Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye’s charge was immensely powerful. Even a 100,000-jin boulder would have shattered into countless pieces from the impact. Shi Shuanglong had never expected Zhaang Ye to use such a ferocious tactic. Caught completely off guard, he was sent flying. He soared over a hundred zhang before he finally dissipated the force of Zhaang Ye’s blow and landed back on the ground.

Shi Shuanglong’s hair was a mess, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. He was both shocked and enraged. All the blood in his body rushed to his face, turning his eyes and skin crimson.

Shi Shuanglong was shocked! He could have never imagined that Zhaang Ye’s power would be so terrifying!

Shi Shuanglong was furious! He was a dignified Half-Step True Dao Expert, yet he had suffered such a major loss and lost so much face at the hands of a mere Martial Artist at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. He refused to accept it! He would wash away this humiliation with Zhaang Ye’s blood!

”ROAR!”

A howl like a wolf’s erupted from Shi Shuanglong’s mouth. With a stretch of his hands, he recalled his twin swords from the sky and prepared to charge forward to fight Zhaang Ye to the death.

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained as calm as still water. He stood his ground quietly, like a massive, unmovable mountain. He appeared unhurried and unruffled, yet he exuded a heavy pressure that made it hard for the young experts watching the battle to breathe.

Watching Shi Shuanglong charge from a distance, Zhaang Ye made a light gesture with his arm, recalling the Mysterious Blade Tip from mid-air. The man and the blade became one again.

Just as another vicious battle was about to begin, a gentle voice suddenly rang out. ”Stop!”

As the voice sounded, the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi within a hundred-zhang radius abruptly solidified. The freely flowing Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the air suddenly became hard and rigid, like iron, like steel. Standing within this area, both Zhaang Ye and Shi Shuanglong felt their bodies freeze, unable to move a muscle.

A True Dao Expert!

Only a True Dao Expert could so easily solidify the space in a hundred-zhang radius, rendering even a Half-Step True Dao Expert immobile.

The one who had acted was none other than the Fourth Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall. Seeing that Shi Shuanglong intended to fight to the death, he had decisively intervened, solidifying the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in a hundred-zhang radius to stop the vicious battle.

Feeling the Fourth Hall Master take action, Zhaang Ye inwardly breathed a small sigh of relief. He had just displayed his divine might and showcased his unparalleled combat prowess with the specific goal of attracting the attention of his master and the other Hall Masters of the Wei Kingdom True Hall, hoping they would stand up for him. Just as Zhaang Ye had expected, after he defeated Shi Shuanglong, his master could no longer sit still.

The Desolate Continent was a place where the strong were respected; the greater one’s potential, the more one was valued. If Zhaang Ye hadn’t revealed his immense potential, the Fourth Hall Master would never have risked offending the Fourth Elder to stand up for him.

This world was just that pragmatic.

When the Fourth Hall Master made his move, the expression of the green-robed woman changed slightly. She addressed him, ”Sir, we are acting on the orders of the Fourth Elder to apprehend the murderer of Gu Yunsong. If you interfere like this, it will be difficult for us to answer to the Fourth Elder, and I’m afraid it won’t be easy for you to answer to him either...”

The Fourth Hall Master waved his hand and said, ”This old man understands. But continuing to fight like this is not a solution. Weren’t you looking to search Zhaang Ye’s Meridians to determine if he’s the culprit? Then go ahead and search them now. If Zhaang Ye is the one who killed Gu Yunsong, this old man will turn and leave without another word. If Zhaang Ye is not the culprit, then you should hurry up and complete your duties as Envoys and return to the Sect to report.”

The green-robed woman’s eyebrows rose slightly. She was somewhat displeased with the Fourth Hall Master’s suggestion. Zhaang Ye’s victory over Shi Shuanglong had made even her feel a loss of face. She desperately wanted to act personally, forcefully capture Zhaang Ye, and then use her own methods to search his Meridians.

Although she was unwilling, the green-robed woman couldn’t find a reason to refuse. After a moment of contemplation, she said slowly, ”Very well.”

Shi Shuanglong had just suffered a loss at Zhaang Ye’s hands, and he desperately wanted to defeat him and viciously stomp him underfoot. But the immense power Zhaang Ye had just displayed left him with no confidence at all. Helpless, he could only say, ”Fine. I’ll search him myself. If Zhaang Ye really is the killer, I hope you won’t shield him, Sir.”

The Fourth Hall Master nodded slightly and said to Zhaang Ye, ”Zhaang Ye, searching your Meridians is the best way to prove your innocence. Rest assured, I will send a stream of Innate True Qi into your Meridians in a moment. This will protect you from harm during the search.”

Zhaang Ye nodded slightly, his fists clenched tightly. ’I’m still too weak!’ he thought. ’If I were powerful enough, a kill would be a kill. I wouldn’t need to prove my innocence at all. Unfortunately, I’m weak now, and I’m tied down by my family. I can’t even run if I wanted to. I have no choice but to endure this humiliation...’

A Martial Artist’s Meridians were their greatest secret. Allowing others to freely search them was like a young woman stripping naked for all to see.

But Zhaang Ye had no other choice. He had to accept this humiliating affair.

Glancing coolly at the green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong, killing intent surged in Zhaang Ye’s heart. From the moment they met, these two had pegged him as the murderer, forcing him to open his Meridians to be searched. Zhaang Ye had already made a silent vow: the day he became powerful enough, he would personally kill them both.

Just then, Shi Shuanglong stared coldly at Zhaang Ye and urged, ”Zhaang Ye, hurry up and open your Meridians so we can search. Today, I’m gonna...”

Zhaang Ye’s gaze turned icy, sending a chill through Shi Shuanglong’s entire body and rendering him speechless for a moment. Ignoring Shi Shuanglong, Zhaang Ye turned to the Fourth Hall Master and said, ”Master, I’ll have to trouble you.”

The Fourth Hall Master nodded slightly and said to the green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong, ”You two, let us begin!”

The green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong exchanged a look. They suddenly pressed their palms against Zhaang Ye’s back, each sending a stream of Innate True Qi toward his Meridians. At the same time, the Fourth Hall Master’s eyes flickered, and a wisp of Innate True Qi shot out from his eyes and entered Zhaang Ye’s body as well.

Zhaang Ye sat cross-legged, allowing the three streams of Innate True Qi to search within his body.

As the Innate True Qi from the green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong entered Zhaang Ye’s body, they felt that his Meridians were as wide as great rivers. The pure True Qi circulating within them was like a surging torrent, almost powerful enough to disperse their own Innate True Qi.

The green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong looked at each other, their eyes filled with horror. Although Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation was only at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, the width of his Meridians and the density of his True Qi far surpassed that of other experts at the same level. He was not the least bit inferior even when compared to a Half-Step True Dao Expert!

While the two Sect Envoys were horrified, the Fourth Hall Master was thrilled. Feeling Zhaang Ye’s powerful True Qi, he nodded to himself and thought, ’I never expected Zhaang Ye’s Meridians to be so wide, and his True Qi so powerful and pure! With such a solid foundation, he’s guaranteed to reach the Half-step True Dao within ten years, and he might even reach the True Dao within twenty!’

As the Fourth Hall Master nodded in silent approval, the Innate True Qi sent out by the green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong began to search meticulously through Zhaang Ye’s Meridians.

Gu Yunsong had carried an Innate Mother and Child Talisman on him. This talisman contained a bizarre power that, upon Gu Yunsong’s death, would erupt and enter the killer’s Meridians. In other words, if Zhaang Ye had killed Gu Yunsong, traces of that bizarre power would certainly remain in his Meridians.

The green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong recklessly drove their Innate True Qi, searching Zhaang Ye’s Meridians inch by inch. But even after searching through more than half of his Meridians, they still couldn’t find any trace of the power from the Innate Mother and Child Talisman.

As time passed, the expressions on the faces of the green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong grew uglier and uglier. No matter how carefully they searched, they couldn’t find the bizarre power in Zhaang Ye’s Meridians. It was as if that power had never existed at all.

’How is this possible? Could it be that this Zhaang Ye really isn’t the one who killed Junior Brother Gu? Was Junior Brother Gu killed by a Fierce Beast? How could that be?’ The green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong were both shocked and uncertain. Before they set out, the Fourth Elder had told them that Gu Yunsong was most likely killed by a young expert.

After entering the Land of Divine Abandonment, they had also done some research into Gu Yunsong’s movements. They knew that he had entered the Little World with a single purpose: to kill Zhaang Ye. It was precisely because they knew this that they had immediately suspected Zhaang Ye and planned to capture him to search his Meridians.

But they never would have guessed that no matter how they searched, they couldn’t sense the aura from the Innate Mother and Child Talisman!

Seeing their shocked and doubtful expressions, Zhaang Ye inwardly considered himself lucky. When Gu Yunsong died, a bizarre power had indeed erupted from that strange talisman. That power was elusive and had crept into his Meridians without him noticing. Fortunately, while he was cultivating the Late Stage of the 6th Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill and tempering his Meridians, he had discovered this bizarre power and used the Ancient Phoenix Power to eliminate it. Otherwise, things would have been very difficult!

Taking advantage of their uncertainty, Zhaang Ye’s face revealed a hint of mockery as he said coldly, ”You two, you’ve already searched my Meridians three times. Now, can I consider my innocence proven?”

Seeing the mockery on Zhaang Ye’s face, rage instantly flared in the hearts of the green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong. With a slight stir of their Innate True Qi, they prepared to injure Zhaang Ye’s Meridians. But just as their Innate True Qi began to move, an incomparably pure stream of Innate True Qi suddenly appeared and bound theirs firmly in place.

The one who acted was the Fourth Hall Master. He bound the pair’s Innate True Qi and said slowly, ”Esteemed Envoys, since you were unable to find any evidence in Zhaang Ye’s Meridians, let’s have this matter end here.”

The green-robed woman and Shi Shuanglong each sighed inwardly and withdrew their Innate True Qi.

-------------------------------(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com and vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)