Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

"Hmph, a mere trick!" The lava troll Karum roared, his body erupting with boiling lava, and a violent and scorching destructive will burst forth from his body, burning away any illusions that approached like a furnace.

He strode forward, and the illusions that tempted him with power, wealth, and beauty burst like bubbles before him. He sought the absolute power of the Blood God, capable of burning away all the desolation, and these distracting thoughts could not disturb his mind.

The withered skeleton was even calmer.

Three illusory images of skeletal divine generals appeared around him, emanating an aura of desolation and death. Any illusory desires that approached, whether joy or sorrow, love or hate, would, upon touching this realm, be swept away by time, quickly losing their color, turning gray and decaying, and ultimately dissipating into nothingness.

His eyes were empty, as if everything in the world, including desire itself, was nothing more than bones destined to decay.

After the Heart-Corroding Poison, she covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her body enveloped in a seven-colored poisonous miasma.

Those alluring illusions twisted and deformed in the poisonous miasma, and she seemed to be watching an interesting drama unfold, handling it with ease.

Barr seemed to be struggling.

His blood surged, forcefully resisting the illusions. Images of brotherhood, the pain of betrayal, and the deep-seated fear and madness following the murder of his brother flashed before his eyes, assaulting his still-unstable mind. His eyes reddened, and he let out a beast-like growl, relying solely on a fierce aura to withstand the onslaught, yet he refused to be pulled into the illusions' descent into depravity.

A thousand faces is the worst form of expression.

The light and shadow on his body distorted and flickered violently, as if the signal was unstable. He was pulled by different illusions of desire, sometimes showing greed, sometimes retreating in fear, and sometimes indulging in the illusion of a gentle embrace... Relying on some kind of transformation technique, he constantly adjusted his aura and form, trying to "merge" into different illusions to avoid the impact, like a small boat struggling in a stormy sea, teetering on the verge of capsizing.

And white jade...

The mental will of a second-level God King is comparable to that of a Blood Burning Yin God who has cultivated five of the Seven Emotions Great Daos. This illusion is nothing more than child's play.

He was not corrupted in the slightest, but he still disguised himself quite a bit, appearing only slightly better than Qianmian.

……

Just as Bai Yu and the other eight stepped into the Corridor of Desire, struggling and adrift in endless illusions, outside the corridor, the Blood-Clad Demoness had already arrived at the Seven Emotions Mirror Hall of the Thousand Desires Demon Palace, where a completely different scene unfolded.

The hall was spacious and deep, with only seven enormous prisms, polished from crystals of different colors, floating in the air, emitting a mesmerizing light. The Blood-Clad Demoness reclined languidly on a soft couch that seemed to be formed from pink crystallized desire. Before her, a huge light screen constructed of pure spiritual power was clearly divided into eight images, reflecting in real time the actions and mental fluctuations of eight people in the corridor.

In the shadows, the old demon, with his profound aura, stood like a statue.

"My lord, everything is under control." The old demon's voice was low and hoarse. "'The Prism of Seven Emotions' is fully activated, and can accurately capture the most subtle ripples in their souls when they face the impact of desires."

The Blood-Clad Demoness did not respond. Her alluring eyes, hidden behind the pink halo, were now like the most sophisticated instruments, coldly and intently scanning every figure in the light screen.

A wisp of pink mist swirled around her fingertips, trembling slightly as the figures in the light screen struggled, as if she were plucking invisible strings, interpreting the melody of the soul.

“Karum…” Her gaze first fell on the lava troll, watching his savage will, capable of incinerating everything, easily tear apart the illusion. A hint of contempt curled at the corner of her lips. “A brute under the command of the Blood Burning Old Demon, his desire for destruction is pure, his will fierce enough, but lacking in harmony, and devoid of even the slightest bit of emotion. He’ll never have a chance to break through to a higher level in this lifetime…”

The light screen switched, and the figure of the withered skeleton appeared, as calm and serene as a still well.

Watching the withering and flourishing domain around him silently annihilate all illusions of desire, and seeing that even the most intense emotional fluctuations could not stir the slightest ripple in his heart, the Blood-Clad Demoness's gaze finally turned serious.

Her gaze lingered greedily on the image of the withered skeleton, as if she were looking at a rare delicacy.

Next was the Black Eclipse Venerable. Watching the black mist around his body transform into countless vortexes, actively tearing apart and devouring the spiritual energy of the illusions of desire, his aura becoming increasingly condensed and ferocious in the struggle, the Blood-Clad Demoness nodded slightly: "Black Eclipse… uses 'evil' to devour desire, and desire to nourish 'evil.' His will is as resilient as a demonic vine, possessing extreme corrosiveness. Though not as pure as withered bones, it is still of superior quality. Delicious…"

She had captured the mental states of all eight Chaos Gods perfectly, leaving her no choice but to be cautious in her own territory.

Involuntarily, the memory of that harrowing, near-death experience from countless years ago surfaced in her mind—the great demon god she regarded as an ant, whom she could destroy at will, unleashed a terrifying surge of will comparable to the peak of the sixth level of the Chaos God, and even touching the edge of the Yin Heaven God, at the last moment of his life.

If her raw strength hadn't already reached the fourth level of the Chaos God realm, allowing her to withstand the impact of the will core through her cultivation level, the consequences would have been unimaginable! Even so, that encounter still required her to recuperate for a very, very long time…

Since then, the word "will" has become her deepest vigilance on her path of devouring.

Strength can be overwhelming, but the outburst of will, often born in dire straits, is enough to overturn everything!
This time, she was aiming to break through to the Yin Heaven God realm, so she naturally couldn't allow this situation to occur again and cause her to fail at the last minute.

"The list is finalized: Boneless, Black Eclipse, Poison Queen, Shadow Assassin, Baal, Thousand Faces, and Golden Wolf! Karum will only be temporarily imprisoned; we will not touch him."

"Yes, my lord!" The old demon bowed and accepted the order.

"Fortunately, none of them have truly reached the Yin Heaven God Realm." The Blood-Clad Demoness slowly leaned back on the soft couch, her captivatingly languid smile returning to her face, though a chilling aura of absolute control lurked beneath. "I entered the Dao through 'joy,' and although I haven't fully mastered the seven emotions, my mind and will have been honed to the Yin Heaven God Realm, enough to suppress everything! When they swallow the source blood and their minds merge with the source of light, that will be the time when their will is at its most 'fresh' and also its most 'fragile'... The feast is about to begin."

She waved her hand, the light screen dissipated, and the light of the Seven Emotions Prism dimmed.

All the schemes are hidden in the deepest shadows of the Demon Palace.

……

At the end of the Corridor of Desire, light and shadow twist and shift, leading to a magnificent and eerie hall whose beauty cannot be described in words—the Temple of a Thousand Desires.

The palace's dome soared to an unfathomable height, as if suspending an entire abyss of stars, adorned with countless pink and purple crystals of desire like stars, flowing with a mesmerizing, dreamlike glow. The floor was paved with smooth, mirror-like black glazed tiles that clearly reflected the starry dome. The palace was unsupported by any beams or pillars, its vastness inspiring a profound sense of insignificance.

The most eye-catching feature is the enormous Bloodlust Lotus Pond in the center of the main hall, carved from dark red crystal.

The lotus pond is not filled with blood. Instead, it is filled with a dreamlike, pinkish-gold mist that is like smoke and fog. The rich, pure demonic energy and the alluring fragrance originate from this mist.

In the center of the mist, eight pure, flawless drops of liquid, radiating a holy and gentle platinum-gold light, floated silently. Like the most perfect pearls, countless tiny golden specks seemed to flow within them, exuding a warm, pure, and supreme aura of light, creating an extreme contrast and impact against the filth, temptation, and depravity of the entire Demon Palace.

The Holy Blood of the Seraph!

The mere wisp of aura that escaped caused the demonic energy within the Chaos God's body, which had just entered the hall, to instinctively stir. It was life's yearning for alien energy, darkness's greedy covetousness for light.

At this moment, the Blood-Clad Demoness was already seated at the head of the lotus pond.

Her throne was woven from countless translucent skeletons and blood-red crystals, both eerie and magnificent. She leaned languidly, one arm supporting her cheek, her alluring eyes, hidden behind the halo, scrutinized the eight "guests" who had just passed through the corridor of desire, each with a different aura.

"Welcome to my Thousand Desires Temple." Her voice, like a poison dipped in honey, echoed in the empty hall, carrying a strange magic that soothed the turmoil in everyone's hearts after passing through the corridor. "All of you who were able to stand out in the Hundred Evils Arena and safely cross this Corridor of Desire are all darlings of the Abyss's will."

Her gaze slowly moved over the eight people. "I always keep my word. This is the blessing you deserve."

She gently raised her hand, her movements as elegant as plucking a flower.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Eight streams of pink light shot precisely from the misty pink-gold fog in the center of the lotus pond, hovering in front of the eight people as if they were alive.

The pure holy light, like eight miniature suns, dispelled some of the dark allure of the Temple of Thousand Desires.

That warm, sacred aura, imbued with supreme purification and sublimation power, was like the sweetest nectar, directly stirring the deepest desires of every chaotic god present. This was darkness's distorted yearning for light, filth's morbid covetousness of purity, and the supreme key to breaking through to a higher realm.

Everyone's golden cores were spinning rapidly within their bodies, emitting a yearning buzz, almost bursting out of their bodies!

Including white jade.

However, a chilling warning, like a venomous snake, coiled around his consciousness.

It went so well!

Bai Yu was pondering to himself.

Blood-Clad Demoness, the ruler of the Thousand Desires Demon Palace, the most powerful demones under the God of Music and Yin, a terrifying being who sees all living beings as ants and feeds on the flesh and blood of the strong.

Why would she be so "generous"?
Would they unconditionally bestow such an extraordinary opportunity, enough to tempt even any Chaos God, upon another?

There is no free lunch in the world!
This is a belief etched into Bai Yu's very bones, especially in the heart of this abyss where the strong prey on the weak and cunning trumps strength.

"There's probably something tampered with within this source blood." Alarm bells rang in Bai Yu's mind. He didn't immediately touch the drop of source blood, but he also didn't react excessively. He simply glanced at the languid blood-red figure on the throne and the reactions of the other powerful figures around him.

An eerie silence fell over the temple.

Desire and greed fermented silently in the air, but even more intense was deep-seated doubt and apprehension.

None of the eight Chaos Gods immediately reached for the Source Blood before them. Even the ferocious Baal suppressed his impulse and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

Nobody was an idiot, and this strange situation made everyone look at them with a more scrutinizing gaze.

At the head of the table, the Blood-Clad Demoness didn't urge them on, but simply watched this scene with a smile.

a long time.

"Ah……"

A low, undisguised sneer, like a stone thrown into stagnant water, shattered the suffocating silence.

It's the lava troll Karum!

His enormous eyes, flowing with lava, swept over the crowd, the disdain almost tangible.

"A bunch of cowardly trash." Karum's voice echoed like muffled thunder throughout the hall. "This source blood, I'll drink it first as a sign of respect!"

Before he finished speaking, Karum didn't hesitate at all. He opened his massive, lava-filled maw, large enough to swallow mountains, and sucked hard at the drop of Seraphim's source blood floating in front of him.

call--!
The pink halo enveloping the holy blood shattered instantly, and the pure source of light transformed into a condensed stream of light, instantly disappearing into his giant maw flowing with magma.

"Gulp!" A muffled swallowing sound rang out.

In an instant, all eyes were focused on Karum.

The gaze of the Bone Master narrowed slightly. After consuming the Heart-Corroding Poison, he held his breath. The black mist of the Black Corrosion Venerable stopped churning. Shadow Assassin Akaros gripped his dagger tightly. Baal's eyes widened. The light and shadow of the Thousand Faces stopped flickering. Even the pupils of the Jade Melting Gold suddenly contracted.

Inside the temple, you could hear a pin drop, with only the gurgling sound of lava flowing within Karum's body remaining.

One second...two seconds...three seconds...

Time passed by minute by minute.

Suddenly, Karum's massive body paused slightly, and the boiling lava on his surface seemed to flash brightly. Immediately afterward, a warm and powerful aura of light spread out from his body, forming a strange fusion with his own violent and blazing lava demonic energy.

He let out a deep, exhilarating roar, like muffled thunder: "Roar—! Good! Such pure essence of light! Truly a supreme treasure!"

The damage to his lava armor from the previous battle was healing and mending at a visible speed as light flowed around him.

His slightly weakened aura from the battle was suddenly boosted and stabilized as if injected with a stimulant. A more domineering and intense pressure, as if divine light had been infused into lava, erupted from his body.

Unscathed!

Moreover, he seems to be in better shape than before!
"Hahaha!" Karum, feeling the surging power within him, let out a deafening laugh. His lava-like giant eye swept over the various expressions on the faces of the crowd, filled with smugness and disdain. "See that? A bunch of cowardly scoundrels! Delicious food right in front of you, yet you hesitate to step forward. Why don't I help you enjoy it!" With that, he actually opened his mouth, attempting to swallow the source blood of light in front of the others!

"you dare!!"

"Do it!!"

"presumptuous!!"

"quick!"

Almost the instant it was confirmed that Karum was safe and sound and had benefited greatly, several suppressed growls rang out simultaneously.

The last trace of hesitation in Baal's eyes was replaced by insane greed. He was the first to pounce on the source blood in front of him. He opened his mouth, and the drop of holy blood turned into a stream of light and was swallowed in one gulp. His fierce face instantly contorted with a twisted expression of ecstasy and pain. The boundless power of light exploded in his body, impacting the mixed blood demonic energy.

The withered hand of the Bone Immortal shot out with lightning speed, swatting away Karum's absorption and seizing the suspended orb of Origin Blood. He didn't swallow it, but instead pressed it against his emaciated chest. The instant the Origin Blood touched his body, the dense, deathly gray aura and the holy white light collided and fused violently, emitting a hissing, corrosive sound. Deep within his empty eyes, two faint sparks of soul fire seemed to ignite! (End of Chapter)