Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

He needs time, resources, and the opportunity to integrate into the top tier of this unfamiliar world.

They also need a relatively safe environment to grow up in.

Yes, growth!
He is not strong enough yet. Even though this Fangyuan World is still in its early stages, it will never lack true masters.

Joining a force with a powerful leader is undoubtedly the best choice. At least it can prevent being targeted by other covetous entities. After all, a newly promoted Yin God is all alone and vulnerable, like a piece of fat meat that everyone wants a bite out of.

Having made up his mind, Bai Yu did not express his opinion immediately but asked, "May I ask, what duties would I be required to fulfill if I joined 'The Abyss of Decay'?"

We need to understand the conditions before making a decision...

Upon hearing this, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Yueyin's eyes, knowing that the other party was interested and was now just weighing the pros and cons.

He wasn't in a hurry, and slowly said, "The Abyss is divided into inner and outer halls. The members of the outer hall are more loosely organized; they only need to complete a designated task once every ten thousand years. The difficulty of the task is matched to their strength. Upon completion, they will receive corresponding contribution points, which can be exchanged for cultivation techniques, resources, treasures, etc..."

"The inner sanctum members are the core, required to complete a dangerous mission every 100,000 years, but they receive more resources and cultivation guidance. They even have the opportunity to inherit many secret techniques from my collection..."

He paused for a moment, then looked at Bai Yu: "I used to be in charge of both the inner and outer halls. If you join us, you will become the head of the outer hall. You will be the second most important person in the entire Xiuyuan."

This thing?

Bai Yu wasn't particularly interested. This position wasn't very useful for assisting in cultivation; it was purely to satisfy some spiritual whims, but he didn't care about it at all.

Seeing that Bai Yu was still thinking, Yue Yinshen said again:
"Furthermore, if you join me, I can gift you a scroll titled 'The General Outline of the Seven Emotions,' which details the essence and cultivation methods of the seven great powers: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire. Although it doesn't directly increase your combat power, it will greatly benefit your cultivation on the path of the Seven Emotions. It will be enough to save you from many detours..."

This condition is very sincere.

The fact that the "Seven Emotions General Outline" could be used to recruit the Yin Heaven Gods clearly indicates that it is no ordinary item, but rather a truly profound inheritance. For Bai Yu, who has just integrated the Authority of Joy and needs a systematic understanding of the Great Dao of the Seven Emotions, its value is immense, perhaps even comparable to a powerful treasure.

The terms were already quite generous... so generous that Bai Yu began to suspect that the other party might have ulterior motives.

But then he thought again, he had just broken through, and apart from potential, he didn't seem to have anything that made the other party value him so much. Was it really because they cherished talent? Or was it just that the strong in this world were so generous in recruiting talent?

Regardless, he had to accept this offer. At least for now, joining a force with a powerful figure in charge was more beneficial than harmful. As for what might happen later, he could always find a way to escape. After all, he wasn't alone; he still had his main body on the Origin Continent as a backup plan, and abandoning this clone wasn't out of the question if all else failed.

Having thought this through, Bai Yu no longer hesitated and cupped his hands towards the carriage, saying, "Thank you for your high regard. Bai Yu is willing to join 'The Abyss'."

His tone was calm, neither servile nor arrogant. He accepted the offer without showing excessive flattery, maintaining his self-respect and independence, which pleased Le Yin even more. He didn't want a subservient servant, but a truly capable and independent individual.

“Very good.” Le Yang nodded, his smile widening. He stood up from the carriage, his five-colored robes fluttering in the air without wind, and the layers of halos converged into a delicate lotus flower hanging behind his head.

"Now that we belong to the same lineage, we can speak frankly." Le Yinshen looked down at the scorched ruins below, his tone indifferent. "Xueyi has managed the Thousand Desires Demon Palace for countless eras, accumulating considerable resources both openly and secretly. These were originally your spoils of war, but now that her forces have collapsed, you will need to personally take over and reorganize them."

He then changed the subject: "But before that, you must come with me back to the 'Bottom of the Abyss'—the true location of the Abyss of Decay."

"The bottom of the Abyss of Corruption?" Bai Yu repeated the place name.

“As you probably know, our continent is called ‘Ten Thousand Demons Continent,’ which has three forbidden zones and nine perilous realms,” Le Yinshen explained. “The ‘Abyss of Decay’ is one of the three forbidden zones. It is bottomless and perpetually filled with the aura of decay and death. Ordinary great demon gods die as soon as they step into it. But at the deepest part of the abyss, there is a mysterious secret realm where ‘extreme death gives birth to yang,’ which is my Abyss of Decay’s main base.”

He put away the carriage, raised his hand and pointed, and a crack appeared in the void, through which dim and distorted light and shadow could be seen flowing.

"Come with me."

Le Yin Shen stepped in first, followed closely by Bai Yu after a slight hesitation.

The moment he passed through the spatial rift, Bai Yu felt an intense suppression of laws—as if he had stepped into a completely different world's rule system. The surroundings were no longer just empty space, but filled with a viscous, almost tangible, decaying mist. This mist was all-pervasive, constantly eroding his protective divine power.

The God of Joyful Yin was not lying. If it were a Great Demon God (Eternal True God), he would probably not last three breaths before his flesh and blood rotted and his soul dissipated.

"You can feel it?" came the voice of the God of Music from ahead. "This mist of the Corruption Abyss can dissolve all things, and it takes at least the power of a Chaos God to resist it. Therefore, this place is naturally suitable as a foundation and is very peaceful."

As the two walked through the mist, Bai Yu noticed countless twisted corpses vaguely floating in the void around them—there were the skeletons of strange beasts as big as mountains, the remains of unknown creatures with hundreds of tentacles, and even the broken palaces and fragments of warships... It was like a huge graveyard.

"These are the remains of powerful figures I have killed and collected here throughout the ages, hahaha," Le Yinshen said calmly. "Just a little quirk, nothing to mention."

Bai Yu observed silently, her heart filled with dread.

After traveling through the space for about fifteen minutes, the fog ahead suddenly thinned, and the view opened up.

A magnificent complex of buildings, suspended in the abyss, appeared before our eyes—

The complex was surrounded by boundless darkness on all sides, with no end in sight, except for this cluster of buildings that emitted a faint glow. The palace was a chilling fortress pieced together from countless enormous skeletons. Each bone gleamed with a jade-like luster, its surface covered with densely packed, mysterious runes. The entire fortress spiraled downwards, its depths unfathomable, exuding an ancient, eerie, and powerful aura.

The doors of the uppermost hall were open, and a throne of bones could be faintly seen, floating in the void, overlooking the entire Abyss.

"This is the bottom of the Abyss of Decay, the headquarters of the Abyss of Decay." Yueyinshen landed on a bone platform with Baiyu. "Most of the members of the inner and outer halls are scattered throughout the continent and even the Cage. Only the core of the inner hall and a few stewards are permanently stationed here."

Several figures were already waiting on the platform.

Leading the group were two elderly men with profound presences—one dressed in a gray robe, with a withered face but piercing eyes; the other a dwarf with six pairs of transparent wings on his back, surrounded by a faint aura of decay.

Behind the two stood more than ten powerful figures of various forms, including a giant whose body was wrapped in chains, a semi-transparent woman like a ghost, and a strange beast with three heads... Without exception, they were all at least at the top level of Chaos Gods and were extremely powerful.

"Greetings, Master." Everyone bowed in unison, their gazes seemingly fixed on Bai Yu with curiosity. Le Yinshen nodded slightly and introduced, "This is Bai Yu, the newly appointed Head of the Outer Hall."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied.

The gray-robed old man stepped forward and said respectfully, "Old Ku greets the Lord of the White Jade Palace. I am honored to be the Grand Steward of the Outer Hall and am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty."

"No need for formalities." Bai Yu nodded. He didn't like managing forces. If there were enough benefits, that would be fine, but otherwise, he would rather leave it to this old man to do.

“Very good. Palace Master Baiyu is new here and not very familiar with the affairs. Kusou, you all need to take on the responsibilities. Except for matters of ‘Grade A’ or above, do not trouble Palace Master Baiyu.” Leyinshen said with a smile.

"Understood, Master," the withered old man and the six outer hall stewards behind him hurriedly bowed and replied.

"Let's go inside and talk." Le Yinshen waved his hand and took the lead.

In the blink of an eye.

Inside the Bone Throne Hall, eerie green flames flickered among countless skull lamps, casting distorted shadows.

The God of Music sat high on his throne, while Bai Yu sat slightly below him on a secondary seat carved from deep black bone. This was clearly a seat prepared for the new Lord of the Outer Hall, second only to the God of Music in rank.

Below the main hall, the core members of the Abyss took their seats in turn.

Besides the Grand Steward of the Outer Hall, Ku Sou, and the six Outer Hall Stewards, the five profound beings from the Inner Hall were also present. They were of various forms: there was a gaunt figure shrouded in shadow, a humanoid creature covered in emerald scales, and a strange life form that seemed to be entirely composed of liquid metal.

They sat there in silence.

"Everyone," Yueyinshen's voice was not loud, but it clearly resounded in every corner of the hall, carrying a strange rhythm, "We have gathered here today for two reasons. First, to welcome Palace Master Baiyu to join my Xiuyuan. From now on, we are all one family."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the area below: "Secondly, in seven days, a three-way meeting of the Myriad Demon Continent will be held at the 'Three Abyss Platform.' Both the Soul Yin God and the Blood Burning Yin God will be present with their subordinates. Therefore, today is also a time for our internal organization to get a heads-up and discuss the agenda for this meeting."

The withered old man immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Master, according to custom, the tripartite meeting is held once every million years, mainly to discuss resource allocation and friction on the borders of power. The last meeting was held 400,000 years ago."

The implication is simple: the time hasn't come yet.

"Of course I know that." Yue Yinshen's lips curled into a playful smile. "That was in the past. Now that we, Xiuyuan, have the White Jade Palace Master, we have more bargaining chips at the negotiating table, so we are naturally qualified to start new topics ahead of time."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded, their eyes filled with joy. The stronger the Abyss's power, the more benefits they, as its members, would receive.

A member of the inner sanctum below, a liquid metal being, spoke in a buzzing voice: "Master, according to intelligence, Heart Prison seems to have been frequently in contact with several ancient evil spirits in 'Wailing Canyon' recently, suspected of trading some kind of secret treasure to enhance soul attacks."

Another member of the inner palace, shrouded in shadow, spoke in a hoarse voice: "It's quite quiet over at the Molten Sea, where they're training their troops as usual deep within it. But our scouts report that the Blood Slaughter Guards under that lord have recently suffered an unusually high loss rate over the past ten thousand years, probably because they're using extreme methods to cultivate powerful experts."

Le Yinshen tapped the bone armrest lightly with his fingers: "Soul Yinshen is always treacherous, likes to manipulate people's hearts and exploit loopholes in the rules. Burning Blood, on the other hand, is simple and brutal, believing in the crushing power of everything. Neither of them is easy to deal with."

He suddenly looked at Bai Yu and smiled, “Palace Master Bai Yu, you are new here and may not yet understand the relationship between the three of us. Although the Wanmo Continent is vast, top-tier resources are limited. The three of us are allies, working together to resist external enemies and maintain the basic order of the continent; we are also competitors, and any newly discovered secret realm or dangerous place may trigger a fierce struggle.”

Bai Yu nodded slightly, indicating her understanding.

This delicate balance is common in a world where the strong rule.

“In the past, the three of us were roughly evenly matched and checked each other. But now… with the addition of the White Jade Palace Master, the high-end combat power of my Decaying Abyss has surpassed that of the Heart Prison. This is a variable, but also an opportunity.”

"We need to be more proactive in this meeting!"

Le Yin leaned forward slightly. “The distribution of the ‘Demon Source Ancient Well’ has remained unchanged for thirty million years. My Xiu Yuan has always taken 30%, the Heart Prison 30%, and the Molten Sea 40%. Now, it’s time to renegotiate.”

The Ancient Well of the Demon Source?

Bai Yu's heart stirred; this name sounded extraordinary.

Seeing this, the withered old man explained to Bai Yu, "Palace Master Bai Yu, the Ancient Well of Demon Source is a natural wonder located at the core of the Myriad Demon Continent. It continuously emits a pure energy called 'Demonic Source Qi.' This energy is of great benefit to any demonic cultivation and can be considered the number one cultivation resource on the continent. It is jointly controlled by the three parties and distributed according to their share."

Le Yinshen added, "The size of the share is not only related to cultivation resources, but also a symbol of status. In the past, we were slightly inferior, and we didn't have much confidence when we spoke. Now... it's time to let those two old neighbors realize the weight of Xiuyuan."

He looked at Bai Yu and said solemnly, "Palace Master Bai Yu, the three-way gathering in seven days will be your first appearance at the top level of the Myriad Demons Continent. At that time, the Soul Yin God and the Blood Burning Yin God will surely test your strength. I need you... to show sufficient power and posture."

This is not a request, but a demand; it is a responsibility that Bai Yu, as the head of the outer hall, must bear.

Bai Yu calmly replied, "That's how it should be."

“Very good.” Yueyin smiled with satisfaction. “Then, we will attend the meeting together in seven days. Now… let’s send out the ‘invitations’ to those two.”

He flicked his finger, and two points of shimmering white light, like bone fragments, disappeared into the void, traveling in different directions.

……

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Bai Yu had not left the bottom of the Abyss of Corruption. The "General Outline of the Seven Emotions" bestowed upon him by the God of Music was profound and mysterious, and he needed time to digest it. This general outline not only systematically explained the nature of the Seven Emotions' authority, the path of cultivation, and the possibility of integration, but also mentioned the "Chaotic Heart Source" realm that might exist above the Seven Emotions, opening up new horizons for him.

At the same time, through the withered old man, he also learned about the structure of the Abyss, the distribution of resources, and the power map of the Ten Thousand Demons Continent, gaining a clearer understanding of this unfamiliar world. (End of this chapter)