Overlord of the Wilderness

Sensing that the Death Bees had all left, Zhaang Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously flew up into the sky. The Purple-haired Wild Boar followed suit, emerging from the lake.

Glancing at the Purple-haired Wild Boar, Zhaang Ye praised it, ”I didn’t expect your strength to improve so quickly. Even the Death Bee queen couldn’t catch you. At this rate, it won’t even take you three hundred years to convert the Postnatal True Qi in your body into Innate True Qi and become a powerful Barbaric Beast.”

The Purple-haired Wild Boar let out a triumphant squeal.

”SQUEAK, SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!”

From Zhaang Ye’s waist, the Sharp-headed Mongoose let out several dissatisfied squeaks. The Sharp-headed Mongoose was an Overlord in the Little World that spent its years living underground. Not even the most formidable creature in the Little World, the Green-eyed Golden Eagle, could do anything to it. But after Zhaang Ye had captured it with a glove, he had simply tied the glove shut and carried it with him, leaving the Sharp-headed Mongoose feeling aggrieved and miserable.

Having successfully obtained the Celestial Fragrance Jade Flower, Zhaang Ye was in high spirits. Hearing the Sharp-headed Mongoose’s squeals, he chuckled and said, ”No need to be anxious, little guy. As long as you obediently help me find Medicinal Herbs and Essence Stones, I’ll definitely let you go when it’s time to leave the Little World.”

Zhaang Ye took out the Beast Hide Scroll the Great Hall Master had given him. He unrolled it, pointed to a Medicinal Herb, and asked, ”This herb is called the Long Li Sky-Catching Grass. You’ve lived in this Little World for so long, have you ever seen it before?”

”SQUEAK SQUEAK!” The Sharp-headed Mongoose glanced at the herb and nodded.

Zhaang Ye’s eyes lit up. ”So you have seen the Long Li Sky-Catching Grass! Excellent. Take me there now. I need to go and harvest it.”

”SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!” A flash of terror crossed the Sharp-headed Mongoose’s eyes. It gestured with its two short, chubby claws, as if trying to explain something to Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye frowned. ”What are you trying to say?”

”AWOO!”

At that moment, the Purple-haired Wild Boar let out a low roar and swiped a claw through the air. The Purple-haired Wild Boar was already a powerful Fierce Beast with a considerable amount of Innate True Qi. After eating the Two-winged Flying Crocodile, its Innate True Qi had grown even more abundant. As its claw sliced through the void, Innate True Qi instantly poured out, forming a simple image in the air.

The image was of a great, golden eagle. This gleaming eagle had a pair of green eyes and feathers that looked as if they were cast from metal, exuding an indescribable Suppression. It looked exceptionally fierce and powerful.

Zhaang Ye studied it for a moment and asked, ”Purple-haired Wild Boar, is that a Green-eyed Golden Eagle you’ve drawn?”

The Purple-haired Wild Boar nodded, a trace of excitement in its eyes. In this Little World, its strength was second only to the Green-eyed Golden Eagle. Now that it had eaten the Two-winged Flying Crocodile, its power had increased dramatically. It was eager for a fight with the Green-eyed Golden Eagle, wanting to defeat it and become the new Overlord of the Little World.

Zhaang Ye sensed the battle lust radiating from the Purple-haired Wild Boar, but he couldn’t be bothered with it. He asked, ”The Long Li Sky-Catching Grass... it doesn’t happen to grow in the Green-eyed Golden Eagle’s nest, does it?”

The Purple-haired Wild Boar and the Sharp-headed Mongoose nodded at the same time.

Zhaang Ye sucked in a sharp breath. The Green-eyed Golden Eagle was the most powerful Fierce Beast in the Little World, the Overlord of Overlords. Its flight was traceless, and its strength was immense. With the Long Li Sky-Catching Grass growing in its nest, harvesting it would be incredibly difficult. One careless mistake could attract the eagle’s attention, and his life would be forfeit.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhaang Ye thought to himself, ’After eating the Two-winged Flying Crocodile, the Purple-haired Wild Boar has grown stronger and stronger. It’s now more powerful than ten experts at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer combined. If I didn’t have other concerns, I could go and test my luck against the Green-eyed Golden Eagle and see if there’s an opportunity. But that robed youth is still hiding somewhere deep in the Little World, cultivating. If I recklessly challenge the Green-eyed Golden Eagle and get injured, it’ll be a huge problem.’

With that in mind, Zhaang Ye waved his hand and said, ”Since the Long Li Sky-Catching Grass is in the Green-eyed Golden Eagle’s nest, let’s not provoke it for now. You two, focus on helping me find Medicinal Herbs, Essence Stones, and a certain person. When it’s time to leave the Little World, we can go and pay the Green-eyed Golden Eagle a visit to see what it’s made of.”

”AWOO!” The Purple-haired Wild Boar let out an excited roar, carrying Zhaang Ye on its back as it headed deeper into the Little World.

...

Inside a cave, Gu Yunsong sat cross-legged, his limbs and torso emitting a soft, clear glow. This glow was a light produced when Innate True Qi reached a certain density. Currently, this soft glow covered more than forty percent of his body, indicating that over forty percent of the True Qi within him had been converted into Innate True Qi.

With over forty percent Innate True Qi, he was only a hair’s breadth from the Half-step True Dao realm. Gu Yunsong only needed to refine one more trace of Innate True Qi to become a Half-step True Dao expert.

However, reaching the Half-step True Dao was no easy feat. Humans are born Postnatal, and the True Qi they cultivate is Postnatal as well. For a Martial Artist to return from Postnatal to Innate was like a fish swimming upstream against the current. They would encounter all sorts of unexpected difficulties. If they could not overcome these obstacles, they would be forever barred from the True Dao.

Gu Yunsong was exceptionally talented. With the strong support of his sect and several fortuitous encounters, he had managed to advance to the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer before the age of forty-five. But even with his outstanding talent and various opportunities, breaking into the Half-step True Dao realm was still an incredibly difficult task.

It was for this very reason that Gu Yunsong had made a deal with Fu Yuguang, Fu Songcheng’s father, to enter this Little World in search of opportunities. And the Little World had not disappointed him. By harnessing its dense Heaven and Earth Essence Qi and various Celestial and Earthly Treasures, Gu Yunsong had already cultivated forty-five percent Innate True Qi, bringing him ever closer to the Half-step True Dao.

”HUUU—”

Gu Yunsong exhaled a long, turbid breath, and the glow on his body intensified slightly. Opening his eyes, a look of delight appeared on his face. He murmured, ”Excellent, excellent! The Innate True Qi in my body is getting denser and denser, and I’m getting closer and closer to the Half-step True Dao! I still have more than ten Celestial and Earthly Treasures. After consuming them, I should be able to cultivate fifty percent Innate True Qi and break into the Half-step True Dao realm!”

After a moment’s thought, Gu Yunsong took out more than a dozen Medicinal Herbs. They were all of different colors, and two of them even bore bright red fruits that emitted waves of fresh fragrance.

Looking at the dozen or so Medicinal Herbs, a hint of pride showed in Gu Yunsong’s eyes. Although there were many Medicinal Herbs in this Little World, finding rare, ancient ones still required a certain level of skill. Gu Yunsong’s master was an expert at Alchemy, and he himself was quite interested in the Alchemy Dao, so he had a deep understanding of the properties of Medicinal Herbs.

It was precisely this understanding that had allowed him to find dozens of rare Medicinal Herbs in a short time and use their Medicinal Power to greatly enhance his Cultivation.

From the dozen or so herbs, Gu Yunsong picked out a seven-hundred-year-old Purple Leaf Polyporus. Just as he was about to swallow it, he suddenly heard several sharp ”SQUEAK SQUEAK” sounds from outside.

Gu Yunsong’s brow furrowed slightly. He paid it no mind, however. He had already blocked the cave entrance with a massive boulder. Not even the most powerful Fierce Beast could break in quickly. And with his immense strength, he could casually kill even the most powerful Fierce Beast, so there was nothing to worry about.

...

”Purple Cloud Wind-following Grass, Hundred-Year-Old Vermilion Fruit, Jade Leaf Fruit...” Atop a small hill, Zhaang Ye continuously sent Medicinal Herbs into his Small Space. Although these herbs weren’t particularly ancient, Zhaang Ye had plenty of room in his Small Space, so any herb that looked halfway decent was collected.

After leaving the lake, Zhaang Ye had been plundering everything in his path under the guidance of the Purple-haired Wild Boar and the Sharp-headed Mongoose. Both beasts had lived in the Little World for hundreds of years and were extremely familiar with its contents. With their directions, Zhaang Ye didn’t have to lift a finger. He just had to sit on the Purple-haired Wild Boar’s back, and it and the Sharp-headed Mongoose would lead him to the places with the most Essence Stones and Medicinal Herbs.

This feeling of plundering his way through was just too good.

”SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK—”

As Zhaang Ye was harvesting Medicinal Herbs, the Sharp-headed Mongoose at his waist suddenly began squeaking wildly, its two claws gesturing nonstop at him.

Zhaang Ye was taken aback for a moment. ”Little guy, have you found another Celestial and Earthly Treasure?”

”SQUEAK SQUEAK!” The Sharp-headed Mongoose nodded vigorously, then pointed its two short claws toward a massive white boulder several miles away. The Purple-haired Wild Boar’s gaze was also fixed on the boulder, its nose sniffing hard at the air as if it had caught a scent.

Delighted, Zhaang Ye immediately executed his Body Technique and arrived beside the white boulder. The moment he was near the massive rock, he felt a dense wave of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi emanating from within it. Contained within this dense energy were faint traces of a fresh fragrance, like that of a rare Medicinal Herb.

’Strange! How can there be the scent of a Medicinal Herb inside this rock? Heh, could there be another treasure inside?’ Zhaang Ye thought, nodding at the Purple-haired Wild Boar.

Having followed Zhaang Ye for so long, the Purple-haired Wild Boar was very familiar with his every move. Seeing Zhaang Ye’s signal, it took a step forward, raised a claw, and viciously slammed it down on the white boulder.

”BOOM!”

The Purple-haired Wild Boar’s strength was immense. The boulder, weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds, was instantly pulverized by the blow, revealing a dark cave entrance.

”Hmph!” Before the cloud of dust had even settled, a robed youth shot out from the cave. Arriving at the entrance, he was slightly startled by the sight of the Purple-haired Wild Boar, which radiated a savage aura. But when he saw Zhaang Ye standing behind it, his expression changed instantly, and he spat through gritted teeth, ”Zhaang Ye, it’s you!”