Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

laugh--! ! !
A sharp, piercing sound, like glass shattering, rang out!

Where Xu Yang's palm strike landed, the earthworm's dark red magma armor, which was strong enough to withstand the Red Valley Stone Spear and was indestructible, was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, like a piece of inferior porcelain being hit by a heavy hammer!
The crack spread rapidly, accompanied by a teeth-grinding "crack" sound!

The violent shockwave penetrated through the cracks in the rock armor, slamming into the earthworm's muscles and internal organs! The earthworm's pounding motion abruptly halted, letting out a painful and furious roar! Its massive body involuntarily staggered to the side!
First hit!
Shatter the defenses!

Xu Yang struck successfully and didn't hesitate! Using the recoil, he performed a graceful somersault in mid-air, instantly adjusting his posture!
His eyes were as cold as an ancient, icy pool, utterly undisturbed. His left hand followed closely behind, fingers spread wide, palm facing down. The tips of the five fingers on the gray-iron gauntlet gleamed with a chilling light, like five miniature divine swords!

“Pfft——!!!”

Just as the earthworm exposed its biggest weakness on its side due to the pain and loss of balance, Xu Yang's left claw, like an eagle pouncing on a rabbit, with a ferocious and all-consuming force, precisely grabbed into the rock armor area that had just been cracked and was the most vulnerable in terms of defense!

The terrifying penetrating power contained in the five fingers combined perfectly with the power of the gray iron-colored palm sheath, piercing deep into the earthworm's tough flesh without any resistance, like a hot knife cutting through butter! All the way up to its shoulder!

"Roar—!!!!!"

The indescribable pain caused the earthworm to let out a shrill, distorted scream!
Its massive body twisted and turned wildly, trying to shake Xu Yang off!

But would Xu Yang do as it wishes?
With a sudden burst of strength, he cleaved, twisted, and pulled the earthworm's true heart.

“Rip!!”

Bang!
The force induces vomiting, shattering the shattered object!
Suddenly, a large chunk of flesh mixed with dark red, viscous blood, fascia, and torn rock armor fragments spurted out of the earthworm's mouth!
Through its disordered mouthparts, you can even vaguely see its wriggling internal organs!

The scalding beast blood gushed out like a fountain!

It stained the ground red and splashed all over Akaya!
But Akaya didn't care at all; his arm holding the spear trembled slightly as he was shocked.

The whole process is as fast as lightning!

From the moment this young man appeared until he shattered the rock armor and killed the earthworm, it was only a breath away!
The Void Peak Earthworm, which had been so arrogant just moments before, and had nearly killed him, now had a shocking, blood-soaked hole in its side! Its aura had vanished!

The Limit of the Void True God!

That's absolutely the limit of a Void True God! And not just any ordinary limit! Those palm gloves... are absolutely terrifying treasures! The timing, angle, and ruthless, precise judgment of that attack... far surpasses his!
Akashiro and all the hunting team members were stunned!

Immediately, a chorus of gasps of relief and awe erupted from the crowd!

"That's...that's amazing!!"

They couldn't discern Xu Yang's exact cultivation level, but the beast that even the tribe's eighteen warriors couldn't contend with was killed by this unfamiliar powerhouse in a single exchange...

In an instant, the patrol team's attitude towards Xu Yang changed drastically.

In the wilderness, it is normal to admire the strong and worship martial prowess, especially since these strong people had helped their side. If they hadn't happened to encounter them, most of their group might have perished here!

"Huff...huff..." Akaya gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, and his wounds were still bleeding, making the tiger head totem on his chest look even more ferocious.

But he ignored the pain, his eyes fixed on the earthworm's corpse, then suddenly turned to Xu Yang, his expression extremely complex—a mixture of disbelief and shock, as well as gratitude for the hunting team's survival!

After all, if it really came down to it, he could definitely escape, but his teammates would be finished.

Wow! ! !

On the shore of the lake, the churning water suddenly burst open!

A colossal dorsal fin, covered in thick, dark blue scales, burst forth from the water like a ridge sculpted by a master craftsman! Immediately afterward, a head, comparable in size to a small hill, abruptly rose up!
The head resembled neither a crocodile nor a dragon, with three curved black horns on its head, ferocious bone spurs on its cheeks, and a pair of dark pupils the size of cartwheels, coldly scanning the shore!

An even more ferocious and heavy pressure spread out like a tide, instantly making the hunting team members, who had just relaxed a little, feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave!
A beast even stronger than the earthworm from before! It is the overlord of this lake!
showed up.

Its cold, vertical pupils swept over the crowd on the shore, over the lifeless corpse of the earthworm, and finally, its bloodthirsty gaze locked onto the young man standing on the rock, dressed in black, with a calm demeanor!

Time seems to have frozen.

The hunters' hearts jumped into their throats!
Emerging from the wolf's den only to fall into the tiger's lair?!

However, amidst this suffocating sense of oppression, when the colossal beast's deep pupils met Xu Yang's calm and unwavering gaze, its massive body seemed to stiffen almost imperceptibly.

Its sense of danger is far sharper than that of an earthworm!

In those cold, vertical pupils, a fierce and tyrannical light flickered, as if weighing its options and harboring fear.

It could sense that the seemingly thin young man in black on the shore harbored a primordial beast within him that made its soul tremble!
The standoff lasted less than a breath.

"Roar--!!"

The giant beast in the lake suddenly let out a deep, rumbling roar, like muffled thunder! But this roar lacked the previous greed and bloodlust, and instead contained a hint of warning and... fear!
The enormous head suddenly swung!
Boom!

Like a small mountain collapsing, it stirs up towering waves!
Without hesitation, the enormous figure turned around, its thick, long tail whipping out a huge white chasm on the lake's surface, and it plunged into the deepest, darkest part of the lake at an even faster speed than it had come!
Only the churning water and the huge, rapidly spreading ripples remained, proving that it had briefly revealed its true form.

The crisis...is resolved?

The hunting team stared blankly at the huge black shadow that quickly disappeared into the dark lake, then looked at the earthworm carcass on the shore, and finally focused their gazes on Xu Yang again, their eyes filled with such intense awe that it was almost palpable!
aside.

Chi Gu exhaled a long, drawn-out breath, as if expelling all the shock and lingering fear from his chest. His earth-yellow divine power surged forth like burning flames, his blood and divine power intertwining. The wounds on his chest and arms, torn open by the storm of earthworm teeth, visibly began to heal. Although the wounds were quite deep, they hadn't damaged the root cause; for a peak-level Void True God, recovery was instantaneous. Only the deepest wound on his chest healed more slowly, leaving a dark red scar.

He stretched his limbs, making a series of cracking sounds, and after confirming that he was not seriously injured, he strode over to Xu Yang.

This time, he no longer adopted the wary, scrutinizing posture he had before. Instead, he clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to Xu Yang with the highest warrior salute in the tribe!
His voice was loud and clear, filled with heartfelt gratitude: "Friend! All members of the Akagawa Daiyuzan Tribe Hunting Team thank you for saving our lives! If it weren't for your timely intervention, we would have suffered heavy losses today!"

"This kindness is like a second birth! The entire Yongzan tribe will remember it forever! You will always be a distinguished guest of our Yongzan tribe!"

Behind him, Akashiro and all his teammates bowed deeply and shouted in unison, "Thank you for saving our lives, esteemed guest!"

Xu Yang returned the greeting with clasped hands, and solemnly said, "There's no need for such formalities. Meeting in the wilderness is truly fate. Cultivation is not easy for us, so we will naturally help if we can."

"My friend is so generous!" Chi Gu bowed again solemnly, then straightened up and pointed to the huge earthworm carcass on the ground, especially the huge wound. "You killed this earthworm. Its heart is a treasure that condenses the essence of the earth, and its scales, armor, and bones are also excellent materials. Please keep them safe!"

Although he participated in the battle against the earthworm, he only took the hits and was too embarrassed to share the spoils.

Upon hearing this, Chi Baihu immediately stepped forward, his vine whip transforming into a nimble rope. He probed deep into the earthworm's massive bloody wound, channeling his divine power. In a moment, he unleashed a colossal heart, the size of a millstone, dark yellow in color, radiating a rich earth elemental energy and a surging life force!

The heart of a Void Peak Earthworm!
Priceless!
Chi Baihu respectfully presented the enormous heart, which contained terrifying power, to Xu Yang with both hands.

Xu Yang's gaze swept over the heart, then glanced at Guji beside him, whose eyes were shining, and nodded casually: "Alright. Gu Li, put it away."

"Alright! Big brother!" Guji immediately beamed and scurried forward. Although he tried his best to control himself, the joy in his eyes was still impossible to hide.

With everything settled, the team set off again.

This time, the atmosphere was completely different.

The hunting team members looked at Xu Yang and Guji with awe and gratitude, and spontaneously gave them the best spots. Chi Gu and Chi Baihu also chatted with them from time to time, introducing the situation along the way.

The initial wariness and distance transformed into closeness in the face of absolute power and the debt of saving their lives.

Xu Yang smiled warmly, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the distant mountains and forests.

Guji patted its belly, savoring the rich energy from the earthworm's heart, a satisfied smile on its face. Its gaze towards the native hunting team members became much "friendly"—after all, its elder brother had said that these were potential "friends" and should not be eaten.

As they traveled along, the afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the surviving team.

The sounds of the team members packing their gear echoed through the mountains and forests, along with a sense of relief after surviving a disaster and hope for the future.

Night is coming.

……

As night spread like ink, the hunting party finally climbed a desolate low ridge.

Below, a vibrant, warm yellow fire, like a giant eye opening in the darkness, instantly captivated everyone's attention—the Yongzan tribe had arrived.

The tribe was not situated in the open wilderness, but rather cleverly nestled within a pair of sheer, dark cliffs.

The entire valley forms a huge semi-circle, tightly embracing the tribe, like the natural arms of Mother Earth.

On both sides of the outermost mountain pass, dozens of rough towers stand like silent behemoths, imposing and menacing.

Burning pine resin torches were stuck into the ramparts, their flickering flames licking the cold night sky and illuminating the muscular warriors with hawk-like eyes atop the towers. Huge bone crossbows and dark stone cannons menacingly protruded, aiming at the menacing darkness beyond the mountain pass.

Between the towers stood a log fence over a hundred feet high, with thick wooden stakes buried deep in the ground, their outer layers entwined with dark green vines covered in sharp thorns. At the foot of the fence, a deep moat meandered, and by the firelight, the gleaming white light at the bottom of the moat could be faintly seen—it was a trap made of sharpened animal bones.

The air was thick with the smell of blood and rust.

Beyond this steel thorn, the terrain gradually rises.

The densely packed stone houses, like a grayish-brown colony of fungi, stubbornly grow and spread along the mountainside.

The house is low and sturdy, with walls made of huge, uncarved raw stones. The crevices are filled with dark brown clay that smells of grass and animal blood, and it has long since become one with the mountain rocks after being weathered by wind and rain.

The heavy thatched roofs swayed slightly in the night breeze, while occasionally the stone roofs gleamed coolly in the moonlight. Narrow dirt paths wound between the stone houses, worn smooth as mirrors by countless footsteps. Above the doorways of every household hung dried animal heads, bundles of strange herbs, or old leather banners depicting totems of roaring tiger heads and ferocious bear paws.

Warm candlelight seeped through the cracks in the doors and windows, and the sounds of children chasing and playing, women murmuring in low voices, and the dull thud of forging in the distance intertwined to create a rough yet vibrant nocturne.

The deepest and highest heart of the valley is right next to that ancient, steep, mirror-like black cliff.

A majestic stone palace rises from the ground, like a sleeping giant.

It is entirely constructed of a deep blue-green boulder, with a warm and smooth texture that shimmers with a faint glow under the moonlight. Its style is ancient and majestic. The massive stone gate stands silently open, flanked by two crouching tigers carved from single blocks of obsidian!
The tiger's eyes, inlaid with some kind of eerie green crystal, gleamed with a cold, wary light in the darkness, watching the entire tribe as if they were alive—this was the soul of the Yongzan tribe, the place where the chief resided and commanded all directions, the Yongzan Palace!
Deep within the shadows of the stone temple, clinging to the base of the cliff, a massive opening is covered by countless wrist-thick, dark green ancient vines and layers of unidentified primitive runes shimmering with a dark red luster.

Before the cave entrance, an unknown animal fat was burning in a huge stone basin. The flames leaped and emitted a strange fragrance. Next to it, dripping animal meat and plump berries were neatly arranged, creating a solemn and mysterious atmosphere.

On the hillsides on both sides of the core area, like stars surrounding the moon, eighteen relatively short, hard black-veined stone houses are scattered about.

At the top of each stone house stood a huge battle banner made of animal hide! The banners had different background colors, but in the center they were all embroidered with a ferocious, roaring golden tiger head or a giant bear paw print that seemed capable of crushing mountains!
The banners fluttered wildly in the biting mountain wind, like burning battle spirit, silently proclaiming their allegiance—the backbone of the tribe, the eighteen warriors! (End of Chapter)