Overlord of the Wilderness

”Enough!” Zhaang Ye coldly cut Wei Jingtian off and said in a deep voice, ”Cowardice before the battle has even begun is a great taboo for a Martial Artist. Xuli Long, you’re a master of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. How can you be so afraid of your opponent?”

Although Zhaang Ye was much younger than Xuli Long, his power was number one among the Wei Kingdom’s younger generation. Listening to Zhaang Ye’s reprimand, Xuli Long’s lips moved, but he dared not say a word.

Seeing Zhaang Ye berate Xuli Long so directly, Fang Caiying and Feng Tongming exchanged a glance. They both had the same thought: ’Zhaang Ye is developing such a commanding presence! I wonder what kind of Cultivation Technique he practices. He carries himself like an Ancient Monarch; even Xuli Long doesn’t dare to argue with him.’

At that moment, Zhaang Ye spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate. ”This Liao Zhichen’s aura is like a volcano. It’s clear that he excels at fast attacks; his offensive is likely as explosive as a volcanic eruption. When you go up there to fight him, your first priority is to hold your ground. Use your Dragon and Tiger Celestial Hand to slowly wear him down. You can use the Dragon Form of your technique to deflect some of his firepower. It will be tough, but it won’t be fatal. As long as you slowly drain his stamina, you can win. Remember, whatever you do, do not trade blows with him. If you do, you are guaranteed to lose!”

When they heard Zhaang Ye offering ”guidance” to Xuli Long, both Wei Jingtian and Fang Caiying showed peculiar expressions. The Dao of combat was infinitely variable. Zhaang Ye was completely unfamiliar with Liao Zhichen and had only glanced at him from a distance, yet he was already giving instructions. This struck both Wei Jingtian and Fang Caiying as rather presumptuous.

First, he had been reprimanded by Zhaang Ye, and now he was being lectured. Xuli Long felt unbearably aggrieved, his face flushing red as fire. However, he knew deep down just how formidable Zhaang Ye was. No matter how much anger simmered within him, he didn’t dare let it show. He could only lower his head and listen in silence.

Zhaang Ye knew that Xuli Long was resentful, but he couldn’t be bothered to care. He stared coldly at Xuli Long and asked, ”Did you understand what I just said?”

Xuli Long took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and said, ”Understood!”

Zhaang Ye nodded slightly. ”Go on up. Don’t let anyone look down on you.”

With a single movement, Xuli Long leaped into the air and landed on the arena stage.

The moment he landed on the stage, Liao Zhichen let out an earth-shattering laugh as a crimson long-bladed saber suddenly appeared in his hand.

”FWOOSH!” Liao Zhichen swung his arm, and a torrent of fiery light erupted from the crimson saber. The entire arena stage was instantly transformed into a volcano, spewing out endless heat. Even the Martial Artists standing hundreds of feet away could feel waves of scorching air wash over them, their hair instantly curling from the intensity.

”RUMBLE—” An endless torrent of fire surged toward Xuli Long.

Xuli Long instinctively moved to unleash his Dragon and Tiger Celestial Hand to neutralize the terrifying flames. But before he could act, he felt an ice-cold gaze lock onto him, sending a chill through his entire body that even Liao Zhichen’s endless blaze couldn’t suppress.

’Damn it! That detestable bastard!’ Xuli Long forced himself to withdraw his Dragon and Tiger Celestial Hand. He knew that gaze had belonged to Zhaang Ye. Ever since his crushing defeat at Zhaang Ye’s hands, he had developed a soul-deep fear of him. Now, he simply didn’t dare to go against Zhaang Ye’s wishes.

’I’ll risk it!’

Xuli Long executed the Dragon Form of his Dragon and Tiger Celestial Hand. A massive purple dragon materialized in front of him, blocking Liao Zhichen’s endless torrent of fire.

”Hm?” Seeing Xuli Long completely forgo any attack and take up a defensive posture, Liao Zhichen grew excited. He laughed. ”A volcano’s magma can melt anything; nothing can stand in its way. Xuli Long, you’re actually trying to defend against my Flaming Blade? You’re courting death!”

As he spoke, the fiery aura around Liao Zhichen intensified, and the crimson saber in his hand transformed into an endless river of magma that rolled toward Xuli Long.

Faced with such a terrifying attack, Xuli Long’s scalp tingled with fear. He desperately unleashed his Dragon and Tiger Celestial Hand to counter Liao Zhichen’s Flaming Blade. Dragons are creatures of water, so while the Dragon Form he conjured was nowhere near as powerful as Liao Zhichen’s Flaming Blade, Xuli Long miraculously managed to hold on through sheer, desperate effort.

”BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—” Liao Zhichen unleashed seventeen strikes in a single breath, each one possessing earth-shattering might. Under his relentless flames, the entire arena stage began to glow a faint red. All of Xuli Long’s hair was singed into curls, and the terrifying heat had burned his eyebrows clean off.

Xuli Long was at a complete disadvantage. It seemed that at any moment he could be struck by Liao Zhichen’s Flaming Blade and become a human torch. But to everyone’s surprise, though his situation was perilous to the extreme, he endured Liao Zhichen’s assault time and time again, like a stubborn weed in spring that refused to be burned away.

’Zhaang Ye’s judgment is incredible! By using the Dragon Form of my Dragon and Tiger Celestial Hand, I’m actually holding on!’ Having weathered over a hundred of Liao Zhichen’s attacks, far exceeding his own expectations, Xuli Long began to feel a secret admiration for Zhaang Ye’s insight.

Suddenly, Zhaang Ye’s cold voice echoed in Xuli Long’s ear: ”Attack with your full power!”

’Full power?’ Though Xuli Long didn’t understand Zhaang Ye’s command, his arms moved instinctively. He unleashed the Dragon and Tiger Celestial Hand with all his might. In an instant, a massive purple dragon and a giant White Tiger materialized out of thin air and shot fiercely toward Liao Zhichen.

Just as Xuli Long unleashed his all-out attack, Liao Zhichen’s Blade Force faltered for a moment. As it happened, his Flaming Blade technique needed to be executed in a single, fluid sequence. Having just delivered ninety-nine consecutive strikes, he was starting to feel the strain and had intended to pause and recover before launching his second volley.

But Liao Zhichen had never imagined that in the precise moment his Blade Force wavered, Xuli Long would suddenly take the initiative and attack!

’Not good!’ Watching the dragon and tiger rushing toward him, Liao Zhichen was greatly alarmed and hastily swung his crimson saber to intercept them. But by now his Blade Force had slowed, its power a shadow of its former self. With two thunderous clashes, ”BOOM! BOOM!”, Liao Zhichen was blasted clean off the arena stage by Xuli Long.

”What?!” The crowd stared, scarcely believing their eyes as they watched Xuli Long knock Liao Zhichen from the stage. They simply couldn’t comprehend how Liao Zhichen, who had so clearly dominated the fight, had been thrown from the arena by Xuli Long. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)