The Paradise of Upgrades!

Midnight arrived swiftly, heralding a new day. Haotian summoned three thousand Royal Gryphon Knights and a thousand Ancient Treants. Under the influence of his lordly talent, *Awakening of the Ancient Bloodline*, over five hundred Royal Gryphon Knights evolved into Royal Inquisitor Gryphon Knights, and one hundred seventy-six Ancient Treants evolved into Eternal Treant Guardians.

To date, Haotian's army boasted a total of twenty-eight thousand Royal Gryphon Knights and more than two thousand four hundred Treants. Normally, after two days of summoning, the Treant army should have numbered two thousand. The surplus of over four hundred Treants was due to Haotian's use of *Troop Quantity Scrolls*. 

In the conquest of the Ratmen Kingdom, nearly a million Ratmen were slain. The number of *Troop Quantity Scrolls* dropped was unprecedented. After using them all, Haotian gained over four hundred additional Treants and nearly three thousand Royal Gryphon Knights for free.

**Special Notice: When possessing more than one troop building, the troops gained from using Troop Quantity Scrolls will be random.**

If it weren't for the "random" factor, Haotian would have chosen to gain only Treants, as Ancient Treants, being crown troops, were far superior to Royal Gryphon Knights. Nonetheless, Haotian was satisfied with his gains.

---

After a bedtime chat with the maid Sally, Haotian lay down, connecting his consciousness to the spectral dragon, Charles. Dragons traveled faster than golden gryphons, and by midday, the spectral dragon and the zombie dragon king had already reached the Dragonfall Gorge, located fourteen hundred kilometers away.

The zombie dragon king had entered the gorge, slaying undead creatures while searching for Dragon Soul Grass. Meanwhile, the spectral dragon, Charles, hovered above the gorge, guiding the zombie dragon king and scouting for opportunities to hunt.

From a thousand meters high, the spectral dragon, Charles, roared, projecting a spectral image of Haotian onto its head. Haotian's consciousness merged with this image, allowing him to gaze down at the vast gorge below. Despite having seen it once already at dusk, the sight still left him in awe.

Even from above, the Dragonfall Gorge's length was indiscernible, its twisted form stretching to the horizon. The gorge had a main artery, the widest and longest part, intersected by countless smaller ravines, resembling a monstrous centipede sprawled on the ground—a terrifying sight made more so by the countless undead swarming within, like ants.

The main gorge teemed not only with numerous undead but also with powerful ones. Even the weakest were elites, and many were king-level undead, such as Skeleton Kings, Ghoul Kings, and Stone Gargoyle Kings. These kings weren't just titles; they commanded legions of undead, similar to how Aubrey ruled the Ratmen Kingdom.

Generally, bounty hunters dared not venture into the main artery of the Dragonfall Gorge. Haotian had seen many bounty hunters earlier, scattered in smaller ravines. 

---

"There's Dragon Soul Grass, dive!" Haotian's mental command sent the spectral dragon, Charles, diving swiftly towards the Dragon Soul Grass. Entering the gorge, Charles' nearly transparent form made it invisible to ordinary undead. Only king-level undead could sense its presence.

Around the Dragon Soul Grass, a group of formidable undead creatures served as its guardians. But sensing Charles' approach, they opted to flee rather than defend. Mental waves of fear spread among them.

"It's the spectral dragon!"

"The dragons are here for the Dragon Soul Grass again!"

"Run, brothers!!"

These panicked thoughts echoed in Haotian's mind. Without needing explicit commands, Charles opened its maw, emitting a silent roar. Invisible soul ripples spread, causing all undead within hundreds of meters to collapse. Some skeletal undead disintegrated into piles of bones, while their soul flames were absorbed by Charles.

Consuming soul flames was a quick path to power for undead. Combined with experience points from kills, it was an ideal environment for rapid strength gain. For Haotian's undead dragons, Dragonfall Gorge was a paradise of upgrades. Once the dragon spirit was birthed, he planned to send Bone Dragon Charles and Corpse Dragon Charles from his territory here to revel in the thrill of rapid power increases.

"Not bad, four stalks of Dragon Soul Grass!" Haotian had Charles envelop the Dragon Soul Grass with its soul power, storing them within its body for safekeeping until they returned to the Golden Oasis.

Dragon Soul Grass, despite its name, resembled a flower. Its stem and leaves were black, standing about thirty centimeters tall, with deep blue petals resembling a blue chrysanthemum. Each stalk was worth over ten thousand gold coins and was incredibly rare, its growth conditions so stringent that it was practically priceless.

For bounty hunters, finding a few stalks of Dragon Soul Grass was enough to make them rich. However, Haotian wasn't content with just a few.

"Let's move to the next spot!" At Haotian's command, the spectral dragon soared high once more. Meanwhile, the zombie dragon king rampaged through the main gorge, indifferent to elite, leader, or king-level undead. Wherever it went, it left a trail of destruction.

Terrified, the undead fled, even the powerful kings—Skeleton Kings, Ghoul Kings, and other major undead bosses—abandoning their territories in sheer panic.