Chapter 76 - Insect King’s Revenge (Part 2)

Sensing trouble brewing, Sudden Death King groaned internally.

Second Master is really good at finding things for me to do. I thought Lu Ran was going to turn down the challenge! Even if the opponent is a cricket—one of my former meals—I still feel uneasy. After all, Insect King is a cricket, and he’s terrifying.

“Let’s go,” Lu Ran said with a shrug. “We’ll find an open space.”

Beast battles had initially been banned within city limits, but with the advent of the spiritual energy revival and the increasing need for citizens to eliminate mutated beasts, such battles became unavoidable. The rule was eventually disregarded. As long as no one deliberately disturbed the peace or caused significant property damage, private duels were largely overlooked. Beastmasters walking their large familiars around had also become an ordinary sight.

Before long, Lu Ran and Yang Xishuai found a patch of grass for their beast battle. Their actions quickly drew the attention of passersby.

“Hey, there’s going to be a beast battle. Let’s go watch!”

“Isn’t that the guy who was walking with the Five Poisons Saintess?”

“Wait, isn’t that Old Yang’s grandson?”

The crowd grew larger, but both Lu Ran and Yang Xishuai ignored the onlookers.

Sudden Death King had already climbed onto the grass, sighing repeatedly. Meanwhile, Yang Xishuai confidently pulled out his black card to summon his familiar.

“Come on out, my loyal warrior.”

At his command, a summoning formation appeared on the grass, and a half-meter-long golden cricket emerged in a burst of light. Its glossy armor, long antennae, thin and shiny wings, and six muscular legs gave it the appearance of a disciplined soldier. Its sharp mandibles gleamed ominously in the sunlight.

“Scree—!”

The cricket chirped loudly, raising its wings in a display of battle readiness. Its posture exuded a fierce and combative spirit. Cricket Warrior glanced at Sudden Death King, completely unfazed. It didn’t care that its opponent was a lizard—normally a predator of crickets. After all, Cricket Warrior had recently defeated countless predators and considered itself invincible.

“I have to say, Old Yang’s grandson really knows how to raise crickets. No wonder his family is famous for it.”

“If there were another Insect Fighting Tournament, and transcendent insects were allowed, he’d definitely win first place.”

“No, no, no. The other day, I saw a cricket the size of a person—absolutely ridiculous!”

The crowd buzzed with lively debates.

“Waka.”

At the same time, Sudden Death King gulped nervously, its gaze fixed on the Cricket Warrior.

A golden one? Isn’t Insect King also a metal attribute? What do I do?

Even though the Cricket Warrior was smaller than Insect King, Sudden Death King couldn’t shake the thought,

What if it’s one of those cases where good things come in small packages?

Its anxiety deepened as it noticed the confident expressions on Yang Xishuai and the Cricket Warrior’s faces.

“Waka, waka, waka. Waka, waka!”

Sudden Death King cried out repeatedly, its distress evident.

Whoa, that thing has terrifying mandibles. If it bites me, I’ll definitely die.

It turned to Lu Ran with a pleading look, clearly hoping for guidance or reassurance.

“What’s it saying?” Yang Xishuai asked curiously, hearing the odd sounds coming from Lu Ran’s familiar.

Only a beastmaster could understand their familiar’s speech. Unless Sudden Death King mastered a skill like telepathy, it couldn’t communicate directly with anyone else.

“You really want to know?” Lu Ran replied, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “It said, ‘Those mandibles are terrifying. If they bite me, I’ll definitely die.’”

Lu Ran mimicked Sudden Death King’s tone perfectly, adding a touch of dry humor.

“Damn.”

Yang Xishuai frowned. Even though the words seemed like an admission of weakness, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Lu Ran and his familiar were mocking him.

“Hehe, don’t get cocky. You’ll see its strength soon enough! Go!” Yang Xishuai commanded.

The Cricket Warrior launched forward with lightning speed, leaping through the air like a battle-hardened general. Its sharp mandibles glinted ominously as it charged straight at Sudden Death King.

Lu Ran, however, didn’t give any instructions. He simply watched calmly, leaving Sudden Death King to handle the situation on its own.

Sudden Death King panicked. It wanted to use its Lightning Scale Armor to protect itself, but because of the size of the field and Yang Xishuai’s lack of courtesy, Cricket Warrior had already struck before Sudden Death King had a chance to form its armor.

“Kaa!”

With metal-element energy covering its mandibles like a spear, the Cricket Warrior slashed at Sudden Death King’s body.

Just as Sudden Death King was about to cry out in pain, there was a sharp screech. The Cricket Warrior’s mandibles had slammed into something solid, as if it had struck a rock. It was the Cricket Warrior that was in pain!

“Shhh—!”

The force of the impact sent the Cricket Warrior flying backward, its head spinning as if it had been hit by a hammer. Even Sudden Death King was stunned.

Yang Xishuai’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Damn, it didn’t even break the defense?”

The crowd began murmuring, “That lizard has insane defense.”

“That attack was infused with metal-element energy. It could have sliced through stone, but it didn’t even scratch the lizard’s hide.”

“No wonder he’s friends with the Five Poisons Saintess. He must be an amazing beastmaster too.”

“Impossible!”

The voices around him were too much for Yang Xishuai to handle. Refusing to accept the outcome, he yelled, “Bite him!”

This time, Sudden Death King finally reacted, and sparks of lightning flickered across its body. Unfortunately, it only managed to cover itself in basic lightning energy, not fully forming its armor. The Cricket Warrior attacked again, frightening Sudden Death King even further.

The moment it touched Sudden Death King’s lightning-covered body, the Cricket Warrior was stunned by a shock. Smoke rose from its body as it twitched and collapsed on the ground.

Sudden Death King looked down at the fallen Cricket Warrior, completely bewildered.

Huh? What just happened? That attack was so fast. I didn’t even get a chance to form my armor. How did it just fall over?

Sudden Death King stared at the motionless Cricket Warrior, unsure whether it should continue forming its Lightning Spikes Armor.

“Waka.”

I didn’t even activate my full defense, and you’re already down?

Sudden Death King was utterly shocked. It had thought this Cricket Warrior would be formidable, but it couldn’t even penetrate its basic defenses!

“It seems like the fight is over,” Lu Ran remarked. “It’s just minor paralysis—nothing serious, so just take it to rest. I’m leaving now.”

With that, the battle ended swiftly.

Fang Lan couldn’t help but comment, “Its defense is amazing.”

“It does have a knack for that.” Lu Ran smiled.

“Even when it first awakened, its scales could rival a wild stone boar that had covered itself in rock-element energy. But now...” Lu Ran chuckled and continued walking with Fang Lan.

After a moment of hesitation, Sudden Death King hurriedly followed. It had leveled up several times, and thanks to Captain Doofus, it had eaten a bunch of Hearts of the Insect, which greatly increased the hardness of its scales. Its defenses had long since surpassed anything that could be compared.

If it activated its Lightning Spikes Armor, Lu Ran was certain that Sudden Death King could stand still without attacking and still reflect enough damage to defeat most wild level 10 creatures.

Of course, Lu Ran had also noticed its flaw. Its reaction time was still a bit slow. It couldn’t activate its armor instantly, which was the downside of not mastering energy flow techniques.

It also hadn’t practiced turning its Lightning Spikes Armor on and off repeatedly, so it needed more training. Captain Doofus would have to keep prodding it, especially when it wasn’t expecting it.

Meanwhile, Sudden Death King was reflecting on its performance, thinking it should never deactivate its armor again.

Danger can strike too quickly! From now on, I’ll keep my armor on at all times. Even when I’m sleeping!

Lu Ran and Fang Lan had left the field, but Yang Xishuai stood there in a daze.

His Cricket Warrior... hadn’t even broken through Sudden Death King’s defense! It had electrocuted itself into unconsciousness!

How did this happen!?

Feeling the weight of the onlookers’ stares, Yang Xishuai’s vision went black.

How is Lu Ran this strong!?