Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

“Exactly.” Elder Zhuyin nodded. “The position of guest elder is a prestigious one, not bound by the tribe’s routine affairs, and one is free to come and go. One only needs to lend a hand when the tribe faces a major crisis or when foreign enemies invade. In return, young friend, you will enjoy many privileges within my Burning Flame Tribe.”

"Firstly, one can freely enter and exit the area surrounding the outer hall of the Flame Heart Palace, and use the chaotic source power here to cultivate and comprehend."

"Secondly, you can use your guest elder token to exchange for the cultivation resources you need in the tribe's resource treasury. If you want more, you can accept missions issued by the tribe. After completing the missions, you will receive a 150% reward for your merits."

"Thirdly, you may consult the records and information collected by the tribe regarding the geography, power, and secrets of various parts of the Origin Continent, except for the core secrets. What do you think, young friend?"

The conditions proposed by Elder Zhuyin were extremely generous.

The first clause, in particular, allows Xu Yang to cultivate in the outer hall of the Flame Heart Hall, which is almost equivalent to opening up the most important core cultivation resources of the Burning Flame Tribe!
This not only demonstrates the Burning Flame Clan's recognition of Xu Yang's strength and their sincerity in trying to win him over, but also showcases the Grand Elder's boldness.

Xu Yang quickly weighed the options in his mind.

The guest elder status indeed met his expectations: he had a high degree of freedom, could legitimately use the cultivation resources here, and could also access the Burning Flame Clan's intelligence and treasury.

As for the obligation to "act at one's discretion," its scope is vague and there is a lot of room for maneuver.

This was almost the best he could imagine.

His face showed gratitude and satisfaction. He stood up and solemnly cupped his hands to Elder Zhuyin and the other elders: "Elder Zhuyin's considerations are thorough and the conditions are generous. Bai Yu is extremely grateful! This proposal is excellent! Bai Yu is willing to accept the position of Guest Elder of the Burning Flame Tribe. I am deeply grateful for your kindness! If the tribe has any requests in the future, as long as it is within Bai Yu's ability and does not go against his conscience, he will do his best!"

"Good! Good! Good!" Elder Zhuyin said "good" three times in a row, his smile becoming even more genuine, as if he had put a weight on his mind.

He raised his hand in a gesture of gesturing for Xu Yang to sit down, "From this day forward, young friend Bai Yu will be an honored guest of my Burning Flame Clan. Three coins!"

Elder Sanwen, who was sitting at the end of the table, immediately stood up: "Elder."

"Later, you will show Guest Elder Bai Yu around the cultivation chambers in the outer hall of the Flame Heart Palace, obtain his Guest Elder token, and arrange a fine place for him to stay," Elder Zhu Yin instructed. He then looked at Xu Yang and said gently, "Guest Elder Bai Yu can stay here and cultivate in peace, familiarizing himself with the environment. If you have any needs, please feel free to ask San Wen or Mo Chen, or you can come directly to me. As for consulting the classics, you can go to the 'Ancient Fire Pavilion' once your Guest Elder token is ready."

"Thank you very much, Elder! I am grateful for Elder Sanwen's help!" Xu Yang said again.

The atmosphere inside the hall immediately became much more relaxed and harmonious.

Elder Zhuyin's move successfully bound Xu Yang, a powerful external ally, to the Burning Flame Clan's war machine in a relatively loose manner, while also giving him great respect and freedom, making it a win-win situation.

The other elders nodded in agreement, acknowledging the newly appointed guest elder. In terms of status, they might be higher than the guest elder, but the guest elder had a great deal of freedom, and unless he had done something that harmed the interests of the tribe, they would not use his elder status to oppress others.

Moreover, in a world where power resides within oneself, any external identity is merely icing on the cake! Only one's own strength is the deepest source of confidence! Otherwise, Elder Zhuyin would not have offered so many favorable conditions to win over this traveler.

Elder Zhuyin's gaze swept over Xu Yang, and in the depths of his profound eyes, there seemed to be a deeper expectation. He slowly added, "Guest Elder Baiyu, this guest elder position is only a temporary measure. If in the future you change your mind and feel that my Burning Flame Clan can still be entrusted with something, then the position of core elder will still be vacant."

Xu Yang understood immediately; this was the Grand Elder leaving himself a way to integrate more deeply into the tribe.

He smiled slightly, but did not respond directly. Instead, he cupped his hands again and said, "I will remember the kindness of the Grand Elder. The Burning Flame Tribe has treated me with sincerity, and I will reciprocate with the same sincerity."

……

With Xu Yang's status as a guest elder confirmed, the atmosphere inside the Flame Heart Hall completely eased.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Xu Yang, Elder Zhuyin gestured to Elder Sanwen that he could take Xu Yang down to settle in.

Elder Sanwen was a middle-aged man with a relatively reserved demeanor, dressed in a simple gray robe, and looking quite capable. He nodded slightly to the First Elder and the other elders, then walked up to Xu Yang, his fair face bearing a perfectly appropriate warm smile: "Guest Baiyu, please follow me."

"Thank you for your trouble, Elder Sanwen." Xu Yang stood up and followed Elder Sanwen out of the main hall of Yanxin Palace.

Stepping out of the palace gates and back into the wide lava tunnel main road, Xu Yang, who had just come from the core area, felt somewhat uncomfortable with the slightly "thin" chaotic energy around him.

"Guest Baiyu, this way please." Elder Sanwen led Xu Yang not down, but up the main road for a while, and then turned into a side passage.

The passageway was relatively quiet, with luminous crystals embedded in the walls emitting a soft blue-white glow.

"The residences of our guest elders are not located directly near the Flame Heart Palace," Elder Sanwen explained as they walked. "The core area of ​​the Flame Heart Palace is too violent and volatile in energy, making it unsuitable for habitation. It is more suitable for cultivation than daily living. The cave dwellings that our department has prepared for our guest elders and some elders are located in the 'Crimson Flame Peak' area, which has been carved out on the upper part of the mountain."

The two walked along the passage, and after a while, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

What lay before them was not the imagined interior of a mountain, but a vast valley expanded by a strange spatial force! Above the valley was a simulated sky, flowing with blue and white rays of light.

The valley is not barren; instead, it is dotted with hundreds of independent peaks of various shapes, each radiating different energy fluctuations!
These mountains vary in size; some are like sharp swords piercing the sky, some are round like fortresses, and some are covered with strange rocks and caves.

Between the mountain peaks, there are swirling clouds and mist, and meandering lava streams.

The chaotic energy here is several times denser than that of the Ruins Plain outside, but compared to the core area of ​​the Flame Heart Palace just a stone's throw away, it appears much more peaceful and stable, as if it has been filtered and sorted out by an invisible array, making it more suitable for long-term residence and slow comprehension.

"What a wonderful secret realm!" Xu Yang exclaimed.

While this method of compressing and nesting vast spaces within mountains is not uncommon on the Origin Continent, the fact that it can be done so stably and in such a beautiful environment demonstrates the Burning Flame Tribe's considerable skill in spatial application.

"Hehe, Elder Baiyu, you flatter me." Elder Sanwen smiled modestly and pointed to a mountain peak in front of him, located near the southeast of the valley. The mountain was steep and covered with a warm, jade-like red mineral. "The 'Crimson Glass Peak' cave is still vacant. The location is good, the energy is abundant and stable, and the view is wide open. I wonder if you are satisfied, Elder Baiyu?" Xu Yang scanned the area with his mind and found that the mountains with owners were covered by large formations and could not be entered. There were more than ten unclaimed mountains. Among the remaining ones, Crimson Glass Peak was the best.

"This place is excellent. I'll trouble Elder Sanwen to make the arrangements." Xu Yang gladly accepted.

Elder Sanwen smiled and led the way, saying as they flew, "Guest Baiyu, please forgive my bluntness. The Burning Flame Tribe ranks among the top three in overall strength in the Flame Domain, but its welfare benefits are undoubtedly number one. More than 200,000 years ago, I was also a carefree person, but the sincerity of the Burning Flame Tribe moved me and made me want to settle down here."

"Bai Yu understands." Xu Yang nodded in thanks.

"That's good. The better the tribe is, the better we, who live in it, will be. That's why I said a few more words. Please forgive me," Elder Sanwen said.

The two landed on the summit of Crimson Glass Peak.

Xu Yang instantly sensed that the interior of the mountain peak had been carefully divided into multiple spaces, including living rooms, cultivation rooms, and reception rooms. The interior was simply and rusticly decorated, but the materials used were all precious materials containing fire and earth attributes, which were also beneficial to cultivation.

The mountain peak is surrounded by arrays that gather chaotic energy, making the environment exceptionally favorable.

Elder Sanwen nodded and pointed out, "The cave dwelling is fully equipped with all the daily necessities. If there is anything you are not satisfied with, you can inform the servants to make adjustments later."

"It's already very good. Traveling all over the country, enduring wind and rain, is nothing compared to this." Xu Yang was very polite.

At the same time, Xu Yang noticed a simple and ancient-looking stone hall at the summit. Inside the stone hall, in a spacious quiet room, Elder Sanwen pointed to a complex totem about ten feet in diameter on the floor in the center of the room, outlined by a mixture of deep blue beast blood and gold lines.

"This is a teleportation totem," Elder Sanwen explained. "It provides direct access to the 'Chaos Meditation Chamber' in the outer hall area of ​​the Flame Heart Palace. That area is truly adjacent to the surging core of the Chaos Ruins, where the purity and ferocity of energy far surpasses that of this place. Guests only need to activate a wisp of divine power in the token and inject it into this totem to instantly teleport there. After completing their cultivation, they can also teleport directly back to this cave from the meditation chamber, which is extremely convenient."

Xu Yang's gaze fell on the teleportation totem.

The style of this array pattern is clearly an application of some ancient totem of the Burning Flame Tribe. It is unlike traditional array formations, but its structure is also very precise and stable.

"This design is truly ingenious," Xu Yang exclaimed. It allows one to enjoy the comfort and tranquility of the cave dwelling while instantly reaching the core area where energy is most turbulent, enabling cultivation without any conflict.

"Hmm? The token is ready."

Elder Sanwen waved his hand and took out a crimson gold guest token from the void in front of him, which was marked with a flame totem and the words "White Jade". "Here you go, Guest White Jade. You must keep this token safe. Seeing the token is like seeing the person. If it is lost and not replaced, others can use your token to make purchases."

Xu Yang nodded. That's true, but how could a powerful Eternal True God lose such a personal item? And a powerful being who could directly steal from someone wouldn't care about such a token.

The accommodations were all pretty much the same, and Xu Yang quickly lost interest after wandering around for a bit. In comparison, the meditation room for comprehending the laws of chaos was much more appealing.

A trace of gentle divine power was infused into the token.

hum!
The token emitted a beam of red light, which merged into the center of the teleportation totem on the ground. The totem instantly lit up with a deep cyan light, enveloping the two of them. A slight feeling of weightlessness came over them, and light and shadow swirled before their eyes.

The next moment, the two found themselves in a stone chamber with a completely different style.

The space here is small, with the walls and dome made of a strange, black mineral that absorbs light. The walls are covered with naturally formed, chaotic patterns that flow with a faint red light like blood vessels.

The interior has no superfluous decorations, except for a smooth stone platform in the center, also made of black mineral.

A dense, almost liquid-like chaotic current slowly swelled within the stone chamber!

The violent fragments of law, like tangible grains of sand, floated and collided in the airflow. Even though the special stone chamber walls absorbed and buffered most of the destructive energy, the oppressive feeling of the purest chaotic origin still far surpassed that of the previous cave!

With each breath, Xu Yang felt his divine power become incredibly active, and his understanding of the laws of chaos became clearer than ever before.

Although it cannot compare to the throne area where the core elders of the Flameheart Palace reside, this is indeed one of the cultivation treasures closest to the core vent of the Chaos Ruins and with the most abundant energy.

"Guest Elder Baiyu, this is the Chaos Meditation Room in the outer hall area of ​​the Flame Heart Palace, specially prepared for guest elders and Eternal-level citizens." Elder Sanwen's voice sounded somewhat weak amidst the surging energy flow. He pointed to several nodes on the stone wall that were shimmering with light, "These are the core nodes for energy guidance and protection. If you feel you cannot withstand the pressure, or if you need to adjust the energy concentration, you can inject divine power to control these nodes. But please be sure to act within your limits. The energy here is violent; forcibly absorbing it may damage your origin."

Xu Yang took a deep breath, feeling the chaotic origin that seemed to cleanse his soul, and was extremely satisfied. "Thank you, Elder Sanwen. This place... is truly an excellent place for cultivation! Bai Yu will definitely use it with caution."

"I'm glad you're satisfied, Guest Elder." Elder Sanwen smiled. "There are no strict restrictions on the use of the meditation room. As long as you don't damage it, it will always belong to you exclusively, and only your Crimson Glass Peak can teleport you here. However, each meditation session should not be too long, and you need to be mindful of your own limits. If there are no other questions, I will take my leave now. You may familiarize yourself with the place on your own and you can teleport back to your cave at any time."

"Thank you for your trouble, Elder Sanwen." Xu Yang cupped his hands in greeting.

Elder Sanwen nodded, his figure disappearing in a streak of azure light as he teleported back first.

In the empty meditation room filled with violent energy, only Xu Yang remained.

He slowly walked to the central stone platform and sat down cross-legged. He did not immediately begin cultivating, but quietly felt the chaotic power surging within this small space, a power that could make even an eternal true god tremble.

"The cave dwelling is their home, the quiet room their furnace... The Burning Flame Department has indeed spared no expense." Xu Yang's lips curled into a smile. "In that case, I will cultivate here for a while and further advance my understanding of the Chaos Laws. As for the ancient fire pavilion's books... it's not too late to consult them after my foundation is more stable."

He closed his eyes, and his divine power slowly circulated within him, like a bottomless vortex, carefully and greedily absorbing the maddening, boundless energy within this chaotic meditation room.

At the same time, the 'Radiant Golden Body' flashing on the system panel in his mind finally began to shine brightly. (End of Chapter)