1: Chapter 1: A Cataclysmic Start

"Ugh~"

Xing Yaoyan opened her eyes dizzily, scanning her surroundings with confusion.

What met her eyes was an ink-like darkness.

Fragmented memories flashed through her mind.

"I was originally just an ordinary male college student with social anxiety. Did I die suddenly after staying up too late playing games after finishing my deadlines?"

"So... did I transmigrate just like in those novels?"

"Also, where am I?" Thinking this, she tried to ask if anyone was there.

But only soft, milky "awoo" sounds came from her mouth.

"Awoo! (Wait, that's not right!)"

She hurriedly reached out to feel her body. Fur everywhere, tiny paws, pointed ears, a long snout, and... a fluffy tail!

"I seem to have turned into a wolf?!"

She held the fluffy tail behind her to her chest, feeling the strange texture in detail.

Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and quickly reached down with a paw to check...

Her 'brother' was gone...

And she was a female wolf...

"Awoooo!!!" She couldn't help but howl loudly, venting the pain in her heart.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"@#%#"

The sound of metal clashing accompanied by a language Xing Yaoyan couldn't understand came from outside.

"Am I in a cage? Ugh, my head hurts..."

Feeling as if her brain had been thrown into a blender and mixed thoroughly, Xing Yaoyan almost fainted from the sudden pain. A massive torrent of information flooded in instantly.

"Stop... it's too much, it's going to explode!"

Fortunately, the pain only lasted for a moment.

Xing Yaoyan's blurred pupils gradually focused. The headache she just experienced felt like a fleeting dream, leaving almost no trace in her mind, except for... her name.

"So... my name now is Xing Yaoyan..."

"No, there's more!" She felt as if she had forgotten many important things and desperately searched her mind for the memories that had just flashed by. But most of the information flickered like a revolving lantern, impossible to grasp completely.

"Hey, stop knocking. This little white wolf might be hungry..." a feminine male voice sounded.

"Don't be like that. Why don't we open the 'Black Prison' first and check its physical condition? If it's sick, we need to dispose of it first so it doesn't affect the other little darlings." This was another, rougher male voice.

...

They seemed to say more after that, but Xing Yaoyan could no longer hear them clearly.

"Shut up! Shut up! Who am I really? Where did I come from, and where am I going? Why, why do I only have scattered memory fragments of my past life? Does the current me only know my name?!"

The pain began to ravage her mind again, but Xing Yaoyan desperately grabbed at the memory fragments regardless.

"Child..."

Just as she was about to faint from the pain, a gentle male voice echoed in her mind.

"'Ask not of the past, fear not the future.' When you have sufficient strength, come to the 'Starry Sky' to fulfill your destined mission..."

The male voice gradually faded away. Xing Yaoyan slowly calmed down, her eyes unknowingly filled with tears.

Father...

The 'Starry Sky'...

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Before she could emerge from her sorrow, a piercing sound accompanied by a blinding white light attacked from ahead.

Xing Yaoyan squinted her eyes and instinctively crouched down, her chest pressed against the floor and her front paws digging in. She bared her teeth, staring fixedly at the source of the white light.

As her eyes gradually adjusted to the outside light, Xing Yaoyan finally saw her situation clearly:

Snow-white walls were dotted with spots of blood. Beside a somewhat rusty iron table leaned several black cubes. But what caught a 'wolf's' attention most were undoubtedly the two humans occupying most of her vision ahead.

On the left was a burly man with a scruffy beard, and on the right was a feminine-looking man.

"Whoa, brother, this wolf cub is finally awake. Look at this coat, look at this temperament—it's guaranteed to be a high-grade wild Spirit Beast. Brother, we're rich!!!" The rough male voice came from the scruffy-bearded human on the left.

"Calm down, calm down. Look at your worthless self... But why isn't there a single bit of spiritual energy in this little thing's body..." The feminine man with a strangely beautiful face on the right crossed his arms and narrowed his long, thin eyes.

"Hey! You two bad guys! Uh..."

A soft, milky voice suddenly came from Xing Yaoyan's mouth.

Xing Yaoyan's originally tense body suddenly relaxed. She was stunned...

What? Since when could I speak?!

These words seemed to freeze time instantly. The burly man's eyes widened, while the feminine man showed a look of slight surprise.

A few seconds felt like centuries.

"Yao!!! It's a Yao!!!" The scruffy-bearded man suddenly shouted in excitement, but he was instantly silenced by the feminine man's hand over his mouth, leaving him only able to make muffled "mmpf" sounds.

"Shut up, you idiot..." the feminine man whispered in a voice Xing Yaoyan couldn't hear.

Once the burly man calmed down, the feminine man slowly turned his head to look at the little wolf with bristling fur, flashing a gentle smile.

"Little one, which elder is from your family? Uncle is a good person. Tell Uncle where your home is, and we'll send you back to find your mom and dad, okay?"

The feminine man's words were as delicate and gentle as a spring breeze, but Xing Yaoyan's heart sank bit by bit to the bottom—

Behind the man's smile, she perceived malice that had almost condensed into substance, along with a faint, terrifying pressure.

Xing Yaoyan felt a surge of palpitations. If wolves didn't have poorly developed sweat glands, she would have been soaked in sweat by now.

"No, I have to find a way to escape. Why do other transmigrators start with a System, steadily leveling up by killing monsters, occasionally showing off and slapping faces, and finally reaching the Peak of life?"

"Why is my start a total catastrophe? Old man—no, my dear cheap father—don't just leave a few cryptic words and disappear. Your precious daughter needs your help right now. Give me some life-saving trump cards!"

Xing Yaoyan screamed in despair in her heart, her eyes fixed on the feminine man's smiling face. While her vigilance was at its maximum, her mind thought at light speed about various possibilities for escape.

"Little one..."

He opened his mouth again. Just as Xing Yaoyan thought he was going to say more deceptive words, a cold, stinging sensation came from her neck.

"Masaka... When did... so sleepy..."

"Go to sleep quickly, it's good for your body. Hehehe~" The feminine man chuckled, covering his mouth as he nodded to the burly man who had appeared behind Xing Yaoyan at some unknown point.

"Well done."

"Heh~ You flatter me, Big Brother."

The burly man rubbed his hands together with some excitement.

Suddenly, the feminine man's brow twitched slightly.

"Someone is coming over there. I'll leave this place to you for now. Keep a good eye on it; I'll be back in about half an hour... Remember, be careful of that Yao Race's Innate Talent..."

"Don't worry. With my Fainting Spirit Needle and this Black Prison's spiritual energy shielding, even a Third-Rank minor Yao would have no chance of escape. Besides, even you couldn't sense any spiritual or Demonic Power from her, Big Brother. She's probably just an outcast of the Yao Race..."

"Hmph... Is she really just a Spirit Beast that can talk... Anyway, caution above all..."

...

So dizzy!

What should I do...

Help! Someone save me! It's so dark here... I'm so scared...

Xing Yaoyan's consciousness-self sank for an unknown amount of time.

"Child, do you remember? I taught you..."

Father...

Suddenly, a segment of memory flooded into her mind. This time there was no pain, only a warmth like being in her parents' embrace.

A golden sacred mark emerged before her eyes, illuminating the originally dim and lightless world.

This is...

The "Spirit Sea"!

The term appeared inexplicably in her mind.

At this moment, an ancient voice sounded: "The Heaven-Swallowing Star Wolf, one of the oldest clans in the Starry Sky. Legend has it that they have existed in the world since the beginning of the Starry Sky..."

As the ancient voice spoke, a magnificent golden picture emerged in the space.

Xing Yaoyan's Soul-beast opened its mouth wide, feeling as if she were witnessing the glorious history of a massive clan.

"...Unlike other clans, the Divine Ability of every Heaven-Swallowing Star Wolf only appears randomly at a certain point in their lives. And you, lucky one, are you ready to receive our clan's Legacy..."

Suddenly, a ten-thousand-foot-tall golden giant wolf appeared in the space. Before it, multicolored lights filled with endless malice attacked it.

In an instant, the entire Spirit Sea seemed to tremble slightly.

It slightly opened its mouth, and a massive golden vortex appeared before it. In the blink of an eye, all the malice dissipated into nothingness.

Suddenly, the golden giant wolf turned its head and gave her a slight nod before transforming into golden spots of light that merged into this Spirit Sea.

Xing Yaoyan's Soul-beast stared blankly at this miracle-like scene, unconsciously murmuring:

"Master of all laws, manifestation of the divine, swallowing the heavens and slaying the earth, seizing all for one's own use... This is the Star Swallowing Art."