Overlord of the Wilderness

The people around all looked at Zhaang Ye with pity. Someone said in a low voice, ”This Zhaang Ye just defeated Xingxing’Er in one move and offended the Red Cliff Celestial Ape. He’s absolutely done for.”

”Yeah. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s strength is unfathomably profound. He’ll definitely beat Zhaang Ye to the ground later. Now that Zhaang Ye has offended such a ferocious person, there’s no way he’ll be able to make it into the top ten in the group stage.”

”Mhm, Zhaang Ye is strong, but the Red Cliff Celestial Ape is even stronger. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s reputation was forged in one bloody battle after another. Compared to him, Zhaang Ye is still a bit too green.”

As the crowd buzzed with discussion, Zhaang Ye’s expression remained perfectly calm. As someone who had grown up through combat, he never feared a fight. Even an opponent like the super-strong Red Cliff Celestial Ape couldn’t shake Zhaang Ye’s will to battle.

The battles continued, round after round, and soon it was Zhaang Ye’s turn.

Zhaang Ye’s opponent in the first battle was named Zhan Jianhong. Zhan Jianhong had just broken through to the Half-step True Dao realm and excelled at close-quarters combat. During the elimination rounds, he had relied on his formidable close-combat skills to quickly defeat an opponent of the same rank. Because of these powerful skills, Zhan Jianhong was completely unafraid, even though he knew Zhaang Ye was strong.

Seeing Zhaang Ye walk onto the arena stage, Zhan Jianhong taunted, ”Zhaang Ye, today I’ll show you what true combat arts are. I’m going to make you understand that great strength alone is nowhere near enough.”

Zhaang Ye gave Zhan Jianhong a placid glance, as if he were looking at an idiot.

Zhan Jianhong was furious. The moment the referee gave the signal to start, the Short Sword in his hand transformed into a sky-shaking rainbow, stabbing toward Zhaang Ye like a bolt of lightning.

Zhaang Ye waited until Zhan Jianhong’s Short Sword was right beside him, then his figure flickered slightly, and he slapped out with his palm.

BOOM!

Zhan Jianhong, along with his sword, was sent flying by Zhaang Ye’s slap. After sailing dozens of yards through the air, he slammed hard against the arena’s Protective Shield and couldn’t get back up.

One slap sent a Half-step True Dao Strongman flying!

”HISS!”

The spectators all gasped, covering their mouths in shock. The other strong fighters of Group Twenty-five—Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining, Baili Shuangshuang, and Ba Changming—were also startled by Zhaang Ye’s performance and grew wary of him. Meanwhile, a thick battle intent emanated from the Red Cliff Celestial Ape; Zhaang Ye’s formidable display had greatly piqued his interest.

Not long after Zhaang Ye stepped down from the arena, Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining, Baili Shuangshuang, and Ba Changming went up one after another. The strength of these three could be described as unfathomably profound; they all defeated their opponents in just a few moves. Zhaang Ye watched their fights and knew at once that these three were all formidable rivals.

Zhaang Ye knew that everyone who made it to the group stage was an expert among experts. These geniuses all had trump cards up their sleeves, and a single moment of carelessness could lead to an unexpected defeat. Therefore, in the next few rounds of battle, Zhaang Ye slowly began to reveal his true abilities, defeating his opponents in the shortest time possible.

Second Match.

Zhaang Ye’s opponent was a young man at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer named Wu Tianxing. Although his Cultivation wasn’t very high, he was extremely skilled with Hidden Weapons. He could unleash forty-nine Flying Blades in the blink of an eye, attacking all of his opponent’s vital points.

The moment the referee’s voice fell, Zhaang Ye immediately unleashed an endless barrage of Tornadoes. The densely packed Tornadoes instantly flooded the arena, giving Wu Tianxing no chance to even throw his Flying Blades. Meanwhile, amidst the thick storm of Tornadoes, Zhaang Ye moved like a fish in water. With a single dodge and a strike, he sent Wu Tianxing flying, winning the second match cleanly and decisively.

Third Match.

Zhaang Ye’s opponent in the third match was also an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. This time it was a woman named Mo Qianqian, whose Body Technique was delicate and swift, allowing her to make all sorts of Transformations and attacks within a very small space.

Zhaang Ye was already quite experienced in dealing with this type of opponent. He once again unleashed a dense storm of Tornadoes, using them to restrict Mo Qianqian’s movements before defeating her in a single move.

Fourth Match.

Zhaang Ye’s opponent for the fourth match was a Half-Step True Dao Expert named Dong Xingchen. The Innate True Qi inside his body had already reached eighty-nine percent purity, very close to ninety percent.

Dong Xingchen knew that Zhaang Ye’s Tornadoes were extremely formidable. Therefore, the moment the referee announced the start, he immediately seized the initiative, his enormous and sharp Profound Iron Halberd tearing through the void as he launched a fierce attack at Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye didn’t even bother with a second glance. Relying on his gauntlets, he landed a heavy punch directly on the Profound Iron Halberd. Zhaang Ye’s punch carried the weight of a mountain. When it struck, the webbing of Dong Xingchen’s hand split open, and sharp pain shot through his entire body. After taking that single punch, Dong Xingchen knew he was no match for Zhaang Ye and decisively surrendered.

Fifth Match.

Zhaang Ye’s opponent was an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer named Gao Changxiao. Gao Changxiao was renowned for his strength, and though he knew Zhaang Ye’s power was astonishing, he wasn’t convinced. The moment the battle began, he charged straight at Zhaang Ye, wielding two great hammers that weighed thousands of pounds each.

When he was just a few yards from Zhaang Ye, Gao Changxiao unleashed a ferocious and swift Hammer Technique. The space between heaven and earth was instantly filled with a dense flurry of hammer afterimages, and the fierce wind from the strikes tore through the void. Seeing this incredibly ferocious Hammer Technique, even Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining, Baili Shuangshuang, and Ba Changming had to give silent praise.

Zhaang Ye waited until Gao Changxiao’s twin hammers reached him, then suddenly shot out both his fists, meeting the two great hammers that weighed thousands of pounds head-on. When Zhaang Ye’s fists struck Gao Changxiao’s hammers, an immense force traveled up through them. The impact caused the webbing of Gao Changxiao’s hands to split open, gushing blood, and both great hammers were knocked from his grasp, flying into the air.

Unable to overpower Zhaang Ye’s fists even with hammers weighing thousands of pounds, Gao Changxiao knew the gap in their strength was too vast. He readily admitted defeat.

By effortlessly dealing with five opponents in a row, Zhaang Ye had grabbed some of the spotlight. However, the one who stole the most limelight was still one of the five great super-strong experts, the Red Cliff Celestial Ape.

After defeating Zi Wuming in a single move, the Red Cliff Celestial Ape took the stage for four consecutive matches where his opponents surrendered immediately. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s strength was so overwhelming that these geniuses didn’t even dare to fight him. They simply admitted defeat to conserve their strength.

The group stage consisted of twenty-three matches in total. Decisively surrendering when faced with an unbeatable opponent was also a way to conserve one’s strength.

Every time the Red Cliff Celestial Ape stepped down from the arena, he would cast a provocative glance at Zhaang Ye, clearly looking forward to their battle. The spectators and contestants outside the arena were also extremely interested in their fight. They pointed at Zhaang Ye and the Red Cliff Celestial Ape, discussing how many moves it would take for the Ape to defeat Zhaang Ye.

Sixth Match.

Zhaang Ye was up against Ba Changming. The Innate True Qi in Ba Changming’s body had reached ninety-three percent purity, making him an exceptionally formidable opponent. Not only was Ba Changming’s Cultivation profound, but he was also a master of the saber. When he wielded his thin, single-edged blade, its power could envelop the arena in a hundred-yard radius. He, too, was undefeated with five straight wins in the group stage.

Ba Changming spoke slowly, ”Zhaang Ye, your ability to effortlessly handle five opponents in a row shows your strength is quite good. However, now that you’ve run into me, your winning streak is over. In this battle, you will be defeated.”

Zhaang Ye couldn’t be bothered to waste words with Ba Changming. His eyes half-closed, he quietly waited for the referee to announce the start.

Seeing that Zhaang Ye paid him no regard, a cold glint flashed in Ba Changming’s eyes. He stared intently at Zhaang Ye, plotting. ’I’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget.’

The referee instructed the two to take their positions and then casually shouted, ”Begin!”

As the referee’s voice faded, a long, thin, and sharp blade suddenly appeared in Ba Changming’s hand. The blade was covered with lines of Runes, clearly engraved with numerous Arrays. It was no ordinary long blade.

With the long blade in hand, Ba Changming roared, ”Nine Heavens Crescent Slash!”

SWISH!

Zhaang Ye’s vision blurred, and suddenly, crescent moons appeared one after another in the void. These crescents hung silently in the air, perfectly clear and without a single impurity. They were so beautiful that one couldn’t help but want to reach out and touch them.

The crescent moons looked lovely, but Zhaang Ye knew they were actually formed from strands of Sword Gang, each containing terrifyingly lethal power. Under Ba Changming’s skillful technique, each crescent was equivalent to a strike from a Half-Step True Dao Expert. With dozens of them bombarding him at once, the power was simply earth-shattering.

Furthermore, while the crescents appeared to be perfectly still, they were actually moving faster than Sword Gang itself. The naked eye simply couldn’t track them, which was why they seemed motionless.

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged. With a wave of his palm, a brilliant golden Celestial River suddenly appeared in the void, enveloping all the crescent moons at once.

The Celestial River could contain all things; it could even easily swallow the stars from the sky.

The waves of crescent moons unleashed by Ba Changming vanished the moment they met Zhaang Ye’s Celestial River, disappearing into the brilliant golden stream. And after swallowing the crescents, the golden Celestial River continued on without stopping, descending upon Ba Changming!

”AH!”

Ba Changming had never expected that the crescent moons he had worked so hard to unleash would be so easily neutralized by Zhaang Ye. He was even more shocked by the suddenness of Zhaang Ye’s counterattack. Seeing Zhaang Ye’s Celestial River sweeping toward him, Ba Changming’s heart skipped a beat. He brandished his Long Sword and shouted, ”Nine Heavens Full Moon Slash!”

As Ba Changming executed his Nine Heavens Full Moon Slash, a bright, shining full moon instantly appeared in the void, flying straight to meet Zhaang Ye’s Celestial River.

BOOM!

The golden Celestial River and the full moon collided, instantly setting off an earth-shattering explosion. The immense power swept outward, striking the arena’s Protective Shield and causing it to tremble violently. Ba Changming was closer to the epicenter of the blast, and the force from the explosion of the golden Celestial River and the full moon slammed brutally into him. Despite his formidable Cultivation, the immense power still sent him reeling, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Layers of Tornadoes appeared around Zhaang Ye, neutralizing the force of the explosion piece by piece. Taking advantage of the moment before Ba Changming could regain his footing, Zhaang Ye waved his arm once more. Another brilliant golden Celestial River appeared and swept toward Ba Changming.

The blood in Ba Changming’s body was churning, and his Innate True Qi was running rampant, greatly diminishing his combat strength. Facing Zhaang Ye’s brilliant golden Celestial River, Ba Changming no longer had any confidence. He bitterly spat out two words: ”I surrender!”

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