Overlord of the Wilderness

The person in front of Zhang Ye was none other than Jiang Ailiang. Jiang Ailiang was struggling against the strange aura, moving forward one step at a time. Just then, a WHOOSHING sound suddenly came from behind him. Startled, Jiang Ailiang quickly turned around to see Zhang Ye rushing toward him at an unimaginable speed.

Jiang Ailiang’s face paled at the sight of Zhang Ye’s speed. After cultivating the Linghan Ice Sealing Technique, his body was weaker than an ordinary person’s due to a deficiency in Yang Qi. With his weaker physique, and unable to use his True Qi in the Ancient Passage, he feared that if Zhang Ye were to collide with him, he would be knocked to the ground and end up bruised and battered.

Jiang Ailiang had another worry. ’The animosity between me and Zhang Ye runs deep,’ he thought. ’If he takes this opportunity, while I can’t use my True Qi, to settle scores with me, I’ll be in big trouble.’

Although Zhang Ye was younger, his physique was much sturdier. If Zhang Ye was determined to teach him a lesson, he would truly be no match for him.

Jiang Ailiang’s heart leaped into his throat. He dodged sideways in a flash, nearly stumbling to the ground.

Seeing Jiang Ailiang’s panicked state, Zhang Ye let out a hearty laugh. The sound of it made Jiang Ailiang’s face flush then pale; he felt utterly humiliated.

Glancing at Jiang Ailiang, a flicker of regret crossed Zhang Ye’s eyes. ’This is the perfect opportunity to kill him,’ he thought. ’But there are only a few people in this Ancient Passage. If I killed him now, any investigation from the True Hall afterward would lead straight back to me.’

Zhang Ye sped past Jiang Ailiang. The faint killing intent in his eyes made Jiang Ailiang’s blood run cold, as if he had been plunged into a cellar of ice.

After passing Jiang Ailiang, Zhang Ye didn’t slow down in the slightest, continuing his advance. Now that the Dragon Elephant Power within him had been refined, not only had he recovered most of his strength, but the spiritual Suppression also felt much lighter. He ran for over thirty miles without feeling the least bit tired.

After running for another thirty miles, Zhang Ye finally caught sight of Feng Tongming. He was shocked to see that Feng Tongming was running twice as fast as Situ Houtu, and judging by her posture, she was doing so with much more ease.

Feng Tongming was startled to see Zhang Ye catching up from behind. She possessed a trace of the Ancient Phoenix Clan’s bloodline, which allowed her to use a portion of her True Qi and run much faster than the average Martial Artist. At her pace, she thought she would be able to catch Situ Houtu and take first place.

She never imagined that before she could even surpass Situ Houtu, she herself would be overtaken by Zhang Ye!

Watching Zhang Ye charge past, Feng Tongming felt indignant. She quickened her pace, her body seeming to float as she shot forward like a ball of fire.

But she had barely run more than five hundred yards before she heard the wind whistle behind her, and Zhang Ye’s green-robed figure blew past her like a gale.

”How can he be so fast!?” Feng Tongming was dumbfounded, muttering to herself, ”I can only run this fast because I have the bloodline of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. This guy shouldn’t have the bloodline of any Ancient Races, so how is he even faster than me?”

「In the great hall.」

Zhang Ye’s wild sprint had not only left the crowd of young geniuses dumbfounded, but it had also secretly astonished the four Hall Masters.

They could see clearly that since starting, Zhang Ye had been running nonstop for eight straight hours. He only got faster as he went, covering a total of over seventy miles and surpassing five young geniuses along the way: Lan Haohan, Fu Caiwu, Dai Ji, Jiang Ailiang, and Feng Tongming. His performance displayed incredible stamina and tenacious willpower.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on the Fourth Hall Master’s face. ”This kid, Zhang Ye... could he really run through this entire Ancient Passage in one go?” he said. ”Heh heh, Second Brother, at this rate, I think Zhang Ye might actually surpass Situ Houtu. I never imagined his Body Refining Technique could be so powerful. When he gets back, I must ask him which Body Refining Technique he cultivates.”

Seeing Zhang Ye run as if he would never tire, the Fourth Hall Master naturally attributed it to his Body Refining Technique. After all, True Qi could not be circulated within the Ancient Passage; only a Martial Artist who practiced Body Refining Techniques could rely on a powerful physique to run continuously.

Zhang Ye’s formidable performance greatly surprised the Second Hall Master as well. However, he didn’t agree with the Fourth Hall Master. He chuckled and said, ”Fourth Brother, even Feng Tongming with her Ancient Phoenix Clan bloodline can’t run the entire course like that. And let’s be realistic, even if Zhang Ye could maintain this speed, he still wouldn’t be able to surpass Situ Houtu.”

”Look, Situ Houtu is only a little over three miles from the finish line. At his pace, he’ll be done in less than four hours. Zhang Ye is still over thirty miles behind him. By the time Zhang Ye closes that gap, Situ Houtu will have long since finished.”

The Fourth Hall Master chuckled slyly. ”Second Brother, why don’t we make another bet? We can wager one Spirit Fruit.”

At the mention of a bet, the Second Hall Master’s eyes flickered. He was tempted. ’Situ Houtu is only a little over three miles from the finish line,’ he thought. ’He can definitely cover that distance in less than four hours. Even if Zhang Ye keeps up his current pace, he can’t possibly catch up. That means my odds of winning are quite high...’

Seeing that the Second Hall Master was once again tempted to bet with the Fourth Hall Master, the Great Hall Master couldn’t help but shake his head. ”Second Brother, I’d forget about it,” he said. ”Has this Zhang Ye not done enough unexpected things already? If you take this bet, I’m afraid you’ll lose your very last Spirit Fruit to Fourth Brother.”

The Great Hall Master’s words immediately extinguished the Second Hall Master’s desire to bet. He cleared his throat and said, ”I need my last remaining Spirit Fruit for Alchemy. I don’t have time to waste on bets with you.”

The Fourth Hall Master roared with laughter. For the past several hundred years, no true genius had emerged from the Three Western Counties under his charge, which had always frustrated him. Now, Zhang Ye had appeared out of thin air, bringing him a great deal of prestige and putting him in a fantastic mood.

「In the Ancient Passage.」

After surpassing Feng Tongming, Zhang Ye ran for ten more miles without pause. Suddenly, he spotted a verdant mountain peak appearing in the distance down the path.

Seeing the verdant mountain, Zhang Ye couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy. ’If I can see the mountain, the finish line can’t be far off!’ Judging by the distance, he was at most about fifteen miles away. ’It won’t take me long to cover such a short distance.’

Even though Zhang Ye was able to run quickly now, that strange aura still weighed heavily upon him. It made every inch of his skin swell and ache, it made him feel drowsy, and it left his entire body tense and extremely uncomfortable. Given the circumstances, leaving this strange passage as soon as possible was certainly a joyous prospect.

But after that brief moment of joy, Zhang Ye felt a new wave of frustration.

He realized that even after sprinting for seventy or eighty miles nonstop, he still couldn’t see any sign of Situ Houtu.

’Could that guy have already finished this Ancient Passage?’ Zhang Ye wondered. As the thought crossed his mind, his pace quickened unconsciously. After running another seven miles, his eyes lit up. He had finally seen Situ Houtu!

Situ Houtu was just about seven miles ahead!

Overjoyed, Zhang Ye began to madly circulate his Dragon Elephant Skill. Spurred on by the technique, his body began to emit a faint golden glow, and his speed increased yet again as he flew toward Situ Houtu.

At that moment, Situ Houtu was only a mile from the finish line. Having made it this far, he breathed a silent sigh of relief, a flicker of joy appearing in his bloodshot eyes.

For the past several days, Situ Houtu had spent every waking moment on the move. He hadn’t taken a sip of water or closed his eyes for an instant. He was utterly exhausted, and every muscle fiber in his body was screaming in agony. But through sheer force of will and perseverance, he had overcome every obstacle. Now, success was within his grasp!

Situ Houtu subconsciously glanced behind him. Suddenly, his gaze froze.

He saw a figure, some seven-odd miles behind him, sprinting straight in his direction. The figure’s speed was at least four or five times his own!

’Ah, that kid is catching up!’ Situ Houtu thought, alarmed. He viciously bit his own tongue. Spurred on by the searing pain, he lengthened his stride and ran desperately toward the finish line.

Sprinting desperately, Situ Houtu quickly covered another five hundred yards, leaving him just over a thousand yards from the finish. But he had no time to rejoice. He saw that Zhang Ye, who was chasing him relentlessly, was somehow getting even faster and had now closed the distance to within three miles!

’This kid is unbelievably fast! How is he doing it?’ Situ Houtu was shaken to his core. He took a long, deep breath and desperately squeezed out every last drop of his body’s potential, his own speed actually beginning to increase.

Pushing himself to the absolute limit, Situ Houtu covered another five hundred yards. He was now only five hundred yards away from the finish line; he could even make out the individual blades of grass just beyond it.

But at that very moment, Situ Houtu heard the sound of footsteps. He glanced back and saw Zhang Ye’s green-robed figure. Somehow, he had closed the distance to just five hundred yards behind him and was now charging toward him at an astonishing speed!

Seeing Zhang Ye’s speed, which rivaled that of a galloping horse, even the iron-willed Situ Houtu couldn’t help but feel a wave of despair. Zhang Ye was simply too fast—a full six or seven times faster than he was!

Situ Houtu let out a wild roar and pushed his speed even higher. But he had barely run another two hundred and fifty yards when Zhang Ye’s figure caught up, blew past him with a WHOOSH, and shot toward the finish line just a hundred yards away! (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)