Chapter 246 - Father of the Undead World

This crow...

Gu Qingyi, Shi Zhen, and the others were at a loss with this chatty crow. They truly had no idea how Lu Ran had managed to raise such a creature.

“Lead the way.”

Lin Nian smiled faintly as she actually found the crow quite amusing. What a pity it already has a master. Otherwise, she wouldn’t mind keeping a crow like this.

Since it had two bodies, maybe she could even have them performing comedic dialogues for her.

“Okay,” the three international representatives said, still feeling somewhat odd about the situation.

***

Lu Ran had no intention of hosting these people at his home. Instead, he led them to one of his strongholds—Emerald Mountains.

In Green Sea, any sparsely populated wilderness had already been claimed by Lu Ran’s subordinates. To operate more effectively in these areas, he even leveraged the power of supernatural creatures to build himself a residence.

Under Dark Crow’s guidance, Gu Qingyi and the others arrived at Emerald Mountains, where they found Lu Ran handling souls.

Piles of massive Fire Ant Beasts’ corpses lay stacked on one side. Behind them was a mound of souls, dense and packed together, each one burning with gray flames. The eerie atmosphere sent chills down their spines.

Caesar, one of the Heavenly Kings of the International Alliance, twitched at the sight.

Nolan, the necromancer spy, swallowed hard.

Damn.

Even in the Other Shore, he had never seen something like this.

Meanwhile, Dr. Pall forcibly maintained a composed expression and greeted him.

“Professor Lu Ran, nice to meet you. I am Dr. Pall Kachis from the International Alliance Research Institute. I’ve been conducting extensive research in the field of life and souls.

“This time, I’ve come on behalf of the International Alliance to gain deeper insight into the situation you described in the Evolution Secret Realm.

“This is Nolan, a former spy planted by the International Alliance within the Other Shore. After mastering Undead Resurrection, he consumed the souls of ferocious beasts which caused his rationality to gradually deteriorate.

“He nearly went insane, but was rescued in time. Now, thanks to tranquilizers and his familiar’s strict fasting, he can barely function normally.”

Lu Ran retracted the soul flames at his fingertips and turned his gaze toward the dark-eyed Nolan.

“So, your method of verification is to have Mr. Nolan’s undead familiar consume the souls and observe its reaction?”

“Exactly. This is the first and simplest confirmation step,” Dr. Pall responded.

“Alright.” Lu Ran looked at the pale, dark-eyed young man and gestured to the nearby pile of processed Fire Ant souls. “Go ahead, eat as much as you like.”

“Still... eating souls?”

Nolan hesitated and turned to Dr. Pall for guidance. Both he and his familiar were already at their mental limit. If they consumed even a little more, they would undoubtedly go completely mad, lose all reason, and launch indiscriminate attacks.

“Trust Professor Lu.”

Dr. Pall wasn’t sure if Lu Ran was telling the truth, but at this moment, they had no better option.

“Alright.”

If his undead familiar didn’t eat soon, it would dissipate from energy depletion, even if it didn’t lose its mind. Gritting his teeth, Nolan summoned his familiar.

A black undead gorilla appeared. Although it was a spiritual entity, it looked starved—skin and bones. Its glowing green eyes were nearly devoid of emotion, leaving only primal instinct. As it sensed the presence of food, its gaze trembled slightly.

“Go, eat those.” Nolan pointed to the pile of Fire Ant souls.

The next moment, the undead gorilla let out a deep roar and scrambled over, grabbing handfuls of Fire Ant souls and stuffing them into its mouth.

As it devoured large amounts of soul energy, its previously lifeless, numbed face slowly regained a trace of vitality.

“How do you feel?” Dr. Pall immediately turned to Nolan.

Nolan was utterly shocked as he stared at his frenziedly feasting familiar.

My mind... is completely clear?

In the past, whenever an undead familiar consumed too many souls, its beastmaster’s consciousness would inevitably become chaotic, leading to hallucinations.

But now, he was certain that he was fully lucid. Even though both he and his familiar had already been pushed to their limits, neither of them felt any discomfort as it ate.

On the contrary, he could clearly sense his undead familiar’s joy from the depths of its being. This side-effect-free feeding brought it the long-lost happiness of being alive.

“RAWR!” The undead gorilla bellowed excitedly as it ate.

Nolan took a step back. Not only that, but he could feel that these purified souls provided far greater nourishment than ordinary ones. If his familiar continued consuming such food, its fundamental attributes would undoubtedly become significantly stronger.

“It’s real... It’s real...” Nolan looked at Lu Ran in disbelief.

The International Alliance had asked someone who was on the verge of madness to conduct this experiment. At first, he had been reluctant. After all, if it failed, he would be done for.

But now, he was thrilled.

I’m so lucky I came to witness this breakthrough firsthand.

“Is it true?” Dr. Pall and Heavenly King Caesar locked eyes.

That meant Lu Ran had not been lying. Even though they had mentally prepared for this, personally witnessing it still left them shaken.

“Professor Lu Ran!”

Seeing Nolan’s ecstatic expression, Dr. Pall’s attitude toward Lu Ran shifted dramatically.

Many researchers in the International Alliance had studied the Undead attribute through captured necromancers, but they had never made any progress.

Yet this young man from Xia had completely solved the inherent drawbacks of necromancer growth.

Raiding secret realms was inherently high-risk, and familiar mortality rates had always been high. But if fallen familiars could be reliably converted into the undead and continue growing, it would revolutionize beastmastery.

Now, the only question left was...

“Professor Lu Ran, is this method of resolving undead growth limitations scalable?” Dr. Pall asked immediately.

Lu Ran smiled and looked at her.

“What do you think?”

“It probably isn’t...”

“Mastering this process requires talent. Only a select few can learn it. But that’s not a problem. I also possess the technique to forge soul-restraining mediums.

“Even if only a handful of people can process souls, necromancers simply need to purchase these containers. That way, they can access food anytime, anywhere.

“Besides, undead familiars don’t require frequent feeding like living creatures. One meal can sustain them for a long time. So your concerns are no problem.”

As he spoke, Lu Ran produced a low-quality Soul-Restraining Bottle and released a purified Fire Ant Beast soul.

“What—?”

Dr. Pall was stunned.

She hadn’t expected Lu Ran’s research to extend beyond soul purification. He truly was the Undead Holy Son—the rightful successor to a legendary cult. No doubt, the valuable knowledge from that cult had already been fully acquired by Lu Ran.

Her breathing quickened. If soul-restraining mediums became widely available, even if few could purify souls, necromancers could still thrive.

“Professor Lu Ran—”

Lu Ran cut her off.

“I know what you want to ask. You’re wondering if I’d be willing to share this knowledge with the International Alliance, right?

“But even if I did, what’s the point? The stable supply of Undead Resurrection skill cards isn’t controlled by the International Alliance. It’s controlled by the Other Shore.

“If you want me to train beastmasters in this method, fine. But I have two conditions. First, the International Alliance must clear my name and publicly certify my claims.

“Second, since only a select few can learn this, Xia will decide who gets trained. Simple, right?” Lu Ran smiled.

These conditions weren’t harsh. At least, Dr. Pall found them reasonable. As for acquiring Undead Resurrection skill cards, she wasn’t worried. The International Alliance could always obtain them from the Other Shore.

But for Lu Ran, these conditions had far-reaching consequences...

The International Alliance was a massive force. Once they authenticated Lu Ran’s claims, other nations would inevitably follow suit. Not just nations, but the Other Shore itself would have to acknowledge his capabilities.

Lu Ran had already discussed this with Dr. Gu and others. If used strategically, this ability could dismantle the Other Shore without a single battle.

Before long, high-ranking members of the Other Shore would likely reach out to Xia to seek to defect. After all, surrendering to Xia was a far better alternative than being crushed by the International Alliance.

Moreover, which countries would gain access to the benefits of necromancy would be decided by Xia. This would bring immense benefits to both Xia and Lu Ran. After all, if they wanted to learn, they would have to pay a fee.

Lu Ran had already made up his mind. Even if the Eagle Federation wanted access, they would have to offer at least two Epic-grade resources as an entry fee.

Besides, Psychic Sword Intent wasn’t something he could guarantee to teach others. But that didn’t matter. He would provide the method, and whether they could master it was their problem.

He had even discussed this with the elders of the Undead Cult. They believed that learning Psychic Sword Intent would be incredibly difficult for others. Once Lu Ran passed away, this method of resolving the undead drawbacks might vanish entirely.

Their suggestion was to let Lu Ran develop a unique tool—something similar to the Spirit-Converting Pot. This tool would automatically purify souls, remove harmful effects, and provide safe sustenance for necromancers.

If such a tool were created, then necromancy could flourish even without Lu Ran. And only someone like Lu Ran, who possessed both Flame Spirit and Psychic Sword Intent, had any chance of developing it.

Even if no one else could learn the method, he could leverage the resources of various nations to research this tool. This way, the Undead attribute could continue to grow while ensuring that he maintained control over its future.

***

The next day, official statements from the International Alliance shook the world.

Certified by the International Alliance Research Institute! Xia’s Lu Ran: A prodigious top-tier researcher!

A groundbreaking discovery that will reshape the field of beastmastery: The Safe Undead Cultivation Method!

Father of the Undead World—Lu Ran.

Effective immediately, the International Alliance Research Institute will collaborate with Xia on advanced Undead-attribute research.

The internet exploded. No one expected the International Alliance to verify Lu Ran’s claims so quickly. This meant that Lu Ran truly possessed a method to cultivate undead safely.

Beastmaster with the IP from Siam: Certified? Unbelievable! So it’s real! Professor Lu is incredible! Please tell me—when will this be available to the public? I can’t wait to start raising a ghost god!

Beastmaster with the IP from Eagle Federation: So it’s actually true... How the hell did this guy go from a level 2 beastmaster to the Undead Holy Son of a legendary cult? I don’t get it!

What about England’s Princess? How will they respond?

No news yet. Maybe they’re inside an ascension realm again.

Probably. But once they return and see that Lu Ran has been officially recognized as the Father of the Undead World, I wonder what their expressions will be like.

As soon as the International Alliance’s certification was announced, nations around the world were shaken. They scrambled to contact Xia, eager to obtain the safe undead cultivation method.

And as for the lack of Undead Resurrection skill cards? That wasn’t a problem at all. Until now, necromancers had been largely ignored—treated as mere criminals, with law enforcement barely bothering to track them.

But at this moment, the level of pursuit and suppression against necromancers skyrocketed tenfold. The moment the undead attribute proved to have long-term benefits, nations immediately escalated their attention on the

Other Shore

.

However, governments soon noticed something strange. Necromancers were disappearing. They had stopped hunting ferocious beasts altogether. It was as if they had gone into hiding.

And then, an even more shocking piece of news spread worldwide.

According to a spy planted inside the

Other Shore

, the organization was now in complete turmoil.

Over half of all level 5 necromancers now want Lu Ran to become the new leader of the Other Shore! They want him to take control!

“Fuck.”

“This is absurd.”

“A massive transnational criminal syndicate just fell into internal chaos over a single research breakthrough? And half of them have already switched sides?”

“No way. Is this sci-fi? Did he really just become the Father of the Undead?”

“What the fuck is Lu Ran? How did one person, with just a single statement, cause the collapse of an international criminal organization that even the International Alliance struggled to contain?”

“But there’s no way Lu Ran would actually accept their offer... right?”

***

An organization as enormous as the Other Shore couldn’t possibly hide such internal chaos. There was no way they didn’t have intelligence operatives planted within. As the internal collapse deepened, things spiraled even further.

Somehow, one of the Other Shore’s high-ranking officials managed to obtain Lu Ran’s contact information—and made a direct international call.

At the time, Lu Ran had just been about to focus on researching Soul Forging Technique when the call interrupted him. A hoarse voice came through the receiver.

“Lu Ran, son of Dr. Lu Qiancheng and Dr. Lu Yunxiu?”

“Who are you? One of the Other Shore’s higher-ups?” Lu Ran frowned.

“Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is—do you want access to a stable supply of Undead Resurrection skill cards? As long as Xia can guarantee our safety, I will reveal the method to unlock a certain secret realm. In that secret realm, Undead Resurrection skill cards are just the basic rewards...”

“If you keep speaking in that ridiculous fake accent, I’m hanging up,” Lu Ran warned.

“Wait, bro! Don’t hang up! I want to defect. Please take me in. I’m a level 5 necromancer, a top-tier combatant. Just feed me, I don’t need much. I—I can’t hold out much longer!”