Overlord of the Wilderness

The moment Zhaang Ye flew out of the Little World, he immediately felt dozens of gazes sweep over him. A few of them were so chilling that the hair on his arms stood on end. A frigid sensation washed over him, and even the True Qi constantly circulating within his body stagnated for a moment.

”Hmph!”

Zhaang Ye took a long breath, and an unyielding aura suddenly erupted from him. His body swayed slightly in mid-air, like a Divine Dragon soaring through the void. With this one mystical sway, Zhaang Ye crossed dozens of yards of empty space in the blink of an eye and landed steadily on the ground.

”Oh?”

Seeing Zhaang Ye land with such composure, the dozens of Hall Masters below the cliff were all rather surprised. The power of a True Dao Expert was so profound and unpredictable that a single casual glance was enough to kill a Martial Arts Expert. For Zhaang Ye to land without his expression changing under the scrutiny of dozens of True Dao Experts was no simple feat.

The moment Zhaang Ye touched the ground, the Fourth Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall flew over, laughing heartily. ”Excellent, excellent! As long as you made it out of the Little World safely, nothing else matters! Huh…?”

The Fourth Hall Master sized up Zhaang Ye, suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise, and said in disbelief, ”Zhaang Ye, when did you advance to the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer?”

When Zhaang Ye entered the Little World, his Cultivation was at the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage. In just three short months, he had actually advanced two consecutive Small Tiers to reach the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. This was something the Fourth Hall Master found hard to believe.

The further one progressed on the Martial Dao, the harder it became to raise one’s Cultivation. Even for a first-class genius, it would take four to five years to advance from the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage to the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer. And to go from the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer to the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer would require more than ten years, even with the help of various Elixirs. For Zhaang Ye to advance two Small Tiers in just three short months was nothing short of a miracle.

As the Fourth Hall Master noticed the increase in Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation, the True Dao Experts from the other True Halls of the Thirteen Countries also noticed Zhaang Ye’s transformation. Dozens of True Dao Experts turned their gazes on him in unison. Their sharp stares seemed to pierce right through Zhaang Ye’s body. Under their scrutiny, Zhaang Ye felt a chill run down his spine, as if all his secrets were being laid bare.

One True Dao Expert stared at Zhaang Ye and said, ”Though the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the Little World is rich, it’s not enough to allow someone to jump from the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage to the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. This boy, Zhaang Ye, must have had some kind of fortuitous encounter inside the Little World.”

Another True Dao Expert nodded slightly. ”It seems Zhaang Ye must have come across some Celestial and Earthly Treasures in the Little World. Otherwise, there’s no way his Cultivation could have reached the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.”

”Among the Younger Generation in the Land of Divine Abandonment, even Yangx Guyuan, whose Cultivation is the most profound, is only at the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer. Now that Zhaang Ye has advanced to the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, he has surpassed Yangx Guyuan and become the number one expert of the Younger Generation in the Thirteen Countries.”

...

While the True Dao Experts were discussing this in low voices, Zhaang Ye answered respectfully, ”This disciple had a few fortunate encounters in the Little World. As a result, I had a stroke of luck and advanced to the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer ten days ago.”

The Fourth Hall Master burst out laughing. ”Excellent, excellent! Advancing to the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer makes this trip worthwhile, even if you didn’t find a single Essence Stone in the Thirteen Countries’ Newcomer King Tournament! With your Comprehension, if you return to the True Hall and cultivate for another twenty or thirty years, you might very well reach the Half-step True Dao Realm. You could even become the first native-born Daoist Master in the Land of Divine Abandonment! HAHAHAHA!”

Hearing the Fourth Hall Master’s booming laughter, the faces of the several Hall Masters from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall turned grim. The Great Hall Master of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall stared coldly at Zhaang Ye and said darkly, ”It seems this boy Zhaang Ye has some good fortune. But since he dared to kill a disciple of my Da Ling Kingdom True Hall, he must die.”

The Second, Third, and Fourth Hall Masters of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall all nodded slightly. They already considered Zhaang Ye a dead man. After the tournament ended, they would find an opportunity to torture him to death to appease their hatred.

Fu Yuguang, the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall, also wore a grim expression. Fu Yuguang had collaborated with Gu Yunsong, sending him to kill Zhaang Ye in the Little World. He had assumed Zhaang Ye was long dead at Gu Yunsong’s hands. He never expected Zhaang Ye to emerge alive and well, his Cultivation even having advanced to the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.

Sizing up Zhaang Ye, Fu Yuguang’s heart filled with alarm and suspicion, and he had a faint, ominous feeling. Before Zhaang Ye entered the Little World, he had left a strand of Innate True Qi on him. Because of this, a bloody battle between Gu Yunsong, Fu Songcheng, and Zhaang Ye was destined to happen. Now that Zhaang Ye had emerged unscathed, it was highly likely that Gu Yunsong and Fu Songcheng had met a terrible fate...

Clenching his fists tightly, Fu Yuguang screamed inwardly, ’Met a terrible fate? That’s impossible! When Gu Yunsong entered the Little World, he was already at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer! The Innate True Qi in his body was exceptionally powerful, and he was only a hair’s breadth away from the Half-step True Dao. Moreover, not only has Gu Yunsong cultivated all sorts of Secret Skills, but he also carried the Meteor True Artifact. There’s no way Zhaang Ye could have killed him! Gu Yunsong and Song’er must still be in the Little World. They have to be safe!’

Fu Yuguang stared intently at the exit of the Little World.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

The young experts who had entered the Little World flew out one by one. The first to emerge was Yangx Guyuan, followed closely by other young experts like Yann Wutian, Ou Qingxin, and Du Hong. These were all geniuses from the Land of Divine Abandonment. After spending three months in the Little World, they were covered in wounds and looked utterly wretched. However, their Cultivation had improved significantly, and a few of them were even on the verge of breaking through to the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer.

More and more young experts emerged from the Little World, including Fang Caiying and Wei Jingtian. Wei Jingtian was suffering from serious injuries, and Fang Caiying also looked quite disheveled; it seemed they had endured great hardships. However, the auras of both had grown more profound and powerful, and they were not far from reaching the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage.

Zhaang Ye glanced at the two of them and said with a smile, ”You’ve improved quite a bit in just three short months! With another two or three years of Cultivation, you should be able to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage.”

A hint of joy appeared on Fang Caiying’s pretty face as she said, ”You could say we had some small gains. That Little World is so chaotic. The four great Fierce Beasts inside were constantly fighting, scaring all the other Fierce Beasts into fleeing everywhere. I almost didn’t make it out this time. Luckily, I was fated to live and managed to get out in the end.”

Wei Jingtian, still shaken, added, ”Yeah, yeah. The four great Fierce Beasts in the Little World are just too powerful. The sheer force of their battles was enough to shake the heavens and the earth. I just dodged and weaved, avoiding all the crazed Fierce Beasts and traveling as carefully as I could. I’m just glad I made it out alive…”

A young expert standing nearby nodded and said, ”Same here. I’d heard of the four great Fierce Beasts before, but I never imagined they were so powerful. A simple roar from them could cause the weather to change for a hundred miles around. I heard their blood has wondrous uses. If only I could have gotten my hands on some...”

Listening to the three of them, a strange expression appeared on Zhaang Ye’s face.

While the young experts were celebrating their return from the Little World, Fu Yuguang’s expression grew darker and darker, his fists trembling slightly. Over an hour had passed, but Fu Yuguang still couldn’t find any sign of Gu Yunsong or Fu Songcheng. It was obvious that they had likely met a terrible fate.

The Hall Masters of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall also had extremely ugly expressions. Although they had used the Divine Calculation Technique to determine that Ling Kongyun and several other young experts had already perished, they had still clung to a sliver of hope. Unfortunately, reality had cruelly shattered that hope, extinguishing all their expectations.

WHOOSH! A young expert with both legs broken flew wretchedly out of the Little World. Just as he emerged, the giant purple gate began to slowly close with a deafening RUMBLE. The entrance to this Little World once again became a sheer cliff face, with not a single trace of the portal remaining.

Fu Yuguang stared blankly at the cliff face before him, his heart turning to ice. ’My son, Fu Songcheng, really died in the Little World! Even Gu Yunsong died in the Little World. This is all because of that brat, Zhaang Ye. Zhaang Ye, since my son is dead, you don’t get to live either!’

Fu Yuguang clenched his fist viciously and shot Zhaang Ye a cold glare.

The Hall Masters from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall also shot Zhaang Ye a cold look. A murderous glint flashed through all four of their eyes, and the very air seemed to freeze.

Zhaang Ye faintly sensed several chilling gazes and was startled. He subtly scanned his surroundings, trying to find the source of those cold stares, but he couldn’t pinpoint them at all. Zhaang Ye gave up the search, his heart sinking slightly. ’Those gazes just now were frigid and contained killing intent. They’ve obviously decided to kill me. Which of the True Dao Experts wants me dead?’

True Dao Experts possessed the power to topple mountains, overturn seas, and summon the wind and rain. The thought of being targeted by such experts made Zhaang Ye’s scalp tingle with fear, no matter how powerful he was.

Zhaang Ye forced himself to calm down and thought coolly, ’Other than my master and three senior uncles, I’ve never had contact with any other True Dao Experts, so it’s impossible that I offended them directly. The only reason these True Dao Experts would want to kill me is if I killed their disciples, earning their bitter resentment...’

Just as Zhaang Ye was racking his brain, a contemptuous voice suddenly rang out. ”So these are the genius experts of the Land of Divine Abandonment? What a disappointment. Any random disciple from my Sect would be far superior to any of you so-called geniuses.”(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)