Overlord of the Wilderness

The person who shot out from the lake was none other than Zhaang Ye.

After cultivating the Dragon Elephant Skill to the 6th Layer, Zhaang Ye circulated his Dragon Elephant Power and used a Sealing Secret Technique to seal away four wisps of Ancient Dragon Power. This secret technique was one he had obtained from the True Hall’s Library Pavilion. Once sealed, no one except a True Dao Expert could tell that he possessed Ancient Dragon Power.

Just as he finished sealing his Ancient Dragon Power, Zhaang Ye heard intense vibrations coming from above, faintly mixed with the sound of a dragon’s roar. A thought stirred in his mind; he knew that the Thousand-foot Python was fighting with some experts.

Zhaang Ye was currently hiding a hundred zhang underground, where even the Thousand-foot Python couldn’t find him. Therefore, he paid no mind to the battle above, focusing wholeheartedly on comprehending the mysteries of the Ancient Dragon Power. He planned to wait until the great battle was over before swaggering out of the Python Marsh.

He never would have imagined that after the Thousand-foot Python left, another great battle would break out above. This time, even Zhaang Ye was caught in the crossfire.

As Zhaang Ye sat quietly a hundred zhang underground, he felt a terrifyingly sharp Gold Essence Qi suddenly pierce down from above. This Gold Essence Qi was incredibly fierce. Left with no other choice, Zhaang Ye had to drill his way out from beneath the earth.

Cloud Following Dragon, Wind Following Tiger. After comprehending some of the mysteries of the Ancient Dragon Power, Zhaang Ye’s mastery of footwork techniques had greatly improved. His Cloud Stepping Technique had long since broken through the limits of a Mid-Level Stepping Technique. The body technique he now displayed carried the artistic conception of a Space Storm and the agility of an Ancient Giant Dragon. Even a Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert would be shocked to see it.

While in the air, Zhaang Ye saw two people from a distance.

Sensing their auras from afar, Zhaang Ye was deeply startled. He could feel that both of them were Martial Arts Grandmaster Level figures, and the aura from each was terrifying to the extreme!

’Run!’

The thought flashed through Zhaang Ye’s mind. But just as it appeared, he sensed immense danger. In his peripheral vision, he clearly saw the long sword in the white-robed middle-aged man’s hand tremble as a terrifying streak of Sword Qi shot through the air toward him!

Almost every Martial Artist could generate Sword Qi. But to generate Sword Qi and injure someone from a distance—that was not something an ordinary Martial Artist could do!

The white-robed middle-aged man was a full thirty-plus zhang away from Zhaang Ye, yet with a casual swing of his sword, his Sword Qi tore through the thirty-plus zhang of empty space. This ability greatly surprised even Zhaang Ye!

SWISH! With no time to think, Zhaang Ye’s figure moved like a dragon, twisting several times in mid-air and neatly dodging the incomparably sharp Sword Qi.

Seeing Zhaang Ye had actually dodged his Sword Qi, a trace of surprise appeared in the white-robed middle-aged man’s eyes. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed his Sword Qi once more.

This operation against the long-haired woman was a secret mission; it absolutely could not be exposed. This person, Zhaang Ye, who had suddenly appeared, had to be killed.

This time, the white-robed middle-aged man unleashed five streaks of Sword Qi. Each of the five streaks was exceptionally sharp, and each moved as fast as lightning. What was more terrifying was that the five streaks of Sword Qi formed an ingenious combination, completely sealing off Zhaang Ye’s escape routes—up, down, left, and right. No matter which way he dodged, there was no escape!

The aura of death instantly enveloped Zhaang Ye!

At this moment between life and death, Zhaang Ye’s mind became exceptionally agile. His extremely formidable Comprehension was now on full display.

He instantly determined the direction and position of the five streaks of Sword Qi, then just as instantly devised a way to deal with them. Finally, his figure suddenly froze still in the void, and he bent his body slightly!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Five incomparably sharp streaks of Sword Qi flew past Zhaang Ye’s shoulders, legs, and the top of his head, carving five gashes, each over ten zhang long, into the lake behind him. Five walls of water shot into the sky!

”Hm?” Seeing Zhaang Ye so easily dodge the five streaks of Sword Qi, a look of shock appeared on the white-robed middle-aged man’s face. Zhaang Ye’s action had seemed simple, but without outstanding vision, formidable Comprehension, and immense courage, no one would have dared to stand still on the spot. The vision, Comprehension, and courage that Zhaang Ye had displayed with that simple act of standing still left even the white-robed middle-aged man feeling horrified.

The long-haired woman was also startled when she saw Zhaang Ye’s performance. Her own natural talent and Comprehension were both exceptionally outstanding; by cultivating on her own, she had been able to reach heights others wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

But even with her Comprehension, she had not expected Zhaang Ye to be able to dodge the five streaks of Sword Qi in such a way. His simple act of standing still just now was too clever, too stunning!

Having dodged the five streaks of Sword Qi, Zhaang Ye’s gaze fell upon the woman. Seeing the long-haired woman in blue, Zhaang Ye’s heart couldn’t help but leap. ’This woman,’ he mused, ’is clearly that powerful long-haired woman I met on Beetle Mountain! But her situation doesn’t look good at all. It seems she’s on her last legs!’

As Zhaang Ye was sizing up the long-haired woman, she was also sizing him up. Zhaang Ye clearly felt her Spiritual Power sweep over his body, seeing through him completely.

A sweet and calm voice sounded in Zhaang Ye’s ear: ”You are not this person’s opponent. While I’m suppressing him now, you should hurry and flee for your life. Please do me the favor of making a trip to the Wei Kingdom and informing the Xuli Family of my death. Just say that Xuli Qiqi is dead. Also, please go to Python City and inform my handmaiden that I have gone out traveling...”

Zhaang Ye was shaken. He knew this long-haired woman was using a Sound Transmission Secret Skill to speak to him. Xuli Qiqi must be her name. Judging by her surname, she was a member of the Wei Royal Family’s Xuli Family. And from her transmission, Zhaang Ye could sense her resolve to die; this message was likely her last words.

’This white-robed middle-aged man is extremely powerful, probably a great expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage or even Late Stage,’ Zhaang Ye’s thoughts raced. ’This woman is already on her last legs; she’s no longer his match. Should I abandon her and run for my life, or should I stay and kill this white-robed man?’ But before he could come to a conclusion, he felt his body tighten as the white-robed middle-aged man’s aura suddenly locked onto him.

The white-robed middle-aged man locked onto Zhaang Ye with his aura, preparing to strike again and kill him. But at that moment, the long-haired woman’s aura suddenly locked tightly onto him instead.

The long-haired woman had initially attacked because she thought Zhaang Ye was with the white-robed man. Now that she saw he wasn’t, how could she possibly allow the man to strike him again?

Despite being severely injured and having fought consecutive battles, the long-haired woman had reached the point of utter exhaustion. But she was a Half-step True Dao Expert, after all. No matter how grave her injuries, she still possessed an endless array of attack methods. With her aura locked onto him, the white-robed middle-aged man had no choice but to focus his entire Heart Spirit on dealing with her.

’This woman is already heavily injured. It won’t be too late to deal with that kid after I finish her off!’ the white-robed middle-aged man thought, just as he was about to make his move.

VWUM!

At that moment, a concentrated and un-dispersing streak of Sword Qi came from far behind the white-robed middle-aged man. In his eyes, this streak of Sword Qi seemed rather weak. But the Devouring Power contained within it gave him a great shock.

The white-robed middle-aged man felt as if this Sword Qi was an ancient beast, constantly devouring his power. The aura he projected had been condensed to its absolute limit, but this terrifying Sword Qi was still able to devour his Qi Force.

The one who had unleashed the Sword Qi was none other than Zhaang Ye.

Abandoning a woman to flee for his life was not Zhaang Ye’s style. Besides, this white-robed middle-aged man had tried to take his life twice. If he didn’t kill this man, it would create a block in his heart of martial arts.

Therefore, Zhaang Ye decisively stayed behind to join forces with the long-haired woman and kill the white-robed middle-aged man.

Now, the long-haired woman and Zhaang Ye fought together against the white-robed middle-aged man with all their strength. Although the long-haired woman was gravely injured and utterly exhausted, she was, after all, an extremely tyrannical Half-step True Dao Expert. Her formidable Spiritual Power compensated for her lack of True Qi.

Zhaang Ye was the exact opposite. His Spiritual Power was not worth mentioning, but the Dragon Elephant Power within his body surged out endlessly. After Zhaang Ye executed the Mountain-Breaking Slash, his Dragon Elephant Power acted like a monster, continuously devouring the white-robed man’s Qi Force. With Zhaang Ye and the long-haired woman coordinating, the white-robed middle-aged man was actually forced onto the back foot.

’This Xuli Qiqi is critically injured and can’t fight for long. We have to take the initiative and end this battle quickly.’ Zhaang Ye took in the situation at a glance and quickly made a decision.

RUMBLE!

Zhaang Ye suddenly took a step forward, pressing toward the white-robed middle-aged man.

The white-robed middle-aged man’s injuries were much lighter than the long-haired woman’s, and his internal True Qi was far more abundant. However, his Realm was not as high as hers.

Without the variable of Zhaang Ye, the white-robed man could have slowly applied pressure with his aura and used probing attacks, waiting for the long-haired woman’s injuries to flare up before capturing her.

But with Zhaang Ye in the picture, the white-robed man had become passive. He was now locked down tightly by the long-haired woman, not daring to make any large movements, while Zhaang Ye took the opportunity to strike at him, seizing the initiative.

Zhaang Ye advanced on the white-robed middle-aged man, step by step.

Ever since cultivating the Dragon Elephant Skill to the 6th Layer, Zhaang Ye’s strength was equivalent to an expert at the Early Stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer. The most wonderful part was that his Dragon Elephant Skill was so miraculous that neither the long-haired woman nor the white-robed man could see through him.

Right now, to avoid alerting the white-robed man, Zhaang Ye suppressed his strength by a notch, revealing a power level roughly equivalent to the Mid-stage Seventh Layer of Martial Arts. He was preparing to get close to the man and then suddenly unleash his true strength, felling him in a single blow with his Heavy Saber.

At this moment, the white-robed middle-aged man also had a similar thought: to kill Zhaang Ye in a single strike. Although he was locked down by the long-haired woman and dared not make any big moves, he could still launch a fatal attack within a three-zhang range. He was waiting, waiting for Zhaang Ye to step within three zhang so he could kill him in one fell swoop...

The long-haired woman vaguely sensed the white-robed man’s intention, but all of her Spiritual Qi was being used to keep him locked down; she couldn’t even manage a warning. Watching Zhaang Ye approach the white-robed man step by step, she sighed softly and thought, ’It seems the only way is to use a move where we all perish together and drag this Mei Yuntian down with me...’

Just as this thought was forming in her mind, she suddenly felt a powerful aura erupt. She could clearly feel Zhaang Ye’s presence skyrocketing like an arrow!

------------------

Recommending a friend’s new book, *Imperial Sword Over the Firmament*. If you’re interested, please go check it out. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com and vote with your Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)