Overlord of the Wilderness

"I give up!"

Those three words felt like three massive stones crashing down on everyone’s hearts. Among the hundreds of thousands of people in the valley, no one could have imagined that the unfathomably powerful and prideful Red Cliff Celestial Ape would utter such a phrase.

"Whew! Did I hear that right? The Red Cliff Celestial Ape actually gave up!"

"Heavens! The Red Cliff Celestial Ape, one of the five super experts, actually admitted defeat!"

"Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable! This battle was a true miracle!!"

After the immense shock, the audience erupted in a frenzied roar. They now realized that a genius expert, one who could rival the five super experts, was steadily on the rise!

The gazes of the four super experts—King of Hell, Mo Luo; Sword King Ye Cangtian; Blood King Netherworld Green Blood; and Spear King Fengyun Sheng—all turned toward Zhaang Ye. They now saw him as an equal.

The four great geniuses—Lie Xuefeng from Eastern Snow Sand City, Luo Fusheng from Southern Black Stone City, Bizhi Orchid from Western Star-picking City, and Blood Chongyang from Northern Qu Mountain City—also cast their gazes over. None of them dared to look down on Zhaang Ye anymore. Having defeated the Red Cliff Celestial Ape, Zhaang Ye was now an opponent worthy of their respect.

The three Sect Elders exchanged another wry smile. The Ninth Elder chuckled and said, "That kid, Zhaang Ye, he’s both lovable and infuriating! I thought he’d do well just to withstand a hundred of the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s moves. I never expected him to actually defeat him. Unexpected, truly unexpected!"

The Seventh Elder stroked his beard and laughed. "Regardless, it’s a good thing to witness the rise of a genius expert. Heh, now that he’s defeated the Red Cliff Celestial Ape, Zhaang Ye should have no problem getting into the top ten. Our Sect has gained another genius!"

...

Zhaang Ye slowly descended from the arena stage. Wherever his gaze fell, people quickly looked away, not daring to meet his eyes. Only the four super experts—King of Hell, Mo Luo; Sword King Ye Cangtian; Blood King Netherworld Green Blood; and Spear King Fengyun Sheng—stared intently at Zhaang Ye, their eyes glinting with challenge.

Zhaang Ye met their gazes for a moment before slowly walking toward his seat. Just then, he suddenly felt a tremor in the Essence Qi between heaven and earth. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the valley began to surge wildly toward the arena!

"Hmm?"

Slightly startled, Zhaang Ye looked up at the stage. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape was standing there, deathly still. His body was suffused with a strange cyan light that seemed to possess infinite power, drawing in all the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi from a three-hundred-yard radius!

"Huh? What’s happening to the Red Cliff Celestial Ape?"

"Isn’t he injured? How can he have such a powerful aura?"

"Heavens, I know! The Red Cliff Celestial Ape must be having a breakthrough! My god, this is incredible!"

"He’s achieving a breakthrough right after being defeated by Zhaang Ye! What a fortunate turn of events for the Red Cliff Celestial Ape! His power was already close to a True Dao Expert’s. With this breakthrough, could he ascend directly into the True Dao Realm?"

The audience also noticed the strange phenomenon around the Red Cliff Celestial Ape and began to buzz with discussion. Some of the more knowledgeable spectators realized he was having a breakthrough and cried out in astonishment.

King of Hell, Mo Luo; Sword King Ye Cangtian; Blood King Netherworld Green Blood; and Spear King Fengyun Sheng, as well as the four great geniuses—Lie Xuefeng from Eastern Snow Sand City, Luo Fusheng from Southern Black Stone City, Bizhi Orchid from Western Star-picking City, and Blood Chongyang from Northern Qu Mountain City—all realized that the Red Cliff Celestial Ape was having a breakthrough. Astonishment appeared on all eight of their faces.

Sword King Ye Cangtian’s expression shifted slightly as he muttered, "I never thought the Red Cliff Celestial Ape would achieve a breakthrough! If he enters the True Dao Realm, no genius in this valley will be his match! Not even King of Hell, Mo Luo, could compare to him!"

Spear King Fengyun Sheng’s expression also changed. As strong as he was, if the Red Cliff Celestial Ape broke through to the True Dao, he would have no chance of defeating him.

King of Hell, Mo Luo; Blood King Netherworld Green Blood; Lie Xuefeng from Eastern Snow Sand City; Luo Fusheng from Southern Black Stone City; Bizhi Orchid from Western Star-picking City; and Blood Chongyang from Northern Qu Mountain City—all these young experts realized that if the Red Cliff Celestial Ape broke through to the True Dao, they would have no choice but to concede. Struck with dread, even King of Hell, Mo Luo, and Blood King Netherworld Green Blood, who had been resting with their eyes closed in silence, grew tense and stared fixedly at the Red Cliff Celestial Ape.

Under the crowd’s watchful eyes, the cyan light on the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s body grew richer and denser. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the valley surged madly toward him, disappearing into his body.

Seeing the Red Cliff Celestial Ape advancing in his cultivation, the referee on stage decisively halted the competition, allowing him to have his breakthrough in peace.

"AWOOOO!"

The Red Cliff Celestial Ape let out a world-shaking roar. The sound was so substantial it was like a sledgehammer, knocking unconscious the spectators within a three-hundred-yard radius of the stage.

After the great roar, the fur on the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s body stood on end, and a series of deep, thunderous rumbles echoed from within him. These rumbles seemed to contain a hidden power. With each one, his aura grew stronger. By the time the seventy-second rumble sounded, his aura had become almost tangible!

"Ah!"

"Ugh... ngh..."

Those within a thousand yards of the stage were crushed by the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s overwhelming aura, instantly paralyzed. Some with lower cultivation levels had blood trickling from the corners of their mouths, able to do nothing but let out muffled groans. The spectator stands descended into chaos.

Seeing this, the three Sect Elders flashed into action simultaneously. They stood suspended in mid-air, their arms tracing Profound Mysteries in the air as they shouted in unison, "Seal!"

Following the Elders’ shout, a thick Protective Shield instantly materialized around the stage. This heavy shield firmly contained the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s aura, allowing the audience to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Once the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s aura was contained, the Seventh Elder chuckled. "It seems the Red Cliff Celestial Ape was utterly humiliated by his defeat to Zhaang Ye. Only such immense humiliation could have triggered this breakthrough."

The Eighth Elder nodded slightly. "Humiliation can also be a motivator. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape was able to break through because he suffered such a great shame. Let’s hope he can enter the True Dao Realm."

The Ninth Elder shook his head. "From the looks of it, I don’t think he’s entering the True Dao. If he were, the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi for hundreds of miles around would be affected. The Ancient Celestial Ape Bloodline within him requires a colossal amount of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. This small amount is nowhere near enough for him to enter the True Dao."

The Seventh and Eighth Elders both nodded slightly. The Seventh Elder chuckled again. "Even if he doesn’t enter the True Dao, his strength will still increase dramatically after this breakthrough. Heh, this year’s entrance tournament will certainly be exciting."

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—"

As the three Elders spoke, several more rumbles sounded from within the Red Cliff Celestial Ape. More and more Heaven and Earth Essence Qi rushed in, compressing until it formed a visible liquid. This liquid Essence Qi completely flooded the stage, a truly spectacular sight.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—"

Under the crowd’s gaze, several more rumbles echoed from within the Red Cliff Celestial Ape, bringing the total to seventy-nine. All the young experts knew the critical moment had arrived. If two more rumbles sounded from his body, reaching the eighty-one of nine times nine, he would enter the True Dao Realm. His strength would skyrocket, making him invincible among the Younger Generation.

"BOOM!"

Another rumble sounded from within the Red Cliff Celestial Ape, bringing the total to eighty. But after a long moment, the eighty-first rumble never came.

"AWOOOO!"

The Red Cliff Celestial Ape let out a roar filled with immense unwillingness. With a long inhalation, he sucked all the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi into his body, and the terrifying aura vanished along with it.

Seeing that the Red Cliff Celestial Ape had not advanced to the True Dao, the young experts all let out a sigh of relief. Although their cultivation was infinitely close to the True Dao, their combat power was worlds apart from a true True Dao Expert. If the Red Cliff Celestial Ape had advanced to the True Dao Realm, they would have no choice but to meekly admit defeat if they faced him.

His advancement complete, the Red Cliff Celestial Ape was wreathed in Innate True Qi. He seemed to have grown slightly taller, and his aura was a full twice as powerful as before. He stood up on the stage, his sharp gaze locking onto Zhaang Ye as he said in a low voice, "Zhaang Ye, our fight isn’t over! You just wait to be defeated by me!"

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. "I’ll be waiting. Soon, I’ll defeat you for a second time."

"WHOA!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar at Zhaang Ye’s response. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s strength was already unfathomable. Now that it had increased, he would be even more terrifying. The audience and most of the contestants did not favor Zhaang Ye’s chances.

The Red Cliff Celestial Ape gave Zhaang Ye a deep look, then strode off the stage.

After the Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s breakthrough, the competition resumed. In the final round, the opponents of both Zhaang Ye and the Red Cliff Celestial Ape forfeited their matches, giving both of them victories without a fight.

With that, the intensely fierce group stage finally came to an end. Zhaang Ye, with twenty-three straight victories, ranked first in his group. The Red Cliff Celestial Ape had twenty-two wins and one loss, placing him second with sixty-six points. Third place went to Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining, who had lost to Zhaang Ye and the Red Cliff Celestial Ape, ending with sixty-three points.

Next were Baili Shuangshuang and Ba Changming. They had the same number of points, tying for fourth place. The five other geniuses, including Zi Wuming and Dong Xingchen, ranked from fifth to tenth.

Group Twenty-Five’s matches were over, and the other groups quickly finished as well. The group stage eliminated a total of four hundred and twenty people, leaving only three hundred remaining. Those who made it onto the list of three hundred were all beaming with joy, cheering loudly. Those who were eliminated, however, looked dejected. The entire valley was a cacophony of noise.

At that moment, the three Sect Elders cleared their throats and flew into the air together.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to support it with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)