Overlord of the Wilderness

”A deal with me?” Zhaang Ye was a bit puzzled. ’I can’t imagine what kind of deal she and I could possibly have.’

Feng Tongming spoke slowly. ”Zhaang Ye, do you know the origin of the Phoenix Race bloodline I possess?”

Zhaang Ye shook his head slightly, but his eyes lit up when Feng Tongming mentioned the Ancient Phoenix Clan. In the True Hall, Zhaang Ye had obtained a Cultivation Technique called the True Transformation Technique. Cultivating it required the power of three Ancient Races, and the Phoenix Race was one of them. The True Transformation Technique shared some faint similarities with the Dragon Elephant Power he cultivated, so Zhaang Ye’s interest was instantly piqued.

The Cultivation Technique Feng Tongming practiced was the Red Sun Heart Refining Technique. Having reached her level, her heart, while not perfectly clear and transparent, was far more perceptive than that of an ordinary Martial Artist. Seeing that she had successfully piqued Zhaang Ye’s interest, a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes. She continued, ”In Ancient Times, a Phoenix underwent Nirvana on a volcano in the Land of Divine Abandonment. Phoenix Nirvana takes nine days and nine nights, but an accident forced the Phoenix to cut it short and flee the volcano. It left in such a hurry that it left behind some of its feathers and blood. My ancestor obtained some of that Phoenix blood, and that is how the Wei Kingdom Feng Family was founded...”

Zhaang Ye fixed his gaze on her. ”Junior Sister Feng, what are you getting at?”

Feng Tongming smiled faintly, meeting his gaze. ”Help me kill someone and protect my Feng Family for one year. In exchange, I’ll tell you the location of the Phoenix Nirvana.”

”Oh?” Zhaang Ye’s heart pounded, but his expression remained unchanged. ”Who do you want me to kill?”

Feng Tongming answered calmly, ”Jiang Ailiang.”

This time, Zhaang Ye was genuinely shocked. ”Jiang Ailiang is your fiancé, and you want me to kill him? What is this all about?”

A look of loathing crossed her face. ”To rapidly advance his cultivation, Jiang Ailiang wants to dual cultivate with me, using a wisp of my Ancient Phoenix Power to temper his Profound Ice Qi. My current strength is far inferior to his. If we do that, my Ancient Phoenix Power will be completely consumed by his Profound Ice Qi. I’ll also lose my Primordial Yin, and my cultivation will be stagnant for the rest of my life. My Feng Family is small; if my cultivation can’t reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, it’s only a matter of time before the Jiaang Family swallows us whole...”

Hearing her explanation, Zhaang Ye finally understood. He silently weighed the options and felt a headache coming on. Killing Jiang Ailiang wouldn’t be difficult. With his current strength, it would be as easy as flipping his palm; he just needed the right opportunity. The problem was protecting the Feng Family. That was the tricky part, as he couldn’t possibly stay with them for a long time.

’Ancient Phoenix Power... If I miss this chance, finding it again will be next to impossible!’ After a moment of contemplation, Zhaang Ye decided he couldn’t pass this up. Besides, he’d wanted to kill Jiang Ailiang for a while now. In a low voice, he said, ”Alright.”

Feng Tongming beamed at Zhaang Ye’s agreement. After discussing a few more details of their deal, she said, ”Jiang Ailiang brought up the dual cultivation matter with me three days ago. I can stall for a little while, but not for long. I hope Junior Brother Zhaang can kill him within a month. Once you succeed, I’ll tell you the location of the Phoenix Nirvana. Oh, and one more thing, Junior Brother Zhaang—there’s a powerful expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer with him. You must be extremely careful when you make your move!”

Shortly after Feng Tongming left, a small green bird landed on Zhaang Ye’s shoulder and presented him with a thin piece of Beast Hide. It was a summons; the Fourth Hall Master wanted to see him.

An hour later, Zhaang Ye arrived beneath the thousand-zhang giant tree, where the Fourth Hall Master was sitting cross-legged on a stone. Seeing Zhaang Ye, he laughed heartily. ”Ancient Fist Intent! It requires an ancient Cultivation Technique or some form of ancient power to unleash. The fact that you can use it is very good, very good indeed!”

After praising Zhaang Ye, the Fourth Hall Master chuckled. ”The winner of the Newcomer King Tournament gets to cultivate with the four of us Hall Masters for a year. Each of us from the Wei Kingdom True Hall has our own unique cultivation insights, so feel free to ask us anything. Of course, you can also learn things beyond the Martial Dao. The Great Hall Master is an expert in the Array Dao, the Second Hall Master excels in the Artifact Refining Dao, and the Third Hall Master specializes in the Alchemy Dao. You can learn from them in your spare time...”

Zhaang Ye asked with great interest, ”Master, the Great Hall Master specializes in the Array Dao, the Second Hall Master in the Artifact Refining Dao, and the Third Hall Master in the Alchemy Dao. What about you? What do you specialize in?”

The Fourth Hall Master chuckled. ”My specialty is finding and cultivating Spirit Trees and Herbs. This very thousand-zhang giant tree is a result of my hard work. Thanks to this Spirit Tree, my cultivation speed is not the least bit slower than theirs!”

Understanding dawned on Zhaang Ye.

The Fourth Hall Master then produced four thin booklets. ”These contain some of our cultivation insights. Read through them first, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask one of us.” With that, he tossed the four volumes to Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye caught the booklets, his heart filled with elation. ’The cultivation insights of True Dao Experts! These are the culmination of hundreds of years of practice—they’re priceless!’ With these notes, he could avoid countless pitfalls on his own path of cultivation!

...

Two hundred thousand li from Zhen Dian Mountain, a peak soared into the clouds. It was covered in snow year-round and intensely cold—so cold that not even birds would rest there, and beasts were nowhere to be found. Yet on this very peak, a lone figure sat quietly, cultivating at its summit.

This person, with white hair, pale skin, and white robes, was none other than Jiang Ailiang, the genius of the Jiaang Family of Wei Kingdom.

WHOOSH!

Jiang Ailiang circulated the Profound Ice Qi within him, constantly absorbing the frigid air of the peak. As the chill flowed into his body, the surrounding ice and snow began to melt. Torrents of water, carrying chunks of ice, streamed down the mountainside, carving out new rivers.

Ten thousand zhang away, Zhaang Ye lay hidden behind a snowdrift, squinting as he observed Jiang Ailiang.

After striking the deal with Feng Tongming, Zhaang Ye had been secretly tracking Jiang Ailiang’s movements. It took him over ten days, but he finally located this frigid mountain peak. Now, all that was left was to figure out how to kill him.

With Zhaang Ye’s power, killing Jiang Ailiang wouldn’t be difficult. But his observations had revealed another presence: a powerful Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert hiding in an ice cave beneath the peak. It was Jiang Pingchuan, the very man he had clashed with at the Ping Mountain Black Market.

Jiang Pingchuan’s cultivation had reached the late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer. As powerful as Zhaang Ye was, he couldn’t guarantee victory in a direct confrontation. Therefore, Zhaang Ye decided his best course of action was to assassinate Jiang Ailiang without alerting Jiang Pingchuan.

On his way to Python City, Zhaang Ye had been inexplicably ambushed by experts from the Jiaang Family. His analysis concluded that Jiang Ailiang was likely the one who had orchestrated the attack. Because of this, Zhaang Ye already harbored a deep-seated killing intent toward him and would show no mercy.

FWOOSH—

A biting wind whistled past as snow began to drift down from the sky. Zhaang Ye felt a surge of delight. His body abruptly lifted, mingling with the falling flakes, and he slowly floated toward Jiang Ailiang.

Zhaang Ye possessed Ancient Dragon Power. By using it to manipulate the surrounding Water Qi, he could enshroud himself in a white mist, making him look just like a cloud. On a snowy mountain constantly wreathed in fog, the appearance of another small cloud was perfectly ordinary. Zhaang Ye floated directly above Jiang Ailiang’s head, completely unnoticed.

When he was just ten zhang above him, Jiang Ailiang finally sensed that something was wrong. He looked up in horror, only to see a green shadow plummeting toward him with the force of a collapsing mountain!

”AHH!”

Jiang Ailiang let out a heaven-shaking cry. But before the sound could even leave his mouth, Zhaang Ye’s palm pressed down through the air, creating a Tornado around him. Trapped within the vortex, his scream was completely silenced!

The Profound Ice Qi in Jiang Ailiang’s body erupted madly as he tried to break free. But Zhaang Ye’s strength was overwhelming. Ignoring the struggle, he brought his palm down like a great mountain. With a soft SPLAT, Jiang Ailiang was flattened into a bloody pulp, dead on the spot.

The gap between the Martial Arts Ninth Layer and the Martial Arts Eighth Layer was simply too vast. Even though Jiang Ailiang had cultivated his Profound Ice Qi to the 5th Layer, making him equivalent to a Martial Arts Eighth Layer Peak expert, he couldn’t withstand a single blow from Zhaang Ye. In the face of absolute power, any resistance was futile.

After silently dispatching Jiang Ailiang, Zhaang Ye gave a light flick of his sleeve, erasing all traces of the struggle, then vanished into the sky.

Four hours later, a tall, thin old man suddenly appeared on the summit. Seeing Jiang Ailiang’s corpse, the old man’s face changed drastically, and he let out a piercing shriek. He used a Body Technique to swiftly search the area before coming to a stop, muttering, ”Who did this? Who could have done this? The family spent a fortune in Elixirs and Essence Stones to raise Jiang Ailiang’s Profound Ice Qi to the 5th Layer, and now he’s been killed! How am I, Jiang Pingchuan, supposed to explain this to the family!”

Jiang Pingchuan’s fists clenched, his knuckles cracking. After a moment, a new thought seemed to strike him. He muttered, ”Since Jiang Ailiang is dead, our only option is to target Feng Tongming! She possesses Ancient Phoenix Power; dual cultivating with her would be of great benefit. Capturing her and offering her to the Young Master would be a great merit in itself!”