Overlord of the Wilderness

The Python Marsh was filled with thick sludge. Various plants grew on its surface, and beneath it lay unfathomably deep swamp pits.

The moment Zhaang Ye fell into the Python Marsh, his entire body immediately began to sink.

The mud of the Python Marsh held the faint stench of blood, and the water was utterly foul. Even the Martial Artists who entered the Python Marsh to slay its pythons were unwilling to drink it.

But no matter how foul the water smelled, Zhaang Ye could only grit his teeth and endure it.

The newcomer’s strength was astonishingly high, possessing a Cultivation of at least the Martial Arts Eighth Layer. Zhaang Ye was no match for such a terrifying expert. To survive, he had no choice but to burrow deep into the swamp.

Zhaang Ye sank beneath the swamp like a bolt of lightning, then retracted his entire aura and entered the Cultivation state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness.

Upon entering this Cultivation state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness, Zhaang Ye’s aura was instantly suppressed to its absolute limit. He became just like a rock in the swamp...

WHOOSH!

Shortly after Zhaang Ye submerged himself, the hemp-clothed, middle-aged man arrived at the swamp, moving through the air like a phantom. The terrifying gale stirred up by his body blasted forward, carving a trench dozens of feet wide into the mud.

The hemp-clothed man searched the surrounding several miles with incomparable speed. Unable to find any trace of Zhaang Ye, a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes. He swiftly returned, landing on a single reed stalk as precisely as a nail.

The hemp-clothed man stared at the swamp, a cold sneer tugging at his lips. At his speed, it was impossible for him not to have caught Zhaang Ye. Since Zhaang Ye had vanished the moment he entered the swamp, there could be only one explanation: he had burrowed into the mud below.

The world beneath the swamp was pitch-black and utterly foul. A man of his status would certainly not stoop to burrowing into it himself. But his unwillingness to go down didn’t hinder his search.

When one’s Cultivation reaches a certain Realm, their senses become exceptionally keen. The hemp-clothed man’s Cultivation was extremely high, and his perception of auras was particularly acute. He just needed to slowly scan with his senses, and he was certain he could find a trace of Zhaang Ye.

The hemp-clothed man walked across the swamp step by step, focusing his full power on sensing Zhaang Ye’s aura.

With his level of Cultivation, not even a tiny insect beneath the swamp could escape his perception. He had thought it wouldn’t take long to ferret Zhaang Ye out.

But to the hemp-clothed man’s surprise, he searched the entire area of several miles and still couldn’t find Zhaang Ye’s aura. It was as if Zhaang Ye had simply vanished.

’He actually managed to evade my senses. There’s something strange about this kid!’ A look of astonishment appeared on the hemp-clothed man’s face. However, though surprised, he wasn’t particularly concerned. He knew there was no air beneath the swamp. He just had to wait for a while, and Zhaang Ye would eventually be forced to come out—right to his death.

Besides, the world beneath the swamp, while seemingly calm, was actually fraught with lethal danger. Giant Pythons lurked below. For a Martial Artist to burrow into the muck was tantamount to suicide.

The first day, the swamp was completely still.

The second day, there was still no movement in the swamp.

The third day, the swamp remained motionless.

The fourth day, there was still not a single stir from the swamp.

After four straight days of silence, the hemp-clothed man was growing restless. He rose and fiercely unleashed hundreds of palm strikes across the several-mile radius of the swamp. The immense Palm Power blasted huge craters into the marsh, and some of the pythons hiding below were struck and killed by the sheer force.

But even after all this commotion, he still saw no sign of Zhaang Ye.

He patiently waited for another three days. When the swamp remained perfectly still, the hemp-clothed man snorted and muttered to himself, ”Even a master at the Martial Arts Seventh Layer could never survive seven days under the swamp. Seven days have passed, and there’s still no sign of the kid. It looks like he’s been eaten by a python!”

Having come to this conclusion, the hemp-clothed man no longer lingered. With a flick of his sleeve, he headed out of the Python Marsh.

「Beneath the Swamp.」

Zhaang Ye maintained his Cultivation state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness, silently circulating his Cultivation Technique.

Suddenly, Zhaang Ye felt the mud beside him shift slightly, as if something was slowly burrowing up from below.

After entering the state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness, Zhaang Ye was left with only absolute rationality, rarely feeling any emotional fluctuations. Sensing the mud churn beside him, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: ’The only animals that can survive beneath the Python Marsh are pythons. The mud is moving, so it must be a python coming this way.’

Realizing a python was approaching, Zhaang Ye felt no particular alarm. He was in the state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness, making him seem like a mere rock. Pythons enjoy eating living creatures, but they would have no interest in a rock.

Just as he’d expected, the python slowly passed by him, completely oblivious to his presence.

Zhaang Ye continued his Cultivation in silence as time slowly slipped by. The subterranean world, though cold and pitch-black, was surprisingly bustling; Zhaang Ye constantly felt pythons slithering past him.

These pythons varied in size. The long ones reached three or four hundred feet, while even the shortest were over a hundred feet long. Each python exuded a sinister aura, and Zhaang Ye could sense their approach from a great distance.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Zhaang Ye suddenly sensed the surrounding pythons fleeing at an astonishing speed, as if something terrifying was heading their way.

Just as puzzlement arose in Zhaang Ye’s mind, he suddenly sensed a strange power.

This strange power contained a subtle Suppression. It was a faint pressure, yet it felt noble and ancient, primordial and profound, piercing straight into the depths of one’s soul.

As this strange power grew, Zhaang Ye felt the mud around him suddenly begin to tremble. The entire swamp quaked without end, as if in the grip of an earthquake.

Zhaang Ye quickly realized that another Giant Python must be on its way.

Just as he thought, a short while later, an incomparably massive python slowly slithered over. This python was over a thousand feet long, its body as thick as a house. The swamp seemed to boil in its wake.

The strange aura Zhaang Ye had sensed earlier was emanating from this very same Giant Python!

’Dragon Power! This is a Giant Python that possesses the Ancient Giant Dragon Bloodline! It’s because of this bloodline that it gives off the aura of Ancient Dragon Power!’ Zhaang Ye instantly realized that this strange power was the very Ancient Dragon Power he had been desperately seeking.

’I hope this Giant Python doesn’t discover me!’ A Giant Python that possessed Ancient Dragon Power was far stronger than an ordinary one. Although Zhaang Ye had been able to fool the others, this Giant Python with Ancient Dragon Power had senses that were much more acute. If it discovered him, then no matter how capable he was, he would end up being devoured.

Fortunately, Zhaang Ye’s fears did not come to pass. The massive python slowly slithered past him, its hard, sharp scales scraping against his body, yet it remained completely unaware that a living person was right beside it.

Just as Zhaang Ye breathed a slight sigh of relief, the python actually coiled up its body and began to rest right near him!

’Hmm? Since it can’t find me, I can use this opportunity to properly comprehend the mysteries of Ancient Dragon Power!’ Realizing the terrifying Giant Python hadn’t discovered him, Zhaang Ye immediately put his heart at ease and focused his entire Heart Spirit on sensing the aura of Ancient Dragon Power.

Ancient Dragon Power was exceptionally rare. If Zhaang Ye could grasp even a hint of its mysteries, the benefits would be endless. Moreover, his Dragon Elephant Skill could rapidly advance to the 6th Layer.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhaang Ye faintly grasped a trace of the mysteries of Ancient Dragon Power. The Dragon Elephant Skill within his body began to circulate slowly, starting to absorb the aura of this Ancient Dragon Power.

After Zhaang Ye’s own modifications, the Dragon Elephant Skill required one to possess both Dragon Power and Elephant Power to reach the Great Success Realm and truly wield the power of a dragon and an elephant. Zhaang Ye’s body already contained Ancient Elephant Power, but he had never been able to find Ancient Dragon Power.

Now, this Giant Python with the Ancient Giant Dragon Bloodline lay resting not far from Zhaang Ye. The Dragon Power he had long been missing was instantly and continuously absorbed into his Meridians by his Dragon Elephant Technique.

The Ancient Dragon Power entered Zhaang Ye’s Meridians and began to slowly accumulate.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhaang Ye suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and was jolted from his Cultivation state. It was only then he discovered that the terrifying python had left at some unknown time.

Zhaang Ye sighed internally with regret. If that terrifying Giant Python had stayed for another three or four months, he would have been able to use the Dragon Elephant Technique to condense a trace of Ancient Dragon Power inside his body.

Any power could be cultivated. Ancient Dragon Power was mystical and unpredictable, but with the proper method, it could be slowly cultivated and strengthened. As long as Zhaang Ye could condense a single trace of Ancient Dragon Power within his body, he could use it as a seed, slowly nurturing that seed until it grew into a towering tree.

However, Zhaang Ye’s absorption during this period was not without its gains. His understanding of Ancient Dragon Power had grown significantly. His Dragon Elephant Skill had also made considerable progress, and Zhaang Ye could vaguely feel that he had reached the threshold of the Dragon Elephant Skill’s 6th Layer.

As long as he could find a Giant Dragon with Ancient Giant Dragon Bloodline and slay it, Zhaang Ye could break through to the 6th Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill. The 6th Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill granted the true power of a dragon and an elephant. Once he reached that stage of Cultivation, Zhaang Ye was confident he could even face a master of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer head-on. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)