Beastmaster King-Chapter 191 - The First Clash

Beastmaster Empire, Feiming Province, outside Ming An City.

The nine ascension realm challengers that sided with the Empire had a rough grasp of the situation. Because of the civil strife, most of Feiming Province was under occupation.

The Undead Cult seized this opportunity to enter various cities to preach and recruit new members. Their missionaries were now everywhere, not just in Ming An City. However, although the Undead Cult was a great threat, they haven’t openly rebelled yet.

The Empire's biggest enemy at the moment were still the rebels. This meant that the Empire didn’t have the manpower to deal with the Undead Cult that was taking full advantage of the situation.

"Your Highness, and sir knights," the beastmaster called Beast Doctor politely greeted.

"What should we do next? Should we proceed on our own first, or reach out to the imperial army?"

"Hmph, you saw the morale of the imperial soldier just now. They probably won’t take the initiative to attack, so let’s prepare to do both," Glorious Knight replied.

"We will make contact with the imperial soldiers and reveal our strength to make them aware that we hold the absolute advantage while simultaneously sneaking into the Undead Cult’s hideout. We will create a disturbance and make the cult members believe that there is about to be an imminent attack from the imperial army.

"This way, if they abandon the city and flee, then it will trigger the army’s standing orders to blockade Ming An City, and we can easily storm the city.

"Of course, given that the ascension mission is to attack the city, the Cult probably won’t abandon the city so easily. If the other party abandons the city after just hearing about a possible attack from the Beastmaster Corps then the mission would be too simple.

"I deduce that either there is a treasure in Ming An City that the Cult values, or they want to take over the province and establish a visible foothold. In short, they probably won’t give up on the city without a fight.

"In that case, if they thought that the army was about to attack then they might launch a preeminent strike. If that happens, then we can rally the army to launch a coordinated attack on the city with us.

"All in all, we still have to rely on the power of the imperial army. Although it’s not a large force, they still number more than 200 people. The Undead Cult should have a similarly large force. It’s too risky to charge in with just the few of us."

After the Knight of Glory finished his analysis, he swept his gaze across the trial participants. Although the third-generation beastmasters weren’t specialized in combat, they were still somewhat capable.

They all had at least one familiar over level 20, which was pretty decent and at least better than the average NPC in this realm. Moreover, they had secondary professions, which included a doctor, two breeders, a forger, and a historian. They could be useful in their own way.

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After hearing Knight of Glory’s evaluation, everyone nodded and looked at him in admiration. They became well aware of who was going to carry the team.

Princess of Light had a level 20 King-species familiar that could fight a level 30 Commander species. Additionally, Princess of Light's skills and equipment were all definitely top-notch, and there were also the three Golden Generation Knights of Light that accompanied her. The missionaries from the cult didn’t stand a chance. Clearing this ascension realm depended entirely on the princess’s party.

"Alright, then that’s how we’ll proceed." Princess of Light nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Miss Fina, I'm very interested in the history of the Undead Cult. Do you know what ultimately happened to them?" the princess asked the black girl who claimed to be a historian.

"Ummm, I’m actually not very sure either." The girl smiled awkwardly.

"Miss Fina, you don’t seem to be a very reliable historian." Knight of Moonlight mocked.

They previously asked her a bunch of questions, but she wasn’t even as knowledgeable as they were.

"I'm just an ordinary person!" The black girl's mouth twitched. “You all came from royal families, and you must have access to more historical materials than me.”

It seemed that she became an archaeologist just to enter various ascension realms to excavate and sell historical finds for money rather than as an academic pursuit.

"I only know that the empire ultimately fell, but it wasn’t destroyed by the Undead Cult," Fina replied.

"I don’t need you to tell me that." Knight of Moonlight facepalmed.

Everyone knew what became of the empire. Allegedly, the last emperor angered a Legendary creature in his pursuit of immortality and was annihilated. Currently, the empire was in turmoil, which also had to do with the last emperor's outrageous behavior.

Of course, humans didn’t go completely extinct, but due to the anger of the Legendary creature, they never dared establish a large force on the scale of the empire again. They devolved into an era of warlords vying for power and occupying territory. A unified empire never existed again.

It was rumored that the first emperor, Hunter God, successfully established the country by gaining the favor of a Legendary creature, and the empire fell when the last emperor angered a Legendary creature. It was unconfirmed whether the creatures from both stories were one and the same.

"Then, I will sneak into Ming An City and stir up some chaos. Should I maybe try to assassinate the missionary?" Knight of Sunlight offered.

"If I can pull it off then that would make this an easy win for us."

"Don't be so full of yourself." The princess glared at him.

"The necromancers are the most proficient in assassination, infiltration, and concealment. Although The Other Shore doesn’t have assassins for hire, the number one assassin guild doesn’t dare to offend them. The members of the Undead Cult will only be more dangerous."

"I know, I know. I’ll just stick to creating chaos,” Knight of Sunlight said.

"Ummm, sir Knight of Sunlight, will it be dangerous for you to go alone?" the skinny young Southeast Asian breeder asked.

"The Other Shore was quite active where I’m from. Necromancers have very strange abilities. I have seen them fight multiple times."

"Don't worry! Don't you know who I am?" Knight of Sunlight laughed.

"Huh?" Although the young man knew that the Knights of Light were very powerful, he didn't know the details.

The Hispanic young man next to him cleared his throat and said, "Sir Knight of Sunlight here has a Superior-Champion-ranked Light-attribute bird and Space-attribute mouse.”

"Oh."

The Southeast Asian young man was left speechless. Light and Space attribute familiars... The Golden Generation really lived up to their fame.

Besides Princess of Light who was the strongest, the three knights were all incredibly strong individuals as well.

With such a lineup, it was indeed plausible to infiltrate the city. If they got lucky, they might even be able to assassinate some core members. Even if they got caught, they could easily make a getaway with the help of Space and Light-attribute familiars.

The Southeast Asian youth suddenly felt that even without the assistance of the imperial army, the three Knights of Light could easily carry them through the mission, albeit with some difficulty. They could clear the realm without lifting a finger!

Choosing the Empire camp was a great decision. As expected, making the right choices mattered more than anything else.

***

The next day, Knight of Sunlight left alone to sneak into Ming An City with a white mouse resting on his shoulder. When the two were in proximity, they became nearly undetectable.

For normal beastmasters, a level 2 necromancer was indeed very difficult to deal with, but for the Knights of Light, it was nothing at all. After all, the other side didn’t even have a King-ranked familiar.

This is the city lord's mansion.

Knight of Sunlight’s breathing quickened as he felt a little nervous.

According to the intelligence, the cult members occupied the city lord's mansion, so this should be their base camp. If they wanted to cause a disturbance, then this was the place to do it.

He peeked inside but the sound of sudden laughter made him frown. Knight of Sunlight jumped slightly before climbing onto the roof and looking into the courtyard. In the courtyard, he saw a pile of giant rat corpses and a huge grill.

The grill was covered with rat spirits that emitted smoke of various colors.

"Goddammit."

It was his first time seeing a necromancer. Although he had always heard about how evil necromancers were, it was far more shocking to see it in person.

!!!

The Space Mouse widened its eyes and covered its mouth with its little paws.

Am I in hell?

Knight of Sunlight saw two black-robed figures and a fox spirit standing around the grill.

This is outrageous, but the two of you will do perfectly. Y’all must be pretty high up to be grilling souls so leisurely in the city lord's mansion. Killing y’all will definitely cause a major disturbance.

Obviously, the ones grilling souls were Lu Ran and Black Feather. At Lu Ran's request, Black Feather gathered many seasonings for him. Lu Ran used them to continue experimenting with smoking souls.

During the experimentation process, Lu Ran realized that he really was a genius, and couldn't help laughing. He came up with a new idea while looking at the flames.

The Flame Spirit developed by Emperor Yan Sizhen could absorb different flames to grow and was very malleable. Ordinary flames weren’t suitable for grilling souls but what about soul flames?

Lu Ran had an epiphany. After a Fire-attribute familiar died, it was very likely to become a Fire-attribute undead. Ghost fire from a Fire-attribute undead familiar contained soul power. If he could get the Flame Spirit to absorb soul fire, then could he further develop his soul-cooking technique?

My special ability is also an application of soul power. By combining telepathy and Super Beast Mimicry, I was able to develop Reverse Super Beast Mimicry. Is it possible to combine telepathy with the Flame Spirit technique to develop a soul flame?

Lu Ran discovered a new direction for his research.

"Sudden Death King, you..." Black Feather was waiting to taste test his latest dish but when Lu Ran suddenly let out a strange laugh, she felt a chill run down her spine. She didn’t see him for one night, but Lu Ran seemed even more terrifying now.

However, before Black Feather could inquire further, Lu Ran's expression suddenly turned fierce. With his beastly keen perception, he detected a hint of hostility.

This guy is a devil! Let’s get him!

Lu Ran overheard the mouse’s thoughts very clearly.

"Who's there?" Lu Ran looked towards the roof.

Lu Ran's question instantly frightened Knight of Sunlight right as he was about to take action.

"Fuck."

He didn't expect the necromancer to be so sharp. He utilized spatial concealment, optical concealment, and equipment that concealed his breath and presence. Was he detected despite his triple-layered concealment?

The princess was right. These necromancers shouldn’t be underestimated. They were the forefathers of assassins.

"In that case..."

Since he was already discovered, Knight of Sunlight decided to stop hiding. However, before he could react, a sword light that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere slashed towards him.

The terrifying power made the air hiss with turbulent winds. Knight of Sunlight instantly sensed a life-threatening danger. He felt a crisis even more terrifying than when he challenged a Legendary secret realm.

Boom!

Knight of Sunlight was shocked and his pupils shrank sharply. He was about to die. Although he didn't know what was going on, Knight of Sunlight reacted instinctively and his body virtually fused with the mouse.

Swish!

The Longleaf Swordgrass pierced through Knight of Sunlight’s thigh, but it felt as if it stuck air. Although his body was ethereal, Knight of Sunlight still let out a miserable scream.

How did the attack pierce through space to hit him? Knight of Sunlight hurriedly shouted, "Run! Teleport! Hurry!"

Knight of Sunlight was truly frightened. Before he left, he saw the weapon. It was a blade of grass. The sword grass struck out once again, but Knight of Sunlight already disappeared.

The situation on the roof made Black Feather's expression change drastically. She didn't understand what just transpired.

An enemy? What was that technique he used? Was it a Space-attribute skill?

Actually, what was even more shocking was the flying swordgrass.

Woof.

Captain Doofus, who had been lying in the room, came out holding the flying swordgrass in its mouth while looking in the direction the enemy had disappeared with a serious expression.

"Holy shit."

Black Feather stared at Captain Doofus with a blank expression.

A dog with a blade of grass?

"Ah, I see." Lu Ran quickly caught up with the situation.

How incredible.

Lu Ran thought to himself. The person just now should be a trialist from the Empire camp.

A Space-attribute familiar wasn’t easy to pin down, so Lu Ran didn’t expect that the swordgrass was so powerful that it could pierce through space to injure the enemy. It was worthy of being a natural-born King species known for its ferocity.

"Miss Black Feather, please tell Missionary Gao Li that an assassin proficient with the Space attribute attacked us just now. I suspect it was a beastmaster from the empire. Have him take extra precautions." Lu Ran instructed the confused Black Feather.

***

Meanwhile, Knight of Sunlight and his Space Mouse were making continuous spatial jumps. When the mouse ran out of energy, Knight of Sunlight summoned his Sunlight Sparrow, which transformed into a beam of light, and continued to flee.

Once he was on the back of the Sunlight Sparrow, he looked at his calve which looked like it was shredded by countless sharp blades and had become red and swollen. He was scared. What kind of attack was that?

"It’s impossible. How could that attack hit me in the ethereal state? Who is that? Aren't the enemies supposed to be necromancers? Where did such a powerful Grass-attribute familiar come from?"

The flying leaf's technique was too mysterious! It must be a King Grass familiar!