Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

The core territory of the Thunder Kingdom, the Ten Thousand Thunder Plains.

There are no vast expanses of misty waves here, only eternal thunder.

Above, the sky was not clear, but rather churning with billions of layers of dark purple thunderclouds, like an inverted ocean of lightning. Thick bolts of electricity danced and exploded within them, emitting deafening roars, relentlessly pouring destructive lightning power down upon the vast plains below.

The earth is not just soil, but also dark purple "Thunderbolt Iron" that has been bombarded and tempered by thunder over countless years. It is extremely hard and its surface is covered with fine electric sparks.

The air was filled with a dense aura of thunder, and each breath carried a slight numbing sensation, yet it also made those who cultivated the laws of thunder feel extremely comfortable.

At the heart of this thunder-ravaged plain stands a magnificent city—Blood Shadow City!

The entire city was as if it were built from hundreds of millions of huge, angular, dark purple lightning iron blocks. The city walls soared into the clouds, and their surfaces were covered with naturally formed lightning runes that constantly absorbed the lightning falling from the sky, forming a flowing, crackling lightning film on the surface of the city walls.

The city's buildings are rugged and heavy, constructed mostly of massive divine iron pillars and thick thunderstones, with sharp lines that exude a sense of power and destruction. Countless thick bolts of lightning shoot from the top of a towering "Lightning-Guiding Tower" in the city center, connecting with the thunderclouds above to form spectacular pillars of light that channel the raging thunder power throughout the city, transforming it into pure energy.

The Blood Shadow City Lord's Mansion is located in the city center, next to the Lightning Tower.

This mansion was also constructed of dark purple lightning iron, with a cold and hard style, like a lurking thunderous beast. Deep inside the mansion, in a quiet room made entirely of "lightning crystals", the space was forcibly distorted and stabilized, isolating it from the violent thunderous roars outside.

Xueyin sat cross-legged.

He wore a simple plain robe, his eyes were deep like a black hole that swallowed all light, and there was no deliberate pressure emanating from him. But just sitting there, he seemed to be the core of the entire Thunder Domain. Even the lightning flowing in the surrounding space subconsciously avoided him, forming a strange "vacuum" zone.

After fusing the bloodline of the Devouring Thunder Dragon, his aura was no longer manifested through decay and prosperity, but was dominated by thunder!
The Hunyuan bloodline is so domineering. Even though he had already comprehended the two major branches of the Great Dao of the Origin of Life to the peak of the Chaos Realm, the Hunyuan bloodline, which was initially refined, directly squeezed out the position of the Great Dao of the Origin of Life and took its place!
His face remained unchanged, but he was no longer that 'ordinary' old man; at first glance, one would naturally feel that he was extremely domineering.

At this moment, a deep purple token floated in front of him, imprinted with complex thunder divine patterns and an ancient character "雷" (thunder) – this was the identity symbol of a core member of the Thunder Ancient Kingdom, and also represented his absolute control over "Blood Hidden City".

Beside the token was a storage ring with an antique design, its interior seemingly containing a small world of thunder.

Inside the ring lies a vast fortune worth 500 billion cosmic sands!

This is the astonishing resource he accumulated during his trip to the Holy City, relying on Blood Shadow and through dangerous battles and ingenious calculations.

However, Xueyin's face showed no joy at suddenly becoming rich; instead, his brows were slightly furrowed and his eyes held a sense of helplessness.

“Five hundred billion… cosmic sands…” Xueyin murmured to himself, his voice echoing in the quiet room, “It seems like an astronomical figure, but in the face of the ancient kingdom’s merit barrier, it seems so… powerless.”

He focused his divine sense into the token, communicating with the "Treasury of Ten Thousand Thunders" at the core of the Thunder Ancient Kingdom.

Countless bizarre and fantastical treasures, exuding an aura of world-destroying power, flooded into his mind in an instant:

"The True Explanation of the Nine Heavens Thunder Prison" (God King's Ultimate Thunder Technique): Requires 1,000,000 Merit Points (Guest Elder).

"Silent Thunder Eye" (God King Ultimate Realm Eye Technique): Requires 850,000 Merit Points (Guest Elder).

……

"Chaotic Thunder Core" (One-time treasure to aid in comprehending the origin of thunder): Requires 300,000 merit points (Guest Elder).

"Ten Thousand Tribulations Thunder Pool" 50-Year Cultivation Permission: Requires 000 Merit Points (Guest Elder)

……

Blood Shadow's gaze was fixed on the inheritances of those ultimate God-King realm beings at the very top.

One million merit points!
According to the outrageously harsh exchange rate set by the ancient kingdom's official authorities: 1 merit point ≈ 300,000 cosmic sands, which means that one million merit points are theoretically worth three hundred billion cosmic sands!
But this is just theory!
The ancient kingdom strictly controlled the circulation of merit and cosmic sand.

Merit points can only be earned by completing tasks issued by the ancient kingdom!

Cosmic Sand can buy many resources, but it cannot buy core inheritances or truly top-tier treasures that require merit points to exchange for!

The royal family members of the ancient kingdom can exchange for the same ultimate realm secret technique for only 100,000 merit points!

Even if a "guest" like him fully joins and pays a huge price, he will still have to pay ten times the price!

“Control…blatant control.” A glint flashed in Xueyin’s eyes. The ancient kingdom used this method to firmly bind powerful outsiders like him to their war chariots, forcing them to risk their lives for merit, to fight for the kingdom in all directions, and to clear obstacles.

He tried posting a purchase request on the internal trading platform: "Looking to buy one million merit points, willing to exchange them for 350 billion cosmic sands or equivalent top-tier treasures!"

The transaction was paid at a premium, but the information was sent out and disappeared without a trace.

It's easy to exchange merit for cosmic sand, but it's incredibly difficult to exchange cosmic sand for merit!

A moment later, he even received a chilling message: "Warning: A request to purchase a huge amount of merit points has been detected. The ancient kingdom's merit point system strictly prohibits large-scale private transactions, and violators will be severely punished! It is recommended that you acquire merit points by completing tasks such as 'Guarding Thunder Abyss' and 'Conquering the Shadow Realm'."

Blood Shadow snorted coldly and shut down the platform.

A million merits, who knows how long it would take to accumulate... Unless one becomes a disciple of an ancient emperor, there's no chance of escaping this.

"It seems that directly exchanging cosmic sand for ultimate inheritance is not an option." Blood Shadow quickly calmed down. He was never lacking in patience and adaptability.

His gaze swept over the dazzling list of treasures in the Wanlei Treasury once more.

Since the core inheritance is temporarily out of reach, the most urgent task is to improve his combat power. He originally focused on cultivating the Great Dao of the Origin of Life, but now, with the Bloodline of the Devouring Thunder Dragon, close combat has become his strongest point.

A god-king level weapon and armor that can perfectly unleash his power and align with his path is of paramount importance.

“God King Weapon…” Blood Shadow’s divine sense quickly filtered through the weapon categories in the treasure vault.

The Thunder Kingdom was founded on the bloodline of Thunder Chaos, and its most abundant and powerful treasures are naturally various divine king weapons with thunder attributes: Thunder God's Hammer, Sky-Splitting Thunder Spear, Nine Tribulations Thunder Blade... Each one is incredibly powerful, capable of drawing divine thunder from the nine heavens, enough to make even the Chaos Ruler envious.

But Xueyin only glanced at it before shaking his head slightly. "It's domineering enough, but lacks harmony." What he pursued was not pure destruction with lightning, but a path that harmonized with himself, using battle to sustain himself, and growing stronger with each battle.

These thunderous divine weapons, though powerful, could not perfectly support his path.

His gaze eventually settled on the "customize" option.

The Thunder Kingdom possesses one of the most advanced weapon-refining traditions on the Origin Continent!

The "Ten Thousand Thunder Heavenly Crafting Hall" is the highest weapon-forging holy land in the ancient kingdom. Its core members are all revered as "divine craftsmen" and possess the terrifying ability to forge divine king weapons. As long as you pay a sufficient price, you can ask the divine craftsmen to take action and tailor-make divine weapons and armor!
"Customization..." A glint flashed in Xueyin's eyes. This was the path most suitable for him!
He immediately opened the customization interface and began entering his requirements.

Weapon: Main melee weapon.

Core requirements: It must perfectly bear and amplify the fundamental Dao of Thunder. The weapon itself must possess powerful devouring properties, capable of actively absorbing the enemy's attack energy, life force, and even shattered Dao patterns of laws, feeding back to itself and enhancing its power! At the same time, it must possess extremely strong physical destructive power, and the material must be able to withstand the extreme burst of physical power of a second-level God King!

Armor: Full-body armor.

Core requirement: Ultimate defense; capable of withstanding the full-force attack of a second-level God-King realm expert without breaking the body!

The requirements for Blood Shadow are extremely demanding.

To perfectly blend lightning, devouring, defense, and powerful attacks while also maintaining flexibility is almost a challenge to the limits of a master craftsman's skill.

After I finished typing, the platform's response immediately popped up below.

"This request demands extremely high levels of craftsmanship. Among the existing craftsmen in the Ten Thousand Thunder Heavenly Craft Hall, only the chief craftsman 'Master Mo' or the deputy 'Venerable Lei Duan' have a high chance of undertaking this task. Shall we confirm submitting the custom request?"

"It is estimated to be no less than 3000 billion cosmic sands."

Even with Xue Yin's unwavering will, his eyelids twitched involuntarily upon seeing this astronomical figure. And this was just a minimum estimate; in the actual refining process, any setbacks or the need for higher-quality materials would definitely push the cost far beyond that!
"You only realize how little money you have when you need it..." Xueyin's lips curled into a slight smile, but he didn't hesitate at all.

"Confirm submission!"

The message was sent out instantly from the token, relayed through the Thunder Chamber of Commerce, and went directly to the "Ten Thousand Thunder Heavenly Craft Hall" located in the core area of ​​the ancient kingdom, where thunderstorms were most terrifying!
……

The Hall of Ten Thousand Thunder Gods is not a palace, but a vast complex of buildings suspended above a self-created "small chaotic thunder sea" filled with endless destructive divine thunder.

Countless massive workshops, constructed from lightning crystals and lightning materials even more precious than lightning iron, stand like steel jungles, constantly bombarded by the sea of ​​lightning below, transforming the raging lightning power into terrifying energy needed for weapon forging.

Inside the core area, in a dark gold workshop with a most ferocious design, resembling the head of a giant beast.

The temperature is high enough to melt the core of a star.

Space was distorted by a powerful energy field, displaying iridescent ripples. In the center, a massive furnace carved from a single piece of "Chaotic Thunderfire Crystal" was roaring and operating, its interior churning with a viscous, magma-like, dark purple liquid that exuded a terrifying aura of destruction.

Beside the furnace stood an old man.

He was tall but somewhat hunched over, wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt covered in various metallic powders and burn marks. His arms were bare, his muscles bulging and covered with scars from the high temperatures and energy. His messy gray hair looked as if he had been struck by lightning, and his face was smeared with black ash. Only his eyes, like the core of the hottest furnace, were filled with fanaticism and focus. At this moment, he was staring intently at the churning liquid inside the furnace, chanting incantations, his fingers flitting through the air like butterflies, drawing countless mysterious runes before casting them into the furnace.

He is none other than Master Mo, the chief divine craftsman of the Ten Thousand Thunder Heavenly Crafts Hall!

A legendary figure who entered the Dao through weapon crafting and achieved the position of God-King, with an eccentric temperament and an obsession with weapon crafting. He had no interest in the power of the Thunder Ancient Kingdom and was only devoted to challenging himself with more difficult crafting techniques.

He joined the Thunder Kingdom for its seemingly inexhaustible resources. He charges very little; as long as he has free time and can afford the materials, he will help with the refining.

Therefore, he had an excellent reputation and extensive connections in the Thunder Kingdom!
The violent energy fluctuations raged within the workshop, distorting the space like a wrinkled rag. However, under his control, the dark purple liquid gradually subsided its violent nature, transforming into a deep, restrained, and seemingly light-devouring dark color, faintly revealing a chilling sharpness.

"It's done!" Master Mo suddenly shouted, his eyes flashing with unparalleled brilliance.

He formed an incredibly profound hand seal, drawing upon the primal power of the small chaotic thunder sea beneath the workshop, transforming it into a massive pillar of chaotic thunder that crashed into the furnace.

Om-! ! !
The furnace trembled violently, emitting a deafening roar, and the dark purple liquid inside instantly solidified and took shape.

In a flash of light, a strangely shaped warhammer phantom appeared and disappeared. The hammerhead was not round, but covered with ferocious edges and corners. The whole body was dark purple, and the hammer body was covered with chaotic lightning patterns that looked like living things. A heavy, mountain-like pressure with the intention of destructive thunder instantly spread out!
Although it was just a phantom, it caused the surrounding distorted space to freeze.

"Excellent! What a magnificent 'World-Shattering Thunder Hammer'! It combines 'annihilation thunder pattern steel' and 'fragments of chaotic thunder core,' perfectly embodying the true meaning of destruction, hahaha!" Master Mo was so excited that he danced with joy, his gray hair standing on end.

This hammer has reached the threshold of a second-level weapon of a god-king, and is his masterpiece from nearly ten thousand epochs ago.

He admired the gradually solidifying hammer shadow as if admiring the most beautiful work of art in the world.

at this time--

hum!
The ancient, hammer-and-chisel-marked "Heavenly Craftsman's Token" hanging at his waist trembled slightly, and a custom order information relayed by the Thunder Merchant Guild was directly projected into his ecstatic mind.

[Custom Application! Applicant: Blood Shadow (Lord of Blood Shadow City). Weapon Requirements: Melee primary weapon, perfectly bearing and amplifying the Thunder Origin Dao, must possess powerful devouring properties, capable of absorbing attack energy, life force, and Dao patterns to nourish itself, extreme physical destruction, able to withstand the ultimate burst of physical power of a second-level God King! Armor Requirements: Full-body armor, extremely defensive, able to withstand the full force of a second-level God King's attack without breaking! Estimated Cost: ≥3000 billion cosmic sands. The skill level is extremely high; only the Ink and Thunder Seats can undertake this project!]

This information was like pouring a bucket of boiling hot oil on Master Mo's boiling passion for weapon crafting!

"Thunder Dao? Devouring characteristic? Self-replenishment? The physical limits of the second level of God King? And Extreme Control?!" Master Mo's furnace-like pupils instantly shot out a light even more intense than when he was forging the Shattering World Thunder Hammer.

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Master Mo slapped his thigh so hard that the workshop shook three times. Even for him, it was rare to refine a treasure worth more than one million merits.

Therefore, he didn't care at all whether the applicant was Blood Shadow or anyone else; he only saw a good opportunity to practice for free!
"Accepted! How could I possibly miss such a wonderful opportunity!" Master Mo did not hesitate. In an instant, his divine sense traveled through the Heavenly Craftsman's Token, directly covering the tokens of all the available divine craftsmen in the entire Ten Thousand Thunder Heavenly Crafts Hall, and sent out a message: "I have accepted the Blood Shadow City Lord's order! You need not concern yourselves with it!"

After domineeringly declaring his sovereignty, he replied to Blood Shadow through the Thunder Merchant Guild: "Lord Blood Shadow, the order is accepted. I am Mo Tiangong, and your request is excellent! I am delighted! According to my rules, this time I will charge you the lowest price. Ten percent of the theoretical value of the finished treasure will be your selling fee. Bring your cosmic sand and come to the 'Thunderfire Source Hall' immediately!"

The spatial coordinates of the Thunderfire Source Palace were attached to the message. (End of Chapter)