Overlord of the Wilderness

The moment Zhaang Ye and Ye Cangtian stepped onto the arena stage, the crowd leaped to their feet. Their howls blotted out the sky, and the entire valley trembled.

Ye Cangtian was about thirty years old, with a handsome, heroic appearance and a composed air. His tiger-like eyes were both domineering and tranquil, giving him an unfathomable aura. Standing before Ye Cangtian, Zhaang Ye felt no pressure, yet a persistent sense of danger coiled in his heart, as if he were being stalked by a ferocious Barbaric Beast.

’Unfathomable. This Ye Cangtian is absolutely unfathomable.’ Zhaang Ye raised his guard. The Celestial River Righteous Qi within him began to circulate slowly, ready to erupt with earth-shattering power at a moment’s notice.

Ye Cangtian, in turn, was sizing up Zhaang Ye. Only now, standing before him, did Ye Cangtian realize just how powerful his opponent was. He could faintly sense that the power within Zhaang Ye’s body contained several types of ancient auras. ’Once this Ancient Power erupts, it will be absolutely terrifying.’

As the two faced each other in silence, the audience chattered with extreme excitement.

”Zhaang Ye is the biggest dark horse of this tournament. Let’s see if he can beat Ye Cangtian in this match. If he can, he has a real shot at taking first place.”

”Heh, Ye Cangtian isn’t that easy to deal with. His River-Overturning Sun-Concealing Sword Technique has reached an unbelievable level of mastery. Zhaang Ye is strong, but he might not be a match for Ye Cangtian. The way I see it, Ye Cangtian has a better chance of winning.”

”I also think Ye Cangtian’s chances are better. The swordsmanship he showed when he defeated Netherworld Green Blood was just incredible! Controlling a long sword from a distance... that’s the legendary Sword Control Technique! Now that he’s mastered such a terrifying skill, beating Zhaang Ye shouldn’t be a problem.”

”I still think Zhaang Ye’s chances are better. When he beat Huaa Jianxiong, he unleashed thirty-five Thousand-foot Blade Gangs in one go. It was staggering! With that many Thousand-foot Blade Gangs, even someone as powerful as Ye Cangtian would have trouble blocking them all!”

While the crowd was deep in discussion, the referee announced the start of the match.

The referee’s voice had barely faded when both Zhaang Ye and Ye Cangtian attacked simultaneously. Their assaults were strikingly similar—both unleashed Gang Qi from a distance, launching ferocious strikes!

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

With a tremor of his Long Sword, Ye Cangtian sent thirty-five Thousand-foot Sword Gangs tearing through the void like sharp arrows, straight toward Zhaang Ye. At almost the exact same instant, Zhaang Ye’s palms flashed, unleashing thirty-five dazzling, golden Thousand-foot Blade Gangs!

BOOM! BOOM—

Thirty-five Thousand-foot Sword Gangs and thirty-five Thousand-foot Blade Gangs collided violently in mid-air, producing earth-shattering explosions. The terrifying Sword and Blade Gangs ricocheted around the small arena, filling the air with the CLANG CLANG CLANG of metal on metal. The sound alone was enough to send a chill down one’s spine!

”Hm?”

”Hm?”

Both Zhaang Ye and Ye Cangtian were momentarily stunned. Neither had expected the other to open with an attack of Thousand Feet Gang Qi. Still less did they expect that they would both unleash exactly thirty-five streams.

The difference between masters is a hair’s breadth. Zhaang Ye and Ye Cangtian were both peerless experts. After a brief moment of shock, they immediately launched their second wave of attacks!

SWISH!

Zhaang Ye unleashed forty-two Thousand-foot Blade Gangs. The dense barrage instantly sealed off heaven and earth, like a blazing sun suddenly appearing in the sky. The entire valley was cast in a golden glow from the Blade Gangs, as if bathed in the light of dusk.

As Zhaang Ye made his move, Ye Cangtian also swung his Long Sword. He too unleashed Thousand-foot Sword Gangs—and incredibly, he also sent out exactly forty-two of them!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Eighty-four terrifying streams of Gang Qi detonated within the confines of the three-hundred-zhang-wide arena. The stage itself was blasted apart, cracking inch by inch, while the Protective Shield above it groaned, seemingly on the verge of collapse!

”This is insane!”

”Thousand-foot Sword Gang versus Thousand-foot Blade Gang! It’s terrifying!”

”Ye Cangtian truly deserves the title of Sword King! Compared to him, Huaa Jianxiong is just a total weakling!”

”FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Zhaang Ye! Ye Cangtian! Go all out! Make this fight even more intense!!”

Zhaang Ye and Ye Cangtian’s battle was more explosive than any other. After just two exchanges, the crowd’s bloodlust was ignited. These spectators, who had been watching for two straight days, were now roaring with energy, letting out all manner of strange cries and howls. The valley itself trembled violently from the force of their cheers!

On the stage, Zhaang Ye and Ye Cangtian exchanged a look, both feeling a little defiant. In the past two head-on clashes, neither had gained an advantage. They had fought to a perfect standstill.

”HRAAAGH!”

Both roared and simultaneously unleashed more Thousand Feet Gang Qi. This time, Zhaang Ye sent out a full forty-nine streams!

Not to be outdone, Ye Cangtian’s Long Sword trembled as he, too, unleashed forty-nine Sword Gangs! Every single one was a thousand feet long!

Seeing the dense storm of Thousand-foot Blade Gangs and Thousand-foot Sword Gangs on the stage, Huaa Jianxiong was utterly dumbfounded. Only now did he realize that when Zhaang Ye had fought him, he hadn’t even used thirty percent of his full power!

The top-tier experts, Netherworld Green Blood and Fengyun Sheng, also drew in a sharp breath. ’If Zhaang Ye had unleashed forty-nine Thousand-foot Blade Gangs in one go against us,’ they thought, ’we would have been on the defensive immediately. It wouldn’t have been long before we were wounded by that dense barrage and miserably defeated.’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The sound of the colliding Gang Qi was like a string of firecrackers exploding. An immense force blasted outward in all directions. The Protective Shield, even after being reinforced by three Elders, couldn’t withstand the terrifying impact. It made a series of strange noises and looked ready to shatter. Fortunately, at that moment, three figures suddenly appeared above the shield and stabilized it.

These three figures were none other than three Elders of the Sect.

The Seventh Elder stared at Zhaang Ye and chuckled. ”The power within Zhaang Ye’s body is incredibly aggressive. No wonder he can unleash forty-nine Thousand-foot Blade Gangs with his bare hands.”

The Eighth Elder nodded. ”Zhaang Ye’s power is a fusion of three Ancient Powers, making it perfectly suited for combat. However, while its offensive capabilities are immense, its nature is too volatile and difficult to control. For Alchemy or Artifact Refining, it’s actually inferior to ordinary Innate True Qi. I suppose there are always trade-offs.”

On the stage, the third round of their Gang Qi duel also ended in a draw. Both Zhaang Ye and Ye Cangtian stood firm, not moving an inch.

WHOOSH!

As one, Zhaang Ye and Ye Cangtian charged at each other. Since they couldn’t gain an advantage with Gang Qi, their only option was close combat—to use their deadliest techniques and defeat their opponent in one move.

”River-Overturning Sun-Concealing Sword Technique!”

Ye Cangtian roared, and with a tremor of his Long Sword, he transformed it into a vast Celestial River. The river twisted and coiled through the air, undergoing all manner of profound Transformations, even obscuring the sun. Wherever the Celestial River passed, space itself distorted wildly as countless invisible streams of Sword Qi filled the air, pulverizing everything in their path!

At a time like this, Zhaang Ye no longer dared to hold back. His body blurred, transforming into a blade—a colossal, brilliantly golden blade!

SWISH!

In a flash, Zhaang Ye crossed a hundred zhang of empty space. With an unstoppable momentum and the roar of wind and thunder, he slashed straight at Ye Cangtian!

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s peerless blade strike, the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s eyes flew wide. He had been defeated by this very same blade technique during the group stage. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape would never forget it as long as he lived!

BOOM!

A massive roar echoed as both Zhaang Ye’s and Ye Cangtian’s bodies trembled violently. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Ye Cangtian’s mouth; he had clearly been injured in that direct clash.

Although Zhaang Ye was also shaken by Ye Cangtian’s Sword Gang, his body was far more durable. A slight stir of the Celestial River Righteous Qi within him immediately suppressed his roiling blood and qi.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Seizing the opportunity while Ye Cangtian was injured, Zhaang Ye unleashed his Self-Created Combat Skill—the Mountain-Breaking Slash—and launched a relentless assault. The Mountain-Breaking Slash was a Combat Skill that generated power through rotation; once started, the attacks flowed like a torrential river, each strike more powerful than the last. The very first blow had the might of Moving Mountains and Leveling Seas.

Even someone as powerful as Ye Cangtian found his arms growing numb under Zhaang Ye’s terrifying assault. He felt as though every Hand Blade from Zhaang Ye carried the force of tens of millions of pounds. With each one he blocked, his arms grew number. After blocking dozens of Zhaang Ye’s Hand Blades, Ye Cangtian had almost lost all feeling in his arms!

With his arms numb, a tiny flaw appeared in Ye Cangtian’s River-Overturning Sun-Concealing Sword Technique.

The opening was like a flash of lightning, there and gone in an instant. But Zhaang Ye’s Spiritual Power was already locked onto Ye Cangtian, and no flaw, however small, could escape his notice. Detecting the opening, Zhaang Ye suddenly strode forward, his two Hand Blades crashing down like a pair of great mountains!

BOOM! BOOM!

Zhaang Ye’s two strikes landed squarely on the flaw in Ye Cangtian’s swordsmanship. The Long Sword in Ye Cangtian’s hand shuddered, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Seeing Zhaang Ye still pressing his attack, Ye Cangtian knew he had lost the upper hand. If he kept fighting, defeat was all but certain.

Realizing this, Ye Cangtian dodged backward and said with a wry smile, ”I concede this match!”

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This is the third Chapter for today. The fourth will be at 12:00. *Sweatdrop.* Thank you all so much for your subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendations! And a huge thank you to ”Pangzi 325” for becoming this book’s second Alliance Leader! As a token of my gratitude, I will continue with four Chapters tomorrow!

------(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with your Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)