Overlord of the Wilderness

A beast stampede is when wild animals erupt into a violent frenzy. While the beasts of the forest are diverse, they normally coexist peacefully. However, if something provokes them, they can all lose their minds, running and roaring madly, attacking and tearing at any living thing they see. That is a beast stampede.

When a beast stampede occurs, the entire landscape swarms with wild animals. The scene is horrifying beyond imagination. According to ancient records, many famous experts met their end in the jaws of these beasts simply because they failed to escape in time.

”Go!” Zhaang Ye, Zhu Nulang, Huaa Baida, and Pan Shi roared in unison, bolting to the side as fast as they could.

During a beast stampede, you can’t run with the herd. In the forest, no human can outrun the beasts. Nor can you run against them—that’s just asking for death. The only way to escape is to run to either side. That’s the only way to increase your chances of survival.

The moment the four of them took off, beasts of every description surged from the surrounding woods. They instantly covered the ground in a kaleidoscope of colors—red, black, patterned, and green. From the common black-furred, sharp-snouted rats to the towering and ferocious Storm Wind Tigers; from slender, five-colored venomous snakes to round, rolling hedgehog beasts; from screeching pheasants to swiftly diving giant eagles. Creatures that flew, ran, and even swam—every kind imaginable was there.

”AWOOOO—”

A howl, the likes of which Zhaang Ye had never heard, erupted from behind them without warning. The deep, tyrannical sound was like a thunderclap from the heavens. The four of them, sprinting at full speed, felt as if a heavy hammer had slammed into the depths of their souls, an agonizing sensation.

Zhu Nulang cried out in horror, ”That’s a Mid-level Fierce Beast! Heavens, what is a Mid-level Fierce Beast doing here?” As he spoke, he quickly shrugged off his backpack.

Zhu Nulang’s backpack contained the hide and tendons of the Iron-Armored Long-Horned Ox. Those materials were quite valuable, but with their lives on the line, even the most precious items had to be cast aside.

Pan Shi also hastily tossed his pack aside.

Just then, that stunning figure caught up to them. Zhaang Ye risked a glance and saw that it was a rather beautiful, colorfully-dressed young woman. Huaa Baida called out, ”Senior Sister Lu, what’s going on? Why did a beast stampede suddenly break out?”

Hearing Huaa Baida’s form of address, Zhaang Ye knew this girl in colorful robes must be Lu Yuzhi, ranked fifth among the Outer Sect disciples.

Lu Yuzhi held a gleaming Long Sword, occasionally swinging it to cut down beasts blocking her path. While brandishing her sword, she replied in a puzzled tone, ”I don’t know what happened either. I was just about to capture a Snow-Tailed Jade Fox when a strange ’gege’ sound came from the distance. After that, all the beasts in the forest went berserk, as if something terrifying had appeared. I was lucky I ran fast, or I would have died back in the dense woods...”

A thought stirred in Zhaang Ye’s mind, and he was about to ask a question when several ferocious Iron Claw Wolves pounced toward them from the front. The claws of these Iron Claw Wolves were so hard and sharp they could shred iron. If one were to be clawed by them, they would be instantly disemboweled. Faced with more than a dozen of these wolves, Zhaang Ye had no time for conversation. He brandished his Thick-Backed Saber and began to fight his way through.

After a great struggle to carve a bloody path, he suddenly heard Zhu Nulang cry out in alarm. The color drained from Zhu Nulang’s face, leaving it deathly pale. Zhaang Ye and the others looked into the distance, and their faces instantly paled as well.

About three hundred yards ahead, the ground was covered in a thick layer of slithering, colorful venomous snakes. The largest of them were as thick as water buckets, the smallest like a man’s arm. They slithered forward at high speed with their heads raised, swallowing whole any beast that failed to get out of their way.

Most people have a subconscious fear of these slick, slimy things with their flicking tongues. Although Huaa Baida, Zhu Nulang, Pan Shi, and Lu Yuzhi were all outstanding among their peers, the sudden sight of so many snakes made their skin crawl and their faces turn ashen.

Zhaang Ye, however, had the benefit of decades of experience from another life. He knew this was no time for hesitation. He roared, ”Charge! None of these snakes are Fierce Beast Level! If we channel True Qi to our feet, they won’t be able to bite through!”

Without pausing, he charged straight toward the sea of snakes.

Huaa Baida, Zhu Nulang, Pan Shi, and Lu Yuzhi were jolted back to their senses and scrambled to follow him.

At that moment, they had snakes ahead and thousands upon thousands of crazed beasts behind them. If they didn’t make a choice, they would be trampled to death by the endless horde. As much as they didn’t want to risk their lives fighting the swarm of snakes, they had no other choice if they wanted to live.

”SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!”

After charging into the snake swarm, Huaa Baida relied on his profound Cultivation and superb Saber Technique. With every slash, he killed over a dozen venomous snakes, allowing him to advance with incredible speed.

Zhu Nulang, on the other hand, swung his palms. His Anger Wave Palm was perfect for wide-area attacks. Each palm strike cleared a patch of ground, and his pace was no slower than Huaa Baida’s.

Lu Yuzhi wasn’t slow either. She brandished her Long Sword so skillfully that it became an impenetrable curtain of light. The snakes couldn’t even get near her before being sliced into several pieces. With this sword curtain, she was actually a bit faster than Zhu Nulang. However, swinging a Long Sword like that consumed an immense amount of True Power, and it was uncertain how long she could last.

Among the group, the fastest was Pan Shi. His Defense Technique, ”Jin Yuzhu,” made his entire body nearly impervious to blades and spears when activated. No matter how sharp the fangs of an ordinary snake were, they couldn’t harm him. Relying on this Cultivation Technique, all Pan Shi had to do was charge ahead. The snakes blocking his path were either tossed aside by his hands or crushed under his feet. The sight was incredible, as if he were in a realm with no snakes at all.

Zhaang Ye charged at the very front. He activated his Dragon Elephant Skill, and his entire body glowed with a faint yellow light. Although Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Skill had yet to reach the 3rd Layer, his body was already far tougher than an ordinary person’s, and regular snakes couldn’t bite through his skin. Therefore, Zhaang Ye didn’t even glance at the smaller snakes, simply stomping on them. As for the larger ones, he used clever techniques to flick them aside.

Snakes possessed great Life Power. Even if they were cut into several pieces, they wouldn’t die immediately. Instead, they would launch a final, desperate counterattack before death. By flicking them aside, Zhaang Ye not only avoided their death throes but also conserved his stamina and True Power. His advance was not slow, only slightly behind Pan Shi.

”Huh? A Fierce Beast Level Snake King!” Pan Shi, who was in the lead, suddenly cried out in shock. About twenty yards ahead of him, a massive venomous snake, two or three times thicker than a water bucket, was raising its triangular head high. The snake’s tongue was as thick as an arm, its bright red color extremely eye-catching. Its eyes were chillingly cold. The five of them met its gaze and felt a cold dread rise from the bottom of their hearts.

This Snake King was a Low Level Fierce Beast!

The Snake King blocked their path ahead, while the beasts behind were getting closer!

The situation had become critical!

Zhaang Ye cast aside all other emotions and shouted urgently, ”Don’t run! Humans can never outrun a snake! Charge it and kill it! Only by killing it do we have a chance to live!”

The composure and maturity he possessed, which far surpassed his peers, had implicitly made Zhaang Ye the group’s commander. His shout served as a reminder to the others. Huaa Baida, Zhu Nulang, Pan Shi, and Lu Yuzhi all nodded in unison, their bodies shooting forward like arrows. Together with Zhaang Ye, they charged toward the terrifying Snake King.

—The beasts behind them were closing in. If they couldn’t finish off this Snake King in a few breaths, there was only one fate awaiting them: to be trampled into a bloody pulp by the thousands upon thousands of beasts, leaving not even a complete corpse behind!

*(Thanks to Meng Meng Beast, and asking for Recommendation Tickets again!)*