Overlord of the Wilderness

’Strange... very strange.’ Zhaang Ye sensed the distant Ancient Dragon Power. After a moment of contemplation, he flickered out of the small courtyard.

Once outside the courtyard, the aura became even clearer. Zhaang Ye could distinctly feel it originating from the Python Marsh. Although extremely faint, it subtly contained an immense Suppression.

’Has some kind of Treasure appeared?’ Zhaang Ye wondered. His body blurred into motion, streaking toward the Python Marsh at full speed.

Having grasped a sliver of the mysteries behind Ancient Dragon Power, Zhaang Ye had already gained rudimentary control over Water Qi. He couldn’t conjure a dark cloud several miles wide like the Thousand-foot Python could, but forming a small cloud was still well within his ability.

Now, Zhaang Ye was using his Water Qi Control Technique to form a small cloud. Riding this Water Cloud, he could remain airborne for extended periods, and his speed was far greater than it would be running on the ground.

Python City was over a thousand miles from the Python Marsh, a distance Zhaang Ye covered quickly. Upon entering the marsh, he carefully pinpointed the direction of the aura and accelerated once more.

After flying for some time, an idea struck Zhaang Ye, and he took out his topographical map of the Python Marsh.

The map of the Python Marsh unfolded to be a full ten feet square. It was covered with a dense web of winding lines. In the center, dozens of regions were outlined in bold, accompanied by numerous, quite detailed, annotations.

Zhaang Ye searched the Beast Hide map for a short while before finally confirming the aura’s direction. To his surprise, the scent of Ancient Dragon Power was coming from the very center of the Python Marsh!

Realizing the aura’s source, Zhaang Ye’s expression grew grim. A terrifying Thousand-foot Python lived in the center of the Python Marsh. If he ran into that monstrous creature, no matter how powerful he was, he would inevitably be devoured.

But judging by the aura, something extraordinary was clearly appearing in the center of the marsh. It would be a great shame to pass up this opportunity.

After a moment of deliberation, Zhaang Ye finally made up his mind. ’Since I’ve stumbled upon this, I might as well go and see. Although my current strength is still a ways off from a true Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert, I’m not that far behind. Besides, I have the ’Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness’ Qi Concealment technique. As long as I don’t run into the Thousand-foot Python head-on, I have nothing to fear!’

His mind made up, Zhaang Ye put away the map and continued toward the center of the Python Marsh.

As Zhaang Ye sped toward the center of the Python Marsh, the aura grew stronger and stronger. Eventually, it attracted the attention of Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts. In an instant, more than a dozen such experts shot out from Python City. They exchanged glances before each unleashed their Body Technique, transforming into streaks of light that shot straight toward the Python Marsh.

The flight speed of these Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts was even faster than Zhaang Ye’s. He had only flown for tens of thousands of miles into the Python Marsh when he sensed more than a dozen terrifying auras pursuing him from behind at astonishing speed.

’Hmm? They’re Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts! And there are at least fifteen or sixteen of them!’ Zhaang Ye was startled. He pushed the Dragon Elephant Power in his body to its limit, and the Water Cloud beneath his feet instantly grew much denser. As the Water Cloud thickened, his speed increased by a good twenty percent, and he shot across a vast distance in an instant, heading straight for the heart of the Python Marsh.

This maneuver consumed a tremendous amount of Dragon Elephant Power, but at a time like this, he couldn’t afford to worry about it. If those Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts caught up and got too close, the secret of his Dragon Elephant Power would be impossible to keep.

Besides, while his strength was considerable, he was still a notch below this group of older-generation experts. If they caught up to him, it would complicate whatever he planned to do.

The experts following Zhaang Ye sensed his aura, assuming it wouldn’t take them long to catch up. But Zhaang Ye’s speed suddenly exploded, and no matter how fast they flew, they couldn’t close the distance. This secretly astonished the group of Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts.

The deeper he flew into the Python Marsh, the denser the Water Qi became. After flying for several thousand more miles, his vision was completely obscured by water vapor, and he couldn’t see a thing.

Seeing the water vapor grow ever thicker, Zhaang Ye was not alarmed but delighted. His body moved like a dragon, weaving through the dense Water Qi, his speed increasing by another twenty percent.

As he continued deeper, Zhaang Ye felt the aura of the Ancient Dragon Clan grow increasingly intense. This aura faintly resonated with the energy within his own body, secretly astonishing him.

’Some kind of Treasure must have appeared in the depths of the Python Marsh!’ Zhaang Ye thought. ’And this Treasure must be connected to an Ancient Giant Dragon, or else it wouldn’t be emitting such a potent Giant Dragon Aura!’ He couldn’t help but grow intensely curious about what lay deep within the marsh.

...

Deep within the Python Marsh, Ling Wuliang and the two Divine Strategy Double Eagles lay quietly submerged in a small lake. Not far from them stood a forest of crimson trees. These trees were a thousand feet tall and emanated an incredibly oppressive aura.

The most unnerving sight was the giant python coiled around the top of every single tree. Each of these Giant Pythons was thousands of feet long and possessed a sinister aura. The combined auras of hundreds of these pythons made the crimson forest feel as grim and terrifying as the Underworld itself.

"So the Python Marsh really was formed from the battle of two giant dragons," Ling Wuliang said slowly, gazing at the crimson forest. "Dragon Blood Wood only grows in places stained with Dragon Blood. For the Dragon Blood Forest in these depths to be so vast, a great deal of dragon blood must have been spilled here."

Divine Strategy Right Eagle nodded slightly. "These Dragon Blood Trees are over a thousand feet tall. It would take a significant amount of Dragon Blood for them to reach such a height."

Ling Wuliang stared at the Dragon Blood Wood, his expression full of regret. "There must be one or two Dragon Blood Fruits growing in this grove. Consuming a Dragon Blood Fruit can greatly extend one’s lifespan and even increase the chances of breaking through to the True Dao. It’s just a pity these Giant Pythons are so terrifying, or I’d definitely go looking for one."

A trace of regret also flickered in Divine Strategy Left Eagle’s eyes. "A Dragon Blood Fruit is the crystallized essence of Dragon Blood. It’s a Seventh Grade Spirit Fruit with all sorts of miraculous properties. However, they are incredibly rare—only one Dragon Blood Fruit might grow for every thousand Dragon Blood Trees. This grove is vast, with well over a thousand trees. It’s entirely possible one has borne a Dragon Blood Fruit."

"A Seventh Grade Spirit Fruit..." Greed flashed in Ling Wuliang’s eyes. He had struggled in his Cultivation for seventy or eighty years just to reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, and he had essentially no hope of advancing further. If he could get his hands on a Dragon Blood Fruit, he could very well break through the Early Stage of Martial Arts Ninth Layer and advance all the way to the Ninth Layer Peak.

With enough luck, he might even advance to the Half-step True Dao, or perhaps even become a Daoist Master...

Sensing the fluctuation in Ling Wuliang’s emotions, Divine Strategy Right Eagle said in a low voice, "Ling Wuliang, you’d best forget about the Dragon Blood Fruit. This Dragon Blood Forest is home to thousands of Giant Pythons. We need to use them against the experts from Python City, then use the chaos as a chance to get inside. Right now, you should be thinking about how we can slip in successfully!"

Ling Wuliang nodded silently.

Divine Strategy Left Eagle added, "What’s inside this Little World is extremely important to the Master. If he obtains it, he’ll be able to overpower Yangx Guyuan, Helian Bi Bi, and Chu Yuxiang to become the number one expert of the Younger Generation. He might even advance several steps further and touch the threshold of the True Dao. That is why this mission cannot, under any circumstances, fail."

Ling Wuliang asked curiously, "What exactly is inside this Little World? Can you tell me?"

Divine Strategy Right Eagle said slowly, "According to the Great Hall Master’s deductions and records from various Secret Manuals, there is most likely a Water Attribute Spirit Stone inside this Little World. If the Master obtains this Spirit Stone and receives the aid of the Water Spirit Qi within, his Cultivation will improve dramatically, allowing him to surpass Yangx Guyuan, Helian Bi Bi, and Chu Yuxiang in a single stroke."

"A Spirit Stone!" Even though Ling Wuliang knew the item inside the Little World had to be extraordinary, he was still stunned to hear those two words.

Martial Artists on the Desolate Continent use several types of stones for their Cultivation. Essence Stones are the lowest grade. Above them are superior Essence Stones, which contain rich Innate Essence Qi. And above True Essence Stones are Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones contain the purest Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and possess incredible, wondrous effects.

The Spiritual Qi within a Spirit Stone is natural and harmless. If he could obtain one, Shen Ji Zi could indeed rapidly advance his Cultivation and overpower the other three young experts.

Just as Ling Wuliang was reeling from the shock, a dozen powerful auras suddenly appeared in the distance, heading straight for the Dragon Blood Forest at an astonishing speed. Sensing their approach, Divine Strategy Right Eagle said in a low, urgent voice, "The arrivals are all Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts. We move now! We’ll stir up the pythons in the Dragon Blood Forest. Then, while the pythons are attacking the experts, we’ll use the opportunity to charge inside!"

Divine Strategy Left Eagle and Ling Wuliang nodded in unison.

The three of them circulated their True Qi in unison. As they did, a massive, black True Qi Ball materialized before them. This huge True Qi Ball was condensed from their combined power. It was similar to the True Qi Thunder created by a Martial Arts Seventh Layer expert, but its destructive force was a thousand times greater.

The three exchanged a look and thrust their palms forward simultaneously. With that push, the massive True Qi Ball shot forward at an incredible speed, flying straight over the Dragon Blood Forest before detonating with a deafening BOOM!

Countless Giant Pythons lay dormant within the Dragon Blood Forest. Blasted by the True Qi Ball, they were instantly enraged. Each let out a bizarre shriek as their thousand-foot-long bodies shot toward the sky, soaring hundreds of feet into the air! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)