Overlord of the Wilderness

After facing off against Zhaang Dongyang for a moment, Zhaang Ye’s eyes fell upon a symbol on his opponent’s clothes. A thought stirred within him, and he said, ”I know who you are. You’re from the Branches faction.”

Zhaang Dongyang nodded. ”You’re right. We are indeed from the Branches faction.”

As its name suggested, the Branches faction was a power formed from disciples hailing from the various Zhaang Family branches. Although Zhaang Ye had only joined the sect a little over ten days ago, he was aware that such a faction existed within the Zhaang Family’s Outer Sect.

Hearing Zhaang Dongyang’s confirmation, Zhaang Ye’s brow furrowed slightly. ”You came looking for me to recruit me?” he asked.

Zhaang Dongyang chuckled. ”That’s right. That’s exactly why I’m here.”

Zhaang Ye shook his head. ”I’m not interested.”

Zhaang Dongyang’s expression shifted slightly. ”Don’t be so quick to refuse. Zhaang Ye, joining us comes with many benefits. For one, once you’re with us, no one in the entire Zhaang Family Outer Sect will dare to bother you. We can also work together to complete high-difficulty family missions. Plus, we can spar regularly to rapidly increase our strength...”

Zhaang Ye remained unmoved. ”Joining you might have its advantages, but it also comes with plenty of restrictions, doesn’t it? Just look at the situation now—you’re trying to rob me of my Qi Gathering Pill. Let me be blunt: I’m used to my freedom and have zero interest in joining factions. You’ve picked the wrong person.”

”Zhaang Ye, you really don’t know what’s good for you, not even giving Brother Dong face,” a young man berated, glaring at Zhaang Ye.

”Zhaang Ye, don’t think you’re so great...”

”You wet-behind-the-ears brat...”

Zhaang Dongyang waved his hand, silencing the crowd’s jeers. He stared at Zhaang Ye and said, ”Zhaang Ye, let’s make a bet. If we defeat you, you join us. If we lose, we’ll leave at once and won’t press the issue. How about it?”

Zhaang Dongyang’s words were laced with powerful confidence. He had reached the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer some time ago and possessed a wealth of combat experience. He was certain that with these two advantages, he could defeat Zhaang Ye with ease and make him concede defeat completely.

Zhaang Ye was quite interested in Zhaang Dongyang’s proposal. Though he had considerable fighting experience, he had never truly tested himself against a master at the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he had no reason to refuse the challenge.

Zhaang Ye nodded. ”Alright! Let’s begin!”

The word had barely left his lips when the two immediately entered a standoff. After a moment, both let out a low shout and struck simultaneously.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

In an instant, Zhaang Dongyang threw five punches, the fierce wind they generated kicking up clouds of dust. But as he threw his five punches, Zhaang Ye delivered five slashes of his own. Each slash met one of Zhaang Dongyang’s fists, and the sound of their Powerful Qi colliding was like the crackling of popping soybeans. Their Inner True Qi erupted forth, the sheer pressure forcing the nearby youths to retreat more than thirty feet away.

After the five impacts, Zhaang Ye felt a burning pain in his palm. Zhaang Dongyang’s cultivation was higher, after all. Even though Zhaang Ye had used the overbearing momentum of the Reverse Flow Slash to fight him to a draw, a palm was not a saber. The rebound from Zhaang Dongyang’s dense True Qi left him reeling.

Zhaang Dongyang’s fists were also throbbing with pain. He was at the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer, and his True Qi was significantly denser than Zhaang Ye’s. Yet, Zhaang Ye had used a single, tyrannical technique to forcibly slice through the True Qi protecting his fists and wound them.

Though their brief five-clash exchange appeared to be a draw, Zhaang Dongyang knew in his heart that he had already lost. He had been at the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer realm for quite some time, while Zhaang Ye had only recently reached the Martial Arts Third Layer Middle Stage. ’To be unable to defeat him even with my higher cultivation... it means I’ve already lost this round.’

This was a result Zhaang Dongyang simply could not accept.

Zhaang Dongyang’s fighting spirit ignited. His eyes grew cold, and the very air around his body seemed to freeze.

Seeing Zhaang Dongyang’s aura continue to climb, a look of shock appeared on the face of one of the watching youths. ”Quick, back up!” he shouted. ”Brother Dong is about to use the Demon Sound Hundred Split Fist!”

He had barely finished his sentence when Zhaang Dongyang let out a great roar. His fists began a sudden dance, tracing series after series of eerie afterimages in the air. More terrifying still, as his fists flew, they produced a sharp, dreadful sound. It was like the shriek of a hundred ghouls on the hunt, or the roar of a legion of beasts. The moment the onlookers heard it, their faces turned ashen.

’Huh? What a bizarre and terrifying Fist Technique!’ This was the first time Zhaang Ye had ever encountered such a peculiar art. Even with his extraordinary composure, he was secretly taken aback.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH— Just as Zhaang Ye registered his surprise, a sky-blotting torrent of fist-shadows tore through the air. The attack’s sheer momentum was like that of a starving ghost lunging for a meal.

An ordinary person, suddenly faced with such a terrifying Fist Technique, would likely be too overwhelmed to use their true strength and be defeated on the spot. But Zhaang Ye was no ordinary person. During his memory fusion, he had endured untold hardships and witnessed countless illusions. The terrifying sound of Zhaang Dongyang’s Demon Sound Hundred Split Fist was utterly incapable of shaking his resolve.

Zhaang Ye planted his feet in the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation. With a wave of both hands, he began to execute a Saber Technique.

And this Saber Technique was none other than the Basic Saber Technique!

The onlookers were dumbfounded to see Zhaang Ye use the common Basic Saber Technique—one that everybody knew—against such a terrifying Fist Technique. Even Zhaang Dongyang himself was momentarily stunned!

’The Demon Sound Hundred Split Fist is a Mid-Level Combat Skill! How could a mere Basic Saber Technique possibly stand against it?!’

’This Zhaang Ye must be insane! He must have been driven mad by the Demon Sound! He’s about to have every bone in his body shattered by that terrifying Demon Sound Hundred Split Fist!!’ The onlookers all thought at once.

Just as the thought crossed their minds, the Basic Saber Technique clashed with the Demon Sound Hundred Split Fist. Zhaang Ye’s palms vanished into the endless sea of fist-shadows, producing a flurry of explosive reports.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Amid the barrage of sounds, the crowd discovered to their astonishment that Zhaang Ye had not been struck down. He had actually used the Basic Saber Technique to withstand Zhaang Dongyang’s furious assault!

CRACK! With one final clash of Qi Force, Zhaang Ye’s body swayed and he retreated ten feet. All eyes flew to him, only to see that he was completely unharmed. He had used a simple Basic Saber Technique to emerge from Zhaang Dongyang’s ferocious attack without a single scratch!

The spectators were all stunned. They simply could not believe their eyes.

Zhaang Dongyang was dumbfounded as well. After a long pause, he gave a wry smile. ”My Demon Sound Hundred Split Fist is powerful enough to challenge an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer. You’re only at the Martial Arts Third Layer Middle Stage. How did you block my attack with the Basic Saber Technique?”

Although Zhaang Ye had successfully blocked the attack, Zhaang Dongyang’s cultivation was superior. The dozen or so direct clashes had caused Zhaang Ye’s qi and blood to churn. Suppressing the turmoil within him, Zhaang Ye said, ”The greatest strength of your Fist Technique is the Demon Sound your fists create as they tear through the air, isn’t it? That Demon Sound might work on others, but it’s completely useless against me. A Demon Sound Hundred Split Fist without its effective Demon Sound isn’t all that hard to deal with.”

Zhaang Dongyang gave Zhaang Ye a long, hard look, then turned and left without a word.

The spectators glanced at Zhaang Ye with mixed expressions on their faces before slowly dispersing.

Zhaang Ye glanced down at his palm and muttered to himself, ’I may have handled Zhaang Dongyang for now, but I suspect the real trouble is still ahead. It seems I won’t be getting much peace and quiet for a while...’