Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

The deathly silence and coldness at the bottom of Zhenyuan Tower, like invisible ink, permeated Bai Yu's divine thoughts.

The ancient portal phantom originating from the depths of the "Wilderness" sea of ​​consciousness, and the cries of "Origin" that pierced through time and space, stirred up waves in the heart of this Chaos Realm being that could not be calmed for a long time.

The Gate to the Void!

The path to the Treasure Land of the Primordial Era!
This temptation is enough to drive any god-king mad. However, the starting point of this path lies in the distant cosmic ocean, isolated by dimensional barriers.

The desolate homeland, the Cosmic Sea...

Bai Yu's figure re-formed within the Guanhai Pavilion, his moon-white robes fluttering even without wind. He sat upright on the warm, jade cloud couch, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the smooth edge of the couch, leaving subtle, almost invisible ripples in the space.

His current identity is that of the Lord of Baiyu City, a Chaos Realm general under the command of Bai Qi, the God King of the Eastern Extreme Region. He is in charge of a Chaos State and has a prominent status, but he is also under the spotlight, with his every move being scrutinized by countless eyes.

If he were to personally and openly search for a method considered taboo in the Eastern Extreme Region—"how to travel from the Origin Continent to the Cosmic Sea in reverse"—it would be tantamount to throwing a boulder into a calm lake, instantly attracting the attention and suspicion of other powerful figures.

Especially... this matter also involves "yuan"!
The word "Yuan" is the greatest taboo and opportunity in this world of origin. Any trace related to it is enough to make the god-kings fight tooth and nail.

"This matter... requires learning from others." Bai Yu's deep eyes gazed at the eternally flowing Milky Way in the sky, his gaze seemingly piercing through endless time and space, landing on other places.

“Gu You…” he murmured a name.

The River of Life is a powerful force, and as a dark force that dares to rival the Yanfeng Ancient Kingdom, it naturally possesses many secrets.

The flow of information was also far more secretive and convenient than in the heavily fortified and deeply entrenched Eastern Territory.

……

Once the mind is made up, a plan will come to mind.

The River of Life, outside the residence of Qing Teng Hou.

In the void, rivers of varying widths and colors flowed silently. They were manifestations of tributaries from the Mother River world; some flowed with vibrant, verdant life essence, full of vitality; some flowed with silvery fragments of spacetime, bizarre and fantastical; and some flowed with dark purple chaotic currents, profound and unfathomable.

Countless "islands" and "continents" formed from pure energy and laws float between the rivers, with palaces stretching across them, radiating divine light, and inhabited by various races of beings who depend on the Green Vine Marquis.

His residence was not on the main branch of the great river in the Mother River World... that was the dojo of a god-king, his was on a tributary.

On one of the thickest tributaries, flowing with emerald-colored life essence, stands a magnificent temple—the Ten Thousand Vine Palace, the residence of the Green Vine Marquis.

Deep within the temple, in a courtyard surrounded by a shimmering, life-giving spring.

Marquis Qing Teng sat cross-legged on a piece of warm, lustrous blue jade. His appearance bore a three- or four-point resemblance to the Azure-Eyed Venerable, but their temperaments were quite different. He wore a simple dark green robe, his long hair casually draped over his shoulders. His aura blended perfectly with the life-giving spring and the swaying exotic flowers and plants in the courtyard, as if he were a natural part of this courtyard.

At this moment, Qing Teng Hou slowly opened his eyes, which were like two of the purest jade. Within them, countless lives seemed to flow from budding to flourishing to withering and rebirth, containing endless creative vitality and the mysteries of time and space.

"Gu You? You need to ask me something?" Upon receiving the message from Gu You, a hint of surprise flashed in Qing Teng Hou's emerald eyes, which then turned into a calm contemplation.

Although he was enfeoffed outside the capital, he had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs, focusing solely on the path to becoming a God-King, and thus resided in the Mother River World for many years. Gu You, on the other hand, was recruited hundreds of epochs ago and had already reached the peak of the Chaos Realm. He was stationed outside the capital and rarely came to the Mother River World, but now he suddenly contacted him to inquire about something.

He did not act immediately, but rather a thought crossed his mind.

hum!
Ripples spread across the surface of the life-giving spring in the center of the courtyard, and countless tiny water droplets rose up, quickly condensing and combining in the air.

"Has Gu You obtained any important intelligence recently?"

A ripple appeared in the water mirror, and a blurry face emerged, respectfully saying, "Reporting to the Marquis, Gu You's brother, Gu Li, has broken through to the Chaos Realm, and three of Gu You's relatives have arrived in Xuanhu City. According to my investigation, they should be from the Cosmic Sea."

Qing Teng Hou's gaze slowly swept across the water mirror, and he murmured, "His brother broke through to the Chaos Realm, why didn't he tell me? Did he recruit my lineage?"

In the water mirror, the blurred face hesitated slightly before saying, "According to my observation, Gu Li's strength is not strong; he's just an ordinary Chaos Realm cultivator. Perhaps Protector Gu You has other plans..."

Qing Teng Hou looked displeased. Regardless of his strength, shouldn't he at least have said something?

"Alright, go down." Qing Teng Hou waved his hand to disperse the water mirror, sent a message to Gu You, and at the same time gave him the key to enter the Mother River World... This is the key to enter the Mother River World at this moment. Its composition changes constantly under the influence of the Mother River World's original will. It is extremely difficult for outsiders to break in unless Qing Teng Hou actively gives it to them.

The world of the Mother River of Life is constantly "drifting" in the gaps of time and space, with its core area heavily protected, which is the basis for its survival.

Xuanhu City, the quiet room of the city lord's mansion.

Upon receiving the key, Gu You activated it without hesitation.

hum!
Enveloped in emerald light, countless vine runes intertwined to form a spatial portal. Gu You stepped inside, and his figure vanished.

……

In the Wan Teng Palace, in the courtyard of the Life Spring, a slight ripple appeared in the space. The ancient figure solidified, also dressed in a long robe, all in black, with a profound and distant aura, carrying the rhythm of life's destruction and transformation. He nodded slightly to Qing Teng Hou, his demeanor calm and unhurried: "Qing Teng Hou, I apologize for the intrusion of your visit."

“Guardian Guyou, you flatter me. Please have a seat.” Qing Tenghou gestured to another piece of warm, lustrous jade that had been prepared in the courtyard.

Without exchanging pleasantries, he looked directly into Gu You with his emerald eyes and got straight to the point: "Guardian has rarely stepped into the core of the Mother River in hundreds of epochs. You must have come here on important business to discuss."

Gu You sat down on the jade stone, his expression calm: "There is indeed a matter concerning a secret of this region, which I would like to verify with Qing Teng Hou. This matter... may involve the secrets of the origin of dimensions, which ordinary strong people may find difficult to understand."

"The origin of dimensions?" Qing Teng Hou raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "I'd like to hear more." As fellow peak Chaos Realm cultivators, anything they considered "secret" and required verification to be genuine was certainly not simple.

"Does Lord Qing Teng know if there is a way to 'reverse the flow' in this vast world, where dimensions can be traversed?" Gu You asked startlingly, his gaze fixed intently on Lord Qing Teng. "Not to shatter space, but... to return from the Origin Continent to a specific... cosmic sea?"

The life-giving spring in the courtyard seemed to freeze for a moment.

On Qing Teng Hou's gentle and refined face, the composure was instantly replaced by solemnity. A sharp light surged deep within his emerald eyes, and a tangible pressure spread out, causing the entire courtyard space to distort slightly.

"Going against the flow to the Cosmic Sea?" Qing Teng Hou's voice deepened, carrying an unprecedented seriousness. "Guardian Gu You, you should know what this means! The Supreme Will has set the order of ascension, and beings from the Cosmic Sea enter the Origin—this is the 'right path'! Going against the flow is 'defying the heavenly order,' forcibly tearing apart the dimensional membrane, interfering with the world's rules, and easily incurring the backlash of the world's will. At best, the passage will collapse, and the caster's foundation will be damaged; at worst, it will attract the Supreme Will's punishment, resulting in the annihilation of both body and soul! This is a taboo explicitly forbidden by all the major divine kingdoms, ancient kingdoms, and even my Mother River. You… why are you suddenly asking about such a taboo?" His question went straight to the heart, filled with scrutiny and vigilance. A peak Chaos Realm cultivator suddenly inquiring about such forbidden knowledge left him no choice but to ponder deeply.

Faced with the questioning, Gu You remained unmoved, instead revealing a bitter smile, tinged with helplessness and frankness: "Lord Qing Teng, please don't be offended. It's not that I, Gu You, am ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, or that I dare to challenge the supreme will. The truth is... I come from the Cosmic Sea, and a calamity is about to befall my homeland..."

"Oh?" Qing Teng Hou's sharpness lessened slightly, but his scrutiny remained. "A calamity has occurred in the Cosmic Sea? The highest level in the Cosmic Sea is only True God. Once one reaches the Void True God realm, one will be forcibly summoned to the Origin... A mere True God, with your divine power avatar, you could easily suppress him, right?"

Qing Teng Hou's words carried a hint of nonchalant disdain.

In the eyes of a peak Chaos Realm being like him, the cosmic sea was nothing more than a "pond" on the edge of the Origin World. Even if there were occasional ripples, how big of a wave could they possibly create? A divine incarnation was enough to suppress everything.

The bitter smile on Gu You's face deepened. He slowly shook his head, his voice low and hoarse, as if each word weighed a ton: "If it were truly the work of ordinary True Gods, even if ten or eight Void True Gods joined forces, a single projection of my will would be enough to crush them into dust. However... this calamity is neither an internal conflict nor an ordinary external enemy..."

He paused deliberately, his long black robe fluttering without wind, and the originally profound and distant Daoist aura of life destruction around him now faintly revealed a trace of helplessness.

The contempt on Qing Teng Hou's gentle and refined face vanished. "Then what is it because of?" His emerald eyes were fixed on Gu You.

Gu You took a deep breath, as if to suppress the invisible fear, and said, word by word: "World—Beast!"

boom!
"A Beast of the Realm?!" Qing Teng Hou suddenly stood up from the jade stone, his boundless life force unable to be suppressed any longer, and burst forth with a roar!

In the courtyard, the shimmering spring of life suddenly surged into towering waves, causing countless exotic flowers and plants to sway wildly. Some fragile spiritual plants could not withstand the sudden burst of pressure and turned into dust.

The gentle and peaceful feeling in his emerald eyes had completely vanished.

"Are you sure?! A Beast of the Realm?!" Qing Teng Hou's voice was filled with surprise. He stared intently at Gu You, as if to confirm that the other party was not making up a huge lie.

Beasts of the Realm are bearers of the Great Dao of Destruction, nurtured by the Cosmic Sea. Once they grow up smoothly, they become ultimate realm powerhouses like the Beast King of the Heavenly Wood Kingdom... But their success is also their downfall.

The destruction of the primordial Dao is not something easily borne. For a Realm Beast to bear it signifies that it is born for slaughter, a creator of chaos. Throughout the history of the Origin Continent, Realm Beasts have wreaked havoc more than once, causing immense trouble for the governance of various kingdoms. Therefore, many of the Origin Continent's top experts have united to enact a ban, forbidding the appearance of Realm Beasts and declaring that any discovered ones will be annihilated!
“I also hope it’s fake!” Gu You’s voice was faint. “But my divine avatar, through the hidden node I left in my home microcosm, witnessed it with my own eyes… Their number is unknown, but that pure, terrifying aura that exists only for destruction, as if it can devour all light, heat, and life… There’s no mistake! It’s the World Beasts!”

He stood up, his long black robe fluttering in the wind, his body radiating a surge of Daoist energy that sketched blurry images in the void… all of which he had personally experienced.

In this dimly lit place, divine power has waned, and dark shadows flicker within, their auras entirely different from those of ordinary beings in the primordial universe…

"Did you see that?!" Gu You's voice was filled with anxiety. "World Beasts! They've been born! They're still weak now... but once they grow up... my miniature universe, my race, the foundation of my dojo, all the traces I left in the cosmic sea... will be completely erased!"

Qing Teng Hou focused his gaze on the dark figure and nodded: "It is indeed a World Beast!"

Seeing Gu You's anxiety, he quickly comforted him, "Fellow Daoist Gu You, don't worry. The barren cosmic sea is not enough for a world beast to grow to the God King realm. Even if it devours the primordial universe and destroys all living beings... it would be remarkable if it could grow to the Chaos realm. Under the influence of the Great Dao of Destruction, it cannot suppress its killing desires and will not stay in the empty cosmic sea. It will eventually leave."

"Now that you have reached the peak of the Chaos Realm, your small universe is different from the unclaimed primordial universe. With your will in charge, it is enough to withstand the devouring of the World Beasts." There was still half of what Qing Teng Hou didn't say. If Gu You now had the will of a God King, he could even directly seize the primordial universe. In that case, even the primordial universe would no longer be afraid of the World Beasts.

Gu You naturally knew this, and he even already possessed the mental will of a God-King, but he still did not try to seize the Primordial Universe, which was also due to some other considerations.

His main purpose this time was to find the method to travel from the Origin Continent to the Cosmic Sea. Compared with the Treasure Land of Primordial Origin, the opportunity to seize the Primordial Universe was much less significant.

Anyway, the original universe is there, and I can possess it at any time. I'm not afraid it will run away.

“What Qing Teng Hou said makes sense, but I still want to hunt it down in its infancy…” Gu You said.

A knowing glint flashed in Qing Teng Hou's emerald eyes, like stars piercing through the mist. A slight smile played on his lips, revealing a meaningful curve, his voice warm yet carrying a penetrating power: "Guardian Gu You is anxious, I understand. But what the Guardian desires is probably more than just a simple 'hunt,' isn't it?"

He paused slightly, his gaze fixed on Gu You. "The Origin Continent has strict prohibitions. All the major divine kingdoms and ancient kingdoms must jointly exterminate the World Beasts. This is an ironclad rule! Even within the Mother River, even a supreme being like the Mother River Lord, who can stand against an Emperor with only the second level of the God King realm, would not dare to openly protect a World Beast so that it can grow up safely... Is the Protector so eager because he wants to emulate the ancient powerhouses and take that 'cutting off the fuel supply' action to... control it?"

Clearly, Qing Teng Hou assumed that Gu You was eager to return to his home universe and enslave that world beast. After all, who could resist the allure of the ultimate God-King realm? (End of Chapter)