk, he'd sober up in an instant.

"Yes."

The waiter wore an ingratiating smile. "Our inn gives away a bottle of Fuer Wine to anyone who spends a gold coin in a single visit. It's a fine wine from Liulan Winery in the Yulan Empire."

"Liulan Winery?"

Fang Yun smiled. "All right. Please thank your boss for me."

Liulan Winery in the Yulan Empire was famous throughout the Yulan Continent. Its wines were even served in the royal courts of various empires.

A small inn had managed to get wine from Liulan Winery. It might have been one of their cheaper varieties, but even so, it wasn't something just anyone could obtain. The inn's owner seemed to be someone with status.

"It's our pleasure."

The waiter replied respectfully, then left.

Fang Yun picked up the wine and gave it a sniff. His eyes brightened a little. "It doesn't smell like alcohol at all."

He poured himself a cup and took a sip, looking surprised.

Though it was called wine, Fuer Wine didn't have the usual harsh, burning taste. Instead, it had a distinctive sweet-and-sour flavor. Rather than wine, it was more like a drink with a little alcohol in it.

The Yulan Continent even had wine like this. How intriguing.

Liulan Winery seemed to have something special about it.

As the most powerful empire economically and culturally on the Yulan Continent, the Yulan Empire was naturally more prosperous than the others.

Though the Rhine Empire and the Luo'ao Empire were among the continent's four great empires, they were far weaker than the O'Brien Empire and the Yulan Empire.

For one thing, the O'Brien Empire had the War God, while the Yulan Empire had the High Priest. The Rhine and Luo'ao Empires, on the other hand, had very few Saint-level beings of any real strength.

That alone put the Rhine and Luo'ao Empires at a disadvantage.

While Saint-level beings held sway over the Yulan Continent, the two empires could still exist. But once gods began to rule the continent, their annexation would be inevitable.

Still, the fact that they had established empires in an era when the High Priest and the War God were around showed that the two empires weren't entirely without merit. They simply lacked gods, which meant they couldn't last long.

"Fuer Wine! I was lucky enough to try a cup once. That taste, tsk, tsk..."

At a table farther away, a member of a mercenary group saw what had happened and couldn't help speaking up.

"That stuff is too expensive. Who can afford to drink much of it?"

Another, a female mage, replied.

Fuer Wine was very famous in Chiyang City. They could afford it, but it was too expensive. A gold coin only bought a small jug, and it wouldn't last long.

They could afford the occasional taste, but buying it regularly was out of the question.

"I can't take it anymore. I've got to buy a jug."

The man who had spoken first stood up.

"Machen!"

The female mage couldn't help calling out.

But another, burly man stopped her. "Let him buy it. We don't know when we'll be back after this mission."

"Big brother Falan, do we know where we're going yet?" the female mage asked quietly.

Mercenary groups generally had two ways to make a living.

One was hunting magical beasts for their Magic Beast Cores, which were extremely valuable.

The other was taking on jobs from employers.

This time, an employer had hired them, but still hadn't told them their destination. They'd accepted because the commission was so high.

Falan thought for a moment, then said quietly, "I've already looked into it. We may be escorting someone to the Holy Union."

"The Holy Union?"

The female mage wasn't the only one who froze. The others did too.

The Rhine Empire lay in the southeastern part of the Yulan Continent, while the Holy Union was in the northwest. Going from the Rhine Empire to the Holy Union meant crossing the Yulan Empire and the Magical Beast Mountain Range, even by the shortest route. It was certainly a time-consuming mission, and an extremely dangerous one.

Though the group spoke quietly, they still couldn't hide their conversation from Fang Yun.

Fang Yun's true body was only Saint-level, but because he had a Highgod Sovereign Clone, his Saint Domain True Body possessed a measure of Willpower. His strength was formidable. Even so, he had no intention of using Willpower on the Yulan Continent.

After all, the moment he used Willpower, it would be easy for someone to guess that he had a Highgod Sovereign Clone.

Ordinary people might not sense it, but Beirut definitely would. So until he fully understood Beirut, Fang Yun wouldn't reveal himself.

Even without using Willpower, no Saint-level being below the god level was his match.

Going to the Holy Union?

Linley was already at the Ernst Institute in the Holy Union.

Fang Yun would go meet him, but not now. There were still plenty of wonders on the Yulan Continent that he hadn't seen.

Like the Sunset Mountain Range.

The Sunset Mountain Range was one of the Yulan Continent's three great danger zones, but it had barely been described. Linley had only gone there to find three Saint-level dragons to awaken the bloodlines of his clan members.

Chiyang City in the Rhine Empire bordered the Sunset Mountain Range, so Fang Yun planned to go there and find a Saint-level Dragon Clan member to serve as his mount.

There were plenty of Saint-level magical beasts on the Blue Star Plane, but the most famous dragons there were the Velociraptors.

No other Saint-level dragons had ever appeared.

Besides, he was a Highgod Sovereign on the Blue Star Plane and had no need for a mount. It was different here, with his true body on the Yulan Continent. Taming a Saint-level dragon would be an interesting experience.

After all, his temperament wasn't as steady as that of the other Highgod Sovereigns.

At the thought, the food in his mouth suddenly didn't taste as good. He wanted to take it with him, but he didn't have a Space Ring.

Looks like he'd have to get a Space Ring first.

Space Rings were treasures on the Yulan Continent, but they weren't impossible to obtain. For example, Clayde of the Fenlai Kingdom had one.

The Rhine Empire's royal family probably had a Space Ring too.

Besides, the Rhine Empire would be destroyed eventually. Keeping the Space Ring would be a waste. He might as well take it.

He was probably the poorest Highgod Sovereign around. Setting aside his Sovereign's Might, he might not even be as wealthy as a Lowgod.

After leaving the inn, Fang Yun planned to head to the Sunset Mountain Range first and tame a Saint-level dragon. Then he'd go to the Rhine Empire's capital and see if he could get a Space Ring.

Of course, he only wanted to tame a Saint-level dragon. He didn't want to form a contract with one.

Ordinary Saint-level magical beasts weren't qualified to become his contracted beasts.

After buying a white horse, Fang Yun left Chiyang City and headed straight for the Sunset Mountain Range.

There were quite a lot of people heading to the Sunset Mountain Range to train or hunt magical beasts. He saw people going and coming all the time.

Most traveled in groups, usually in teams of at least two or three. Fang Yun was the only one on his own.

Anyone who dared to enter the Sunset Mountain Range alone was either confident in their strength or a fool.

But because of Fang Yun's age, most people assumed he was just some young master from a prominent family who'd impulsively come to the Sunset Mountain Range.

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

"A lone traveler? Are you sure?"

A one-eyed man asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

The man hurriedly nodded. "He's a young man, no more than twenty."

Even if someone in their twenties had started training in the womb, how strong could they be?

"Heh. Good."

Duyanlong smiled and looked at the man. "Follow him quietly. Once he enters the Sunset Mountain Range, then..."

As he spoke, Duyanlong made a fist.

"Understood."

The man replied, then quickly left.

Duyanlong looked at the others. "Let's go. Keep our distance so he doesn't get suspicious. Hopefully this won't be a loss."

Not every business deal turned a profit.

"Yes, sir."

The group then followed after him.

The most dangerous thing in the Sunset Mountain Range wasn't the magical beasts. It was people.

As soon as the man began following Fang Yun from a distance, Fang Yun noticed him. He chuckled to himself. I'm bored anyway. I may as well have some fun with you.

Just as Fang Yun was thinking about how to mess with them, an old man sat by the roadside with a little girl in somewhat tattered clothes.

The little girl saw the people behind Fang Yun. A hint of fear flashed in her eyes, and she cautiously edged closer to the old man.

The old man had naturally noticed the man too. He was a little afraid, but still shifted farther toward the roadside.

"Grandpa."

The little girl seemed to know what was about to happen and looked reluctant.

The old man could only sigh softly and hold her tighter. He said nothing.

Fang Yun, on the other hand, turned to glance at the little girl and smiled. Then he continued on his way, riding the white horse.

By the time he reached the outskirts of the Sunset Mountain Range, dusk had already fallen.

There had been plenty of people on the road at first, but by this point, it was practically deserted. Everyone did their best to avoid others. After all, nobody wanted to be ambushed by a stranger.

Huff!

The white horse seemed to sense danger and snorted loudly.

"You've got pretty sharp senses."

Fang Yun patted the horse's neck and smiled. "All right, it's fine. Let's go."

Then he continued riding deeper into the Sunset Mountain Range.

As soon as Fang Yun entered, the group behind him hurried after him.

"Boss, he must have noticed us."

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

Duyanlong nodded, a cold smile tugging at his lips. "The kid's pretty sharp. Come on, after him."

With that, he entered the Sunset Mountain Range first.

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

They figured Fang Yun had gone straight into the range to lose them. But he was being far too naive. Nobody they set their sights on had ever managed to get away.

However, once they entered the range, the shadows cast by the trees made it even darker than outside.

"Stay alert."

Though Duyanlong was confident, he wouldn't let his guard down.

After all, they were in the Sunset Mountain Range. They could run into a magical beast at any moment.

The group quickly took up defensive positions and continued forward cautiously.

"That kid really isn't afraid to die," one of them couldn't help saying.

"Don't worry. He wouldn't dare go too deep," Duyanlong said.

How could a young man in his twenties dare venture deep into the Sunset Mountain Range at night? It was impossible.

If he really was reckless enough to go too far in, then they'd just have to accept their bad luck.

"Huh? Where'd he go?"

After they had been searching for a while, night had fully set in. It was now so dark inside the Sunset Mountain Range that they couldn't see their hands in front of them. Duyanlong frowned. "Could he really have gone deeper in?"

They hadn't found any trace of Fang Yun.

"Boss, what should we do?"

The others hadn't expected the kid to head deeper into the range either.

"Keep looking. If we can't find him, we'll rest here for now," Duyanlong said after a moment's thought.

"These guys are hopeless..."

Fang Yun had deliberately slowed down, but somehow they'd still managed to lose him.

If it had been daytime, they would naturally have been able to keep up. But at night, it was much harder for them.

Fang Yun thought for a moment, then left the white horse behind and flew alone into the depths of the Sunset Mountain Range.

First, he'd find a high-level magical beast.

Before long, Fang Yun came flying back with a huge, eighth-level ape in his grasp.

Thud...

He tossed the giant ape to the ground. It didn't dare complain in the slightest.

It had been asleep when a powerful being had suddenly appeared, grabbed it without a word, and taken off with it.

It had woken up in an instant.

A Saint-level expert!

"Don't worry. I won't kill you," Fang Yun said with a smile. "You just need to do one thing..."

"All you have to do is make sure they can't sleep tonight. Understand?"

Fang Yun looked at the ape and added.

These guys were his entertainment for now. Killing them outright would be too boring.

Eighth-level magical beasts were highly intelligent, so the ape naturally understood what the powerful being in front of it was saying.

It didn't understand why the powerful being wanted it to scare a group of humans, but it didn't dare ask.

It roared a few times and set off.

Scaring a few warriors who were no higher than level six was easy.

Fang Yun watched the ape leave, then flew up to the tallest tree and lay down on a branch, where he had a perfect view of the group.

By now, the group was feeling rather dejected.

"Damn it, that kid really did go deeper in," one of them cursed.

The whole trip had been for nothing. They could only hope to come across a few unlucky people tomorrow, or catch a few magical beasts.

"Forget it. Let's get some sleep and figure it out tomorrow," Duyanlong said. "Bulin, you're on watch tonight..."

But before he could finish, everyone heard a roar.

"Careful! Get ready!"

Duyanlong immediately went on alert.

They were on the outskirts of the Sunset Mountain Range, but it was still dangerous at night.

Thud...

Thud...

Heavy footsteps rang out.

The group instantly turned toward the sound, on guard.

When the ape walked up to them, everyone's faces turned deathly pale.

"Blood-Veined... Great Ape!"

Someone's teeth chattered.

The Blood-Veined Great Ape was an eighth-level magical beast, one that lived relatively deep in the Sunset Mountain Range. It was incredibly powerful.

Why was a Blood-Veined Great Ape in the outskirts?

But they had no time to think. The Blood-Veined Great Ape roared and charged straight at them.

"Defend!"

Duyanlong reacted first and shouted urgently.

The others quickly circulated their battle energy, forming defenses of various colors.

But just as they thought the Blood-Veined Great Ape was about to charge them, it suddenly darted into the nearby woods and vanished.

Sweat beaded on their foreheads. For a moment, none of them knew what had happened.

"Quick, get ready to leave!"

Duyanlong had no idea what was going on, but it was clear they couldn't stay there any longer.

The others hurriedly gathered their things.

But just as they were about to head back, the Blood-Veined Great Ape appeared again on the path they had taken...

All night long, roars rang out almost without pause across the outskirts of the Sunset Mountain Range.

The people staying in the outer reaches trembled in fear. The roars belonged to an eighth-level magical beast—the Blood-Veined Great Ape!

Even many low-level magical beasts fled. For a time, the outskirts of the range fell into inexplicable chaos.

Everyone wondered why an eighth-level magical beast had appeared in the outskirts.

Such a thing was rare. Otherwise, they wouldn't dare spend the night there.

At a small encampment,

many young people grew nervous whenever they heard another roar.

They were students from West Magic Academy, here to train in the Sunset Mountain Range. But they had never heard of an eighth-level magical beast appearing in the outskirts.

The young woman leading them was their instructor. Her expression was grave. She had visited the Sunset Mountain Range before and had encountered eighth-level magical beasts, but this was the first time she had met one in the outskirts.