Overlord of the Wilderness

”AWOOO—”

”AHH—”

Zhaang Ye made his way through the dense forest with two large bundles on his back, occasionally hearing the distant roars of beasts and the tragic screams of humans. Each scream signified that another person had perished in these woods.

Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but shake his head. ’So this is what they mean by ”humans die for wealth, and birds die for food,”’ he thought.

Most of the people mauled to death by Fierce Beasts were Medicine Gatherers from all over the Desolate Continent.

In the outer regions of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, the time when medicinal herbs ripened coincided with the surging autumn waters. At this time, the herbs’ Medicinal Power was at its peak, and they could be sold for the highest price.

This was the season for Medicine Gatherers. Hailing from all across the Barbaric World, they would form teams and brave numerous dangers to enter the outer mountain ranges and gather herbs.

Gathering herbs in the forests of the outer Barbaric Beast Mountain Range was an extremely dangerous task. Any sufficiently aged herb would be guarded by a Fierce Beast. To harvest the herb, these Medicine Gatherers had to kill the beast protecting it.

After leaving the valley, Zhaang Ye had already stumbled upon Medicine Gatherers fighting Fierce Beasts three or four times. Most of these battles ended with the humans being killed.

Zhaang Ye had no time to pity these dead Medicine Gatherers. He knew they were no saints themselves. The Medicine Gatherers who dared to enter this place were all desperados. Once inside the forests of the outer Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, they would quickly turn into robbers. ’I’m carrying two large bundles right now. If those people see me, they’ll surely swarm me, kill me, and steal my goods.’

Therefore, Zhaang Ye wanted to avoid Fierce Beasts and Medicine Gatherers alike.

”BANG!” Suddenly, a firework shot into the sky.

Zhaang Ye started slightly at the sight of the firework. It was the Zhaang Family’s distress signal. Only key members of the Zhaang Family were qualified to carry such a signal. As the son of a concubine, Zhaang Ye couldn’t dream of possessing one; he had never even seen one before. He had only heard the Elders describe what it looked like when set off.

According to the Zhaang Family clan rules, any family member who saw this signal had to drop what they were doing and go provide aid. Zhaang Ye hesitated for a moment before deciding to check it out. He set down the two large bundles he was carrying and found a concealed spot to hide them.

One bundle contained the herbs he had gathered, while the other held the Snake Hide. The bundles would hinder his saber movements, so Zhaang Ye had no choice but to stash them safely first.

After stashing his things, Zhaang Ye gripped his Thick-Backed Saber and moved stealthily through the dense forest for about a kilometer. Several dozen yards ahead, by the shore of a small, open lake, dozens of large black panthers—each about ten feet long—had two young women tightly surrounded, roaring as they attacked.

A chill ran down Zhaang Ye’s spine at the sight. These large black panthers were among the most coordinated Fierce Beasts in the dense forest. The combat prowess of a single panther was equivalent to a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Second Layer. Attacked by dozens at once, even a Martial Artist at the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer would have to flee in disarray.

”SWISH SWISH SWISH—” The two women, who looked to be seventeen or eighteen, both surprisingly possessed the strength of the Martial Arts Third Layer. As they brandished their Long Swords, Sword Qi flew everywhere, and in a short burst, they managed to slay over a dozen of the panthers.

But the panthers numbered in the dozens, so the loss of a dozen or so meant little. If anything, the blood of their fallen companions only stoked their ferocity. Their assault grew even more ferocious, pressing the two women so hard that they couldn’t even properly utilize their Sword Force. Their situation was perilous.

Seeing this, Zhaang Ye sighed to himself. With a flicker of his body, he stepped out from his cover.

Zhaang Ye had seen clearly that the two women’s clothes were embroidered with a camphor leaf. This marked them as members of the Cyan Mulberry City Zhaang Family. The Cyan Mulberry City family was the main lineage, while the Zhaang Family of Three Rivers Town was one of the Branches.

With the main lineage in trouble, Zhaang Ye had no choice but to intervene.

”HISS—”

Using his Startled Swan Step, Zhaang Ye moved soundlessly behind one of the large black panthers. With a single swing of his Thick-Backed Saber, he cleaved the beast in two.

This strike was not the Gentle Wind Slash, but the Basic Saber Technique. While the power of the Basic Saber Technique at the Great Success stage couldn’t compare to the Gentle Wind Slash, it was by no means to be underestimated.

”SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!—” Now that his Cultivation had reached the Martial Arts Third Layer, Zhaang Ye had gained a new level of understanding in both his Startled Swan Step and his Basic Saber Technique. His movements were phantasmal. With every slash of his saber, another panther fell. In the blink of an eye, he had already slain five of the great beasts, each one cut clean in two.

At this, the two women besieged by the panthers were overjoyed to see Zhaang Ye come to their aid. The younger of the two cried out, ”You’re incredible! Thank you!”

The woman’s shout alerted the besieging panthers, and they quickly became aware of Zhaang Ye’s presence.

”ROAR!”

More than twenty of the panthers instantly broke away from the pack and lunged toward Zhaang Ye.

Watching the panthers charge ferociously toward him, Zhaang Ye’s brow furrowed. ’How can this woman be so simple-minded?’ he thought. ’If she hadn’t shouted, I could have used my Footwork Technique to kill at least three or four more. Now that I’m completely exposed, I have no choice but to fight them head-on.’

As his thoughts raced, Zhaang Ye’s body seemed to float forward, proactively meeting the charge. The Thick-Backed Saber in his hand released a faint stream of Sword Qi, felling one of the roaring panthers.

”SPLAT!” With a spray of blood, the panther was cleaved in two.

In that same instant, with a whistle of wind, another five or six panthers seized the opportunity, pouncing with all their might just as the momentum from Zhaang Ye’s Sword Force was spent.

The panthers’ sharp fangs and massive, razor-sharp claws descended on Zhaang Ye from all sides.

Zhaang Ye snorted, ducking slightly. With a subtle shift in his Footwork Technique, he swung his Thick-Backed Saber.

A gentle breeze seemed to stir, yet the glint of his saber vanished. This was the strike Zhaang Ye was most skilled in: the Gentle Wind Slash.

”SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!—” Like a gentle breeze, the Thick-Backed Saber swept across the throats of several panthers. The keen Sword Qi slit their windpipes in an instant, extinguishing their lives.

When executed with the strength of the Martial Arts Third Layer, the Gentle Wind Slash was at least four to five times more powerful than before!

”THUD! THUD! THUD!” The bodies of several panthers collapsed to the ground.

Zhaang Ye didn’t slow down. His body shot forward like a startled swan, and any panther in his path was met with a single, fatal slash. Although each panther’s strength was equivalent to that of a Late-stage Second Layer Martial Artist, they were utterly no match for him. By the time Zhaang Ye had advanced several dozen yards, he had slain more than fifteen of the beasts, his own ferocious aura now even more overpowering than theirs.

Finally, after Zhaang Ye cut down two more panthers, the rest of the pack broke and fled, vanishing without a trace.