Overlord of the Wilderness

”That’s enough!” Seeing that Zhaang Dashu had finished testing Zhaang Ye’s strength, Zhaang Fang certainly wasn’t going to let Zhaang Ye attack him again. With a loud shout, he stepped forward and reached out to block Zhaang Ye.

BANG!

Zhaang Ye and Zhaang Fang were both at the Early Stage of Martial Arts Third Layer, and both had reached the realm of True Qi Detachment. As their palms met, their Inner True Qi transformed into an External Scattering Force, instantly kicking up a fierce wind in the small courtyard.

After the exchange, Zhaang Ye’s body swayed slightly. Zhaang Fang’s body also swayed slightly. Judging by the result, they were evenly matched.

”Zhaang Ye,” Zhaang Fang said gravely, ”I sense the faint aura of a Mutated Medicine on you. You must have advanced to the Martial Arts Third Layer by some lucky chance, consuming some kind of Mutated Medicine, correct? Let me tell you, the path of the Martial Dao has always been about talent and sweat. You reap what you sow. Even though you relied on medicine to reach the Martial Arts Third Layer, your actual combat strength is no match for mine.”

”Ah, no wonder he improved so quickly! So he took a Mutated Medicine!” A sneer appeared on Zhaang Jin’s face as he stood to the side. ”Advancing with medicine means his foundation is bound to be unstable. Zhaang Fang, your Cultivation is the real deal. You can finish Zhaang Ye in three moves.”

Zhaang Dashu chimed in, ”That’s right! Zhaang Ye attacked his own brothers the moment he returned. Young Master, hurry up and teach him a lesson!”

Zhaang Huo also nodded in agreement.

Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile. He remained silent, waiting for Zhaang Fang to continue.

Zhaang Fang continued proudly, ”Zhaang Ye, upon your return, you’ve injured both Zhaang Jin and Zhaang Tu. Since you’re my brother, I’ll give you one chance. Swear to follow me from now on, and I’ll let this matter drop. How about it?”

”Heh...”

Hearing Zhaang Fang’s words, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He slowly raised a hand, pointed at Zhaang Fang, and said, ”Who the hell do you think you are? You dare to run your mouth in front of me? You must be dreaming.”

”You!” Zhaang Fang was furious. He bit out each word, ”Zhaang Ye, I’ll show you what a true Martial Arts Third Layer master looks like! Watch closely. I’ll make you cough up blood within three moves!”

Zhaang Ye sneered. ”If you’re going to fight, then fight. Enough talk!”

Zhaang Fang’s anger flared. With a furious roar, he shot forward, swooping down from the air like a grey eagle.

Zhaang Ye was very familiar with this Combat Skill. A year ago, Zhaang Dashu had used this exact technique, the Nine Strikes of the Grey Eagle, to wound him, make him spit blood, and force him to flee.

Zhaang Fang’s strength far surpassed Zhaang Dashu’s, and he had already cultivated the Nine Strikes of the Grey Eagle to the Minor Achievement Realm. As he struck, the wind howled like a thunderstorm, its power truly astonishing.

Witnessing the power of Zhaang Fang’s Nine Strikes of the Grey Eagle, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration. ’Zhaang Fang may be incredibly arrogant, but there’s no denying he’s a genius.’

”Nice one!” Zhaang Ye grunted. He formed a Hand Blade, and with a wave of his arm, sent a slash flying forward.

Zhaang Ye was a year younger than Zhaang Fang, but he had already been through several life-or-death struggles. His insight and experience were far superior. His strike was aimed precisely at the strongest point of the Nine Strikes of the Grey Eagle.

BANG!

Zhaang Fang felt a terrifying force rebound toward him, making it impossible to unleash the subsequent attacks of his Nine Strikes of the Grey Eagle. He was forced to retreat.

The Nine Strikes of the Grey Eagle was a fierce attack, but it had a critical flaw: its strongest point was also its most vulnerable. Once that point was shattered, the rest of the technique’s moves could not be executed. The Nine Strikes of the Grey Eagle had been broken.

Having gained the upper hand with a single strike, Zhaang Ye wasn’t about to let him escape. He chuckled, then shot forward. SWOOSH! He sent another Hand Blade slashing toward Zhaang Fang’s back.

Zhaang Fang was in mid-air, with no way of Borrowing Power. His heart sank as he faced Zhaang Ye’s sudden attack. Steeling himself, he raised a palm to block.

BANG!

With another loud bang, Zhaang Fang, still unable to find any leverage in the air, was sent flying out the door by Zhaang Ye’s strike like a thrown stone. He rolled on the ground before managing to get to his feet, looking utterly wretched.

”AH—”

He had defeated Zhaang Fang in just two strikes!

Seeing this, Zhaang Jin, Zhaang Dashu, and Zhaang Huo were all stunned and could hardly believe their eyes. Even Zhaang Tu, who had been slapping himself off to the side, stopped and stared blankly at Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Fang got to his feet and stared at Zhaang Ye, shocked and chagrined, utterly speechless for a moment.

Zhaang Ye chuckled, his gaze shifting to Zhaang Dashu. ”I said I’d make you cough up blood,” he said. ”Watch closely!”

With that, he chopped down with a Hand Blade.

Knowing Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation had reached the Martial Arts Third Layer, and having just witnessed his incredible power, Zhaang Dashu no longer dared to face his Hand Blade head-on. He roared, ”Gale Step!” and his body blurred as he executed the Footwork Technique.

Zhaang Dashu’s Gale Step and Zhaang Ye’s Startled Swan Step were both considered Low-level Stepping Techniques. The difference was that the Startled Swan Step was better for traveling long distances, while the Gale Step was more suited for dodging and weaving in confined spaces to evade attacks.

As Zhaang Dashu executed the Gale Step, two afterimages instantly appeared where he had been standing. Creating false images by exploiting the persistence of vision was one of the Gale Step’s main features.

If Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation were still at the Martial Arts Second Layer, breaking the Gale Step would have been very difficult. But now, not only did he possess the strength of the Martial Arts Third Layer, he was also a veteran of life-and-death battles. Thus, even though Zhaang Dashu had cultivated his Gale Step to the Minor Achievement Realm, he couldn’t fool Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye’s Hand Blade paused for a fraction of a second, and a gentle breeze suddenly stirred in the air.

This was Zhaang Ye, using his palm as a blade and deftly applying the principles of the Gentle Wind Slash to conjure a boundless, gentle wind.

The gentle wind swirled across the ground, kicking up dust. Amidst the fine, pervasive dust, Zhaang Dashu’s figure had nowhere to hide and was clearly revealed.

A cold smile touched Zhaang Ye’s lips. He took a step, his body lunging through the dust. While his Startled Swan Step wasn’t as agile in close quarters as the Gale Step, it was faster. In a single step, he was behind Zhaang Dashu, his hand striking his back like a bolt of lightning.

”AH—”

Zhaang Dashu never would have dreamed that the Gale Step he took so much pride in could be broken so easily by Zhaang Ye. As the palm struck his back, his face was still a mask of astonishment. He violently coughed up three mouthfuls of fresh blood!