Overlord of the Wilderness

The Flower King’s expression was grim. After a moment of thought, he muttered, “The aura of wood here is unusually dense. The Wood Origin must be inside! This Wood Origin has clearly gained sentience. Even though Zhaang Ye got here first, it will still take him time to subdue it. I still have a chance!”

At this thought, the Flower King gritted his teeth and pushed his Body Technique to its limit, continuing his pursuit of Zhaang Ye.

Deep within the forest, Zhaang Ye raced onward at full speed.

Zhaang Ye’s body seemed to have lost all weight, completely unaffected by gravity. The dense tangle of branches and Snake Vines ahead couldn’t hinder his flight in the slightest; he could move as fast as he pleased. A feeling of omnipotence, of being able to soar to the heavens and burrow into the earth, welled up inside him, and he couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

By the time his laughter faded, Zhaang Ye had already flown over two hundred li, completely shaking off the Flower King’s pursuit.

The Fire Spirit said in pleasant surprise, “Master, your Wind Realm has broken through again! At this rate, you’re not far from the Great Success Realm!”

Zhaang Ye nodded. “I was lucky this time. If my Wind Realm hadn’t broken through, I would have had to use the Cloud-Breaking Slash and waste a huge amount of energy to shake off the Flower King.”

The forest was fraught with danger; at any moment, he could be attacked by Giant Trees, Ten Thousand Feet Snake Vines, or other hidden threats. Zhaang Ye wouldn’t use his Cloud-Breaking Slash unless he had no other choice.

Under the Fire Spirit’s guidance, Zhaang Ye flew onward with great speed.

The Array formed by the Giant Trees and Ten Thousand Feet Snake Vines was quite complex, but with the Fire Spirit’s guidance, Zhaang Ye navigated it smoothly and without any real danger.

After flying several hundred li, an incredibly dense aura of wood washed over Zhaang Ye.

The Giant Trees and Ten Thousand Feet Snake Vines were gone. In their place, a field of dazzlingly beautiful flowers stretched out before Zhaang Ye. The large blossoms were the size of Jade Plates, the small ones the size of a fist, all blooming freely on emerald-green stems. As far as the eye could see, it was a vibrant sea of color—flowers red as fire, white as snow, and pink as a sunset glow.

WHOOSH!

Zhaang Ye was moving so fast that in an instant, he was already hovering above the sea of flowers.

A gentle breeze drifted over from the distance, carrying with it a faint, floral scent.

The Fire Spirit shouted, “Be careful! That floral scent is laced with a deadly poison!”

Zhaang Ye had already stopped breathing and sealed all the pores on his body when he first entered the forest. Hearing the Fire Spirit’s shout, the Celestial River Righteous Qi inside him stirred, forming an Air Wall around his body to block the scent.

HSSSSSS!

The faint floral scent actually began to corrode Zhaang Ye’s Air Wall. The barrier he had formed with his Celestial River Righteous Qi was melting as quickly as ice in the sun when faced with the fragrance!

Zhaang Ye’s expression changed. Even a full-force attack from a True Dao Fifth Layer expert couldn’t have broken his Air Wall. Yet, in the face of this delicate fragrance, nearly half of it had corroded away in the blink of an eye. At this rate, his entire Air Wall would be gone in just a few more moments!

WHOOSH!

Layers of tornados suddenly erupted around Zhaang Ye. After his breakthrough in the Wind Realm, his control over them had become even more formidable. With a single thought, eighty-one layers of tornados manifested around his body.

HSSSSSS!

To Zhaang Ye’s surprise, the floral scent could even corrode the tornados. In a mere instant, seven layers of his summoned vortex were eaten away!

Zhaang Ye cried out in shock, “What a terrifying fragrance! What is this stuff?”

WHOOSH!

Zhaang Ye’s body flashed as he prepared to retreat from the sea of flowers and formulate a new plan.

But the moment he moved, the previously invisible, colorless fragrance suddenly turned a deep, rich purple. The flowers behind him had formed a solid wall, blocking his retreat!

“Hm?”

Startled, Zhaang Ye unleashed several blades of Sword Gang, which slashed directly into the wall of flowers. To his astonishment, the seemingly fragile barrier actually stopped his Sword Gang cold!

Zhaang Ye was profoundly shocked. Just as he was about to draw his Broken Wave Saber for a desperate fight, the Fire Spirit’s voice echoed in his mind. “Master, I remember! These flowers are called Thousand-Mile God-Eroding Flowers! They have an extensive root system and incredibly long vines. A single plant can cover a thousand li of ground!”

“The Thousand-Mile God-Eroding Flower is as tough as iron, and it attacks the moment it senses an intruder. The fragrance it releases can easily corrode Innate True Qi. Even a True Dao Seventh Layer expert wouldn’t be able to hold out against it for long!”

Zhaang Ye unleashed dense layers of Celestial River Righteous Qi and tornados to hold back the fragrance. “Fire Spirit,” he said in a low voice, “is there any way to deal with this Thousand-Mile God-Eroding Flower?”

The Fire Spirit chuckled. “This Thousand-Mile God-Eroding Flower is incredibly tough. It fears neither blades nor axes, nor even attacks from Innate Gang Qi. But it is afraid of fire. Leave this one to me.”

FWOOM!

The Fire Spirit suddenly flew out of the Little World, its form swelling until it became a giant of blazing fire. With a light puff from its mouth, a furious torrent of flames surged out, landing squarely on the Thousand-Mile God-Eroding Flower.

SCREEEEECH!

As the raging fire scorched it, the Thousand-Mile God-Eroding Flower let out what sounded like a painful moan. Its blossoms instantly withered and fell, and its branches rapidly recoiled from the heat.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

The Fire Spirit cackled, launching fireballs that cleared large swathes of the area. After a moment, it called out, “Master, the Wood Origin must be hiding in there! It’s definitely the one responsible for the Giant Trees, the Ten Thousand Feet Snake Vines, and this Thousand-Mile God-Eroding Flower! If we keep going, we’ll find it soon. Water Spirit, come out and lead the way!”

At the Fire Spirit’s call, the Water Spirit flew out from the Little World.

Among the Five Elements, Water engenders Wood. Thus, the Water Spirit had a natural affinity for the Wood Origin. The moment it appeared, it began to chirp excitedly, pointing in a specific direction.

Zhaang Ye flew in the direction the Water Spirit indicated. After traveling several hundred li, a sharp, cold voice suddenly pierced the air from afar: “Human, halt!”

With the voice came a small, entirely emerald-green person, who suddenly appeared before Zhaang Ye. The little figure radiated a vibrant life force, but its face was completely wooden, and two beams of green light shot out from its emerald eyes.

“The Wood Origin!”

Seeing the little green person, the Fire Spirit, the Water Spirit, and Zhaang Ye all cried out at once.

The Fire Spirit laughed and shouted in excitement, “The Wood Origin actually came out on its own! Master, quick, grab it!”

Before the Fire Spirit finished speaking, Zhaang Ye had already struck. He thrust a hand into the void, instantly locking down the space in a radius of several li. A gigantic hand formed and reached for the little green person.

The little green person shrieked, “Human, you’re courting death!”

With the little green person’s shriek, the giant hand Zhaang Ye had manifested simply vanished. As Zhaang Ye paused in surprise, countless sharp Wooden Thorns materialized in the void and shot toward him like a downpour!

Zhaang Ye waved his hand, batting the projectiles away. He could feel immense power contained within each Wooden Thorn. More frighteningly, they were all a dark, bruised-green color, a clear sign of potent poison. Even with his strength, Zhaang Ye didn’t dare let a single one touch his body.

“Human, die!”

The little green person shrieked as countless more Wooden Thorns materialized and flew at Zhaang Ye. Mixed in with the thorns were flashes of emerald light, like a volley of green Flying Blades.

Leaves!

Those flashes of green light were actually leaves. They were longer and narrower than ordinary leaves, with razor-sharp edges that made them look just like Flying Blades.

Myriads of Wooden Thorns and myriads of Ye Dao twisted toward him. As powerful as Zhaang Ye was, he didn’t dare try to block the attack head-on. He hurriedly executed his Body Technique, flashing several li away in an instant.

The little green person’s icy voice rang out again. “Trying to run? Too late!”

As it spoke, myriads of Wooden Thorns and Ye Dao once again materialized both in front of and behind Zhaang Ye. They were formed from the very aura of wood and appeared a mere ten zhang away from him. No matter how profound his Wind Realm was, there was no way for him to fly out of such a dense barrage!

Just as the attack was about to land, a saber appeared in Zhaang Ye’s hand.

The Broken Wave Saber.

BOOM!

Zhaang Ye executed the Cloud-Breaking Slash. Achieving Human-Sword Unity, he forcibly tore a path through the dense storm of Wooden Thorns and Ye Dao, flying several li away at lightning speed.

A grave expression appeared on the Fire Spirit’s face. “This Wood Origin has been cultivating for far longer than the Gold Spirit and the Water Spirit,” it said. “It has already become a formidable power! The aura of wood here is incredibly dense. By drawing on it, the Wood Origin can neutralize attacks and launch its own ferocious assaults at will! Its attack range covers any area with this aura. Here, even a great expert of the True Dao Seventh Layer would be helpless against it!”

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

While the Fire Spirit was speaking, the little green person launched dozens more attacks. Fortunately, Zhaang Ye was prepared. The instant he sensed a disturbance in the wood aura around him, he would immediately flee. Though the creature’s attacks were incredibly powerful, they couldn’t catch him.

Zhaang Ye’s mind raced, desperately searching for a solution. The Fire Spirit, too, was silently wracking its brains. Although its power had increased significantly after consuming the Spirit Fruit, it still had little confidence in its ability to deal with the little green creature.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

Just as Zhaang Ye and the Fire Spirit were lost in thought, a loud peal of laughter suddenly boomed from the distance, rolling through the air like thunder.

Hearing that laugh, Zhaang Ye’s heart skipped a beat.

The Flower King!

While Zhaang Ye had been busy dodging the little green person’s attacks, the Flower King had finally made it out of the forest and arrived at their location!

A glint appeared in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. He declared resolutely, “The Flower King will be here any moment. I must capture this Wood Origin before he arrives! Fire Spirit, Gold Spirit, on my command!”

WHOOSH!

Zhaang Ye summoned the Gold Spirit. Then, man and saber became one, transforming into a streak of azure light that charged through the dense barrage of Wooden Thorns and Ye Dao, straight toward the little green person!