Beastmaster King

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

The Divine Bull roared in fury, its stump sealing with Rock energy as it formed a temporary leg to restore mobility. Surging with power, it was ready to charge like a mountain. However, before it could take two steps, it collapsed face-first.

Thud!

Only then did the Divine Bull realize that the severed area was now covered in dark purple patterns that were spreading rapidly across its body.

"Poison?"

Not only had its leg been mysteriously severed, but poison had also been hidden within the wound, infiltrating it. As the Divine Bull's energy churned and its body weakened, it strained to keep its eyes open.

Then, Dark Crow remarked in a despair-inducing tone again, "Pain Amplification. Defense Reduction. Poison Resistance Decrease."

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

With each word, a ripple of power flashed over the Divine Bull, and its agony multiplied exponentially.

"What... are you?"

The ancient Divine Bull had never encountered such a bizarre opponent. It couldn't even comprehend the methods used against it, making it feel completely powerless.

"This is the price of defying the king."

The Evil God's Eye gleamed coldly. It had prepared so thoroughly, and even sacrificed one of its eyes, yet the Divine Bull was this weak. Maybe it hadn't fully recovered, or maybe this was all the power it had.

"Go to hell and repent.Caw! Caw! Caw!"

With Dark Crow's final words, the Divine Bull began growing black feathers all over. It shrank, its form changing, until it became a black crow, flying uncontrollably toward an unknown destination.

Almi felt as though he was trapped in a nightmare. He had thought the Calamity Pistol was Lu Ran's trump card, but he was wrong.

Although frozen, Almi's pants were now soaked. He was terrified of the dreadful eye, fearing he'd be next. He tried to speak but couldn't make a sound. Then, Dark Crow released its hold on him.

What is this crow? How can it crush the ancient Divine Bull with such bizarre methods?

"P-please spare me!" Almi begged.

"I don't understand your language."

Dark Crow invaded his mind, imprinting strange symbols in Almi's eyes. Once it was done, the eye slowly faded away. As one of the former top ten kings and India's strongest, Almi couldn't be dealt with too harshly to avoid causing a stir. So, Dark Crow simply made him forget certain things.

***

Not long after, in the Amazon, the Beastmaster Empire.

Six-Path Flower, who had just reluctantly sent #18 into the Time Hell, looked up at the sky, where a crow was flying in from afar. The crow landed before Six-Path Flower and reverted to the massive Divine Bull. Though it still twitched slightly, its mental state had clearly improved when compared to before.

"That damn crow... Just you wait!"

The Divine Bull roared again, unleashing powerful shockwaves that sent nearby rubble floating into the air. However, before it could revel in its rage, an overwhelming Legendary pressure doused it like cold water, forcing it to calm down instantly. It turned to the Mortal Path Six-Path Flower floating in the sky, sensing a deadly threat.

"Who are you?"

This one... feels even stronger than that crow!

"Consider me an accomplice of the crow that brought you here. If you couldn't even beat that dumb bird, don't bother resisting here. It's better for both of us," Six-Path Flower said flatly.

The ancient Divine Bull's eyes widened in shock. It immediately turned and fled.

What the hell is going on? Now isn't the time to fight!

It hadn't run far when it spotted a half-human, half-deer girl picking mushrooms. Upon seeing the strange creature, the Divine Bull charged straight at it, planning to trample it without a second thought.

Noticing the incoming threat, Lu Yao raised its hand curiously, and vines from the ground instantly entangled the Divine Bull. No matter how hard it struggled, the vines wouldn't break. Only then did the Divine Bull reassess the little deer girl in stunned disbelief.

A moment later, the vines began draining its life force. In an instant, the Divine Bull withered into a dried-up beef jerky, staring blankly at the sky.

"Monsters... All monsters..." the Divine Bull muttered.

How... is this possible? Even in ancient times, such creatures were unheard of.

"According to that dumb bird, you have a bad temper. It was very polite when it first visited, yet you attacked it outright. In that case, you'll be sent to the Hell Path to cleanse your sins and purify your mind. Your final destination will depend on your reformation progress. Such a hassle."

Six-Path Flower approached and flicked its finger, summoning a black hole-like sphere that swiftly sucked the Divine Bull inside. Afterward, Six-Path Flower glanced at the little deer before turning away.

Honestly, it felt like the quasi-Legendary creature that Dark Crow had brought back was too weak. It was nowhere near the other two quasi-Legendaries from Emperor Yun's era. At the same level, it was pathetically weak. It probably just lucked into a Legendary resource and evolved through that alone.

***

The Other Shore Island.

By now, the Other Shore Island had become fully subordinate to Xia, with countless Xia beastmasters visiting the Undead Secret Realm every month for trials.

Some sought the Undead Resurrection beastmaster skill, while others hoped to master the Soul Culinary Intent that Lu Ran had mentioned, aspiring to become the next Soul Chef and make a name for themselves.

Of course, a few also came to nurture weapon spirits using the special weapons that Lu Ran had forged, like Xia Ri. As for Fang Lan, her Epic poison whip was too high-level to develop a spirit quickly. Hence, she was still shuttling between the Amazon, the Other Shore Island, and Xia. She was busy as ever.

That day, Lu Ran arrived at the Other Shore Island from Green Sea, but not because Sudden Death King's shield kin was ready for spirit nurturing. Rather, it was to attempt to forge the remains of the Wind Dog God and use it to help Corpse Dog undergo Possession Evolution. With so many souls gathered here, it was the ideal place for soul forging. Lu Ran came for added insurance.

While Lu Ran researched how to forge divine bones, his influence expanded at a terrifying rate.

In the ocean, Sudden Death King and Baby Cloud, under the banner of the Dragon Palace, declared war on one marine faction after another. They handled ordinary Overlord beasts themselves. If they encountered high-level or troublesome foes, they called in Dark Crow for remote assistance. Ultimately, they planted the flag of the Beastmaster Empire across the seas.

On land, while assisting Sudden Death King, Dark Crow also used Foresight to seek out more quasi-Legendary creatures hidden across the continents.

Lu Ran himself did nothing, yet the experience bar of the imperial seal was steadily filling up. However, no one noticed the white-haired girl who resembled a goddess of life taking her first step onto Blue Planet, causing a white ripple at the cross-world teleportation array.

The newcomer—Bai Lu of the Stellar Moon Federation—explained, "The Divine Deer left me a message saying it came to Blue Planet to explore secrets. It said that if I needed it urgently, I could come here too, and that the guardian of the teleportation array, the Squirrel God, wouldn't stop me.

"The Stellar Moon Limitless City updated the World War details. With my current strength, forget MVP, I'm not even guaranteed a spot among Stellar Moon's representatives. Divine Deer... I can't stay reserved anymore. Otherwise, the Divine Deer's favor will all go to Lu Ran. I must take the initiative and ask for harsher training.".

Deep in the Amazon rainforest, the Divine Deer lifted its head.

"Hmm? Bai Lu is here? Perfect timing. I need to leave for a while, and the Six-Path Reincarnation God is too busy to babysit. Bai Lu can take care of Lu Yao for now."