Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 172 The True Spirit of Chaos

After passing through the fourth level of the Heavenly Bridge, Lin Yun returned to his small building and began to meditate in seclusion.

The four consecutive battles, especially the experience of forcibly unleashing the third level of "Time-Traces Rift" on the fourth level, deepened his understanding of the laws of spacetime. He needs time to digest and absorb these insights and transform them into his own strength.

On the rooftop, chaotic currents drifted slowly. Lin Yun sat cross-legged, eyes closed, immersing his consciousness into his Time-Space Nightmare Beast clone. His golden and silver eyes opened simultaneously, golden and silver light swirling within them. He was repeatedly refining every detail of the third level, from the condensation and release of the engravings, from the distortion of time to the tearing of space—every step required absolute precision.

One day, two days, three days...

Seven days have passed, and Lin Yun has not left the rooftop.

On the other side of Chaos City, in an ancient palace, several powerful kings were sitting together, discussing the young man who had just arrived in Chaos City and had already passed the fourth level of the Cosmic Sky Bridge.

"Seven days have passed, and that little fellow still hasn't come to class." The speaker was the Purple Spirit King, dressed in a purple robe and surrounded by a faint purple glow. Her tone carried a hint of doubt. "According to custom, newcomers usually come to class after passing the third level. He passed the fourth level, but has remained in seclusion ever since."

"He's probably digesting the gains from the battle." King Guangyu leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "He forced his way through the fourth level using the third level, and although he succeeded, it's clearly not stable enough yet. Going into seclusion now is the right thing to do."

"I'm not saying his seclusion is wrong," King Ziling shook his head. "I'm saying, doesn't he want to become an apprentice?"

Upon hearing this, the several powerful figures present who had been granted the title of King fell silent for a moment.

In Chaos City, there's an unwritten rule—if a newcomer wants to become an apprentice to a particular teacher, they will attend that teacher's class on their first day. This is a sign of respect, and also a hint. Lin Yun hasn't attended any classes since passing the fourth level, meaning he hasn't made a choice yet.

"Perhaps he's still observing," said King Guangyu. "After all, there are more than just a few of us in the Universe lineage who are qualified to take on disciples."

"King Qianxin is currently in seclusion, otherwise he would definitely come." King Ziling spoke of King Qianxin with a hint of respect in his tone. King Qianxin is currently the strongest King-level expert in the Universe lineage, known as the invincible King-level expert, only one step away from becoming a Universe Venerable. If he were to emerge from seclusion, no one else would have a chance.

"King Qianxin has been in seclusion for three epochs. Who knows when he'll emerge?" King Guangyu waved his hand. "This kid can't just keep waiting forever."

"No rush." ​​A hoarse voice came from the doorway.

Everyone turned their heads and saw a thin old man in a gray robe walk in. His face was old, but his eyes were as deep as the starry sky, as if they contained endless mysteries of time and space.

"King Qianxin?" King Ziling stood up in surprise. "You've emerged from seclusion?"

"I haven't fully emerged from seclusion. I just sensed a promising talent from the Universe lineage and sent a wisp of my consciousness to take a look." Qianxin Wang walked to the middle of the group and sat down. "I've seen the battle video of that little guy named Lin Yun when he broke through to the fourth level. His understanding of the laws of spacetime is in no way inferior to the three laws of wind, thunder, and light that he demonstrated in the Genius Battle."

"That's what we think too," Guangyu Wang nodded.

"Moreover, his ability to learn in battle is extremely strong," King Ziling added. "He increased the number of afterimages from thirty-six to fifty-four in less than twenty minutes. I have never seen such comprehension before."

King Qianxin nodded slightly: "Therefore, it's right that he's not in a hurry to choose a teacher. He needs time to digest this information and also time to observe us. A good teacher is more important than a good Chaos Stele."

"So, do you intend to take him in?" asked the Purple Spirit King.

King Qianxin was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "If he is willing, I will accept him. But not now. Let him finish his seclusion, attend the courses himself, and make his own choice."

The several powerful figures who had been granted the title of King exchanged glances but said nothing more.

On the rooftop of a small building in Chaos City, Lin Yun finally opened his eyes.

After seven days of seclusion, his understanding of the third level, "Time-Traces Rift," had deepened. Although he hadn't yet reached the point of complete mastery, at least his success rate was no longer only 50%. He believed that given more time, he would be able to fully master the third level.

"Lin Yun! Lin Yun!" A familiar voice came from downstairs.

Lin Yun walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. Luo Feng was standing below, waving at him. Hong and Lei Shen were also standing to the side. All three were fully armed, their armor gleaming, and weapons slung over their backs.

"What is it?" Lin Yun jumped down from the building.

"Do you know the third treasure of Chaos City?" Luo Feng asked bluntly.

Lin Yun nodded. Of course he knew—the Chaos True Spirit, the life-giving light left behind by the death of a unique Chaos Beast in the primordial universe. Absorbing the Chaos True Spirit could strengthen the soul, making it more compatible with the laws of the universe and increasing the speed of comprehending those laws. This was the third treasure of Chaos City, besides the Chaos Stele and the laws governing the universe.

"We're planning to hunt Chaos Beasts outside the city," Luo Feng said. "Do you want to come along?"

Lin Yun thought for a moment and nodded.

"Let's go," Lin Yun said.

The four of them walked out of the small building, crossed the streets of Chaos City, and headed towards the city gate.

The city gate of Chaos City is tall and majestic, with the three large characters "Chaos City" engraved above it in powerful strokes. On either side of the gate stands a huge stone sculpture, depicting two legendary super beings, exuding an ancient and awe-inspiring aura.

At the city gate, a huge stone tablet stands to one side, engraved with a detailed introduction to the Chaos True Spirit.

Lin Yun glanced at the contents of the stone tablet. The Chaos Beasts were divided into three zones—the inner zone, within 2000 kilometers of the city wall, consisted of Chaos Beasts at the cosmic level; the middle zone, 2000 to 10000 kilometers, consisted of Chaos Beasts at the domain lord level; and the outer zone, beyond 10000 kilometers, consisted of Chaos Beasts at the world lord level. Immortal powerhouses were forbidden from attacking Chaos Beasts; this was a training exercise for future generations.

"The inner layer is cosmic-level, which is perfect for us," Luo Feng said.

"Be careful," Hong warned. "Rong Jun said quite a few people have already died."

Lin Yun nodded slightly. Although the Chaos Beasts were of low intelligence, they were numerous and naturally adept at some fundamental laws, so a slight misstep could lead to them being surrounded and attacked.

The four of them walked out of the city gate and stepped into the vast wilderness.

The chaotic air currents obscured the view, making it impossible to see very far. The wasteland was overgrown with weeds and littered with jagged rocks, the air thick with an ancient and primal aura. The four carefully made their way through the undergrowth, Lin Yun's spiritual energy extending forward, covering an area of ​​several hundred meters around them.

"There's movement ahead." Lin Yun stopped and lowered his voice.

In the distance, a Chaos Beast emerged from the undergrowth. It was the size of a calf, covered in dark red scales, with two curved, sharp horns on its head, and its eyes gleaming with a cold light. Its movements were slow, but each step caused the ground to tremble slightly.

"Around the sixth rank of the cosmic level," Lin Yun judged. "I'll do it."

Instead of using his divine weapon, he drew his battle blade, his body transforming into a streak of purple lightning, instantly reaching the Chaos Beast. He unleashed his full lightning speed, the blade crackling with lightning, and slashed towards the Chaos Beast's neck.

The Chaos Beast reacted extremely quickly, its sharp horn slamming into Lin Yun's blade. Lightning exploded, and the Chaos Beast was forced back several steps, but only a faint white mark remained on its scales.

"The defense is not bad," Lin Yun thought to himself.

He held nothing back, unleashing his Thunder Domain, purple lightning enveloping the space within a radius of tens of meters. The resonant power of the lightning suppressed the Chaos Beast's speed, while the lightning burst amplified the power of his attacks. With a second strike, the lightning condensed into a thin, hair-like line—Heavenly Profound Thunder Strike.

The lightning bolt pierced the Chaos Beast's skull, causing its body to stiffen abruptly before crashing to the ground. As it fell, its body began to decay, transforming into chaotic energy, and a shimmering green light rose from its corpse.

The Chaotic True Spirit.

Lin Yun used his mental power to envelop the point of light and absorbed it into his body.

The emerald green light entered his body and went straight to the depths of his soul. Within the Swallowed Star world, his soul core—the vortex galaxy within the primordial core—began to slowly absorb the light. The light was swallowed by the black hole at the center of the vortex galaxy, transforming into wisps of mist that enveloped the entire vortex galaxy.

Lin Yun could sense that a subtle change was taking place in his soul. The change was small, but it was real. His perception of the surrounding fundamental laws had become slightly clearer.

But what surprised him even more was the change in another world.

The small cauldron was slightly warm, and a gentle power surged from it, transmitting the energy of the Chaos True Spirit to the Panlong World.

In the Panlong World, within a miniature plane, seven divine avatars simultaneously opened their eyes. Emerald green light swirled around their respective divine cores, slowly being absorbed. Those souls weakened by the seven consecutive soul divisions began to recover under the nourishment of the Chaos True Spirit.

"It works!" A surge of joy welled up in Lin Yun's heart.

He had initially thought the Chaos True Spirit was only effective on souls from the Devouring Starry Sky World, but unexpectedly, through the transmission of the small cauldron, it could nourish the souls of the Panlong World. Seven times he had become a god, seven times his soul had been divided. Although the rules of the universe protected the origin of his soul, the strength of his divided soul had indeed decreased considerably. He had purchased many soul-restoring potions, but the effects were not very good. The effect of the Chaos True Spirit, however, far surpassed those potions.

"Continue," Lin Yun said.

The four continued deeper into the wilderness.

In the days that followed, the four began their life of hunting Chaos Beasts.

Luo Feng manipulated the Divine Weapon, its nine golden swords weaving through the sword domain, each strike precisely hitting the Chaos Beast's vital points. His Cloud-Piercing Vine had evolved to the ninth rank of Domain Lord, its one hundred and eight main vines comparable to an ordinary Realm Lord, capable of shielding him from fatal attacks in critical moments.

Hong's spear moved with lightning speed, fully unleashing the Law of Light, each strike leaving a trail of light. His Cloud-Piercing Vine had also evolved to the ninth rank of the Domain Lord level, with one hundred and eight main vines forming an impenetrable protective layer around his body.

Lightning crackled on Thor's battle blade, the laws of thunder raging fiercely. His Cloud-Piercing Vine had also reached the ninth rank of Domain Lord, its one hundred and eight main vines like the tentacles of an octopus, strangling and killing any approaching Chaos Beasts.

Lin Yun, however, is the most terrifying one.

During his three-year voyage to Chaos City, his Cloud-Piercing Vine had evolved to the ninth rank of Domain Lord level. Moreover, due to his life rules and the investment of a large amount of resources, the number of main vines had reached an astonishing two hundred and sixteen—a perfect evolution, comparable to a high-level Realm Lord. The two hundred and sixteen main vines formed a huge protective circle around his body, and any Chaos Beast that approached would be entangled and strangled by the vines.

But his fighting style was more direct. He put away the Cloud Vine and fought the Chaos Beasts with only his battle sword and cosmic divine weapon. He needed real combat experience to hone his secret techniques.

The Law of Thunder, the Seven Kills of the Wind God, the Divine Weapon of the Universe... He revealed the strength he had hidden in the Genius Battle one by one, constantly honing his skills in the hunt.

In half a month, they hunted down hundreds of Chaos Beasts. These Chaos Beasts ranged from Universe-level Tier 1 to Universe-level Tier 9, and included all sorts of forms. Some resembled apes, some rhinoceroses, some birds, and some reptiles. Each Chaos Beast had a unique attack method; some excelled in melee combat, some in ranged attacks, and some in soul attacks.

But no matter which one it is, it's not enough in front of the four of them.

Two weeks later, Thor was the first to reach his limit.

"My soul seems to be saturated," Thor frowned. "Absorbing more Chaos Essence doesn't bring any change."

"Me too," Hong said.

"I'm almost there too," Luo Feng nodded.

Lin Yun nodded slightly. Their souls were singular, and they would reach saturation after absorbing a certain amount. But he was different.

"You all go back and rest first," Lin Yun said. "I'll hunt for a while longer."

"Are you alone?" Luo Feng asked, somewhat worried.

"Don't worry." Lin Yun smiled. "With my strength, as long as I don't go to the middle or outer layers, I won't be in danger."

Luo Feng thought for a moment and nodded. They knew that Lin Yun's strength far surpassed theirs, and that he could hunt Chaos Beasts alone in the inner layer without any problems.

The three left the wasteland and returned to Chaos City.

Lin Yun continued his hunt alone.

In the days that followed, Lin Yun began a frenzied hunt.

He no longer needed to care for his teammates and could unleash his full power. He traversed the wasteland, searching for every Chaos Beast. With the Cosmic Weapon in hand, his first level, "Fleeting Stream of Light," was as fast as lightning; his second level, "Void Overlapping Shadows," left countless afterimages; and his third level, "Time-Traces Rifting Void," was deeply engraved. He honed his skills in battle, incorporating his insights from the Chaos Monument into every strike.

One head, two heads, ten heads, a hundred heads...

The chaotic true spirit surged into his body like flowing water. In the Devouring Star World, his four souls—his human self, the Golden Horned Beast avatar, the Tree of Life avatar, and the Time-Space Nightmare Beast avatar—frantically absorbed this energy, and their soul strength continued to increase.

Meanwhile, in the Panlong world, the souls of the seven divine avatars are rapidly recovering under the nourishment of the Chaos True Spirit. Those souls, weakened by the seven consecutive soul divisions, are becoming increasingly solid and powerful.

Lin Yun's soul was like a bottomless pit, absorbing as much as it came.

Hong and Lei Shen each had only one soul, which reached saturation in half a month. Luo Feng had three souls (his main body, the Golden Horned Beast, and the Demon Slayer Clan—but the Demon Slayer Clan were energy lifeforms and had no souls, so he actually only had two), but he also quickly reached his limit.

Lin Yun, on the other hand, has four souls in the Devouring Star World and eight souls in the Panlong World (seven divine avatars plus his main body), for a total of twelve soul entities. The amount of Chaos True Spirit he needs is twelve times that of an ordinary person.

One month, two months, three months...

Lin Yun hunted in the wasteland almost every day. He gradually ventured deeper from the outer perimeter of the inner layer, encountering increasingly stronger Chaos Beasts. He encountered seventh, eighth, and ninth-tier Universe-level Chaos Beasts, and occasionally even those approaching the Domain Lord level, but they were still no match for his Cosmic Divine Weapon.

His third level, "Time-Traces Rift," became increasingly refined through constant combat. The time it took for the marks to condense shortened from three seconds to one second, from one second to half a second, and from half a second to an instant. The power of the marks also grew stronger; when a mark flew out, the surrounding spacetime would distort, and the Chaos Beast's body would collapse in the temporal distortion.

Six months later.

Lin Yun stood on the wasteland, holding the cosmic divine weapon in his hand. Before him, the last Chaos Beast was dissipating into specks of light, and the emerald green Chaos True Spirit floated up and was absorbed into his body.

The soul is saturated.

Lin Yun closed his eyes and felt the changes within his body.

Within the Swallowed Star world, his four souls underwent tremendous transformations. Although his cultivation level remained at the seventh rank of the Universe level, his soul strength and will were no weaker than that of a World Lord. His perception of the fundamental laws became much clearer; the previously somewhat vague fluctuations of the laws were now tangible.

In the Panlong world, the souls of his seven divine avatars had all reached the limit of lower-level gods, even comparable to ordinary mid-level gods. The weakness caused by the division of souls had completely disappeared. In their place was an unprecedented solidity and power.

"Six months," Lin Yun said softly, "It was worth it."

He turned and flew towards Chaos City.

On the wasteland, the chaotic air currents drifted slowly, as if nothing had ever happened.