Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

He recognized the mark!
This is a mark unique to that being; I am the sole and highest-level verifier of the legacy he left behind in the Kingdom of Fulong.

It was the ultimate proof he left only for the most important contingency plan throughout his long life.

The appearance of this mark signifies only one thing—the day he had waited for for countless epochs, a day he thought he would never reach… has finally arrived.

He closed his eyes, gasped for breath, and forcibly circulated his divine power to suppress the almost boiling blood and soul fluctuations.

"Calm down... calm down!" Yanbo screamed frantically in his heart.

This is a matter of utmost importance; there can be absolutely no mistakes, and it must not attract anyone's attention!
They couldn't meet at Yanlong Mansion. The manor had many spies, and although the manor lord was in seclusion, he still had several powerful guest elders and clan elders. The sudden visit of this unfamiliar Eternal True God to his chief steward would inevitably attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

If the information is leaked, the consequences will be unimaginable.

We have to go secretly.

Yan Bo's mind raced. He quickly changed into an inconspicuous gray linen outfit, concealed his presence, and left the courtyard silently, just like an ordinary old servant, without alerting any of the guards in the mansion.

With his absolute familiarity with the mansion's restrictions, he easily avoided all possible sights and left Yanlong Mansion through a secluded side door, blending into the bustling crowds of Dragonspine City.

In the southern district of Longji City, there is a mid-range teahouse called "Jingmingxuan".

This teahouse has a clean background, a quiet environment, decent soundproofing in the private rooms, and a relatively inconspicuous location, making it a popular choice for people who need to meet privately.

On the second floor, in a private room by the window.

Xu Yang sat in the main seat, a simple tea set laid out before him, slowly boiling water. Gu Ji lay listlessly on the table, staring blankly at the street scene outside the window. Jiu Wuye stood behind Xu Yang, his expression slightly tense, having just witnessed the domineering methods of the Yanlong Mansion.

Suddenly, there were three very soft, rhythmic knocks on the door of the private room.

"Tap, tap tap."

Xu Yang smiled slightly, raised his hand, and silently activated the restrictions on the private room.

An elderly man, dressed in simple gray linen clothes and with a hunched back, slipped in silently like a ghost. He quickly closed the door behind him, reactivating the restrictions on the private room.

The visitor was none other than Yan Bo.

At this moment, he had suppressed all the imposing aura of the head steward of Yanlong Mansion, appearing ordinary and old. But when he raised his head, his sharp, hawk-like eyes, now filled with scrutiny, excitement, and an indescribable wariness, instantly locked onto Xu Yang in the main seat.

The air in the private room seemed to freeze.

Both Jiu Wuye and Guji felt an invisible pressure, and Guji even raised its head warily.

Yan Bo's gaze was fixed on Xu Yang, as if trying to pierce through his skin and see into his very soul. His throat was dry, and his voice trembled slightly as he cut to the chase, asking, "You... are you Gu You?"

Xu Yang raised his eyes and calmly met Yan Bo's scrutinizing gaze.

He remained silent, but slowly raised his right hand.

An ancient seal with extremely complex strokes was quietly engraved in his palm.

This emblem!

It perfectly matches the mark deep within his soul that was sealed away and regarded as a supreme secret!

Verification complete!

Absolutely confirmed!

"Uh... gulp..."

Pfft!
Without the slightest hesitation, the head steward, who held a high position in Yanlong Mansion and was even respected by the guest elders of the Eternal True God, seemed to have lost all his strength, and slammed his knees heavily onto the cold jade floor of the private room.

He kowtowed deeply, his forehead touching the tip of Xu Yang's shoe.

"My lord!!!" A hoarse cry filled with endless loyalty, endless grief, and endless ecstasy echoed in the quiet private room.

"This old servant, Yanli... pays his respects to Your Highness! Heaven has eyes! This old servant has finally waited for this day!!" He was so excited that he was incoherent, his body trembling uncontrollably from the intense emotions, his forehead pressed against the ground, and tears silently streaming down his face, soaking the jade bricks.

This unexpected gift startled Xu Yang and the other two.

Xu Yang looked at the trembling old man kneeling at his feet, and a ripple of emotion stirred in his heart.

Yan Bo suddenly raised his head and made a sweeping motion in the air with one hand in front of his chest.

hum!
The space rippled like water, and a sphere no bigger than a fist, crystal clear and radiating a hazy nine-colored halo appeared out of thin air.

This sphere may appear small, but its interior seems to contain a vast and boundless universe, where countless stars are born, die, and evolve. The unimaginably powerful chaotic energy and fluctuations of primordial laws are perfectly sealed within it.

This is precisely the trump card that the God King of Jin left in the Fulong Kingdom—a top-tier world treasure that he personally crafted during his peak years and which contains refining resources worth fifty billion cosmic sands!
"My lord! This is the item entrusted to me by my master years ago. Now it has been returned to its rightful owner! Please examine it!" Yan Bo held the world's treasure high above his head, his voice filled with a sacrificial piety.

Then, he kowtowed deeply again, his tone resolute: "My lord! This old servant begs to follow you! I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse, even unto death! Although I am not talented, I have cultivated to the limit of the Eternal True God realm."

The ultimate level of the Eternal True God, his strength is even slightly stronger than that of the Flame Dragon God!
With such strength and status, he was undoubtedly a giant in Dragonspine City and even the Kingdom of Fulong. Yanbo's willingness to follow him with this status showed his sincerity and high value.

However, Xu Yang slowly shook his head.

He looked at the excitedly kowtowing Yan Bo, and his voice rang out calmly and clearly: "Yan Li, please rise. I know of your loyalty. But this is a deal I made with my senior. He only said that I came with a token to retrieve the valuables he left here. As for you..."

Xu Yang paused for a moment: "You are not part of the deal. You are a backup plan left here by your predecessor, and an important piece in his long-term strategy. Your mission is not to follow me."

Yan Bo's body stiffened abruptly. He raised his head, his eyes filled with urgency and resentment: "Young Master! This old servant..."

"No need for further words," Xu Yang interrupted him, his eyes deep and unfathomable. "Senior's wisdom is as profound as the sea; his arrangements have their own deep meaning. You have cultivated this place for countless eras, your foundation is deep, and your position is secure—this in itself is a tremendous asset. Continue to lie low, guard the Yanlong Mansion, and safeguard your position. This is the greatest loyalty you can show to Senior!"

Xu Yang's gaze seemed to pierce through people's hearts as it landed on Yan Bo: "In the near future, the senior will surely return. That will be the day you reunite. Do not betray his trust." He did not mention that he had already been reincarnated as the Mountain Hermit, but only gave an ambiguous promise.

"This old servant...understands!" Yanbo took a deep breath and kowtowed heavily again. "This old servant, Yanli, will obey the young master's orders! I will swear to protect this place with my life and wait for the return of the master and the young master. If there is any need for my service, I will gladly die for it!"

“Very good.” Xu Yang nodded and reached out to take the world treasure that radiated nine-colored light.

The moment you get your hands on it, you can sense the unimaginable, boundless energy contained within and the refining resources piled up like ancient divine mountains.

As expected of the God King's backup plan!
Fifty billion cosmic sands—truly living up to its name!
"This is no place to linger." Xu Yang turned around without hesitation. "Let's go!"

Before he finished speaking, Xu Yang was enveloped in a deep black light, and the figures of Jiu Wuye and Guji beside him instantly became blurry and illusory.

“Young Master…” Yan Bo raised his head, only managing to catch a glimpse of Xu Yang’s last deep and calm glance.

Swish!
Like ghosts, the three figures vanished into thin air from the private room.

Not even a ripple remained in the space, as if it had never existed.

……

Upon obtaining the goods, Xu Yang immediately left Dragon Ridge City with Guji and Jiu Wuye. The Dark Night Aurora Boat carried the three of them in the direction of leaving Fulong Kingdom.

50 billion cosmic sands is no small sum; most people in the Chaos Realm wouldn't be able to afford it, let alone a mere Eternal True God like him.

Even if it's not exposed, it's always a good idea to leave Fulong Kingdom first and then look for an opportunity to exchange.

The airship sped across a chaotic buffer zone, taking quite some time, before finally arriving at Xibo Kingdom, which was separated from Fulong Kingdom by a country.

Xibo Kingdom is a third-rate kingdom that is dependent on the behemoth "Thunder Ancient Kingdom".

Xu Yang's target is Leiming City, a major town on the northern border of Xibo Kingdom. This city is adjacent to Xibo Kingdom's largest "Thunder Abyss," which produces a large amount of mineral materials containing the power of thunder. Trade is thriving, and more importantly, the large merchant guild in the city is not Yanfeng Guild, but a commercial behemoth directly under the Thunder Kingdom - "Thunder Merchant Guild."

Its reputation, strength, and resource reserves are in no way inferior to Yanfeng Club.

The Dark Night Aurora Ship withdrew its power and entered Thunder City.

The three stepped off the flying boat and immediately sensed the city's unique atmosphere. Tiny arcs of electricity flickered in the air, causing a slight tingling sensation on their skin. Most of the passersby exuded a powerful aura, bearing the marks of being tempered by lightning; even ordinary servants of true gods possessed sharper eyes than those of others.

Xu Yang, Gu Ji, and Jiu Wuye, three unfamiliar Eternal True Gods, entered the city together, unsurprisingly becoming the focus of attention.

The guards at the city gate, dressed in heavy, dark blue armor inlaid with lightning runes, were all at the Void True God realm.

They dared not stop the Eternal True God, but the recording treasures in their hands secretly recorded the appearance and aura of Xu Yang and the other two, and simultaneously transmitted them to the headquarters of the city guard and the intelligence centers of the major forces in the city.

The Thunder City branch of the Thunder Chamber of Commerce is located on the top floor of a towering, deep blue tower that seems to pierce the sky like a giant sword.

Inside a secret room filled with intricate magic arrays, capable of real-time monitoring of energy fluctuations and key nodes throughout the city.

A middle-aged man dressed in the robes of the Thunder Chamber of Commerce's deacon, whose aura had reached the peak of the Eternal True God realm, glanced at the three red dots that had just been marked on the light screen in front of him.

“Three unfamiliar Eternal True Gods?” The middle-aged deacon raised an eyebrow and tapped the light screen with his finger, enlarging the image of Xu Yang and the other two entering the city. “Hmm, recorded.”

For a behemoth like the Thunder Merchant Guild, three mere Eternal True Gods, even at their peak, are not worth much effort.

However, Thunder Merchant Guild is not the only powerful force in Thunder City.

Deep within a relatively secluded but heavily guarded complex in the western district of Thunder City stands a tower of a distinct style. The tower is entirely a deep, dark green, its shape resembling a twisted, ancient tree, exuding a rich aura of life, yet beneath this aura lies an indescribable chill.

On the top floor of the tower, in a room entwined with countless vines and emitting a soft green light.

This place is the branch of "Mother River of Life," one of the top underground forces on the Origin Continent, located in Thunder City.

The River of Life, with the God-King Zongfu at its core, has infiltrated 30% of the Origin Continent's territory and is the mortal enemy of the Yanfeng Ancient Kingdom. Due to its unpredictable methods and the large-scale recruitment of elites at the Eternal True God level, it is feared by many forces.

However, in the Western Kingdom, because the Thunder Kingdom stood behind it, and the Thunder Kingdom was happy to see the Flame Wind Kingdom have a troublesome opponent, it tacitly allowed the River of Life to recruit extensively in this city every thousand eras.

At this moment, a small recruitment and selection ceremony is underway in the branch hall. Several powerful Eternal True Gods are demonstrating their strength or special abilities in order to gain the qualification to join the Mother River of Life.

This kind of small-scale recruitment doesn't need to wait a thousand years.

Behind the main hall, in an observation room separated by a transparent energy barrier, a young man dressed in a dark green robe, with an eerily handsome face and green vortexes seemingly flowing deep within his pupils, was lazily leaning back in his chair.

He is the head of this branch – the Azure-Eyed Venerable.

His gaze didn't linger long on the Eternal True Gods diligently performing in the hall; instead, he stared with interest at a massive crystal wall in front of him. The wall displayed real-time surveillance footage of several key entrances to Thunder City, one of which was frozen on the moment Xu Yang, Gu Ji, and Jiu Wuye entered the city.

"Oh?" A playful smile curved the corners of the Azure-Eyed Venerable's lips, and his eerie green eyes suddenly lit up, as if they could penetrate images and see straight to the essence.

His gaze immediately locked onto Xu Yang.

"Such a powerful aura... restrained like the deep sea, calm yet seemingly harboring a dragon capable of tearing the sky apart." The Azure-Eyed Venerable was secretly astonished. Although he couldn't see through Xu Yang's deliberately concealed cultivation level, that profound demeanor was particularly striking in the eyes of this seasoned fox who had seen countless people.

"Guards!" The Azure-Eyed Venerable's voice carried a hint of magnetism, yet contained immense authority befitting a superior.

A servant, dressed in dark green robes and possessing an aura equivalent to a Void God, appeared silently behind him, bowing and obeying his orders.

"Go, find the three Eternal True Gods who just entered the city," the Azure-Eyed Venerable pointed to the images of Xu Yang and the other two on the crystal wall, his eyes flashing with an eerie, alluring green light. "In my name, the Azure-Eyed Venerable, extend an invitation to them. Tell them that the River of Life cordially invites elites to join us."

"Yes, sir!" the waiter replied respectfully, his figure instantly disappearing into the vines on the wall.

The Azure-Eyed Venerable picked up a glass of emerald-green liquid, gently swirled it, and his smile deepened: "Three interesting fellows... I hope... you won't disappoint me." (End of Chapter)