Beastmaster King

Although Gu Qingyi and Fang Lan were both confused, after Lu Ran explained everything and even revealed that the old president would be joining, they finally understood. Compared to cultivating a Legendary divine beast, inheriting an imperial seal, and rebuilding the Beastmaster Empire, it wasn't all that shocking.

Even though they were about to be pulled in as laborers, neither Gu Qingyi nor Fang Lan seemed to mind. In fact, they found it rather interesting and even asked Lu Ran whether they could be promoted if they performed well. Clearly, the two of them weren't very satisfied with just being Division Leaders. They were already aiming for higher positions.

"Greedy. Way too greedy!" Lu Ran shook his head helplessly. That position was already second only to the top, above thousands of others. Only the leaders of the Six Paths ranked higher.

Anything above that... Are they trying to become the empress?

Of course, Lu Ran wasn't going to agree.

"Let's give Dr. Gu and Fang Lan a heads-up first to get them mentally prepared. There's no way I'm sending them straight to the Amazon. Soon, I'll be heading to the Stellar Moon World with Six-Path Flower. With those two's current strength, they wouldn't be able to hold the fort in the Amazon against those ancient overlords. I'll have to settle everything once I get back..."

With a wave of his imperial robe, he headed off to request blood samples from Principal Shi Zhen.

***

After finishing everything, Lu Ran returned to the cross-world teleportation array. Before departing, he asked the Divine Deer how much longer it planned to stay.

Unfortunately, the Divine Deer had no intention of leaving Blue Planet just yet, so for this journey to the Stellar Moon World, Lu Ran would have to go alone. Without the Divine Deer to protect him in that world, he had to tread with utmost caution.

***

Underground Altar, deep within the Slumbering Forest of the Second Continent in the Stellar Moon World.

Lu Ran and Manager Ying returned once more. Squirrel God, who was guarding this area lazily, opened one eye. Seeing that it was the two of them again, it completely ignored them and continued resting. Since it didn't want to be disturbed, Lu Ran and Manager Ying left quietly on their own.

Along the way, Manager Ying fiddled with a phone and said, "Hey, Lu Ran. Your senior sent me a message a few days ago. She invited us to go watch the Divine Throne Cup. We came back just in time. The tournament hasn't even started yet."

"The Divine Throne Cup? What's that?" Lu Ran tilted his head.

Manager Ying explained, "It's a super tournament within the Stellar Moon Federation's beastmaster community. Only Legendary beastmasters can participate. The strongest beastmaster will be granted the title of 'Divine Throne.'It's sort of like the Go title matches on Blue Planet. Basically, this Divine Throne Cup gathers the top elites. Plenty of Legendary participants. Bai Lu wants us to go witness it firsthand."

"Let's skip it. We're swamped." Lu Ran shrugged.

"This year's Divine Throne Cup is being held in Limitless City. It's super convenient. There's no harm in watching. The Divine Throne, the Mechanical Leader, and the Sprite Queen—these three titles currently represent the highest beastmaster standards in the Stellar Moon Federation. You're bound to encounter them in the upcoming World War. Seeing their battles in person is far more valuable than studying documents.

"The Divine Throne is the highest standard of beastmaster strength under tournament conditions. They're a beastmaster whose familiars have been cultivated to near-divine levels.

"The Mechanical Leader represents the peak of the Stellar Moon Federation's mechanics. Maybe they're not the strongest in one-on-one combat, but the Mechanical Leader commands a mechanical army. They're skilled in army-scale warfare and even have the authority to launch forbidden weapons powerful enough to intimidate Legendary divine beasts. The Mechanical Leader is the Federation's final safeguard.

"The Sprite Queen is the most powerful plantmaster in the Federation. She reportedly received the blessing of the Nature God from the now-extinct sprite race while in an ascension realm. Innately attuned to nature, she possesses natural dominance in plantmastery.

"This year's Divine Throne Cup isn't over yet, but odds are high that the current Divine Throne will defend the title successfully. According to my intel, if Bai Lu, Death Gun, and Kongkong Yi are the federation's most promising super geniuses nearing Legendary level, then the Divine Throne, the tMechanical Leader, and the Sprite Queen are the three Legendary beastmasters closest to becoming level 8 beastmasters. They are most likely to break into the Epic-Legendary level before the World War."

Hearing all that, Lu Ran fell into thought. "Three beastmasters approaching level 8, and three divine messengers. If I didn't have Six-Path Flower, I'd barely feel confident at all. I wonder what the rules of the World War are. If it's one-on-one, Blue Planet's in trouble."

"What, you think you can take on ten in a row if it's a challenge match?" Manager Ying glanced over.

Lu Ran pouted. "Whatever. I'm heading to Limitless City first. You stay outside for now, Manager Ying."

Manager Ying blinked. Only then did it remember that it couldn't enter Limitless City right now, which meant it couldn't spectate the match with Lu Ran.

"Damn it. How about we skip this and go do the Divine Deer's mission instead?"

"No."

"Huh?The Divine Throne Cup doesn't start until tomorrow. What's the rush? Why not hit the Endless Sea first?"

Lu Ran gave it a look. "Obviously, I'm going to challenge the Mythical secret realm first! Just wait for me."

"Meow, meow, meow?" Manager Ying fumed as it watched Lu Ran's figure disappear into the distance.

***

Stellar Moon's Limitless City.

Lu Ran arrived at his exclusive room. Inside, the room's design mirrored that of the one in Limitless City on Blue Planet. Lu Ran moved with ease to the secret realm system and began flipping through it. Soon, he found the page on Mythical secret realms. There were a total of twelve.

Lu Ran then summoned Six-Path Flower.

It surveyed the room and asked, "Are we challenging it now?"

"What, do you need to prepare?" Lu Ran asked.

"Not really. I've helped quite a few Transcendent plants awaken their intelligence. I've accumulated a lot of good energy. I should be fine even in a high-intensity battle," Six-Path Flower said.

"OK. I'm going in, then. Let's see if this Wind Dog God is any good!"

[Name: Wind God Mountains]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Difficulty: Mythical]

[Secret Realm Introduction: The main habitat of the wind dog species, one of the three great dog species in the Stellar Moon World. The Wind Dog God is a Legendary divine beast born from this species and revered as their guardian deity.

[The Wind Dog God is the deity of wind and protection. Its life's mission is to protect the Wind Dog clan. When it has something to protect, its courage becomes boundless. It once engaged in a life-and-death battle with a more powerful Legendary divine beast to defend its kin.

[If what it guards is damaged, it becomes engulfed in explosive energy. Its primal instincts will awaken, and it devours its enemies' bones until nothing remains.

[(Wind Dog God, Wind Attribute, Low Legendary species. Its level matches the challenger's.)]

"All twelve Mythical secret realms have been explored by Stellar Moon beastmasters out of curiosity. Though none have ever cleared them, the data they've brought back is incredibly valuable.

"The current secret realm's basic description isn't complete. According to the information Manager Ying gathered, the Wind Dog God's favorite food is bones. Besides mastering the power of Wind, it also possesses bone marrow power. It can manipulate its own skeleton in battle. Its bones are harder than metal or stone.

"In addition, it can control its enemy's skeleton just by touch—ripping bones out directly. That part... is especially dangerous," Lu Ran said again.

Six-Path Flower remained expressionless. "You said it yourself—I don't have bones."

"You don't, but I do. Once we're inside, please summon a Wood Asura immediately so I can hide inside and be protected. Thanks. Even though I have the Divine Deer Pendant, I don't want to know what it feels like to have my bones yanked out. Especially when said bones might be eaten by a dog afterward," Lu Ran replied.

"I get it, I get it. Go already!"

"Then... let's go!"

***

[Do you want to enter the Wind God Mountains Secret Realm?]

"Yes."

[Please choose your battle familiar. Once selected, your other familiars will be temporarily sealed.]

[1: Sword Domain Dog; 2: Shieldwing Dragon King; 3: Twin Crows; 4: Catastrophe Sprite; 5: Six-Paths Reincarnation Flower]

"5, Six-Paths Reincarnation Flower. Wait, is this a limitation? If I choose a different familiar, can Six Paths later undo the seal and summon the others to do a righteous two-on-one?" Lu Ran muttered.

But Limitless City didn't answer.

[Selection complete. Initiating teleportation...]

In the next moment, Lu Ran and Six-Path Flower were enveloped by a halo of light. They felt as if the world spun around them as an immense spatial force transported them to an unknown destination.

[Teleportation complete.]

[Current Location: Wind God Mountains]

[Difficulty: Mythical]

[Mission: Defeat the Wind Dog God.]

As the message echoed, Lu Ran and Six-Path Flower still felt dizzy. In that moment, they resembled falling stars—seemingly dropped straight from the heavens.

Like twin meteors, Lu Ran and Six-Path Flower crashed violently into a mountain range from the starry sky. The impact was devastating. Neither of them could control their landing. But thankfully, they didn't suffer any damage. After the deafening crash, it felt as though everything around them had been obliterated by their descent. The terrain, the lifeforms... everything.

When Lu Ran and Six-Path Flower opened their eyes and stood amidst the ruins, they instantly sensed a terrifying and overwhelming aura rapidly approaching. This aura brimmed with boundless fury. It was horrifying.

"So this is how it starts?" Six-Path Flower asked.

"Yup. Right from the beginning, they're pinning a crime on us. Destroying the Wind Dog God's sanctuary... and triggering its rage. Limitless City sure knows how to mess with us," Lu Ran replied.

As soon as he said that, the sky darkened. A massive figure leaped into the sky, locking its gaze onto Lu Ran and Six-Path Flower under the moonlight.

It was enormous. Its entire body was a pristine white, retaining a wolf-like, primal physique. Its yellow-green vertical pupils pierced into the soul. On its forehead and beneath its eyes were pairs of black wind markings. Its entire form radiated the power of wind, which swirled around it like black wind traces.

"AWOOO!"

With an enraged roar, it slashed a paw through the air—and instantly, a black storm gale tore toward them.