Chapter 281 - The Ultimate Menace

In the previous Plant-Beast Tournament, the champion’s ace familiar was a Superior King, which was already a rare and formidable rank in the Divine Tree Continent. After all, the continent's beastmasters didn’t have the same opportunities as those in Limitless City, where their familiars could repeatedly evolve to higher species ranks.

This time, however, three participants had entered with Overlords. The examiners from the great clans and the prodigies from other various factions were all left dumbfounded.

On top of an ancient towering tree in the distance, City Lord Ye and her senior watched the tournament as they engaged in discussion.

“An Overlord-rank dog familiar... Is that the beastmaster you’ve taken an interest in? What kind of tournament are you running? There’s that other young participant with an Overlord-rank plant familiar, too. Judging by his age, he’s even younger than my disciple and the beastmaster you favor!”

“How would I know? Senior, are you worried about your disciple? Is that why you came in person?” City Lord Ye asked cautiously. “The tournament has truly been full of surprises.”

Logically speaking, any beastmaster capable of contracting an Overlord wouldn’t care about some insignificant tournament. If she had known that another plantmaster had an Overlord, she wouldn’t have bothered inviting her senior’s disciple.

Three Overlords... This tournament’s difficulty just skyrocketed to an unprecedented level. Lu Ran will find it a lot harder to win the championship.

“You should worry about your own beastmaster instead.”

As the two Legendary-rank figures conversed, the tournament grounds remained in chaos.

“We should just deal with him right here.”

Although Yu Rui’s Ancient War Tree was overwhelmingly powerful, Gu Yu, the Floral Empress’ master, had her gaze fixed on Lu Ran. Her master had sent her to eliminate a certain beastmaster, and she was fairly certain that he was the target. To be honest, she had no interest in this tournament. If not for her master’s orders to gain experience, she wouldn’t have even thought about it.

She put her hand on the Floral Empress, hesitating to enter Death Forest. She had a small urge to eliminate Lu Ran right at the entrance and then forfeit the tournament altogether.

However, while observing Lu Ran, something happened that shocked her and everyone present, including the two Legendary figures watching from afar.

After summoning Captain Doofus, Lu Ran began summoning a second familiar. It would've already been bad if it was just a normal beast. However, it was another Overlord, and it was far more terrifying than the first.

Its presence on the battlefield changed everything.

A colossal summoning formation appeared in the sky, and Sudden Death King emerged from the formation. Its terrifying aura instantly engulfed half the forest.

“

Raaaarggh!

”

Sudden Death King undoubtedly had the highest base species rank among Lu Ran’s team. Adding in its dragon bloodline, which innately suppressed all beings, made its dominance undeniable.

In the sky, Sudden Death King opened its crimson eyes. Lightning crackled all over it as it let out a thunderous roar, sending shockwaves through the crowd. Jiang Ming, Liu Man, and the others from Stellar Moon University were especially astonished.

“Another Overlord?” they exclaimed in utter disbelief.

“An Intermediate Overlord!”

Even Yu Rui, the son of a Legendary figure, found it hard to believe.

Did he just summon a level 30 Intermediate-Overlord Dragon after summoning a Low-Overlord dog familiar? No, how does he even have two Overlords? What kind of joke is this?

“What the hell is going on with that guy?”

Yu Rui couldn't help but be shaken by Lu Ran’s lineup. However, what shocked him the most was Lu Ran's next command.

“Fly to the opposite exit and don’t let anyone through. There’s no need to eliminate them all—just block them. Once we finish up here, we’ll back you up,” Lu Ran indifferently ordered Sudden Death King.

The massive Dragon King let out a deafening roar. It then glanced at the remaining prey on the battlefield before soaring straight into the forest.

The crowd was confused.

What is that supposed to mean?

Having immediately seen through Lu Ran’s plan, Jiang Ming's eyes widened in shock. “Damn it! He wants to eliminate all participants in the preliminary round and end the tournament right here!”

It took a trial participant to understand another trial participant. To achieve the highest score, every Limitless City participant had their own bizarre and meticulous strategies, pushing every mission detail to its limit.

Waves of shock rippled through the audience. Even Gu Yu, who had been planning to ambush Lu Ran at the entrance, was stunned.

Has he gone nuts?

The two Legendary figures observing from afar were just as taken aback.

“Junior, is he serious?”

“How would I know?”

Two Overlords. Lu Ran actually has two Overlords. And now, he's planning to end the tournament in the preliminary round.

As soon as Sudden Death King took off, Lu Ran turned to face the crowd, telling them that he wasn’t joking through his actions.

Captain Doofus howled as it took a step forward. A chilling cold flickered in its icy blue eyes.

A terrifying Blizzard Sword Intent, infused with the aura of a King-rank being, erupted and swept across the battlefield like a raging snowstorm.

Countless plant and beast familiars, plantmasters, and beastmasters suddenly found frost-like sword scars appearing on their bodies. Apart from physical wounds, the Blizzard Sword Intent also had a devastating impact on spirits.

Many familiars with weaker spirit resilience collapsed immediately, their expressions frozen in horror. The plantmasters on the battlefield turned pale.

“That guy is serious...”

Yu Rui and Gu Yu stood behind their Overlord-rank plant familiars, using them to shield themselves from Captain Doofus. Most other participants trembled like prey trapped in a snowstorm, barely able to remain standing.

Their faces twisted in agony. There was nothing surrounding them, yet they felt as though they were about to be frozen to death and blown away.

“Rui, what do we do?”

Even Jiang Ming barely managed to hide behind his Superior-King dragon.

“

Raaaargh!

”

His Storm Dragon’s dragon aura struggled against the pressure of Captain Doofus’ Blizzard Sword Intent even though it didn’t directly target them. Jiang Ming’s heart nearly stopped.

Why is that alternate-world beastmaster so powerful? How can his familiar's sheer spiritual will alone shake the entire battlefield? His aura is as sharp as a sword, yet as wild as a blizzard... What the hell is this power?

Yu Rui didn’t dare be reckless. With a grim expression, he gave his teammates two choices.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

“You two. Surrender or flee into the forest and hope for a chance.”

He was well aware of their chances if they faced Lu Ran. He also knew that numbers wouldn’t change anything. His teammates could have been helpful if they were legion-type skill users or support-oriented. However, temporary teammates who were weaker than him would only be a liability.

Unaware of the true extent of Lu Ran’s abilities or whether he would show mercy, he immediately advised Jiang Ming and the others to abandon the tournament and seek refuge with the examiners.

Some participants had already made up their minds. When Captain Doofus’ aura erupted earlier, one person’s expression changed drastically. His heart skipped a beat as he quietly retreated to the back of the group and sought shelter behind the examiners.

“I forfeit.”

Shi Ze, who knew Lu Ran best, unhesitatingly made the wisest choice as soon as he saw Lu Ran go completely insane at the start of the match. He cursed under his breath as he dashed to safety, still shocked by Lu Ran’s audacity and hidden trump cards.

Forfeiting was clearly the best choice. However, some weren't willing to surrender so easily.

No matter how fearsome Lu Ran was, as long as there were stronger contenders, the weaker ones wouldn’t have to bear the burden. Most participants refused to believe that the other two Overlord plantmasters and the great clans' prodigies would simply stand by and watch.

No matter how strong he is, he can't really fight everyone, can he?

Gritting their teeth, some of the combatants braved the Blizzard Sword Intent. They rushed into Death Forest, escaping the battlefield.

“

Raaaaarggh!

”

However, for those entering Death Forest, the biggest obstacle wasn’t Lu Ran. It was his other Overlord-rank familiar.

They didn’t believe that Sudden Death King alone could stop everyone. A massive dragon flying high in the sky was bound to attract all the vicious plants in the forest. Surely, they would be able to take it down..

Unfortunately, reality didn’t play out as they had hoped. Sudden Death King soared ahead to cut off the participants, its imposing presence making it the most obvious target in the forest.

Sensing its aura, countless vicious plants instinctively attacked it. Bean Shooters spat out ice, lightning, wind, and fire seed projectiles in an attempt to shoot it down from the sky.

Sudden Death King allowed their attacks to hit it. Nevertheless, when the smoke cleared, there wasn’t a single scratch on it. Their onslaught was completely ineffective.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Even the Dragonblood Willow, infamous as a Dragon killer, struck Sudden Death King with a massive branch capable of piercing dragon scales, hoping to claim it as its prey. However, the moment its branch made contact, the branch shattered from the impact and fell to the ground.

“

Raaaaargh!

”

Sudden Death King disdainfully glanced below.

? That insentient plant doesn't even seem to have a tenth of the Dragon-Slaying Sword Qi's power, yet it dared to hunt me! Ballsy! Can it really even counter dragons, though?

Void Vines, which thrived in soils of other dimensions, also emerged and wrapped around Sudden Death King in an attempt to drag it into an alternate space.

However, in the face of absolute strength, such tactics were meaningless. Forget pulling Sudden Death King into another space, the vines nearly got ripped out from their own space just by its movement alone.

“

Raaaaargh!

”

Sudden Death King indifferently soared through the Death Forest, blatantly ignoring the countless vicious plants. Many participants who had fled into the forest felt a chill run down their spines.

What the hell is going on? Can't these vicious plants at least put up a fight?