Overlord of the Wilderness

Learning that there were numerous Barbaric Beasts deep within the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, Zhaang Ye was immediately intrigued. He asked, ”Master, what’s the combat strength of these Barbaric Beasts?”

The Fourth Hall Master smiled and said, ”The Barbaric Beasts near this spatial rift are endless. But we hunt them down every year, so the ones that appear are all Lower-Rank Barbaric Beasts. Heh, if Middle-Rank Barbaric Beasts showed up, old guys like us would have been eaten by them long ago.”

Hearing his master’s explanation, Zhaang Ye’s heart was put at ease.

Barbaric Beasts are divided into three tiers: Lower-Rank, Middle-Rank, and Upper-Rank. Lower-Rank Barbaric Beasts have combat strength roughly equivalent to a True Dao First to Third Layer expert. Middle-Rank Barbaric Beasts are comparable to a True Dao Fourth to Sixth Layer expert. The most powerful Upper-Rank Barbaric Beasts have the strength of at least a True Dao Seventh Layer expert, and some that have cultivated for a long time are even more formidable than a True Dao Ninth Layer Grandmaster.

Zhaang Ye’s current Cultivation was at the Peak of the First Layer, but his Cultivation Technique was extremely powerful, and he had the Punishment Whip and the Fire Spirit. As long as he didn’t run into any Middle-Rank Barbaric Beasts, Zhaang Ye had nothing to fear.

Zhaang Ye said, ”Third Hall Master, Master, the purpose of my trip this time is to gain experience and improve my combat skills. Since there are so many Barbaric Beasts deep in the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, I’d like to go there to train. What do you think?”

The Third Hall Master and the Fourth Hall Master exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously. The Fourth Hall Master said cheerfully, ”A cultivator must fight constantly. Only through continuous battle can one’s Cultivation and strength improve. Since you want to go to the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range to train, we will grant your wish. Let’s go. We’ll leave at once.”

At that moment, the Third Hall Master chuckled and said, ”Zhaang Ye, let’s see who’s faster!”

As he spoke, his figure suddenly transformed into a streak of light, shooting straight into the sky and flying toward the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range. As the Third Hall Master took off, the Fourth Hall Master also chuckled and followed close behind.

Zhaang Ye had spent several months observing the Space Storms within the Spatial Array, deepening his comprehension of the Wind Realm. Although the two Hall Masters’ Cultivation far surpassed his, Zhaang Ye wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. Seeing the two Hall Masters take off, he too unleashed his Body Technique, transforming into a streak of light and chasing after them.

The two Hall Masters intended to test Zhaang Ye’s strength, so they used sixty percent of their power from the very start. Sixty percent of the power of a True Dao Third Layer expert was no small matter. In the blink of an eye, they could fly over a hundred li. This speed was even faster than an ordinary Pseudo-Spiritual Bird.

However, as fast as the two Hall Masters were, Zhaang Ye was not slow. After flying for more than a hundred thousand li, the two Hall Masters discovered that Zhaang Ye was casually trailing behind them, seemingly without any effort.

The Third Hall Master glanced back and cursed internally, ’I’m already using sixty percent of my power and I still can’t pull away from him. This kid, Zhaang Ye, is a complete monster. Since sixty percent isn’t enough to shake you, I’ll use everything I’ve got! I refuse to believe that my centuries of Cultivation are no match for a mere brat!’

The Third Hall Master’s speed gradually increased, and he flew faster and faster.

The Fourth Hall Master, feeling a bit competitive himself, also began to slowly pick up his pace, flying faster and faster. The two Hall Masters’ speed increased until their figures were no longer visible. Even someone with the sharpest eyes could only spot two faint streaks of light. The sound of them breaking the sound barrier only echoed after they had traveled a hundred li.

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. With a slight shift in his thoughts, a gust of wind instantly enveloped his body. Zhaang Ye let the gale carry him, flying along leisurely, his speed not the least bit slower than the two Hall Masters.

After flying for a million li, the two Hall Masters were using their full power. But even then, they found Zhaang Ye still following leisurely, his speed no slower than theirs.

The two Hall Masters were finally convinced.

Watching Zhaang Ye’s relaxed flight, the Fourth Hall Master couldn’t help but ask, ”Zhaang Ye, when you fly, it’s like you’re being held up by a gentle breeze. Have you comprehended a Realm?”

Zhaang Ye nodded slightly and said, ”Your eyes are sharp, Master! I was just fortunate enough to comprehend the Wind Realm not long ago.”

The two Hall Masters exchanged a look, sighing to themselves simultaneously. ’We’ve struggled with our Cultivation for centuries, and we’ve only reached the True Dao Third Layer. Zhaang Ye is barely thirty, yet he already has the combat strength of the True Dao Third Layer and has comprehended the Wind Realm. Compared to him, it feels like we’ve wasted our past few centuries!’

Flying at full speed, it took the three of them only two days and two nights to reach the outskirts of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range. From the sky, Zhaang Ye could already hear the great roars of Barbaric Beasts and see some massive Fierce Beasts hunting below.

The Fourth Hall Master said, ”The Sect sent us to the True Hall for two main reasons. The first is to have us guard the Land of Divine Abandonment and cultivate talent for the Sect. The second is to have us guard two spatial rifts, especially this one deep in the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, to prevent Fierce Beasts from escaping and causing harm.”

Zhaang Ye suddenly understood. Only now did he realize what the Hall Masters’ duties were.

WHOOSH!

The three of them quickly passed the outskirts and entered the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range. The moment he entered, Zhaang Ye immediately sensed a difference. He keenly felt that the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi here was infused with wisps of a fierce, baleful aura. As soon as this aura touched his body, it tried to drill into his Meridians like a viper.

Zhaang Ye said with some surprise, ”What a terrifying, baleful aura! Master, under its influence, the Barbaric Beasts must be extremely formidable, right?”

The Fourth Hall Master gave a wry smile. ”Exactly. This baleful aura is a huge problem for us human Cultivators. If even a tiny wisp enters the body, it takes a great deal of effort to expel. But for the Barbaric Beasts, it’s a potent tonic. They absorb this aura to cultivate, so their strength grows incredibly fast. There’s no end to them.”

Zhaang Ye said in confusion, ”An endless supply of Barbaric Beasts? That should be a good thing for you, right? With so many to kill, you should be able to get a large number of Inner Cores for your Cultivation.”

The two Hall Masters exchanged a glance and smiled wryly again. The Fourth Hall Master explained, ”The Barbaric Beasts in this mountain range are exceptionally violent due to the influence of the baleful aura. When they fight, they are utterly frenzied, putting their lives on the line with every strike. Even worse, the moment they are at a disadvantage, they immediately detonate their Inner Cores, trying to take us down with them. Therefore, although we clear out a good number of Barbaric Beasts each year, we obtain very, very few Inner Cores.”

Zhaang Ye’s heart skipped a beat. He had come to the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range to train precisely for their Inner Cores. If the beasts here really did self-destruct the moment they were losing, then his plans would be for nothing!

Zhaang Ye’s mind raced. He asked, ”Is there any way to obtain their Inner Cores?”

The Fourth Hall Master sighed. ”There is. You have to use overwhelming force to kill them in a single blow before they can self-destruct. Only then can you successfully retrieve their Inner Cores. However, these Barbaric Beasts have thick hides and tough flesh, as well as all sorts of special techniques. Killing them in one hit is extremely difficult. Unless several True Dao Experts work together, it’s nearly impossible...”

Hearing his master’s explanation, a glint appeared in Zhaang Ye’s eyes as he began to mentally calculate ways to quickly dispatch the Barbaric Beasts.

The three of them quickly crossed several hundred thousand li, and the baleful aura grew denser.

Zhaang Ye looked ahead and saw a pitch-black vortex in the sky on the horizon. The vortex was immense, over a thousand li in diameter. Even from a distance, it exuded an incredibly oppressive feeling.

The Fourth Hall Master pointed at the vortex. ”That vortex is formed from the condensation of the leaking baleful aura. The spatial rift is directly beneath it. The thirty-thousand-li area around the rift is a high-density zone for Barbaric Beasts. Our thirteen True Halls have divided this thirty-thousand-li area into thirteen zones, with each True Hall responsible for one. We can only return to the True Hall to cultivate after we’ve cleared out all the Barbaric Beasts. The area the Wei Kingdom True Hall is responsible for is just ahead. Let’s hurry.”

WHOOSH!

The two Hall Masters flew in the lead, heading straight for a mountain peak. From his vantage point in the sky, Zhaang Ye saw that the dense, baleful aura had already condensed into clouds floating in the air. From the ground below, he could clearly hear the thunderous roars of Barbaric Beasts. Just from the sound alone, he knew their strength was extraordinary.

Just then, Zhaang Ye sensed two immense auras. A moment later, an aged voice rang out, ”Third, Fourth, you’re back? Huh? Who’s that expert with you?”

Zhaang Ye recognized the voice. The speaker was the Second Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall.

The Third Hall Master laughed heartily. ”Second, you’ll never guess who this is. He’s sure to give you a huge shock!”

The Second Hall Master snorted. ”What’s so hard to guess? It must be a Sect Envoy. Strange, why would the Sect send an Envoy now?”

Hearing the Second Hall Master’s confused voice, Zhaang Ye gave a dry cough and said, ”Second Hall Master, it’s me, Zhaang Ye.”

”What? Zhaang Ye? You’ve advanced to the True Dao Realm? How is that possible?”

”Huh? Zhaang Ye? How can that be?”

The moment Zhaang Ye’s voice fell, the astonished voices of the Great Hall Master and the Second Hall Master rang out. Then, the baleful aura in the air was split apart by two powerful forces, and the two Hall Masters suddenly appeared before Zhaang Ye.

HISS!

The two Hall Masters sized up Zhaang Ye, both sucking in a sharp breath, their faces filled with utter disbelief.

Seeing the two Hall Masters’ astonished expressions, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but smile wryly. He coughed drily again and gave them a brief summary of what happened after he entered the Sect, which finally managed to placate the two Hall Masters. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)