Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

Following the coordinates given by Bai Jin, Gu You traversed the endless bubble-like world deep within the Dream Domain for a long time, while also practicing his newly created Spirit Venerable Escape Technique.

The coordinates pointed to an extremely remote location. Along the way, he passed the edges of hundreds or even thousands of dangerous world bubbles with raging energy and chaotic laws, and even avoided several "giant world bubbles" that exuded an aura that made his heart tremble.

Finally, he stopped in front of a seemingly "empty" void area.

There is no floating world bubble here, only a slowly rotating "vortex-like dark current" whose color is a few shades deeper than the surrounding chaotic dream energy.

Unless the coordinates point precisely to this location and a special method of sensing is used, it would be extremely difficult to detect the anomaly here.

"The entrance is right in the center of this dark current." Gu You could sense it as his protective spiritual light swirled, transforming into a thin cyan line that shot straight into the center of the dark current.

Instead of feeling any resistance as I passed through the membrane, it felt like stepping into a bottomless quagmire, with the surrounding space and my senses being pulled and distorted by an invisible force.

But this feeling lasted only for a very brief moment.

My eyes suddenly opened up.

Gu You found himself standing on the edge of a boundless, slowly rotating sea of ​​chaotic, colored clouds.

The sea of ​​clouds swirled around his waist. Gu You reached out and pulled a wisp of it, only to find that it was not real mist, but a mixture of highly condensed and materialized dream energy and spiritual power.

In the center of the sea of ​​clouds, in the far distance, a magnificent, dark golden ancient tree floats silently.

It is not rooted in any physical entity; its roots seem to extend directly into the depths of the void, connected to some kind of origin. The trunk is as thick as a continuous mountain range, and the bark naturally forms countless mysterious runes. These runes seem to be constantly being created, dying, and flowing, elucidating the most essential mysteries of the Great Dao.

The branches and leaves spread out, obscuring half of the "sky" within sight. Each leaf is different in shape, some like swords, some like bells, some like lotus flowers... all exuding distinct yet harmonious laws and principles.

Just a glance from afar, Gu You felt his own life force leaping with joy, and his understanding of the Great Dao showing signs of loosening.

"The Enlightened Ancient Tea Tree... truly lives up to its name!" Gu You was deeply shocked.

But his gaze was soon drawn to the only passage that stretched across the sea of ​​clouds, connecting his "shore" to the ancient tea tree—an ancient chain about a hundred feet wide, translucent grayish-white in color, with countless fine spiritual runes faintly flowing on its surface.

The chains are not made of solid metal; rather, they are creations of laws formed by the unyielding will of countless strong individuals over a long period of time.

Below the chains lay a bottomless abyss of chaotic mist. Even from a great distance, Gu You could feel the terrifying suction and annihilation emanating from that abyss, as if it could devour all souls and wills.

One can imagine that once one falls from the chains, their soul will be doomed forever.

At the beginning of the chain, this small "shore" platform is not empty.

At this moment, seven figures were either sitting cross-legged to regulate their breathing, standing and gazing into the distance, or conversing in hushed tones. They varied in appearance, some resembling humans and others possessing features of other races, but without exception, their auras were all quite profound and powerful, at least at the second level of the God King realm!
The arrival of Gu You immediately attracted the attention of these pioneers.

Seven pairs of eyes turned towards them simultaneously, filled with scrutiny, curiosity, and a hint of barely perceptible wariness. After all, those who could come here were either from the two ancient kingdoms or had forcibly broken in from other top forces.

Gu You was also looking around and found that although everyone was not covering their faces, he had never seen them before... It seemed that they had all used concealment techniques to change their appearance.

Unless one uses divine power to probe into someone's body or the person uses their signature technique, it is extremely difficult to uncover their identity.

"Another fellow Daoist has arrived." A middle-aged human man dressed in a simple gray robe with a kind face spoke first, cupping his hands and smiling, "I am 'Cloud Cliff,' and I greet you, fellow Daoist. You look unfamiliar; is this your first time visiting 'Enlightenment Cliff'?"

"Enlightenment Cliff?" Gu You returned the greeting. "I am Gu You, and this is indeed my first time here. Is this the location of the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree?"

“Exactly.” Another alien woman with four transparent wings on her back and pale blue skin spoke in a cold voice, “We call this place ‘Enlightenment Cliff’. Ahead lies the ‘Mind Chain’, and at the end of the chain is the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree. However… only one in ten thousand can reach the foot of the tree.”

Her gaze swept over the chains with a hint of complexity; she had clearly tried, but without success.

"Fellow Daoist Gu You," a burly man with a dark gold complexion and an iron tower-like build said in a booming voice, "Judging from your calm and focused aura and your abundant and harmonious life force, you must have a profound understanding of the Dao of Life. However, this test of the chains of the mind is not limited to any particular path you cultivate. If your mental state is not up to par, no matter how strong you are, it will all be in vain."

He pointed to an open space at the edge of the platform: "There are still spots there. Fellow Daoist, you can observe for a moment before deciding whether to try. But let me remind you, once you step onto the chains, unless you successfully reach the end or voluntarily return to the starting point, there is no other way out. If you force your way through beyond your limits, you will be swallowed by the abyss and your soul will be annihilated."

Gu You looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a few empty spaces near the starting point of the chain at the edge of the platform. The chain itself was empty, but one could vaguely see ripples of mental energy emanating from its surface, spreading outwards like waves on water.

"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoists." Gu You nodded in acknowledgment, walked to an open space, sat down cross-legged, and did not act rashly. He needed to observe first.

The kind-looking middle-aged man who called himself Yunya smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Guyou, there's no need to be so formal. Everyone who has come here is a fellow Daoist pursuing the pinnacle of the Great Dao. All fighting and killing are forbidden here, as stipulated by the rules of the Ancient Tea Tree Domain. Violators will be directly exiled or even eliminated. So everyone can communicate with peace of mind."

"I see." Gu You understood. No wonder the atmosphere among these people was relatively peaceful.

“Brother Yunya is right.” The burly man with the iron tower grinned. “My name is ‘Jin Kui,’ and I cultivate the Great Dao of the Origin of Metal. And those gentlemen over there…” He introduced them one by one.

Besides Yunya, the four-winged alien woman 'Lanxin', and Jin Kui, there is also 'Mingquan' who cultivates the Way of Water, 'Huantong' who is good at soul illusion, 'Ying' whose aura is the most obscure and mysterious, and 'Shiyi' who always sits in meditation with his eyes closed and has faint ripples of time flowing around him.

The crowd expressed basic goodwill toward Gu You's arrival, but that was all.

In such a place of opportunity, what everyone cares about most is whether they can pass the test.

Gu You turned his gaze to the chain that spanned the sea of ​​clouds.

The chains were incredibly long; with his keen eyesight, he roughly estimated them to be over 100,000 li (approximately 50,000 kilometers). And the further he got from the starting point, the denser and more intense the ripples of mental energy emanating from the chains' surface became. One could imagine the terrifying mental impact of walking on them.

Furthermore, in the darkness beneath the massive ancient tea tree at the end of the chains, some blurry, distorted phantoms could be vaguely seen wandering, emanating negative thoughts such as resentment, hatred, and rage. "Are those 'Dao Souls'?" Gu You asked.

“Indeed.” Lan Xin nodded, her voice still cold. “These are all powerful beings who have failed and perished on these chains throughout history. Their remaining obsessions, law imprints, and fragments of the soul have been transformed by the Ancient Tea Tree Domain. They will attack any traveler who tries to approach the Ancient Tea Tree, relentlessly. Moreover, the closer one gets to the Ancient Tea Tree, the stronger and more numerous the Dao Souls become. There may even be powerful individuals who retain some of their battle memories and secret techniques from their previous lives.”

Jin Kui added, "The key is that when you're on chains, you have to use your main energy to resist the increasingly strong mental impact, to prevent yourself from losing your mind, falling into illusions, or going berserk. The mental and physical strength you can spare to deal with the attacks of the Dao Soul will be greatly reduced. So many people are not defeated by the siege of the Dao Soul, but by their own hearts."

Gu You listened silently, gaining a clearer understanding of the difficulty of the test.

As time passed, occasionally someone on the platform would finish their meditation, rise, and walk towards the starting point of the chains, stepping onto them with a solemn expression. Occasionally, someone would emerge from the depths of the chains, pale-faced and weak-breathed, retreating backward, clearly unable to withstand the pressure and choosing to give up.

Some of those who returned immediately began meditating to recover, while others shook their heads and sighed. After exchanging a few words with others, they quietly left the platform, probably preparing to go back and continue to hone their mental state for the future.

After observing for a long time, Gu You gradually came to understand the situation.

"It seems that the test of these chains is fundamental to one's mental will. Although the attack of the Dao Soul is dangerous, if one's mind is as steady as a rock, one will have enough strength to deal with it."

Just then, 'Shi Yi', who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes were calm and undisturbed, as if he had seen through the long river of time. He didn't look at anyone, but stood up straight and walked towards the starting point of the chains.

Everyone else on the platform, including the few who had just retreated and were currently recuperating, instinctively held their breath and focused their attention on Shi Yi. Clearly, this mysterious 'Shi Yi' was not trying this before, and his strength and composure were widely recognized.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shi Yi stepped onto the chains.

Om-!
The emotional fluctuations on the surface of the chains seemed to intensify slightly because of his step.

Shi Yi's steps were steady and slow, but each step seemed to be stepping on a point in time, with a unique rhythm. He was shrouded in a faint, distorted ripple of time, and when those mental fluctuations impacted the ripples, they seemed to be "slowed down" or "accelerated," making it difficult to directly shake his core will.

"The path of time... is indeed mysterious, with such a miraculous effect on resisting mental shocks," Yunya murmured in admiration.

Shi Yi continued to advance, hundreds of miles, thousands of miles, tens of thousands of miles... The mental impact on the chains grew stronger and stronger, and even tangible illusions began to form around him—either past regrets reappearing, or future fears descending, or fragments of infinite Dao knowledge being forcibly poured in... attempting to disturb his Dao heart.

However, the ripples of time around Shi Yi remained stable. Once those illusions entered the range of the ripples, they would quickly blur and fade, like old images playing at an accelerated speed, and could not last long.

When they had traveled about 30,000 li, there was finally a reaction in the darkness beneath the chains.

laugh!laugh!laugh!
Three solid, lifelike phantoms with ferocious faces and radiating powerful law fluctuations soared into the sky, rushing straight at Shi Yi! One wielded a knife, one held a sword, and one was unarmed. Their movements were swift and ruthless, and their coordination was impeccable. They were clearly three second-level Dao Souls skilled in close combat!

"Here it comes! The most dangerous stage in the early game, the Three Heroic Souls!" Jin Kui shouted.

Despite being surrounded, Shi Yi remained calm and composed.

He did not stop, but the ripples of time around him suddenly expanded and distorted.

As the three Dao Souls rushed into the ripples, their movements immediately became uncoordinated, exhibiting either a "delay" or an "acceleration," disrupting their previously harmonious teamwork. Shi Yi, on the other hand, darted through the gaps in their attacks like a fish, occasionally flicking his finger to deliver a condensed blade of time that precisely struck the core of a Dao Soul, causing its phantom to dim and dissipate slightly.

He did not linger in the fight; after repelling the entanglement of the Dao Soul, he continued to advance steadily.

"What incredible time control! The timing is impeccable!" Huan Tong's eyes gleamed with admiration.

Shi Yi continued forward, covering 40,000 li, 50,000 li... The frequency and strength of the Dao Souls appearing increased, from three or five to seven or eight, and the types also gradually expanded from melee combat to include those skilled in ranged attacks, curses, and soul attacks.

But his Time Domain was like an impenetrable barrier, always able to defuse or deflect attacks in the most ingenious way. Although his speed was slowed down, it never truly stopped.

Finally, when they had traveled about 80,000 li, a sudden change occurred!
From the darkness ahead, a colossal phantom slowly rose, its aura far surpassing that of any previous Dao Soul, its form ethereal yet exuding terrifying majesty, resembling that of a general!
This Dao Soul was surrounded by the aura of blood and fire; its mere existence caused the mental fluctuations of those bound by the chains to become disordered.

“It’s a ‘General’s Soul’!” Lan Xin’s voice changed slightly. “Only in the later stages of the game can a powerful Dao Soul that retains some of the leadership and combat skills it possessed in its previous life appear. Fellow Daoist Shi Yi has met his match!”

With a wave of his hand, Jiang Hun unleashed a dense multitude of ordinary Dao Souls, numbering in the hundreds, from the darkness behind him. They formed a battle formation and surged towards Shi Yi with overwhelming force.

Its power is comparable to that of a well-trained army of strong warriors!
Shi Yi finally stopped for the first time.

The ripples of time around him contracted and solidified, his hands formed a hand seal, and an even more obscure and ancient wave of time emanated from him.

"Time...is out of control!"

Without a sound, the flow of time within a thousand-foot radius of Shi Yi became completely disordered! The dozens of souls that rushed into this area experienced varying degrees of change: some moved incredibly slowly, as if frozen in time; others moved with lightning speed, colliding and injuring each other; still others even began to "reverse," performing actions that defied common sense…

The spirit roared, attempting to stabilize the area with its powerful will, but the time-distorted domain was extremely difficult to deal with.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shi Yi transformed into a blurry streak of light, darting through the gaps in the Dao Soul Battle Formation, his speed exploding as he rushed towards the final 20,000 li.

"What a trick!"

"They made it!"

The crowd on the platform couldn't help but cheer quietly. (End of Chapter)