Beastmaster King

"Damn, straight to the point!" Lu Ran exclaimed loudly.

Six-Path Flower immediately shielded him as countless towering trees erupted from the ground. Using the power of wood and grass, it instantly created layer upon layer of wooden shields to block the onslaught of black wind blades.

"Stay back," Six-Path Flower spoke while a Wooden Asura burst from the ground beneath Lu Ran's feet.

Following Lu Ran's request, Six-Path Flower had wrapped him inside the core of the Wooden Asura for protection the moment they entered.

"Be careful."

Lu Ran decided to observe the situation first before assisting Six-Path Flower. The Asura's protection alone wasn't enough, so he fully activated Flame Spirit, enveloping the Wooden Asura in a layer of Flame Spirit armor.

As the overlapping wooden shields were sliced apart like vegetables by the black wind blades, Lu Ran had already retreated a fair distance, leaving the battlefield entirely to Six-Path Flower and the Wind Dog God.

"Is this all you've got?" Six-Path Flower taunted as it faced the Wind Dog God's assault.

Its eyes then turned cold, casting aside all complex emotions to unleash divine pressure. Although the opponent was the Wind God, Six-Path Flower sensed that its control over wind was rather ordinary—merely a fusion of Space and Dark energies.

After a brief exchange of attacks and defenses, the Wind Dog God concluded that conventional methods wouldn't work against this foe.

Six-Path Flower's divine pressure erupted, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing. The ground beneath both Six-Path Flower and the Wind Dog God caved in, the earth crushed under the force. Yet, instead of being suppressed, the Wind Dog God's aura surged even higher, a tempest of power bursting from within.

Six-Path Flower's divine pressure was typically a tier stronger than that of others at the same level, enough to suppress most opponents. However, they had underestimated the will of the "Guardian God, God of Courage." The enemy's pressure only fueled the Wind Dog God's fighting spirit, allowing it to unleash even greater power.

"Not bad, but courage alone isn't enough."

By now, Six-Path Flower had repositioned itself beside Lu Ran, ignoring the flames as it perched on the shoulder of the Flame Spirit Asura. The shredded wooden shields, now glowing with evolution light, transformed into Asura Gods of various forms.

Compared to the earlier wooden shields, the bodies of these Wooden Asuras were as if tempered a thousand times, far more resilient. In an instant, dozens of Asura Gods emerged, their massive hands striking toward the Wind Dog God at blinding speed. This time, the Wind Dod God could only leave shallow marks that quickly healed on the Wooden Asuras.

In the blink of an eye, the Asuras pummeled the Wind Dog God into the ground with fists and palms, burying it in a crater. However, that wasn't enough. Their fists and palms continued hammering the earth, the tremors triggering earthquakes that caused countless mountains in the range to collapse.

"Holy shit, that's insane."

Witnessing this spectacle from within the Asura, Lu Ran couldn't help but marvel at Six-Path Flower's power. It was truly one of the top three plant lifeforms in history, capable of overwhelming even a Low Legendary being with ease.

"It's just that its level is too low. Limitless City has restricted its techniques to around level 50, while I, though also at level 50, have millennia of experience... But it's not over yet. It won't be defeated so easily."

Six-Path Flower sat on the Asura's shoulder, swinging its legs as it watched the Wind Dog God closely.

The Wooden Asuras showed no mercy; their brutal assault reducing the Wind Dog God's body to a pulp. Yet, despite the relentless attacks, Limitless City didn't announce victory. Instead, the Asuras' fists, initially crushing everything in their path, began to shatter as if striking something indestructible.

Amidst the sounds of breaking, a skeletal dog stood defiantly. Although its flesh was ruined, its bones remained unscathed. It had maintained a perfect framework.

In this state, the Wind Dog God seemed even more terrifying. Not only did it retain consciousness, but it also summoned gales, compressing its energy tenfold, twentyfold, fiftyfold, seventyfold, and even ninetyfold...

Nearing a hundredfold compression, the skeletal frame of the Wind Dog God became the core of a true Wind Dog God manifestation. The storm's form turned the Asuras' fists into mere vegetables tossed into a blender, instantly shredded by the raging winds.

Leveraging its unique skeletal structure and Legendary wind control, the Wind Dog God achieved ninetyfold energy compression at just over level 50, unleashing explosive power.

In the next moment, it darted between the Asuras like a storm, dismantling them one by one.

"See? I told you it wouldn't be easy. This is a Legendary being. Even if its flesh is destroyed, it won't go down without a fight," Six-Path Flower said.

"No problem. It can't maintain this state for long. I see that its bones are wearing down. There's a cost. Continued strain will affect its marrow's ability to regenerate flesh. As long as we outlast it, victory is ours!" Lu Ran reassured.

With that, Six-Path Flower snapped its fingers, and the dismantled Asuras began to regenerate. The Wind Dog God, having just dealt with the Asuras and now turning its attention to Lu Ran and Six-Path Flower, found itself blocked once more.

Six-Path Flower's current role resembled that of a plantmaster, using its summons to handle the enemy.

"Wait. If it has no other tricks, this will become a battle of endurance." Six-Path Flower agreed with Lu Ran's assessment.

The clash of wood and gales—or rather, Asuras and bones, continued as the number of Wooden Asuras grew into the dozens. The Wind Dog God was desperate to end the fight as it kept compressing its energy. But against a plant-based opponent like Six-Path Flower, its bone-manipulating abilities were severely limited.

Yet, despite being an illusion, the Wind Dog God displayed remarkable combat intelligence. Unnoticed by Lu Ran and Six-Path Flower, the air composition across the mountain range had completely changed.

The sky darkened. Lu Ran, who had been using Time Acceleration to speed up Six-Path Flower's stamina recovery, suddenly grimaced in pain.

"Fuck!" He let out an agonized scream.

Breathing in the altered air, his bones began to decay. Although the process was slow, Lu Ran felt his body breaking down.

"This isn't good. Stop breathing! Use the Divine Deer's Broken Horn!" Six-Path Flower panicked.

Of course, he knew to use the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer. Thankfully, it could heal such injuries, but like before, the healing was slow against wounds inflicted by Legendary opponents. The conflicting forces left Lu Ran in agony.

Worse, now that the air was toxic, Lu Ran couldn't breathe. Holding his breath was manageable for a short time, but prolonged suffocation was impossible. Fortunately, after some quick thinking, Six-Path Flower extended its hand, and a large trumpet flower grew from its arm, covering Lu Ran's mouth and nose like an oxygen mask.

"I'll purify the air. You can breathe now."

"This guy's tougher than I thought. Any other beastmaster, even with a Low-Legendary familiar, would have a low chance of clearing this," Lu Ran said while gasping.

"Yeah." Six-Path Flower watched the Wind Dog God, still besieged by Wooden Asuras, with a serious expression.

If a mere Low Legendary was this troublesome, how formidable would the Chaos Dragon God and its kin, the Gods of War, Slaughter, and Destruction, be? This battle was a prime example of gods fighting while mortals suffered.

Lu Ran, who was supposed to be support, had nearly died mid-fight. Thank goodness Six-Path Flower gave him artificial respiration.

"We're still far from enough."

Over a dozen hours later, Six-Path Flower and the Wind Dog God were still locked in a battle of attrition. Neither could gain the upper hand.

Witnessing it all, Lu Ran realized just how far Captain Doofus and the others were from Legendary beings. However, since challengers could use supplies, the prolonged fight eventually tipped in Lu Ran's favor.

After hours of relentless combat, the Wind Dog God's bones, which were constantly under energy compression, were riddled with cracks. Deprived of flesh and unable to regenerate by consuming enemy bones, it neared its limit.

"Die already!"

Growing impatient, Six-Path Flower channeled more good and evil energy to empower the Wooden Asuras. With a thunderous crash, the brittle skeletal dog was crushed once more. This time, it was reduced to dust.

Lu Ran grinned, but his expression quickly shifted.

It wasn't over. Defying expectations, the Wind Dog God's scattered ashes began reforming mid-air, fueled by a gust of faith energy. It was reviving.

"This thing just won't stay down." Six-Path Flower scowled.

As it prepared to attack again, Lu Ran stopped it.

"It's a deity of faith. As long as the wind of faith exists, who knows how many times we'll have to kill it. Leave the final blow to me."

"You know what to do?" Six-Path Flower asked.

Lu Ran nodded firmly. "Of course. If it's trapped in a windless void, cut off from the wind of faith, it won't be able to revive."

"Are you planning to use the Flame Spirit Domain to create a windless space and finish it off?"

"That's right."

Inside the Wooden Asura, Lu Ran controlled it to form a flaming sword in its hand. With a swing, the Flame Spirit Domain expanded, enveloping the reviving Wind Dog God.