Overlord of the Wilderness

On an unremarkable mountain peak, Zhaang Ye sat cross-legged beneath an ancient pine. The Dragon Elephant Power within him circulated wildly, his robes whipping about as if he might turn to wind and vanish at any moment.

Four hours later, Zhaang Ye suddenly opened his mouth.

PUH!

A jet of black qi, dozens of yards long, suddenly shot from Zhaang Ye’s mouth. It remained condensed, flying for over a hundred yards before finally dissipating into the void with a POP.

CHHH—

The moment the black qi touched the flora within a several-hundred-yard radius, strange hissing sounds erupted. Jade-green leaves swiftly turned black and yellow, and straight trunks withered in the blink of an eye. A nearby creek, over ten yards wide, was tainted by the black qi, its water immediately turning black and turbid. Inside, fish after fish went belly-up and died.

Zhaang Ye rose to his feet, letting out a slight breath. He muttered to himself, ”I’ve finally forced out the deathly aura that invaded my body. The Thirteen Countries’ Newcomer King Tournament is getting closer and closer. I need to hurry back to the True Hall.”

As he spoke, Zhaang Ye gave a slight flick of his sleeve, and his entire body immediately shot into the air, transforming into a streak of green light that flew into the sky, heading straight for the Wei Kingdom.

After flying for thousands of miles, Zhaang Ye suddenly felt two powerful auras approaching him from behind. His senses were exceptionally sharp; the moment the auras appeared, he immediately perceived their cultivation levels and was slightly alarmed. ’Two experts at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer! Could they be from the Moon Country True Hall?’

With this thought, Zhaang Ye’s speed suddenly increased, and he flew off with a thunderous sonic boom.

Zhaang Ye had just expelled the deathly aura from his body; his Dragon Elephant Power had not yet recovered, nor had his injuries fully healed. Under these circumstances, while he wasn’t afraid of experts at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, he didn’t want to get into another fight.

Seeing Zhaang Ye suddenly accelerate, the two Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts also increased their speed, sticking close behind him.

Zhaang Ye was already moving incredibly fast, but he discovered that the two Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts behind him were his equals in speed. Their Body Techniques were both exceptionally profound; with just a slight circulation of True Qi, they could cover several miles. Even with the astonishing speed of Zhaang Ye’s Tornado Body Technique, he couldn’t shake them.

Unable to shake them, Zhaang Ye was slightly alarmed. ’Their Body Techniques are extraordinary, and their Cultivation has reached the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. It seems they’re from a True Hall.’

At the same time, the two experts following closely behind Zhaang Ye were also astounded. With their Cultivation at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, they had originally thought they would catch up to Zhaang Ye quickly. They never expected his speed to be so great that they couldn’t close the distance even after chasing him for so long.

After chasing for a while longer, one of the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts took a deep breath and used his True Qi to project his voice, shouting, ”Is that Junior Brother Zhaang Ye up ahead?”

Zhaang Ye was slightly startled. He projected his voice with True Qi and replied, ”I am Zhaang Ye. Who are you?”

Hearing Zhaang Ye confirm his identity, the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert laughed heartily and said, ”It really is Junior Brother Zhaang! I am your Fourth Senior Brother, Ning Yuan, and this is your Fifth Senior Brother, Mu Hanqiu. We heard that people from the Moon Country True Hall were causing you trouble, so Master sent us to check on you...”

Zhaang Ye slowed down, and the two Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts gradually flew closer. They both made a peculiar hand sign—the very sign unique to the disciples of the Fourth Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall.

Seeing this hand sign, Zhaang Ye breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, ”Oh? How did Master know that people from the Moon Country True Hall were after me? I’ve troubled you, Senior Brothers.”

Ning Yuan laughed. ”Junior Brother, you claimed the title of number one of the younger generation in the Six Eastern Countries. You’ve become the top genius of our Wei Kingdom True Hall, so of course Master pays special attention to you.”

As they spoke, Ning Yuan and Mu Hanqiu quickly flew closer.

Although Zhaang Ye had been in the Wei Kingdom True Hall for several years, he had rarely seen his senior brothers. Seeing the two of them arrive, Zhaang Ye sized them up with curiosity.

Fourth Senior Brother Ning Yuan was dressed in black, carrying a massive, twenty-foot-long staff. His eyes were bright and spirited, and his words and actions gave off a hearty impression. Fifth Senior Brother Mu Hanqiu, on the other hand, wore white robes. There was a faint trace of arrogance in his expression; upon seeing Zhaang Ye, he offered only a slight nod as a greeting.

While Zhaang Ye was sizing them up, Ning Yuan and Mu Hanqiu were also observing him. The Cultivation Zhaang Ye displayed on the surface was only at the Early Stage of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, but both Ning Yuan and Mu Hanqiu could faintly sense another terrifying power hidden deep within his body. This power far surpassed his apparent Cultivation, and even as experts at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, they didn’t dare to underestimate him in the slightest.

Ning Yuan studied Zhaang Ye and praised him, ”Junior Brother Zhaang, what profound Body Refining Cultivation! I can feel a terrifying power deep within you. No wonder you were able to defeat Chu Yuxiang and become the number one expert of the younger generation in the Six Eastern Countries.”

Zhaang Ye smiled slightly. ”Fourth Senior Brother, you flatter me.”

Ning Yuan waved his hand. ”It’s no flattery at all! You’re not even thirty, yet you could overpower Chu Yuxiang on the tournament stage. You’re without a doubt the number one of the younger generation. Junior Brother Zhaang, after we get back, we should have a spar and test our Combat Skills!”

As Zhaang Ye and Ning Yuan chatted, Mu Hanqiu stood to the side without a word, a look of impatience on his face. Just two days ago, he had been in the middle of cultivating a powerful Combat Skill when the Fourth Hall Master suddenly ordered him to drop his training and go retrieve Zhaang Ye.

Mu Hanqiu didn’t dare to disobey his Master’s command, but inwardly, he was extremely displeased. ’Zhaang Ye is the Fourth Hall Master’s disciple, but so am I! On what grounds should I have to go retrieve him and act as his bodyguard?’

Being so displeased, Mu Hanqiu naturally wasn’t going to give Zhaang Ye a warm reception. That was why when they met, he had only given a faint nod and not even a single word of greeting.

Now, hearing Zhaang Ye and Ning Yuan chatting idly, Mu Hanqiu spoke up impatiently, ”Fourth Senior Brother, Eighth Junior Brother, we should leave this place quickly! I heard that to avenge his two sons, the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall, Fu Yuguang, has not only sent out his top disciple, Fu Qingyun, but also his Seven Blood Generals. We’d better return to the True Hall quickly. If we run into those eight, it’ll be big trouble.”

Ning Yuan nodded, a trace of worry on his brow. ”Fifth Junior Brother has a point. Although Fu Qingyun’s Cultivation is the same as mine, he has already cultivated Innate True Qi. His combat power is greater than mine. We should indeed hurry back to the True Hall.”

Seeing Ning Yuan’s worried expression, Zhaang Ye smiled slightly and said, ”Senior Brothers, it’s just Fu Qingyun. There’s no need to be so tense...”

Before Zhaang Ye could finish, Mu Hanqiu’s brow furrowed and he cut him off. ”Eighth Junior Brother, don’t think you’re invincible just because you defeated Chu Yuxiang. Let me tell you, while Chu Yuxiang is strong, in the eyes of the older generation of experts, his Cultivation doesn’t amount to much.”

”Fu Qingyun has already cultivated Innate True Qi, and his combat power far surpasses that of an ordinary Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert. Even ten Chu Yuxiangs wouldn’t be his match. He’s the kind of person that few of our senior brothers in the True Hall can afford to provoke. Junior Brother Zhaang, although you have some skill, you’re still a long way from matching Fu Qingyun...”

Ning Yuan nodded and said to Zhaang Ye, ”The difference in strength between the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer and the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer is vast. Ten Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts are no match for a single expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. And the gap between the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer and the Half-step True Dao is even greater.”

”Although this Fu Qingyun isn’t a Half-Step True Dao Expert, he has cultivated Innate True Qi and already possesses some of the offensive techniques of a Half-Step True Dao Expert. His combat power is much greater than ours.”

”What’s more, the ones sent to ambush you this time include not just Fu Qingyun, but also Fu Yuguang’s Seven Blood Generals. The Seven Blood Generals were handpicked by Fu Yuguang from hundreds of millions of talented youths. Their Combined Attack Technique is incredibly formidable. Even a Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert would be doomed if caught in their Array. A wise man knows when to retreat. Fu Qingyun and the Seven Blood Generals are too powerful; it’s best we avoid them!”

”Well, about that... I have something to tell you.” Ning Yuan had been talking on and on, and Zhaang Ye finally managed to get a word in. He said calmly, ”Senior Brothers, that Fu Qingyun and the Seven Blood Generals... I’ve already killed them. So, we don’t need to be nervous...”

”Killed Fu Qingyun?” Ning Yuan and Mu Hanqiu were both stunned.

After a moment of shock, Mu Hanqiu burst into an earth-shattering laugh, as if he had just heard the world’s greatest joke. Ning Yuan also shook his head slightly and said to Zhaang Ye, ”I say, Junior Brother Zhaang, stop joking around. With Fu Qingyun’s strength, you were already incredibly lucky to have escaped with your life. Kill Fu Qingyun? Heh...”

Mu Hanqiu stifled his laughter and said mockingly, ”Amazing, Junior Brother Zhaang! So young and already cultivated to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, even defeating the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer Chu Yuxiang. And even your jokes are so spectacular...”

Zhaang Ye’s brow furrowed. He slowly took out a short black staff from behind his back, presented it to Ning Yuan and Mu Hanqiu, and said coolly, ”Take a look at this.”

Sensing the faint aura of death flowing from the black staff, Ning Yuan’s eyes went wide. He cried out, ”Heavens, this black staff... could it be Fu Qingyun’s Death Bone Staff? How is this possible?”

At this, Mu Hanqiu’s jaw dropped wide enough to fit a two-pound bone. He pointed at the black staff, wanting to say something, but no words came out. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)