Swallowing the Stars: The System Bound the Wrong Person at the Start

Luoyang, the capital of China, the Ziwei Palace.

The night was as dark as ink, and the water clock dripped slowly.

As the power center of the Great Zhou Empire, this magnificent palace was eerily quiet at this moment. The imperial guards were as formidable as an iron barrel, and the Imperial Guards, holding long spears, vigilantly scanned their surroundings. However, their gazes strangely penetrated the corridor outside the Imperial Study, as if it were just a wisp of air.

Inside the imperial study, candlelight flickered.

An elderly woman dressed in a bright yellow robe was bent over her desk reviewing memorials. Time had etched deep lines on her face, but her eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's, exuding an aura of authority that commanded the submission of the world. However, at this moment, her eyes were bloodshot, and her hand holding the vermilion brush trembled slightly.

"Your Majesty, it's late, you should rest." The head eunuch carefully stepped forward to add some lamp oil and whispered his advice.

Wu Zetian put down her vermilion brush, rubbed her throbbing temples, and said in a hoarse voice, "Rest? The world has just been settled, and the barbarians are not yet at peace. If I rest, who will shoulder the burden of the Great Zhou? Zhang Changzong and the others are urging me to take that so-called 'elixir of immortality' again... Ha, it's nothing but poisonous minerals. How could I not know that?"

"Your Majesty..." The old eunuch felt a pang of sorrow upon hearing this, but dared not say more.

Wu Zetian sighed, her gaze fixed on the dark night sky outside the window, a profound sense of desolation welling up within her. In her life, she had fought against powerful figures, slain ministers, and ascended the throne—a feat she considered unprecedented. Yet, the very concept of "life and death" stood as an insurmountable chasm between mortals and eternity. She was unwilling to accept this fate; she longed to live another five hundred years, to witness this prosperous era unfold as she had wished.

Just as she was lost in thought, a strange fluctuation suddenly rippled through the imperial study.

There was no wind, no murderous intent, and not even the candlelight flickered.

But Wu Zetian suddenly raised her head, her cloudy old eyes instantly narrowing. She sensed that a figure had appeared beside the dragon throne in the imperial study, a symbol of the pinnacle of imperial power, at some point.

He was a young man dressed in a long, wide-sleeved crimson robe, his long, crimson hair flowing freely. His face was so handsome it was almost otherworldly. He exuded no aura, yet seemed to be one with the heavens and earth. He stood there casually, yet he gave off a sense of oppression that surpassed imperial power and even all living beings, like a god descending to earth.

"Who are you?!" Wu Zetian shouted sharply, her hand instinctively reaching for the mechanism under the table.

"I am the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty! Where are the Imperial Guards?!"

However, she was met with only deathly silence; even the chief eunuch who had been attending her had fallen into a deep sleep.

"Stop shouting. This palace has been sealed off by me. Your words cannot be heard outside." Chen Yang spoke calmly, his voice not loud, but it resonated clearly in her mind. "Wu Zetian, I am not unfamiliar with this title. But tonight, I am not here to contend for your world, but to bestow upon you a great destiny."

Wu Zetian, after all, was a powerful figure who had ruled the world for decades. After her initial shock, she quickly calmed down.

She stared intently at Chen Yang and said in a deep voice, "What is your purpose in breaking into the Forbidden City in the dead of night? If it is for money and power, I will grant it to you."

"Money? Power?" Chen Yang's lips curled into a playful smile as he casually waved his hand.

hum!

The space inside the imperial study seemed to freeze. Wu Zetian was horrified to discover that she could not move her body at all, not even lift a finger.

Chen Yang slowly walked up to her, looking down at this legendary empress: "Wu Zetian, you have been ruthless and decisive throughout your life, claiming to be the chosen one. But have you ever considered what the will of heaven truly is? Before true power, your so-called 'Son of Heaven' is nothing but a frog in a well."

He extended a finger and gently touched Wu Zetian's brow.

"I observe that your soul is resilient and your will is as strong as iron. Though your body is mortal, you possess a fierce determination that refuses to decay. This is excellent; it is precisely the 'spark' needed for evolution."

boom!

A vast and gentle flow of information instantly rushed into Wu Zhao's mind through her fingertips.

It wasn't a martial arts manual, nor a treatise on governance, but a vast amount of information: the key points of the cultivation system from the apprentice level to the realm master level, the difference between martial artists and spiritual masters, the conditions for advancing to immortality, the eight lower-level laws and the two higher-level laws, the six peak races and the vastness of the universe, the differences between planetary life, secret realms and divine kingdom life, and even the prevalence of slavery among the human race...

"This is..." Wu Zetian's pupils trembled violently. The cold and cruel cosmic rules revealed by the information in her mind made this mortal emperor feel a deep tremor in her soul.

Ignoring Wu Zetian's shock and fear, Chen Yang faced her and calmly said, "My name is Pangu."

Wu Zetian's pupils constricted sharply, and she exclaimed in a trembling voice, "Pangu, the creator of heaven and earth?!"

"I can create a planet, I can create a race, but I cannot create the world." Chen Yang shook his head, withdrew his hand, and said calmly, "What do you think of the five major powers of the human race?"

Wu Zetian gasped for breath, her back soaked with cold sweat, struggling to calm herself. She was old; excessive emotional fluctuation was a tremendous burden for her. Although she didn't understand why this man claiming to be Pangu had suddenly asked such a question, as a ruler, she keenly realized that this was an opportunity, a tremendous chance for her to escape the mortal world!

"Raising Gu poison." Wu Zetian uttered these two words without hesitation.

Chen Yang looked at Wu Zetian with admiration, very satisfied with her answer. As the empress who ruled over the entire China, she could certainly see that the entire primordial universe was practically a breeding ground for Gu poison, producing countless Gu kings who became cosmic lords, and even true gods.

But just because someone can see it doesn't mean they dare to say it. Wu Zetian was very bold and knew how to seize opportunities.

"Very good." Chen Yang was even more satisfied with Wu Zetian. He needed to continue to grow stronger, and He Xi would definitely need to be by his side at all times, so he also needed a head steward to help him manage the soon-to-be-born Pangu clan.

"If I were to make you a god, the price would be eternal loyalty to me. Would you be willing?"

"Why...why did you choose me?" Wu Zetian asked in a trembling voice.

"Because you are the only female emperor in Chinese history. In this patriarchal society, you were unwilling to be ordinary and ascended to the throne step by step. Your heart is filled with an indomitable will." Chen Yang stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the roof and looking at the vast starry sky. "My name is Pangu, and I am destined to reach the highest peak. I need a steward, a great steward to help me manage the Pangu clan."

"You have a strong will, sufficient ability, and most importantly, I admire you, the first female emperor in history. It's not about love, but pure appreciation, so I'm willing to give you this opportunity."

Chen Yang turned around, leaving behind a solitary and aloof figure.

"However, remember this: I am the origin of Pangu, the future patriarch of the Pangu clan, and my will will be your goal. You only need to give me one thing: loyalty. If one day you harbor any disloyalty..."

He didn't finish speaking, but the chill in his words sent a shiver down Wu Zetian's spine.

"I...no, I promise you!" Wu Zetian gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with an unprecedented light. It was a yearning for life, and an ambition for a higher realm. "As long as I can live, as long as I can master this power, I will be forever loyal to you, Pangu!"

"very good."

Chen Yang casually tossed down a crystal-clear red fruit. It was a spiritual fruit he had created using divine energy, consuming 1 point of iron coin divine energy to manifest, yet it was enough to transform Wu Zetian, directly elevating her to the ninth level of apprenticeship, and even restoring her youth in an instant.

"Take it, and tomorrow I will see a different Emperor Wu of Zhou."

"Furthermore, your history must continue. Play your role well, and at the same time, find more qualified talents to become members of the Pangu clan. There is only one requirement: willpower. Help me spread the Pangu faith. When you die as 'Wu Zhao,' I will bestow upon you the name 'Queen Mother of the West,' the head of the Pangu branch—the Kunlun Yaochi lineage, making you a member of the Pangu clan and a deity among the Huaxia people."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yang's figure rippled like water and disappeared instantly from the Imperial Study.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to... Pangu!" Wu Zetian bowed deeply to the empty void.

A moment later, the anxious voice of the Imperial Guard commander came from outside the Imperial Study: "Your Majesty? Your Majesty, are you alright? There seemed to be a noise just now..."

"It's nothing."

Wu Zetian's voice rang out again, but it was no longer the old and hoarse one before; instead, it was filled with an indescribable strength and majesty.

With trembling hands, she held up the spiritual fruit that emitted a faint red glow. The warm touch from her fingertips made her heart, which had weathered many storms, beat faster.

What exactly is this? Is it an unparalleled elixir that grants her rebirth, or a deadly poison that could cause her soul to be scattered?

In her mind, Pangu's cold and majestic voice still echoed in her ears. Wu Zetian took a deep breath, a hint of madness and determination belonging to the Empress of all ages flashing in her eyes.

From the solitary lamplight of Ganye Temple to the bloody storms of the imperial court, every step of her life was fraught with peril. For this supreme power, she was willing to abandon even her own flesh and blood, and dared to bear the infamy of the ages! Now that Heaven—no, since that self-proclaimed Pangu—is willing to give her a chance to break free from the mortal realm and glimpse the truth of the universe, how could Wu Zetian fear mere unknown risks?

"Even if this fruit is poison that will kill you, I will swallow it!"

A defiant roar erupted from her heart. To escape this dying body, for the vast and boundless sea of ​​stars, she was willing to risk everything!

Without the slightest hesitation, Wu Zetian tilted her head back and swallowed the red spiritual fruit.

In an instant, an immense surge of life energy exploded within her body like a bursting dam!

"Click-clack..."

Accompanied by a chilling cracking sound, Wu Zetian's back, which had been hunched over due to old age, straightened inch by inch at a visible speed, as if a withered tree had been reborn and infused with an indomitable spine.

Immediately afterwards, a faint reddish halo seeped from her pores, enveloping her entirely. The deep wrinkles etched on her forehead and around her eyes were quickly smoothed out by this divine power, like ice melting away; her dry, sallow skin shed dead skin, revealing new flesh that was plump and lustrous, radiating a healthy glow.

Her originally sparse, graying hair began to frantically draw life from the roots, shedding its dullness and transforming into a waterfall of black hair that cascaded down her shoulders.

In just a few breaths, the weariness and decay that belonged to an eighty-year-old woman were completely burned away. In its place was a young body full of vitality, like that of a woman in her twenties.

Wu Zetian slowly opened her eyes. Her previously cloudy pupils were now crystal clear, and deep within them flowed the sharp, keen light unique to a ninth-level apprentice martial artist. She looked down at her fair, strong, vibrant, and ambitious hands, and a fervent smile, making her look sixty years younger, appeared on her lips.

The vast records passed down by Pangu echoed in my mind, as did the absurd Li Longji of his descendants.

Wu Zetian smiled disdainfully and gave the order in a cold voice.

"By imperial decree, I wish to discuss important matters at the morning court tomorrow."

……

Outside the palace, the night remained dark.

Chen Yang strolled on the rooftops of Luoyang City, while He Xi, perched on his shoulder, curiously observed the myriad lights below.

"Pangu, are you going to bite her?" He Xi blinked. "Although this empress has decent aptitude, she's too ruthless."

"The Pangu Clan is a race with an extremely strict bloodline hierarchy. Those I have bitten become members of the Pangu Clan and naturally possess an extremely high degree of loyalty to me. Over the long course of time, this loyalty will be etched into every corner of their hearts." Chen Yang looked at the pale dawn rising in the east and said softly, "Wu Zetian was an extremely capable person who, in this patriarchal era, forcefully trampled on the heads of all men."

"We need to become stronger. This universe is extremely cruel. All races fight to the death for that little bit of territory, creating one breeding ground after another..." A glint of light flashed in Chen Yang's eyes. "The Earth in the Devouring Stars world can't just have Luo Feng as the protagonist. In this life, now that I'm here, I'll let the Pangu Clan set a set of rules that must be followed in this chaotic universe."

"Let's go back to the inn. It will take more than a year for the clone to fully emerge. During this time, I need to observe carefully what that empress will do."

A morning breeze blew by, stirring up a few fallen leaves.

Luoyang City awoke, and the transformation of the future Pangu Clan's Second Elder—the Queen Mother of the West—who would one day shake the entire primordial universe, quietly began in the dawn of this ancient city.