King of Beasts - Chapter 173: Hidden Mission

After mastering soul enhancement, Lu Ran now had a new task to focus on, apart from researching soul cuisine.

This new task involved using soul enhancement daily to strengthen both sudden death king and general ha.

It had been discovered that using soul enhancement to nurture sudden death king could make its soul increasingly resemble that of a dragon. This was crucial for achieving a more perfect dragon transformation during its evolution.

Strengthening general ha, on the other hand, would enhance its advantage in Comprehension.

Initially, after Lu Ran learned mind sword intent, he tried teaching it to general ha for several days through reverse super beast mimicry, but general ha couldn’t grasp it.

This suggested that the superpower of telepathy played a decisive role in forming mind sword intent.

Even though general ha’s swordsmanship Talent and Comprehension Talent weren’t low, mastering the mind sword intent was still quite challenging.

However, with the use of soul enhancement by Lu Ran, combined with the lucid fruit, it took general ha less than two days to grasp the mind sword intent.

Of course, there was a subtle difference between their sword intents.

The sword intent Lu Ran comprehended was called “mind sword intent,” while the one general ha mastered was called “soul slashing sword intent.”

Lu Ran quickly understood why. The mind sword intent was a unique blend of his own telepathy and swordsmanship will, which did not suit general ha.

Just as sudden death king was suited for the artistic conception of the dragon, but general ha, limited by its species’ bloodline, could not learn it and had to take a different path by learning the Dragon Slayer Sword intent.

The mind sword intent faced a similar situation. General ha, using Lu Ran’s experience and insights from the mind sword intent, mastered a different sword intent highly effective against souls.

This situation initially seemed a bit unfortunate.

After all, Lu Ran’s mind sword intent allowed him to capture and cut down enemies’ emotional consciousness with precision.

However, general ha’s soul slashing sword intent deviated towards soul suppression and wasn’t as strong in controlling fine details.

The reality, though, was that there was nothing unfortunate about it. Lu Ran’s mind sword intent and general ha’s soul slashing sword intent unexpectedly complemented each other. After Lu Ran incorporated techniques from the soul slashing sword intent to optimize his mind sword intent, his swordsmanship saw noticeable improvement!

When slashing at the soul, Lu Ran could clearly feel that he was hitting something different now. He could decide what to cut and what not to cut, all with a single thought.

“Hei Yu!!!”

“Hei Yu!!!!”

With Lu Ran’s call, Hei Yu, who had once been Gory’s subordinate, was now almost exclusively at Lu Ran’s service.

“Come over here quickly.”

“What’s up, Lord sudden death king?” Hei Yu hurried over, looking at Lu Ran surrounded by a pile of giant rat beast corpses, and swallowed hard.

To be honest, the giant rat beasts of Mingan were almost driven to extinction by Lu Ran.

“Taste this.” Lu Ran held a soul-reaping blade that resembled a jade-like black kitchen knife.

“Uh??” Hei Yu nodded. Another tasting? She had gotten used to it. Although Lu Ran had never succeeded, she admired his spirit of never giving up no matter how many times he failed.

Lu Ran… he wasn’t just thinking about it.

He genuinely hoped to cook harmless soul cuisine and change the necromancer occupation.

“What kind of cuisine is it this time?” A fox spirit emerged from behind Hei Yu, and she asked Lu Ran.

“Rat Spirit Sashimi!”

“Ah???” Hei Yu was stunned.

Then, she saw Lu Ran lift an unconscious giant rat beast and tap its skull with the soul-reaping blade, extracting its soul from its body.

Next, he raised the soul-reaping blade high, his eyes flashing gray, and brought it down in one swift motion.

Boom.

The soul-reaping blade passed through the soul but seemed to cause no harm to it.

However, in some mysterious way, only Lu Ran could sense that the giant rat beast’s soul consciousness, belonging to the rat spirit, had been completely “sent off.”

“It’s ready.” Lu Ran indicated to the little fox that it could start eating.

This time, it was the simplest handling of a soul that Lu Ran had ever let Hei Yu and the others taste. There was nothing culinary about it; it was just a single cut on the soul.

Despite being puzzled by Lu Ran’s request, Hei Yu had to comply. Soon enough, the fox spirit opened its mouth wide and absorbed the rat spirit, devouring it whole.

Gulp.

It swallowed the rat spirit in one go, showing a satisfied expression. But in the next moment, the fox spirit’s eyes widened in shock, and it froze on the spot.

“What happened?” Hei Yu noticed something was wrong and quickly asked.

“Ugh!! Ugh!!” The fox spirit recovered and looked at its owner in shock, whining incessantly.

Moments later.

Hei Yu also showed an expression of disbelief and looked at Lu Ran.

“Seems like the results are good?” Lu Ran looked at her, the corners of his mouth slightly curving upwards.

Fantastic.

The prototype of soul cuisine had finally emerged. Although he hadn’t yet cooked the soul, he had, with just his knife skills, completely removed the harmful substance-the soul consciousness-from the soul!

Lu Ran looked at Hei Yu’s slightly open mouth and her stunned expression, feeling satisfied.

“Are you… a deity?” Hei Yu continued to stare in a daze.

Lu Ran’s achievement had greatly shocked Hei Yu. She went weak in the knees and found it hard to imagine.

A member casually recruited by Gory, who not only had immense strength but also solved a major issue that had troubled the Holy Church for years???

…

“Lord Gory!! Lord Gory!!”

With Lu Ran’s permission, Hei Yu, deeply shocked, sought out Gory and informed him of Lu Ran’s research results.

At that moment,

It wasn’t just Hei Yu who was stunned; Gory was also so shocked that he scrambled over to Lu Ran’s courtyard, bringing his pet beast to personally taste the pure soul body stripped of consciousness.

“This, this, this…”

After the experience, Missionary Gory was left stuttering and in utter amazement, feeling a sense of incredulity.

“How did you do this???”

Ever since Lu Ran displayed his overwhelming power, Missionary Gory had already lowered his posture significantly.

Now, he was completely ready to kneel before Lu Ran. Not even when he met those divine envoys and elders did he feel this way. Seeing Lu Ran at this moment was like seeing the Sect Leader of the Holy Church.

Lu Ran was glowing!

“Just a special kind of Culinary Intent,” Lu Ran smiled.

“However, this kind of Culinary Intent is very difficult to master…”

Lu Ran wasn’t wrong. This kind of mind sword intent is based on telepathy, and if he’s not mistaken, telepathy is a supernatural power granted by the legendary creature, the divine deer.

Ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to master it.

However, Lu Ran believes that he will eventually find other universal methods to eliminate the harmful aspects of souls through culinary means.

“You’re a deity! You truly are a deity!!!” Gory, overwhelmed with astonishment, almost lunged forward to embrace Lu Ran but was held back by Hei Yu.

“Lord Gory, please restrain yourself. Don’t frighten Lord sudden death king,” Hei Yu coughed lightly, her gaze serious.

From a budding young girl to a necromancer despised and shunned by everyone, Hei Yu had felt yearning for light and acceptance, even if she didn’t show it outwardly.

The appearance of Lu Ran was indeed like a ray of light in the hearts of these necromancers. While she felt gratitude and respect for Gory, she now felt admiration and reverence for Lu Ran.

“Yes, yes,” Gory said with a broad smile. “I was just too excited.”

He laughed heartily.

“Ah hahahahaha, when the divine envoy arrives, I’ll give them such a big surprise!!!”

…

“What kind of surprise do you have for me?”

…

Gory’s laughter froze, and he abruptly looked towards the sky.

Hei Yu and Lu Ran also changed their expressions and looked up.

A woman with red burn scars covering her face, clad in a black robe, stood on top of a bone dragon whose eyes were filled with green flames, gazing indifferently downward.

“Uh…” Seeing this terrifyingly scarred woman, Gory choked on his words and stammered, “Nether Flame divine envoy…”

Lu Ran was also slightly taken aback-divine envoy?

Hadn’t Gory said that the people from the Holy Church wouldn’t arrive for another month?

There were still two weeks left.

[Species]: Nether Flame Bone Dragon

[Attributes]: Undead, Fire

[Species level]: Upper Sovereign

[Growth level]: Level 59

Additionally, all the details of the bone dragon she was riding became clear in Lu Ran’s mind.

This was a high-level expert, not inferior to even the First Generation.

If a first-generation beastmaster from Blue Star were to enter here, it would be equivalent to a divine envoy for the Cult of Necromancy.

Such divine envoys are actually quite numerous within the Cult of Necromancy. Their role is similar to that of a liaison officer, responsible for connecting peripheral members with the headquarters.

“Elder Shanggong detected some unusual activity in the necro embryo you were cultivating and specifically sent me to check on the situation. Missionary Gory, did you use that bone sword?”

Gory was startled upon hearing this. He hadn’t expected that the bone sword had a contingency.

He understood. If anyone used that bone sword, the elder who forged it would sense the anomaly.

So, to find out what was going on, Elder Shanggong had sent the Nether Flame divine envoy to investigate.

This resulted in the divine envoy arriving much earlier than planned.

“Reporting to Lord Divine Envoy, I did indeed use that weapon, but it was because remnants of the imperial army launched a surprise attack on Mingan. To protect ourselves, we had no choice but to use the sword’s power.”

“Hmm.” After understanding the situation, the Nether Flame divine envoy didn’t ask further questions. In her view, the matter was concluded. Using the necro weapon for self-defense was permissible.

Now, the divine envoy wanted to clarify another matter.

“You mentioned a ‘big surprise’ earlier. What did you mean by that?”

Hearing this, Missionary Gory stepped back and pointed to the silent Lu Ran.

“It’s him, it’s him! The great hope of the Holy Church, sudden death king!”

“Hmm?” The Nether Flame divine envoy looked at the youthful face of Lu Ran and frowned, puzzled by Gory’s excitement.

“Nether Flame divine envoy, let me introduce him to you!”

“This young man, named sudden death king.”

“I found him while recruiting followers in Mingan. He is a genius beastmaster.”

“Even at level 1, he has already contracted a sovereign species pet beast.”

“His potential is astoundingly strong, and his pet beast’s soul talent is incredibly powerful.”

“Recently, when the imperial army attacked Mingan, sudden death king used the bone sword and single-handedly changed the course of the battle, defeating the enemies.”

“He protected us.”

The Nether Flame divine envoy had a slightly surprised expression, but Gory continued speaking.

“If it were just that, it wouldn’t be noteworthy.”

“The most critical aspect is his extraordinary understanding of necromancy.”

“Furthermore, he has extraordinary ideals.”

“He believes that necromancy is destined to transform the continent, but its drawbacks also need to be resolved.”

“After I taught him Basic Necromancy, he immediately began researching ways to mitigate the detrimental aspects of soul consumption. It can be said he is genuinely interested in necromancy and is a born necromancer.”

“Impressive.”

The Nether Flame divine envoy didn’t expect this missionary to have discovered such a remarkable genius, and one with ideals at that.

Indeed, it was a pleasant surprise for her.

In these chaotic times of the empire, countless geniuses were coming forth, and the Holy Church needed to replenish its ranks with fresh talent to strengthen its influence and gain a voice in this turbulent world.

“Lord Divine Envoy, I haven’t finished yet.”

“Speak.”

“The key point is that the sudden death king has actually found a way to resolve the detrimental aspects of soul consumption!!”

The Nether Flame divine envoy was stunned.

“???”

“That’s impossible!” She instinctively exclaimed, her mind struggling to process this information.

After a moment, her face reddened with intensity as she stared intimidatingly at Missionary Gory.

“I wouldn’t dare to deceive you!” Gory quickly responded.

“I hope you are not deceiving me.”

“Did you really find a way to resolve the soul consumption issue?” The divine envoy turned to Lu Ran.

“Yes, Lord Divine Envoy, you can help verify it.”

Lu Ran obediently grabbed another giant rat beast and, using the same method as before, extracted a pure soul essence.

The bone dragon descended, and the Nether Flame divine envoy’s expression fluctuated as she commanded the bone dragon to devour the soul.

The next moment, feedback from the bone dragon arrived, and just like Gory and Hei Yu, the Nether Flame divine envoy’s face showed a look of shock.

“It’s actually true…”

“It’s actually true?!”

She then burst into laughter, covering her forehead, unable to restrain her joy.

“Hahahahahaha.”

Her laughter was even more maniacal than Gory’s, causing Hei Yu and the others to gulp nervously.

“Excellent, truly excellent!!!”

The Nether Flame divine envoy was completely stunned by Gory’s surprise. She hadn’t expected that his surprise could indeed astonish her.

With a burning gaze, she looked at Lu Ran and said, “Incredible, unbelievable. How did you do it? But that’s not important now. You, come back to headquarters with me!!!”

“Missionary Gory, was it? You’ve done an excellent job discovering a genius with the potential of a Holy Son. When we return to headquarters, I will personally commend you to the Sect leader.”

Potential of a Holy Son!

Gory and Hei Yu’s faces flushed with excitement upon hearing this. They seemed genuinely happy for Lu Ran. After all, they had witnessed his journey from a necromancy novice to being recognized by the divine envoy for his Holy Son potential.

At this moment, Lu Ran also realized that he likely triggered some hidden mission!

A major hidden mission: Necromancy Holy Son.

Indeed, the main storyline was just the beginning. To break through the secret realm, one must engage in the hidden missions and explore the worldview!