Overlord of the Wilderness

”AAAAAH! I won’t accept this! I won’t! I’m a Half-Step True Dao Expert! How can I die here? I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it!” As Gu Yunsong’s body plummeted to the ground, he let out a frantic cry, his voice shrill to the extreme.

THUD!

Gu Yunsong slammed hard onto the ground. Having reached the Half-step True Dao Realm, his Life Power was incredibly potent. Even after being pierced by the Mysterious Blade Tip and taking such a brutal fall, he wasn’t quite dead. He stared venomously at Zhaang Ye and said, ”Zhaang Ye, if I die, you won’t live either! You’re dead, urk—”

Before Gu Yunsong could finish his words, the Purple-haired Wild Boar suddenly appeared by his side, its massive, bloody maw snapping toward him. It turned out that Gu Yunsong’s flesh and blood contained abundant Innate True Qi and medicinal herb essence, and the Purple-haired Wild Boar had already marked him as a highly nutritious meal. Before Gu Yunsong could finish speaking, the Purple-haired Wild Boar had already lunged, intending to swallow him alive.

Gu Yunsong was down to his last breath. Seeing the Purple-haired Wild Boar’s bloody maw approach, he was so startled that his final wisp of Innate True Qi instantly dissipated, and he breathed his last.

Seeing Gu Yunsong finally dead, Zhaang Ye let out a long sigh of relief. ’This battle was incredibly dangerous,’ he thought. ’If Gu Yunsong had successfully broken through to the Half-step True Dao Realm, my only option would have been to run for my life. And this Little World is a small place. Escaping from a Half-Step True Dao Expert here would have been nearly impossible.’

Zhaang Ye flew down from the sky, preparing to search Gu Yunsong’s body. Just then, a series of crackling sounds suddenly came from Gu Yunsong’s corpse. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi fluctuated violently, and then a shimmering golden Talisman abruptly emerged from his body. An eerie, unfathomable power swept across the area!

’Hmm? What is this Talisman? It’s so strange!’ Zhaang Ye felt a chill run through him as the strange power swept over him. What horrified him even more was that the power seemed to have entered his body. But when he circulated his Dragon Elephant Power to check, he couldn’t find anything at all, leaving him feeling terribly uneasy.

AWOOO!

The Purple-haired Wild Boar also felt very uncomfortable at that moment. It swung its paw—a paw as heavy as a mountain—and struck the Talisman hard. Hit by the Purple-haired Wild Boar’s paw, the glittering golden Talisman instantly let out a soft sound and dissipated into the void, and the eerie, unfathomable power vanished along with it.

AWOOO!

After shattering the Talisman, the Purple-haired Wild Boar swiped its paw again, stripping the clothes from Gu Yunsong’s body. Then, it opened its great mouth and swallowed him whole. To a Fierce Beast, humans were just another type of prey. For the Purple-haired Wild Boar, eating a person was a common occurrence, no different from a cow eating grass or a cat eating a mouse.

As the Purple-haired Wild Boar excitedly devoured its prey, Zhaang Ye’s brow was deeply furrowed. ’That Talisman that flew out of Gu Yunsong’s body was just too strange,’ he mused. ’It appeared after he died… what was its purpose? And what about that eerie power it released?’

Zhaang Ye had always focused on his Cultivation and knew very little about the dao of Talismans. He racked his brain but couldn’t figure out the Talisman’s function; he just had a vague, uneasy feeling in his heart.

After a moment’s thought, Zhaang Ye decided not to dwell on it and walked over to search Gu Yunsong’s belongings. Gu Yunsong had very little on him, only a grayish-black Storage Bag. This Storage Bag’s internal space was surprisingly two square chi, much larger than the bags from the True Hall. Inside were more than ten rare Medicinal Herbs, several hundred Essence Stones, more than ten bottles of Elixirs, and one Martial Arts Secret Manual.

Zhaang Ye stored these items in his own Small Space. Suddenly, he felt Heaven and Earth Essence Qi surge over, flowing directly toward the Purple-haired Wild Boar.

Zhaang Ye sized up the Purple-haired Wild Boar. Its whole body was flashing with purple light, and its fur was slowly changing from a light to a deep purple. As the color of its fur changed, the boar’s aura grew more and more powerful. Its body became taller and larger, and with a slight shake of its paw, an immense power surged forth!

’The Purple-haired Wild Boar… it’s advancing!’ Zhaang Ye understood at once. He immediately sat down cross-legged about ten zhang away and began his Cultivation. When the Purple-haired Wild Boar advanced, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Essence Qi was exceptionally dense. Zhaang Ye planned to use this opportunity to properly consolidate his Cultivation at the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer and strive to reach the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer as soon as possible.

...

Atop a massive mountain range was a palace hidden among white clouds. The entire palace was emerald green, shrouded in mist. Runes faintly shimmered on its surface, exuding an inexplicable majesty and a faint, ethereal grace.

In the depths of the palace, a middle-aged man with a black crown sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. Wisps of Innate True Qi poured down from the palace ceiling. This Innate True Qi all entered the black-crowned middle-aged man’s body. The man’s aura was as heavy as a mountain, causing the White Jade floor to creak under the pressure.

Suddenly, the black-crowned middle-aged man’s eyes snapped open. Two brilliant golden beams of light shot out, bathing the entire palace in a golden glow of indescribable splendor.

WHOOSH!

The moment the black-crowned middle-aged man’s eyes opened, a shimmering golden Talisman suddenly flew out from his body. This golden Talisman flew into midair, and a mysterious, unfathomable power abruptly emerged from it, sweeping through the entire palace in an instant.

”Ah!”

The instant the Talisman appeared, the black-crowned middle-aged man’s expression changed. He shot up from the prayer mat, his gaze fixed deadly on the Talisman as a dense killing intent erupted from his body.

The black-crowned middle-aged man’s Cultivation had reached an incredible Realm. The killing intent pouring from him was like tangible waves, one after another, layer upon layer, seemingly without end. Under the assault of his killing intent, the sturdy palace began to let out groaning sounds, as if it could collapse at any moment.

SWISH—

A soft sound of rushing air was heard, and then a young man with two swords on his back abruptly appeared outside the palace. This dual-sworded young man was faintly surrounded by Innate True Qi, his skin as clear as crystal, and his gaze was like a physical substance. He was actually a Half-Step True Dao Expert. The moment he appeared outside the grand hall, he immediately said, ”Master, what has happened?”

The killing intent from the black-crowned middle-aged man receded slightly. He said grimly, ”Yun Song has been murdered.”

”What?!” The dual-sworded young man gasped, blurting out, ”How is that possible? Junior Brother Gu’s Cultivation had already reached the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. He had already cultivated thirty percent of his Innate True Qi and was only a hair’s breadth away from the Half-step True Dao Realm. With his strength, how could he have been killed?”

The black-crowned middle-aged man said gravely, ”I planted an Innate Mother and Child Talisman on Song’Er. The Innate Mother and Child Talisman is split into two parts. There is a subtle connection between the two talismans; if one is destroyed, the other will react. Now, the talisman on Song’Er has been destroyed, which means he has been killed.”

Looking at the black-crowned middle-aged man’s gloomy face, the dual-sworded youth drew in a sharp breath. ’Gu Yunsong was Master’s precious son. To raise his Cultivation, Master exhausted countless methods. And Gu Yunsong lived up to expectations, cultivating to the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer at an early age. Even among the younger generation of the Sect, he was considered a rather outstanding figure.’

’One could say Gu Yunsong was Master’s greatest hope. Now that his hope has been cut down, I can’t even imagine what Master will do in his grief and rage.’

The dual-sworded youth took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to his master, and said, ”Master, where was Junior Brother Gu killed? This disciple will set out at once to kill the murderer and avenge Junior Brother Gu!”

The black-crowned middle-aged man glanced at the dual-sworded youth and said, ”It is good that you have such intentions. Some time ago, Yun Song entered the Little World in the Land of Divine Abandonment to seek a breakthrough.

”Among the Thirteen Countries of the Land of Divine Abandonment, only sixty-some young experts are qualified to enter the Little World. You will depart immediately. Go to the Land of Divine Abandonment, find the person tainted with this aura, cripple them, and bring them to me alive.”

As he spoke, the black-crowned middle-aged man waved his hand, and a strange, unfathomable aura immediately entered the dual-sworded youth’s body. The black-crowned middle-aged man’s cold voice followed: ”After the Child Talisman of the Innate Mother and Child Talisman explodes, its aura erupts and taints the killer. Unless they are a Half-Step True Dao Expert, this aura cannot be removed. Therefore, finding them should not be difficult.

”After you capture the murderer, kill their family members in front of them. Remember, do not kill them easily. You will hack the men to pieces and throw the women into brothels to be tormented to death. Remember, you must exterminate the killer’s nine generations. Do not even spare a single dog!”

Hearing the black-crowned middle-aged man’s murderous words, the dual-sworded youth couldn’t help but shudder. He said, ”Yes! This disciple will follow Master’s instructions and make the killer wish for death!”

The black-crowned middle-aged man gave a slight wave of his hand and said, ”Go and prepare. In another month, the Sect will send disciples to the Land of Divine Abandonment to scout for young people with outstanding talent and great potential. When the time comes, I will arrange an identity for you so you can enter the Land of Divine Abandonment openly.”

The dual-sworded youth responded respectfully and quickly left the palace.

”Yun Song, oh, Yun Song… I sent you into the Little World of the Land of Divine Abandonment hoping you would cultivate to the Half-step True Dao Realm and find that one thing in its depths. I never thought you would be killed there! Rest assured, your father will hack the murderer to pieces and avenge you!”

The black-crowned middle-aged man gave a sinister smile, and the temperature in the entire palace plummeted as if winter had arrived. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)