Overlord of the Wilderness

For a Martial Artist, the more abundant their True Qi, the faster they could fly. Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation was at the Early Stage of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, so his True Qi was nowhere near Fu Qingyun’s. But besides True Qi, Zhaang Ye also had Dragon Elephant Power!

The Dragon Elephant Power within him surged, and Zhaang Ye’s speed climbed steadily. In just over ten blinks of an eye, he had closed a huge gap, leaving only two to three hundred zhang between him and Fu Qingyun!

”Ah!”

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s terrifying speed, Fu Qingyun’s expression changed instantly. The Innate True Qi in his body surged wildly as boundless Heaven and Earth Essence Qi gathered around him. Aided by this essence, Fu Qingyun accelerated again, pulling away from Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged as he maintained his speed, pursuing at a steady pace. ’Fu Qingyun was already severely injured from our earlier fight. I just need to trail him from a distance, and an opportunity to kill him will present itself.’

RUMBLE...

One chasing the other, the two quickly covered forty to fifty thousand li. Fu Qingyun was horrified to discover that while he was a touch faster than Zhaang Ye, he could never shake him. Zhaang Ye was like a shadow, following unhurriedly no matter how fast he flew. The unspoken pressure made Fu Qingyun’s heart sink.

Zhaang Ye had torn out one of his ribs, and he had also taken a heavy blow from the short staff. His injuries were grave. If he couldn’t shake Zhaang Ye soon, he would succumb to his wounds without Zhaang Ye even needing to lift a finger.

For a grand expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer to be pushed this far by someone at the mere Early Stage of Martial Arts Ninth Layer... The hatred in Fu Qingyun’s heart was higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea.

’I’ll risk it all! I have to escape this place and report back to Master! I’ll let Master deal with Zhaang Ye!’ Fu Qingyun gritted his teeth. The Innate True Qi within him began to spin madly, and the glow around him intensified. Layer upon layer of light enveloped him until he looked like he was about to burst into flames.

Seeing the glow emanating from Fu Qingyun in the distance, Zhaang Ye was slightly taken aback. ’This Fu Qingyun is a ruthless one,’ he thought, ’to actually burn his Innate True Qi!’

Burning True Qi was a Martial Artist’s last resort. Once a Martial Artist started burning their True Qi, it was like oil in a lamp—every drop burned was gone forever. By burning his Innate True Qi, Fu Qingyun would incinerate all the Innate True Qi he had painstakingly cultivated. He would lose all hope of ever advancing to the Half-step True Dao in his lifetime.

The price of burning Innate True Qi was steep, but it caused a massive boost in both speed and power. Fu Qingyun was already a great expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. After burning his Innate True Qi, his speed wouldn’t be much slower than that of a Half-Step True Dao Expert. There was no way Zhaang Ye could possibly catch him.

Realizing this, Zhaang Ye’s eyes flashed. ’Since Fu Qingyun is putting his life on the line, I’ll have to do the same! I just hope I can catch him!’

RUMBLE!

The Dragon Elephant Power in Zhaang Ye’s body roared like a great river as he poured it endlessly into the Mysterious Blade Tip. Infused with this power, the Mysterious Blade Tip abruptly shot out Sword Qi that spanned dozens of zhang. An aura of absolute dominance filled the air, and thunder seemed to crackle out of nowhere, the sound echoing ceaselessly.

As the Mysterious Blade Tip unleashed the Sword Qi, an identical aura of absolute dominance erupted from Zhaang Ye himself. The two auras were remarkably similar, and they quickly merged into one.

What Zhaang Ye was unleashing was not a Body Technique, but a Combat Skill. This Combat Skill was none other than the Saber Technique he had created himself—the Cloud-Breaking Slash!

Months ago, Zhaang Ye had created the Cloud-Breaking Slash based on an Ancient Sword Intent. However, since its creation, he had been unable to cultivate it to the Minor Achievement Realm, and its power was far inferior to his Mountain-Slaying Slash.

During the recent battle, having escaped death several times, Zhaang Ye’s comprehension of the Ancient Sword Intent had deepened. With this new insight, he had finally cultivated his Cloud-Breaking Slash to the Minor Achievement Realm. All at once, a myriad of profound attack methods flooded his mind.

HISS!

Zhaang Ye’s entire being merged with the mysterious blade, his Spiritual Qi binding tightly with it. A world-shaking Sword Intent erupted from him, tearing through the air in his path. At that moment, Zhaang Ye himself became like a blade soaring through the void at an incredible speed!

SWISH!

In the blink of an eye, Zhaang Ye crossed several thousand zhang of open space, slashing straight for Fu Qingyun!

Fu Qingyun was in the middle of burning his True Qi, his speed rapidly increasing. But Zhaang Ye, having achieved Human-Sword Unity, was moving at an unimaginable pace and closed the distance in an instant. What terrified Fu Qingyun even more was Zhaang Ye’s aura. He could feel it merge with the aura of the Blade Tip, transforming Zhaang Ye into an incomparably sharp blade, overwhelmingly powerful and impossible to resist!

’What a terrifying slash! He actually merged with his blade, and his speed is like lightning! What kind of Saber Technique is this?!’ Fu Qingyun’s heart pounded in terror. The Innate True Qi in his body burned furiously as he swept out with his black staff, enveloping himself in layer after layer of Death Qi.

Fu Qingyun was a genuine expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak. While burning his Innate True Qi, his every strike possessed immense power. As he brandished the short staff, billowing Death Qi instantly blackened a patch of the void, causing the space in a ten-zhang radius to freeze solid!

Fu Qingyun’s reaction was swift, but he had still underestimated the power of Zhaang Ye’s attack. The moment his Death Qi locked down the space in a ten-zhang radius, Zhaang Ye was already behind him. The Mysterious Blade Tip instantly tore through the layers of Death Qi, and a supremely domineering Sword Qi slashed right through Fu Qingyun’s body!

PFFT!

As Fu Qingyun stared in disbelief, a horrifying gash suddenly appeared across his chest. The fissure slowly widened and lengthened, his internal organs spilling out in a torrent of blood. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was split in two. He died on the spot without uttering a single word.

”Whew!”

Having successfully slain Fu Qingyun, Zhaang Ye let out a long sigh of relief. The Cloud-Breaking Slash was incredibly fast and powerful, but executing it was immensely draining. That single strike had consumed more than eighty percent of his Dragon Elephant Power, leaving his entire body on the verge of collapse.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Zhaang Ye made a grasping motion, pulling Fu Qingyun’s corpse toward him through the air, and began to search it. Fu Qingyun was the senior disciple of the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall. His status was exceptionally high, and he was extremely wealthy. A quick search yielded three bottles of top-grade Qi Gathering Pills and over twenty Top-grade Essence Qi Stones.

In addition to the Elixirs and Essence Stones, Zhaang Ye also found a Martial Arts Secret Manual and some miscellaneous items. Too lazy to examine them closely, he stored everything away and surveyed his surroundings. He realized that while chasing Fu Qingyun, he had somehow returned to the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Volcanoes. Volcanoes stretched out in every direction as far as the eye could see.

As he scanned the area, Zhaang Ye was surprised to see a massive courtyard at the base of a huge volcano. Several blood-red trees, each hundreds of zhang tall, grew within it. At the top of each tree was a single fruit the size of a millstone. The fruits shimmered with a strange light in the sun, clearly indicating they were no ordinary treasures.

Zhaang Ye’s heart stirred, and he was about to fly over for a closer look when an almost tangible aura suddenly erupted from the courtyard and shot toward the sky.

Sensing this aura, Zhaang Ye’s expression shifted slightly. ’The expert releasing this aura has a Cultivation of at least the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, and might even be a great expert at the Half-step True Dao. My current strength is formidable, but I can’t afford to provoke a master of that caliber.’

After one last, deep look at the courtyard, Zhaang Ye executed his Tornado Body Technique and vanished over the horizon in a flash.

「In the massive courtyard below the volcano.」

A middle-aged man with a fiery-red face stood tall beneath a giant red tree. He stared in the direction Zhaang Ye had vanished, a grave look in his eyes as he muttered, ’Who on earth was that young man? He can’t be more than thirty, yet he managed to kill an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. His combat prowess is in no way inferior to Junior Brother Yangx’s!’

Just then, a young man with fiery-red hair approached. Not only was his hair red, but his skin and even his eyes were the color of fire. He looked like a living flame.

The fiery youth strode closer. ”Senior Brother, was that an expert just now? I faintly sensed two people fighting in the sky, both of them very powerful.”

The senior brother nodded, his expression grave. ”Indeed. The two who were fighting were both extremely formidable. One of them, a young man in green robes, likely has combat power on par with your own. He managed to slay an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer.”

”Oh?” The fiery youth was taken aback. ”There’s someone like that among the Younger Generation in the Thirteen Countries of the Land of Divine Abandonment? Who is he? I, Yangx Guyuan, would be very interested to meet him.”

A flicker of confusion crossed the senior brother’s eyes. ”I’ve met the three young experts who are your peers. But I’ve never seen this young man before. It’s strange. With his level of strength, he should already be famous throughout the Land of Divine Abandonment. How is it that I’ve never heard of such a young master?”

The fiery youth pondered for a moment, asked a few more questions, and then said slowly, ”Among the young experts considered my peers, besides Helian Bi Bi, Ling Kongyun, and Chu Yuxiang, there is... one other.”

The senior brother’s eyes flashed in sudden realization. ”Are you talking about the Wei Kingdom True Hall disciple, Zhaang Ye? The one who defeated Chu Yuxiang a few months ago and became the number one talent in the Six Eastern Countries?”

The fiery youth nodded slightly. ”That’s him. He’s known for always wearing green robes, his skill with a blade, and his unusual Body Technique. He’s a renowned genius from the Six Eastern Countries.”

The senior brother’s eyes flashed as he said in a low voice, ”Then I miscalculated. Had I known it was Zhaang Ye, I would have acted decisively and killed him, removing a powerful rival for you.”

The fiery youth gave an arrogant smile. ”There’s no need for regrets, Senior Brother. Since I began my Cultivation, I have been undefeated among my peers. Even Helian Bi Bi, Ling Kongyun, and Chu Yuxiang are nothing special in my eyes. This Zhaang Ye might be impressive, but against me, his only fate is defeat and death.”

As he spoke, a ball of pale-green flame appeared in the fiery youth’s palm. The moment it materialized, the area within a hundred-zhang radius became scorching hot, as if they were standing inside a blast furnace. The senior brother glanced at the flame, a delighted look on his face. ”The flame has reached perfection! Junior Brother, have you already cultivated the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Burning Celestial True Force to the Great Success Realm?”

The fiery youth stated proudly, ”Precisely.”

The senior brother breathed a sigh of relief. ”I never imagined your aptitude was so exceptional, Junior Brother. To think you cultivated this technique to the Great Success Realm in just a few short years. The Nine Heavens Ten Earths Burning Celestial True Force is boundlessly powerful. Having reached Great Success, you can easily slay ordinary experts at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. With this Cultivation Technique, Zhaang Ye will be no match for you.”

The fiery youth and his senior brother exchanged a look and burst into hearty laughter. (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.)