Overlord of the Wilderness

I’m one chapter behind, but I’ll make it up tomorrow.

—

The Land of Wood, as its name implied, was filled with dense, towering trees and all sorts of bizarre plants. In a place so teeming with life, many of the plants were aggressive and capable of unleashing various terrifying attacks.

Besides the flora, the Land of Wood was also home to a surprising number of Barbaric Beasts, all of whom were exceptionally powerful. Some of the stronger ones were comparable to a True Dao Seventh Layer master; if Zhaang Ye ran into them, his only option would be to flee for his life.

In such a dangerous place, Zhaang Ye gave up on flying. Moving like an ape, he leaped between the colossal trees, making his way toward the center of the Land of Wood.

Under the Fire Spirit’s immense Spiritual Sense, Zhaang Ye was always able to avoid the powerful Barbaric Beasts. His journey was tense but without any real danger, and in just two days, he had covered over three thousand li.

BUZZ!

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi ahead suddenly began to fluctuate violently. The turbulent Primordial Qi spread out in all directions like ripples on water.

The Fire Spirit suddenly appeared and said excitedly, “Another Spirit Elixir is maturing! This Land of Wood truly lives up to its name as a place teeming with life! Master, let’s hurry over and pick it!”

At that moment, the Barbaric Beasts in the forest descended into chaos, roaring as they charged toward the source of the disturbance. Zhaang Ye couldn’t be bothered with hiding anymore. He unleashed his Body Technique and rushed over at his top speed.

As Zhaang Ye sped forward, a young man fighting a Barbaric Beast deep in the forest suddenly forced it back with a single sword strike, a look of delight on his face. “Excellent! I, Qi Qingle, have been trekking through this forest for days, and I’ve finally found a Spirit Elixir! Judging by this commotion, it must be a Seventh-Grade Spirit Elixir. I have to get it!”

Qi Qingle flicked his sleeve, and his body transformed into a wisp of cloud and mist, flying off just above the treetops.

…

In a mountain cave, a young man abruptly awoke from his Cultivation, his gaze locking onto a point in the distance.

“HAHAHAHAHA, to think I’d stumble upon a maturing Spirit Elixir! This one belongs to me, Ping Cangsheng! I just comprehended a Realm, so I can use this to charge into the True Dao Sixth Layer!”

Excitement flashed in Ping Cangsheng’s eyes. A strange fluctuation emanated from his body, and then he transformed into a gust of wind, flying straight toward the surging Primordial Qi.

…

The Land of Wood was bursting with life and rich in all kinds of medicinal ingredients, so many people came here searching for opportunities and Spirit Elixirs. The Primordial Qi fluctuations caused by the maturing elixir quickly caught the attention of the young experts in the area. All those within a three-thousand-li radius began to execute their Body Techniques and head toward the Spirit Elixir.

The Barbaric Beasts that smelled the Spirit Elixir’s sweet fragrance also roared, turning to charge toward it. To a Barbaric Beast, a Spirit Elixir was something that could enhance its power, an opportunity they would never pass up.

In the forest, Zhaang Ye moved at full speed, getting closer and closer to the Spirit Elixir.

The Fire Spirit’s Spiritual Sense was exceptionally powerful, allowing it to observe things from hundreds of li away. As Zhaang Ye rushed over, its immense Spiritual Sense had already locked onto a tall fruit tree. It said excitedly, “Master, I see it! That fruit tree should be the Spirit and Flesh Jujube Tree! There are ten fruits on it, and they’re almost ripe!”

A thrill of excitement went through Zhaang Ye. He said, “A Spirit and Flesh Jujube Tree! The fruit it bears must be the Spirit and Flesh Jujube, right?”

The Fire Spirit chuckled. “Exactly! Eating this jujube won’t raise your Cultivation level, but it will rapidly solidify your current one. Your Cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, so your foundation is a bit unstable. But if you eat this Spirit and Flesh Jujube, you can confidently push for the Late Stage of the True Dao Fourth Layer, or even the Peak of the True Dao Fourth Layer!”

“What a treasure!” Zhaang Ye’s eyes lit up. His speed increased, and finally, he began to fly low to the ground, weaving through the forest like a wisp of wind.

Half an hour later, a colossal tree appeared before Zhaang Ye. The tree was over thirty thousand feet tall, its trunk as thick as a small mountain. Its bark was like slabs of rock, exuding an ancient aura.

Overjoyed, Zhaang Ye pushed his speed to its limit, his body becoming a faint streak of light flying through the air.

SWOOSH!

In an instant, Zhaang Ye crossed dozens of li and appeared above the Spirit and Flesh Jujube Tree. Looking down, he saw ten fist-sized fruits hanging high on the branches, emitting waves of sweet fragrance. They were on the verge of ripening.

Just as Zhaang Ye was about to fly down and pick the Spirit and Flesh Jujubes, the Fire Spirit shouted, “Be careful!”

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The Fire Spirit’s warning had just come when four shadows suddenly shot out from within the giant tree. The four figures lunged forward like bolts of lightning, and under their assault, the very air seemed to freeze!

‘Not good!’

Zhaang Ye had never expected such terrifying Barbaric Beasts to be hiding inside the Spirit and Flesh Jujube Tree. Horrified, he pushed his Body Technique to its absolute limit. His figure became illusory as he abruptly dodged to the side!

BOOM!

Though Zhaang Ye had moved a thousand feet away, he was still struck by a terrifying force that made the blood and qi in his body churn. After steadying himself, he finally saw that his attackers were four giant apes, each about ten feet tall!

These four giant apes had long arms and were covered in sky-blue fur. Strands of pure light glinted off their coats, making them look exceptionally majestic and powerful. As Zhaang Ye sized them up, the apes’ gazes were locked on him, a hint of disdain in their eyes, as if they were intelligent humans.

The Fire Spirit was also observing the four giant apes. It cried out, “Green Blood Celestial Apes! Those are Green Blood Celestial Apes! Master, be careful! The combat power of these four is comparable to a Peak of True Dao Sixth Layer master, which is infinitely close to the True Dao Seventh Layer! Also, their intelligence is no less than a human’s. You must be extremely careful!”

As the Fire Spirit was speaking, one of the Green Blood Celestial Apes, who was particularly large, suddenly took a step forward, pointed a claw straight at Zhaang Ye, and spoke.

In a mocking tone, the Green Blood Celestial Ape said, “Human, you dare come here! I’ll use your corpse and blood to water this Spirit Tree!”

Zhaang Ye’s eyes widened.

He knew from ancient texts that some exceptionally intelligent Barbaric Beasts could speak like humans, but since he’d begun his journey, he had never heard a Barbaric Beast talk.

The Green Blood Celestial Ape’s sudden speech left Zhaang Ye inwardly shocked and astonished.

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s surprise, a flicker of contempt actually passed through the Green Blood Celestial Ape’s eyes, as if mocking him for his inexperience and lack of worldliness.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The four Green Blood Celestial Apes attacked at once, their terrifying power flooding the air. They were incredibly strong and as fast as lightning. Even with Zhaang Ye’s combat strength, he couldn’t handle all four at the same time. Helpless, he could only push his Wind Realm to its limit, fighting while retreating, barely managing to withstand their assault.

As Zhaang Ye fell back, he analyzed the situation. ‘Each of these four Green Blood Celestial Apes has the combat power of a Peak of True Dao Sixth Layer master. If they join forces, it’s equivalent to a True Dao Seventh Layer master. My Cloud-Breaking Slash is powerful, but I don’t have absolute confidence I can kill them with it. It seems if I want to get the Spirit and Flesh Jujubes, my only option is to use the Cloud-Breaking Slash and then make a run for it!’

SWOOSH!

The Broken Wave Saber appeared in Zhaang Ye’s hand. Just as he was about to make his move, three waves of Primordial Qi suddenly rippled from the distance, and three figures appeared like the wind beneath the great tree!

Qi Qingle!

Ping Cangsheng!

Jade Fox!

The three who had suddenly appeared were all giants of the Purple Spirit Domain’s younger generation!

Qi Qingle, Ping Cangsheng, and Jade Fox were all slightly stunned to see Zhaang Ye.

As a Sect Steward, Ping Cangsheng was skilled at social interactions. He was the first to speak up. “HAHAHAHAHA! To think Junior Brother Zhaang would be here too. What a coincidence!”

Qi Qingle nodded at Zhaang Ye.

Jade Fox, however, stared intently at Zhaang Ye, her eyes flickering with suspicion and uncertainty.

A few days ago, Jade Fox and Ba Xiongfei had split up to search for Zhaang Ye. But not long after, Ba Xiongfei had vanished, and she couldn’t contact him no matter what she tried. Now, there was no trace of Ba Xiongfei, yet their enemy, Zhaang Ye, was standing right before her, alive and well. This filled Jade Fox with doubt and suspicion.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Seeing Qi Qingle, Ping Cangsheng, and Jade Fox arrive, the four Green Blood Celestial Apes retreated simultaneously, hovering in the air as they stood guard before the Spirit and Flesh Jujubes.

The Green Blood Celestial Apes’ intelligence was no less than a human’s. The moment Qi Qingle and Ping Cangsheng arrived, the apes immediately sensed immense danger and were forced to fall back.

With the Green Blood Celestial Apes retreating, Zhaang Ye could finally catch his breath. He secretly sized up the three newcomers and noticed that Qi Qingle’s Cultivation had become even more profound and unfathomable. As for Ping Cangsheng, a faint, strange fluctuation now emanated from his body, and his entire aura had grown much stronger, comparable to a Peak of True Dao Sixth Layer master.

Jade Fox’s aura had also grown significantly more powerful. If Zhaang Ye wasn’t mistaken, her Cultivation had already entered the True Dao Sixth Layer, and her combat strength had increased two- or three-fold.

While Zhaang Ye was assessing them, the trio was also assessing him. They hadn’t seen him for just over twenty days, yet Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation had already risen to the True Dao Fourth Layer Mid Stage. Moreover, he now exuded an incredibly sharp aura. Even with Qi Qingle’s combat power, facing Zhaang Ye’s blade-like presence felt strangely oppressive.

As they were all sizing each other up, one of the Green Blood Celestial Apes shouted, “Humans, these ten fruits are ours! Leave at once, or you will die without a burial place!”

Hearing the Green Blood Celestial Ape speak, Qi Qingle and the others were all momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, Qi Qingle said to Zhaang Ye, Ping Cangsheng, and Jade Fox, “Everyone, these four giant apes are powerful. Let’s each take one. After we kill them, we can divide the fruits.”

Zhaang Ye, Ping Cangsheng, and Jade Fox nodded simultaneously, their auras locking tightly onto the four Green Blood Celestial Apes.