Overlord of the Wilderness

Jiang Tianjian clapped his palms together, producing a sound like clashing metal. His gaze fixed on Zhaang Ye as he said slowly, ”My greatest strength is my swordsmanship. Right now, I shall use my palms as my sword. You’d best be careful.”

Although Jiang Tianjian was starting to take Zhaang Ye more and more seriously, he didn’t believe Zhaang Ye was worthy of him drawing his actual sword. He was confident that he could defeat Zhaang Ye decisively with just his bare hands.

There were only a mere thirty or forty people in the world worthy of making him draw his sword. Zhaang Ye was not yet one of them.

Jiang Tianjian’s palms became translucent, and under the infusion of Profound Ice True Qi, they looked like blades of frigid, unyielding ice. The moisture in the air sizzled as it touched his cold hands, making a strange HISS, like a red-hot sword plunged into water.

Zhaang Ye’s face was as calm as still water, his mind clear and serene. Since his debut, Zhaang Ye had been virtually undefeated among his peers. Any opponent, no matter how formidable, was quickly struck down before him. Even a genius like Yang Guyuan could not contend with Zhaang Ye and had no choice but to admit defeat.

Battle after battle, victory after victory, had made Zhaang Ye increasingly self-assured. This Jiang Tianjian was the most formidable opponent Zhaang Ye had ever faced; even he could not fully gauge the man’s power. Yet, no matter how terrifying Jiang Tianjian was, Zhaang Ye remained full of confidence, without a single trace of fear.

A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang Tianjian’s eyes. He felt that Zhaang Ye was far too calm—as calm as a deep, dark pool, completely inscrutable.

’Still pretending to be so profound at a time like this.’ A cold sneer touched the corner of Jiang Tianjian’s lips. ”I’d like to see just how many moves you can withstand under my swordsmanship.” His figure instantly vanished from the spot, his palms transforming into two streaks of cold, silver light that carried a bone-chilling cold as they slashed down toward Zhaang Ye.

Jiang Tianjian was a man who had made his name with swordsmanship; his techniques were ten, even a hundred times more terrifying than his fists. With a single strike, Sword Qi erupted like thunder and lightning. Thousands upon thousands of strands of Sword Qi tore through the void, turning the ten-zhang radius into a world of swords!

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged. He executed the Thunderbolt Step Technique, his entire body moving like an azure phantom. As his figure flashed about, a dense golden light flickered on both his palms. With a wave of his hands, the dense golden light spread out like waves, crashing forward one after another.

”CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—”

Jiang Tianjian and Zhaang Ye met speed with speed, their bodies blurring into illusory, flickering shadows, their palms becoming streaks of silver and gold light. Their hands were like true sabers and swords, every clash producing a clear, metallic ring. Each impact released an immense wave of power that washed over the young experts watching, making their hearts pound with terror.

Amid the battle, Jiang Tianjian’s cold voice rang out, ”To think you can withstand an attack with thirty percent of my power! Very good. Next, I will use a Sword Skill!”

The young experts watching from dozens of zhang away were already stunned by the duo’s ferocious techniques. But after hearing Jiang Tianjian’s words, they realized he hadn’t even used a Sword Skill yet—he had merely been using his palms as a sword and attacking at will!

”Sword Skill—Ice Dragon Enters the Sea!”

Following Jiang Tianjian’s low cry, a surging wave of Profound Ice Qi erupted from his palms. The Profound Ice Qi fused tightly with his Sword Qi, forming a frigid Sword Gang. This cold Sword Gang flashed rapidly in the void, transforming into an agile, coiling white dragon that shot toward Zhaang Ye with unstoppable momentum and world-conquering might!

A sharp glint flashed in Zhaang Ye’s dark eyes. He suddenly swept his palms horizontally, like two great doors swinging shut, or like a pair of gleaming golden scissors snipping down through the void.

”KACHA!”

Zhaang Ye’s scissors snipped right onto the white dragon.

”BOOM!”

A terrifying wave of Profound Ice Qi surged up Zhaang Ye’s hands and instantly penetrated his skin. Zhaang Ye’s brow furrowed slightly, but his body remained motionless as he swiftly expelled the frigid Qi. Meanwhile, Jiang Tianjian, having been ”snipped,” felt a tremendous intersecting force slam into him. His body trembled, and he almost took a step back.

Jiang Tianjian’s expression turned ugly. He never imagined that Zhaang Ye’s combat awareness would be so powerful that he couldn’t even gain the upper hand after using a Sword Skill.

Immense power, and even greater combat awareness—this was what made Zhaang Ye so terrifying. Ordinary Combat Skills were useless against him, because he could see through them in a single glance!

Realizing this, Jiang Tianjian quickly came up with a plan. He decided to use an Ancient Combat Skill, relying on its might and the power of his Profound Ice True Qi to defeat Zhaang Ye in a single blow.

”Ice Realm!”

Jiang Tianjian called out coldly.

”WHOOSH!”

As he spoke, Jiang Tianjian’s hands moved in an incredibly profound pattern, like silver snakes dancing unpredictably through the void. Following his hands came countless specks of icy rain. This frozen rain filled the air, instantly freezing a hundred-zhang radius and forming an isolated Little World!

Ancient Sword Skill—Ice Realm!

Jiang Tianjian’s ”Ice Realm” could instantly turn a hundred-zhang area into a world of ice and snow, creating a semi-independent Little World. This Little World was filled with endless Profound Ice Qi, and within it, Jiang Tianjian was king!

”HISS!”

The moment Jiang Tianjian’s ”Ice Realm” manifested, Zhaang Ye immediately felt an overwhelming cold. This chill drilled into his body through his pores, seeking to freeze his blood, his body, and his True Qi!

Zhaang Ye’s pupils contracted slightly, and his Tornado erupted with a roar.

”FWOOM!”

A golden Tornado suddenly appeared around Zhaang Ye’s body. The endless Profound Ice Qi was instantly swept away by the Tornado, clearing a small space with a ten-zhang radius.

While releasing the Tornado, Zhaang Ye’s palms slashed out like lightning, striking squarely against Jiang Tianjian’s own.

”CLANG!!”

Four palms met in mid-air, letting out a clear, high-pitched ring. White light and golden light intertwined, and then both energies exploded outward with a deafening roar!

The tyrannical Profound Ice True Qi and Celestial River Righteous Qi surged outward in all directions like a river bursting its dam. The ”Ice Realm” that Jiang Tianjian had created with his Profound Ice Qi was instantly shattered by the collision of these two terrifying forces. The Profound Ice Qi solidified into massive chunks of ice that rained down like meteors, causing the surrounding mountain peaks to tremble.

”THUD, THUD, THUD—” Jiang Tianjian stumbled back three consecutive steps. A faint cut had been left on his shiny, smooth bald head by a sharp strand of Sword Qi. Jiang Tianjian touched the wound, his expression turning exceptionally grim.

Zhaang Ye, however, remained motionless. A thick layer of frost had condensed all over him, turning his azure robes white and making him look like a snowman.

Watching the two young powerhouses in their standoff, the crowd let out a collective breath. The exchange between Zhaang Ye and Jiang Tianjian had been over in an instant, but the perilous clash had left everyone breathless.

”Whew. Zhaang Ye is frozen solid, while Jiang Tianjian got a cut on his bald head. Who has the upper hand now?”

”Obviously Jiang Tianjian. A scratch on his head is nothing; it’ll heal in the blink of an eye. But Zhaang Ye being frozen is a huge problem. He’s probably lost all ability to fight!”

”Looks like Jiang Tianjian won this fight. His combat power is truly unfathomable. He’s worthy of his title as one of the fifty seed contestants.”

”Yeah. But Zhaang Ye did pretty well. To be able to force Jiang Tianjian to get serious means Zhaang Ye’s strength is definitely not weak. It’s just a shame he provoked Jiang Tianjian.”

”Sigh. Jiang Tianjian is a seed contestant, after all; his power is profound and immeasurable. Now that Zhaang Ye has provoked him, he won’t be able to protect his limbs or his manhood. He won’t be able to participate in the entrance disciple competition three months from now, either.”

”Mm, what a pity. With Zhaang Ye’s strength, he had a good chance of making it into the top three hundred. But now that he’s frozen, all hope is lost.”

While the young experts were murmuring amongst themselves, Jiang Tianjian touched his bald head, his face dark and gloomy. Jiang Tianjian had been bald since childhood, so his head was always bare. Normally, he would fly into a rage if anyone so much as stared at his shiny, smooth head for too long. But now, Zhaang Ye had actually drawn blood on it. This made killing intent flare in Jiang Tianjian’s heart; he wanted nothing more than to beat Zhaang Ye to death right then and there.

Jiang Tianjian said sinisterly, ”No one has ever managed to scratch my head. Zhaang Ye, you are the first. You can die without regrets now.”

Zhaang Ye looked at Jiang Tianjian’s shiny, smooth bald head and smiled faintly. ”Is that so? I was thinking of adding a few more bloody scratches to it.”

Jiang Tianjian’s eyes turned cold. He sneered, ”You want to add more? Can you even move? The Profound Ice Qi has already entered your body. You’ll be an ice sculpture soon enough. And once you are, I’m going to take you somewhere crowded and, in front of all the other young experts, use a small hammer to knock off your manhood.”

Zhaang Ye chuckled. ”I’m afraid that idea of yours won’t be realized.”

As he spoke, Zhaang Ye’s body shifted slightly. A faint golden light shone from within him, and the frost covering his body vanished in an instant. Zhaang Ye said flatly, ”Your Profound Ice True Qi is pervasive, but it is useless against me.”

”Hmm?”

”He wasn’t actually frozen!”

”Zhaang Ye is incredible!”

Seeing Zhaang Ye move again, the young experts were instantly stunned. They had never imagined that Zhaang Ye could still move after being subjected to such terrifying Profound Ice.

A look of surprise also flashed in Jiang Tianjian’s eyes. When he had clashed head-on with Zhaang Ye just now, his palms had been layered with a terrifying amount of Profound Ice Qi. This Profound Ice Qi had instantly transferred to Zhaang Ye’s hands, invading his Meridians from there and beginning to freeze his blood and True Qi.

Jiang Tianjian had originally thought that Zhaang Ye would be at least somewhat injured by his Profound Ice True Qi. He hadn’t expected Zhaang Ye to take a Palm Sword strike and act as if nothing had happened.

Their gazes clashed once again. Just as another great battle was about to erupt, a sharp, piercing sound tore through the air, and a ten-foot-long Flying Vessel appeared from the horizon.

Jiang Tianjian’s expression changed slightly at the sight of the small vessel. Among the young experts watching the fight, someone whispered urgently, ”It’s the Sect’s Mountain Patrol Envoy! The fight destroyed a lot of the plant life. We’re screwed if we get caught! Let’s go!”

The young experts instantly scattered, disappearing completely in the blink of an eye. Jiang Tianjian picked up Jiang Tu and Jiang Song, gave Zhaang Ye a deep look, and said, ”Zhaang Ye, I’ll remember this. In three months, I will find you.”

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. ”Alright. In three months, I’ll carve a few more bloody lines on that bald head of yours.”

”You!”

Jiang Tianjian was so livid his face turned pale. He was about to turn back and fight Zhaang Ye to the death. But as he saw the Mountain Patrol Envoy in the sky drawing closer, his head cleared. He stomped his foot fiercely and vanished from sight. (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.)