Chapter 319 - Rise of the Five Poisons Saintess

“Then let’s start by trying to control this guy. Although it has the potential to become an Overlord after awakening, right now, it hasn’t awakened and is still in its sapling stage. We can give it a try.” Lu Ran looked at Captain Doofus and spoke thoughtfully.

“You’re really willing to part with it, huh?” Fang Lan grinned while looking excited.

Her spider had good taste as it went straight for Lu Ran’s most precious spirit plant sapling.

“No biggie, but if the Spiritual Energy Mother Tree were transplanted to Green Sea, all the Transcendent Species there would be able to level up faster. Now that it’s being taken away, shouldn’t you compensate me by helping me cultivate a Poison-attribute crow legion?” Lu Ran chuckled.

Transplanting the Spiritual Energy Mother Tree to Green Sea would, at most, speed up the growth of wild Transcendent Species. But the benefits of upgrading wild creatures couldn’t compare to having a strong, specialized Poison-attribute crow legion. And, of course, Fang Lan’s growth took priority over everything else.

“That’s no problem at all!” Fang Lan agreed without hesitation.

Nearby, Professor Ye watched the two casually decide the fate of a top-tier spirit plant. Her eyes twitched.

The destiny of Green Sea City is being rewritten by these two...

After analyzing the situation, she realized that if the Spiritual Energy Mother Tree were directly transplanted to Green Sea, it could become the most prosperous land in Xia. But now, she could only say that Green Sea would become the most dangerous place instead.

Professor Ye couldn’t even begin to imagine what the Spiritual Energy Mother Tree would look like if it turned into a Poison-attribute plant.

With Lu Ran’s permission and Fang Lan’s approval, the Great Xia Wolf Spider wasted no time. It eagerly crawled forward, greedily absorbing the aura emitted by the Spiritual Energy Mother Tree Sapling.

Then, several of its legs released purple vine-like energy, wrapping around the sapling. However, even a spirit plant without intelligence wasn’t easy to subdue. The little spider’s forceful approach immediately triggered the sapling’s stress response.

The sapling erupted with surging spiritual energy, attempting to overwhelm the spider with its intensity. And it worked. The violent energy fluctuations shattered the purple energy tendrils binding it. The first test alone had already stumped the little spider.

Fortunately, Captain Doofus wasn’t all talk. After seeing the sapling still resisting, it stepped forward. It carried authority, energy antlers were glowing as it let out a commanding bark.

“

Woof!

”

Whether or not the Spiritual Energy Mother Tree Sapling could understand, Captain Doofus barked with complete confidence. In its eyes, this sapling and the spider were like how the swordgrass was to itself.

It’s just borrowing you for a while, right? Maybe being developed will even help it awaken its intelligence faster.

“A... a deer-dog?”

Fang Lan and Professor Ye hadn’t paid much attention earlier, since, unlike Lu Ran, they couldn’t understand dog speech. They assumed Captain Doofus was just barking randomly. But now, as soon as Captain Doofus pulled off its Divine Deer act, the Spiritual Energy Mother Tree Sapling immediately wilted. It stopped resisting and allowed the little spider to claim it.

Professor Ye was dumbfounded.

What just happened...?

“Uh...” Fang Lan was just as confused, staring at Captain Doofus.

How is it even capable of transforming like that? And how did that transformation make the sapling submit on instinct?

“Standard operation.” Lu Ran coughed. “Look, it seems like the little spider has subdued the sapling.”

The two turned their attention back to the spider. What they saw stunned them. The Great Xia Wolf Spider had uprooted the entire Spiritual Energy Mother Tree Sapling. Somehow, it had attached the sapling to its back.

The moment it succeeded, a radiant glow surrounded it. A blue-purple wolf spider with a vibrant purple sapling on its back emerged. The sapling pulsated like a blooming flower, continuously releasing waves of purple spiritual energy.

Then, as if worried about the toxicity of the energy affecting the surroundings, the Great Xia Wolf Spider quickly absorbed it all back into itself.

Hisssss.

Fang Lan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Professor Ye was still in shock that the little spider had successfully converted the sapling into a Poison-attribute plant and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing... It’s just that the toxicity of this Poison Spiritual Energy is way stronger than the venom of my other two familiars. You guys probably can’t sense it, but the toxicity of that energy just now was absolutely terrifying.

If it weren’t for its natural immunity to poison, even it would have poisoned itself. And if that energy were released, I'm pretty sure it could take down a King Dragon ten levels above it without any problem.”

“

Woof, woof, woof!

”

Before she could finish speaking, Captain Doofus excitedly leaned in. Its wise gaze clearly implying to let it try it. Lu Ran clenched his teeth and immediately recalled Captain Doofus into his contract card.

“As long as it makes us stronger, it’s fine.” Seeing that the little spider had successfully subdued the sapling, Lu Ran nodded. “But that purple energy is too obvious. You should refine it.”

Fang Lan smirked. “I know! You mean disguising the Poison Spiritual Energy as high-concentration, odorless, colorless spiritual energy, right? In battle, when enemies are exhausted, they’ll instinctively absorb it, thinking it’s pure energy. And then—”

Lu Ran grinned. “Exactly. Hurry up and get it used to the ability. Then go farm some easy wins at Peak Arena for fast leveling.”

Fang Lan was eager to start, but then coughed and said, “We should check the forest first. Professor Ye is still waiting.”

“Right, right... Professor Ye, go ahead and pick any vicious plant you like. This place is full of them. Consider it a token of appreciation for your help.” Lu Ran flashed a bright smile.

“No need to be so polite.” Professor Ye adjusted her glasses with a smile. “Just having the opportunity to help is more than enough for me. My colleagues will be green with envy when they hear about this.”

***

Lu Ran assisted Professor Ye in transplanting the vicious plants. Under normal circumstances, Green Sea wouldn’t be able to sustain these types of plants.

However, as the successor of the Tree Monarch and a Legendary disciple, Lu Ran had received plenty of gifts during his ascension realm. Among them were top-tier soil and fertilizer, which were everything he needed to cultivate a Death Forest in Green Sea with ease.

Before starting the transplanting process, he even obtained a cultivation manual from his master. The entire transplantation process took about three days.

During this period, Lu Ran didn’t just sit idly. He sold some of his unused assets and purchased a large quantity of minerals. Using Sudden Death King’s scales as the primary material, he soul-forged three powerful pieces of equipment.

[Name: Dragon King Shield]

[Grade: Treasure]

[Description: A shield forged from Dragon King scales. It can reflect damage within its endurance limit and possesses self-repair capabilities.]

...

[Name: Dragonstone Tablet]

[Grade: Treasure]

[Description: A stone tablet forged from Dragon King scales. It enhances the user’s Dragon-attribute energy and has self-repair capabilities.]

...

[Name: Wind Lightning Sword]

[Grade: Treasure]

[Description: A sword forged from Dragon King scales and Wind Hound Fangs. It grants the user Wind and Lightning attributes and possesses self-defense capabilities.]

Forging three advanced pieces of equipment nearly depleted Lu Ran’s accumulated resources. His soul fluctuations had also weakened to an extreme degree that he even spotted a few strands of white hair. Frightened, Lu Ran immediately vowed not to use his soul power again in the short term.

As for the Dragon King Shield, Lu Ran planned to see if it could develop a weapon spirit, which he intended to use as a companion for Sudden Death King.

The Dragonstone Tablet was meant for Mystic Turtle. If it developed a weapon spirit, it could serve as a battle partner. If not, it would still function as a powerful piece of equipment.

However, the Wind Lightning Sword was a gift for Old Master Jiang Dou. Lu Ran hoped that the combined power of Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King would help protect the old master and ensure his safety.

Unfortunately, due to his depleted energy, Lu Ran couldn’t forge protective weapons for Fang Lan’s parents. However, considering that they were still young and strong, constantly working on the frontlines of Beastmaster University, their safety wasn’t an immediate concern. So, Lu Ran decided to put it off for now.

“I wonder how well Fang Lan has adapted...”

Inside the ruin space, after finishing his closed-door training, Lu Ran surveyed the now barren surroundings and nodded in satisfaction.

Stepping out of the ruin, he was about to ask how Fang Lan was adjusting to her new abilities when he noticed a message from her that was sent just a few minutes ago.

Five Poisons Saintess: We’ve got the new ability under control! Heading to Peak Arena for a test!

Lu Ran shook his head.

Well, well. I wonder which unlucky soul will end up matched against her.

One thing was certain. It would likely be a foreign beastmaster. Peak Arena rarely matched beastmasters from the same region against each other.

***

Peak Arena.

Since the launch of this new mode, traditional arenas had lost their appeal. Beastmasters from various nations flocked to Peak Arena, drawn by the high-risk, high-return nature of the battles. Losing meant heavy losses, but winning offered substantial gains. Many beastmasters became addicted to the thrill and tension of the fights.

After mastering her new abilities, Fang Lan was eager to test them out. She quickly queued for a match. However, as soon as the battlefield loaded, revealing an endless grassland, she froze in place when she saw her opponent. The opponent was dressed in a pristine white knight’s outfit, with radiant golden hair and an air of nobility.

“You’re the Princess of Light.”

Fang Lan hadn’t expected to be matched against the princess of England, one of the most legendary prodigies. She was someone who had cleared a Legendary secret realm even before Lu Ran.

The Princess of Light narrowed her eyes. “Five Poisons Saintess?”

Seeing a young woman with an Asian face and purple hair, she instantly recognized Fang Lan’s identity. Without any unnecessary words, the Princess of Light summoned her new familiar, which was a lion king.

Fang Lan smiled and summoned her own familiar, the Back-Tree Poison Spider.

“You’re still a level 2 beastmaster? Weren’t all your fellow Golden Generation beastmasters already at level 3? Oh, wait... could it be that you got eliminated by Lu Ran during an ascension realm and wasted a lot of time?”

At Fang Lan’s words, a flicker of rage crossed the princess’s otherwise flawless face.

What’s with this woman? Why does she always bring up the most painful topics?

She glared at Fang Lan. “You talk too much. You’ll pay for it. You’re also one of Xia’s. You must know who Lu Ran is... All of you are sick.”

“Oh, my apologies.” Fang Lan said sarcastically while twirling a strand of her purple hair. “You might have to stay at level 2 a little longer... Like Lu Ran, I don’t believe in going easy on anyone.”

The next moment, the Princess of Light’s face twisted in shock, and her familiar shuddered as purple energy flashed across their pupils.

The Princess of Light dropped to one knee, violently coughing up a mouthful of purple blood, her eyes filled with disbelief. Beside her, her familiar let out a painful howl before collapsing to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

[Battle Over.]

[Winner: Five Poisons Saintess.]

[Loser: Princess of Light.]

Limitless City #3.

Fang Lan exited Peak Arena effortlessly, a triumphant smile on her face. At the same time, at Beastmaster Square, a system announcement rang out, instantly causing an uproar. The Heavenly Familiar Ranking had been updated.

Normally, an update wasn’t particularly noteworthy. But this time, the change was significant. Fang Lan’s Poison Spider had risen to first place on the Champion Familiar Ranking.

[Reason for Ranking: Defeated the Princess of Light’s King battle familiar, the Holy Light Lion King, in Peak Arena within seconds.]

The moment this news spread, Limitless City #3 exploded with excitement.

After all, the Five Poisons Saintess, Fang Lan, was already a legendary figure within the Limitless City battle scene. Following her Legendary secret realm success, she, along with Lin Yin and Xia Ri, had become household names in Xia.

People always knew Fang Lan was strong, but no one expected her to be this strong. She had defeated the Princess of Light in just a few seconds. That was one of the earliest Golden Generation prodigies to clear a Legendary Secret Realm. She was a figure with an immensely powerful background.

“

Hehe.

”

At Beastmaster Square, Pluto stood silently. Looking at his own ranking drop, he remained calm.

Not long ago, he had been crushed by the Flood Dragon Squad. Shortly after, they split up to different Limitless Cities to chase better rewards, allowing Pluto to re-enter the rankings. Although his ranking wasn’t improving much anymore.

“Whatever. I’m used to this. But compared to me, the Princess of Light has it way worse. If I remember correctly, Fang Lan is Lu Ran’s sister, right? Getting held back by both siblings? That’s real suffering. I guess my situation isn’t so bad after all.

Hahahahahaha!

”