King of Beasts

Green Sea City.

After coming out, Lu Ran found a few messages.

Zhao Chen had already arrived in Green Sea City and mentioned that if Lu Ran had time, they could meet up.

Seeing the message, Lu Ran didn’t rush to contact the newly appointed chairman of the Green Sea Association. Instead, he walked to the window and whistled.

In the next moment, a small dark crow landed on the windowsill outside.

“Where is the Thunder Dragon General?” Lu Ran asked the dark crow, which served as his eyes all over Green Sea City.

By now, the crow army had woven a vast intelligence network covering Green Sea for Lu Ran.

“Ah!” The small dark crow indicated that the Thunder Dragon General was currently near Jiuquan Town.

Jiuquan Town is a small town at the border of the neighboring city.

For the seven general beasts of Green Sea, not much trouble usually arises within the city. It’s these “border areas” that tend to be the most troublesome, often experiencing invasions from “external forces.”

Unfortunately, without a direct order from King Lu, they couldn’t invade other territories. For now, the seven general beasts had to focus on defending their turf.

“Hmm…” Lu Ran scratched his chin thoughtfully and said, “Send the message… Oh, no, please notify it to wait for me at the foot of Emerald Mountain.”

“Ah!” The black crow immediately flew away upon receiving the order.

Seeing this, Lu Ran also began to pack up, preparing to head out.

……

Returning to reality was a rare relief for Lu Ran, lifting his spirits considerably.

Reflecting on the past few days, he felt a twinge of fatigue.

Although the frequency of entering the abyss secret realm twice a day was not too high, it was still taxing.

Besides challenging the secret realm, General Ha also needed rest, and Lu Ran had to train with it, practicing the Blizzard Sword Intent. His schedule was jam-packed.

What left Lu Ran speechless was that whether it was the fierce beast’s sword momentum or the Blizzard Sword Momentum, he comprehended them quite quickly, always a step ahead of General Ha each time.

However, when it came to the mystical realm of sword intent, he couldn’t make any breakthrough, puzzling him about what he might be doing wrong.

Lu Ran had a hunch that mastering the Blizzard Sword Intent, along with his current physical condition, would significantly enhance his combat abilities. At the very least, it would allow him to personally confront normal supernatural beings. Therefore, mastering this skill was essential for his survival.

Before long, Lu Ran arrived at the foot of Emerald Mountain by taxi.

Due to the presence of supernatural beasts all over Emerald Mountain, it had been closed to tourists, much like Qingwu Lake.

Tourist spots across the country were in a similar state. Even if they weren’t closed, at this stage, it’s unlikely anyone would be foolish enough to go sightseeing in the beautiful landscapes of the motherland. After all, people cherish their lives, and reckless actions often lead to danger.

Undoubtedly, the tourism industry in the nation had been severely hit. However, conversely, the once-declining hunting industry had begun to experience a gradual resurgence.

“Roar!!!”

As Lu Ran entered Emerald Mountain, he spotted the Sudden Death King from a distance. When the Sudden Death King opened its mouth to roar, it startled Lu Ran. A few days apart, and even its voice had changed.

It must be going through voice mutation.

Not only had its voice changed, but as Lu Ran rubbed his eyes, he noticed that the Sudden Death King seemed to be standing upright now!

Standing over a meter tall, it balanced on two legs, its back adorned with rows of protruding black-brown scaled armor. Its yellow-brown belly contrasted with its large, orange-red eyes that gleamed with excitement upon seeing Lu Ran.

It looked like a miniature Godzilla.

“Wow ka!” On seeing Lu Ran, the Sudden Death King’s voice returned to its normal timbre.

It seemed genuinely happy that Lu Ran had finally come to see it.

“Why are you standing up?” Lu Ran asked as he approached, bewildered.

[I’ve seen this stance on TV. It looked really cool, so I decided to try it out,] the Sudden Death King said, raising its hand.

Lu Ran: ???

What on earth were you and General Ha watching on TV? General Ha learns makeup, and you learn surrender stances?!

Why pick up such random stuff…

Lu Ran was too exasperated to even make a snarky remark and felt a bit fatigued mentally.

The Sudden Death King truly had a “transformation.” It was almost like it had become a different species.

[Also, standing like this allows for better defense!]

As it spoke, the Sudden Death King’s body crackled with electricity. In addition to the Thunder Spike Armor covering it, it shaped a massive electric shield with one of its front claws and held it in front of itself.

Shield and armor, a double-layer defense!

Lu Ran: “…”

Fine, I underestimated your obsession with defense.

Lu Ran thought, am I going to have to start forging a full set of armor and a shield for you after I finish forging swords for General Ha?

“Not bad, your energy shaping skills are getting more proficient, even better than General Ha’s back then.”

Lu Ran sighed but eventually gave praise. Compared to before, the Sudden Death King had shown significant improvement in energy shaping.

General Ha could learn any energy skill quickly due to its versatility. However, the Sudden Death King’s talents seemed heavily focused on energy shaping. Lu Ran wondered if it would eventually gain some form of “shield intention.”

“Wow ka!” Hearing Lu Ran’s approval, the Sudden Death King grinned from ear to ear. Then, it quickly turned around, ran back, and brought a large bag to Lu Ran.

[Trophies! Trophies!]

It opened the bag, revealing a heap of advanced resources it had collected.

“Well, well, you even know how to gather treasures and turn them in. Raising you wasn’t in vain.”

Lu Ran smiled at the Sudden Death King, noticing a significant change in its demeanor. It seemed much more confident, likely realizing that its strength gave it an overwhelming advantage over the wild creatures.

Lu Ran, quite pleased, said, “I have a special resource. Do you want it?”

The Sudden Death King looked at Lu Ran with eager eyes.

“It’s a special resource that can greatly enhance your vitality and defense.”

The Sudden Death King looked solemn, its eyes gleaming with excitement.

Dreaming of having the world’s strongest defense, how could it not want this?

“It’s called the ‘Red Lightning’ trait. Once absorbed, it will turn the white electric current on your body into red.”

“The special effect of Red Lightning is such that every time you get struck by lightning or electrocuted, it has a unique body-forging effect that rapidly increases your physical constitution.”

Initially, the Sudden Death King was delighted, but as Lu Ran continued speaking, its expression became stiff.

Struck by lightning? Electrocuted to enhance physical constitution?

Wouldn’t that… lead to sudden death?

“What’s there to be afraid of? You’re naturally a thunder type with strong lightning resistance. Haven’t you ever encountered thunder-type opponents? Did their lightning ever hurt you?” Lu Ran explained.

“Wow ka…” The Sudden Death King paused, recalling. It seemed… their lightning really hadn’t caused it much harm.

“Wow ka!” The Sudden Death King pounded its chest, eager not to be underestimated by Lu Ran. It declared that it was just joking earlier and that it was no longer its old self. For the dream of having the world’s strongest defense, it would even be willing to undergo special training at the cost of getting hurt!

“That’s the spirit! Once you fuse with it, I’ll apply to the city for a powerful power station specifically for your lightning body-forging training,” Lu Ran said. As the King of Green Sea, having a small privilege to train his pet beast wasn’t too much to ask, right?

Sudden Death King: ???

A power station??

The Sudden Death King froze again.

Wasn’t it supposed to use the lightning from thunder-type pet beasts for body-forging?

How did it suddenly involve a power station?

“Let’s see if you’ve reached level 10 yet…”

Lu Ran’s primary Eye of Data couldn’t check the Sudden Death King’s attributes, but he felt it was likely.

After all, without a beast taming contract, a pet beast’s level upgraded quickly in the backdrop of spiritual energy resurgence. Over this period, he hadn’t skimped on feeding the Sudden Death King advanced food.

“In recognition of your determination, take this and try to fuse with the Red Lightning trait afterward.” With that, Lu Ran produced a Dragon Blood Crystal.

Seeing this, the Sudden Death King’s eyes lit up, and it immediately smelled a tempting fragrance.

Lu Ran tossed it, and the Sudden Death King stepped forward, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed it whole.

Gulp.

It swallowed it directly.

In the next moment.

The Sudden Death King felt its blood start to boil and burn, its expression becoming ferocious.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Even Lu Ran seemed to hear the Sudden Death King’s heartbeat.

Under Lu Ran’s astonished gaze, the Sudden Death King’s body further grew, rapidly expanding. After consuming the Dragon Blood Crystal with its “enhance vitality” effect, the Sudden Death King’s height reached about 1.7 meters, almost catching up to Lu Ran.

“ROAR!!!”

After a few minutes of digestion, the Sudden Death King felt its physique strengthen further. Unable to contain its excitement, it roared while clenching its claws, looking at Lu Ran with wide eyes, understanding the rarity of the resource just consumed.

It, the Thunder Dragon General Sudden Death King, swore from this moment forth to become the most unyielding shield in King Lu’s hand!

Getting the necessary resources, even if it involves getting beaten up, is a fair trade.

“Next, we have this.”

Lu Ran figured the Sudden Death King should definitely be above level 10 by now. He produced the Red Lightning trait crystal and tossed it to the Sudden Death King.

He hoped this would provide a significant boost.

However, no matter how hard the Sudden Death King tried, it couldn’t absorb the Red Lightning trait crystal.

“Hmm?” Lu Ran was puzzled.

Just then, a series of eerie laughs came from a nearby tree.

“Hehehe, you didn’t know? Trait crystals can only be absorbed by contract pet beasts.”

“Even if they have the right level, they cannot absorb trait crystals without a contract.”

“It seems the mighty King of Green Sea isn’t very well-versed in beast taming knowledge.”

“Who’s there?” Lu Ran looked around sharply. The voice didn’t sound human. Scanning quickly, he spotted a bizarre-looking young man perched on a tree. The man was dressed in a burgundy suit, with pale skin, and excessively long hair and fingernails.

The most unsettling aspect was the pair of bat-like wings flapping at his sides!

From his sharp teeth and peculiar attire, Lu Ran’s mind immediately supplied the word, vampire!

“Roar!” In an instant, Lu Ran’s mind buzzed with alarm. He had a bad feeling. Beside him, the Sudden Death King also sensed an extremely deadly threat, glaring at the uninvited guest, feeling an indescribable pressure from him.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Monroe from The Other Shore, a level 51 Vampire Count. I’m here to…”

“…take your life!”