Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 7 Temple of Inheritance
The clouds of Manlong Star surged beneath my feet, and from the vast primeval forest below, the roars of monsters echoed from time to time. Among the towering ancient trees, the animal bone totems of the tribe could be vaguely seen.

In the blink of an eye, a majestic mountain loomed before us.

The entire Manlong Mountain appears to have been cleaved in two by a giant axe, and the temple standing atop the mountain is carved from a single piece of dark red boulder, with rough lines outlining a square and orderly shape.

The surface of the palace walls is unpolished, retaining the natural texture of the stone, but it is covered with dense, ancient runes. Each rune is inlaid with solidified dark golden blood, which gleams with an oily sheen in the sunlight.

The main gate of the temple is a hundred feet high and is supported by two giant stone pillars with dragon reliefs coiled around them.

The dragon scales in the relief are inlaid with the sharp teeth of demonic beasts, and the dragon eyes are two black crystals that emit a ghostly light.

Four bronze altars stand at the four corners of the roof, piled with unburnt animal bones, from which wisps of smoke rise and blend into the mountain mist.

The ground trembled slightly when the chieftain landed. He pointed to the stone corridors extending from both sides of the temple, where hundreds of stone niches were neatly arranged.

“Each stone niche contains a fragment of an ancestor’s armor. Remember, don’t touch anything when you go inside.” The clan chief’s voice was deep and solemn.

Ling Xuan looked up at the temple, which exuded a wild and untamed aura, and his heart began to beat faster involuntarily.

The rough stone walls and the Zhulong reliefs inlaid with the sharp teeth of monsters all tell of the ancient and powerful lineage of Zhulong.

The clan chief first led him in the corridor to briefly reminisce about their ancient ancestors.

As his fingertips traced the tattered armor, Ling Xuan seemed to feel the heroic spirit of its former master as he fought bloody battles on the battlefield.

The two then walked towards the gate.

Upon entering the hall, a smell mingled with the scent of rust and incense wafted towards you.

The dimly lit hall was illuminated by only a few flickering candles, their light barely outlining the surroundings.

A man in a black robe sat cross-legged in the temple. The wide hood of the robe completely covered his face, making it impossible to see his features in the dim light.

Hearing the door open, the man in black robes slowly raised his head, his voice low and hoarse: "You've come?"

The clan chief nodded and pushed Ling Xuan forward, "Go, little guy, this is the envoy of the temple. You will follow him and cultivate diligently for the next period of time."

Ling Xuan stepped forward respectfully and bowed to the temple messenger.

"Hmm." The temple messenger responded, raised his hand and waved it gently, and the surrounding candlelight immediately blazed brightly.

The light spread out like a tide, illuminating the entire temple, and deep within the temple, eight bronze gates revealed their true form.

Above the gate, eight large characters, “Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, and Light,” are engraved in the ancient and vigorous language of the Manlong Star people. The edges of the characters faintly gleam with a mysterious luster.

Ling Xuan looked on curiously, secretly guessing that each gate should correspond to a lower-level fundamental law.

"Senior, what is this?" he couldn't help but ask.

"This is the accumulation of trillions of epochs in my Zhulong Starfield." The temple envoy's voice was tinged with emotion. "As one of the oldest races in the primordial universe, our ancestors have recorded their insights in the temple for future generations to study, hoping that one day a true super strongman will emerge and stand at the pinnacle of the universe."

Ling Xuan sighed inwardly, realizing that this was indeed a case of one generation planting trees so that another could enjoy the shade.

Through this relay-style inheritance, the Zhulong clan has cultivated numerous immortal gods.

Although the large population has prevented the clan's bloodline from advancing beyond the planetary level, it has also greatly increased the possibility of producing geniuses. It is difficult to judge the pros and cons.

However, the fact that they did not restrict the reproduction of their clansmen, and this respect for life, also demonstrated the humanity of the Zhulong clan. Ling Xuan's respect for that Zhulong ancestor grew even stronger.

"I heard from Mongke that you have comprehended the Flame Domain, so go to that secret chamber with the character for fire engraved on it to cultivate." The black-robed envoy instructed, "Remember, you can only cultivate for three days at a time. After you finish cultivating, you need to go to the killing field and dueling space in the virtual universe to hone yourself. The expenses for both places will be borne by the clan, so you don't need to worry."

"Yes, senior." Ling Xuan bowed again and then walked towards the door of the secret chamber engraved with the character "fire".

As they approached, the gate opened silently and slowly.

As Ling Xuan stepped across the bronze threshold engraved with flame totems, a wave of heat rushed towards him, as if he had instantly plunged into the core of boiling lava.

The interior of the secret chamber is extremely spacious, with crimson crystals condensing at the top of the dome, making the entire space resemble a flowing sea of ​​fire.

The flames carved on the stone wall take on various forms. Some resemble burning runes that transform into lively spirits, while others resemble liquid flames flowing between the fangs of a fire-breathing beast. However, what attracts Ling Xuan's attention the most is a divine bird that is engulfed in flames and about to take flight, with its patterns faintly revealing mysterious fluctuations of laws.

The room was so quiet that only the faint sound of breathing could be heard.

Several Manlong aliens dressed in coarse cloth and animal skins sat on the ground, the faint flame marks between their brows flickering with their breathing; in the center of the secret chamber, a man clad in golden armor was surrounded by miniature flame vortexes, the distorted air refracting the surrounding light into strange ripples.

Everyone was engrossed in their own cultivation world and did not react at all to Ling Xuan's arrival.

Ling Xuan slowed his pace and walked slowly, carefully observing the stone wall as he went.

The inscriptions on them contain the insights left by powerful figures throughout history. Some are intricate and exquisite arrays of flame runes, some are notes written in the ancient language of the Savage Dragon Star, and some are even totems directly imprinted with divine power.

He quickly realized that there were seven completely different traces of laws left here, which meant that in the long history of the Zhulong lineage, seven immortal gods who were proficient in the laws of fire had been born!

In the end, Ling Xuan chose the divine bird pattern he had seen when he first entered.

The divine bird's feathers flowed with a dark golden luster, and the flame ripples swirling around its body were perfectly in sync with the frequency of the flame domain it controlled.

This divine bird looks remarkably similar to the phoenix of ancient China, with each feather so lifelike that it resembles a vibrant, dancing flame.

A strange sense of familiarity welled up in Ling Xuan's heart. His intuition told him that this was the place where he could meditate and gain enlightenment.

He sat cross-legged in front of the mythical bird carving, took a deep breath, and immersed himself in it.

As his mind emptied, he felt the surroundings gradually quiet down, until he could only hear his own heartbeat.

His heart pounded rhythmically, and when he counted to 72, he felt his consciousness suddenly blur, as if he had fallen into an endless void.

After an unknown amount of time, Ling Xuan slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a vast and boundless world of flames.

Beneath their feet lay a surging, roaring ocean of lava, the intense heat assaulting their senses; nine burning suns hung suspended in the sky, radiating blinding light; even the air here was imbued with the tangible power of laws.

Filled with curiosity and excitement, Ling Xuan began to wander and explore this strange world.

He extended his fingertips and gently brushed them across the ancient tree formed from flames. In an instant, the patterns on the bark transformed into ancient and mysterious runes. When he touched the surging river of fire, the water instantly froze, turning into thousands of fire swords, each containing a unique attack principle.

In the distance, the fire giant cleaved the void with a punch, and the torrent of laws unleashed during the fire phoenix's rebirth soared into the sky.

In this world of flames, Ling Xuan forgot the passage of time and immersed himself in comprehending the laws of flames.

(End of this chapter)