Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

Xueyin smiled slightly, knowing that the real "cooperation negotiations" had only just begun.

"I am currently in the Thunder Ancient Kingdom, using the alias 'Blood Shadow,' and temporarily residing in a remote town. As for contact..." He conjured a token at his fingertips and gently pushed it towards the Mountain-Sitting Guest, "Fellow Daoist, please keep this token safe. Through it, you and I can conduct clandestine causal communication within a certain range. As long as we are not in some perilous place or at the core of a powerful formation, there should be no problem. If there is any emergency, you can also leave a message through the Thunder Merchant Guild's 'Dark Market' channel codenamed 'Dark Wolf.'"

"As for the Food Kingdom..." Xueyin's gaze narrowed slightly, "They are a potential adversary for both of us. But now is definitely not the time to act. My suggestion is that we each develop our own strength, accumulate power, and secretly gather all the information about the five powerful figures in the Food Kingdom. When the time is right and our strength is sufficient... we can discuss it further."

He paused, then added, "Of course, if you encounter any trouble in the Thunder Ancient Kingdom, or urgently need certain resources, you may also seek my help. I will do my best to assist you."

The Mountain Guest took the token and carefully sensed it. He found its structure to be ingenious and its inherent charm to be profound and unfathomable. His evaluation of Blood Shadow rose even higher.

This suggestion was prudent and pragmatic, and it suited his needs perfectly.

“Alright! ‘Ghost Wolf’... I’ve got it.” The Mountain Guest carefully put away the token. “I also have some connections in the army. I’ll keep an eye out for any news about the Ancient Kingdom or the Food Kingdom. You and I... let’s take this opportunity to help each other.”

"It's a word."

The two wine glasses clinked gently together again, the crisp sound echoing within the private room, which was shrouded in layers of restrictions.

The morning light finally dispelled the darkness of night, and the streets outside the Drunken Dream Rain Pavilion gradually became bustling again.

Blood Shadow put his mask back on, transformed into a shadow, and quietly departed.

The man sitting alone for a while looked at the remaining wine in his cup, his eyes gradually becoming sharp and full of fighting spirit.

“Gu You… Xue Yin… an incredible fellow townsman and ally. Perhaps, the hope of revenge… has truly become greater.”

"But before that, I can't slack off. The Crimson Rock Fire Dragon bloodline... I still need to work harder to refine it."

He downed the remaining wine in his cup, stood up, and resumed his rough and unruly "Zuo Shan Jin" persona, striding out of Huoyun Pavilion.

But deep within those eyes, there was less of the numbness of a life of debauchery and more of a sharp, restrained edge waiting to be unleashed.

Lord of Tiankun Kingdom, just you wait!
Even if you befriend several emperors of the Yanfeng Ancient Kingdom through your culinary skills, you are still just a dog. Once you reach the second level, together with Gu You, and use great benefits to persuade the dark forces to take action, I will make you taste the miserable state of a country destroyed, people killed, and a homeless dog!
……

Upon returning to Blood Shadow City and entering the Yuan Magnetic Forbidden Chamber, which had been prepared in advance and was completely isolated from all prying eyes, Blood Shadow completely calmed his mind.

The meeting with the Mountain Hermit confirmed many things and pointed out some directions for his future plans. But now, everything needs to be backed by strength.

He sat cross-legged in meditation, his mind first sinking into the depths of his consciousness.

There, the inheritance mark of the "Eye of the Abyss," a secret technique of will passed down by the Heavenly Emperor, resembled an eternal, inwardly collapsing miniature black hole, radiating a chilling and profound aura that sent shivers down one's spine. Meanwhile, the inheritance of the "Chaotic Beast Body," obtained through the exchange of the Infinite Space, was even more ferocious, like the roaring brand of a primordial beast yearning to devour all things and return to chaos.

Both secret techniques, one involving willpower and the other physical body, are extraordinary.

"The Eye of the Abyss is an ultimate willpower secret technique. It requires a strong mental will as its foundation, constantly condensing, compressing, and undergoing qualitative changes to eventually open up a 'Willpower Abyss' in the sea of ​​consciousness. It can devour, annihilate, and assimilate external willpower impacts, and even see through illusions to directly see the origin." Blood Shadow recalled the inherited information. "As for the Chaos Beast Body, it imitates the physical structure of the Chaos Origin life form, pursuing the ultimate material destruction and devouring ability. When cultivated to its greatest extent, the physical body is like a walking Chaos Hole, devouring the heavens and the earth, and impervious to all laws."

His will has now reached a bottleneck, and he feels that there is an incomparably solid "ceiling" in front of him. The Eye of the Abyss teaches him how to "break through" this ceiling, and even use this ceiling as a "foundation" to build a more magnificent temple of will.

As for the "Chaotic Beast Body," although he possessed the physical body of a perfected God Emperor, that was too advanced. Even with unrestricted study, it wouldn't be something he could comprehend in a day or two. On the contrary, this second level of the "Chaotic Beast Body" was specifically crafted for the second level of the God King realm, making it easier to control. Moreover, the essence of the White Jade Avatar's power was "Primordial Magnetic Chaos," which differed from the "Destruction and Devouring" approach of the Chaotic Beast Body. Cultivating this technique in his main body would not only greatly enhance his physical combat power but also deepen his understanding of "devouring" and "destruction," complementing his comprehension of the "Great Dao of Destruction."

"Focus on the Great Dao of Destruction first, and use will and physical body as secondary measures." Blood Shadow decided on the strategy.

With a thought, the auxiliary items exchanged from the infinite space appeared.

He lit a concentration incense stick, its dark purple color and natural patterns resembling Dao traces. The fragrance was not a tangible substance, but rather an invisible fluctuation that directly affected the soul. In an instant, Xue Yin felt an unprecedented tranquility, clarity, and transparency in his mind, as if his thoughts had been wiped clean like a mirror, and his perception of the Dao's patterns became ten times more acute.

A drop of pitch-black liquid, containing endless destruction and the intent of ending, floated before me. The mere Daoist aura it naturally emitted caused subtle, almost collapsing ripples in the surrounding void.

A seven-colored, shimmering stone, seemingly containing all the joys and sorrows, loves and hates of the world, slowly rotates on the other side, reflecting one's mind.

Blood Shadow first immersed his entire mind in the "Great Dao of Destruction".

With the aid of the Concentration Incense and the resonance of the Daoist essence of the Destruction Source Liquid, he began a deeper analysis of the "Heaven-Splitting" branch he had already comprehended. He was no longer merely grasping its superficial appearance of "unparalleled sharpness and the ability to cut through everything," but rather tracing its origin—why could it "split"?
Is it the ultimate concentration of "force"?

Is it that "space" has been forcibly divided?

Or is "existence" itself being "denied"?
Time loses its meaning in deep seclusion.

Bloodshadow sometimes acts like a detached observer, analyzing the countless manifestations of the concept of "destruction"; at other times, it seems to embody destruction itself, experiencing the "impulse" and "inevitability" that ends all things and returns everything to nothingness.

The "Heaven Splitting" branch was deduced to its current limit within ten thousand years. With this in mind, the mysteries of the "Dark Heaven" branch also unfolded naturally.

The two, one bright and one dark, one hard and one soft, corroborate each other.

When "Heaven-Splitting" and "Dark Heaven" perfectly merged in his mind, forming a complex artistic conception that was both violently cleaving and destructively eroding, Blood Shadow felt that his understanding of destruction had reached a new level.

He didn't stop.

The Seven Emotions Stone also began to take effect at this moment. Destruction is not a cold physical process. High-level destruction is often accompanied by the explosion and annihilation of emotions—extreme anger can burn everything, deep despair can cause the world to wither, and frenzied joy can also bring about destructive revelry...

The fluctuations of the Seven Emotions Stone helped him touch upon a more subtle level related to "emotions" and "mind" in the Path of Destruction. This not only helped the Path of Destruction, but also subtly touched his understanding of the remaining six branches of the Path of Seven Emotions.

Immersed in it, one loses track of time.

Blood Shadow's mind seemed to split into countless parts. One part was floating in the ocean of destruction, another part was analyzing the structural diagram of the Chaos Beast's body, and yet another part was trying to use the method of "Eye of the Abyss" to "gaze" at its own process of enlightenment through destruction, attempting to accelerate, optimize, or even "create" a more efficient path of enlightenment from a higher-dimensional perspective of will.

This is an unprecedented state of spiritual practice.

The indirect insights and references from the perfect physical body of the God Emperor, top-notch auxiliary resources, and two profound inheritances... all these conditions combined to make his enlightenment efficiency reach an unbelievable level.

finally--

"laugh!"

Deep within consciousness, a point of extreme darkness shone. It was not light, but the "scene" of the last moment before all matter, energy, structure, and even some rules completely collapsed and returned to the most primitive "chaotic state".

The profound mysteries of the six branches of the Great Dao of Destruction—"Heaven Splitting," "Dark Heaven," "Chaotic Heaven," "Black Heaven," "Heaven Rending," and "Heaven Annihilation"—are like six roaring evil dragons, colliding, intertwining, and merging wildly within the Blood-Concealed Mind.

It wasn't that he had comprehended the fundamental Dao of destruction, but rather that he had found the most crucial "trigger," a core thread connecting the six branches that belonged to the "origin of destruction."

Based on this, his understanding of the "Seven Emotions" also broke through, and he successively entered the three major branches of "anger," "sorrow," and "fear" and made rapid progress.

"This is the moment!"

Blood Concealed Fortune Brings Inspiration, temporarily withdrawing most of his mind from comprehending the Great Dao, and fully activating the "Eye of the Abyss"!
Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the mighty will of the second level of the Divine King realm no longer attempted to expand outwards, but instead followed the secret method, beginning to compress and condense infinitely inwards, as if to create a "singularity of will" with infinite density and infinite gravitational force at the very core of consciousness!
The aid of the calming incense made the process exceptionally smooth and precise.

He could "see" his own will collapsing like a nebula, converging towards that point of nothingness.

A feeling of indescribable heaviness and emptiness arises simultaneously. The heaviness comes from the frantic increase in the density of will; the emptiness comes from the fact that the "abyss" itself represents "nothingness," devouring all superfluous thoughts and distractions.

This process lasted for an unknown period of time.

finally--

In the deepest part of the sea of ​​consciousness, a tiny "point" that was more "nothing" than "nothingness," more "dark" than "black," and seemed to be able to deny even the concept of "existence," stabilized.

"The Eye of the Abyss" is complete!
Xueyin suddenly felt that his will perception had gained a peculiar "perspective"—a "black hole perspective" that seemed to be able to "devour" distracting thoughts, emotional fluctuations, and even the slightest infiltration of external will.

The mind becomes clearer, stronger, and more unshakable.

The breakthrough in will, in turn, greatly promoted the understanding of the Great Dao, especially the branches involving the concepts of "nothingness" and "end" such as "Black Heaven" and "Destroy Heaven".

Blood Shadow seized the opportunity and shifted some of his attention to "Mixed Hollow Beast Body".

With his understanding of the Great Dao of Destruction, especially the concepts of "chaos" and "devouring," comprehending this secret art of the physical body became much smoother. He began to guide his divine power, following the incredibly complex and dangerous route recorded in the inheritance, to construct miniature "chaotic structure nodes" within his body, gradually altering the arrangement and resonance of the particles in his physical body.

This was a slow and arduous process, accompanied by the excruciating pain of the body being torn apart and reassembled. But with the Blood Concealment Will having just made a breakthrough, and the heart as deep as an abyss, this pain became a form of tempering.

Outside, time quietly slips away.

Everything in Blood Shadow City remained as usual, with avatars handling daily affairs. However, within the Yuan Magnetic Forbidden Chamber, the aura of Blood Shadow was undergoing a dramatic transformation, like magma buried deep beneath the earth's crust, in the silence.

His skin occasionally flashed with a dark hue that devoured all light, the undulation of his muscle fibers carried a subtle tremor that seemed to tear at space, and a muffled rumble occasionally emanated from deep within his bones.

With the aid of Concentration Incense and Destruction Source Liquid, the six branches of the Path of Destruction were conquered, deepened, and connected one by one at an astonishing speed.

The remaining branches of the Seven Emotions Path also progressed steadily, aided by the Seven Emotions Stone and the enlightenment of the Destruction Path.

The "seed" of "Eye of the Abyss" grows slowly and steadily deep within the will.

The initial framework of "Chaotic Beast Body" began to be inscribed and constructed little by little on the body of a god-king.

at last……

After about three hundred epochs of seclusion.

Inside the Yuan Magnetic Forbidden Chamber, Xue Yin, who had been sitting still, suddenly raised his right hand slowly.

His fingertips held no dazzling light, no imposing presence.

Just move forward gently, almost imperceptibly.

hum-

A tiny, black dot, so dark that it distorted and collapsed the surrounding light, appeared silently in the void touched by the fingertip.

The instant this "point" appeared, the stable spatial structure within the forbidden room emitted a mournful cry of unbearable strain. The flow of time seemed to become disordered around it, and all matter, energy, and even some laws were frantically attracted, torn apart, and devoured by that "point."

It is not that it actively devours, but its very existence represents the "singularity of the end" and the "beginning of the return of all things to nothingness"!
The first strike of the Six Strikes of Chaos – Returning to Nothingness Finger!

This strike perfectly integrated the three branches of "Heaven Splitting," "Dark Heaven," and "Chaotic Heaven" that the Great Dao of Destruction had already comprehended, and it also triggered the trace of "Chaotic" charm contained in the second level of the "Chaotic Beast Body" that had been initially cultivated!
Its power far surpasses any secret technique he had previously mastered!
The power of a standard second-level God King!

Xueyin looked at the black dot on his fingertip that was slowly dissipating, leaving behind a brief but irreparable spatial "scar," and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"Three hundred epochs... I have comprehended all six branches of the Great Dao of Destruction, with three of them interconnected, successfully breaking through to the second level of the God King realm. I have also begun to understand three branches of the Great Dao of Seven Emotions. The Eye of the Abyss has been initially completed. The Chaotic Beast Body has laid a solid foundation, and I have also comprehended the killing move 'Return to the Void Finger'."

"My current combat strength..."

He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the surging, transformative power within him, as well as the profound, abyss-like will.

"He has already become a giant on the Origin Continent!"

The results of the retreat far exceeded expectations.

Xueyin knew that this was thanks to his multifaceted accumulation and the potential advantages brought by the cheat system. But the path of cultivation becomes more and more difficult as you go further.

The progress that follows will not be as "rapid" as it once was.

He calmed his breathing, his eyes revealing a restrained glint.

"It's time to leave the pass. There might be some new information from the Mountain Hermit's side. And... we should also try to actively seek out clues about the 'Yuan' opportunity."

With a thought, the door to the Yuan Magnetic Forbidden Chamber opened silently.

Xue Yin took a step forward, his aura perfectly natural, as if he were just an ordinary God-King. Only in the depths of his occasionally opening and closing eyes, a vortex of primordial chaos seemed to flash and disappear, captivating the soul. (End of Chapter)