Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

Extremely deep underground.

A small, exquisite palace, its entire body gleaming with an ancient bronze hue, was hidden away. This was the Linghuan Palace, a palace-like grotto-heaven treasure borrowed from the fellow cultivators of the Mother River of Life before the journey began. Although not top-tier, its internal space was stable and possessed considerable capabilities for concealment, defense, and regulating the flow of time.

The hall is a self-contained world, surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, brimming with spiritual energy, where the flow of time is adjusted to ten times that of the outside world. In the center is a quiet room, made of spirit-warming jade, which has a calming effect.

Gu You sat cross-legged on the futon in the center of the quiet room and first took out the smaller Ice Soul Condensing Lotus.

The lotus floated before me, its deep blue petals crystal clear. At its center, a wisp of ice flame, its colors constantly shifting, burned quietly. The chill it emitted was not a physical low temperature, but a pure power that could reach the depths of the soul and suppress inner demons.

"let's start."

Gu You closed his eyes, and a wisp of azure spiritual light shone from between his brows, gently wrapping around the Ice Soul Lotus like a tentacle. He did not absorb it roughly, but rather guided it with resonance, allowing the lotus's icy power to slowly seep into his sea of ​​consciousness, soul, and even the depths of his Dao heart.

Om-!
A cool, refreshing current, as clear as an icy spring yet carrying a soothing power, flowed in through the spiritual connection.

Gu You felt a surge of energy, his mind clearer than ever before. The restlessness, aggression, and distracting thoughts accumulated from his past cultivation, battles, and killings were gradually settled and dissipated, as if covered and purified by ice and snow.

More importantly, this force began to temper his mind and will itself.

A will as strong as iron needs to be forged through countless trials.

The Ice Heart Power of the Ice Soul Lotus is like the purest forging hammer and coolant, constantly removing impurities while maintaining the core's resilience, making its structure more compact and pure.

Time passed slowly, accelerated tenfold.

Gu You's mind was completely immersed in this profound cleansing and tempering. His consciousness seemed to transform into a transparent ice sculpture, looking inward at himself, able to 'see' every bit of imperfection or lack of firmness in his will, which was repeatedly polished and strengthened under the power of the Ice Heart.

After an unknown amount of time, the light of the Ice Soul Lotus gradually dimmed, eventually dissipating into specks of ice crystals. When Gu You opened his eyes, his gaze was radiant, clear, and profound, as if it could reflect all the illusions of the world.

His mental fortitude, after this tempering, has greatly increased his resistance to the illusionary demons.

"First step complete." Gu You felt a sense of lightness and steadfastness deep within his soul and nodded in satisfaction. "The only downside is that it's too expensive."

In spiritual practice, having a clear and pure state of mind is very important!
Next, we will enhance our understanding of the Great Dao.

He took out the Heart of the Spring Breeze Tree Spirit. The emerald green core exuded a rich and gentle life force. Just by holding it, Gu You felt his own life spirit becoming unusually active, and his resonance with the Great Dao of Life's origin became much clearer.

Instead of having the Spring Breeze Elixir refined by a master alchemist, he chose to refine and absorb it directly.

With a deep breath, the tree core transformed into a stream of emerald light and entered his body.

boom--!
As if a long-sealed door had been opened, Gu You's perception of the fundamental Dao of life instantly became incredibly clear and intimate!
It is a hundred times clearer than facing the primordial universe and the fundamental principles of life!
Many obscure and difficult points in my past spiritual practice have suddenly become clear.

Why is life born? Why does it grow? Why does it decay and why does it cycle? How does spirituality awaken from chaos? Why are life forms so diverse?
……

Countless questions and insights about life surged into my mind like a tide, and under the guidance of this "spring breeze," they were sorted out, understood, and absorbed.

His spiritual life began to evolve and transform spontaneously.

Inside the quiet room, Gu You's figure sometimes blurred, transforming into a vibrant blue mist. At other times, it solidified, with natural spiritual patterns emerging beneath its skin; sometimes, a pair of illusory wings made of spiritual light unfurled from its back; and sometimes, fine vine shadows grew all around its body... This was the spontaneous simulation and affinity with various life forms under the deep resonance of the six branches of the Great Dao of the Origin of Life.

His understanding of the Great Dao is improving at an unprecedented rate.

Numerous branches—growth, healing, change, resonance, reincarnation—are all accelerating their integration and deepening under the catalysis of the Spring Breeze Tree Spirit's Heart.

Hundreds of epochs have passed in the outside world.

After the power of the Spring Breeze Tree Spirit's Heart was completely absorbed and integrated, Gu You's aura underwent a noticeable change. He remained seated, yet he seemed to resonate harmoniously with the surrounding space, the small world within the hall, and even with the unseen source of life.

He is a part of life, and life is a part of him.

"Could I really be an unparalleled genius of the Great Dao of the Origin of Life?" Gu You felt the changes within himself and was overjoyed. "A single Spring Breeze Tree Demon Heart has actually allowed me to fuse all five branches of my body, except for the 'Body of Life,' into one?"

Spring Breeze Treasure Medicine is indeed very precious; otherwise, it wouldn't be worth ten million merits, comparable to one-fifth of the Infinite Token.

However, its effects are definitely not that miraculous, allowing the fusion of two branches to leap into a five-branch fusion of the second-level God King!

If it really has such miraculous effects, it would definitely be worth more than ten million!

"What an unexpected delight! If I can merge the six branches into one, I will be able to completely master the Great Dao of the Origin of Life and achieve the ultimate realm." Gu You calmed his mind and exhaled a breath of turbid air. "It's also possible that my comprehension has improved. It's easy to verify. Let's see if I can get a copy of the 'Five-Colored Treasure Medicine' that destroys the Great Dao of the Origin through the Blood Shadow's channels."

"At ten times the flow rate, the seclusion for thousands of epochs has indeed yielded tremendous gains."

"However, realms and insights can only be revealed through techniques. It's time to create secret methods." Feeling the ceaseless flow of life force within his body, Gu You felt a surge of creative desire.

Realm and understanding are like deeply buried mineral deposits; only through the excavation of "techniques and methods" can they become true weapons for fighting enemies and protecting one's path.

"With the fusion of the five branches, the Ouroboros is essentially more than halfway complete." Gu You closed his eyes, his mind sinking into the vast and boundless ocean of life laws. "My law shall be based on this."

He did not immediately set out to create complex moves, but instead first recalled the methods he had used that pointed directly to the ultimate realm of the Great Dao of the Origin of Life. Among them were not only second-level techniques, but also ultimate-level moves!
Countless images flashed through my mind—

A seed sprouts from the soil, endures wind and rain, grows into a towering tree, eventually withers and decays, turning into spring mud to nourish new buds...

A single drop of blood contains boundless vitality and potential; it can differentiate into countless forms, or it can condense into one...

A forest, vibrant with life, where all things flourish, yet lurking beneath the surface a deathly stillness of survival of the fittest...

A great river flows ceaselessly, nourishing its banks, but it can also overflow and cause devastation. Yet, as the flood recedes, new life begins anew...

Life and death, beginning and end, individual and group, insignificant and grand... all sorts of opposing yet unified images intertwine, collide, and merge in Gu You's heart.

Time slipped away quietly in the quiet room.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu You suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shimmering with a blue light, as if countless lives were being born and dying within them.

"The cycle of life is ever-changing, and the Great Dao is impermanent. My method shall be named—'The Codex of the Spiritual Venerable of Reincarnation'." He murmured, his voice echoing in the quiet room, as if resonating with the laws of the universe.

With a slight thought, the immense life force emanating from the fusion of the five branches began to operate, evolve, and take shape on its own, according to some profound and mysterious principle…

Gu You pointed his fingers like a sword, slowly making a gesture.

There was no dazzling light or earth-shattering momentum at the fingertips; only a deep, dark point of light gathered there.

This single finger strike combines the precise targeting of life's spirituality, the immense energy of the source of life, the erosive penetration of the blood branch, the reversal and plunder of the vitality branch, and the annihilation and termination of the death branch.

Its intention is not to destroy matter, but to obliterate the very existence of life.

With a single finger, what the enemy suffers is not a physical wound, but a terrifying process in which their life imprint is eroded, their life vitality is reversed and extracted, ultimately leading to complete annihilation.

If the other party also cultivates the Great Dao of Life or has a strong physical body, it's fine. But if the physical body is weak, the power of this finger is even greater, and it can trigger the self-destruction program of their life source.

With a thought, the finger beam dissipated, and countless fine, writhing cyan spiritual patterns emerged around his body. These spiritual patterns, like countless tiny life units, continuously accumulated and evolved, forming a layer of cyan light membrane on his body that was neither real nor armor.

This is a defensive method that integrates four branches of the Great Dao: the perception and early warning of life's spirituality and the adjustment of form; the energy supply and circulation of the source of life; the resilience of the blood branch in rebirth; and the continuous life-giving characteristic of the vitality branch.

Energy attacks can be absorbed by the Source of Life and converted into defensive energy.

The impact of matter can be dispersed and transmitted throughout the body by spiritual perception, and is borne by the resilience of the blood branches.

Soul attacks can be weakened by the life force field of the Life Branch or neutralized by the annihilation intent of the Death Branch.

If the defense is breached and an injury is inflicted, the Life Branch and Blood Branch will instantly activate super-fast repair. As long as the defense is not instantly annihilated, it can be quickly restored, making the armor seem to have an "immortal body".

Splash splash splash splash~~~~
Gu You's figure blurred slightly, and the next moment, dozens of Gu Yous appeared in the quiet room at the same time, with almost identical auras, soul fluctuations, and energy reactions!

They walk or stand, cast spells or meditate, all vividly portrayed.

This is not a clone technique, but an ultimate movement technique that allows one's life form to switch rapidly between reality and illusion, individual and group in an extremely short period of time.

It integrates the concepts of "microparticleization" and "spiritual projection" of life and spirituality, the energy mimicry and synchronous supply of the source of life, the deceptive "blood and qi incarnation" of the blood branch, the "omnipresent" vitality of the life branch, and the "illusion and stillness" of the death branch.

When used, Gu You's true form can freely jump and move among countless "illusory bodies of spiritual light".

Each illusory body possesses a portion of life force and energy fluctuations, making it difficult to instantly distinguish between the real and the fake. Furthermore, between the illusory bodies and between the illusory body and the original body, an invisible "spiritual network" is formed through life and spirituality, sharing perception and moving in coordination, like a highly coordinated life community.

Whether used for dodging, confusing, or surrounding in battle, or for making escapes unpredictable and difficult to track, it is highly effective.

Even when covered by area-of-effect attacks, the damage can be dispersed and transferred through the spiritual network, or a portion of the illusory body can be sacrificed to preserve the main body.

"Attack, defense, and escape techniques are all available." Gu You composed himself and murmured, "Except for the defense, which is a fusion of four branches, the attack and escape techniques are a fusion of five branches. In terms of power, it is probably already quite close to the limit of the second level."

Looking down at her smooth palm, Gu You chuckled, "However, we're still missing a trump card, a standard killer move."

Killer moves are divided into commonly used and rarely used moves.

The curse energy and negative energy stored in the [Negative Energy Pool] in his system panel are one-time killing moves with immense power, but they are very difficult to replicate. However, if one were to use the Great Dao to research forbidden techniques, then one could use them frequently by simply paying a certain price.

Gu You needs a standard killing move that can reach the threshold of the ultimate realm!
Close your eyes and regulate your breathing, recalling everything from the past in your mind, like a movie playing in your mind.

After a long while, he slowly raised his hands and formed an awkward hand seal in front of his chest. He studied and deduced as he went, gradually becoming more and more fluent from the beginning.

at last.

In an instant, the surrounding light completely dimmed, with only the center of the intricate hand seals remaining lit—initially like a speck of dust, then expanding, and finally transforming into a gigantic phantom seal that blotted out the sky, its entire body a chaotic color, emanating an aura that caused time and space to stagnate, hovering above Gu You's head.

This seal transcends the realm of specific techniques and is almost a temporary manifestation of the power of the Great Dao.

It completely integrates all the mysteries of the five major branches and pushes them to an extreme—using "reincarnation" as a name to actually "pacify the world".

With a single seal, the target and its surrounding spacetime were forcibly pulled into a miniature vortex of life reincarnation, dominated by the ancient will of the underworld and accelerating the passage of time.

"Reincarnation Seal of the World!"

……

As each method of cultivation was perfected and refined in his mind, and then verified and fine-tuned within the hall, the aura emanating from Gu You became increasingly profound and harmonious, and his every move exuded an ever-deep and unfathomable aura.

"The Reincarnation Spirit Venerable Scripture is newly completed. The combined power of its five branches can already unleash the ultimate power of the second level." Gu You finished his work and stood up, his eyes shining brightly. "Attack, defense, escape, and annihilation are all complete. The system is newly established. Although I dare not say that it is invincible among those of the same level, it is definitely not weaker than the Heavenly Kun Kingdom Lord of the Food Kingdom."

Feeling the surging, harmonious, and fulfilling life force within his body, and the four powerful techniques in his mind that could serve as the foundation for his existence, Gu You felt a surge of pride.

“It’s time to emerge from seclusion. Enlightened Ancient Tea Tree… let me see just how far your ‘mind chain’ can take me!” With a thought, Gu You put away the Spirit World Palace, his figure broke through the earth and reappeared in the gray desert world bubble. “Perhaps my ultimate realm and even my path to God Emperor lie within you.”

Having determined his direction, he transformed into a streak of azure light without hesitation, speeding towards the coordinates given by Bai Jin. (End of Chapter)