Overlord of the Wilderness

Submerged in the blood, Zhaang Ye had only to lightly circulate his Dragon Elephant Skill to feel a source of extremely pure Heaven and Earth Essence Qi continuously pour into his body. At the same time, he felt a stinging pain, as if his entire skin was being forcefully peeled off.

Zhaang Ye knew this was the Fierce Beast’s blood tempering his body. Instead of alarm, he felt joy. He endured the horrifying pain and drove his Cultivation Technique with all his might, continuously absorbing the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi from the beast’s blood.

The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi contained within the blood of a Fierce Beast was not only perfect for a Cultivator’s absorption but was even better for tempering the body. After only a few Circulations, Zhaang Ye clearly heard a sound—a sound that originated from his very flesh.

The sound was incredibly bizarre, impossible to describe with words. Zhaang Ye felt as though his body was being torn apart and then pieced back together by some mysterious force. Amidst these repeated cycles of tearing and mending, Zhaang Ye clearly felt his body growing ever more formidable. The energy within him, too, grew increasingly potent.

An unknown amount of time passed before Zhaang Ye suddenly awoke from his Cultivation. He circulated the True Qi within his body according to the Dragon Elephant Skill’s Heart Method. He felt his entire body tense as a faint golden light abruptly burst forth.

The golden light he now emitted was a bit denser than the glow from the 2nd Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill. Around his palms, in particular, the light was so concentrated it was opaque.

He casually picked up a rock. With a light squeeze of two fingers, a sharp CRACK echoed as the stone instantly crumbled to dust in his hand. He then threw a casual punch through the air. An ear-piercing shriek of displaced air followed its path. The air, rapidly compressed by his fist, surged forward and slammed into a boulder ten feet away with a loud BANG.

Zhaang Ye was overjoyed. He knew he had successfully broken through to the 3rd Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill.

The first and 2nd Layers of the Dragon Elephant Skill trained the skin. The 3rd and 4th Layers trained the flesh. Reaching the 4th Layer meant completing the cultivation of skin and flesh, which was considered Minor Achievement. Now that Zhaang Ye had cultivated the Dragon Elephant Skill to the 3rd Layer, his physical strength was far greater than it had been at the 2nd Layer. He could lift a stone weighing two or three thousand jin with a single hand.

Zhaang Ye opened his eyes to see the Mammoth sprawled on the ground, viciously gnawing on a large leg. He glanced back at the Fierce Beast’s wound; blood was still trickling out. Clearly, his breakthrough to the 3rd Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill had not taken very long.

Sensing that the blood still contained Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, Zhaang Ye closed his eyes and resumed his Cultivation.

A steady stream of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi poured into his body, pushing his Dragon Elephant Skill to advance further. Though the effect had diminished considerably, it was still comparable to consuming Elixirs.

Four hours later, Zhaang Ye reluctantly climbed out of the semi-congealed pool of blood. He patted the Mammoth’s leg and said, ”Thanks for everything, big fella!”

This session of Cultivation had not only fully replenished Zhaang Ye’s True Qi but had also refined it slightly. The external wounds he sustained during the beast stampede had healed without him even noticing. Furthermore, he had advanced his Dragon Elephant Skill to the Middle Stage of the 3rd Layer, and his overall Cultivation had also improved. Zhaang Ye could feel that he was not far from the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer.

With a bit more time spent in Cultivation, Zhaang Ye was confident he could advance to the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer. His Dragon Elephant Skill would likewise progress to the Late Stage of the 3rd Layer.

’The blood of a Mid-level Fierce Beast is incredibly useful!’

Zhaang Ye wished he could soak in the blood of a Fierce Beast every day. He estimated that with the blood of just two more Mid-level Fierce Beasts, he could cultivate his Dragon Elephant Skill to the 4th Layer. This efficiency was far greater than that of taking Elixirs.

Unfortunately, it was just a fantasy. Mid-level Fierce Beasts usually stayed within the outer perimeter of the Barbaric Mountain Range. This one had probably only appeared here because the Mammoth had chased it down. Trying to find another Mid-level Fierce Beast in this area would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Zhaang Ye shook his head and turned his attention to the Fierce Beast before him.

A Mid-level Fierce Beast’s blood was useful, but its hide, bones, teeth, and sinews were also incredibly valuable and would absolutely fetch a good price. Zhaang Ye was currently strapped for cash; there was no way he was going to pass this up. He got dressed, took up his Thick-Backed Saber, and spent more than four full hours just skinning the beast and removing its teeth.

Zhaang Ye didn’t touch the bones or sinews. Trying to extract them from a beast this massive would have taken two or three days at least. To have managed to remove the hide and teeth in just four hours was quite impressive. And that was only with the Mammoth’s occasional help; otherwise, Zhaang Ye feared it would have taken him a full day.

Now that the hide and teeth were removed, he still had to figure out how to get them back. Zhaang Ye looked at the small mountain of Beast Hide and couldn’t help but worry. This pile weighed a good three to four thousand jin, and the nearest town was hundreds of miles away. Carrying a load of three or four thousand jin over hundreds of miles was definitely not going to be a pleasant journey. Besides, a Mid-level Fierce Beast’s hide was worth at least seventy to eighty thousand taels of Gold; if anyone else saw it, a deadly fight would be inevitable.

’Forget it, forget it! My strength is still too low right now. If I travel carrying a haul like this, I’m afraid I’ll be targeted by others before I even get back to Cyan Mulberry City. I’d better find a way to stash these things. Once I’m stronger, I’ll figure out a way to come back and get them!’ Having made up his mind, Zhaang Ye carried the bundle to a secluded spot several miles away. He dug a large pit, stuffed the beast’s hide and teeth inside, and finally finished by carefully erasing all traces of his work.

After the beast stampede, the forest was a complete wreck, littered with blood and animal carcasses. In such chaos, Zhaang Ye was confident no one would find the hole.

With the Beast Hide and teeth taken care of, Zhaang Ye turned to the Mammoth. ”Big fella, this is human territory now. It’s very dangerous for you to be here. You should go back to the other side of the Boundary River!”

Zhaang Ye didn’t know the Mammoth’s true combat strength, but he guessed it couldn’t be stronger than a master of the Martial Arts Sixth Layer. They were only a few hundred miles from Cyan Mulberry City. If the experts there caught wind of a Mid-level Fierce Beast in the area, they would likely mobilize at once and could arrive within a few hours. Cyan Mulberry City was full of powerful cultivators; if just one Elder Level expert showed up, this Mammoth would immediately be skinned and have its bones picked clean.

Although Zhaang Ye hadn’t spent much time with the Mammoth, he had grown fond of the somewhat cunning elephant and didn’t want it to fall into danger.

The Mammoth nodded as it listened to Zhaang Ye, but it didn’t leave right away. Instead, it used its trunk to tug on Zhaang Ye’s clothes before pointing at its own back.

Zhaang Ye paused. ”You want me to go with you?”

The Mammoth let out a happy cry, looking at Zhaang Ye with pleading eyes.

Zhaang Ye asked again, ”You need my help with something?”

The Mammoth nodded happily.

’This fella... It’s not asking me to help it rob treasures from other Fierce Beasts again, is it?’ Zhaang Ye muttered to himself but decided to go with the elephant and see what happened. He had already spent a good while cultivating in Cyan Mulberry City, and his strength had improved several times. Going back to cultivate more wouldn’t yield any immediate gains. Therefore, rather than returning to secluded Cultivation, he might as well venture with the Mammoth into the outer regions of the Barbaric Beast Forest across the Boundary River. He would just treat it as a new trial.

With his mind made up, Zhaang Ye let out a hearty laugh. ”Alright, alright, I’ll go with you! Let’s team up again and go rob some treasures from other Fierce Beasts!”

With a single leap, Zhaang Ye landed on the Mammoth’s back. The Mammoth gave a happy snort and, with a thunderous RUMBLE from its moving legs, quickly headed toward the Boundary River.

(Heh, my thanks to Meng Meng Beast and Taozhi11, you two bros, for the tips!! And thanks to all my other bros for the Recommendation Tickets. You guys are awesome, thank you!)