Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

Lei Zhanhou's residence, Zi Lei Xuan.

This is a small courtyard separate from the main buildings of the Marquis's Mansion, with an extremely tranquil environment.

In the center of the courtyard stands an exquisite pavilion entirely constructed from "Purple Heart Thunder Bamboo," radiating a faint purple glow and pure thunderous energy.

The pavilion is surrounded by powerful isolation barriers and spirit-gathering formations, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is so rich that it is almost liquid, making it the most prestigious place for quiet cultivation within the Marquis's residence.

The Blood-Hidden Elder sat cross-legged on a futon in the center of the quiet room.

He did not immediately refine those deposited treasures; now was not the right time.

"A little mouse? That's interesting." The Blood Shadow Elder's heart stirred slightly.

Om-!
The powerful isolation barrier outside the quiet room began to fluctuate subtly without warning, not because it was forcibly attacked, but because it was being eroded by an extremely cold force that seemed capable of freezing time and space.

The temperature in the entire Purple Thunder Pavilion plummeted suddenly, and the surface of the Purple Heart Thunder Bamboo in the pavilion was instantly covered with a layer of dark blue ice crystals, emitting a faint crackling sound. Even the rich spiritual energy flowing in the courtyard seemed to be frozen, becoming sluggish and viscous.

Almost at the same time.

Jingle Bell--!
A clear and melodious yet eerie sound, as if it could pierce through the soul and reach the depths of the heart, rang out without hindrance through the restrictions and resounded directly in the quiet room.

The ringtone sounded beautiful at first, but it quickly became chaotic and disorderly, filled with a disturbing sense of confusion, as if it were trying to strip away one's mind and forcefully infuse misfortune into it. An invisible and extremely vicious curse of "bad luck" clung to the Blood-Hidden Old Man like a maggot clinging to his bones.

……

Outside the Purple Thunder Pavilion, high in the void.

The figure of the Mysterious Yin Goddess hovered, shrouded in dense Netherworld chill, like an ice-bound goddess. With a light tap of her jade finger, a beam of Netherworld Mysterious Yin light, refined to its extreme, silently shot out, instantly unleashing the Mysterious Yin Ice Prison, isolating the inner and outer voids.

Beside her, the figure of the Palace Master of Qiyun appeared and disappeared like a ghost.

The purple-gold bell in his hand spun wildly, emitting that eerie ringing sound.

"Hmph, a mere trick!" The Blood Shadow Elder let out a cold sneer in the quiet room.

Facing the chilling aura of the Netherworld that froze time and space, he remained seated, unmoved. A thin, almost transparent, scarlet halo appeared around the futon beneath him. This time, within the halo, the scene of the blood sea world was even clearer, countless scarlet veins writhing like living things, radiating a boundless life force!
The chilling aura of the Netherworld, capable of freezing everything, emitted a hissing sound the moment it touched this scarlet halo, as if it had encountered a formidable foe! The extreme, invincible chill was forcibly neutralized by the boundless life force contained within the surging blood energy!
The frozen laws were forcibly broken by the power of life!

The cycle of life and death, the cycle of life and death!

With boundless life force, it defied the profound darkness of the Nine Netherworlds!

Faced with that curse of doom that pierced through the void and reached the soul, the crimson light in the Blood Shadow Elder's turbid eyes suddenly surged.

He didn't use any soul defense techniques, but simply thought of it!
hum!
A deeper, more ancient aura, seemingly formed from the resentment and hatred of countless fallen beings, erupted from his body like a slumbering ancient beast awakening.

This bloodthirsty aura was not chaotic or disorderly, but rather carried a deathly will that signified the return of all things to nothingness and eternal annihilation.

The invisible curse of "bad luck" encountered its natural enemy the moment it touched the source of this bloodlust... The essence of the curse is "erosion" and "distortion", but in the face of that pure and ultimate "death and annihilation", any distortion and erosion lose their meaning.

Like a drop of filthy ink falling into a Dead Sea that has been silent for billions of years, it is instantly swallowed up, assimilated, and returned to nothingness by the vast and boundless "dead silence".

With the eternity of death and annihilation, the fickleness of fate is suppressed.

"What?!" High in the void, Xuan Yin Niangniang's icy blue pupils suddenly contracted.

She felt that her proud, chilling Nine Netherworld Yin Qi, capable of freezing chaos, was forcibly dispelled and neutralized by the other party. This completely overturned her understanding of the fundamental Dao of life.

How could the power of life be so domineering? How could it so effectively suppress her extreme cold?
"Not good!" The hidden Palace Master of Qiyun's expression changed drastically. The purple-gold bell in his hand trembled violently and emitted a piercing wail.

The curse failed, and the curse backfired.

He felt a deathly will coming back from the curse. His power to seize fate was as insignificant as a firefly compared to the bright moon in the face of this will to annihilate him!

He groaned and forcibly severed his connection with the curse. His figure blurred in the void and he instantly fled, fearing that he would be locked onto by that terrifying will of death.

"A God-King level will?!" The voice of the Palace Master of Qiyun came from afar, filled with surprise and doubt.

Quiet room.

The crimson halo slowly receded, the eerie bell sound completely disappeared, and the Netherworld chill that had been eroding the restriction receded like a tide.

The frozen ice crystals inside Zi Lei Xuan quickly melted, and the stagnant vital energy began to flow again.

The Blood-Hidden Elder remained seated cross-legged, as if he had never moved.

Only in the depths of those murky eyes, a scarlet light slowly rotated like an abyss, coldly sweeping across the void where the Xuan Yin Lady was located.

"Nine Netherworld Chills, Curse of Stealing Fortune..." A hoarse voice echoed in the quiet room, carrying a hint of mockery, "Prince Lei Hao... this greeting gift is far too stingy. If you want to test my abilities, why not just go and have a match with me?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the space, like a cold awl, into the ears of the Xuan Yin Lady, and also into the heart of the Qi Yun Palace Master who had just regained his footing in the distance.

Outside the Purple Thunder Pavilion, the Xuan Yin Lady's face was ashen. For the first time, her beautiful face lost its cold composure, replaced by a deep sense of apprehension.

She gave the seemingly calm Purple Thunder Pavilion a deep look, as if she were looking at a terrifying source that would devour people, and finally, without saying a word, her figure transformed into a streak of cold blue light and instantly disappeared into the horizon.

terrible!

The life force contained within that crimson light was as vast as a boundless ocean! Even more terrifying was the deathly and annihilating will hidden within it, which seemed capable of ending everything!
This is no ordinary cultivator of the Great Dao of Life Origin; the strength of this "Blood Concealment" should be above hers. Perhaps... even approaching the threshold of God-King!
The Palace Master of Qiyun, who had fled far away, also looked extremely grim.

He looked down at the Fortune-Stealing Purple-Gold Bell in his hand, its light dimmed and even showing a tiny crack, his heart aching so much that his lips twitched. "Blood Shadow... Blood Shadow..." The Palace Master of Miracle Fortune's eyes shifted uncertainly, "This person... is definitely not a good person! His path is strange and unfathomable, Lei Zhan... actually let him pick up a treasure?!"

……

Inside the Haolei Hall of the Lei Hao Marquis's residence.

Lei Hao's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

In the void before him, the figure of the Mysterious Yin Goddess had just appeared, but she brought news of the failed test.

"Full of vitality, suppressing the Yin cold energy? The will of the God King, backlash against the curse of stealing fortune? Just right to suppress the two of you?" Lei Hao's fists clenched so tightly that they cracked, and a violent aura of lightning raged around him, shaking the solid lightning-patterned stone ground into cracks.

"Useless! Two useless people!" He was furious, but he didn't dare to actually yell at Xuan Yin Niangniang and Qi Yun Palace Master. Reaching the peak of the Chaos Realm at the level of Xuan Yin and Qi Yun was extremely rare on the Origin Continent.

You drove them both away, and in the end, you're the one who suffers!

"Your Highness, please do not be anxious. Today is merely a test. After all, we are in the Holy City, and neither Qi Yun nor I can truly go all out." Xuan Yin Niangniang had now adjusted her mindset and said confidently, "No matter how powerful Xue Yin is, as long as he is still within the Chaos Realm... the trip to Lei Yuan will not cause any trouble!"

This competition for the Thunder Source Heart is limited to the Chaos Realm; God Kings are not allowed to participate... Otherwise, it wouldn't be a competition between juniors, but rather a power struggle between branches, which would not align with Emperor Tianguang's original intention.

The Palace Master of Qiyun nodded. "That's right. As long as it's within the Chaos Realm, I'm not afraid of anyone."

The Blood Shadow Elder hadn't shown any signs of being a Chaos Realm Transcendent, and neither of them had considered that possibility... Just kidding, there are only 70 Chaos Realm Transcendent experts in the entire Origin Continent, how could a Transcendent expert just randomly appear now?
Hearing the words of Lady Xuanyin and Palace Master Qiyun, Lei Hao's turbulent emotions gradually calmed down. Yes, they were already top experts among the peak Chaos Realm. No matter how heaven-defying the Blood Hidden Elder was, could he be stronger than the two of them combined?
Moreover, the second brother, Lei Xuan, will also join in.

"Right, where's the second brother?" Lei Hao rubbed his chin and muttered, "What are you doing..."

……

Inside Xuan Guang Pavilion.

The Shadow Killer King's figure quietly appeared, and he whispered to the Xuan Yin Lady and the Qi Yun Palace Master that their attempts to test each other had failed.

The gentle smile on Lei Xuan's face vanished completely, replaced by a cold, sinister look. The teacup in his hand silently turned to dust.

"Well done, Blood Shadow!" Lei Xuan's voice was like a viper's hiss. "To be able to withstand both Profound Yin and Miraculous Fortune at the same time... It seems we all underestimated Fourth Brother and this Blood Shadow!"

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed in the direction of the Lei Zhan Marquis's residence, his eyes flashing with cold light: "Given my elder brother's temper, he's probably already furious over there. But... that's fine too. Since we couldn't gauge his true strength, and instead exposed his terrifying nature... then in the abyss, he becomes the primary target that must be eliminated! Just because the Xuan Yin Miracle can't do anything to you doesn't mean... I can't do anything to you!"

He turned to Shadow King and said coldly, "Pass down the order to activate Project Dark Star! I want to obtain all his secrets before the Abyss opens, at any cost!"

"Yes!" The Shadow King's figure once again disappeared into the shadows.

……

The figures of Lady Xuanyin and the Palace Master of Qiyun Palace vanished in an instant, like two fleeting glimpses of a swan.

Almost at the same instant that the chill and the ringing disappeared!

Boom!

A thick bolt of purple lightning tore through the void like a raging dragon and descended upon the courtyard of the Purple Thunder Pavilion. As the lightning dissipated, it revealed Lei Zhan's imposing figure, dressed in a dark purple brocade robe with lightning patterns.

His face lacked its usual fortitude and arrogance; it was now filled with shock, anger, and anxiety.

"Xue Yin? Are you alright?" Lei Zhan's voice boomed like thunder, filled with genuine concern. Previously, due to consideration for Xue Yin's privacy, the Marquis's mansion's array had not been monitoring Zi Lei Xuan at a high intensity. In addition, with Xuan Yin Niangniang's Xuan Yin Ice Prison enveloping the area, Lei Zhan did not sense the movement in Zi Lei Xuan immediately. However, he did sense it when Xuan Yin and the other woman left.

His thoughts swept across the entire Purple Thunder Pavilion like a tidal wave. Only after confirming that it had not suffered any devastating damage did he breathe a slight sigh of relief. However, his gaze immediately turned sharply towards the direction of the meditation room, and at the same time, he separated a powerful wisp of his mind and instantly connected with the core of the protective array that covered the entire Marquis's mansion.

Although the Marquis's Mansion's protective array did not sound an alarm, it still faithfully recorded the "Mysterious Yin Ice Prison" set up by the Mysterious Yin Goddess and the specific battle scene at that time, recording all the abnormal energy fluctuations and disturbances at the level of laws.

Lei Zhan's mind was immersed in the scene recorded by the great array.

He saw the three forces collide and intertwine violently in a very short time... In the end, the extreme cold law and the strange curse seemed to have met their nemesis, and quickly disintegrated and subsided.

Throughout the entire process, the core meditation room of Zi Lei Xuan remained as stable as a mountain, showing no signs of energy loss or dissipation.

The impact of this record is even greater than the shock Lei Zhan felt when he witnessed the Blood Shadow Elder neutralize his full-force attack!
"Hiss—!" Lei Zhan gasped sharply, even with his iron will, he couldn't help but be shaken. He abruptly looked up at the tightly closed door of the quiet room, his eyes filled with unbelievable ecstasy!
blocked!
It really blocked it!
And it was blocked in such a forceful way!

The Mysterious Yin Lady's Mysterious Yin Ice Prison is domineering and chilling, freezing everything!
The Palace Master of Qiyun Palace's Luck-Stealing Bell is unpredictable and impossible to defend against!

These two top experts at the peak of the Chaos Realm joined forces to test him, but Blood Shadow actually neutralized their attack!

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." The door to the quiet room opened silently, and the withered figure of the Blood Shadow Elder appeared in the doorway. His turbid gaze calmly swept over Lei Zhan's face, which was flushed with excitement. "Your Highness now believes that what I said before was not false."

The hoarse voice remained calm and composed, "A little probing is not enough to sway this old man."

His calm tone made it seem as if he hadn't just experienced a sneak attack from two top experts, and this composure and confidence impressed Lei Zhan even more.

"Yes! It is truly a blessing from heaven that I have received your assistance, Blood Shadow!" Lei Zhan hurriedly replied with a smile, adopting a very humble posture and speaking with sincere respect.

"I just didn't expect them to be so arrogant, making a move right here in the Holy City and the Marquis's mansion! It's utterly lawless! I must get an explanation for this!" As he spoke, lightning flashed in Lei Zhan's eyes, and a murderous intent was revealed.

"I will leave everything to Your Highness's discretion." The Blood Shadow Elder nodded slightly. "If there is nothing else, I need to meditate." He believed that after this test, there would be a period of peace and quiet, and he could use the treasures given to him by Lei Zhan to cultivate.

"Alright, please proceed! If you need anything, simply activate the offering token, and someone will come." Lei Zhan didn't bother him any further, bowed again, took a deep look at the newly closed door of the meditation room, and then transformed into a bolt of lightning, leaving the Purple Thunder Pavilion with exhilaration. (End of Chapter)