Chapter 521 - I, Lu Ran, the Beastmaster King! (Part 1)

The veteran Legendary beastmasters, the newly ascended Legendary messengers, and the Epic-Legendary powerhouses who had mastered unified attributes had always been figures that countless people on the Stellar Moon Continent could only look up to and never dared to dream of interacting with them.

Yet now, such a group of powerhouses had all been effortlessly suppressed by Pedestrian A with just one hand. The Stellar Moon beastmasters, who had repeatedly had their confidence crushed, were utterly disoriented.

Meanwhile, the beastmasters from Blue Planet were also swallowing hard in excitement. Although they didn’t know how Lu Ran had achieved this, as beastmasters from Blue Planet, they clearly understood that the Limitless City of Blue Planet had no ability to help beastmasters unify attributes.

In other words, this Spiritual Speech Crow before them had indeed been nurtured by Lu Ran from an ordinary animal. Previously, people had speculated that the high-ranking beasts Lu Ran had contracted later had replaced his initial three familiars, becoming his new trump cards.

However, they realized they were wrong. This crow was undoubtedly stronger than the elemental sprite or the mechanical angel, if not equal to them.

“Lu God! One against ten!”

“Lu God! One against ten!”

As Lu Ran himself declared he would take on ten, the emotions of the Blue Planet beastmasters were ignited, and they roared wildly, leaving Lin Nian and the others on the contestant seats speechless.

Do we really just end up as spectators?

Unprecedented chaos erupted among the Stellar Moon audience. Even Master Merlin, who had earlier explained unified attributes and the sprite system to everyone, hadn’t anticipated this outcome.

Her gaze was heavy as she stared at Lu Ran on the stage and the recently recalled Dark Crow. The old woman stood up, leaning on her crystal ball staff.

“Quiet down. I really didn’t expect that Pedestrian A would also nurture a unique familiar. But no matter what, the battle must continue. Until the very last moment, Stellar Moon has not yet lost. Our next defender is the leader. He, along with the Ice Emperor, is a beastmaster who has truly conquered Mythical secret realms.

“The rules of Mythical secret realms require defeating a Low-Legendary of the same level in a 1v1 battle. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the crow has recovered. Including the elemental sprite and the mechanical angel, all three of them are at their limits after the battles. Under my eyes of divination, nothing can be hidden.

“Pedestrian A’s strength is waning. Admittedly, Blue Planet sending out their strongest beastmaster to challenge first greatly boosts morale, but the outcome is far from decided.”

Mentioning the next defender calmed the Stellar Moon audience slightly. However, they were still left uneasy. They had been just as confident when previous defenders took the stage. Yet in the end, Lu Ran crushed them all.

Will the leader suffer the same fate?

“The leader will definitely win. After all, even gods from history were personally defeated by the leader.”

“Speaking of which, I’m suddenly recalling the Beastmaster King and the Beastmaster King’s Top General. Why didn’t these two participate in the World War?”

“If they had joined, Blue Planet would truly stand no chance.”

“Could Limitless City management privileges not attract them?”

After mentioning the leader’s conquest of a Legendary secret realm, the Stellar Moon crowd remembered the first beastmaster to conquer a Mythical secret realm. It was the mysterious Beastmaster King.

The Beastmaster King...?

Master Merlin also shook her head. According to prophecy, the Beastmaster King was the true ruler of the Beastmaster Empire, and likely a revived ancient being like the Ice Emperor. However, unlike the Ice Emperor, the Beastmaster King’s motives remained unknown.

The leader of the Stellar Moon Republic took the stage. The Mechanical Leader was not only Stellar Moon’s strongest Mechanical-attribute beastmaster but also its nominal leader. With a cold expression, he stepped forward, knowing that Lu Ran had become the greatest obstacle to Stellar Moon’s progress.

Unlike the previous beastmasters, the Mechanical Leader exuded an intense malice from the moment he appeared. It was not necessarily directed at Lu Ran personally, but undoubtedly aimed at anything hindering Stellar Moon’s advancement.

The Mechanical Leader’s first words were devoid of emotion, silencing both sides of the audience.

“Surrender.”

No one understood why the leader would ask Lu Ran to surrender outright in such a situation.

“Lu Ran of Blue Planet, I admit you are not only Blue Planet’s strongest but also the most promising beastmaster. Even in Stellar Moon’s history, your potential is unmatched. Given time, your achievements will rival those of the legendary figures of the past. However, in this battle, Stellar Moon cannot lose.

“I can sense that despite your eccentric actions, your heart is not truly evil. At the very least, not a single Stellar Moon beastmaster has died by your hand, even though you clearly had the power to kill every opponent. However, in the next battle, you might die. So, if you wish to live, surrender now.” The Leader repeated.

Lu Ran remained unfazed by the Mechanical Leader’s intimidation, lazily patting his mouth as he yawned. “Bring it on.”

Upon seeing Lu Ran’s indifference, the Mechanical Leader said no more. He had done his part. What came next was beyond his control, and Lu Ran would have to fend for himself. Asking Lu Ran to surrender was the last shred of his goodwill.

[First Round.]

[Defender #8: Mechanical Leader.]

[Challenger #1: Pedestrian A.]

[Battle Rules: 3v3]

Although Stellar Moon was the defending side, it felt as if Blue Planet was the one holding the stage. Lu Ran stood like a demon king, crushing one challenger after another. This battle carried an unprecedented weight.

The Mechanical Leader’s words silenced both Stellar Moon and Blue Planet beastmasters, leaving them to watch in tense anticipation.

“Lu Ran is done for.”

On Blue Planet’s side, Oub of the Eagle Federation, who had been defeated by Fang Lan, watched as Lu Ran dominated Stellar Moon. Even he had to admit Lu Ran’s strength was impressive. However, seeing the Mechanical Leader’s expression, treating Lu Ran as the ultimate enemy, he knew something terrifying was about to unfold.

“Never provoke a mechanic, especially one who has inherited the mechanical legacy of the Stellar Moon Republic,” Oub murmured.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The next moment, the countdown reached zero. Before anyone could react, three summoning arrays appeared around the Mechanical Leader, and a blinding white light instantly engulfed the entire stage.

Although the stage was seemingly small, it was actually an independent alternate space. It was boundless, capable of accommodating battles between beasts thousands of meters tall. Yet now, in an instant, the stage was flooded with endless white light.

The blinding radiance, accompanied by deafening explosions, caused even the invisible energy barriers protecting the audience seats to ripple violently. The explosions were relentless. While Baby Cloud’s earlier elemental nuke had been terrifying, this was on another level entirely. Most shockingly, it lasted far longer.

The explosions showed no sign of stopping, as if they would continue indefinitely. The audience grew almost numb to the relentless noise.

“What... What is this?”

On Blue Planet’s side, the ancient beastmasters shouted as Lu Ran vanished into the light. The Stellar Moon beastmasters also watched with their hearts pounding as the stage became a world of light.

Holy shit. Did the leader just drop a nuke on the stage? Wouldn’t he blow himself up too?

Master Merlin’s voice cut through the chaos. “That’s the Stellar Moon Republic’s superweapon, the Light of Annihilation. At full power, it could erase the Republic itself from the continent’s map in an instant.

“It even boasts the feat of slaying a divine beast in one strike. If I’m not mistaken, the leader is using an ability similar to the Light of Annihilation. According to battle rules, neither side can use weapons above the Epic grade. The true Light of Annihilation is undoubtedly Legendary-grade and thus unusable.

“However, I believe the Mechanical Leader has developed a simplified version. As the leader said, no ordinary lifeform could survive such an attack...” Master Merlin exhaled, gazing at the stage still engulfed in divine light.

The crowd was stunned.

A superweapon capable of killing a god in one strike? Did the Mechanical Leader conquer that Mythical secret realm using this weapon?

Although this version might not match the true Light of Annihilation, it undoubtedly possessed the power to slay a Lower-Legendary, given the secret realm’s clearance records. The records wouldn’t lie.

“Holy shit.”

Earlier, everything had been within the audience’s comprehension. Even when unexpected twists occurred, they could quickly process the information. But now, with the stage swallowed by light, Blue Planet’s audience’s hearts leaped into their throats.

“Damn it, what the hell is this? Why is there no movement? Is Lu Ran okay?” Pluto stood up, his worry palpable.

“During the Mechanical Era, Stellar Moon relied on such weapons to intimidate the Legendary divine beasts. Who’d have thought the Mechanical Leader would treat Lu Ran to the same hospitality as those beasts?” Pluto’s brother’s eyes flickered.

This time, it was Blue Planet’s turn to erupt in chaos. The explosions lasted about ten minutes. It was the longest battle since the World War began.

Whether the skill was designed to last this long or whether the Mechanical Leader wanted to ensure absolute victory by exhausting every ounce of power was unknown. Those ten minutes felt like an eternity.

The Stellar Moon side was already celebrating, convinced that the Light of Annihilation had obliterated Lu Ran. But soon, a voice shattered the chaos.

“Logically, if Lu Ran died or lost the ability to fight, even if the attack hadn’t ended, Limitless City should have announced the battle’s conclusion. So why, after ten minutes, has there been no announcement...?”

This voice, like a whisper from the underworld, silenced the audience.

In the Stellar Moon contestant seats, Bai Lu, Death Gun, and Kongkong Yi sighed and shook their heads at the brutal scene. They didn’t seem to believe this could defeat Lu Ran.

Blue Planet’s side also noticed that despite the terrifying spectacle, a few among their ten contestants remained eerily calm from start to finish.

Soon, the light began to fade, and the ravaged stage came into view. Although the method was unclear, the Mechanical Leader’s massive mecha was encased in a film of light, seemingly unharmed by the Light of Annihilation. However, while it hadn’t taken damage, the towering black mecha now knelt on one knee, one hand propping it up, as if drained of energy.

The sheer expenditure of power to unleash that attack had left the leader exhausted. However, whether it was the Mechanical Leader inside the mecha, the mecha itself, or the Stellar Moon audience, all fell into a dead silence as they stared ahead.

There was no sign of Lu Ran being reduced to ashes. Instead, a majestic dragon stood like a king. It stood on two legs, its robust body clad in armor, with red pauldrons on its shoulders and kneeguards on its legs. Although it was covered in cracks, its body showed no signs of severe injury. If anything, the blood staining its scales made it look even more fearsome.

The dragon dusted itself off.

“

Mmm~.

”

Lu Ran sat on the dragon’s shoulder.

As the light faded, he slowly removed sunglasses from Captain Doofus and said, “Is it over? My familiar is tired from blocking.”

Inside the mecha, the Mechanical Leader was stunned. “No... That’s impossible.”

He quickly opened the cockpit, teleported out, and stood on the mecha’s head. He was staring in disbelief at the dragon, which had only suffered minor injuries. For a dragon, such wounds barely counted as scratches.

“It... blocked it?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“It’s... It’s that Star Dragon Shield Spirit’s owner!”

The Stellar Moon beastmasters, who had been jubilant moments ago, felt their hearts shatter as absurdity filled their eyes.

[Species: Star Vortex Dragon]

[Attribute: Star, Dragon]

[Species Rank: Quasi-Legendary]

[Level: 70]

[Kin: Star Dragon Shield Spirit]

The data of Sudden Death King appeared before everyone. The words “Star attribute” left them breathless.

Star attribute? What the hell is that?