Overlord of the Wilderness

Staring at the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon as it flew farther and farther away, the old man muttered to himself, ”Strange. The Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon is a Pseudo Spirit Beast tamed by the Mei Family, and there are only three of them. Why would one appear here? And who is this kid riding on it? Could he be the True Hall Disciple that Ai Liang wants us to kill?”

At this thought, the old man’s body suddenly trembled. He remembered that when Zhaang Ye had drawn his saber to sever his branch, the weapon had been black!

”A black saber... This kid must be Zhaang Ye! But how did he get his hands on a Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon?” The old man pondered for a moment, then came to a decision. ”No matter what, this Zhaang Ye cannot be left alive! If he makes it back to the True Hall, our Jiang Family will be in danger!”

The Wei Kingdom True Hall stood aloof from all other factions, rarely meddling in worldly affairs. But they had one major characteristic: they were fiercely protective of their own.

Two hundred years ago, a great family in the Wei Kingdom mobilized its forces to hunt down a True Hall Disciple and steal something from them. After a desperate escape, the disciple reported the pursuit to the Law Enforcement Hall of the Law Enforcement True Hall.

In just one day, that great family, which had been brimming with experts, was razed to the ground by masters dispatched from the True Hall. All of their experts were killed one by one, and even their branch families in remote regions were implicated and annihilated. A family teeming with masters vanished from the Wei Kingdom overnight.

If the True Hall learned that Zhaang Ye was being hunted, they would surely investigate the matter to the very end. When that happened, the entire Jiang Family would face the risk of annihilation.

Therefore, for the safety of the entire family, Zhaang Ye had to be killed, no matter the cost.

The old man quickly took out a thin piece of Beast Hide and wrote two lines of text on it. Then, from a leather pouch, he produced a small, slender-bodied, entirely cyan-green bird.

After tying the Beast Hide to the small bird’s leg, the old man flicked his hand. The cyan-green bird instantly shot into the air and, with a WHOOSH, vanished without a trace.

’The Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon is fast, but it has to stop to eat every so often. All told, it can only cover about 250,000 in a day. My Cloud-Piercing Green Bird, however, can fly for a whole day without eating, covering over 300,000. It can definitely fly ahead past the 300,000 mark and notify Boss Jiang.’

’As the Chief Steward of the Jiang Family, Boss Jiang’s cultivation has already reached the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Late Stage. With him on the case, Zhaang Ye has no chance of escape. This time, our Jiang Family must intercept and kill him, and we’ll snatch that Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon while we’re at it!’ the old man muttered, then with a flick of his sleeve, vanished on the spot.

「...」

The Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon flew swiftly high in the sky. The howling wind was so strong that Zhaang Ye could barely keep his eyes open, and he found it difficult to adjust. Fortunately, there were over a dozen ropes on the bird’s back. Secured by them, Zhaang Ye didn’t have to worry about falling.

Zhaang Ye got his bearings and cautiously directed the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon toward Python Marsh. After less than an hour, once he confirmed the bird was flying steadily in the right direction, he stopped paying it much mind. He secured himself with a rope, sat down with his eyes closed, and began to silently regulate the qi in his body.

Although Zhaang Ye had won two consecutive battles relying on his Saber Technique and the Long Whip, he had paid a price. The most severe of his current injuries was on his back.

During the fight with the middle-aged man, Zhaang Ye’s back had been grazed by the man’s Sword Qi. Though it was only a light graze, a large patch of flesh had been torn from his back, and even his Meridians had sustained minor damage.

This was only because his physical body was so tough. Otherwise, if that sharp Sword Qi had fully invaded his Meridians, the injury would have been far more severe.

An unknown amount of time passed before several soft SQUAWKS roused Zhaang Ye from his Cultivation.

Puzzled, Zhaang Ye asked, ”What are you squawking about?”

The Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon bobbed its head toward the forest below, a thread of glistening saliva dribbling from its beak. Something down there seemed to have caught its attention.

Seeing the drool at the pigeon’s beak, Zhaang Ye finally understood. He shook his head slightly and said, ”You want to go down and eat, don’t you? Alright, fine. Down we go.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon let out a sharp SQUAWK and dove toward the ground. It quickly broke through the clouds and landed.

SKREE, SKREE SKREE—

As soon as they landed, Zhaang Ye heard the high-pitched chirping of insects. Looking down from the back of the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon, he saw a large swarm of insects making the noise. The small creatures were about palm-sized, with thick gray carapaces on their backs. They crawled all over the ground, their movements quick and nimble.

Seeing these little insects, the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon gave a happy cry. Its long, sharp beak darted out again and again, swallowing the insects one by one.

Watching the pigeon eat the insects, Zhaang Ye thought to himself, ’Looks like this Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon comes here often. It even knows about the insects in this spot.’

The Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon had an enormous body, and its appetite was naturally just as large. It ate for over an hour before it was finally full. Letting out two satisfied cries, it prepared to take off again.

Just then, the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon’s movements abruptly froze, its wings stiffening in mid-air. At the same instant, Zhaang Ye, who had been sitting cross-legged on its back regulating his breath, sensed something was wrong. A faint golden light flashed in his eyes as he stared at a distant patch of trees and barked, ”Who’s there? Show yourself!”

”Heh heh, not bad. Quite vigilant.” A leisurely voice rang out, and a middle-aged man emerged from the trees with his hands clasped behind his back. ”It’s just a pity that no matter how vigilant you are, you won’t live to see the end of this day.”

Following behind him was a large gray bird, about ten feet tall. Although it wasn’t as massive as the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon, it clearly had no trouble carrying several people.

RUMBLE...

The middle-aged man walked forward, one step at a time. With each footfall, the ground trembled slightly, as if an ancient Fierce Beast were emerging from the forest.

Watching the man approach step by step, Zhaang Ye’s pupils contracted.

The aura emanating from this man was as deep and unfathomable as the ocean, far more powerful than that of the black-robed man he had killed earlier!

’That man in black had a Cultivation at the Mid-stage of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer, but this man’s Cultivation has likely reached the Late Stage!’ Zhaang Ye quickly assessed the newcomer’s aura, and his heart sank.

’After fighting all these experts, I have a pretty good idea of my own strength now. I can take on an Early-stage Martial Arts Seventh Layer master head-on, and I’d have a good chance of winning. Against a Mid-stage master, I’m confident I could survive, but winning is unlikely. Of course, if I get a chance to use the Long Whip, I could still kill a Mid-stage Seventh Layer master. But against a Late Stage master? My only option is to run. Unless I can find the perfect opportunity to unleash the whip’s full power, it’s almost certain death!’

While his mind raced to find an escape plan, Zhaang Ye spoke slowly, ”Who might you be, sir? We have no grievances between us. Why do you want to kill me?”

The middle-aged man smiled faintly and advanced on Zhaang Ye step by step. ”A dead man shouldn’t ask so many questions.”

Seeing that the man could strike at any moment, a thought flashed in Zhaang Ye’s mind. He stared intently at the man and said, word by word, ”You’re from the Jiang Family.”

Hearing Zhaang Ye’s words, the middle-aged man’s pupils contracted, and his gaze turned ice-cold. He said grimly, ”You’re a sharp one. To think you figured out I’m from the Jiang Family. Since you’ve guessed correctly, I might as well tell you the truth. I am the Chief Steward of the Jiang Family. Kid, this time, there is no escape for you!”

Zhaang Ye nonchalantly placed a hand on his waist, a look of utter confusion on his face. ”I’d like to ask something. Why is the Jiang Family so determined to kill me? And how did you know I would land in this place?”

The middle-aged man smiled faintly. ”You don’t need to know why the Jiang Family wants you dead. As for your second question, that’s simple. This is Beetle Mountain, and it’s home to countless beetles. To a Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon, these beetles are an unparalleled delicacy. Whenever one passes by, it almost always lands to have a meal...”

Hearing the man’s explanation, understanding dawned on Zhaang Ye. The man must have known about the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon’s habits and came straight here to wait for him.

Zhaang Ye had used the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon to escape the pursuit of that terrifying old man, only for the very same creature to lead him into this perilous trap. The pigeon was truly a blessing and a curse.

”Alright, I’ve said more than enough. Now, die!” The man’s face turned cold. He took a sudden, massive stride, crossing dozens of yards in an instant, and thrust a palm straight at Zhaang Ye!

WHOOM—

The Cultivation Technique this man practiced was surprisingly similar to Jiang Ailiang’s. As his palm shot forward, the temperature in a hundred-foot radius plummeted. Under this terrifying cold, the Water Qi in the air rapidly solidified into ice crystals, emitting a strange HISSING sound.

Facing the man’s palm strike, Zhaang Ye appeared panicked and helpless. He raised a hand to block, but the terrifying Ice Qi sent him flying dozens of yards away, his entire body instantly coated in a layer of white frost.

”Can’t even take a single strike from me!” A look of contempt flashed in the man’s eyes as he took another step, appearing beside Zhaang Ye.

WHOOSH! The man’s palm pressed down toward Zhaang Ye, intending to freeze him into a solid block of ice. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to support it with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)