Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye spent a day bringing himself to peak condition. He then took out a tattered map and studied it closely. This was the very map he had acquired from the Ping Mountain Black Market; it not only marked the location of the Spatial Array but also detailed a path leading into it. If all went well, Zhaang Ye would only need to follow this path to enter the Ancient Space Array.

It was precisely because of this map that Zhaang Ye dared to approach the Ancient Space Array.

After silently memorizing the map, Zhaang Ye put it away. Just as he was about to head for the mountain peak, he suddenly heard a sharp, piercing shriek. Startled, Zhaang Ye looked up to see a massive Fire Crow shrieking madly in the sky, dozens of miles away. Its enormous body seemed to be devoured by something as it vanished, piece by piece.

HISS! Seeing such a bizarre sight, Zhaang Ye was startled at first, but then he immediately understood. ’That massive Fire Crow must have been devoured by the Ancient Space Array.’ The creature had been enormous, its power even greater than that of an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. Yet before the Spatial Array, such power didn’t even grant it the chance to struggle.

Watching the Fire Crow get devoured so suddenly, Zhaang Ye’s expression turned grave. He had long known how formidable the Spatial Array was, but witnessing its power firsthand still left him deeply shaken. He was secretly grateful that he hadn’t tried to fly.

Following the route marked on the map, Zhaang Ye cautiously made his way toward the summit. He rarely encountered Fire Crows or Fire Snakes anymore, but now he faced another trial: the Suppression from the Thousand-Foot Stele.

The Thousand-Foot Stele that towered over the summit was clearly an inanimate object, yet it constantly radiated an immense Suppression. This Suppression was grim and heavy, vast as an abyss and weighty as a mountain. It pressed down on Zhaang Ye as if he were carrying a colossal weight, making even his thoughts grow sluggish. Every single step required tremendous willpower.

Thirty miles...

Twenty miles...

Fifteen miles...

The closer he drew to the summit, the more intense the Suppression became. The pressure from the Mammoth skeletons in the Mammoth Cemetery had been terrifying enough, but it was nothing compared to this Thousand-Foot Stele. Fortunately, Zhaang Ye had Ancient Dragon Power and Ancient Elephant Power inside him. Otherwise, he would have long since succumbed, his body bursting apart.

As he progressed step by step, Zhaang Ye noticed that the number of skeletons on the mountainside was slowly increasing. They were mostly human, and each set of remains radiated an oppressive aura. Clearly, in life, these had been renowned masters. Most possessed the power of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak, and some had even been Grandmasters at the Half-step True Dao.

Surveying the skeletons, Zhaang Ye’s expression grew incredibly grim. These masters at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer had likely come for this Ancient Space Array, but they hadn’t even reached the summit before being literally crushed to death by the Thousand-Foot Stele’s terrifying Suppression.

’This Suppression is exceptionally powerful, but I have Ancient Dragon Power and Ancient Elephant Power. My body and Spiritual Power are also stronger than those of ordinary Martial Artists, so I should be able to endure it.’ After a moment of contemplation, Zhaang Ye circulated his Dragon Elephant Power at full force and continued toward the summit.

RUMBLE—

The Dragon Elephant Power coursed frantically through Zhaang Ye’s body, resisting the Suppression from the Thousand-Foot Stele. And so he walked on, one grueling step after another, toward the summit.

By the third day, Zhaang Ye was only about ten miles from the summit. At this point, the Suppression from the Thousand-Foot Stele was even more terrifying. The very space around his body seemed to grow viscous under the pressure, making every step require enormous effort. Zhaang Ye’s body was exceptionally tough—a single punch could deliver a massive force of two million jin—but in the face of this dreadful Suppression, his powerful frame felt incredibly fragile.

「On the fourth day」, he was less than ten miles from the summit. The Suppression here was even more intense. Under this terrifying pressure, blood began to slowly seep from Zhaang Ye’s seven orifices and his skin. He was bleeding constantly. His True Qi and Dragon Elephant Power were also being consumed at a rapid rate. As tough as Zhaang Ye was, he was reaching his limit. What he found most dangerous, however, was that his mind was growing increasingly sluggish under the Suppression. It became incredibly difficult to even form a thought; all he wanted was to lie down on the ground and fall into a deep sleep.

Feeling his body reach its limit, teetering on the verge of collapse, Zhaang Ye gave a bitter smile. ’Is this Ancient Space Array simply not meant for me?’ he thought.

The thought had barely formed before Zhaang Ye crushed it. His gaze locked onto the Thousand-Foot Stele, now just a few miles away, and he swore fiercely to himself, ’Since I’ve come this far, I will reach the summit, no matter what! I want to see where my limits truly lie! As long as my will does not collapse, the Suppression from this Thousand-Foot Stele cannot kill me!’

The moment that thought formed, Zhaang Ye suddenly felt a thrum deep within his body. The Dragon Elephant Power flowing through his Meridians began to circulate with frantic intensity. Sensing this strange phenomenon, Zhaang Ye was startled for a moment before immense joy washed over him, and he quickly sat down cross-legged.

Ever since entering the Ten Thousand Volcanoes, Zhaang Ye had been fighting constantly. The ceaseless battles had made his True Qi increasingly pure, and his Dragon Elephant Power had also grown considerably stronger. He was only a hair’s breadth away from the Mid-stage of the Dragon Elephant Skill’s 6th Layer.

Ancient Dragon Power and Ancient Elephant Power were both forces from powerful races of Ancient Times. They were wild and untamable, refusing to yield to any other power. Under the Suppression of the Thousand-Foot Stele, these two forces finally began to transform, growing purer, stronger, and more terrifying!

RUMMMBLE!

Seizing the moment his two powers surged, Zhaang Ye frantically circulated the Dragon Elephant Skill, using the Dragon Elephant Power to temper his muscles, his sinews, and his entire body. Incredibly pure Dragon Elephant Power flowed through his Meridians, creating a rumbling thunder, as if endless bolts of lightning were detonating within him.

Time passed slowly. Zhaang Ye’s aura grew steadily stronger, and his back, which had been slightly hunched, gradually straightened. 「Three days later」, Zhaang Ye’s eyes snapped open, and he roared, enunciating each word, ”Mid-stage of the 6th Layer... breakthrough!”

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK—

A loud series of cracks emanated from Zhaang Ye’s body. His aura surged, and a hazy golden light burst from his muscles. When the sounds stopped, Zhaang Ye rose to his feet, inspected his body, and couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh.

Once the Dragon Elephant Skill reached the 6th Layer, every advance to a new Small Tier brought a tremendous increase in power. Although advancing from the Early-stage Sixth Layer to the Mid-stage Sixth Layer was just a single Small Tier, Zhaang Ye’s strength had doubled!

With his strength doubled, Zhaang Ye could now endure the Thousand-Foot Stele’s Suppression, though it was still terrifying. Wasting no time, he immediately set off toward the stele. It took him only a day to arrive at its base.

Sealing Heaven, Locking Earth, Suppressing the Void!

Standing before the Thousand-Foot Stele, Zhaang Ye’s entire body trembled. Those simple seven words carried with them an infinite, inexhaustible momentum, like a boundless horde of Ancient Fierce Beasts surging forward. Facing the stele was like standing before a billion blood-drenched Sharp Swords; his body went ice-cold, and he found he couldn’t even breathe.

After a long while, Zhaang Ye finally managed a difficult step and made his way behind the Thousand-Foot Stele. In the void behind it floated countless pieces of jade, all combining to form an impossibly vast Array. This enormous Array spanned over thirty miles, and the wisps of energy leaking from its operation tyrannically sliced through the void. Wherever this energy cut, tiny, dark-black cracks appeared, emitting strange noises that set Zhaang Ye’s teeth on edge.

What caught Zhaang Ye’s eye even more were the swirling black storms at the center of the Array. These black storms materialized from thin air, frantically tearing space asunder, like venomous dragons poised to strike. Yet, contained by the Array, no matter how powerful the storms became, they could not break free and could only dissipate slowly.

Observing the black tempests, Zhaang Ye was utterly stunned. ’These furiously spinning black storms... they’re clearly the all-destroying Space Storms! A Space Storm is unstoppable; it can easily destroy space itself. Yet this Array disperses them with ease. It is truly worthy of the name Ancient Space Array! An Ancient Space Array really does have the power to Seal Heaven, Lock Earth, and Suppress the Void!’

After mentally reviewing the map one last time, Zhaang Ye slowly approached the Ancient Space Array.

An Ancient Space Array possessed immense power. It could not only seal the void and suppress heaven and earth, but also carve out a Small Space within a World Stone. Zhaang Ye planned to follow the map’s guidance to the heart of this Ancient Space Array and use its power to create a Small Space inside a World Stone.

Cultivators traveled constantly, so having a personal Small Space to carry belongings would be incredibly convenient.

Zhaang Ye moved with extreme caution, stepping into the Ancient Space Array. Just as he was about to examine his surroundings, he suddenly felt an immeasurably vast Spiritual Power emerge from the Array’s depths and lock onto him. Simultaneously, a voice echoed in the deepest part of his mind: *Take me away! Take me away!*

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