Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye retracted his three fingers one by one and said slowly, ”One thousand Top-grade Essence Qi Stones, one thousand top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and one thousand Top-grade Calming God Pills.”

Hearing the terms Zhaang Ye laid out, Wei Jiushu couldn’t help but gasp. ’This kid, Zhaang Ye, is really making an outrageous demand!’ he thought. ’To ask for so much at once... even for a family as rich and powerful as the Jiang Family, this will be a huge blow to their foundation! But this is good, too. Once I get my half of these things, I won’t have to scramble for Elixirs and Essence Stones for a long time...’

The red-faced elder snorted in anger and was about to speak, but before he could, the long-bearded elder silenced him with a look. The long-bearded elder said in a deep voice, ”Fine! We will have the items delivered to you in five days.”

...

After Zhaang Ye and Wei Jiushu had left, the red-faced elder couldn’t help but ask, ”Supreme Third Elder, Zhaang Ye just demanded so much. Wasn’t your agreement a bit too quick?”

The Supreme Third Elder replied with a blank expression, ”The True Hall is far too domineering, and we were the ones in the wrong first. There was simply no room for negotiation.”

The red-faced elder fell silent. After a moment, he spoke again. ”Zhaang Ye’s growth is truly terrifyingly fast. A few months ago, his Cultivation was at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer. Now, after just a few short months, he’s actually advanced to the Martial Arts Seventh Layer!

”And his combat strength is comparable to an expert at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer Middle Stage. Even Li Zhongtian was defeated by him. This person’s talent and fortune are simply astonishing. Now that our Jiang Family has offended him, I fear he will make things difficult for us at every turn once he fully matures...”

The Supreme Third Elder nodded slightly. ”His growth rate is indeed shocking. If he continues to cultivate at this pace, I’m afraid it won’t even take him twenty years to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer and become a powerhouse in his own right. However, we have no need to worry. According to the news I’ve received, Jiang Ailiang is about to reach the Great Success Realm in his Linghan Ice Sealing Technique.

”We have already re-established contact with the main family. As soon as Jiang Ailiang’s Linghan Ice Sealing Technique reaches the Great Success Realm, the main family will send experts to take him under their wing and train him meticulously. With the main family’s dedicated training, Ai Liang’s strength will surely improve rapidly, allowing him to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer even sooner than Zhaang Ye.”

The red-faced elder’s eyes lit up. ”Our Jiang Family of Wei Kingdom cultivates Ice Qi. Only by mastering the Linghan Ice Sealing Technique to the Great Success Realm can one transform the Ice Qi in one’s body into Profound Ice Qi. And the cultivation technique of the main family starts with Profound Ice Qi, pointing directly toward the True Dao Realm. Ai Liang is exceptionally talented and has outstanding Comprehension. If he can receive the main family’s training, his Cultivation will surely advance by leaps and bounds!”

A faint smile appeared on the Supreme Third Elder’s face. ”When Ai Liang’s training bears fruit, we will have him challenge Zhaang Ye to a formal battle to righteously eliminate this hidden threat. At the same time, it will vanquish Ai Liang’s Heart Demon, allowing him to cultivate even faster.”

...

Zhaang Ye and Wei Jiushu left the Jiang Family estate, traveling swiftly.

Wei Jiushu praised him, ”Younger Brother Zhaang, that was some ruthless extortion! The Jiang Family may have deep pockets, but being blackmailed for so much at once will be a severe blow to them. And with all these Essence Stones and Elixirs, you just need to enter closed-door Cultivation, and you’ll reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer in less than twenty years.”

In Wei Jiushu’s mind, for Zhaang Ye to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer within twenty years was already an incredible feat. Zhaang Ye was not yet twenty, so reaching the Ninth Layer in twenty years meant he would become a great expert of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer before the age of forty. That was the mark of a once-in-a-millennium genius!

’Twenty years to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer? Heh.’ Zhaang Ye chuckled to himself. His goal wasn’t to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer in twenty years, but in five!

The Dragon Elephant Power within Zhaang Ye’s body was constantly tempering him. As his physique grew stronger, his Cultivation advanced more easily. Now, he only needed his Realm comprehension to catch up, and his Cultivation would rise naturally.

Furthermore, Zhaang Ye’s True Qi was exceptionally pure, comparable to that of a Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert. With such pure True Qi, his cultivation speed was already much faster than that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

Finally, and most importantly, Zhaang Ye had already touched the threshold of Spiritual Power. Grasping Spiritual Power was the most difficult step in advancing from the Martial Arts Eighth Layer to the Ninth Layer. And Zhaang Ye had already faintly crossed this most difficult step! He just needed to accumulate enough True Qi and achieve the necessary Realm comprehension, and he would naturally break through to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer!

With all these advantages, if he still needed twenty years to advance to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, he would be so ashamed he’d want to bash his head against a rock.

Seeing that Zhaang Ye didn’t want to elaborate, Wei Jiushu assumed it was due to a lack of confidence. He smiled and said, ”You reached the Early-stage Seventh Layer before you even turned twenty. Your talent and Comprehension are both excellent. Now that you also have a large supply of Essence Stones and Elixirs, as long as you encounter a few opportunities, you can definitely reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer within twenty years.”

At this point, Wei Jiushu chuckled again. ”Among the Thirteen Countries of the Land of Divine Abandonment, only about twenty people have managed to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer before the age of forty. Younger Brother Zhaang, I have high hopes for you. I hope you will be the twenty-first.”

Zhaang Ye was slightly moved. ”There are actually twenty people who reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer before forty! Who are these people? Also, Uncle Wei, what exactly do you mean by the Land of Divine Abandonment?”

Wei Jiushu smiled. ”It seems Younger Brother Zhaang must be a true cultivation fanatic to not even know about such things. Since you’ve asked, I’ll tell you. The so-called Land of Divine Abandonment refers to the area of over fifty million li between the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range and the Python Marsh.

”The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi here is exceptionally thin, and Cultivation Resources are extremely scarce. Moreover, the Martial Artists born here are mostly of Innate deficiency. For all these reasons, it’s very difficult for a Martial Artist here to reach the True Dao, so it came to be known as the Land of the Forsaken.

”The Land of the Forsaken covers an area of over fifty million li and contains thirteen countries. Our Wei Kingdom is one of these thirteen...”

Listening to Wei Jiushu’s explanation, Zhaang Ye finally began to understand his surroundings. After Wei Jiushu finished, Zhaang Ye asked, ”Uncle Wei, why would such a Land of the Forsaken appear on the vast Barbaric Land?”

Hearing this question, a strange look appeared on Wei Jiushu’s face. He pondered for a moment before saying, ”The Land of the Forsaken was smashed into existence by the two palms of an Ancient Great Power. After an area of fifty million li was struck by this Ancient Great Power’s palms, the earth’s strata fractured, Spirit Trees withered, rivers ran dry, and Spiritual Springs failed. This series of transformations caused a severe loss of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in this fifty-million-li area, ultimately forming this Land of the Forsaken...”

”Wait.” The more Zhaang Ye heard, the more incredible it sounded. He couldn’t help but interrupt, ”Uncle Wei, are you sure you’re not mistaken? This Land of the Forsaken is a full fifty million li in area. How could it possibly be created by two palms?”

Wei Jiushu smiled faintly. ”The Divine Power of an Ancient Great Power is not something you or I can imagine. Things we now find inconceivable were trivial matters in the eyes of an Ancient Great Power. Whether it’s written records, surviving legends, or the actual geography of the land, they all clearly point to one thing: this Land of the Forsaken was indeed created by someone’s two palms. This is an indisputable fact.”

Zhaang Ye sucked in a cold breath. ”If that’s true, it’s too astounding!”

Wei Jiushu chuckled. ”Do you know why there are thirteen countries within the Land of the Forsaken? It’s because when that Ancient Great Power struck, his two handprints were clearly imprinted on this land. Each of his finger imprints became a country. The two palm prints also became two countries. All told, that makes thirteen countries, which is why the Land of the Forsaken has only thirteen countries.”

”That’s not right!” Zhaang Ye said, confused. ”A person only has ten fingers. Add two palms, and that only makes twelve. If the number is twelve, how can there be thirteen countries?”

Wei Jiushu chuckled slyly. ”The reason is simple. That Ancient Great Power had one more finger than an ordinary person, for a total of eleven fingers. Eleven fingers plus two palms is exactly thirteen.”

After this explanation, he added with another smile, ”I’ve heard that above the True Dao, there are several more major Realms. Younger Brother Zhaang, if you can cultivate to that level and use Qi Manipulation Flight to soar into the high heavens, you will be able to clearly see a gigantic handprint. It’s a pity I’ll never have that chance. In this lifetime, I’ll be hard-pressed to even reach the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer...”

While introducing the Land of the Forsaken, Wei Jiushu had been in high spirits, his expression animated. But when the topic turned to his own Cultivation, his face immediately darkened, and he looked utterly dejected.

Seeing him like this, Zhaang Ye shook his head and said, ”Uncle Wei, a cultivator should possess a heart for courageous advancement. If you continue on like this, I’m afraid you won’t even be able to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage, let alone the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer.”

Wei Jiushu’s body trembled, and clarity returned to his eyes. He gave a bitter smile. ”After reaching the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, one is truly plagued by Heart Demons. Thank you for your reminder just now. Otherwise, I would have never made any more progress in this life.”

Seeing Wei Jiushu quickly recover, Zhaang Ye nodded slightly. ”Uncle Wei, you just mentioned that there are twenty young experts among the Thirteen Countries of the Land of Divine Abandonment. Why don’t you tell me about these young experts, so I can broaden my horizons.”

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)