Chapter 170: A One-Man Defense Against Thousands

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!Before the necromancer legion of Mingan set out.

Missionary Gory also stood atop the city wall, delivering a final rallying speech to these necromancers.

“The lackeys of the empire have infiltrated Mingan multiple times.”

“According to intelligence, they are about to launch a full-scale attack on Mingan.”

“We cannot sit idly by! Therefore, the ‘sudden death king’ will lead you in striking against the imperial faction!”

“You must follow the commands of the sudden death king without fail! Huo Di, Hei Yu, you two will also assist the sudden death king in battle.”

“And I will coordinate the remaining necromancers of Mingan to provide you with backup.”

Faced with Missionary Gory’s orders, the necromancers did not show much excitement; instead, they placed their palms on their chests in acknowledgment.

Kill!!!

Defeat the imperial army, and we can feast again!

Some necromancers’ eyes glowed green. Although Missionary Gory was relatively normal, not every necromancer was the same.

However.

Before Gory could continue introducing this necromantic power to Lu Ran and explain how to command them.

A phantom bee flew in and landed next to a necromancer’s ear.

After contacting the pet beast, the necromancer’s expression immediately changed, and they scrambled towards Gory, shouting, “Lord Gory, bad news.”

“Latest intelligence reports that a group of over two hundred imperial soldiers is secretly advancing towards Mingan!!”

“It seems they are about to launch an attack on Mingan!!”

At these words, the scene instantly erupted.

Gory, who had been calm, suddenly changed color and shouted, “What??? Is the information accurate??”

“Absolutely accurate!! The imperial army is mobilizing on a large scale, and their target is Mingan!!”

“This can’t be.” His mind was shaken, and he looked towards Lu Ran.

Gory was taken aback by Lu Ran’s laughter. “Damn, hahaha,” Gory found it hard to accept that Lu Ran could still laugh at a time like this.

“Xiao Gao, I’ve told you, the imperial faction never gives up. If you don’t strike first, they’ll come for you. Do you believe me now???” Lu Ran laughed.

It seemed that not only was he anxious, but the enemy challengers were too.

Anxiety all around.

“I…” Gory was speechless but relieved. Thankfully, Lu Ran had spotted the enemy’s incursions multiple times, prompting him to increase surveillance on the imperial faction. Otherwise, they might have been caught off guard by the empire’s attack.

Gory, still shaken, looked at everyone.

“You all heard it; our response was a step too slow. The imperial army is already marching towards Mingan!!”

“Next…”

Before Gory could finish, General Ha, the bone hound beside Lu Ran, leaped into the wind, and Lu Ran was swept up by the gale.

“Gory, you handle the mobilization. I’ll go ahead to stall the imperial army.”

“Remember to support me quickly.”

With that, Lu Ran hurried off, leaving Gory momentarily stunned.

“Your Excellency is noble!” Seeing Lu Ran go to buy them time alone, a group of necromancers was also stunned.

A good man, just like Lord Gory.

…

Meanwhile.

On a treacherous path leading to Mingan, the imperial army was indeed on the move.

Despite their attempts to conceal their movements, such a large force could not escape the necromancers’ surveillance.

The main issue was that the imperial army didn’t dare to split their forces.

They weren’t a special forces unit, just a group of remnants relying on numbers. If they split into smaller groups, they would be easily picked off by necromancers with superior concealment abilities.

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

Among the nine challengers, a black woman historian swallowed nervously.

Her eyelids had been twitching since earlier.

“Don’t worry, we’ve made so many preparations; we’ll be fine,” said the Beast Doctor.

It was known that Mingan had numerous necromancers and a powerful grass-type pet beast.

They had prepared countermeasures.

For example, they had equipped many fire-type weapons and even provided some to the imperial army for free.

As for light-type weapons to counter necromancy, those were standard issue.

Given these preparations, the challengers couldn’t fathom how they could lose.

“And even if we die, it’s no big deal. We won’t truly die,” said the Southeast Asian youth. “It just wastes time, and I’ve heard the sealing process is very painful.”

“Are there really no challengers in the opposing faction?” a Latin American youth frowned.

“Such an invincibility mechanism usually only appears in PVP scenarios, where challengers face off against each other.”

“If it’s just fighting the secret realm projections, there wouldn’t be an invincibility mechanism—we would truly die!”

“This secret realm was generated after we chose our faction. If there are no challengers on the other side, why does the invincibility mechanism exist?”

This was a common phenomenon. If a breakthrough secret realm involved beastmaster confrontations, there would often be a prompt: “Challenger deaths will not result in true death; they will return to normal after 30 days.”

Upon death, the body would be recovered by Infinite City, treated, and sealed.

During this time, the identity card would not be deactivated.

However, if the task didn’t involve PVP or confrontation between Blue Star beastmasters, but was purely PVE—fighting secret realm beastmasters or ferocious beasts, or completing a special task like Lu Ran’s superior chef assessment—death would be permanent.

The identity card would then be deactivated.

So, the presence of an invincibility mechanism in this mission was indeed a point of contention.

“Maybe it’s because it was designated as a confrontation-type secret realm before faction selection, and Infinite City didn’t anticipate everyone choosing the imperial faction, so it didn’t have time to adjust,” someone suggested.

At this, the knights’ expressions tightened.

“Enough with the defeatist talk. Whether there are challengers on the other side or not, we must win this mission!” the Glory Knight said.

For the three of them, wasting a month wasn’t a big deal. But for the Princess of Light, who was preparing to enter the Evolution Secret Realm, failure in this mission would be a devastating blow.

It would be worse than truly dying.

“We won’t lose,” said the Princess of Light. As soon as she spoke, a rumbling sound filled the sky.

Everyone looked up.

They saw dozens of massive rocks, like meteors, rapidly falling from the sky with an incredible whooshing sound!

The imperial beastmasters widened their eyes at this unbelievable sight.

At the center, Captain Kane shouted, “Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

These rocks were, of course, thrown by Lu Ran. He had previously gathered a lot of large stones in Mingan, storing them in a spatial backpack, waiting for this exact moment.

Using the gravitational potential energy from the high altitude, these “meteors” might not kill the strong, but for ordinary beastmasters, it was as devastating as a major rock-type skill.

They might be intercepted early, but it would at least deplete the enemy’s resources.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless giant rocks fell quickly, and the faces of everyone below changed. In the next instant, various release-type skills were fired into the sky.

Among these were several laser beams—the four members of the Knights of Light Order had joined in to help the Beast Taming Legion block the meteor attack.

However.

The meteor attack was only the first wave, or rather, a decoy.

While everyone’s attention was on the “meteors,” nine bone flying swords whizzed through the air.

The flying swords zigzagged erratically, with no discernible target, but with their incredible power and speed, they pierced through one pet beast after another, painting the sky with blood.

This sudden change threw the imperial faction into chaos.

“Who is it? Show yourself!”

The mysterious bone swords quickly drained the life from many pet beasts, then fell to the ground as if they had lost power. People looked warily at these fallen blades, realizing they were sharp bones.

With the swords on the ground, the crowd thought the danger had passed and began searching for the attacker.

“One, two, three, four…”

“Seven, eight, nine…”

A hoarse voice suddenly echoed from one side, causing everyone to turn abruptly. They saw a mysterious figure in a black robe, accompanied by a bone hound and dressed like a necromancer, slowly approaching them.

The figure was muttering some low, cryptic words that puzzled many in the imperial army.

“Judging by the outfits, there are nine of them.”

“Wait, are you from the Knights of Light Order?”

As the black-robed figure drew closer, the beastmasters of the imperial faction remained unresponsive. However, the Princess of Light and her companions were visibly shocked, staring at the mysterious figure in disbelief.

They instantly understood what Lu Ran meant.

A fellow countryman…

This person was also a challenger from the blue star!!!

My God!

Someone actually chose the necromancer faction!!

“Grass! It’s that grass!!” The Sunlight Knight suddenly noticed a piece of sword grass entwined around the bone hound’s tail. Seeing this foxtail grass, his face turned pale.

“That’s the grass that injured me back then!!”

As the Sunlight Knight spoke, everyone was once again taken aback.

So, the one who injured the Sunlight Knight was indeed a challenger?!

“Wait!!!”

The Princess of Light and her companions looked at Lu Ran’s pet beast, an evil-looking bone hound, and immediately sensed something was amiss.

This guy wasn’t a normal beastmaster!!

Even if a normal beastmaster, out of curiosity, chose the necromancer faction, their pet beast species wouldn’t be so sinister.

At this moment, General Ha looked like an underworld bone hound, a pet beast typically associated with a necromancer.

And what was with that grass???

Such a pet beast, such attacks, the group had never heard of before. In an instant, the Knights of Light Order members concluded that Lu Ran must belong to some underground faction, not the International Beast Taming Alliance.

After all, the Sunlight Knight had personally witnessed the opponent barbecuing souls!

The Other Shore!

It was possible that the opponent was from The Other Shore!

As their minds raced, Lu Ran spoke again.

“Come on, let the beastmasters of the Star-Moon Continent experience a small taste of the Fourth Calamity. Although, it’s just me on this side,” Lu Ran said, and once again, an anomaly occurred. The bone flying swords that had just fallen to the ground began to tremble and rise into the air again!

Compared to their previous erratic flight due to General Ha’s control issues, this time, the bone swords flew with much more agility, weaving through the heads of the pet beasts in an instant!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One pet beast’s head after another exploded, throwing the imperial army into chaos once more.

Fearing that the next target of the flying swords might be themselves, the imperial soldiers focused on trying to defend against the swords rather than attacking their wielder. However, defending against General Ha’s sword control was far from easy.

These imperial soldiers had no chance to counterattack; they were cut down by the flying swords.

Even Captain Kane, who tried to have his pet beast resist one of the flying swords, could only barely manage to hold it off.

“You bastard—” Seeing Lu Ran wreak havoc, a surge of anger rose within the Princess of Light and her companions.

Recognizing their identities, yet still daring to be so brazen?

Wasn’t he underestimating the Golden Generation a bit too much?

Suddenly, as the flying swords darted around, a large amount of golden elemental energy materialized out of thin air, forming rock shields that blocked the path of the bone flying swords.

The previously unstoppable flying swords were now impeded, only managing to penetrate halfway through the rock shields before getting stuck and losing momentum.

Gale winds battered against the rock shields as General Ha tried to retrieve the swords. However, the quickly shaped rock shields tightly trapped the flying swords, giving them no chance to break free, sealing them with rock-binding techniques.

At this moment, even Lu Ran had to admit that the Princess of Light had some skills. He glanced at the towering rock sovereign that had appeared beside her.

Surrounded by elemental lifeforms, the Princess of Light stepped forward, her golden hair billowing, and slowly said, “Aren’t you being a bit too arrogant?”

“Just one person, and you dare to come and stop us!”

“Are all beastmasters from The Other Shore this brazen?” Having summoned her middle sovereign species elemental pet beast to help the imperial army block the attack, the Princess of Light’s blue eyes were filled with hostility as she glared at Lu Ran.

At that instant, the imperial army quickly regained their composure. The most enraged among them was Captain Kane.

“Reform the ranks, attack!!!”

Although Lu Ran had been ferocious just moments ago, the imperial army still had many soldiers. In an instant, hundreds of release-type skills rained down in waves.

The sky was filled with a myriad of skills: flames, lightning, hurricanes, frost, rocks…

At that moment, the Princess of Light and her companions also joined the fray.

Beams of light, interspersed with various attacks, shot towards Lu Ran.

“He’s done for!” the Beast Doctor shouted from the side.

With hundreds of skills descending upon him, he couldn’t fathom how anyone could defend against them.

However, things were far from simple. Faced with such a barrage of attacks, Lu Ran remained utterly unperturbed.

Accompanied by a sudden thunderclap and surrounded by countless arcs of lightning, a towering giant dragon, shaped by an energy apparition to over ten meters tall, stood before the countless attacks, shielding Lu Ran and General Ha.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless skills struck the Thunder Dragon Body. Aside from a few skills that managed to create wounds and penetrate the Thunder Dragon Body to hit its main body, most skills only left faint scratches on its armor before vanishing into thin air.

Even those skills that did manage to harm its main body only succeeded in breaching the Thunder Dragon’s armor, leaving no significant damage on the main body itself.

“Roar!!!” As the Thunder Dragon Body reshaped and healed under the flow of energy, the Sudden Death King spread its wings and roared at the enemy army.

This scene left the Beast Taming Legion stunned once more.

It also left the nine challengers in a daze.

Standing behind the Sudden Death King, Lu Ran and General Ha were evidently unscathed by the barrage of attacks.

“One person has always been my style.”

“What, do you plan to resist me?”

“Besides, who’s from The Other Shore? I just chose a faction. Why make such a big deal out of it? Choosing the necromancer faction and playing the role of a necromancer is quite reasonable, isn’t it?”

His gaze fell on the Princess of Light and her companions. Unexpectedly, among his opponents were members of the Golden Generation. It seemed that these individuals posed the greatest threat.

Lu Ran pulled back the hood of his black robe, revealing a youthful face of around 18 years old.

This simple act caused the nine challengers’ expressions to change instantly, displaying utter disbelief.

“Oh!!! My!! God!!” one of the young men exclaimed, his pupils contracting sharply. “It’s him, the one who swept through the Tyrannosaurus Rex team and solo cleared the Legendary Secret Realm, Lu Ran from Daxia!!”

“The Strongest Fourth Generation who subdued the Golden Generation!!”

“How is this possible?! How is he here, and why did he choose the necromancy faction?!”

“That’s right, that Thunder Dragon is indeed Passerby A’s pet beast. He also has a canine beast and is skilled with swords. Look closely, doesn’t that grass resemble a sword? And weren’t those bones earlier also like swords?!”

“He has demonstrated these techniques before, including tail-wrapped swords and sword control!”

“Lu Ran, Passerby A!!” Initially, it seemed absurd that one person dared to confront a hundred-man army, but upon seeing Lu Ran’s face, everyone suddenly found it reasonable.

Especially the Princess of Light, whose previously calm demeanor turned into panic. It was as if Lu Ran’s face was more terrifying than the name of The Other Shore organization itself.

“General Ha, storm slash!”

At Lu Ran’s command, the gale winds obeyed General Ha. General Ha began to charge up, and the sword grass flew into its mouth. The compressed, raging airflow transformed into a massive, unstoppable green sword qi, over ten meters long, which shot towards the enemy!!!

The terrifying sword qi sliced through the sky, its might far surpassing the previous sword control. Seeing such a dreadful skill, the imperial army’s expressions tightened once more.

“Everyone, defend!” Kane shouted. Countless earth energy flowed along the ground to form a tall wall. However, the sword qi shattered the earth wall in an instant.

After breaking through the wall, the sword qi faced another barrage of skills. These skills gradually weakened its power but couldn’t stop its advance.

It wasn’t until the Knights of Light Order intervened, erecting a massive light wall, that General Ha’s sword qi was finally halted.

Yet, the collision between the sword qi and the light wall triggered a violent explosion, turning into a gale that knocked down many bodies from the imperial army, throwing the scene into chaos.

“Not bad.”

Facing a hundred opponents, Lu Ran still had the composure to praise his enemies, which immediately plunged the nine challengers into despair. Their gazes at Lu Ran were like looking at a demon king.

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Everyone speculated, feeling that this fit Lu Ran’s style of solo clearing the Legendary Secret Realm perfectly.

Of course, the most devastated at this moment was Captain Kane of the imperial army. He regretted it deeply—why had he listened to the advice of those civilian beastmasters and come to besiege the city?

Who could have known that such a monster was hiding in Mingan?

Who exactly was this person?

However, his despair was about to deepen.

The earth and sky turned dark.

In the distance, over a hundred necromancers in black robes were rushing towards them.

“Protect the future Holy Son!!!!”

These necromancers were fervent. Missionary Gory had said that with the Talent of the Sudden Death King, it was entirely possible for him to become the Holy Son of the Holy Church in the future. They were to protect Lu Ran at all costs.

However, as they approached, they found the imperial army in complete disarray, with people and horses overturned, a scene of utter defeat, and they were shocked.

Could all this have been done by the “Sudden Death King” alone?

“Perfect timing!!!”

Seeing the necromancer legion finally arriving in force, Lu Ran grinned and said:

“Do not attack. Prioritize protecting yourselves. Don’t get hurt. Leave everything to me. Now, spread out and surround them. Today, not a single one of the imperial army shall escape!”

The arrival of Lu Ran’s reinforcements, combined with how they addressed him and the orders he issued, made the nine challengers’ hearts sink once more.

Holy Son?

Necromancy faction’s Holy Son?

What a joke. How did Lu Ran manage that?

Weren’t we all supposed to enter the Secret Realm at the same time?

Choosing the necromancy faction didn’t mean becoming its leader.

Something’s off!

“Investigate thoroughly!!”

At this moment, the Sunlight Knight recalled Lu Ran grilling souls with another necromancer and felt utterly defeated.

“I suggest the International Beast Taming Alliance investigates his family tree for three generations. This guy doesn’t seem to be acting.”