Chapter 214 - King of Green Sea’s First Enemy

Two days later, the rumors about Lu Ran’s identity as the Undead Holy Son began to die down. If the International Beastmaster Alliance had responded proactively to public reports, the topic might have stayed relevant longer.

However, with no response from either the International Beastmaster Alliance or Xia’s Beastmaster Alliance, interest in the matter quickly faded.

As for the details of the Undead Ascension Realm, Lu Ran had shared them with only a select few. Aside from Manager Ying and Dr. Gu, even Fang Lan knew little—unless she asked directly, he wouldn’t say a word.

Not that she had time to care. Like other domestic Poison-attribute researchers, she was busy studying the blood and venom of the Duck-Billed Sea King Beast.

This creature, a level 60 Superior-Overlord Species boss, served as the gatekeeper of Xia’s level 5 Legendary Secret Realm.

During the month Lu Ran spent in the ascension realm, a first-generation team from Xia successfully defeated the beast, becoming the first in the world to conquer a level 5 Legendary Secret Realm.

Although primarily Water attribute, the Duck-Billed Sea King Beast possessed natural toxicity—duck-billed creatures were among the few venomous mammals. Naturally, research on its biological materials fell into the hands of Poison-attribute specialists.

At the time, Fang Lan might have offhandedly remarked that the Five Poisons Saintess and the Undead Holy Son were well-matched as siblings. After all, by conventional standards—or at least in the eyes of those who had competed with her in the ascension realm—she didn’t exactly seem like a “good person.”

BOOM!

On a deserted island beyond the Green Sea, a thunderstorm raged for two days. Amid the violent lightning, a black dragon pushed forward through the storm.

“RAWR!”

Each terrifying bolt of lightning left steaming burns on Sudden Death King’s scales, tearing into the flesh beneath.

“How’s it going, Sudden Death King? Pretty impressive results, huh?” Lu Ran, wearing earplugs, asked as he sat on a boulder.

“RAWR!”

Through the downpour of lightning, Sudden Death King’s red pupils shimmered with tears. It didn’t understand why its eyes always seemed so moist...

“Drip! Drip!”

A Weather Sprite floated beside Lu Ran, offering words of encouragement to Uncle Dragon.

“Rawr...”

Sudden Death King wiped its tears. Despite enduring relentless strikes, it knew better than to blame the baby Weather Sprite.

Born into this world only to be thrown into brutal training—Lu Ran was the real demon. Yet, the Weather Sprite seemed to enjoy itself.

With its Nature Manipulation ability, the Weather Sprite controlled the weather effortlessly as a survival instinct. When Lu Ran asked it to manipulate lightning, it found the task more entertaining than exhausting.

Lu Ran marveled at the sheer power of the lightning. Alone, a level 20 Transcendent Species could barely survive the Weather Sprite’s strikes.

Some species, like Weather Sprites, had a natural mastery of their environment, making their strength exponentially greater in favorable conditions.

Take this island, for example. Dense thunderclouds brimming with natural lightning turned into the Weather Sprite’s playground. Each bolt of lightning left even Sudden Death King struggling to endure the onslaught with its physical body.

“Environmental factors play a huge role in a familiar’s combat power...”

“My King! My King!”

While Lu Ran was deep in thought, a dark crow suddenly shot through the stormy sky, frantically dodging lightning bolts as it raced toward him.

“Dark Crow?”

“My King, something’s wrong!” Dark Crow landed beside Lu Ran, gulping down rainwater before hurriedly continuing, “Something bad happened! General Mystic Turtle has returned... severely injured! The stone tablet is shattered, and even its seemingly indestructible shell has cracks. It looks like it fought a fierce battle at sea!”

Lu Ran’s expression darkened.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“What happened?” Then, shaking his head, he said, “Forget it. Where is it? Take me there now.”

“General Mystic Turtle is unconscious near the coastline, under the protection of the crow flock.”

“Captain Doofus!”

On the other side of the island, under heavy snowfall, Captain Doofus—who had been practicing energy acceleration—immediately bolted toward Lu Ran at his call.

“Take me to the coastline. Sprite, stay here and play with Uncle Dragon. If anything happens, just scream ‘Manager Ying,’ and everything will be fine. I have something to take care of.” Lu Ran patted the Weather Sprite’s soft body.

“Drip! Drip!” The sprite nodded obediently.

Sudden Death King, however, cast a meaningful glance at Lu Ran before raising a massive hand, demanding the right to check on General Mystic Turtle’s condition!

Once comrades, they shared an unspoken bond. If General Mystic Turtle was in trouble, Sudden Death King wouldn’t stand idly by.

“You just want to slack off, don’t you?” Lu Ran sighed, already mounted on Captain Doofus. But in the end, he relented. “Fine. Come along.”

And so, the entire team set off.

***

At the coastline, the crow flock had secured the area. General Mystic Turtle lay unconscious, its injuries severe. Not only was the stone tablet Lu Ran had gifted it shattered, but its once-impenetrable shell was cracked all over.

As Lu Ran approached, the flock dispersed under Dark Crow’s command. His expression grew grim as he took in the turtle’s condition. Without hesitation, he pulled out the Divine Deer Pendant and gently waved it.

In the blink of an eye, the turtle’s wounds were completely healed.

“Ugh...”

Mystic Turtle slowly regained consciousness, opening its eyes with great effort.

[Oh no... Oh no...]

It internally lamented, its despair written across its face.

“Wake up, old turtle.” Lu Ran tapped its shell. “It’s okay now. You’ve recovered.”

[Huh?]

Mystic Turtle took in its surroundings. It was no longer in the deep sea but instead surrounded by Lu Ran, Captain Doofus, Sudden Death King, and Dark Crow, all watching it with concern.

[Did I make it back? Wuuuu, you little brat. This time, you owe me!]

Mystic Turtle teared up upon realizing it had successfully escaped.

“General Mystic Turtle, what happened? Did you encounter danger in the ocean?” Dark Crow asked urgently.

“Yes, old turtle. What’s the story behind your injuries?” Lu Ran pressed.

Mystic Turtle, whom Lu Ran had stationed near the coastline, had been cultivated with Dragon Blood and enhanced weaponry. The results had been promising, as Mystic Turtle quickly established dominance as King of the Coast, facing no challengers in the nearby waters. But now...

[I encountered a monster.]

Mystic Turtle recounted.

[It had a human-like upper body, a fishtail lower body, and the ability to communicate with all water-type creatures. It claimed to be from the Merfolk Kingdom and declared its intention to rule this area.

[I naturally refused, but I completely underestimated its strength. Although I managed to drive it away, I was gravely injured in the process.]

“A merfolk? A fishfolk? A kingdom?”

Hearing this, Lu Ran grew uneasy. Something felt terribly wrong.

“Caw!”

Dark Crow displayed a fierce expression, its gaze sharpening.

Lu Ran immediately activated his Manager Ying Summoning Technique.

“Manager Ying!”

A reluctant cat appeared the next second, looking extremely displeased.

“Manager Ying, listen! This is bad news. It seems the East Sea has developed a Sea Beast Faction. General Mystic Turtle, whom I stationed to guard the coastline, was attacked by a creature claiming to be from the Merfolk Kingdom. It described it as a fierce fishfolk beast.”

“What?” Manager Ying perked up instantly, her irritation vanishing.

“Fuck.”

She froze momentarily, then turned her attention to Mystic Turtle. “Big turtle, is this true?”

Mystic Turtle nodded.

“Then this is definitely a serious problem,” Manager Ying said gravely. “On land, no fierce beasts have yet formed a nation. Has the ocean already reached this point?”

“Merfolks... fishfolks... humanoid species related to fish. Are they a natural evolution of fish-based transcendent species? Or...” She paused, brows furrowing.

“Is it possible that creatures like merfolks already existed natively on Blue Planet, and the revival of spiritual energy merely strengthened them?” Manager Ying muttered, unable to reach a conclusion.

The truth was that humans had not explored the ocean enough.

“That’s not the issue right now. The Merfolk Kingdom—just from the name, it sounds like a species with amphibious capabilities. Otherwise, even if they formed a kingdom, they’d likely stay confined to the ocean.

“Even low-level grunts... Hmm, if General Mystic Turtle could repel them, they must be considered grunts. But the fact that such grunts are already approaching the mainland clearly indicates their intent to expand their influence along the coastal regions.”

Mystic Turtle was dumbfounded.

Manager Ying fell silent for a moment, and then said, “Forget it. With our current capabilities, this isn’t something we can handle. I’ll forward this information to Gu Qingyi.

“She’s the one managing Xia’s marine zones. Among the first generation, she’s the only beastmaster particularly skilled in naval combat.”

“Only one in the first generation?” Lu Ran frowned. “That’s way too risky. This is a deep-sea fierce beast faction. How could a single person handle it?”

“I understand you’re worried, but don’t be too hasty,” Manager Ying said seriously.

“At this stage, we’re only scaring ourselves. We still don’t know the enemy’s full situation. Besides, even if we can’t confront them in the ocean, if they dare set foot on land, they’re the ones who’ll meet their end.

“For now, as King of Green Sea, you need to reinforce the coastal defenses. The guard strength here is nowhere near the level of Mystic City. It’s best to recruit some powerful experts to hold the line. Don’t let that escaped merfolk return with reinforcements.”

“I understand.” Lu Ran nodded.

The Merfolk Kingdom... These were turbulent times indeed. For the first time, he felt as though his position as King of Green Sea was truly being challenged.

“I’ll go notify Qingyi.”

With that, Manager Ying pulled out her phone and walked off to the side.

Mystic Turtle turned, letting out a long sigh.

[With my weak strength, encountering such a powerful enemy... I’m afraid I can no longer bear this responsibility.

[There’s no choice. I must return to Qingwu Lake and retire. Please, my King, grant me the chance to step down and live out my days in peace...]

Before Lu Ran could respond, Dark Crow had already perched on Mystic Turtle’s shell.

“You’re just going to let this go because you got beaten up? The King is no miser. Since you’ve shed blood for Green Sea and made contributions, he’ll ensure you receive the resources needed to strengthen yourself, even if they’re treasures of the rarest kind.

“The Merfolk Kingdom entering coastal waters is barely a ripple. If they dare take one step further, it’ll cause a storm!

“Grow stronger, General Mystic Turtle! Together with the Seven Beast Generals of Green Sea, let us sound the horn of retaliation against the Merfolk Kingdom!” Dark Crow’s eyes glinted fiercely.

“That’s right, old turtle. It’s thanks to you that we caught wind of this early. Soon, I’ll gather even more potent resources to elevate your strength,” Lu Ran said.

Encouraging looks came from Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King, while the Weather Sprite’s expression was one of curious confusion. They all seemed to silently convey the same thought.

Old turtle, you’ve got this. You can definitely fight for at least another five centuries!

Mystic Turtle was flabbergasted.

What!? Stupid crow, get lost!