Overlord of the Wilderness

On the fighting stages, the battles continued.

A total of 5,359 people participated in the first round of eliminations, which meant that 2,679 battles had to be held. On average, each stage would host nearly fifty-four duels.

Prodigies from all over appeared on the stages, each displaying their own skills. These prodigies were all renowned powerhouses in their own right; even members of the older generation were not necessarily their match.

The prodigies fiercely unleashed all sorts of strange cultivation methods. Light erupted across the fifty stages, and the sound of Powerful Qi clashing was like thunder, the intensity reaching an extreme.

From time to time, people were killed by accident, and their bodies were quickly cleared away. The number of injured was even greater. The stages were soon soaked in blood, turning a ghastly red, and the stench of iron filled the entire valley.

Spurred on by the sight of blood, the audience grew frenzied, their cheers practically ceaseless. The contestants on the stages also became frenzied, unleashing their ultimate moves right from the start. Victory and defeat were decided in the blink of an eye. The number of severely injured and dead continued to rise.

Zhaang Ye watched the battles with his full attention. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the Barbaric World was so incredibly dense that one could easily unleash a Sword Gang several dozen, or even two or three hundred, *zhang* long. As a result, most combatants attacked from a distance. The fighting style was therefore vastly different from that in the Land of Divine Abandonment. Zhaang Ye watched several dozen battles, feeling as if his horizons had been greatly expanded, and he had learned much.

The battles continued, and soon it was Du Hong, Zhou Lihuo, and Yin Chenyun’s turn. However, their Cultivation was a bit too low. Having only been at the Sect for three months, they hadn’t adapted to the fifty times gravity at all. The three were quickly defeated in their fierce bouts, unable to even survive the first round of eliminations.

In the afternoon, it was Yang Guyuan’s turn.

After cultivating in the Sect for three months, Yang Guyuan was only a hair’s breadth away from the Half-step True Dao. His hair was red, his skin was red, and even his eyes had a faint reddish hue. A layer of flame seemed to burn fiercely all over his body. This phenomenon was the unique sign of cultivating the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Burning Celestial True Force to its peak.

Yang Guyuan’s opponent was a scrawny man with a rather sleazy appearance. This man’s Cultivation had already reached the Half-step True Dao, and by just standing casually on the stage, his aura overwhelmed Yang Guyuan’s.

The scrawny man sized up Yang Guyuan, a look of pleasant surprise instantly appearing on his face. He said, ”Gakakaka! My luck is pretty good, running into a contestant from the Land of Divine Abandonment. Yang Guyuan, is it? You’d best just obediently jump off the stage. It’ll save me the trouble of acting.”

Yang Guyuan remained silent, quietly waiting for the referee’s command.

Hearing the scrawny man’s contemptuous words, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but shake his head slightly. ’When Yang Guyuan was at the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage, his combat prowess was comparable to an expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak. Now that his Cultivation has reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak, his combat strength is definitely no weaker than an ordinary Half-Step True Dao Expert. This scrawny man is simply courting death by underestimating him.’

The referee signaled for the two to get ready, then suddenly shouted, ”Begin!”

The moment the referee’s voice fell, two beams of red light shot from Yang Guyuan’s eyes, and the air on the stage instantly grew scorching hot. ”Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Fist!”

As he spat out those four words, the space within a hundred-*zhang* radius became a sea of fire. Riding the roaring flames, Yang Guyuan shot toward the scrawny man like a blazing meteor.

The scrawny man grinned, casually throwing a punch.

”BOOM!”

The scrawny man was a Half-Step True Dao Expert, after all. Even a casual punch from him contained boundless power. When Yang Guyuan’s fist collided with the scrawny man’s, a strange cracking sound rang out, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Yang Guyuan didn’t even frown. With a low roar, he threw four punches—BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—and four faint-cyan fire dragons spiraled into the air, attacking the scrawny man.

The scrawny man’s brow twitched. The combat strength Yang Guyuan was now displaying had far surpassed that of an expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak, which surprised him a little. However, despite his surprise, the scrawny man still didn’t take Yang Guyuan seriously. In his eyes, Yang Guyuan’s Cultivation was only at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak; no matter how powerful he was, he could never be his opponent.

The scrawny man grabbed at the air, and four strange streams of power shot from his palm, viciously seizing the four faint-cyan fire dragons.

”POOF POOF POOF POOF!”

With four soft sounds, the four fire dragons dissipated instantly. But Yang Guyuan didn’t even blink. As the four fire dragons were scattered, he executed his Fist Technique, and eight fire dragons appeared in the air.

Slightly startled, the scrawny man’s hands became a blur of afterimages as he unleashed eight palm strikes with lightning speed, shattering Yang Guyuan’s eight fire dragons.

At that moment, Yang Guyuan’s fists unfurled once more, and sixteen fire dragons appeared in the air. Each one was so lifelike that the air sizzled and crackled from their heat!

The scrawny man now had a bad feeling. He let out a low roar, seizing control of all the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi on the stage. The Essence Qi formed two giant hands that pressed down on the sixteen fire dragons, instantly crushing them. But just as he crushed them, Yang Guyuan suddenly flashed to his side and unleashed several dozen punches in a row!

”BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—”

Yang Guyuan was a close-combat expert, and his ”Ninety Earth-Burning Celestial True Force” was extremely formidable. As he fully unleashed his Fist Technique, the scrawny man’s expression changed dramatically, and he began to panic!

”PFFT PFFT PFFT—”

In his panic, the scrawny man was struck squarely by Yang Guyuan three times. The searing Flame Power invaded his body, causing his movements to falter for a split second.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Yang Guyuan let out a great roar, spitting a huge Fire Dragon from his mouth that slammed into the scrawny man’s chest with the speed of lightning. Struck by the Fire Dragon, the scrawny man’s body was charred black as he was violently thrown against the Protective Shield, where he convulsed uncontrollably.

”WHOA—”

Seeing Yang Guyuan actually defeat the scrawny man, the crowd erupted in an uproar. Yang Guyuan’s Cultivation was only at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak. For someone at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak to defeat a Half-Step True Dao Expert was truly beyond everyone’s expectations.

”I can’t believe this contestant from the Land of Divine Abandonment actually won. Now I’m out one Low-grade Essence Stone.”

”Tch! What’s one Essence Stone! I bet three whole Low-grade Essence Stones, hoping to make a little something. I never thought this Yang Guyuan would actually win. I lost big this time.”

”How strange! Earlier, there was a guy named Zhaang Ye, also from the Land of Divine Abandonment, who also defeated his opponent. For a backwater place like the Land of Divine Abandonment to have two people make it to the second round... there’s no justice in the world.”

...

The referee checked the scrawny man and, seeing he had lost the ability to fight, immediately declared Yang Guyuan the winner and started the next match.

The battles continued, one after another, until evening, when all 2,679 matches were finally over. The Sect’s Seventh Elder, Jin Zhongyu, flew into the sky and slowly announced, ”Today, a total of two thousand, six hundred and seventy-nine battles were held, with one person receiving a bye. A total of two thousand, six hundred and seventy-nine people have been eliminated, leaving two thousand, six hundred and eighty remaining, completing the first round of eliminations.”

”Disciples who won in the first round of eliminations, return to the valley at the same time tomorrow to continue with the second round. As for the disciples who were defeated in the first round, you now have two choices. The first is to return home, and we will give each of you two Essence Stones as a parting gift. The second choice is to follow the Sect’s arrangements. Our Sect has various enterprises under its banner. If you manage them well, you may still have a chance to enter the Sect...”

Zhaang Ye had just returned to his cave residence when he heard a soft SWOOSH. Tu Feiyuan’s round, rolling figure suddenly appeared before him, the fat on his belly trembling violently.

Tu Feiyuan’s face was blooming with a smile. He clapped a plump hand on Zhaang Ye’s shoulder and said, ”Little brother, you really are amazing! I knew you would defeat your opponent! Haha, thanks to you, little brother, I’ve made a killing this time.”

Zhaang Ye was a bit puzzled. ”How did you make a killing?” he asked.

Tu Feiyuan said excitedly, ”It’s simple, betting! People bet on the winner of every match. I bet on you to win just now, and I was right. I made a neat ten Essence Stones.”

A thought stirred in Zhaang Ye’s mind. ”Betting on the winner? The Sect allows disciples to gamble?”

Tu Feiyuan chuckled. ”Of course, they do! This sort of thing tests a disciple’s judgment, so why wouldn’t they allow it? The ones running the betting operations are actually Inner Sect Disciples of the Sect, so you can see the Sect tacitly approves.”

Zhaang Ye asked a few more questions with interest. After understanding the rules, he laughed and said, ”Good, good. I’ll try my luck tomorrow, too.”

Tu Feiyuan nodded. ”Little brother, your strength is profound, so your judgment should be good too. You should give it a try. On the Cultivation Dao, you absolutely can’t do without Essence Stones, medicinal herbs, Elixirs, and True Artifacts. Only with Essence Stones can you buy all sorts of herbs, Elixirs, and True Artifacts. Without Essence Stones, your Cultivation speed will be much slower.”

Zhaang Ye nodded, then suddenly said, ”Brother Tu, why do I get the feeling that all the contestants look down on people from the Land of Divine Abandonment?”

Tu Feiyuan replied without a second thought, ”That’s simple. For the past thousand years, not a single expert from the Land of Divine Abandonment has ever managed to enter the Outer Sect. Only a meager two or three people have ever placed in the top three hundred in the entrance competition and become servant disciples of the Sect. Under these circumstances, of course they look down on people from the Land of Divine Abandonment.”

Zhaang Ye understood.

Tu Feiyuan chuckled again. ”With your strength, little brother, you have at least a twenty to thirty percent chance of entering the Outer Sect. Little brother, I’m betting on you. I’ll be waiting for you to enter the Outer Sect!”

Tu Feiyuan quickly left. Zhaang Ye casually closed the cave door, gave a mute smile, and muttered to himself, ”’The Outer Sect? Is it that hard to enter the Outer Sect? Heheheh.’”

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I’m still in pain today, so there’s only one Chapter. I’ll see if I can make it up tomorrow. If there’s an update at noon tomorrow, it means there will be three Chapters. If not, then it will be two. Two is guaranteed. Thank you for your subscriptions, monthly tickets, ratings, and Recommendation Tickets!

———————————————(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.)