Chapter 312 - Dark Crow vs. Kitty

“Shall we have a match?”

Lu Ran crossed his arms, unsure how the other party intended to test the strength of the Dark Crow Legion.

Shi Jialiang chuckled. “During the meeting, wasn’t it said that its strength lies in ultra-long-range attacks? Then why not show us exactly that?”

“How should we demonstrate that? Do we have a target?” Lu Ran asked.

Shi Jialiang grinned. “We do! Apart from your legion, the strength of that cat that always provides intelligence also needs to be verified by the Alliance. Although it claims to be capable of confronting the black dragon, there’s no concrete proof, right?

“Only by understanding each other’s strength can we fight side by side more effectively. So, soon, the Twelve Zodiacs will conduct a power assessment on that cat. I was thinking that you could participate and be responsible for an ultra-long-range ambush on it... just to make the game a little harder for it.

Hehe.

”

Lu Ran was taken aback.

Damn, this guy is truly cunning. Manager Ying definitely wouldn’t like him either.

Lu Ran shrugged. “I refuse. Manager Ying and I are like family. I won’t do something as shallow as an ambush.”

“Alright, alright, no ambush. But at least letting it know in advance that this will be part of the test should be fine, right?”

“That sounds more reasonable.” Lu Ran rubbed his chin.

Participating in a spar between the Twelve Zodiacs and Manager Ying sounded interesting. To be honest, he was also curious about how strong Manager Ying’s true form was.

Hmm... the Dark Crow Legion recently developed a new curse technique. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to test it on Manager Ying?

“Then it’s settled! I’ll notify the others.” Shi Jialiang smiled slightly.

***

Mystic City.

After plundering dozens of Treasure resources from the Alliance’s supply vault, Manager Ying’s true form had reportedly awakened. However, despite awakening, Manager Ying’s true form had yet to make an appearance, claiming to be adjusting its state. If not for its clones still being present, the Alliance might have thought it had run off.

After further discussions, Manager Ying agreed to spar with an expert beastmaster from Xia to put the Twelve Zodiacs at ease.

“Am I the one going?”

Ultimately, the expert chosen by the Twelve Zodiacs was Ugly Ox. He had the most distinctive combat style among the Twelve Zodiac beastmasters, with all his contracted familiars serving solely to enhance his strength. Before becoming a beastmaster, he had been a professional wrestler, resulting in an exceptionally strong physique.

Now, facing this mission from Acting Chairman Lin Nian, he asked, “Why me?”

“Haven’t you always wanted to spar with the Totem Guardian of the Youxiong Clan? Even though that Giant Panda rejected you, Manager Ying is also an ancient being. Close enough, right?” Lin Nian said.

Ugly Ox was not pleased.

How is that the same? There’s a huge difference between a panda and a cat, okay?

“Whatever.” He cracked his knuckles.

Ancient beings had been reviving for quite some time, yet he hadn’t fought one yet. He was eager to see what set ancient beings apart from secret realm bosses.

Outskirts of Mystic City.

Ugly Ox vs. Manager Ying.

Many members of the Twelve Zodiacs gathered to watch. They had invested so many resources into restoring Manager Ying. If this cat turned out to be weak and couldn’t deal with the black dragon, then when the old president returned, their lives would be at risk. He would definitely crush them.

Although the old man didn’t involve himself often, he cared deeply about the development of Xia’s beastmasters. Resources had to be spent wisely.

In an abandoned factory, some Zodiac members sat on fallen utility poles, some stood on rooftops, and others hovered in midair. Ugly Ox, dressed casually, raised an eyebrow as a white cat clone suddenly appeared before him.

“Cat, what’s going on? Isn’t your true form a Nine-Tailed Cat? Where is it? What’s the point of sending a clone?”

Manager Ying yawned. “My true form has awakened, but for me, there is no difference between my true body and my clones. Each one is my true form. As for my Nine-Tailed state, it consumes too much energy. Let’s see if you can force me to reveal it.”

Ugly Ox squinted at the arrogant little cat.

“Enough chatter. Manager Ying, you’re well aware of Ugly Ox’s strength. The Black Dragon is far stronger than him and much more unpredictable. So, this is your test. Besides Ugly Ox, there is also an unknown opponent who, like the Black Dragon, is highly proficient in Dark energy. Your mission is to defeat both effortlessly,” Lin Nian said.

“Piece of cake.” Manager Ying swept its gaze across the gathered Zodiacs, completely relaxed.

At the same time, Ugly Ox let out a snort as his body began to transform. First, two massive bull horns sprouted from his head. His body expanded several times over, turning him into a towering figure several meters tall. Clearly, this was a fusion technique.

Then, with a flash of light, a crimson-black suit of armor covered him. This was a beastmaster skill that transformed familiars into armor, which beastmasters could wear to enhance their power.

Then, Ugly Ox stretched out his hand, and a giant black warhammer materialized in his grip with another flash of light. This was yet another beastmaster skill that turned familiars into weapons.

In other words, during Ugly Ox’s battles, it was nearly impossible to tell what his familiars actually looked like. His entire skill set revolved around using them as gear.

Meanwhile, in Green Sea, the abandoned factory’s battle was being streamed live to Lu Ran and Shi Jialiang. On-screen, the immense Bull Warrior swung his hammer down at Manager Ying. This strike contained a terrifying blend of compressed energy, intent power, and multiple stacked familiar traits and talents. If it struck the ground, it could likely demolish an entire town.

Yet, shockingly, when it collided with Manager Ying’s psychic barrier, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean.

“This cat’s Spirit power is far beyond Lin Nian’s familiars. Even with Lin Nian’s enhancements, it doesn’t come close,” Shi Jialiang observed closely.

“Manager Ying rarely exaggerates its strength. If anything, it downplays it,” Lu Ran remarked, well aware of its tendencies.

“It’s time for your support. Ugly Ox alone is getting steamrolled,” Shi Jialiang said.

“I’m not sure whether it’ll help, but let’s try.” Lu Ran shrugged.

Shi Jialiang would never forget what happened next. All over Green Sea City, countless crows took to the skies, forming an overwhelming, dark mass. Like a tide from the underworld sucking lost souls to the abyss, they flowed toward the sky above Emerald Mountains.

100,000 Transcendent crows gathered, slowly forming a terrifying figure. It was a figure that reminded Shi Jialiang of the ancient beasts that once ravaged human cities abroad.

No... this aura is even more sinister, more powerful.

“Crow God.” At Lu Ran’s call, the entity forged from countless crows turned its gaze toward Mystic City.

Is this really possible?

Although Green Sea City and Mystic City weren’t too far apart, Shi Jialiang was certain that no creature on Blue Planet could accurately attack across such an immense distance. Just the energy lost during the attack’s travel range would be troublesome enough to deal with. And yet, within moments, something happened that Shi Jialiang would never forget.

He leaned closer to his laptop screen, taking a deep breath as he watched the live broadcast. Soon, the screen showed multiple dark red eyes opening in the void, each one staring directly at the battle between Ugly Ox and Manager Ying.

The Eyes of the Evil God had descended. The pupils of the gathered Twelve Zodiacs shrank, and even the engaged combatants, Ugly Ox and Manager Ying, immediately sensed the anomaly.

“What...” Seeing those familiar eyes, Manager Ying’s expression changed.

All this time, it had been lazily resting within its Psychic Barrier, completely unfazed by Ugly Ox’s attacks. Whether through effortless spatial evasion or sheer psychic resistance, none of Ugly Ox’s strikes had even remotely troubled it.

Manager Ying had been waiting for the Dark-attribute expert that Lin Nian had mentioned, taunting Ugly Ox in the meantime. But it had never expected that the so-called expert was Lu Ran and Dark Crow.

“Ugly Ox is completely outmatched. He even tried using his domain, but the cat blocked it effortlessly with its superior Space Mastery. And it hasn’t even activated its own domain yet.”

At this moment, the Twelve Zodiacs had fully accepted the terrifying strength of Manager Ying’s awakened form. Even Gu Qingyi, who had remained composed until now, looked visibly surprised as she hadn’t expected it to be this powerful.

And yet, despite witnessing such overwhelming strength, everyone was still eager to see the cat’s true limit. They had also been eagerly awaiting the Dark-attribute expert that Lin Nian had hinted at.

Now, as the Eyes of the Evil God appeared, their reactions mirrored Manager Ying’s shock. They never expected that the one Lin Nian had been referring to was Lu Ran. However, the real shock was yet to come.

“Those two fucking idiots!”

From within the Psychic Barrier, Manager Ying let out a furious curse. Its usual relaxed demeanor was nowhere to be seen. For the first time, it looked nervous. It wasn’t afraid of powerful enemies. It was afraid of bizarre, unpredictable powers.

This was because even in its long, long life, Manager Ying had never delved deep into curse power. It had never fought an opponent of this particular caliber before. If it had even the slightest understanding of curses, Shi Zhen’s affliction would have been cured long ago.

“I should be fine, right?” In that fleeting moment of hesitation, Manager Ying immediately shifted into Spatial Concealment, maintaining its psychic barrier as an additional layer of protection.

However, Dark Crow’s species talent was Enemy Lock. Once locked on, there was no escape no matter how much one tried to hide.

In the next moment, as everyone held their breath in tense anticipation, something disturbing happened. Within the psychic barrier, the white cat began to change. Crimson strands of fur started appearing across its body. But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t fur at all. They were dandelion-like red plant spores.

“

Caw, caw!

”

Back in Green Sea, the Crow God’s eyes wept tears of blood. Before it, the countless red dandelions floating in the air were extinguished. This was the only plant curse that Dark Crow had developed after going through the plant secret realm.