Overlord of the Wilderness

Chapter 572: Chapter 545: Hair Becomes a Flood Dragon

「Inside the Sunset Secret Realm.」

Seeing the young experts enter the Sword Monarch Ruins one by one, the five Grandmasters finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as they were about to retract their power, a strange fluctuation suddenly emanated from within the ruins.

Sensing this fluctuation, the expressions of the five Grandmasters changed in unison.

Daoist Master Shuiyue said in shock, “This is clearly a spatial fluctuation! Could it be that someone other than us opened a spatial passage into the ruins?”

Daoist Master Peng’s expression turned grim. “That’s highly likely! I remember now. The six Grandmasters of the Black Cloud Domain once requested that our Sect Leader allow dozens of their geniuses to train inside the Sword Monarch Ruins. But the Sect Leader refused…”

Hearing this, Master Qianjian added, “Several Grandmasters from the Black Cloud Domain made a similar training request to our Sect Leader as well. We also refused.”

A flash of anger crossed Master Miaohua’s face. “It must be those old codgers from the Black Cloud Domain. Their wicked ambitions never died! They must have taken advantage of the spatial instability as we opened the Sword Monarch Ruins, combining their power to blast open a passage and send their own genius disciples in!”

All the Grandmasters looked furious. The Sword Monarch Ruins had always been the training grounds for the geniuses of the Purple Spirit Domain. How could they accept their territory being invaded by outsiders?

Daoist Master Shuiyue said gravely, “The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the Black Cloud Domain is even denser than in our Purple Spirit Domain. Their genius disciples are, on the whole, a cut above our own. Among them, the ‘One Cloud, Two Mountains, Three Kings, and Four Marquises’ are all experts at the True Dao Sixth Layer.

“Besides those ten Sixth-Layer Experts, there are also several young masters at the Fifth Layer Peak. If the geniuses from the Black Cloud Domain have truly entered the Sword Monarch Ruins, our disciples from the Purple Spirit Domain are in grave danger!”

The Grandmasters were all shocked. Daoist Master Peng said grimly, “The Sword Monarch Ruins can only be opened once every thirty years. The window has passed; we can’t bring our disciples back out. For now, I will return to the Sect and discuss this with the Sect Leader.”

The other Grandmasters nodded, retracted their power, and quickly returned to their Sects.

「Inside the Sword Monarch Ruins.」

Zhaang Ye held a Jade Box in his hand, a look of sudden realization dawning on his face.

Inside this Jade Box were several blade fragments, the Mysterious Blade Tip among them. The aura of the Sword Monarch Ruins was identical to the aura of the Mysterious Blade Tip—a perfect match!

‘Heh, no wonder I felt a sense of familiarity the moment I entered the Black Death Sea. So the aura on the Mysterious Blade Tip is the Sword Monarch’s aura!’

Zhaang Ye looked at the Mysterious Blade Tip and the other fragments in his hand, his face lit with excitement. ‘It looks like this blade was very likely the Sword Monarch’s weapon! I wonder if I’ll be able to find a way to restore it here in the Sword Monarch Ruins?’

After a moment of contemplation, Zhaang Ye put those thoughts aside and proceeded cautiously into the depths of the Sword Monarch Ruins. Both he and the Fire Spirit sensed a persistent danger in the ruins, but they couldn’t pinpoint its source. To avoid any mishaps, Zhaang Ye gave up on flying and continued on foot.

The Sword Monarch Ruins were filled with dense Essence Qi. Zhaang Ye absorbed it as he walked, gradually stabilizing his realm at the True Dao Fourth Layer. He estimated that if this continued, he could likely consolidate his current cultivation and even reach the True Dao Fourth Layer Mid Stage within three months.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Several streaks of black light suddenly shot out from a hilltop. Each streak was a hundred zhang long and moved as fast as lightning, like a hundred-zhang Flood Dragon soaring through the air.

Sensing the formidable aura from the streaks of black light, Zhaang Ye quickly concealed his presence and asked the Fire Spirit, “Fire Spirit, what in the world were those things? Were they Flood Dragons?”

The Fire Spirit shook its head. “Not Flood Dragons. Flood Dragons are at least a thousand zhang long and have horns on their heads. Those streaks of black light had no eyes, ears, or claws. They were slick and smooth. They didn’t look like dragons or snakes… more like strands of hair.”

“Hair!”

Zhaang Ye’s expression grew solemn. Legend told that every drop of blood and every strand of hair from an Ancient Strong Person possessed boundless power. After some mythical experts perished, their bodies could transform into all of creation, becoming various forms of life and continuing to exist.

Zhaang Ye said slowly, “It seems those streaks of black light really could be hair! The Sword Monarch was an Ancient Strong Person. It wouldn’t be surprising if his hair transformed into Flood Dragons after he perished.”

WHOOSH!

A streak of black light suddenly shot up from the ground ahead, flying straight toward Zhaang Ye. It was as thick as an arm and moved with lightning speed. Even with Zhaang Ye’s sharp vision, he couldn’t make out its true form—all he could see was a long, black blur.

Zhaang Ye was constantly on alert. As the streak of black light shot toward him, he immediately swung the Broken Wave Saber. An exceptionally sharp Sword Gang shot out and struck the black streak squarely.

CLANG!

When the Broken Wave Saber struck, the black streak surprisingly didn’t break. Its speed merely dropped, as if it had suffered a heavy blow. With a flick of his saber, Zhaang Ye unleashed three more Sword Gangs in succession, all of them slamming into the black streak. With the final strike, it finally let out a crisp SNAP and broke in two, falling to the ground.

Only then did Zhaang Ye get a clear look at it. Lying on the ground were two arm-thick segments that looked like dead snakes, only they had no eyes or ears and were covered in just a few scales.

The Fire Spirit zipped out. With a slight wave of its arm, a flicker of flame shot out and instantly ignited the two segments. The air immediately filled with the stench of burning hair.

Smelling this, Zhaang Ye gasped. “It really is hair! This strand already has scales. In a few hundred more years, it probably would have become a true Flood Dragon!”

The Fire Spirit nodded. “That’s right! A single strand of hair from an Ancient Strong Person can contain a fragment of that expert’s will and possess immense power. After they perish, their hair will instinctively absorb Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, growing ever stronger. Eventually, it will become a new life form, transform into a dragon, and become a unique species of its own.”

An idea struck Zhaang Ye. “If the hair truly contains the Sword Monarch’s will, then it might be helpful for comprehending Saber Techniques. Let’s go. I’ll hunt down a few more strands and see if I can perceive the Sword Monarch’s will.”

“That’s a good idea!” the Fire Spirit said. “However, hundred-zhang-long strands like this one don’t contain any of the Sword Monarch’s will. Only the hair that has transformed into a Flood Dragon will possess it.”

For the next two days, Zhaang Ye and the Fire Spirit searched meticulously for a Flood Dragon. However, all they encountered were the arm-thick strands of hair; they couldn’t find a single Flood Dragon.

On the third day, a powerful roar suddenly echoed from deep within the ruins. The terrifying sonic wave made the ground tremble and Zhaang Ye’s ears ring.

Just as Zhaang Ye was recovering from his shock, another tremendous roar echoed from the distance. The depths of the ruins shook violently as dust and smoke billowed into the air. It seemed some powerful Barbaric Beasts were fighting.

WHOOSH!

Without a second thought, Zhaang Ye unleashed his Body Technique and rushed toward the sound. Whatever could make two powerful Barbaric Beasts fight was bound to be a Spirit Elixir or some other kind of Celestial and Earthly Treasure. He couldn’t let an opportunity like this pass him by.

After rushing for over a hundred miles, the terrain flattened, and a shimmering lake appeared before Zhaang Ye. Beside the lake, a six-thousand-zhang-long Black Flood Dragon was roaring furiously with its head raised high. Before it stood a mountainous, one-eyed Barbaric Beast. This beast was a full six hundred zhang tall and resembled an ox, with nostrils as wide as rivers. A single, enormous eye was set in its forehead, staring coldly at the Flood Dragon.

Zhaang Ye quietly concealed himself and sized up the scene, unable to stop himself from gasping. Both the Black Flood Dragon and the cyclops beast emanated terrifyingly powerful auras. If either one of them came after him, Zhaang Ye’s only option would be to flee for his life.

His gaze swept past the two powerful creatures to the lake, where he saw ten small plants growing. Each plant had nine emerald-green leaves and was topped with a crimson fruit. As a gentle breeze blew by, Zhaang Ye caught a faint, fresh scent. Merely smelling it made the Celestial River Righteous Qi in his body circulate more smoothly.

The Fire Spirit popped out, pointing excitedly at the fruits. “Nine-leaf Fierce Sun Fruit! Master, these fruits contain dense Heaven and Earth Essence and pure Flame Power! They’re very important to us. If I eat them, my strength will grow rapidly. If you consume them, they can help you comprehend the Fire Realm. Master, quick, think of a way to pick them!”

Zhaang Ye’s heart pounded, but he immediately shook his head. “That cyclops monster and the Flood Dragon are both too powerful. They’re comparable to experts at the True Dao Seventh Layer. With my current Cultivation, fighting them head-on is a death sentence. Let’s wait. Once they start fighting, we can find a way to harvest the fruits.”

SNORT! SNORT! SNORT!

After a short wait, the cyclops monster and the Flood Dragon did indeed begin their battle. The cyclops monster snorted terrifying blasts of air from its nostrils, while the Flood Dragon, taking advantage of its length, coiled its entire body around the beast. The two powerful creatures fought with earth-shattering intensity.

While the two behemoths were locked in battle, Zhaang Ye moved stealthily toward the lake and slipped into the water.

Having comprehended the Water Realm, Zhaang Ye was completely at home in the water. He moved like a fish, darting several hundred zhang across the lakebed until he appeared beside the Nine-leaf Fierce Sun Fruits. With a quick swipe, he gathered all ten fruits into his Fire Spirit Realm.

Having successfully collected the fruits, Zhaang Ye was just about to retreat through the water when the Fire Spirit suddenly cried out, “Be careful! There’s someone under the water!”

–

I’m busy today, so there will only be two chapters. This is the first. The second will be at 12:00.

-(To be continued.