Overlord of the Wilderness

SWOOSH!

Zhaang Ye unleashed his Thunderbolt Body Technique, pursuing Yang Dashuang with the speed of a meteor chasing the moon. Yang Dashuang’s combat prowess was respectable, but his body technique was leagues below Zhaang Ye’s. In the blink of an eye, Zhaang Ye crossed thousands of feet and appeared right behind him.

ROAR!

Cornered by Zhaang Ye, Yang Dashuang resolved to fight to the death. He let out an earth-shattering roar as he frantically swung and clashed his two great hammers together. In an instant, lightning crackled through the void, and terrifying sonic waves ripped through the air, throwing the space for a thousand feet around into absolute chaos!

Yang Dashuang’s display gave Zhaang Ye a moment of pause. Based on his aura, Yang Dashuang had seemed a notch below Ling Huangyu, but the combat power he was now unleashing was far more terrifying.

’Yang Dashuang’s strength must have come from his own honest Cultivation. Ling Huangyu, on the other hand, likely relied on some external power to gain his. No wonder he collapsed with just a light touch from me.’ Zhaang Ye understood immediately with a single glance.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Zhaang Ye’s Spiritual Power was immense; none of Yang Dashuang’s attacks could escape his perception. His form flickered like a phantom, weaving through the bolts of lightning and sonic waves one by one. Then, he abruptly appeared before Yang Dashuang, his hands clenched into fists, and smashed them straight into the twin hammers!

”You’re courting death!” Seeing Zhaang Ye dare to meet his twin hammers with bare fists, Yang Dashuang was both shocked and delighted. He summoned every last ounce of his strength, preparing to smash Zhaang Ye into a pulp.

BOOM!

To Yang Dashuang’s utter disbelief, his two great hammers, each weighing over a thousand catties, were smashed flat by Zhaang Ye’s bare-handed strike. But something even more terrifying followed. An immense force surged up the handles, instantly tearing the webbing of his hands. Yang Dashuang’s arms trembled violently, and the two great hammers flew from his grasp, hurtling into the sky!

”Ah! What kind of monster is this Zhaang Ye?! He actually shattered my twin hammers with his bare fists!” Shocked and horrified, Yang Dashuang couldn’t stop himself from coughing up a mouthful of blood.

The blood sprayed into the air, turning into a fine mist.

Just then, something bizarre occurred. The blood Yang Dashuang had just spat out suddenly coalesced, forming a thumb-sized serpent of blood. Before Yang Dashuang could even react, the tiny serpent shot forward like a bolt of lightning, flying straight for his mouth!

Yang Dashuang’s mouth was still hanging open from having just spat out blood. When he saw the blood serpent flying toward him, he scrambled to shut his mouth, but it was too late!

WHOOSH!

The blood serpent flew into his open mouth. With a GULP, it went down his throat, then shot like lightning into his stomach, where it detonated.

BOOM!

As the thumb-sized blood serpent exploded, Yang Dashuang felt as if several strongmen were violently churning his insides. His internal organs were thrown into utter disarray, and blood roiled uncontrollably within him. Even more terrifying, the explosion sent his Innate True Qi into a frenzy, causing it to rampage through his Meridians!

PFFT—

Blood gushed from Yang Dashuang’s body uncontrollably. It sprayed from all seven orifices of his head. In the span of a few blinks, the once-imposing warrior had withered into a frail old man, unable to even stay upright, and he plummeted from the sky.

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

With a flick of his arm, Zhaang Ye tossed Ling Huangyu, Yang Dashuang, Helian Mumu, and Chu Gaotian into a single pile as if they were trash.

Zhaang Ye hadn’t killed the four men during the fight; he had a plan for them. Still, they had been grievously wounded by him and had then plummeted from the sky. No matter how profound their Cultivation, it wasn’t enough to endure such a fall. Now, their internal injuries were so severe they couldn’t even move a finger.

After his brutal fall from the sky, Yang Dashuang’s clothes were tattered and his hair had fallen out, making him look like a beggar. He struggled to open his eyes and asked haltingly, ”Zhaang Ye... how... how did you defeat me just now? Why did the blood I spat out turn into a snake and re-enter my body?”

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. ”There’s no harm in telling you. I have a profound understanding of the power of water, enough to control all the water in the world. Blood, when it comes down to it, is just another form of water. It was a simple matter for me to make the blood you spat out return to your body.”

Realization dawned on Yang Dashuang.

Just then, Ling Huangyu spoke slowly. ”Zhaang Ye, when you touched me, I started vomiting blood, and even my Innate True Qi began leaking from my body. Does that mean... you controlled my blood as well?”

Zhaang Ye smiled slightly and nodded.

HISS!

Ling Huangyu and the others sucked in a sharp breath, a bitter taste filling their mouths. They had already held a high estimation of Zhaang Ye’s power, which was why they had been willing to join forces to ambush and kill him. But only now did they realize that they had still gravely underestimated him. Zhaang Ye’s strength was unfathomable, his techniques were endless—it was impossible to see his limits!

Helian Mumu was about to ask another question when he saw Zhaang Ye reach out and grab at the empty air. A verdant mountain vine instantly appeared in his palm.

A bad feeling welled up inside Helian Mumu as he stared at the vine in Zhaang Ye’s hand. He pointed at it and stammered, ”Zhaang Ye, what... what are you going to do?”

Zhaang Ye chuckled. ”What am I going to do? I’m going to tie you all together, of course. There are four of you. How else am I supposed to bring you all back if I don’t tie you up?”

Yang Dashuang’s brow furrowed. He said in a low voice, ”Zhaang Ye, what game are you playing? We’ve lost to you. You might as well just give me a quick and painless death!”

Zhaang Ye sneered. With a light flick of his arm, the vine, as thick as a child’s arm, moved like a spirit serpent, deftly winding around the four men and binding them tightly. Only after they were secure did Zhaang Ye speak again, his tone slow and deliberate. ”When we fought, I was very tempted to just kill you all. However, I realized you might still have some use, so I decided to spare your lives...”

Ling Huangyu couldn’t help but ask, ”Zhaang Ye, what are you planning?”

Zhaang Ye chuckled and pulled a Blade Tip from his robes. ”In Ancient Times, there was an unrivaled warrior whose weapon was a saber. After an earth-shattering battle, that saber was shattered into five pieces.

”As far as I know, the Great Peace True Hall, the Great Rong Country True Hall, and the Great Marsh True Hall each possess one fragment of the blade. I spared you because I intend to use your lives to trade for those three fragments. You are all the head disciples of your respective True Halls. I’m sure they will agree to the exchange and obediently hand over the Broken Blade fragments to get you back.”

The expressions on the faces of Ling Huangyu, Yang Dashuang, Helian Mumu, and Chu Gaotian all turned ugly. No one would feel good about being used as merchandise in a trade.

Ling Huangyu said coldly, ”Dream on, Zhaang Ye! We of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall would rather die than submit! We will never hand over the fragment! You might as well just give us a quick death!”

Yang Dashuang spat hatefully, ”Brother Ling is right! The men of the Great Peace True Hall are all unyielding! We will never bow to your threats! Just give me a quick death and be done with it!”

Zhaang Ye just smiled. ”Oh, your True Halls will hand over the blade fragments. If they don’t, I’ll just take you to the Ping Mountain Black Market and put you up for auction...”

Hearing the word ”auction,” the faces of Ling Huangyu, Yang Dashuang, Helian Mumu, and Chu Gaotian changed drastically. They all shouted in unison, ”Shut your mouth! Zhaang Ye, this is a challenge to the dignity of the True Halls!”

Zhaang Ye ignored them and continued, ”The Ping Mountain Black Market is a massive organization. They have immense power not only within the Land of Divine Abandonment, but outside of it as well. They have no fear of the True Halls whatsoever.

”Their influence is spread across the world. Once I hand you over to the Ping Mountain Black Market, I’m sure many wealthy ladies will take an interest in you. You’ll be bought by them and spend your days sleeping with them, toiling away in their beds, living the comfortable life of a breeding stud...”

The faces of all four men—Ling Huangyu, Yang Dashuang, Helian Mumu, and Chu Gaotian—changed dramatically. They glared at Zhaang Ye, so enraged they were speechless. They were all worldly and well-traveled; of course they knew of the massive power wielded by the Ping Mountain Black Market.

They were the chosen prodigies of the Younger Generation. If they were truly bought by wealthy ladies to serve as bedwarmers, they would never be able to hold their heads high again. The most terrifying prospect, however, was that they would utterly disgrace their True Halls. They would become eternal sinners, nailed to a pillar of shame for all time.

Helian Mumu’s voice trembled. ”Zhaang Ye, you wouldn’t dare!”

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. ”What wouldn’t I dare? I’ve already killed Chu Yuxiang and Ling Kongyun. What’s sending a few more people to be auctioned at the Ping Mountain Black Market compared to that?”

SWOOSH!

With a flick of his arm, Zhaang Ye shot into the sky, dragging the four men with him. Once he reached a height of a thousand feet, his voice boomed out, ”Ling Huangyu, Yang Dashuang, Helian Mumu, and Chu Gaotian are now in my hands! If you want them back, bring the blade fragments in exchange! Otherwise, you can try asking for them at the Ping Mountain Black Market!”

Zhaang Ye knew that people were undoubtedly watching him from the surroundings. He channeled his Celestial River Righteous Qi to project his voice, ensuring it could be heard clearly for dozens of miles around.

With that said, Zhaang Ye unleashed his Body Technique to its fullest and shot straight toward the Ping Mountain Black Market. Ling Huangyu, Yang Dashuang, Helian Mumu, and Chu Gaotian were dragged along behind him like four trussed ducks. They desperately wanted to resist, but in their heavily injured state, they couldn’t even muster the strength to commit suicide. They could only allow Zhaang Ye to drag them through the air.

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