Chapter 347 - The Return of Emperor Yan

The legendary secrets mentioned by Lu Ran were unknown even to the seventh princess, who hailed from the royal family. She had assumed that the absence of Legendary beastmasters among humans was purely due to a lack of innate potential and the constraints of lifespan.

After all, the longest-lived humans only lasted a few hundred years, which was far too short compared to some Transcendent species.

Now, hearing Lu Ran suggest that humans might have had their potential cursed by Legendary species, the seventh princess suddenly found the idea somewhat plausible.

I’ll consult my father about this after I return.

Lu Ran was flexing his knowledge of secrets in front of the royal family. The more he revealed, the higher their attention toward him would be. Basically, Lu Ran was going all out for a chance to interact with a quasi-Legendary familiar.

As the two conversed, Yan Yingying reported the situation to her father, Yan Feng. Upon hearing it, Yan Feng’s heart sank. He knew that once the royal family witnessed Lu Ran’s talent, they wouldn’t sit still.

“They must not fight! Wait, why did you come back alone? Where are they?” Yan Feng asked urgently.

“Sudden Death King and the seventh princess are waiting for me over there,” Yan Yingying replied.

“How could I have raised such a foolish daughter?” Yan Feng sighed.

You’ve just given them the perfect opportunity to talk privately. If this drags on any longer, they’ll have wrung out every detail about Sudden Death King.

Yan Feng had grasped Lu Ran’s true potential. Not only was he the first bloodline atavist in centuries to reach the same level of Flame Spirit mastery as their ancestor, Yan Sizhen, but he also possessed astonishing culinary talent, having personally nurtured an Intermediate-Overlord dragon king.

Such a prodigy would undoubtedly rank among the very best, even within the imperial or royal families. He was destined to become a Legendary beastmaster in the future.

If Lu Ran had a strong sense of belonging to the Yan clan and had grown up among them, it wouldn’t be an issue. But Lu Ran was an outsider who hadn’t fully integrated into the Yan clan yet.

If his talents were fully exposed to the royal family, Emperor Yun Hao might try to win him over with a marriage proposal or an official title. That would be troublesome.

As a newcomer to the Imperial City, Lu Ran might not be able to resist such temptations, and could easily jump from the Yan clan’s ship to the royal family’s.

“Why are you scolding me? What was I supposed to do?” Yan Yingying pouted.

Yan Feng ignored her and set off immediately, with Yan Yingying trailing behind. Soon, they arrived at the place where Lu Ran and the princess were.

“Gong’er.”

“Uncle Yan.”

Seeing the seventh princess and Lu Ran deep in conversation, Yan Feng wiped his sweat and said, “Yingying told me you wanted to spar with Sudden Death King?”

“Yes. I wanted to witness the combat application of Emperor Yan Sizhen’s Flame Spirit techniques.”

“Let’s skip the fight. Gong’er, you’re already a level 5 beastmaster, while Sudden Death King is only level 3. How about he just demonstrates Flame Spirit possession for you? Combat is too risky. Tomorrow is Sudden Death King’s ceremony. If he gets injured, it could affect the event. What do you think, Sudden Death King?” Yan Feng looked at Lu Ran helplessly.

Elder Yan Xiao had already agreed to let Lu Ran train with the Lava Cataclysm Beast, which was a rare opportunity. If Lu Ran were defeated by the royal princess before the ceremony and his training, it would inevitably affect the clan’s evaluation of him and stir discontent among other young members of the Yan clan.

After all, not every Yan clan beastmaster had the chance to train with the Lava Cataclysm Beast. However, despite Yan Feng’s obvious hints, Lu Ran remained unfazed.

“It’s fine, Uncle Yan. I won’t use my ace. This is just a friendly spar, not about winning or losing,” the seventh princess said with a faint smile.

“A level 5 beastmaster? On my way to Imperial City, I killed a level 5 beastmaster who tried to scheme against me. The Flame Spirit techniques of Yan Sizhen are incredibly powerful. Fighting above my level is no problem,” Lu Ran said.

Yan Feng and the seventh princess were baffled.

Yan Feng’s mind even exploded.

Damn. Is this kid genuinely clueless or just pretending?

Beside him, the seventh princess’ lips twitched, feeling that Lu Ran was outright provoking her. Although Lu Ran’s ambition was to defeat Legendary beings and pave a new path for humanity, right now, he was just a level 3 beastmaster. The idea of him defeating a higher-level opponent was far-fetched.

“You two... Fine, whatever.”

At this point, Yan Feng had no choice.

After shooting Yan Yingying a discreet glare, he said, “Let’s head to the clan’s training arena for a simple spar. Keep it light, and I’ll oversee everything to prevent accidents.”

Whether the seventh princess or “Sudden Death King” got hurt, it would be a troublesome situation.

***

Yan Feng had the arena cleared of bystanders to avoid drawing too much attention to the match.

In the eyes of the Yan Clan’s core elders, Lu Ran held immense strategic value, but among the younger generation, many were displeased. Lu Ran would inevitably take part in the clan’s resources and overshadow their achievements.

“Let’s make it 1v1,” the seventh princess said confidently, her dress fluttering in the breeze.

As a member of the royal family, she had trained under the guardian beast and received guidance from multiple Legendary beastmasters. Even if Lu Ran had inherited the Flame Emperor’s techniques, she believed she could easily handle him in a battle.

The true strength of Flame Spirit lay in culinary arts and forging, enhancing the empire’s power through these means. However, when applied to combat, there were many skills superior to Flame Spirit, some of which the seventh princess herself had mastered.

“No problem.”

After agreeing, both began summoning their familiars. Considering Lu Ran’s lower level, the seventh princess decided against using her ace to avoid an outright mismatch. Instead, she summoned a level 43 familiar, which was likely second to her ace.

[Species: Wind Demon Empress]

[Attribute: Wind, Dark]

[Species Rank: Intermediate Overlord]

[Level: 43]

It was a tiger-like familiar with white fur and dark patterns, soaring through the air with massive, dark wings. A bold “royal” character was etched on its forehead, exuding aura.

Even her second familiar had the rank of an Intermediate Overlord. Lu Ran could only sigh at the privilege of being a royal princess.

On Lu Ran’s side, he summoned the real Sudden Death King. The massive Shieldwing Dragon King descended slowly before him, its eyes locking onto its opponent as it radiated immense pressure.

Sudden Death King let out a deafening roar. The Overlord dragon’s aura erupted without restraint, startling the seventh princess.

“An Overlord?”

“An Overlord?” Yan Yingying was equally shocked.

No wonder Lu Ran mentioned earlier that he had killed a level 5 beastmaster that was above his level. Turns out Lu Ran also has an Overlord familiar, and a dragon at that!

She glanced at her father, who didn’t seem surprised. “Father, you already knew?”

Yan Feng said nothing. Now, it wasn’t just them who knew, but the royal family would soon learn that Lu Ran had contracted an Intermediate Overlord dragon king as well.

For a level 3 beastmaster without imperial or royal lineage to contract an Intermediate Overlord, this was no longer just a matter of having Legendary potential.

“Interesting.”

The seventh princess’s interest was thoroughly piqued. She was eager to see Lu Ran’s true strength.

“Tiger Emperor’s Roar!”

She immediately issued a simple command, ordering the Wind Demon Empress to unleash its aura. The Wind Demon Empress tensed mid-air, opening its huge mouth to release a terrifying roar. A wave of pressure surged toward Sudden Death King, materializing as a tiger-shaped phantom in the sky.

BOOM.

Sudden Death King took a step back, then erupted with its own overwhelming dragon aura.

A huge dragon phantom appeared in the sky as well. The two powerful auras collided mid-air, tearing a massive hole through the clouds. The stone ground around the arena fractured slightly under the pressure.

However, to Lu Ran’s surprise, Sudden Death King was at a disadvantage in the aura clash. It took another step back, its expression turning grave.

Yan Feng explained calmly, “Although this dragon king’s aura is strong, the princess’ royal bloodline enhances her familiar’s aura. It’s difficult for ordinary familiars to overpower it in a battle of aura.”

The seventh princess crossed her arms, looking completely relaxed. “Not bad... but you should use Flame Spirit now. My familiar’s aura is boosted by my bloodline. It’s unfair if you don’t use your beastmaster skills.”

“Then, Princess... be careful.”

Lu Ran raised one of his hands, flames swirling around his palm as he applied Flame Spirit to Sudden Death King.

Enveloped in flames, Sudden Death King grew even more ferocious, roaring as the Flame Spirit formed a set of blazing dragon armor around it. Its appearance shifted from that of a Shieldwing Dragon King to another type of dragon monarch.

Its fiery eyes glared at its opponent as it spread its jet-black wings. Its muscular body became covered in crimson flame scales, interwoven with dark hues. With a domineering gaze, its red flame whiskers swayed in the wind.

Although the Wind Demon Empress remained composed at first, when the Flame Spirit’s blazing dragon aura merged with Sudden Death King’s innate lightning dragon aura, its expression changed abruptly. The fusion of lightning and fire erupting into the sky was terrifyingly violent.

With a

crack

, space seemed to shatter as the Wind Demon Empress’ royal aura was crushed by the lightning-flame aura. The pressure wave splintered like broken glass, and a storm of aura blasted toward the Wind Demon Empress and the princess, sending them tumbling backward.

The seventh princess crossed her arms defensively, but the sheer force of the aura sent her flying. Seeing this, Yan Feng rushed to intervene, while Yan Yingying stared in shock, unable to comprehend how Lu Ran’s familiar had unleashed such overwhelming power after receiving Flame Spirit.

Only Lu Ran knew why. Through relentless training in domains, he had honed Flame Spirit to an exceptional level. Moreover, the fusion of the Flame Dragon King and Lightning Dragon King auras was extremely dangerous.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Fortunately, Sudden Death King could withstand the backlash. An ordinary lightning dragon would have been overwhelmed before it could even intimidate the enemy.

The lightning-flame dragon aura could rival even Captain Doofus’ quasi-Legendary aura. Against a royal princess’ enhanced aura, it was more than enough.

“Princess, are you alright?” Yan Feng caught the seventh princess, noticing her pale complexion.

“...I’m fine.”

Her heart still racing, the princess took a deep breath and looked up at the Lightning-Flame Dragon King and Lu Ran behind it.

She never expected to lose an aura clash to a level 3 beastmaster. As she stared at Sudden Death King and Lu Ran, her vision blurred momentarily. Their figures overlapped with the murals in the Imperial City depicting Yan Sizhen and the Flame Dragon King fighting side by side.

“Incredible... Is this the return of Emperor Yan?”

At this moment, she had no choice but to admit that the second stage of Flame Spirit was absurdly powerful.