Overlord of the Wilderness

The aura emanating from this Cold Sword King was icy and strange. Zhaang Ye’s perception was quite good, but no matter how he observed him, he couldn’t see through the man’s Cultivation.

’I can’t even judge his Cultivation from his aura. This man’s Cultivation Technique must be unusual!’ Zhaang Ye grew cautious, his eyes fixed on the sword in the Cold Sword King’s hand.

The sword in the Cold Sword King’s hand was over four feet long, as narrow as a little finger, and as thin as a cicada’s wing. The entire blade seemed to flex and retract, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. Just a few glances at it were enough to make one’s skin crawl.

The Cold Sword King’s gaze fell upon Zhaang Ye, like a venomous snake locking onto its prey. Staring at Zhaang Ye, the Cold Sword King said slowly, ”You must be Zhaang Ye. Your strength is considerable. A pity. No matter how strong someone is, if they’re struck by my Ice Snake Sword, death is the only way out.”

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly and said, ”We’ll have to fight to find that out.”

The Cold Sword King looked Zhaang Ye straight in the eye. ”Very good. I, the Cold Sword King, challenge you. In this battle, we leave it to fate. Afterward, neither side will seek trouble from the other. If you dare to accept, then we shall begin.”

The Cold Sword King was clearly aware of Zhaang Ye’s formidable background and feared retaliation from the Wei Kingdom True Hall if he killed him, which was why he stated the terms clearly before making a move.

By now, the crowd of spectating Martial Artists had grown, numbering over a thousand. If Zhaang Ye accepted the challenge, the Cold Sword King could go all out to kill him without worrying about retaliation from the Wei Kingdom True Hall.

Wei Dajin’s brow furrowed, but before he could speak, Zhaang Ye gestured to him with a wave of his hand. Then, Zhaang Ye said slowly, ”Fine! Let this be a battle to the death!”

Life-and-death struggles had always been the best opportunities for a breakthrough. Zhaang Ye had made his declaration this time with the express purpose of finding powerful young experts to fight. The Cold Sword King’s immense strength made him the perfect opponent for Zhaang Ye to temper himself against. There was no way Zhaang Ye would pass up such an unfathomable opponent.

Besides, he had already issued his challenge to the world. If he backed down from the Cold Sword King’s challenge now, Zhaang Ye would lose a great deal of face. He would even bring shame upon the Wei Kingdom True Hall.

Their gazes clashed, and the sinister energy within the small courtyard grew increasingly dense. Being inside it felt like being at the bottom of the ocean, where every single movement was restricted.

Under the Cold Sword King’s formless pressure, Zhaang Ye’s senses became unprecedentedly sharp. He could feel the faintest shifts in the air currents, sense the dust motes dancing in the air, and perceive every subtle movement the Cold Sword King made. He even vaguely sensed several faint, almost nonexistent traces of Spiritual Power silently observing him.

’Hmm?’ Zhaang Ye was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected his battle with the Cold Sword King to actually attract the interest of Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts, who had all come to watch.

’Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts have abnormally sensitive Spiritual Power and can perceive extremely subtle things. Under these circumstances, if I use my Dragon Elephant Power, I’m afraid they’ll see through it. It’s best if I avoid using the Dragon Elephant Power as much as possible...’ After sensing the prying Spiritual Power, Zhaang Ye made up his mind.

Zhaang Ye had always been cautious about his power. He had realized this problem when he fought the red-robed elder from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall, which was why he had only used his True Qi and not his Dragon Elephant Power. Now that he detected the prying Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts, Zhaang Ye dared to use it even less.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!—

The two faced off, their Qi Forces clashing in the air between them, producing a series of explosive cracks. Zhaang Ye felt that this Cold Sword King was like a wisp of wind, constantly changing, making it impossible to lock onto him with aura alone.

’I refuse to believe it!’ With a slight movement of the Heavy Saber in his hand, Zhaang Ye summoned a Tornado that descended from the sky with a whistling roar, aiming to envelop the Cold Sword King.

Using a Tornado to lock down an opponent was Zhaang Ye’s specialty. Even with the Cold Sword King’s power, he couldn’t help but frown upon detecting such a bizarre Tornado. His eyes flashed, and he suddenly vanished from his spot.

SWOOSH!

The Cold Sword King thrust his sword at Zhaang Ye.

The Cold Sword King unleashed his Observing Sword Technique, and it was chillingly cold. He could always thrust out his long sword at the most impossible of times and from the most impossible of angles, aiming for a single, fatal blow. It was precisely this ability that had allowed him to defeat countless young geniuses and firmly secure his position as the number one of the younger generation in Python City.

This current strike was a perfect example; the Cold Sword King instantly thrust toward the top of Zhaang Ye’s head. If he was struck there, then no matter how skilled Zhaang Ye was, he would be doomed.

Zhaang Ye didn’t dare use his Dragon Elephant Power at this moment, so his strength was at less than fifty percent of its usual level. Under these circumstances, Zhaang Ye had no choice but to be cautious. His mind was more focused than ever before as he put all his effort into sensing the Cold Sword King’s Ice Snake Sword.

After cultivating to the Martial Arts Seventh Layer, Zhaang Ye’s spirit and will had been condensed to their peak, making his senses exceptionally sharp. Relying on this sharp perception, Zhaang Ye instantly locked onto the Cold Sword King’s Ice Snake Sword and swept out lightly with his Heavy Saber.

TING!

The Cold Sword King’s first thrust was swept aside by Zhaang Ye.

The Cold Sword King wasn’t surprised that his first sword strike had failed. The Cultivation Technique he practiced was called Meteor Seven Swords, and its Realm was like a meteor in the night sky—appearing and disappearing without warning. Now that his first sword was blocked by Zhaang Ye, the Cold Sword King vanished like a meteor, man and sword alike, quietly waiting for the opportunity to launch his second strike.

The Cold Sword King’s second sword strike came quickly. He aimed for the back of Zhaang Ye’s neck. The back of the neck is an extremely vital area; if struck, the bones, blood vessels, and windpipe within would all be mangled. It would be difficult to survive.

’What a bizarre strike!’ The Cold Sword King’s Body Technique was strange, and Zhaang Ye couldn’t track his figure with his eyes. The Cold Sword King’s aura was also extremely peculiar, preventing Zhaang Ye from locking onto him with it. Right now, Zhaang Ye’s only reliance was his exceptionally keen Sensing Power.

The Cold Sword King’s second strike seemed to come from nothingness. But even a strike as strange as this couldn’t escape Zhaang Ye’s senses. The Heavy Saber in his hand trembled slightly, and a flash of blade light shot out, perfectly blocking the Cold Sword King’s second sword.

SWOOSH!

Zhaang Ye had just blocked the second sword when the Cold Sword King’s third arrived.

The Cold Sword King’s third sword was a transformation of the second. The long, light, and thin Ice Snake Sword twisted like a snake, neutralizing Zhaang Ye’s Sword Qi. At almost the same instant, the incredibly sharp tip of the sword traced a line of Sword Light, silently heading for the back of Zhaang Ye’s head.

This strike was incredibly fast and completely unexpected. Some of the spectators let out low gasps of alarm. At this point, no one thought Zhaang Ye could win. Even Wei Dajin, watching from the side, had a tense expression on his face and was on the verge of intervening.

Zhaang Ye also felt the immense threat, but he didn’t panic. His spirit, condensed to the extreme, gave rise to a mysterious and profound sensation. In this mysterious and profound state, Zhaang Ye clearly sensed the direction of the Cold Sword King’s attack. His body naturally twisted to the side, causing the Cold Sword King’s strike to hit nothing but air.

”Huh?”

Zhaang Ye’s sidestep immediately drew a wave of low cries. No one could have imagined that he would dodge the third sword so easily.

”How strange! The kid doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head. How did he dodge that third sword?” a Martial Arts Seventh-Layer Martial Artist asked, his face full of confusion.

”Maybe he sensed it through his aura?” another Martial Artist guessed.

”Impossible! The Cold Sword King’s aura is extremely strange. Even a Martial Arts Eighth-Layer expert couldn’t sense his attacks based on such a peculiar aura,” another Martial Artist analyzed.

...

While the Martial Artists were discussing this, on a rooftop a thousand zhang away from the small courtyard, the few Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts also had looks of astonishment in their eyes.

”That kid dodged quite nicely just now,” an old Martial Arts Ninth-Layer expert said with a chuckle. This elder was an expert from the Wei Kingdom True Hall. Seeing Zhaang Ye’s outstanding performance, he couldn’t help but voice his praise.

”It was just a fluke! The Cold Sword King’s Cultivation has already reached the Early Stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer, and he has cultivated his Meteor Seven Swords to the Sixth Sword. Even a Martial Artist at the Middle Stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer wouldn’t dare claim they could defeat him.

”Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation is only at the Early-stage Seventh Layer. His Saber Technique and strength are just a bit impressive, that’s all. There’s no way he can handle the Meteor Seven Swords. He’s a dead man for sure this time!” another Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert sneered. This expert was from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall. Since Zhaang Ye had previously brought great shame to the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall, this expert naturally held a grudge against him.

The elder from the Wei Kingdom True Hall frowned deeply. If it were an ordinary True Hall Disciple, he wouldn’t care if they died, not even sparing them a second glance. However, Zhaang Ye’s performance was exceptionally outstanding. If such a genius died right before his eyes, he would surely be punished.

’That kid Wei Dajin, how did he let them start fighting!’ the elder from the Wei Kingdom True Hall cursed inwardly. Just as he was secretly trying to think of a solution, he suddenly sensed something and turned his gaze back to the small courtyard.

「In the small courtyard.」

After three consecutive sword strikes failed, the Cold Sword King also realized Zhaang Ye’s formidability. He quietly concealed himself in the void, waiting for the right moment to unleash his fourth sword. At this moment, Zhaang Ye finally launched his counterattack.

Zhaang Ye’s method of counterattacking was simple: continuously unleashing Tornadoes.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!—

Hundreds of Tornadoes suddenly appeared in the small courtyard. They formed one after another, packed tightly together, kicking up clouds of dust until the entire courtyard was completely filled with them.

”Good kid, I didn’t think he had this move up his sleeve! With so many Tornadoes, this... what’s-his-name, Cold Sword King, won’t be able to hide any longer.” The elder from the Wei Kingdom True Hall couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw Zhaang Ye unleash the Tornadoes.

The elder from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall sneered and said, ”So what if he can summon Tornadoes? The Cold Sword King has the Cultivation of the Early Stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer. Even if he’s forced to reveal himself, Zhaang Ye is still no match for him!”

After taking a jab at the Wei Kingdom True Hall elder, the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall elder added with a vicious grin, ”Even if this kid defeats the Cold Sword King, he’s absolutely no match for our True Hall disciple, Li Zhongtian. Li Zhongtian is already on his way back to Python City. Even if this kid Zhaang Ye doesn’t die at the hands of the Cold Sword King, he’ll be crippled by Li Zhongtian...”

The elder from the Wei Kingdom True Hall snorted angrily, his killing intent erupting from his body. He was on the verge of making a move.

The elder from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall gave a smug laugh and said, ”This is a battle between the younger generation. It’s useless for you to get anxious! For now, let’s just properly watch the fight!”

The Wei Kingdom True Hall elder flung his sleeve forcefully and said, ”Don’t you celebrate too early, you old coot! Just wait until Zhaang Ye defeats the Cold Sword King and then slaughters your precious disciple, Li Zhongtian. You’ll be the one crying then!”

The elder from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall gave a smug laugh, completely dismissing the words of the Wei Kingdom True Hall elder. ’Who is Li Zhongtian? A battle-hardened young expert, ranked ninth in the entire Da Ling Kingdom. And Zhaang Ye, a mere Martial Arts Seventh-Layer practitioner, wants to kill him?’

’He’s simply dreaming!’ (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.)