Overlord of the Wilderness

After the Giant Python swam away, Zhaang Ye continued his Cultivation under the marsh for a while longer. He then used the Power-Borrowing Technique to travel over ten li beneath the marsh before carefully emerging.

It was quiet outside the marsh, with not a soul in sight. The terrifying, linen-clothed middle-aged man had also left at some point.

After confirming his safety, Zhaang Ye greedily gulped down mouthfuls of fresh air.

Although Zhaang Ye could breathe through his skin when he entered the Cultivation state of ”Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness,” it couldn’t be sustained for long. He had already been down there for some time, pushing his limits. If he hadn’t been able to return to the surface, he would have surely suffocated to death beneath the marsh.

”Hm?”

Just as he was greedily gulping down fresh air, Zhaang Ye suddenly sensed a powerful aura approaching him at an astonishing speed.

Zhaang Ye’s heart stirred, but he didn’t try to dodge, simply standing his ground.

SWOOSH!

A figure suddenly appeared before Zhaang Ye. This person was dressed in white and carried a Long Sword on his back. It was none other than the Mei Family’s expert, Master Mei Qi.

”Hahahaha!” Upon seeing Zhaang Ye, Master Mei Qi couldn’t help but let out a long, triumphant laugh. His eyes locked onto Zhaang Ye as he said, ”You didn’t expect this, did you, kid? I’ve been waiting for you in this marsh for half a month! No matter how long you hide, you can’t escape me!”

As it turned out, Master Mei Qi knew he couldn’t face his Young Master if he failed to bring Zhaang Ye back this time. Therefore, after the linen-clothed middle-aged man had left, he continued to monitor the marsh in a radius of over ten li. When Zhaang Ye emerged and started gasping for air, he quickly caught Master Mei Qi’s attention, allowing him to be found instantly.

Zhaang Ye gave a cold smile and slowly drew the Heavy Saber from his back.

When Master Mei Qi had just used his Body Technique to rush over, Zhaang Ye could have easily chosen to hide or use Qi Concealment and leave. But Zhaang Ye neither hid nor left.

He made a third choice: he stood his ground and waited for Master Mei Qi to arrive.

Zhaang Ye’s reason for waiting for Master Mei Qi was simple: to kill him.

During his time beneath the marsh, Zhaang Ye had come to comprehend a sliver of the mysteries of Ancient Dragon Power. After grasping this sliver, his Dragon Elephant Skill had improved significantly. Even though Master Mei Qi possessed the strength of the Mid-stage Seventh Layer of the Martial Dao, Zhaang Ye was confident he could kill him.

Seeing Zhaang Ye draw his Heavy Saber without a word, Master Mei Qi’s smile vanished instantly, and he drew his own Long Sword.

SHING!

The Heavy Saber in Zhaang Ye’s hand suddenly pointed at Master Mei Qi.

With that single motion, a Tornado immediately formed around Master Mei Qi, locking him firmly in place.

The moment Zhaang Ye unleashed the Tornado, Master Mei Qi’s expression shifted slightly. He could feel that this Tornado was a bit more powerful than the one from half a month ago.

The path of Martial Arts had always been one of steady, step-by-step progress. Even geniuses needed to advance through their Cultivation one step at a time. Zhaang Ye had achieved tyrannical strength at such a young age, and he was improving daily. This monstrous performance shocked even Master Mei Qi.

’No matter how formidable this kid is, he will fall to me today!’ Last time they faced off, Master Mei Qi had retreated without a fight, a fact he considered a great humiliation. Now that he was facing Zhaang Ye again, he was determined to defeat him at all costs and complete the mission his Young Master had given him.

The True Qi in Master Mei Qi’s body surged out with a ROAR, forming a wall that slammed directly into the Tornado.

In a battle between Martial Artists, the most feared thing is being locked down by an opponent. If your movements are restricted, you are put at an absolute disadvantage, whether attacking or defending. Therefore, Master Mei Qi’s first priority was to break the Tornado Zhaang Ye had sent at him, so he could launch a counterattack.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The True Qi Wall clashed with the Tornado, producing a cacophony of strange sounds. And as the True Qi Wall and the Tornado battled, Master Mei Qi’s expression changed once again.

He had originally thought that with the True Qi he had painstakingly cultivated for over forty years, he could easily shatter the Tornado. But to his surprise, while the Tornado did begin to break apart, it was dissipating just a fraction of a second slower than he had expected.

A battle between experts is won or lost in fractions of a second. Before the look of shock could fade from Master Mei Qi’s eyes, Zhaang Ye had already launched his attack. The Heavy Saber in his hand was like a beam of black light, shooting suddenly toward Master Mei Qi.

There was no sound as Zhaang Ye’s Heavy Saber slashed out. Its speed far surpassed that of sound. Before the sound of the Heavy Saber cutting through the air could reach Master Mei Qi’s ears, the blade had already arrived!

Having failed to instantly break Zhaang Ye’s Tornado, Master Mei Qi was immediately at a disadvantage. Faced with Zhaang Ye’s incoming slash, he could only grit his teeth and block it head-on.

BOOM!

The Heavy Saber in Zhaang Ye’s hand was like an Iron Hammer, smashing viciously against Master Mei Qi’s Long Sword.

A Long Sword is not a heavy weapon; clashing with it head-on is a great taboo of Swordsmanship. Coupled with Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Power, which was an extremely domineering force, the impact of the saber meeting the sword sent Master Mei Qi flying back over a hundred feet, despite his Cultivation at the Mid-stage Seventh Layer of the Martial Dao. The blood and qi in his body roiled, and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Seizing the upper hand in a single move, Zhaang Ye fully unleashed his Heavy Saber. The blade clung to Master Mei Qi like a persistent plague, never losing its lock on him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Zhaang Ye executed the Mountain-Breaking Slash. The Heavy Saber in his hand carved a series of profound arcs, delivering five slashes as fast as lightning. The angle of each of these five slashes was exquisitely precise, each one striking where it would be most difficult for Master Mei Qi to defend. What was even more terrifying was that with every slash, a piece of Master Mei Qi’s Long Sword was devoured!

Master Mei Qi was highly regarded by his Young Master. He cultivated a set of Advanced Combat Skills as well as an Advanced Body Technique. But his Advanced Combat Skill and Advanced Body Technique had no chance of being used in the face of Zhaang Ye’s Mountain-Breaking Slash!

”Ah! Impossible! My Linghan Sword Skill has already reached the Seven-Flower Plum stage! How could I be completely suppressed by you? How could I be suppressed by the same Saber Technique!” After blocking five of Zhaang Ye’s slashes in a row, Master Mei Qi couldn’t help but roar hoarsely, his eyes filled with madness.

Zhaang Ye sneered, ignoring Master Mei Qi’s roars, and continued to slash out, each blow more vicious than the last.

This Mountain-Breaking Slash was Zhaang Ye’s own Self-Created Saber Technique. Through day after day of arduous practice, Zhaang Ye had cultivated the Saber Technique to the point of perfection. Its angle, speed, power, and even its Realm had all reached a state of perfection. Once executed, no matter how exquisite the opponent’s Combat Skill was, Zhaang Ye could suppress them in a single, continuous assault!

Each slash of Zhaang Ye’s Mountain-Breaking Slash was like a miniature Space Storm, tyrannically devouring everything in its path. This Space Storm was not only devouring Master Mei Qi’s Long Sword, but it seemed as if Master Mei Qi himself was about to be swallowed by this terrifying Saber Technique!

”PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!” Amidst the repeated clashes, Master Mei Qi spat out several mouthfuls of blood. But what horrified him was that his Long Sword was slowly growing lighter and shorter with each collision, as if some monster was taking huge bites out of it!

”AHHH—”

Master Mei Qi let out an earth-shattering roar. This roar was partly to bolster his own spirit, and partly to alert other experts from the Mei Family to come, hoping they could take Zhaang Ye down together.

”Hm?”

Hearing Master Mei Qi’s roar, Zhaang Ye immediately sensed his intention. The thought of that youth clad entirely in black made Zhaang Ye’s heart tighten, and the Dragon Elephant Power in his body instantly surged forth with its full might!

Before Master Mei Qi’s utterly horrified eyes, Zhaang Ye slashed three more times. Each of these three slashes contained one hundred and twenty percent of Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Power. The Sword Qi extended over ten feet long. The pitch-black Sword Qi was so immense it even blotted out the brilliant sun in the sky!

BOOM! BOOM! CRACK!

Zhaang Ye’s first and second slashes violently knocked Master Mei Qi’s Long Sword aside. The final, third slash swept through Master Mei Qi’s body like the wind. Master Mei Qi didn’t even have time to scream before he was sliced in half by Zhaang Ye, dying on the spot!

Watching the two halves of Master Mei Qi’s body slowly fall, a faint smile appeared on Zhaang Ye’s face. ’This Master Mei Qi had a Cultivation at the Mid-stage Seventh Layer of the Martial Dao and had also cultivated an Advanced Body Technique and an Advanced Combat Skill. With my previous Cultivation, I would have been lucky to fight him to a draw.’

But after comprehending a sliver of the mystery of Ancient Dragon Power beneath the marsh, Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Skill had improved significantly. With the improvement of his Dragon Elephant Skill, the power of his Mountain-Breaking Slash became even more terrifying. Despite Master Mei Qi’s Cultivation at the Mid-stage Seventh Layer of the Martial Dao, he had been suppressed by his fierce Saber Technique and ultimately cleaved in two by a single blow.

Zhaang Ye’s current strength was now comparable to an expert at the Mid-stage Seventh Layer of the Martial Dao. However, compared to an expert at the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Late Stage, he was likely still somewhat inferior.

After sheathing the Heavy Saber on his back, Zhaang Ye quickly began to search Master Mei Qi’s body. ’Half a month ago, this Master Mei Qi had offered forty Essence Stones for someone to stop me. Since he’s so generous, he must be carrying a good number of Essence Stones on him.’

Zhaang Ye did a quick search and, just as he expected, found a small pouch of Essence Stones on the body. Zhaang Ye roughly estimated that this small pouch contained at least forty-odd stones. It was a decent windfall.

After stowing the Essence Stones, Zhaang Ye blasted Master Mei Qi’s corpse into the marsh below with a palm strike. Then, he quickly used his Body Technique and headed straight for the depths of the Python Marsh.

WHOOSH!

Not long after Zhaang Ye’s figure vanished, a youth clad entirely in black suddenly landed where Master Mei Qi had been slain. After his icy gaze swept over the surroundings, he took a deep breath. Then, he suddenly transformed into a black streak, shooting straight in the direction Zhaang Ye had disappeared. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)