King of Beasts

The Death Holy Church, also known as the Cult of Necromancy, has a death space with a total of eighteen peaks. These peaks have numerous caverns and residences for the high-level members of the Holy Church.

Only elders and divine envoys are qualified to stay long-term in the death space.

The Sect leader, elders, divine envoys, core geniuses, missionaries, and ordinary members constitute the main structure of the Holy Church.

Currently, a giant skeletal soul has appeared over each peak, announcing the latest news within the church.

“The sudden death king, originally an ordinary member of the Death Holy Church, a genius newcomer, single-handedly defeated hundreds of imperial beastmasters in Mingan and protected numerous followers of the Cult of Necromancy. Moreover, as a culinary genius, he tirelessly researched to find a method to eliminate the drawbacks of soul devouring. Ultimately, he succeeded in separating the soul and consciousness using culinary manship, cooking the ‘Harmless soul’ and laying an important foundation for the development of necromancy, contributing extraordinarily to the expansion of the necromancy domain!”

“Today, our legendary necromancer, Los, accepts the sudden death king as his disciple, and bestows upon him the title of the first necromancy Holy Son of our Death Holy Church, a status equal to that of an elder!”

The news spread rapidly, causing continuous vibrations in the death space. The title of necromancy Holy Son, almost a sure candidate for the next sect leader, made many core geniuses within the church uncomfortable.

After all, they had put in countless efforts to carry the banner of the church and to become the Holy Son. Who would have thought that a newcomer would suddenly intercept their goals?

However, upon hearing the sect leader’s official recognition of the newcomer’s achievements, these geniuses were instantly bewildered. Using culinary manship to cook the Harmless soul?

“What a great talent!” Unlike the core geniuses, many elders who had immersed themselves in necromancy for years were full of admiration, realizing that the sect leader had taken on an extraordinary disciple.

For the Death Holy Church to develop, its biggest challenge isn’t the external “slander.”

Because the rumors are true.

If one’s talent isn’t sufficient, practicing necromancy indeed makes one less and less human.

Necromantic pet beasts can only feed on souls, but souls are “toxic,” which greatly limits the development of necromancy.

Perhaps some geniuses can grow to Level 5, Level 6, or even Level 7 unaffected by sheer willpower…

But how many such people are there? How many geniuses have avoided necromancy entirely due to their fear of it?

The emergence of Lu Ran can be said to have ignited a spark of hope for the Death Holy Church, a spark capable of spreading like wildfire. The elders and divine envoys instantly understood why the sect leader had taken this disciple: because his talent matched the status.

“This will be your residence from now on,” said the Cult Leader of Necromancy, who was definitely a necromancer proficient in Space magic. With a single step, Lu Ran followed him as if crossing into another space, arriving at a brand-new mountain peak.

The peak was vast and empty, but upon arrival, Lu Ran’s heart skipped a beat because… almost every corner of the mountain wall was inlaid with Soul-Calming Stones.

“You can communicate with the mountain deity later to design the style of your residence.”

“Mountain deity?”

“A rock-type necromantic pet that has served the Holy Church for many years.”

Oh, an exclusive church builder.

“By the way, since I’ve accepted you as my disciple, it seems I haven’t prepared a gift for you yet,” the Cult Leader of Necromancy said kindly to Lu Ran.

With a wave of his hand, a bottle-like artifact and an ancient book flew directly to Lu Ran.

Lu Ran quickly caught them.

[Name]: Soul Capturing Bottle

[Level]: Exquisite

“This Soul Capturing Bottle is a precious artifact for attacking, capturing, and preserving souls. Generally, souls are not easy to carry, and many necromancers struggle to find food for their pet beasts on the fly.”

“But with this Soul Capturing Bottle, you can carry thousands of souls at any time, making it much more convenient.”

“Whether you’re taking them out for research or need them for combat, like sacrificing a soul to cast a skill, this will make everything much easier.”

Holding the hot Soul Capturing Bottle, Lu Ran thought to himself, this is what having a legendary master is like.

As for the other item.

[Name]: Soul Meditation method

Lu Ran’s heart skipped another beat.

“The Soul Meditation method is a specialized meditation technique of the Holy Church. Aside from Basic Necromancy, most advanced necromantic skills of the Holy Church are built upon this meditation method.”

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew. For now, focus on practicing this. Once you’ve reached a significant level, I’ll teach you the next steps based on your Talent.”

Lu Ran: “…”

No need! No need!

Just give me everything! Give me all the skills!

Although Lu Ran really wanted to say this, he was afraid of the potential negative repercussions. Instead, he gratefully nodded and said, “Thank you, master. I will train diligently.”

“Additionally, since you have an interest in culinary manship, forging, and necromantic research, I will inform Elder Shanggong to have you study artifact spirits with him.”

“The bone sword you used in Mingan was forged by Elder Shanggong.”

“And the cleaver you’re currently holding… it doesn’t seem to be of high quality. You can ask Elder Shanggong to forge a better one for your research.”

The Cult Leader of Necromancy had high hopes for Lu Ran.

“Alright,” Lu Ran nodded. At this moment, the Cult Leader’s gaze shifted to the distance as if contemplating something.

“Of course, given your current level and age, don’t worry about too much. Just focus on strengthening yourself and exploring what you enjoy.”

“Next, I have another task to attend to!”

“In the meantime, let the Nether Flame divine envoy serve as your dedicated divine envoy. She will teach you how to survive in this space, and you can also delegate any tasks to her.”

…

After finishing speaking, the Cult Leader of Necromancy departed. While Lu Ran wasn’t entirely sure what the Cult Leader meant by “another task,” he decided not to overthink it.

The difference in status between him and the Cult Leader was still too significant. Instead, using his identity as the Holy Son to ask elders and divine envoys for gifts felt more natural.

“Greetings, Holy Son!”

After the Cult Leader of Necromancy left, the Nether Flame divine envoy arrived once more, speaking respectfully. Lu Ran felt a bit introspective at this moment. Indeed, this seemed to be the correct way to operate within the breakthrough secret realm. With this identity, not to mention the Golden Generation of the opposing faction, he might even be able to bring his “subordinates” to sweep through a few First Generation big shots as well.

“Nether Flame divine envoy, no need to be so formal. By the way, where is the mountain deity? Let it arrange a simple residence for me first.”

“Understood.”

“Additionally, as a newcomer to the Holy Church, I feel a tremendous amount of pressure and responsibility. I’m not sure if I can shoulder this mission. I would like to rest for today and start fresh tomorrow. Can you take me to meet the elders of the Holy Church one by one?”

“Also, I want to meet the divine envoys and other genius peers. I plan to visit them, seek their advice, and engage in discussions. Please inform them in advance so they can be prepared. I’ll leave the scheduling to you; just make sure we don’t show up and find them unavailable.”

“Understood,” the Nether Flame divine envoy responded, somewhat surprised.

She hadn’t expected that after being named Holy Son, Lu Ran would remain so humble.

He even intended to visit people from the Holy Church personally, rather than having them visit him.

“Moreover, if they inquire about information regarding me, feel free to disclose it as needed. This way, perhaps we can reduce some of the distance,” Lu Ran said thoughtfully.

After all, once they know about his pet beast, it will be easier for them to prepare suitable gifts!

He wanted to see how many people in this large Holy Church truly understood social etiquette!

He already had “General Ha” ready with a notepad. If any visits were made without offering gifts, he would certainly note it down.

Then, he could sell this grudge book to “Manager Ying” as valuable intelligence: [The most stingy and socially inept high-level members of the necromantic cult on the Star-Moon Continent.]

“I will ensure it is done well,” the Nether Flame divine envoy nodded.

“And one more crucial thing, although understanding the Holy Church is very important, I hope we can complete it quickly, preferably within half a month.”

“I don’t want to waste too much research time.”

…

Within a short time, the Nether Flame divine envoy departed to visit the various elders, conveying Lu Ran’s requests.

Meanwhile, the mountain deity, resembling a pangolin, had prepared a residence for Lu Ran.

Lu Ran moved in immediately.

He then took out the two items given by his master, the Sect Leader.

The Soul Capturing Bottle, an excellent artifact, could store souls, something even his identity card’s space couldn’t do.

Lu Ran contemplated using a nested storage method: storing the Soul Capturing Bottle inside the identity card’s space and then storing souls inside the bottle. This way, he could carry countless souls with him, ready to perform soul-based cuisine anytime, anywhere.

“Master also mentioned the sacrifice stream earlier!”

“Yes, sacrificing souls to cast certain skills.”

“Hmm… what a wicked technique. I’ll need to inquire which elder possesses this skill and what it takes for my pet beast to learn it. I think the dark crow would be a good candidate.”

“By then, sacrificing tens of thousands of souls to cast a powerful curse would make fighting higher-level opponents a breeze, wouldn’t it?”

“Sacrifice plus curse seems to be a potent combination…” Lu Ran thought, feeling he had found a new direction for nurturing his pets.

“Of course, I’m a good person and will only curse the bad people.”

Lu Ran then picked up the Soul Meditation method and skimmed through it before rolling his eyes and tossing it into his space.

This technique requires the Beast Taming Space to practice, which he does not possess. Clearly, resources and equipment are more suitable for him.

The next day.

Lu Ran, holding a meticulously planned schedule, began his visits to the high-level members of the Holy Church.

The first on his list was Elder Shanggong, the forging master. Lu Ran intended to inherit Elder Shanggong’s crystallized skills so that his craftsmanship wouldn’t be lost.

“Holy Son…”

“Greetings, Elder Shanggong. I hope my sudden visit hasn’t inconvenienced you. This morning, I personally prepared this special smoked rabbit spirit. I’ve just arrived and don’t have anything valuable to offer. I hope you’ll accept this humble gift without offense.”

“This is… I haven’t even personally visited you yet, so how could I accept such a thoughtful gift from you, the Holy Son…” For a moment, Elder Shanggong’s hand slipped away from his storage pouch, suddenly feeling that the gift he had prepared might be somewhat insufficient.