Overlord of the Wilderness

(Thank you, Meng Meng Beast, for the gift. Thank you, brothers, for the Sanjiang Tickets and Recommendation Tickets. Thanks!)

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—BOOM!

Like a giant boulder, the Mammoth slammed viciously into an anthill the size of a small mountain. The exceptionally sturdy nest shattered in an instant, and the Robber Ants inside swarmed out, a dense mass that immediately stained the ground black.

SKITTER SKITTER SKITTER—

These Robber Ants, each the size of a water bucket, waved their large pincers and bared their sharp teeth as they pounced toward the Mammoth and Zhaang Ye.

The Mammoth trumpeted twice. With a sweep and a curl of its long trunk, it tossed a dozen or so Robber Ants into its massive mouth, swallowing them whole.

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

Zhaang Ye cut down Robber Ant after Robber Ant. Seeing the Mammoth eat with such relish, he couldn’t help but envy its appetite. ’The flesh of these Robber Ants is incredibly tough and dry, tastes extremely acrid, and even contains some venom. But the Mammoth devours it with gusto, and the more it eats, the stronger it gets.’

While the Mammoth went on a feeding frenzy, Zhaang Ye went on a killing spree. Although there were many Robber Ants in this outer area, they weren’t very strong. The most powerful among them were only equivalent to experts at the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer, so Zhaang Ye and the Mammoth felt no pressure at all as they slaughtered them.

”SCREE, SCREE!” Just as they were about to finish off the last of the Robber Ants, an indescribable sound suddenly echoed from within the nest. The piercing cry made Zhaang Ye’s eardrums ache.

Zhaang Ye was slightly startled and said, ”This Ant King is powerful. Be careful!”

The Mammoth swung its trunk and strode forward. With a ”BOOM! BOOM!”, it delivered two kicks to the nest. A loud CRACK echoed as the mountain-sized anthill split in two, and a massive Robber Ant, weighing several hundred pounds and clad in shining armor, leaped out.

The large Robber Ant let out an angry shriek. Its two glossy black pincers clashed together with the sound of striking metal, and it charged toward the Mammoth like a blur. Seeing its speed, Zhaang Ye felt a chill. ’This Robber Ant is even stronger than a Martial Artist at the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer. It could probably even fight an expert at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Early Stage.’

The large Robber Ant was formidable, but unfortunately for it, it had run into the Mammoth. The beast didn’t even deign to look at it. Its long trunk shot out, wrapped tightly around the charging Robber Ant, and stuffed it into its massive mouth.

CRUNCH!

The Robber Ant’s sturdy armor was instantly crushed by the Mammoth’s jaws, and it was swallowed whole.

After eating the massive Robber Ant, the Mammoth proceeded to swallow the rest of the ants. Zhaang Ye went to inspect the nest and found a large pile of white ant eggs and a heap of golden powder inside.

Zhaang Ye felt a twinge of regret as he looked at the golden powder. It was actually a mixture of various metals. Robber Ants ate everything, and some of the ingested metals were later regurgitated, forming this powder. It was worth a fair bit of money, but Zhaang Ye didn’t even have a bag on him, so there was no way to carry it away.

Walking out of the nest, Zhaang Ye said, ”Let’s go. We’ll head another hundred li deeper. The Robber Ants there should be more of a help to you.”

The Mammoth nodded and strode onward with Zhaang Ye on its back.

Zhaang Ye sat cross-legged on the Mammoth’s back, his Thick-Backed Saber resting across his lap, lost in thought. This was his fourth day in the Ant Robbing Plain. For four days, he had fought Robber Ants constantly. His Cultivation had improved, bringing him ever closer to the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer. His Saber Technique had also grown more refined with every battle.

Zhaang Ye’s Saber Technique now primarily consisted of two moves. One was the Gentle Wind Slash from the Nameless Saber Manual. The other was the Reverse Flow Slash, which he had created himself based on the Gentle Wind Slash. The Gentle Wind Slash turned one slash into a hundred; a single draw of the blade filled the sky with a breeze of cuts. The Reverse Flow Slash was the opposite, condensing a hundred slashes into one. It was sharp and domineering, perfect for breaking through tough defenses.

Although Gentle Wind Slash and Reverse Flow Slash complemented each other, they didn’t yet form a complete Saber Technique. Zhaang Ye had a nagging feeling that he needed to create one more move to make it a complete set.

Zhaang Ye already had an idea forming for this third move.

He recalled the day the black Space Storm had swept through the Young Elephant Trial Arena. Its terrifying power had reduced the entire arena to nothingness in the blink of an eye. Zhaang Ye had witnessed it all firsthand, and beyond the shock, he had come to a faint understanding.

He felt that there were two kinds of power within the Space Storm worth studying: Rotating Power and Dissolving Power.

When the Space Storm’s Rotating Power and Dissolving Power combined, anything they touched was instantly turned to dust, unable to withstand the force for even a moment.

Zhaang Ye felt that if he could grasp even a fraction of these two powers, the Saber Technique he created would be not only versatile and fierce but also all-pervasive, capable of shattering even the most formidable defense. Best of all, a technique using Rotating Power, while delivering exceptionally fierce slashes, would also allow him to withdraw at a moment’s notice. If a strike missed, he could retreat like a whirlwind, which would perfectly compensate for the Reverse Flow Slash’s domineering power but lack of agility.

Of course, these were just Zhaang Ye’s initial ideas. Turning them into reality would take a very long time.

”Grr-umph!”

The Mammoth beneath him suddenly gave a soft cry, pointing forward with its long trunk.

Zhaang Ye looked into the distance and saw three or four people several li away, making their way out of the Ant Robbing Plain. Their Body Techniques were superb; their feet barely seemed to touch the ground as they moved with extreme speed.

Zhaang Ye said to the Mammoth, ”Big guy, we’re here to find Robber Ants for you to eat and get stronger. Let’s just avoid those people. No need for any conflict.”

The Mammoth nodded and changed its direction.

The Mammoth’s frame was exceptionally large. By the time it had spotted the group, they had long since seen its massive form. When they saw the Mammoth change its path, the group immediately changed their own course to stand directly in front of it, blocking its way.

”Tsk tsk, what a majestic Mammoth! A beast this big has to be worth at least a million taels of Gold!” Zhaang Ye was still half a li away from the group when he heard one of them shouting in excitement.

”Heh heh! You’re right! Killing this Mammoth will make the whole trip worthwhile! Heh heh, to think we couldn’t find any Ant Crystals but stumbled upon this giant instead!”

”Heh heh! Not to mention anything else, that pair of tusks alone is worth at least seven hundred thousand taels of Gold. We’ve really struck it rich this time.”

”The Elephant Hide is even more valuable! From an elephant this big, you could skin enough hide to make hundreds of sets of Leather Armor. Sell each set for a few thousand taels of Gold, and we’ll be rolling in it.”

”I hear the Elephant Whip is excellent for making wine, heh heh...”

SHING! SHING! SHING!

All four men drew their weapons, their gazes fixed on the Mammoth in excitement. To them, this beast was clearly nothing more than a giant, walking pile of Gold.

’They’re courting death,’ Zhaang Ye cursed under his breath, lying low in the Mammoth’s thick fur.

Sure enough, the Mammoth had heard their shouts from afar. It let out a furious roar, and its four legs began to move with startling speed. Instead of evading them, it charged, rumbling thunderously toward the four men.