Overlord of the Wilderness

Only 2,680 people participated in the second round of the elimination tournament, exactly half the number from yesterday. After leaving the casino, Zhaang Ye had only watched a dozen or so matches before the second round was declared over.

The Sect’s Seventh Elder, Jin Zhongyu, flew into the air and slowly announced, ”Very good! The second round of the elimination tournament has concluded. A total of 2,680 people participated, and 1,340 have been eliminated. Now, 1,340 people will advance to the third round. Disciples who have made it this far, I will give you one hour to rest and recover. After that hour, the third round will begin, and we will once again eliminate half of the contestants!”

With 1,340 contestants, eliminating half meant another 670 would be cut. Faced with such a brutal tournament, no one dared to be careless. The disciples all closed their eyes to meditate and recover their strength.

「One hour later」

The third round of the elimination tournament officially began.

The third round of the elimination tournament was even more intense than the first and second. The participating contestants were far more formidable, and the Sword Gangs and Fist Gangs unleashed by the clashing prodigies made the fighting stages tremble. In the valley, the audience screamed themselves hoarse, their eyes red with excitement.

During the fifth round, Yangx Guyuan took the stage again.

In the first and second rounds, Yangx Guyuan had faced two Half-Step True Dao Experts in a row. This time, his luck was better; he was matched against an expert at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.

Among his peers, Yangx Guyuan was practically invincible. He casually unleashed several cyan Fire Dragons, and his opponent was quickly burned to a char, forced to cry out his surrender.

Just like that, Yangx Guyuan breezed through the elimination rounds and entered the points competition.

During the ninth round, a line of small text flashed on Zhaang Ye’s Identity Recognition Jade Token: ”Zhaang Ye and Xingxing’Er, please proceed to Arena 42 for your match.”

Zhaang Ye had just stepped onto the fighting stage when he suddenly felt a slight disturbance in the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the air, and the audience’s screams abruptly intensified. He looked out past the stage and saw a faint black shadow approaching from afar at an inconceivable speed. In the span of just two blinks, the black shadow had crossed a distance of several thousand feet and appeared suddenly upon the stage.

The person who arrived on the stage was a short, skinny young man with sharp, monkey-like features and a light covering of black fur all over his body. His eyes darted about restlessly, and even when standing still, his hands and feet were in constant motion. He looked exactly like a monkey.

”Xingxing’Er!”

”Haha, Xingxing’Er’s on stage!”

”So incredibly fast! That’s our Xingxing’Er!”

”Yeah! Now we’re in for a real show!”

Seeing Xingxing’Er take the stage, the audience erupted into a fanatical roar, the waves of cheers so loud they seemed to shake the heavens and earth. All the different sounds merged, filling the valley with a deafening hum.

Xingxing’Er fixed his sharp gaze on Zhaang Ye and cackled, ”Zhaang Ye, do you know why I’m so popular? KAKA, I bet you don’t. You’re just a country bumpkin who crawled out of the Land of Divine Abandonment.”

Zhaang Ye remained silent.

Xingxing’Er let out another strange cackle. ”Let me tell you, then! You’ve heard of the Red Cliff Celestial Ape, one of the five great super-prodigies, right? KAKAKAKA! I’m his junior brother, and I also have the bloodline of an Ancient Celestial Ape! KAKAKAKA!”

Zhaang Ye’s expression flickered. Reputations preceded people. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape was one of the five great super-prodigies of the younger generation, an unparalleled master of his time. ’For this Xingxing’Er to be his junior brother, his strength must be considerable.’

Seeing the flicker in Zhaang Ye’s expression, Xingxing’Er did a somersault on the spot and cackled, ”Zhaang Ye, you’re no match for me! Hurry up and get off this stage, or I’ll have to make my move! KAKA, my attacks are faster than lightning! You absolutely won’t be able to block them, absolutely not! KAKAKAKAKA—”

Zhaang Ye stood motionless.

Xingxing’Er grew furious. ”I’ve warned you! Get the hell off the stage already! Since you won’t listen, I’ll tear your clothes off! I’ll rip your skin off!”

”AHEM!”

The referee walked over and instructed the two to take their positions. Then, with a wave of his hand, he declared, ”Begin!”

Xingxing’Er shrieked, ”KAKAKA! You actually dare to stay on the stage! I’ll make you regret this! I’ll make you regret this! I’m coming!”

”WHOOSH!”

Xingxing’Er somersaulted forward, his entire body blurring into a dark shadow. He was like wind, like mist; his form seemed to have lost all substance. Before Zhaang Ye’s Spiritual Power could even lock onto him, Xingxing’Er had already become a vicious streak of black light, pouncing straight toward Zhaang Ye!

”KAKAKAKAKA!”

Appearing above Zhaang Ye, Xingxing’Er unleashed a thousand strikes with his arms and legs in less than the blink of an eye. The terrifying power crashed down on Zhaang Ye’s head like a flash flood!

”Incredible!”

”Xingxing’Er is so powerful!”

”So fast! He’s definitely the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s junior brother!”

”That guy from the Land of Divine Abandonment is dead for sure!”

Seeing Xingxing’Er’s terrifying assault, the crowd roared its approval. Sitting in the front row of the eastern stands, the super-prodigy Red Cliff Celestial Ape also gave a slight nod in praise.

’His speed is truly incredible! A normal Half-Step True Dao Expert would have their movements slowed by the fifty-times gravity in the air. Yet this Xingxing’Er is as agile as a bird in flight. It’s a miracle.’ As this thought crossed Zhaang Ye’s mind, he thrust his arm into the empty air!

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

With Zhaang Ye’s push, countless Tornados suddenly appeared above his head. The dense maelstrom of wind howled as it surged upward, catching Xingxing’Er’s body and lifting him. The power from his lightning-fast barrage was completely neutralized by the mass of Tornados!

”KAKAKAKAKA!”

Enraged, Xingxing’Er’s body suddenly transformed into a bizarre black gale, circling Zhaang Ye madly. With each rotation, Xingxing’Er launched dozens of attacks. He was like a monster with a thousand arms and a thousand legs, frantically assaulting Zhaang Ye. The spectacle was terrifying to the extreme.

”Incredible!”

The audience roared in applause at Xingxing’Er’s terrifying fighting style. But the faces of the prodigies seated in the east changed. An attack that fast and ferocious was simply impossible to block. Even though they were all powerful, battle-hardened geniuses, the sight of Xingxing’Er’s assault made their hearts leap into their throats.

”THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP—”

Xingxing’Er’s attack speed was three or four times faster than Zhaang Ye’s and far exceeded the speed of sound. Faced with such a rapid assault, Zhaang Ye simply couldn’t parry. But as a veteran of countless battles, if he couldn’t parry, he simply wouldn’t try. Layer after layer of Tornados erupted from his body, walling off Xingxing’Er’s attacks.

’Xingxing’Er’s attack speed is incredible, but he can’t possibly maintain it for long,’ Zhaang Ye knew. All he had to do was wait patiently—wait for Xingxing’Er to slow down, wait for the right moment to strike.

「Outside the arena.」

Fengyun Sheng, one of the five super-prodigies, watched the battle on the stage and chuckled. ”Xingxing’Er is incredibly fast, but his power is just too weak. He can’t touch Zhaang Ye at all. If this keeps up, Xingxing’Er is going to tire himself to death without Zhaang Ye even having to lift a finger.”

The super-prodigy Ye Cangtian nodded slightly. ”This Zhaang Ye has faintly grasped the essence of wind. The Tornados he is unleashing can not only attack an opponent but can also devour their attacks, just like the legendary Space Storms. If Xingxing’Er doesn’t have any Ultimate Techniques, he is sure to lose this fight. Red Cliff Celestial Ape, is this all the skill your junior brother has?”

The Red Cliff Celestial Ape snorted coldly and said, ”What a joke! That was just my junior brother warming up. My junior brother possesses the bloodline of the Ancient Celestial Ape. He could defeat Zhaang Ye with any one of his abilities.”

Ye Cangtian’s interest was instantly piqued. ”Excellent, excellent. Then let’s see what other Ultimate Techniques your junior brother has.”

Not long after Ye Cangtian’s voice fell, Xingxing’Er, on the stage, suddenly let out a series of strange cries. Each cry seemed to echo from ancient times, sonorous and carrying an aura of the primeval Wilderness.

Following Xingxing’Er’s series of strange cries, a faint, bloody light flashed from his body. His teeth suddenly grew to be several feet long, jutting out menacingly. His fingernails and toenails also extended to several feet in length, glinting with an ominous red light, like a set of incredibly Sharp Swords!

Watching Xingxing’Er’s sudden transformation, Ye Cangtian said with a start, ”Oh? The bloodline in Xingxing’Er’s body... could it be that of the Ancient Blood-sucking Celestial Ape?”

Fengyun Sheng was also taken aback. He said, ”The Ancient Blood-sucking Celestial Ape specialized in drinking blood, and its speed was like lightning. After undergoing the Transformation, not only does its speed increase further, but its power also grows tenfold. If Xingxing’Er’s bloodline is truly that of an Ancient Blood-sucking Celestial Ape, Zhaang Ye is going to have a hard time.”

The Red Cliff Celestial Ape said proudly, ”My junior brother’s bloodline is precisely that of the Ancient Blood-sucking Celestial Ape! Now that he has activated his bloodline and begun his transformation, his strength has increased tenfold. No matter how formidable Zhaang Ye is, he is no match for my junior brother. My junior brother will win this battle with absolute ease!”

While the three were speaking, Xingxing’Er had already completed his Transformation on the stage. His body was still gaunt and skinny, but that withered frame now seemed to contain an extremely terrifying power. Zhaang Ye felt a brutally savage aura lock tightly onto him, and a sense of danger flooded his heart.

”KAKA!”

Xingxing’Er transformed into a cloud of blood and rushed toward Zhaang Ye.

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Only one Chapter today. I’ll work myself to death to make it up to you all tomorrow!

——————————(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.)