The mystical fog was confirmed to be at least a rank 5 danger zone, but Noah believed that there had to be at least one rank 6 creature in that vast and unexplored area.
Magical beasts would naturally thrive in the absence of cultivators, especially in a vast territory that hadn't been the target of cleaning operations for who knows how long.
Also, the mystical fog seemed to be undergoing a slow but steady expansion, which was a clear sign that the fauna inside it was prospering.
Noah flew through the fog at an average pace.
The environment obstructed his vision, but his powerful mind was enough to fend off the effects that the fog generally had on weaker mental spheres.
His natural awareness further enhanced the investigative capabilities of his sea of consciousness, there was no risk that he would lose himself or fail to notice a threat.
Packs of magical beasts led by rank 3 creatures appeared now and then, but Noah completely disregarded their presence.
He was in peripheral areas that some tribes and even travelers looking for quick gains would explore from time to time.
Information about the two lost demon sects would have appeared if they had established their new homes there.
Noah was sure that he had to go deeper to find something that could reveal more about their fate.
Of course, that would happen only if the demon sects had acted according to the third scenario that Noah had visualized.
Flashes of dark light randomly appeared around Noah as he kept on flying, they were the effects caused by the failures of his tests.
He wasn't only venturing in the mystical fog and paying attention to his surroundings, part of his focus was on the wills created after the translation of the six diagrams.
He had chosen to make modifications to the Dark ray and Dark cover spell first since their power was only up to the third rank, which meant that their diagrams were far more straightforward than those of the other spells in his possession.
His efforts were focused on the Dark ray spell right now since it was the simpler of the two.
The spell created a black ray made of mental energy and "Breath", only martial arts could be more straightforward in their effects compared to that attack.
That gave Noah enough confidence in completing the modifications in a short amount of time, and succeeding in the task would give him the confirmation that he could raise the level of specific diagrams.
After all, it was just a matter of finding the right harmony between the two energies and expanding the intrinsic limits of the original diagram.
Packs led by rank 4 beasts began to appear as Noah reached deeper parts of the mystical fog, but he ignored them too.
He would rather spend his time training his mental sphere and modifying spells than wasting it over creatures that couldn't increase his power nor satisfy his hunger.
That approach changed when he began to sense the presence of rank 5 beasts.
The mystical fog was a peculiar environment that featured a quite variegated fauna.
However, there was a species of creatures that could be considered in charge of that danger zone.
'Fog demons are a rare kind of insect-type magical beast that can use the fog around them to assume various shapes. They are considered far below the average in terms of power compared to other species since they can only manipulate the fog and not create it, but they are extremely dangerous in this area.'
Noah reviewed the information about the rulers of that danger zone in his mind as soon as he sensed the first rank 5 creature.
The appearance of such a powerful beast signaled Noah's entrance in the deepest area of the mystical fog, but also the arrival of worthy prey.
Noah immediately stopped his tests and changed direction to fly toward the powerful presence in the distance.
His consciousness was soon able to see a tall hyena roaring at a pack of smaller ones.
The tall hyena's body wasn't solid, but it carried properties similar to Noah's Demonic form.
'I've read that they could imitate other species and impersonate them, but it's still amazing to witness it. I guess the right environment can put one of the weakest species at the top of the food chain.'
Noah thought as he flew right above the transformed rank 5 Fog demon while making sure that the beast didn't notice him.
The beast seemed able to sense that something was off, but it couldn't be able to pinpoint the cause of that feeling.
Also, controlling magical beasts of a different species was a tiring task, most of its control had to be on those rank 4 hyenas.
Noah had no intention of fighting the beast on even ground.
He had already tested his strength against the Hairy ox, he was only hunting to feed himself now.
The Fog demon under him was a rank 5 magical beast in the lower tier, and it had clear weaknesses that could be exploited with enough preparation.
Noah began to charge the Dark blast spell with the energy contained inside his Liquid dantian and waited for the attack to absorb enough power to break the thick layer of fog that surrounded the real body of the Fog demon.
Noah simply threw the massive, uneven sphere toward the ground when he felt that the spell had reached the required energy.
The Fog demon noticed the attack at that point, but it was too late.
The spell crashed on the pack and released an explosion that even dispersed part of the fog in the area.
The hyenas in the fourth rank and below turned into dust as soon as the blast engulfed their bodies, while the Fog demon only lost the condensed fog around its shape in the explosion.
A one-meter long ant was revealed after the fog around it was dispersed, and Noah could finally lay his gaze on the real body of that creature.
Of course, he was already aware of its physical features, and he didn't hesitate to exploit the favorable condition that he had created.
Noah dived toward the terrain while using the Shadow sprint martial art fueled by the Liquid dantian.
His sudden acceleration made him reach such a high speed that even his mind found it hard to keep track of his movements.
Yet, he didn't need to see where he was going since he had already set the trajectory beforehand.
A shockwave spread in the area as Noah crashed on the defenseless body of the Fog demon.
The ground crumbled, and fissures filled the terrain around the spot where the two rank 5 creatures had clashed.
Noah was so fast that the ground was able to stop his descent only after he had dug it for hundreds of meters.
When he stopped, the lifeless body of the rank 5 ant was under him.
The power behind the impact had reduced it to a pulp.