Swallowed Star: Lord of the Wolf

The courtyard returned to silence.

Only the murmuring sound of the spring of life seems to remain unchanged since time immemorial.

Marquis Qing Teng sat alone, his gaze still fixed on the spot where Gu You had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time. His fingers unconsciously caressed the tender, verdant vine on his knee, his gentle, jade-like face revealing neither joy nor anger.

“Shadow Vine.” He spoke softly, his voice echoing in the empty courtyard.

Deep within the shadows where vines intertwine, a figure composed entirely of flowing shadows silently emerges. Two points of eerie green light, like new buds of vines, are none other than Shadow Vine, one of the heads of the Mother River intelligence department's "Infernal Affairs."

“My lord.” Ying Teng’s voice was hoarse, like the rustling of withered leaves.

"Gu You's purpose in this journey is to obtain a newly born Beast from the Cosmic Sea," said Qing Teng Hou calmly. "I will report this to Lord Bei Feng."

The North Wind God King is a first-level God King in the River of Life, responsible for intelligence and communication with external forces and powerful figures. He is quite strong and was the God King in the original work whose clone was destroyed and who was driven away by Luo Feng in one move.

"Understood, Your subordinate." Ying Teng replied respectfully.

Shadow Vine's figure, like ink merging into water, silently dissipated into the shadows of vines in the courtyard of the Myriad Vine Palace, heading to report to the ruthless being who controlled the Mother River's intelligence and external communications.

The courtyard returned to silence, with only the murmuring of the Life Spring flowing like an eternal sigh in the heart of Qing Teng Hou.

He sat upright on the blue jade stone, his fingertips gently twirling the tender, emerald-green vine. His gentle, jade-like face showed no emotion, only a faint, indescribable, complex light flashed in the depths of his emerald eyes.

"The most difficult thing to overcome in this world..." Qing Teng Hou murmured to himself, his voice so soft as if afraid of disturbing the sleeping flowers and plants in the courtyard, "...is greed."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the many barriers of the palace, landing in the direction of the distant Xuanhu City in the Chaos State, and on the figure named Gu You.

"Knowing it's a path of shackles with nine out of ten chances of death, knowing it's a karmic journey of burning the soul and destroying the path... yet you still can't resist the temptation of that beast?" He shook his head gently, a tiny crease appearing on the tender twig at his fingertips. "What a pity... what a lament... the ultimate realm of the God King is ultimately just a mirage, a deception that bewitches the mind."

That sigh dissipated into the rich life force, carrying with it a compassionate understanding of the world's ways...

……

Beyond the Mother River World, there are small spaces resembling grapes attached to it, among which is a strange space called "Eternal Silent Ice Plains".

This is not an independent plane, but a 'semi-independent' realm forcibly opened and solidified on the membrane of the Mother River World by supreme power. It is somewhat similar to the relationship between the primordial universe and the miniature universe, except that this 'miniature universe' has not completely separated and is still attached to the 'primordial universe'.

Upon entering the eternally silent ice plains, one is not greeted by the vibrant life typical of the Mother River, but rather by an endless, desolate, and cold expanse of pale ice.

The ice flows, compresses, breaks, and refreezes eternally in an extremely slow yet unstoppable manner, emitting a deep, ancient roar.

In the sky, there was no sun, moon, or stars, only a chaotic, undeveloped grayness. Occasionally, a pale aurora, like a dying python, would twist and streak across the grayness, bringing a fleeting, chilling, and bleak light.

At the center of the space stood a colossal palace sculpted entirely from crystal-clear, ethereal ice. Its design was remarkably simple, with sharp, clean lines and no superfluous ornamentation, resembling a geometric shape naturally formed within an iceberg. This was none other than the headquarters of the Mother River's intelligence hub, "Boundless"—the "Temple of Eternal Silence"!
Deep within the temple lies the core hall, known as the "Ice Soul Palace."

Empty, cold, and deathly silent.

In the center of the main hall, there were no furnishings, only a huge chessboard, carved from a single piece of "cold jade," suspended three feet above the ground. The chessboard's grid lines crisscrossed, each square like a miniature, frozen world.

At this moment, there are no chess pieces on the chessboard, only wisps of mist of various shapes and colors slowly flowing, colliding, and dissipating. Each of these wisps of mist represents an important target, a faction, or a key node under the surveillance of the Mother River intelligence network.

Wow~~~~
A figure formed entirely of flowing shadows appeared, its shadow vines silently prostrating themselves on the cold jade ground, their posture utterly respectful. The two points of its eerie green light were also slightly lowered, not daring to look directly ahead.

In front of the shadow vines, on the other side of the chessboard, a figure stood quietly.

He wore a pale blue robe that seemed to be formed from the purest, flowing liquid ice. Tiny ice crystals constantly condensed and melted on the surface of the robe, reflecting the pale light of the palace and radiating a chill that could freeze the soul.

His face was shrouded in a thin, ever-changing layer of icy mist, through which only the hard, chiseled lines of his features and a pair of... eyes could be vaguely seen.

What kind of eyes are those?
No pupils, no irises, only two cold, absolutely bright white spots!
Anyone who makes eye contact with it will have their thoughts frozen and their soul seized by that purity.

He is none other than the head of Mother River Intelligence, the one who wields "Broken Ground" and strikes fear into the hearts of countless hostile forces—the North Wind God King!
At this moment, his sky-like "eyes" were "gazing" at a pale gray mist on the chessboard representing the Xuanhu City region, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible aura of destruction. After hearing Ying Teng's report, the eternal, suffocating silence in the hall seemed to thicken even further.

"World Beast..." A cold, flat voice slowly echoed in the hall. The voice wasn't loud, yet it pierced Shadow Vine's soul like an invisible icicle, causing his shadow-formed body to tremble slightly. "...The Cosmic Sea..."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ying Teng's voice grew even hoarseer. "Lord Qing Teng judged that Gu You intended to control that Beast of Realms and was willing to go to the 'Path of Shackles' at any cost. He has revealed the forbidden method to Gu You and given him a jade slip containing the detailed method."

"The Path of Shackles..." The North Wind God King repeated these four words, and the two white lights in his eyes seemed to rotate slightly, spreading a hint of mockery. "Heh... an ignorant fool. Even Lord Zongfu dares not tread this deadly path, yet he, a mere Chaos Realm cultivator, dares to covet it?"

The journey from the Origin Continent to the Cosmic Sea in reverse is not a secret, and the methods are widely known among the God-King level on the Origin Continent… otherwise, the God-King Jin wouldn't have been able to escape to the Cosmic Sea. Furthermore, it's not only God-King level experts who can perform this method; theoretically, even Chaos Realm experts could! The cosmic ship that crashed in Xu Yang's hometown is irrefutable proof. Its leader wasn't a God-King, but a Chaos Realm expert who had lost his family and country, desperately fighting with a national treasure.

Therefore, what the North Wind God King and other powerful God Kings feared was never how to get to the Cosmic Sea... but whether the price of going to the Cosmic Sea was worth it.

If the Origin Continent allowed the raising of World Beasts, that would be one thing; for a potential helper at the Ultimate God King level, even with only a tiny chance, it would be worth the risk and the price. The crucial point is that World Beasts are forbidden by all the major powers of the Origin Continent, and even the five super-strong individuals above the Ultimate Realm don't allow them.

This makes raising world beasts an extremely dangerous and risky activity. Add to that the 'cause and effect' that God-King level experts fear most, and it's entirely possible that one day you've secretly captured a world beast from the cosmic sea, and the next day some God-Emperor level expert, on a whim, will 'bump into' it, resulting in your death. Don't think it's impossible.

Cause and effect are the most mysterious and unpredictable things in the world. Even a god-king who holds the power of cause and effect would not dare to say that he can calculate everything.

As he pondered, the North Wind God King's gaze seemed to pierce through the chessboard, through endless time and space, and land in a distant direction.

"Greed is the original sin, and also... the path to death." The voice of the North Wind God King was like the cold wind blowing through icicles. "World Beasts are the source of chaos, they are taboo! The Mother River does not need uncertain factors, much less a 'variable' that could shake the existing order."

He slowly raised a hand covered in liquid ice. The hand was long and slender, with distinct knuckles, and the skin was so pale it was almost transparent, as if sculpted from the purest ice crystals. As he moved, the pale aurora borealis flowing in the hall seemed to be attracted, gathering in wisps and strands and merging into his palm.

hum!
A strange compass, with an extremely ancient design, a chaotic grayish-white color, and nine tiny black crystal grains as fine as dust inlaid on its edge, appeared out of thin air above his palm.

The moment the compass appeared, the surrounding light, sound, and even the sense of space became blurred and distorted.

A mysterious and profound aura, seemingly capable of manipulating the threads of fate, silently spread out.

Chaos Causality Disc!
This is the supreme treasure of the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, the treasure of the Mother River of Life. He is the Lord of 'Avici' and it is entrusted to him for use. It possesses almost heaven-defying power in deducing heavenly secrets, locking onto cause and effect, and tracing back to the source.

Especially in the hands of a god-king who is an expert in causality, it can unleash incredible power.

Shadow Vine sensed that aura, and his already prostrate figure almost pressed against the cold jade surface. He knew that Lord North Wind was about to get serious.

The North Wind God King's eyes were fixed on the gray mist representing Gu You on the chessboard.

His fingers, covered in liquid ice, were like the most precise carving knife, tracing the suspended chaotic causal disk with an almost devout focus, extremely slowly yet with unparalleled stability.

There was no dazzling light, no surge of energy.

Only an invisible "thread," seemingly capable of penetrating the deepest recesses of the soul, quietly formed on the surface of the Chaos Causality Disc as his fingertips moved. That "thread" was not a physical entity, but a concept, a rule, a Daoist decree called "Causal Locking."

Gu You is very strong, a peak Chaos Realm expert, who would be a powerful figure even on the Origin Continent!
Therefore, his movements were very slow, and every tiny stroke seemed to move mountains, carrying immense power of rules.

The eternal flow of the ice field within the main hall seemed to hold its breath.

Ying Teng held his breath, his eerie green pupils fixed on the ancient compass. He could feel an invisible, heart-pounding, grand will gathering and taking shape.

Finally, the North Wind God King gently touched the center of the Chaos Causality Disc with his finger.

Om-!
A deep, resonant hum that seemed to reach directly to the soul reverberated outwards, and on the Chaos Causality Disc, the causal line representing "Ancient Netherworld," drawn by the North Wind God King himself, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling gray-white light.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried a terrifying penetrating power that seemed to pierce through eternity and lock in destiny!

At the same time, on the huge jade chessboard suspended in the center of the hall, the pale gray mist representing Gu You suddenly churned and contracted violently. At the center of the mist, a gray-white light that echoed the Chaos Causality Plate suddenly lit up, as if it had been branded with an indelible mark!
"Lock!"

The cold voice of the North Wind God King, like a lawful maxim, resounded throughout the Ice Palace!
In an instant, hissing sounds rang out!
Countless invisible, yet perceptible only to the will, grayish-white, hair-thin but incredibly strong "causal chains" pierced through the chessboard, centered on the grayish-white light spots, ignoring the barriers of space and dimensions.

These chains, one end deeply embedded in the ancient, ethereal mist—essentially the causal anchor for all that existed on the Origin Continent—and the other end, as if possessing life, frantically spread, intertwined, and entwined… They pierced through the walls of the Eternal Temple, through the layers of spacetime barriers of the Mother River World, and through the vast, boundless void of the Origin Continent…

Ultimately, it landed on the ancient body of Xuanhu City.

puff!puff!puff!
The chains were invisible and intangible, ignoring the powerful protective barriers of the quiet room. They hovered three inches above Gu You's head, not as an attack, but rather... as a mark, an anchor!
Gu You showed no reaction and remained completely unaware.

As long as Gu You exists on the Origin Continent, these chains will be like a non-existent shadow, causing him no real harm or hindrance. But... once he attempts to leave the Origin Continent, once his "existence" "disappears" from the Origin Continent...

Then, these dormant chains will instantly give back.

By then, the North Wind God King will know that Gu You has returned to the Cosmic Sea. If Gu You never returns, that would be fine... but if he reappears after disappearing, he will probably not be greeted with fine wine and delicacies, but rather with the North Wind God King's chains to capture him.

The Eternal Ice Palace.

The North Wind God King slowly withdrew his finger from the Chaos Causality Disc.

On that ancient compass, the causal lines representing the ancient abyss shone with a restrained light, yet the firmly anchored connection remained unbreakable. On the chessboard, at the center of the gray mist representing the ancient abyss, the gray-white mark had also stabilized, like an eternal coordinate.

His abyss-like eyes swept over the Shadow Vine, which was still lying prostrate on the ground. "Shadow Vine."

"Your subordinate is here!" Shadow Vine's voice was filled with awe.

"Within the Mother River, all those connected to Gu You by cause and effect, especially his brother 'Gu Li' and his three newly arrived relatives from the Cosmic Sea," the North Wind God King's voice was icy and devoid of any emotion as he assigned tasks, "you, 'Wu Jian,' will personally monitor them. Ensure... that their movements are completely under your control."

"Yes, sir!" Shadow Vine replied. (End of Chapter)