Overlord of the Wilderness

(Thank you for your support, friends! Please vote with Recommendation Tickets and Sanjiang Tickets!)

The yellow sands shone like gold, and the setting sun was the color of blood.

The Mammoth continued to absorb Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, the disturbance growing with every passing moment. It had now formed a massive vortex, pulling in everything from the surroundings. Even from over ten miles away, the anomaly was easily detectable.

Two figures drifted in like wisps of smoke, appearing outside the Tribulation Ant Nest.

The two men warily scanned their surroundings as they slowly drew near. When they saw the Mammoth inside the Tribulation Ant Nest, looks of ecstatic joy spread across their faces. They began to advance toward the nest, one step at a time.

”I can’t believe it! A Mammoth in the middle of a breakthrough! A Mammoth that’s advancing has no strength to resist. All we need to do is sneak up and attack, and it will die from the backlash of the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. Senior Brother Luo, we’re going to make a killing!” one of them exclaimed joyfully.

The one called Senior Brother Luo nodded slightly, his own eyes filled with delight. However, he was more cautious than his junior brother. He scanned the area and said, ”We heard Luo Xiao Mountain’s cry earlier, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Something feels off. Junior Brother, we should be careful.”

The junior brother waved it off dismissively. ”Relax. With our strength, there’s nothing we can’t handle. Come on, let’s kill this Mammoth first!”

The two quickened their pace, making a beeline for the Tribulation Ant Nest.

Not far from the entrance to the Tribulation Ant Nest, Zhaang Ye lay hidden in the sand, his hand clenched around his Thick-Backed Saber as he silently watched the two men approach. Beside him lay the corpse of Luo Xiao Mountain, also covered by a thin layer of sand. A man and a corpse, lying silently in wait beneath the earth.

The two approaching men were both masters of the Martial Arts Fourth Layer, each stronger than Zhaang Ye. The one called Senior Brother Luo was likely even a Middle Stage expert of the Fourth Layer. Zhaang Ye knew, ’If I can’t kill one and injure the other in a single instant, I’ll be the one left a corpse.’

The two drew ever closer.

Zhaang Ye silently calculated their distance, watching for any opening in their gait.

”Hm?” Senior Brother Luo paused, sensing something was wrong.

Just then—WHUMP! A figure erupted from the ground. Sand and gravel flew as it shot toward Senior Brother Luo with extreme speed.

Senior Brother Luo was incredibly powerful. He didn’t panic despite the sudden ambush. He dropped into a slight crouch, and with a hum, the Long Sword in his hand blurred into a deadly curtain of steel, slashing toward his attacker.

Senior Brother Luo was confident in his reflexes. His Swordsmanship was profound; his slash instantly locked onto all of his opponent’s vital points. He was sure that even if he couldn’t land a fatal blow, he could retreat completely unscathed.

But the unexpected happened.

The pouncing figure—at the very instant Senior Brother Luo’s sword struck out—BOOM! It exploded. A shower of flesh and blood rained down, instantly blanketing them both!

’Not good!’

Senior Brother Luo’s heart seized with terror. But his skill was undeniable. He retracted his curtain of steel, forming a shield in front of him that managed to block the gory deluge.

He blocked it, but his junior brother was not so lucky. The sudden spray of flesh and blood splattered onto him, a mist of it even getting into his eyes. He felt a sharp pain, and suddenly he couldn’t open them. A moment later, agony wracked his body as a searing pain spread across his skin.

”Poison!” the junior brother shrieked, clutching his face and rolling aside.

While his junior brother was being hit, Senior Brother Luo faced his own life-or-death crisis. He had just deflected the shower of gore when a sudden glint of light appeared before him. A Short Sword, whistling through the air, plunged into his curtain of steel.

When forming a curtain of steel, a Long Sword’s power is dispersed. While it could block flesh and blood, it was useless against the vicious Short Sword. The blade was slowed for only an instant before it slithered through like a snake!

”ARGH—!” Senior Brother Luo bellowed. His free hand shot out like a bolt of lightning and snatched the speeding Short Sword right out of the air.

He caught the Short Sword, but before he could feel a moment of relief, a sharp pain shot through his palm. At almost the same instant, fine grains of sand struck his face.

The spots on his face hit by the sand began to burn, as did the hand that had caught the Short Sword.

”This... This is poison! The sword and the sand are both poisoned!” Horrified, Senior Brother Luo threw the Short Sword away and roared, ”Who are you, you treacherous snake! Show yourself! ARGH—!”

Before he could finish, the pain in his face and hand intensified. He forced his eyes open to look at his palm and saw that it was already red, swollen, and starting to rot. Trickles of black fluid were seeping from the skin.

’If my hand looks like this,’ he thought in horror, ’then my face must be oozing black fluid too.’

’What a terrifying poison!’

Fear flooded Senior Brother Luo’s heart. He hastily retrieved a vial of Antitoxic Pills from his robes. A Martial Artist like him possessed a natural resistance to poisons. As long as he took an Antitoxic Pill in time, he could use its Medicinal Power to circulate his True Qi and force the poison from his body.

Seeing Senior Brother Luo pull out the Antitoxic Pill, the hidden Zhaang Ye gritted his teeth. ’Time to go for broke!’ he thought. In a flash, he shot toward Senior Brother Luo. A brilliant arc of saber light flew from his hand, aimed straight for the man’s head!

Faced with such an abrupt attack, Senior Brother Luo had no time to open the vial and take the Antitoxic Pill. He viciously slashed out with his Long Sword, roaring, ”You rat! Die!”

Saber met sword with a loud CLANG! Zhaang Ye was sent tumbling away, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Zhaang Ye had no time to bother with his injuries. With a flick of his wrist, he slashed out again.

CLANG! Zhaang Ye was sent flying once more, again spitting blood.

The power gap between the Martial Arts Third Layer and the Martial Arts Fourth Layer was immense. An ordinary master at the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer would have died on the spot after taking two of Senior Brother Luo’s strikes. Zhaang Ye had survived because he wasn’t just at the Peak of the Third Layer—he had also cultivated the Dragon Elephant Skill to the 4th Layer, making his body far tougher than that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

Senior Brother Luo grew frantic. He had failed to kill Zhaang Ye with two consecutive strikes. The poison coursing through him was unusually potent; if he didn’t take the Antitoxic Pill soon, he would die without his opponent having to lift another finger.

”Die!” With a flick of his wrist, Senior Brother Luo unleashed three vicious slashes.

Without so much as a blink, Zhaang Ye met the attack head-on with his Thick-Backed Saber, matching Senior Brother Luo blow for blow.

Zhaang Ye had first launched the poison-laced corpse, causing it to explode in midair. He had then thrown Luo Xiao Mountain’s Short Sword to attack the more powerful Senior Brother Luo. As he threw the blade, he had also scattered a pouch of poisoned sand.

Zhaang Ye’s plan was a tight, interlocking chain of attacks. The junior brother hadn’t even survived the first wave. And while Senior Brother Luo was powerful and vigilant, he too had fallen into the trap, poisoned on his hands and face by Zhaang Ye’s relentless, multi-pronged assault.

With both men poisoned, Zhaang Ye’s plan was more than halfway complete. All he had to do now was keep them occupied, giving them no time to take their Antitoxic Pills. Otherwise, all his efforts would be for naught, and his own life would be forfeit.

No matter how vicious Senior Brother Luo’s attacks became, he had to endure them. He could not give the man an opportunity to take the Antitoxic Pill!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Senior Brother Luo’s three strikes sent Zhaang Ye staggering back, coughing up blood with each blow.

Zhaang Ye’s injuries were piling up, but Senior Brother Luo wasn’t faring much better. In the repeated clashes of True Qi, the poison on his face had seeped into his eyes. He felt a searing pain, and then, darkness. He was blind.

Blinded, Senior Brother Luo lost all reason. He roared, ”You damn rat, using poison in an ambush! If I’m going to die, you’re coming with me! Go to hell!”

As he spoke, he began to swing his Long Sword wildly. Countless blasts of Sword Qi and gales of Sword Wind flew out, slashing violently at everything around him. At the same time, the junior brother—his face also poisoned—did the same, lashing out madly in an attempt to kill Zhaang Ye.

Using the noise from the Mammoth’s breakthrough as cover, Zhaang Ye flickered away, silently retreating several dozen feet. He knew they were finished. They had been struck by a virulent poison and had delayed taking the Antitoxic Pill for too long. They were already dead men walking.

And just as he’d expected, after a dozen breaths, Senior Brother Luo and his junior brother suddenly stopped moving. They collapsed, lifeless, their breath ceasing.

Watching them die, Zhaang Ye let out a long breath. ’These Martial Arts Fourth Layer masters are truly formidable,’ he thought. ’Even with all my tricks, it still took everything I had to kill them.’

The flow of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi suddenly stalled; it was no longer surging into the Tribulation Ant Nest. Zhaang Ye started, then a wave of joy washed over him. He knew the Mammoth’s breakthrough was nearly complete!