Chapter 198 - Time for the Opening

Sudden Death King guards! Captain Doofus attacks! Lu Ran and his team had rehearsed this strategy countless times when facing the Diamond Dragon.

It was clear the Empire Faction had no way to breach the defenses of the boss-like Sudden Death King. With better preparation, they might have had a slim chance of survival. However, their poor intelligence gathering and reliance on Fire-type and Light-type weapons had led them into a major trap.

That said, the Empire Faction's beastmasters had one distinct advantage against Lu Ran—sheer numbers.

Although Sudden Death King possessed extraordinary defense, maintaining it continuously drained its energy. The opposing forces only needed to attack relentlessly to wear it down. Left isolated, Sudden Death King wouldn't last long; a sustained barrage of skills could eventually overwhelm it. Among the opposition, even a few Golden Generation members were capable of inflicting damage.

But the Empire Faction faced an even greater challenge—beyond the tank-like Sudden Death King was a fearsome offensive powerhouse.

“Awooo~!”

Captain Doofus, with swordgrass clenched in its mouth, unleashed dozens of Hurricane Sword Qi. Ghostly green light shimmered in the air, striking fear into everyone present.

Sword qi rained down in torrents. The four members of the Knights of Light had no choice but to fully shift their attention to Lu Ran.

With Sudden Death King blocking the front, they couldn't directly harm him. Their only option was to attack from the sides or rear. To facilitate this, the Rock Monarch and over a hundred imperial soldiers held the frontline, absorbing Lu Ran’s firepower.

“Now’s the moment!”

After shattering the Bone Sword’s seal, Captain Doofus reverted to sword control—a less energy-intensive tactic better suited for dispersed and numerous enemies.

As the Princess of Light and her allies advanced, Captain Doofus had to abandon its engagement with the imperial army to prevent an assault on Lu Ran.

With Sudden Death King holding off the frontal attack and Captain Doofus distracted, the Princess of Light issued a command. The Knight of Sunlight vanished into the radiant glow of the Sunlight Sparrow it was riding.

Instant Teleportation!

Buzz!

Spatial ripples shimmered as the Knight of Sunlight suddenly reappeared behind Lu Ran. Meanwhile, the undead army, following Lu Ran's orders, had locked down the battlefield.

With Sudden Death King on the frontline and Captain Doofus preoccupied, Lu Ran appeared most vulnerable, seemingly without any familiars protecting him. The Knight of Sunlight seized the opportunity and aimed for a swift decapitation.

“Go to hell!”

Drawing a bow, the Knight of Sunlight channeled sunlight into a radiant arrow. A brilliant sun arrow materialized in an instant, aimed directly at Lu Ran’s head.

Boom!

What should have been a flawless sneak attack was disrupted by an ominous premonition. The Knight of Sunlight shuddered involuntarily.

Lu Ran, sharp as ever, turned to face the blazing arrow.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? Who told you I was the weak point?”

Buzz!

As he spoke, countless threads of flame wove together into a blazing Flame Dragon Armor, encasing him completely. With a sweeping motion, a Flame Sword materialized in his hand, unleashing a roaring wave of sword qi.

Bang!

The flaming sword qi obliterated the sun arrow. Wide-eyed, the Knight of Sunlight tried to escape using its Spatial Hamster, but Lu Ran radiated an overwhelming dual force—fire and frost.

Whoosh!

An intense chill radiated from Lu Ran’s gaze, freezing the Knight of Sunlight and its Spatial Hamster in place as if encased in ice.

After unleashing the Flame Dragon Sword Intent, Lu Ran seamlessly transitioned to the Blizzard Sword Intent. One sword qi for offense, one sword intent for control. Like a humanoid predator, he completely suppressed the Knight of Sunlight.

Lu Ran’s two beastmaster skills—Super Beast Mimicry and Flame Spirit—channeled immense power directly into himself. At this moment, he embodied the combined strength and battle techniques of Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King. Seeing him as a weak point had been a fatal error.

Boom!!!

The Knight of Sunlight’s attempted ambush was obliterated in an instant by Lu Ran.

“Sunlight!!!”

The remaining three Knights of Light, still pursued by several Bone Swords, were visibly stunned.

Meanwhile, five less-skilled third-generation members, ill-suited for combat, stood dumbfounded. Struggling to cope with the chaos, they fumbled alongside the beastmaster corps, launching futile attacks on Sudden Death King.

“We’re done for!” one muttered repeatedly.

“Why does it have to be him!?”

“Is this guy seriously going to solo all of us—a force of over a hundred?”

“Fuck! I didn’t understand what destroying an era meant before, but now I get it.”

More critically, the imperial army's morale had collapsed. Lu Ran’s team didn’t even need to engage the entire opposing force.

In warfare, when casualties reached 20 to 30%, units typically crumbled. If sides were evenly matched, morale might hold long enough to continue fighting. But with so many of their own dead and the enemy seemingly untouched—reinforcements still pouring in—only a fool would keep fighting.

It was now obvious to everyone—the imperial army was no match for Lu Ran. History had proven that armies with sufficient losses would lose the will to fight. Few ever fought to the last man, and this imperial army clearly lacked that resolve.

Only the four Knights of Light remained determined to kill Lu Ran and complete their mission. The rest, conscripted into the battle, were scattering in all directions, retaliating half-heartedly.

Unfortunately for them, Lu Ran had anticipated this. His ever-growing undead army encircled the retreating forces, cutting off any escape.

Faced with this grim situation, the soldiers preferred to fight the necromancers, hoping for a slim chance to break free, rather than face Lu Ran directly.

Some were soon wounded while attempting to flee, cut down by the undead army. Ever the compassionate commander, Lu Ran felt his heart ache.

Don’t run! You’ll have your soul devoured by those evil necromancers!

Fearing the necromancers might steal his hard-earned experience, Lu Ran telepathically conveyed his distress to Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King.

Understanding that injured necromancers or stolen kills would lower their performance score, the two familiars surged with renewed vigor, their battle auras growing fiercer.

“Awooo!!!”

With nine Bone Swords at its side, Captain Doofus’ soul energy peaked. Finally, it unleashed the full power of the swordgrass clutched in its mouth. In an instant, the Rock Monarch’s massive titan-like head was pierced through!

However, elemental lifeforms were notoriously resilient. No matter how severe the damage, they could recover by reverting to their elemental state—just as Sudden Death King’s Lightning Dragon Armor regenerated when supplied with enough energy.

Though temporarily defeated, the Rock Monarch’s wounds began healing immediately. But even this brief vulnerability was all the opening they needed.

Freed from defending against the Rock Monarch, Sudden Death King turned its sights on the chaotic battlefield. With no immediate attackers, it was the perfect moment to launch a counteroffensive.

“Rawr!!!!”

The Lightning Dragon’s Roar! After enduring relentless attacks, the pent-up frustration in Sudden Death King exploded. With a surge of electrical discharge, a colossal lightning beam erupted from its mouth, sweeping across the battlefield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Lightning Dragon’s roar annihilated countless beastmasters and familiars, leaving their charred bodies scattered. The Rock Monarch, caught in the blast, sustained heavy damage once more, interrupting its regeneration.

Most notably, the five third-generation beastmasters were instantly consumed by the devastating strike, their gazes frozen in despair as they perished.

“Choices really do matter...”

Their faces seemed to say,

Why didn’t I join the Undead Faction?

Had they chosen the Undead Faction, they could have clung to Lu Ran’s legs and cruised to victory.

To hell with the so-called Golden Generation or Knights of Light!

“Is this a joke...?”

Gao Li and his reinforcements had arrived on the battlefield.

Seeing the one-sided massacre and the utter devastation, their eyes widened in disbelief. As they took in the broken remains of the Empire Beastmaster Corps and the ravaged battlefield, they collectively gulped.

“Damn it... Damn it all...”

At this moment, the Knight of Glory and the others realized the battle was beyond saving.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Although they fought with everything they had and managed to destroy Captain Doofus’ Bone Swords, their small group could no longer hold back the inevitable defeat.

Empowered by increased soul energy, Captain Doofus’ multi-tasking control over the flying swords had reached unparalleled precision. Its ability to divide and dominate the battlefield quickly isolated the Princess of Light and her remaining comrades.

“Rock Monarch!”

In this desperate situation, the Princess of Light, mounted on her Superior-Champion Radiant Unicorn, had no choice but to recall the heavily damaged yet partially regenerated Rock Monarch. She then issued retreat commands to the two knights mounted on Superior-Champion Radiant Lions.

There’s still a few days left! There’s still a chance! We need to live to fight another day.

Clearly, they were unwilling to go head-to-head with Lu Ran anymore. They knew his team had also likely exhausted much of their energy, particularly Sudden Death King, who must have been running on fumes.

But the undead army which hailed Lu Ran as their Holy Son hadn’t even joined the battle yet. This was no longer a battle they could win.

If they were ordinary participants with revival mechanisms, they might have risked a last stand. At worst, they’d return to try again in another secret realm. But as fourth-generation prodigies, they were unwilling to perish needlessly.

Even if the mission failed, surviving until the 30th day and training within the secret realm was far more valuable than being obliterated and forced into a half-month coma.

Time, after all, was money. Unfortunately for them, while their judgment was correct, it didn’t matter. Lu Ran, intent on preserving his score, paid no heed to their thoughts, emotions, or concerns about offending them. He wanted one thing: to leave no survivors.

“Captain Doofus.”

Though the Light-attribute familiars were renowned for their speed, they now faced an opponent that defied all logic: Captain Doofus.

“

Awooo!!!

”

To end the battle swiftly, Captain Doofus disregarded its injuries, compressing energy over 20 times within its body. Combined with the Energy Acceleration Technique, Haste, this formed a brand-new skill—Godspeed.

Its fur rippled as the compressed energy coursed through it. Biting the swordgrass, its figure blurred, transforming into a green streak. In an instant, Captain Doofus appeared before the Knight of Moonlight who was mounted on a Radiant Lion.

“Heal!”

The Knight of Moonlight, clutching a Light-attribute firefly familiar, attempted to heal its injured familiar while fleeing. But before it could act, a devastating sword qi engulfed and obliterated them.

“Moonlight!!!”

Seeing another comrade fall, the Princess of Light and the Knight of Glory’s eyes reddened. Yet, more than grief or rage, it was fear that overwhelmed them. Though they knew they wouldn’t truly die, it was still their first time experiencing the feeling of death.

“This dog...”

They stared at Captain Doofus, its fur soaked in blood, its compressed energy surging beyond reason, and its speed surpassing that of Light-attribute familiars. Their hearts dropped.

That’s insane!

This was their final thought. Despite their desperate resistance, they too were slain within a few exchanges.

“Perfect! However...”

But then he frowned as his gaze fell on the skirmish between the fleeing imperial army and the undead army. He particularly paid attention to Kai En, who was battling Gao Li.

“I’m too weak.”

Despite his efforts, some necromancers had been injured, and several imperial soldiers had been slain by them, resulting in a loss of potential points.

“Without absolute strength, achieving perfection is impossible,” Lu Ran said, his words so self-indulgent they’d make anyone want to punch him.

I need... a mage kind of familiar capable of large-scale attacks. If I encounter another secret realm like this, I’ll need one.

Captain Doofus excelled at dueling. Sudden Death King was unparalleled as a tank. Though they could manage group combat in a pinch, they weren’t specialists. What Lu Ran needed was a familiar that had mastered group combat to the extreme.

“Next step is to clean up the battlefield,” Lu Ran announced, calling Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King to secure as many kills as possible to salvage his score.

Meanwhile, the imperial army panicked when they saw Lu Ran approaching.

“Run! Run faster!!!”

They screamed as they desperately tried to break through the necromancer’s encirclement. But escape wouldn’t come so easily. The battle reached its grim conclusion amidst blood and smoke.

***

This breathtaking one-sided battle left the necromancers of the Undead Faction in awe of Lu Ran.

When the Ming An City forces returned after annihilating the imperial army, Gao Li and the others celebrated wildly. Gao Li, having fully recognized Lu Ran’s monstrous power, began to see the possibility of Lu Ran becoming the Holy Son of their cult.

If possible, Gao Li was even willing to dedicate his forces to fully support Lu Ran’s rise, pledging allegiance to whatever faction he chose in the future.

However, upon returning to Ming An City, Lu Ran showed no signs of change. He resumed his quiet research into soul culinary techniques, leaving Gao Li, Black Feather, and others speechless.

Are all geniuses like this?

For now, Lu Ran’s focus was on his breakthrough reward. Although he had wiped out the enemy, the mission required Ming An City to remain intact after 14 days to count as a victory.

Even though the Empire Faction had been eradicated, Lu Ran couldn’t ignore the possibility of a final contingency plan that could destroy the city. Fortunately, the 14th day arrived without any incident. Lu Ran’s much-anticipated breakthrough rewards were then delivered.

[Congratulations on completing the secret realm mission!]

[Score: SSS rank!]

[You have received: 1,000,000 crystal coins.]

[You have received a contract card (bound).]

[You have received a Treasure-grade resource: Millennium Soul Bone (A powerful soul beast bone, suitable for making soup, forging, or possession).]

[You have received a beastmaster skill: Soul Amplification (A reinforcement skill allowing beastmasters to consume stamina to enhance a familiar’s soul).]

[You have received a trait crystal: Undead Clone (A familiar fused with this trait gains extraordinary spiritual talent, allowing it to create an undead clone that shares consciousness and can cultivate soul energy independently).]

[You meet the advancement criteria for a level 2 beastmaster. Would you like to advance now?]