Overlord of the Wilderness

”Argh! Damn it!” Seeing Zhaang Ye enter the Little World first, the Divine Strategy Double Eagles and Ling Wuliang grew anxious. The Little World wasn’t particularly big or small; if Zhaang Ye went inside and took what they needed, they would have no way to explain themselves to Shen Ji Zi or the True Hall.

But though the three of them were anxious, they didn’t dare use their Body Techniques to rush over. Zhaang Ye could sense the strange winds, allowing him to evade all sorts of dangers in advance and move at high speed. Ling Wuliang and the others, however, couldn’t do the same. Not only did they have to contend with the winds that appeared without warning, but they also had to endure the terrifying Suppression from the massive black gate. They couldn’t speed up even if they wanted to.

Ling Wuliang suppressed his anxiety, fully extended his Spiritual Power, and made his way toward the massive black gate step by step. After the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, the three of them finally shuffled up to the gate.

Ling Wuliang’s eyes glinted as a palpable killing intent erupted from him. ”Why don’t we just stay out here?” he said. ”We’ll stand guard right outside this gate. The moment that kid appears, we’ll strike and kill him!”

The Divine Strategy Double Eagles were tempted. Any fool knew that entering this soon-to-be-destroyed Little World was incredibly dangerous. If one couldn’t get out in time, death was certain. Waiting outside for Zhaang Ye to bring the items out would allow them to kill him in one fell swoop and seize everything on him. It seemed like the perfect plan.

But this idea was quickly vetoed by the Divine Strategy Right Eagle. He said grimly, ”Our primary mission is to find the Water Attribute Spirit Stone. If Zhaang Ye successfully brings it out, then everything is fine. But what if he can’t find it? Then we’ll have failed our duty! We must go in, search this Little World quickly, and find the Water Attribute Spirit Stone ourselves!”

After a brief discussion, they quickly reached a decision: the Divine Strategy Double Eagles would enter the Little World to search for the Spirit Stone, while Ling Wuliang would stand guard outside. If he saw Zhaang Ye appear, he was to kill him on the spot.

...

”What dense Water Qi! What a wondrous aura!” The moment Zhaang Ye stepped through the black portal, he felt a strange, water-like presence wafting from within. Though the aura was extremely faint, it was also incredibly wondrous. Zhaang Ye took a single deep breath, and the Ancient Dragon Power within him immediately stirred to life, like a fish returning to water, a starving wolf finding meat, an old ox spotting tender grass, or a lecher laying eyes on a beautiful woman...

’Hm? Is this aura Water Spirit Qi? Excellent! Even though this Water Spirit Qi is incredibly faint, it will allow my Ancient Dragon Power to unleash even greater might!’ Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but exclaim in delight. When he’d entered the black portal, he’d still been wary, afraid that Ling Wuliang and the other two would ambush him at the exit. Now, with this Water Spirit Qi, his power had surged. He was confident he could break through even if all three of them tried to stop him.

Glancing around, Zhaang Ye discovered he had landed in what seemed to be a vast ocean, surrounded on all sides by water. Even the sky above was filled with dark, heavy clouds, threatening to burst into a downpour at any moment.

’Water... it’s all water! The aura of water is everywhere! This is truly an amazing place!’ Zhaang Ye’s Spiritual Power stretched into the void, eagerly absorbing the Water Spirit Qi. He felt his mind become perfectly clear, and a faint sense of comprehension washed over him, as if he could enter a state of sudden enlightenment at any moment.

Ever since obtaining the Tao Te Ching, Zhaang Ye had been quietly trying to comprehend the mysteries of water. But the more mundane a thing was, the more difficult its mysteries were to grasp. Zhaang Ye’s comprehension was outstanding—he had even managed to grasp a sliver of understanding from a Space Storm—yet he had been unable to comprehend anything from the water he saw every day.

’I’d love to enter a state of enlightenment right now and see what I could comprehend,’ Zhaang Ye thought calmly. ’Unfortunately, this place is fraught with peril, and those Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts could come in at any time. If I enter a state of enlightenment, I could be killed at any moment!’ His figure shot through the void like a dragon, searching the Little World.

Dragons are creatures of water, so searching for something in a Little World composed entirely of water would be exceptionally difficult. However, Zhaang Ye now possessed Spiritual Power and the Ancient Dragon Power. He didn’t need to rely on his eyes; he just had to unleash his Ancient Dragon Power and carefully sense his surroundings.

”Haha, I’ve got something!” After searching for only a short while, Zhaang Ye suddenly sensed a small iceberg surface on the water in the distance. A dense Water Qi emanated from it, so potent that Zhaang Ye could feel it clearly even from over half a kilometer away.

With a flash, Zhaang Ye appeared on the small iceberg as if carried by the wind. There, atop the iceberg, was a snow-white Crystal Stone. It was only the size of a thumb, shrouded in a faint, beautiful, and mysterious mist.

”Haha, what a treasure!” Zhaang Ye swiftly picked up the Crystal Stone. The moment it landed in his hand, he felt an exceptionally pure Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. This energy was different from that of an ordinary Essence Stone; it carried the aura of water. To Zhaang Ye, it felt as if he were holding a wondrous ball of liquid!

’It’s a Top-grade Essence Qi Stone with the Water Attribute! With this kind of Essence Stone, I can slowly comprehend the mysteries of water! This is wonderful!’ Zhaang Ye was overjoyed to feel the water aura emanating from the Essence Stone in his hand.

Most Essence Stones were attributeless, containing only the most common type of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. However, some Essence Stones formed in special environments and would take on various elemental attributes. These attributed Essence Stones were far rarer and more valuable than their ordinary counterparts.

The highest quality an attributeless Essence Qi Stone can reach is Top-grade. Only an attributed Essence Qi Stone can be called a Top Grade Essence Qi Stone. A single Top Grade Essence Qi Stone is worth ten Top-grade ones, making them exceptionally precious.

SWOOSH!

Overjoyed at having obtained a Top Grade Essence Qi Stone, Zhaang Ye quickly set off and began searching the Little World. From his recent experience, he knew that to find more Top Grade Essence Qi Stones, he first had to find icebergs. They only seemed to exist on top of the icebergs.

His search proved fruitful. In a short amount of time, he found over forty Top Grade Essence Qi Stones. What shocked him even more was that atop one iceberg, he even found a Water Attribute True Essence Stone!

True Essence Stone and Essence Qi Stone—their names differed by only a single word, but what they contained, and their respective values, were completely different. Essence Qi Stones contained Heaven and Earth Essence Qi and could only be used for cultivation by Martial Dao experts. True Essence Stones, however, contained Innate Essence Qi, which could be used for cultivation by True Dao Experts. One hundred Top Grade Essence Qi Stones couldn’t even be traded for a single True Essence Stone!

”Excellent, excellent! This trip was more than worth it! The rewards are immense!” Holding the True Essence Stone, Zhaang Ye couldn’t hide the delight on his face, cheering aloud several times.

”Heh heh heh... You’ve done well for yourself, kid!” Just as Zhaang Ye was reveling in his good fortune, a voice traveled from the distance. Following the sound, two figures appeared on the horizon, flying straight toward him.

The two people flying straight toward Zhaang Ye were none other than the experts from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall—the Divine Strategy Double Eagles. While Zhaang Ye had been frantically searching, they had finally entered the Little World. The realm was only a dozen or so li in circumference and contained little else, so finding someone inside was all too easy.

This Little World was filled with a faint Water Spirit Qi. With its help, the Ancient Dragon Power could unleash its full might. Therefore, even though Zhaang Ye knew the two were Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts, he wasn’t afraid. However, he also knew this Little World was about to be destroyed; the most important task at hand was to find more Essence Qi Stones and True Essence Stones. So, he couldn’t be bothered with the two of them. With a cold sneer, his body flickered and he shot off toward another iceberg in the distance.

Seeing Zhaang Ye flee, the Divine Strategy Double Eagles assumed he was afraid. They laughed and flew straight after him. ”Trying to run, kid? In this Little World, you’re a turtle in a jar, and we’re the ones about to catch it. You’re not getting away!”

The Divine Strategy Double Eagles continued to chase after Zhaang Ye as they spoke.

The Divine Strategy Double Eagles were experts at the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage, and their Spiritual Power was far superior to Zhaang Ye’s. The moment they entered the Little World, they sensed the dense water aura emanating from him. They knew without a second thought that Zhaang Ye must have made a huge find.

’Kill the kid and take his treasures!’ With a shared understanding, the Divine Strategy Double Eagles unleashed their Body Techniques to their fullest and pursued Zhaang Ye.

In the Divine Strategy Double Eagles’ minds, catching a Martial Arts Eighth Layer expert should have been child’s play. But Zhaang Ye’s performance completely exceeded their expectations. They found that he was like the wind; no matter how fast they flew, they simply couldn’t catch up.

To make the Divine Strategy Double Eagles want to spit blood, after shaking them off, Zhaang Ye would periodically land on an iceberg and snatch the Top Grade Essence Qi Stone from it. He moved like a storm sweeping away clouds, and every Top Grade Essence Qi Stone in his path fell into his pockets. The Divine Strategy Double Eagles chased him for a long time, but they remained empty-handed.

”The kid has Ancient Dragon Power and can easily control the Water Qi here—he’s too fast!” the Divine Strategy Left Eagle said in frustration. ”We can’t keep this up. We have to find the Water Attribute Spirit Stone first.”

The Divine Strategy Right Eagle nodded in resignation. ”Alright. It’s our only option.”

Just as they were speaking, an incredibly powerful ripple suddenly emanated from beneath the water. Feeling this fluctuation, the Divine Strategy Double Eagles’ faces lit up with ecstasy. They exchanged a look and shouted in unison, ”The Water Attribute Spirit Stone has appeared!”

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)