Overlord of the Wilderness

”Yuan’Er, what did you just say? You were defeated by Zhaang Ye?” Yangx Poshan could hardly believe his ears.

Yangx Guyuan had been exceptionally talented since childhood. He had reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer long ago and had even cultivated the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Heaven-Burning True Skill to the Great Success Realm. He could defeat even experts at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. With strength like his, he should have been invincible among the Younger Generation. ’How could he possibly have lost to Zhaang Ye?!’

Hearing his master ask again, Yangx Guyuan smiled bitterly. ”Zhaang Ye defeated me. The man’s strength is absurdly powerful. I used every trick I knew, and I was still no match for him.”

Yangx Poshan was a True Dao Expert, after all. After his initial shock, he calmed down, watching Zhaang Ye as he said slowly, ”I have long heard that this Zhaang Ye has both Ancient Dragon Power and Ancient Elephant Power within him. Dragons are the mightiest in the water, and elephants are the mightiest on land. It seems the might of these two Ancient Powers is even greater than we imagined.”

Yangx Guyuan nodded in deep agreement. He had originally looked down on Zhaang Ye, considering him just a lucky dark horse in his heart. He never thought Zhaang Ye could pose a threat to him. But after their battle, Yangx Guyuan finally understood how terrifyingly powerful Zhaang Ye was, and how fearsome those two Ancient Powers were.

Yangx Poshan stared intently at Zhaang Ye and said, ”Zhaang Ye’s strength is greater than yours, but the number of Essence Stones he obtained isn’t necessarily higher. Let’s see what he has to show.”

Yangx Guyuan knew his master was still clinging to a sliver of hope and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He didn’t say anything more, simply turning his gaze back to Zhaang Ye.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zhaang Ye gave a light wave of his arm. Like a divine being scattering flowers, the air instantly filled with mist-wreathed Essence Stones.

”SHHHHHHH—”

Before their eyes, the Essence Stones rained down, forming a small mountain on the ground in the blink of an eye. This little mountain of stacked Essence Stones was a full two feet high, and the sight of each mist-wreathed stone left the young experts present completely dumbfounded!

A young expert muttered, ”So many... there are so many!”

”Yeah, seriously.”

”That pile of Essence Stones... if it’s not two thousand, it must be at least nineteen hundred!”

”Just how many Fierce Beasts do you have to kill to get that many Essence Stones?! Zhaang Ye has blown everyone away this time. He even overshadowed Yangx Guyuan, the number one expert of the Younger Generation.”

”Heavens! Yangx Guyuan’s one thousand and seven Essence Stones was already a record-breaker. This pile from Zhaang Ye looks like it’s no less than two thousand—that’s double the record!”

The young experts buzzed with discussion, their faces filled with shock. Even the Hall Masters of the various True Halls were visibly moved. The number of Essence Stones Zhaang Ye had harvested far exceeded their expectations; in a thousand years, no one had ever obtained so many from the Little World.

The black-robed man had maintained a disdainful expression the entire time. But upon seeing Zhaang Ye’s pile of Essence Stones, a trace of surprise finally appeared on his face as he announced, ”Zhaang Ye of the Wei Kingdom True Hall, a total of two thousand and two Essence Stones.”

”Whoa!” Hearing the astonishing number, the young experts let out a collective gasp. Two thousand and two. It was a staggering number, a number that shattered a thousand-year-old record. Even someone as powerful and proud as Yangx Guyuan couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath, feeling utterly humbled!

In an instant, Zhaang Ye became the focus of the entire assembly. Even the True Dao Experts couldn’t resist sizing him up, trying to see what was so special about this disciple.

The woman in the long, green dress who had been standing behind the black-robed man now also turned her gaze upon Zhaang Ye. After studying him for a moment, she used a Sound Transmission Technique to speak slowly to the black-robed man. ”Senior Brother Shi, this Zhaang Ye seems to be more than he lets on. To acquire so many Essence Stones, his strength must be considerable. He is very likely the one who murdered Senior Brother Gu!”

A cold glint flickered in the black-robed man’s eyes. He replied with the Sound Transmission Technique, ”It’s possible. Junior Brother Gu’s cultivation had already reached the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, and he wasn’t far from the Half-step True Dao. The person who killed him is definitely no ordinary expert. Therefore, this Zhaang Ye is highly suspicious. However, we can’t let the other young experts off the hook either. Later, we’ll make a move to test them. We must find Junior Brother Gu’s murderer and avenge him.”

The woman in the long, green dress said, ”Excellent. We’ve been here for several days already. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in this godforsaken place is so thin, it’s useless for cultivation. We should find the killer, capture them, and slaughter their entire clan. Then we can return to the Sect and report to Master. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

The black-robed man nodded slightly. ’The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the Land of Divine Abandonment is incredibly thin; cultivating here is a complete waste of time. If Master hadn’t ordered it, I never would have come to this place. After just a few days, I feel like my cultivation has stagnated. I just want to find Gu Yunsong’s killer and get back to the Sect.’

Taking a breath, the black-robed man said in a deep voice, ”There are still three people who haven’t turned in their Essence Stones. Helian Bi Bi, Ling Kongyun, and Chu Yuxiang. The three of you, hand over your Essence Stones for verification.”

Silence.

A long silence.

The black-robed man’s brow furrowed, and he was just about to shout a reprimand. At that moment, an aged voice slowly said, ”Esteemed Sect Envoys, Helian Bi Bi, Ling Kongyun, and Chu Yuxiang have not come out. They are either still trapped in the Little World, or they have met with misfortune and have already perished inside.”

Hearing this, the crowd finally noticed that of the four most prominent masters of the Younger Generation, only Yangx Guyuan remained. Helian Bi Bi, Ling Kongyun, and Chu Yuxiang were nowhere to be found. It seemed that just as the old voice had said, they had already died inside the Little World!

”BUZZ!”

Hearing Helian Changtian’s words, dozens of young experts gasped in unison, horrified. Chu Yuxiang, Helian Bi Bi, and Ling Kongyun were all shining stars among the Younger Generation, each possessing extraordinary strength. These three had been strong contenders for first place in the Thirteen Countries’ Newcomer King Tournament. No one could have imagined they would perish inside the Little World.

”Unthinkable. Truly unthinkable. Chu Yuxiang with his peerless Arrow Skill, Helian Bi Bi with her superhuman Swordsmanship, and Ling Kongyun with his formidable strength and mystical Inference Technique... For three young masters like that to die together in the Little World is just astonishing.”

”Exactly. Chu Yuxiang, Helian Bi Bi, and Ling Kongyun all reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer early on. They were masters who fought their way out from among countless geniuses. Everyone thought this Thirteen Countries’ Newcomer King Tournament would be their chance to shine, but who would have thought they’d all die in the Little World? It’s just too unexpected.”

”Those three were incredibly powerful. Besides Zhaang Ye and Yangx Guyuan, no one was their match. Could it be... they were all killed by the Fierce Beasts in the Little World?”

The young experts muttered amongst themselves, a low buzz filling the air below the cliff.

”THUD!”

Just as the crowd was buzzing with discussion, the Great Hall Master of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall slowly rose to his feet. The staff in his hand slammed heavily onto the ground, shaking the earth for a thousand zhang in all directions and silencing the entire assembly.

The Great Hall Master of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall’s imposing, cold gaze swept across the crowd. His glare was so icy it felt tangible, sending a chill through everyone’s hearts. The young experts all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. The Great Hall Master’s gaze swept slowly over them before finally locking onto Zhaang Ye, staring at him with a bone-chilling coldness.

The Great Hall Master of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall had long since entered the True Dao and was skilled in the Inference Technique, giving him a strange and unsettling aura. As Zhaang Ye was subjected to this gaze, he felt as if all the secrets in his heart were being laid bare before the Great Hall Master. A chill rose from the depths of his soul, leaving his entire body icy cold.

The Great Hall Master of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall finally spoke. His voice carried a gentle yet eerie power, giving one the feeling that they could rely on him. ”I am Ling Dahuang, master of Ling Kongyun. Zhaang Ye, tell me, was it you who killed Ling Kongyun?”

Zhaang Ye’s heart trembled. ’Killing Ling Kongyun was a top-secret matter; not even Yangx Guyuan knew about it. But this Ling Dahuang saw through it in a single glance, knowing that I was the one who killed Ling Kongyun. His abilities are truly unfathomable. He is truly worthy of his fame as a True Dao Expert of the Land of Divine Abandonment, renowned for his Inference Technique.’

’My current strength is still far from the True Dao, but as long as a True Dao Expert doesn’t personally make a move against me, I have nothing to fear. Therefore, there’s no need for me to be afraid of this Ling Dahuang. Since he has already deduced it, there’s no point in me being evasive. I might as well just admit it...’

Reaching this conclusion, Zhaang Ye said calmly, ”Inside the Little World, Ling Kongyun planned to kill me. Since that was the case, I had little choice but to kill him instead.”

”An uproar!”

Hearing Zhaang Ye’s answer, the young experts present immediately burst into an uproar. Ling Kongyun was a renowned master among the Younger Generation, not only for his unfathomably deep strength, but also for his skill in the Inference Technique. Even Yangx Guyuan, the most powerful of the young experts, had to be extremely wary of him. And yet, such a fearsome young master had been killed by Zhaang Ye!

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s calm and fearless demeanor, a chilling killing intent flashed in the eyes of Ling Dahuang, the Great Hall Master of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall. He said grimly, ”Good, good, good! What skill! Zhaang Ye, aside from Ling Kongyun, was it you who killed Helian Bi Bi and Chu Yuxiang as well?”

”BOOM!” This time, everyone was utterly stunned. Even the woman in the green dress and the black-robed man fixed their gazes on Zhaang Ye. As for Chu Yuxiang’s master, Chu Fangyuan, and Helian Bi Bi’s master, Helian Changtian, they shot to their feet, two torrents of heaven-piercing killing intent surging straight toward Zhaang Ye! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)