Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye looked up to see the fifty-two True Dao Experts from the Land of Divine Abandonment simultaneously soar into the air. They landed atop a towering cliff outside the canyon and pressed their palms against the rock face.

RUMBLE!

The True Dao Experts circulated Innate True Qi of the utmost purity, allowing them to control the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi with a mere flick of a wrist. As all fifty-two of them acted at once, the winds surged, clouds gathered, and the very sky changed color in an instant!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—

As they poured in their Innate True Qi, a thunderous sound echoed from within the towering cliff. The sound grew louder and louder until it seemed to fill the entire world. The young experts standing below felt the sky spin and the earth tremble, their ears filled with nothing but the deafening roar.

CRACK!

After the thunder had boomed eighty-one times, a crisp cracking sound suddenly emanated from within the towering cliff. Then, an unforgettable sight appeared: a gate, a hundred zhang tall, had suddenly materialized on the cliff face!

Mysterious runes flowed around the hundred-zhang gate. The moment it appeared, a distant, primeval aura washed over everyone, making them feel as if they had returned to the ancient Wilderness.

An elder then shouted, ”Alright, the gate to the Little World is open! Get inside, quickly! In three months, we will open it again to bring you out. Remember, no matter what, you must come out on time. Otherwise, you’ll be buried in the Little World forever!”

Dozens of young experts executed their Body Techniques and flew toward the hundred-zhang gate.

Zhaang Ye had seen two Little Worlds before, so he was the swiftest to act. Before the elder’s voice had even faded, he had already transformed into a streak of cyan light, shooting straight for the hundred-zhang gate.

Zhaang Ye’s speed was incredible. In the blink of an eye, he was about to fly through the hundred-zhang gate. But just as he was about to enter, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe suddenly looked up and gave him an indifferent glance.

That single, indifferent glance from the brocade-robed man made Zhaang Ye’s soul tremble. He faintly sensed that something had entered his body along with the man’s gaze. However, Zhaang Ye was currently moving at full speed using his Body Technique. Even though he felt something was wrong, he couldn’t stop. In an instant, his figure passed through the hundred-zhang gate and vanished into the Little World.

’I just sent a sliver of Innate True Qi into Zhaang Ye’s body. As soon as Cheng’er enters the Little World, he’ll be able to lock onto Zhaang Ye’s position and begin the hunt. That brat Zhaang Ye is a dead man this time.’ A cold sneer touched the corners of the brocade-robed man’s mouth as he watched Zhaang Ye’s figure disappear.

...

WHOOSH!

The moment Zhaang Ye passed through the hundred-zhang gate, he felt a dense wave of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi wash over him. The essence qi in this Little World was incredibly rich; every breath he took was full of it. As he entered, a stream of pure Heaven and Earth Essence Qi poured continuously into his body. Zhaang Ye could feel his Cultivation rising bit by bit, and the sensation was absolutely sublime.

’As expected of a Little World created by a Great Divine Power. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi is so dense and pure! If I could cultivate here for two or three years, reaching the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer would be a breeze!’ Zhaang Ye’s heart pounded with excitement as he took a deep breath of the Little World’s essence qi.

After calming his Heart Spirit, Zhaang Ye surveyed his surroundings. He was hovering above a lush, green forest. As he looked around, he saw a world of green trees and red flowers, with butterflies dancing over grassy fields. It was brimming with life, not much different from the outside world.

After scanning the area and confirming there was no immediate danger, Zhaang Ye gently descended onto a large boulder and began to circulate his True Qi.

Just as he was entering the hundred-zhang gate, he had been glanced at by the brocade-robed man. Zhaang Ye had faintly sensed that something was amiss, so he wanted to inspect his body for anything unusual.

SCREECH!

Before Zhaang Ye had even completed One Cycle of True Qi circulation, he suddenly heard a shrill cry from above. A huge black shadow dove down from the clouds, pouncing straight toward him.

’A Cyan Feather Thundercloud Eagle!’ Zhaang Ye’s Spiritual Power swept out, and he immediately identified the black shadow’s origin. He no longer cared about inspecting his body; his figure abruptly became a streak of cyan light, flashing dozens of zhang away.

SWOOSH! The instant Zhaang Ye dodged, a giant cyan eagle descended from the sky. Its wingspan was a full thirty zhang, and the gale it whipped up was practically tangible. Wherever the wind passed, thick trees were torn from the ground, and the sound of them crashing down was incessant.

This cyan eagle was a High-level Fierce Beast, a Cyan Feather Thundercloud Eagle. They were as fast as lightning, and their talons possessed enough power to easily tear apart ten-thousand-pound boulders. The eagle before Zhaang Ye was clearly an adult and exceptionally powerful; even an expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage would be no match for it.

SCREECH!

Having missed its strike, the Cyan Feather Thundercloud Eagle immediately beat its wings, intending to soar back into the sky. But Zhaang Ye wasn’t about to give it that chance. He laughed heartily and suddenly took a single step!

This was a Footwork Technique Zhaang Ye had derived from his Cloud-Breaking Slash. With a single step, his figure flickered like a ghost and instantly appeared on the Cyan Feather Thundercloud Eagle’s back, where he smashed his fist downward!

BOOM!

Zhaang Ye’s strength was terrifying. A simple punch from him contained immense power, enough to instantly kill even an expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage. Struck by the blow, the Cyan Feather Thundercloud Eagle’s massive body froze for a moment before plummeting to the ground like a small mountain with a tremendous THUD.

GUSH GUSH GUSH—

The Cyan Feather Thundercloud Eagle had a long life and somehow survived Zhaang Ye’s punch, though blood now gushed from it like a spring. A thought flickered in Zhaang Ye’s mind as he watched the blood flow, and he was just about to collect some when he smelled a faint, fresh fragrance wafting from a small hill a hundred zhang away.

’Hm? What is that?’ Zhaang Ye felt a flicker of delight. His body transformed into a cyan stream of light, covering the hundred-zhang distance and landing atop the small hill.

On the small hill sat a stone, four to five zhang in diameter. The stone was pure white—it was a piece of Top-grade Natural White Jade. Growing right on top of this massive piece of White Jade were three stalks of purple grass. The stalks were about a foot tall, their purple leaves shimmered with a faint violet light, and the waves of fresh fragrance emanated from them.

’Haha, it’s Thousand-year-old Purple Leaf Grass!’ Zhaang Ye recognized the purple grass at a glance. This type of grass only grew on White Jade and took a thousand years to mature. It contained incredibly pure Heaven and Earth Essence Qi and miraculous Medicinal Power, and it was one of the ingredients for refining an Innate Golden Pill.

Once his excitement subsided, Zhaang Ye examined the three stalks of Thousand-year-old Purple Leaf Grass. He found that one was fully mature, while the other two were not quite there yet.

’What a pity! What a shame!’ Zhaang Ye lamented as he looked at the two immature stalks. The difference in Medicinal Power between a mature and an immature Thousand-year-old Purple Leaf Grass was enormous. If he had enough time, he would have waited for them to fully ripen before harvesting. However, he only had a mere three months in this Little World—nowhere near enough time to wait.

”Immature or not, it’s better than nothing,” Zhaang Ye muttered to himself. With a wave of his hand, he stored all three stalks of Thousand-year-old Purple Leaf Grass in his Small Space.

After storing the Thousand-year-old Purple Leaf Grass, Zhaang Ye sat cross-legged on the massive piece of White Jade and resumed inspecting the energy in his body. As his Cultivation Technique circulated slowly, he did indeed discover an anomaly. He suddenly realized that at some point, a sliver of exceptionally pure Innate True Qi had appeared in his body. This wisp of Innate True Qi was hidden deep within him like an assassin; if not for the aid of his Dragon Elephant Power, he would never have found it.

Zhaang Ye instantly thought of the brocade-robed man, and his expression darkened. ’That old bastard must be behind this!’ he thought. ’I wonder who he is? Wait... he looks a bit like Fu Songcheng. He must be the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall, Fu Yuguang! No wonder he’d make a move against me...’

With this in mind, Zhaang Ye circulated his Dragon Elephant Power, intending to refine the sliver of Innate True Qi.

To Zhaang Ye’s surprise, the sliver of Innate True Qi wasn’t stationary. It darted through his Meridians like a little snake. The moment it sensed the approach of his Dragon Elephant Power, it would immediately flee to another location. As formidable as Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Power was, he found himself momentarily unable to pin down the wisp of Innate True Qi.

’A True Dao Expert... such impressive methods! To think he can pull so many tricks with just a single sliver of Innate True Qi!’ Zhaang Ye was secretly astonished. With a shift in his thoughts, his Dragon Elephant Power surged forth like a tidal wave, instantly sealing off an entire section of his Meridians.

A True Dao Expert’s Innate True Qi was powerful, but Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Power was even more so. Having sealed off that section of his Meridians, Zhaang Ye only needed to circulate his Dragon Elephant Power slowly to eventually refine the foreign Innate True Qi.

But just as Zhaang Ye began to refine the Innate True Qi, two figures came speeding over from the distance. Spotting Zhaang Ye sitting cross-legged on the White Jade, one of the figures burst into loud laughter and shouted, ”Zhaang Ye, you’re dead! Today, I, Fu Songcheng, will beat you to death and feed your corpse to the Two-winged Flying Crocodiles!”

The two shadows, accompanied by the sharp whistle of the wind, suddenly dove toward Zhaang Ye! (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.)