Overlord of the Wilderness

The poison gas spewed by the giant snake was incredibly potent. After slicing it in two, Zhaang Ye felt the world grow dark. He hastily retreated over a hundred meters away at top speed, and only then did he start to feel better.

The kill had seemed smooth, but it was actually fraught with peril. If Zhaang Ye hadn’t managed to slice the giant snake in two within the space of a few blinks, he would have been the one to die.

’What potent poison gas!’

After circulating the True Qi in his body for a full two hours, Zhaang Ye finally managed to dispel the poison that had invaded his system. He opened his eyes to see the Mammoth standing beside him, watching him expectantly.

The Mammoth had just been locked in a life-or-death struggle with the giant snake, enveloped in its poisonous gas from start to finish. Its Life Power was truly formidable; despite being exposed to the toxic fumes for so long, it was completely unharmed. When it saw Zhaang Ye wake up, it let out a soft cry and pointed its long trunk toward the red tree above the pool.

After spending so much time with it, Zhaang Ye was already very familiar with the big fellow’s gestures. Seeing it point to the red tree, he instantly understood what it meant. He laughed and said, ”Big fella, you want me to climb the cliff and pick the flowers up there, right?”

The Mammoth nodded, but then shook its head and made a digging motion at the ground with its long trunk.

Zhaang Ye watched for a moment before he finally understood. ’This big fella wants me to dig up the whole tree.’

’Might as well dig it up. It won’t take much effort anyway.’ Zhaang Ye agreed immediately. Carrying his Thick-Backed Saber, he slowly climbed the cliff and carefully excavated the red tree, which was only as thick as his arm.

Back on the ground, Zhaang Ye used his Thick-Backed Saber to cut off a piece of wood, which he then fashioned into a wooden box. He plucked the three Jade Blue Flowers and placed them inside.

Once the Jade Blue Flowers were safely stored, Zhaang Ye offered the rest of the tree, with the two remaining flowers, to the Mammoth. The Mammoth had been waiting off to the side, and a glimmer of excitement appeared in its eyes. With a low growl, it coiled its long trunk, snatched the red tree from Zhaang Ye’s hands, and opened its massive mouth. It stuffed the entire red tree—flowers and all—inside and began to chew, like an old ox on tender grass.

After finishing the red tree, the Mammoth found a spot in the valley, lay down, and began to snore, falling into a deep sleep.

Watching the soundly sleeping Mammoth, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. ’For beasts, the Jade Blue Flower can unlock their intelligence and enhance their strength. After eating two of them, this Mammoth’s power will probably increase significantly by the time it wakes up.’

The Mammoth ate and then slept, but Zhaang Ye’s attention was drawn to the two halves of the snake’s carcass. The giant snake’s scales were extremely hard, and its hide was both tough and flexible—a rare and valuable material. Cultivation required a vast amount of money, so Zhaang Ye certainly wasn’t going to pass up something he could sell. He took his Thick-Backed Saber and carefully skinned the snake, piece by piece. He then washed the Snake Hide and laid it out on a clean rock to dry in the sun.

After taking care of the Snake Hide, Zhaang Ye found a safe, clean spot and quietly began his Cultivation.

Dozens of days prior, Zhaang Ye had already advanced to the Late-stage Second Layer of the Martial Dao. Now that he had plenty of Elixirs and was in the relative safety of the valley, he intended to seize this opportunity to break through to the Peak of Martial Arts Second Layer in one go.

After cultivating for several Hours, Zhaang Ye regulated his breathing slightly, then took out his Body Tempering Pills. He tipped one out and swallowed it.

Body Tempering Pills were extremely precious. However, Zhaang Ye had been quite successful recently; although he had used up eight pills to break through to the Late-stage Second Layer, he still had eleven remaining.

A single Body Tempering Pill was worth a fortune and was extremely precious. Back in the clan, Zhaang Ye would have found it difficult to even ask for one. But now, he popped them like candy, tossing them into his mouth without the slightest feeling of waste.

「Day by day, time passed.」

Zhaang Ye took one Body Tempering Pill every two days, and with each Elixir he consumed, a few more impurities were expelled from his body.

Before he knew it, Zhaang Ye had already consumed nine Body Tempering Pills.

’Now’s the time! I’ve taken so many Elixirs that most of the impurities in my body are gone! Now, I will break through to the Peak of Martial Arts Second Layer in one go!’ Zhaang Ye took out a Qi Gathering Pill, put it together with a Body Tempering Pill, and swallowed both Elixirs at once.

The moment the Qi Gathering Pill and Body Tempering Pill entered his stomach, Zhaang Ye felt a surge of heat rise from his abdomen, transforming into a current of True Qi that flowed into his Meridians. He had taken a Body Tempering Pill and Qi Gathering Pill together once before, so he handled the situation calmly and without panic.

As the Medicinal Power of the Elixirs began to spread, Zhaang Ye calmly circulated his Basic Inner Power, guiding the potent energy toward the acupoints throughout his body.

The Qi Gathering Pill was an Elixir meant to be used by Martial Artists of the Martial Arts Third Layer; its Medicinal Power was incredibly fierce. The last time, Zhaang Ye had only taken half a pill, and it had been tremendously potent. This time, he had consumed a whole one, and the Medicinal Power was many times more violent. The energy released by the Elixir was like a flash flood—once unleashed, it was completely uncontrollable!

PFF! PFF! PFF—

The tyrannical Medicinal Power surged through him, the excess leaking out and splitting his skin. Blood poured from the countless cracks like water from a spring, staining the ground red.

Zhaang Ye felt neither shock nor joy, his mind focused solely on circulating the True Qi in his body. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt the endlessly revolving True Qi come to a stop. A vigorous wave of Life Power rose from his Dantian and spread through his entire body, expelling the deepest-seated impurities from him bit by bit.

The fewer impurities in the body, the purer the True Qi. Feeling his True Qi become purer still, a wave of joy washed over Zhaang Ye. He knew he had successfully broken through to the Peak of the Second Layer. ’Just one small step, and I’ll reach the Martial Arts Third Layer.’

Zhaang Ye wasn’t surprised about reaching the Peak of the Second Layer. ’I used a full ten Body Tempering Pills for this advancement. If I still couldn’t break through after all that, my aptitude would have to be truly abysmal.’

He got up and took a walk around the valley. Zhaang Ye saw that the clever Mammoth was still fast asleep and snoring, with no sign of waking up anytime soon.

Seeing the beast sleeping so soundly, Zhaang Ye left it alone. He took out the Jinghong Technique manual, read it over several times, and pondered its principles for a while. Then, he leaped into the air and began to practice this Body Technique among the valley’s sheer cliffs.

Other people practiced by simply following their Cultivation Technique manuals. But after merging with the memories, Zhaang Ye was no longer satisfied with that. While he practiced, his mind was always analyzing the underlying principles.

It was this constant analysis and calculation that made Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation speed so incredibly fast. It was also why every Martial Art he practiced—such as the Basic Saber Technique, the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation, and the Gentle Wind Slash—had reached the Great Success Realm.