Overlord of the Wilderness

"Argh!"

Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth slammed viciously into Rising Sun Peak’s Mountain Protection Array. They then plummeted from a height of several hundred zhang, crashing hard onto the ground and carving out three massive craters.

"AUUUGH..."

The three let out bloodcurdling screams in unison. After falling from a height of several hundred zhang, more than half the bones in their bodies were shattered. With their internal organs ruptured, blood streamed from all seven orifices, dyeing a large patch of earth red.

Zhaang Ye walked over, one step at a time. Each footfall seemed to land directly on the three men’s hearts.

"Ah! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I’ll leave right now, I’ll leave right now!" Cao the Second, who had the highest Cultivation, was the first to come to his senses, a wretched howl escaping his lips.

"Yes, yes! Don’t kill me! You’re a man of great magnanimity, please just let me go! I’ll stay far away from Rising Sun Peak and never appear before you again!"

"That’s right! Let us go! If nothing else, I’ve managed Rising Sun Peak for twenty years and kept everything here in perfect order. Don’t kill me!"

"Yeah, yeah! Even if we have no great merits, we’ve still worked hard! Please spare us."

Seeing Zhaang Ye approach, Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth thought he was about to kill them. Scared out of their wits, all three began to beg pitifully for their lives.

Zhaang Ye walked up to the three of them and said languidly, "No merits, but you’ve worked hard? What a joke. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi on Rising Sun Peak is extremely rich, making it perfect for growing Spirit Elixirs. But in a place with such dense Essence Qi, I can hardly find any Spirit Elixirs. I ask you, where did they all go?"

Hearing Zhaang Ye bring this up, the faces of Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth changed in unison. After Rising Sun Peak’s previous master, Lord Galaxy, disappeared, they had treated the peak as their own home. All the Spirit Elixirs they cultivated were used for their own Cultivation. Now, faced with Zhaang Ye’s sudden questioning, their hearts seized with terror.

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s icy gaze, Mu the Third stammered, "Ma-Master, there are a lot of birds on the mountain. They ate all the Spirit Elixirs. Just give me some time, and I’ll definitely take great care to cultivate a new batch of the best Spirit Elixirs for you!"

"Yes, yes, there are too many birds on the mountain! The birds ate the Spirit Elixirs. Master, I, Cao the Second, absolutely didn’t touch a single Spirit Elixir! I’m willing to work tirelessly, without rest, to plant Spirit Elixirs for you..."

"Master, spare me! I’m your Medicine Slave! I’m still useful. I know how to cultivate Spirit Elixirs, I can grow lots and lots of them for you! Please don’t kill me!"

The three of them pleaded desperately.

Zhaang Ye sneered. "You three servants, still daring to argue even now! Look at the blood you’re spilling! Human blood normally has a faint metallic smell. Only when one has consumed too many Spirit Elixirs and hasn’t had time to refine them will their blood emit a light medicinal fragrance. Your blood carries the faint scent of Spirit Elixirs. It seems all the Spirit Elixirs on Rising Sun Peak have gone into your stomachs! No wonder you were able to reach your level of Cultivation! You three servants have some serious nerve!"

Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth were horrified, their faces turning ashen gray. Before Zhaang Ye’s piercing gaze, they were rendered speechless, unable to even think of a rebuttal.

WHOOSH!

Zhaang Ye stretched out his hand, grabbing the barely breathing Boss Hua. Then, he tapped a finger on the forehead of each of the four men. The four Flower Slaves thought Zhaang Ye was about to kill them and screamed in terror. But after Zhaang Ye removed his finger, they found they were still alive. It was just that deep within their souls, something new seemed to have been added.

The four of them breathed a collective sigh of relief, a hint of joy at having survived a near-death experience appearing in their eyes. The same thought crossed all their minds: ’Looks like this Zhaang fellow can’t bring himself to kill us after all. Heh heh heh, that makes sense. If he killed us, he’d have to find new Medicine Slaves, which would be a huge hassle. Heh heh heh heh heh...’

A flash of smugness glinted in all four of their eyes.

How could Zhaang Ye’s powerful Spiritual Sense not notice the expressions on their faces? A sarcastic smile touched the corner of his lips as he slowly said, "You’ve devoured a great many Spirit Elixirs. If I let you die a simple death, that would be getting off far too easy. I’m going to make you use your own blood and your own flesh to compensate for the loss."

At this point, Zhaang Ye continued slowly, "You should know of a flower called the Green Blood Spiritual Lotus, right?"

Hearing Zhaang Ye mention the Green Blood Spiritual Lotus, the four Medicine Slaves’ faces went deathly pale, and they nearly fainted.

The Green Blood Spiritual Lotus was a precious Ninth-Grade Spiritual Flower with all sorts of miraculous effects. It loved blood and flesh, and its cultivation method was exceptionally cruel: the seed was planted directly into the body of a Martial Arts Expert. The seed would then sprout and take root in the expert’s body, drawing on their blood and flesh as nutrients to slowly grow into a beautiful Green Blood Spiritual Lotus.

During the Green Blood Spiritual Lotus’s growth process, it needed to absorb the Martial Arts Expert’s blood and flesh. Therefore, the expert would suffer endless agony during the cultivation. Even more terrifying, after the Green Blood Spiritual Lotus was successfully cultivated, the Martial Arts Expert’s Cultivation would regress significantly, and they might not even survive!

Boss Hua, Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth knew the excruciating pain involved all too well. Hearing Zhaang Ye bring up the Green Blood Spiritual Lotus, the four were utterly horrified. Even the Flower Slave who had reached the True Dao Realm couldn’t help but cry out for mercy.

Zhaang Ye paid no mind to their pleas. In the Sect, any Medicine Slave caught stealing Spirit Elixirs would be beaten to death. No matter how Zhaang Ye dealt with them, it wouldn’t be considered excessive.

He said slowly, "Boss Hua, your Cultivation has already reached the True Dao Realm. Your Innate True Qi is the most abundant, and your flesh and blood are the most suitable for the Green Blood Spiritual Lotus to grow. You will cultivate four Green Blood Spiritual Lotuses for me within one month. Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth, you will each cultivate one for me.

"I’ll give you a warning: you’d best not get any funny ideas. I have just sent a sliver of Sword Qi into each of your souls. If you have any disloyal thoughts, a single thought from me is all it will take to make you die in agony for forty-nine days. Oh, and one more thing—under the control of my Sword Qi, you won’t even be able to die a quick and clean death."

Leaving these words behind, Zhaang Ye transformed into a streak of green light and shot straight back to Chaoyang Hall.

Sensing Zhaang Ye’s departure, Boss Hua, Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth all raised their heads, their eyes filled with looks of utter, venomous hatred.

After a long moment, Mu the Third said in a trembling voice, "This Zhaang is so vicious! Having a Green Blood Spiritual Lotus planted in your body... the pain is beyond excruciating, you can’t even sleep. And he’s making us plant it on ourselves! It’s just too vicious, too vicious!"

Cao the Second and Teng the Fourth were also deathly pale. Planting a Green Blood Spiritual Lotus in one’s own body was like swallowing a live viper—it required immense courage. And after planting it, the agony of the lotus sprouting, rooting, and growing was simply inhuman. The very thought of such pain made their teeth chatter.

Just then, Boss Hua stood up. The venomous look on his face vanished, replaced by calm. He said faintly, "Let’s go. We’ll talk after we leave this place."

The four walked for several dozen li before Cao the Second couldn’t help but ask, "Boss Hua, this Green Blood Spiritual Lotus... are we going to plant it or not?"

Mu the Third and Teng the Fourth both waited for Boss Hua’s answer.

Boss Hua clenched his fist and said slowly, "Of course we’re planting it! Otherwise, we have no chance of survival. Don’t worry. We’ll only have to suffer for a little over ten days, and then someone will come to save us."

Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth were all stunned. Mu the Third said bitterly, "Boss, the entire peak belongs to that Zhaang now. Who is there to save us? Besides, Rising Sun Peak is surrounded by a Mountain Protection Array. Apart from Zhaang Ye himself, not even a True Dao Expert can get inside!"

Boss Hua smiled faintly. "Someone will come to save us. Have you all forgotten Lord Galaxy’s little lover? Heh, I’m talking about Lan Heying."

The image of a woman in black flashed through the minds of Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth. Their expressions changed in unison, and they all shivered.

Boss Hua continued slowly, "Lord Galaxy was exceptionally talented and a womanizer by nature. Shortly after entering the Green Cloud Sect, he became dual cultivation partners with the genius demoness of that time, Lan Heying. To make it convenient for her to come and go, he taught her the method to enter and exit Rising Sun Peak. So for Lan Heying, getting into Rising Sun Peak is completely effortless.

"Lan Heying’s feelings for Lord Galaxy run extremely deep. In the eighteen years since Lord Galaxy disappeared, she has come to Chaoyang Hall every year in July to stay for a while in quiet contemplation. Heh heh, it’s already July now. Lan Heying will be arriving on Rising Sun Peak very soon..."

The eyes of Cao the Second, Mu the Third, and Teng the Fourth all lit up. Cao the Second chuckled. "Lan Heying’s feelings for Lord Galaxy are so deep, she won’t allow anyone else inside Chaoyang Hall. Zhaang Ye is cultivating in there, so he’ll definitely be thrown out by Lan Heying. Now this will be a good show to watch!"

Boss Hua gave a sinister smile. "Exactly! Lan Heying is exceptionally talented. She has been cultivating in the Inner Sect for twenty years, so her Cultivation is unfathomably deep. Zhaang Ye is definitely not her match. After he gets thrown out by her, we can plead with Lan Heying. After all, we were Lord Galaxy’s subordinates. She will certainly be willing to take us away from Rising Sun Peak. When that time comes, we won’t have to suffer like this anymore."

Mu the Third let out a strange, cackling laugh. "Lan Heying has a bizarre temper and is quick to start a fight. In previous years, I dreaded seeing that woman, but today, I’ll be desperately hoping she shows up. I can’t wait to see the look on Zhaang Ye’s face when he’s utterly humiliated!"

The four of them cackled strangely in unison and quickly disappeared from the base of Rising Sun Peak.

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This is the first update of the day. The second will be around 7 PM tonight. A huge thank you for all the subscriptions, monthly tickets, gifts, and recommendations! My deepest thanks!

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