Overlord of the Wilderness

The Ten Thousand Volcanoes was a volcanic range millions of square li in area. Countless volcanoes erupted furiously, dyeing the entire sky red with scorching magma.

Even more dangerous, endless clouds of volcanic ash and toxic fumes spewed from the volcanoes. The slightest misstep could send one plunging into the roiling magma below, leaving not even a bone behind.

Sensing the dangerous environment, Zhaang Ye was pleased rather than alarmed. The most formidable ability of the white-robed young man behind him was his Profound Ice Qi. In this extremely hot environment, his Profound Ice Qi would be suppressed and its power greatly diminished.

The white-robed young man behind him was simply too powerful; a single palm strike from him could stir the very Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. Even though Zhaang Ye had a True Artifact, he had little confidence in victory. Therefore, Zhaang Ye planned to lure the man into the depths of the Ten Thousand Volcanoes. Then, when the Profound Ice Qi was at its weakest, he would use his Long Whip to kill him.

”Zhaang Ye, you can’t escape! Die!” the white-robed young man roared from behind. With a wave of his arm, a colorless sword of ice, condensed from Profound Ice, shot toward Zhaang Ye at an incredible speed.

This colorless ice sword was formed from Profound Ice Qi and possessed immense power. If an ordinary person were so much as grazed by it, their flesh and blood would instantly turn into a block of ice, freezing them to death. Zhaang Ye was already seriously injured, his internal organs frozen solid. If he took another hit from this sword, his flight speed would immediately plummet, leaving him at his enemy’s mercy.

Zhaang Ye had two types of power within him: one was Dragon Elephant Power, and the other was the True Qi he had painstakingly cultivated. At this moment, though his True Qi was not circulating properly, his Dragon Elephant Power was a force from Ancient Times; mere Profound Ice Qi was incapable of freezing it. Seeing the Profound Ice Sword approach, Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Power surged, and with a casual flick, he sent it flying.

’The Profound Ice Sword’s power is immense. Even an ordinary Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert would suffer a setback if grazed by it. But Zhaang Ye knocked the Ice Sword away so casually; he clearly has strength to spare. It seems I’ll have to use my trump card if I want to kill him!’ the white-robed young man thought viciously. His True Qi surged, his speed climbing frantically as he rapidly closed the distance.

Zhaang Ye had been keeping a close eye on the white-robed young man and was startled when the man suddenly accelerated. Gritting his teeth, Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Power surged madly from his body. Two tornadoes instantly formed around him, and amid a sound like muffled thunder, his speed also increased considerably.

RUMBLE—

Both of them were moving at incredible speeds, covering dozens of li in the blink of an eye. In just half a day, Zhaang Ye and the white-robed young man had traveled tens of thousands of li, entering the depths of the Ten Thousand Volcanoes.

The depths of the Ten Thousand Volcanoes were like a massive furnace. As far as the eye could see, everything was a sea of crimson. The temperature was terrifyingly high; a piece of wood tossed into the air would instantly combust. However, after clashing with the white-robed man, Zhaang Ye’s body had been frozen inside and out. The higher the temperature rose, the more comfortable he felt, and his flight speed grew faster and faster.

As Zhaang Ye flew at high speed, his gaze locked onto a volcano more than three hundred li away. The volcano was a hundred thousand zhang tall, its peak glowing red-hot. Roiling magma cascaded down from the summit like a river, while sparks and lightning shot straight into the sky. It was a spectacular sight, unforgettable after a single glance.

Zhaang Ye studied the volcano and reached for his waist. ’This is the place!’ he thought. ’Although I can fly quickly with the Dragon Elephant Power, I can’t maintain it for long. I’ll lure him to this volcano and then kill him with the Long Whip!’

Having made up his mind, Zhaang Ye turned back to the white-robed young man and laughed. ”Hey, kid! Judging by those pretty-boy eyes, have you spent all your energy on women? Why are you so slow?”

The white-robed young man was fuming with rage. He laughed coldly, ”I’ve been in cultivation for over forty years, and no one has ever dared call me ’kid.’ Zhaang Ye, I’m going to capture you alive, cripple your Cultivation, slowly shatter your bones, sever your tendons, and make you die screaming in agony!”

Zhaang Ye snickered, about to provoke the white-robed young man further when he suddenly sensed something strange up ahead. Looking forward, he saw a crimson cloud suddenly erupt from the massive volcano. The moment the cloud appeared, it shot straight toward him at an unbelievable speed!

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW—

As the fiery cloud appeared, Zhaang Ye also heard a series of piercing cries, as if countless birds were shrieking at the top of their lungs.

Zhaang Ye’s expression changed. Focusing his gaze, he was shocked and cried out, ”Heavens, they’re Fire Crows! A whole flock, at least several thousand strong! Getting targeted by them means big trouble!”

The Fire Crow was an extremely formidable Fierce Beast native to the Ten Thousand Volcanoes. They spent their lives inside volcanoes, feeding on ores and metals, growing to weigh dozens of pounds each and being constantly wreathed in flames. A single Fire Crow had strength equivalent to a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer. Some of the more accomplished ones were even comparable to Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts. Even a Half-Step True Dao Expert would be unwilling to face such an overwhelming swarm.

”Run!”

At this moment, Zhaang Ye could no longer be bothered with his scheme against the white-robed young man. He immediately changed direction and fled frantically. The white-robed young man, who had been following close behind, also noticed the approaching Fire Crows. He too was shocked and quickly turned to escape.

CAW CAW CAW CAW!

Zhaang Ye and the white-robed young man had just flown a hundred li when the flock of Fire Crows caught up from behind, shrieking. As flying Fierce Beasts, the Fire Crows had a natural advantage in speed. Zhaang Ye and the young man were already fast, but the flock of Fire Crows was even faster!

’Heavens, am I, Jiang Dijian, going to die here today? No, I absolutely cannot die! I still need to reach the True Dao! I still need to take over the entire Jiang Family! I cannot die!’ The white-robed young man’s face turned savage as he looked at the dense swarm of Fire Crows behind him. A vicious light glinted in his charming eyes, and an idea quickly formed in his mind.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Profound Ice Qi surged madly from the white-robed young man, Jiang Dijian, forming one Profound Ice Sword after another. Dozens of these swords flew from Jiang Dijian’s hands, whistling shrilly as they shot straight for Zhaang Ye, targeting his vital points!

Zhaang Ye was flying at full speed. Sensing the dozens of Profound Ice Swords coming at him, his heart tightened, and he quickly struck out to knock them away. But in doing so, his speed faltered. In that blink of an eye, the white-robed young man had already shot past Zhaang Ye and taken the lead!

”Hahahaha! Zhaang Ye, you can stay behind and deal with these Fire Crows! I’ll be on my way!” Having overtaken Zhaang Ye, the white-robed young man, Jiang Dijian, breathed an inward sigh of relief. With Zhaang Ye left behind, the Fire Crows’ first target would be him. While they were busy attacking Zhaang Ye, his own chances of escape would be greatly improved!

Killing intent surged in Zhaang Ye’s heart. He smiled coldly and said, ”Not necessarily! You think this is as fast as I can go?”

As he spoke, Zhaang Ye gritted his teeth and released the few strands of Ancient Dragon Power sealed within his body.

Back in the Python Marsh, Zhaang Ye had obtained a total of ten wisps of Ancient Dragon Power. He had used six of them when practicing the Dragon Elephant Skill, and the remaining four he had sealed within his body. Zhaang Ye originally had other plans for these four wisps of Ancient Dragon Power, but the situation was critical. He had no choice but to use them now!

WHOOM—

The roar of a dragon echoed from within Zhaang Ye’s body. As the roar sounded, powerful winds suddenly gathered around him. Zhaang Ye rode the wind, performing Qi Manipulation Movement. His speed increased, and then increased again. Like a true dragon, he streaked across dozens of li of empty space in an instant!

”Ah—How is Zhaang Ye flying so fast?” The white-robed young man was shocked when he saw Zhaang Ye’s speed. He himself was already moving at ten times the speed of sound, but Zhaang Ye was now a notch faster. Such speed was comparable to that of a Half-Step True Dao Expert!

While the white-robed young man was still in shock, Zhaang Ye had already closed the distance. With a slight movement of his hand, a snow-white gleam of light suddenly tore through the crimson void, shooting toward the young man!

What Zhaang Ye had thrown was the Small Sword. This Small Sword was an item from the Great Success True Hall, inscribed with eight arrays, making it a Pseudo-True Artifact. Propelled by Zhaang Ye’s True Qi, the short sword radiated a dazzling light, trailing a Sword Aura over ten zhang long as it shot forward with incomparable dominance!

TING!

Faced with such a terrifying strike, no matter how powerful the white-robed young man was, he had no choice but to block it. Profound Ice Qi surged from his body. He pressed his palm toward the empty air, and a massive ice shield materialized in front of the Small Sword, directly in its path.

BOOM!

The Small Sword slammed violently into the ice shield, the immense force shattering it completely. Although the shield was broken, it had dissipated most of the Small Sword’s power. The white-robed young man’s middle finger flicked out, sending the Small Sword flying away.

Despite knocking the Small Sword away, the white-robed young man’s expression was deathly grim. In the time it took him to block the attack, Zhaang Ye had already sped past him. And behind, the endless swarm of Fire Crows was cawing as it flew straight for him!

”Hahahaha!” Zhaang Ye laughed heartily. ”Hey, kid, you can stay behind and deal with these Fire Crows! I’ll be on my way!” As he spoke, Zhaang Ye slowly vanished into the distance, leaving behind only the white-robed young man and a flock of vicious Fire Crows.

The white-robed young man roared, ”Kid, don’t get cocky! Ahead is the core of the Ten Thousand Volcanoes! It’s filled with countless Ancient Space Arrays! You’re dead, you’re dead!” (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)