Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048

by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k

  Long Chen felt his body jolt as if it were about to explode. The blaze in his hand that was originally one foot long immediately grew to ten feet.

  “Crap!”

  Alarmed, Long Chen hastily took back the flame.

  That eruption of his Pill Flame immediately scorched the roof.

  Flapping his hand, he created a wind to put out the flame. But although the flame was extinguished, the entire roof was also sent flying.

  Looking up at the three-sixty panoramic view he had of the starry sky, Long Chen felt the urge to cry. Almost as soon as he had come to a friend’s house, he had ended up not burning the house down, but actually tearing it apart! That wasn’t good…

  As expected, footsteps came running as the people from the Shi household were all alarmed. Even someone deaf would have been awoken from the clamor.

  Seeing Long Chen’s embarrassed face, Shi Feng’s father covered up his shock and smiled. Without saying anything to him, he told someone to prepare a new room for him.

  Long Chen wanted to say something, but Shi Feng’s father just patted him on the shoulder and laughed, “You and Shi Feng are brothers, so just treat this place like your own home.”

  After a new room was arranged for him, Long Chen didn’t dare further experiment with anything he didn’t understand. Sitting on the bed, he started to use his cyclones to absorb the world’s spiritual qi, sending it into his FengFu Star.

  The next day before the sun had even arisen, Long Chen’s body suddenly emitted an explosive sound.

  Long Chen slowly opened his eyes happily. After his battle with Huang Chang, the next bottleneck had slackened, allowing him now to reach the eighth Heavenstage of Qi Condensation.

  He ate breakfast and examined Shi Feng. He saw that Shi Feng didn’t have any serious sequelae and left two medicinal pills for him. After that, Long Chen left the Shi household and went directly to the alchemist guild.

  Chapter 48 The Story of Yun Qi

  BANG!

  Xia Changfeng slammed his hand onto a table, completely shattering it. His expression was extremely malevolent now as he ground his teeth.

  “Long Chen, Long Chen, if I don’t tear your body into a thousand pieces, then I won’t be Xia Changfeng!”

  The Lantern Festival had been a complete and utter failure for him. He had lost a powerful subordinate in Huang Chang, making him incessantly furious.

  It had turned out completely different from what he had planned. Not only had he failed to kill Long Chen, but he had also lost Huang Chang, and Wei Cang had had to hand over his precious beast flame.

  This competition’s greatest winner had actually been Long Chen. Xia Changfeng’s lungs were about to burst from anger.

  Within the same room as him was a young man in his twenties. Acting as if he didn’t even notice Xia Changfeng’s anger, he leisurely drank a cup of tea to the side.

  Xia Changfeng’s anger had been mostly vented after breaking the table, and he gradually calmed down. He respectfully said to that person, “Brother Luo, Long Chen is too overbearing. I hope that brother Luo can help me relieve some of my anger.”

  That white-robed man who had been called brother Luo lightly put down his cup and indifferently said, “Changfeng, you really have disappointed me. Just a woman has caused you to lose your calm. That Long Chen is just an ant. You have to remember why we’ve come to Phoenix Cry this time. If such a small and trivial matter ends up delaying the major event, don’t even think about escaping your punishment. Do you understand?”

  After saying this, his expression sank, showing how displeased he was with Xia Changfeng’s performance.

  Being reminded about their goal in coming here, sweat rolled down Xia Changfeng’s forehead.

  “Many thanks for the reminder brother Luo. Changfeng understands his mistake.” Xia Changfeng hastily bowed.

  Seeing Xia Changfeng’s apology, the white-robed man smiled slightly. “Before we accomplish that matter, waiting patiently is the most important thing. Must you squabble over temporary losses? Moreover, we’ve already spent many years preparing. In the end, that third princess will be yours. Think about it; seeing that kid Long Chen work bitterly for a long time just to still fail at the end, wouldn’t that be the most refreshing?”

  Xia Changfeng’s eyes brightened, and his anger was immediately relieved. “It really is brother Luo whose vision is far-reaching. I am ashamed.”

  “You mixed up your priorities. Although, to tell the truth, that Chu Yao really is as beautiful as a goddess and irresistible. Chu Yao’s maidenhood will be yours. But once you obtain that beautiful woman, can you also let your big brother have a taste?” The white-robed man looked at Xia Changfeng and smiled.

  Xia Changfeng’s expression changed slightly, but he immediately covered it up and did his absolute best to be indifferent. He smiled, “Changfeng doesn’t really care about such a beauty. Once the matter is over, brother Luo will, of course, have his share.”

  “Changfeng, you aren’t feeling unwell inside, are you?” The white-robed man lifted his teacup and blew on it.

  “How could that be possible? Brother Luo is from the sect, and this little brother is still hoping to have brother Luo’s guidance in the future,” said Xia Changfeng hastily.

  “Good, that is how a man should act. Take what comes magnanimously. Otherwise, how will you ever accomplish big things? Don’t worry; as long as this matter is handled properly, you will definitely be able to become an outer disciple.”

  “Then, many thanks brother Luo.” Xia Changfeng was ecstatic at that. That unhappiness he had felt just now vanished like smoke.

  The white-robed man nodded. “But you must handle this with the utmost care. If even the slightest whiff of it gets out, not only will the benefits fly away, but the punishment we’ll get is not something either of us can survive.”

  “Don’t worry brother Luo, I’ve been extremely focused on it and will definitely handle it properly.” Xia Changfeng patted his chest.

  “Then, that’s good. My identity can’t be found out, so you can only call me out at the end. Proceed with the plan faster and set up everything as early as possible. The fewer movements you make, the better. And it would be best for it to be handled without spilling any blood.”

  “Most of the plan has already been set in order. The entire Phoenix Cry Empire is basically within our control. There’s just one big problem: the Border Suppression Marquis, Long Tianxiao. He still won’t surrender and is unmoved by force or persuasion. It really is a headache. He controls almost a third of the forces within the empire, and if we can’t resolve this problem, it might have an effect on our plan,” said Xia Changfeng.

  “Long Tianxiao? Long Chen? How are they related?”

  “They’re father and son.”

  “Idiot, he’s the Border Suppression Marquis’s son? Then just treat him as a kind of trump card, a trump card that controls the Border Suppression Marquis! And you actually wanted to kill him?” The white-robed man abruptly became furious.

  Xia Changfeng was at a loss. He also knew that Long Chen could be a kind of trump card for them, but he was unable to bear Long Chen’s flirtation with Chu Yao.

  “You almost ruined things! Don’t touch Long Chen for now. Go find all the information about him and his family for me.”

  “Yes.”

  Xia Changfeng left. Once he left, the white-robed man coldly spat out, “What an idiot.”

  …

  When Long Chen arrived at the alchemist guild, the alchemists who previously were unfamiliar with him all respectfully bowed.

  Long Chen’s display of alchemy yesterday had already become common knowledge within the capital. Despite his opponent essentially cheating, he still managed to win a complete victory, aweing them.

  He was but sixteen years old when he acquired the rank of a Pill Apprentice, and now he was essentially a Pill Adept. His future would be limitless. Even if they couldn’t curry favor with him, they still couldn’t leave him
a bad impression.

  Long Chen was still a bit unused to his sudden rise. Making some inquiries, he learned that Yun Qi was currently in his own room, and he went straight there.

  “Enter.”

  Just as he was about to knock, Yun Qi’s old voice rang out.

  Entering, he saw Yun Qi sitting lotus-style. In front of him was a bowl of water, but the water was as black as ink and even emitted a fishy odor.

  “Wei Cang’s Yin Fiend Palm has become much more powerful. But it is a heretical technique and is unable to become a great technique.” Yun Qi disdainfully looked at the bowl of black water.

  “Grandmaster, is your hand ok?”

  Yun Qi had received Wei Cang’s palm that day, and that palm had contained a Yin Fiend’s poison.

  “After a night’s work, it’s basically fine now,” smiled Yun Qi.

  “It took a whole night?” Long Chen was startled. Grandmaster Yun Qi had profound skill and power. Even with his powerful Pill Flame, he had needed a whole night to purify it?

  “You don’t need to be surprised. Wei Cang’s Yin Fiend Palm is extremely sinister and has a resistance to Pill Flame. Although it took a night to purify the poison, Wei Cang will require a whole month to once more accumulate that level of toxicity again, and that is why I said it was a heretic technique that couldn’t become a great technique,” explained grandmaster Yun Qi.

  Only now did Long Chen realize that Wei Cang probably had a limited accomplishment with his Pill Flame compared to other Pill Masters, so he had cultivated a sinister poison Battle Skill like the Yin Fiend Palm, using it to restrain other Pill Masters.

  For a Pill Master like him to not focus on his own body’s flame and instead go cultivate a poisonous palm, it was no wonder grandmaster Yun Qi turned his nose up at him.

  “Your wounds have healed?” Grandmaster Yun Qi was slightly surprised.

  “Hehe, this kid’s skin is tough and the meat is thick. Just one night’s rest and I’m fine,” laughed Long Chen.

  Grandmaster Yun Qi looked him up and down and sighed, “Originally, I had hoped that you could focus wholeheartedly on pills. With your spiritual talent, you will be able to walk ever further than me on the pill path. But after yesterday’s battle, I’ve changed my thinking. A martial genius who can battle those in higher realms than him is too rare. It really is a mess.”

  “Hehe, don’t worry, grandmaster. I won’t give up either path.” Long Chen truly was speaking the truth.

  That was because his Nine Star Hegemon Body Art was complemented by his accomplishments in alchemy. Without his alchemy, he wouldn’t have even been able to condense his FengFu Star, let alone cultivate.

  As for the second star, third star, and so on, they all required medicinal pills to condense. Even just the simplest FengFu Star had used up countless medicinal pills.

  According to his memories, each following star’s condensation would require an even greater amount of resources than the last. It was a number that was simply impossible to calculate.

  Although he didn’t know the exact number, he knew that to condense his FengFu Star, he had consumed hundreds of medicinal pills.

  But although the cost was high, the benefits were also correspondingly high. Otherwise, trash like him who didn’t even have a Spirit Root couldn’t even dream of standing out, let alone battle across realms.

  “Dual pill martial cultivation isn’t completely unheard of, but usually, the gains are not worth the losses. Splitting your attention into two paths requires twice the effort for half the gains. Historically, dual pill martial cultivators all wasted their time and in the end, accomplished nothing, filling them with regret in their final days.” Yun Qi shook his head.

  Grandmaster Yun Qi wasn’t wrong. No matter how talented you were, without one hundred percent of your effort focused, you would just end up living a mediocre life.

  As for dual pill martial cultivation, it split your time and energy. Countless people had left bitter lessons to later generations, saying that it was a failed path they couldn’t return from.

  But Long Chen had displayed great talent whether it was in terms of the pill path or the martial path. His talent was absolutely shocking, and even Pill Master Yun Qi didn’t feel that Long Chen should give up on the martial path.

  If you chose pill cultivation, all your spiritual qi would be transformed to flame, and you would only be able to use one attribute of Battle Skills.

  Although they had great power, if they met someone with the subduing water-attribute Battle Skills, they basically could only run.

  But Pill Masters were extremely respected, so why would they go battle with others? Others would all want to get a favor from them, so how many would offend them?

  Although Pill Masters didn’t necessarily have a frightening battle power, you couldn’t forget that each Pill Master had an extremely large support. All sects needed to form good relations with pill cultivators so they could obtain the medicinal pills they needed.

  If a pill cultivator went out, even if he was only a Pill Apprentice, there would be countless powers fighting over that person.

  That was why grandmaster Yun Qi had said ‘it was a mess’. But Long Chen wasn’t at a loss at all; he had already planned to advance forward on both.

  “I came over today to thank grandmaster for his assistance yesterday.” Long Chen was actually very grateful for his assistance and support.

  “Haha, that’s just a small matter. You also let me relieve quite a bit of anger yesterday, so I should be the one thanking you.”

  Grandmaster Yun Qi laughed and gave Long Chen a prayer mat. Letting him sit on it, he said, “Do you want to know why Wei Cang and I are like fire and water to each other?”

  Chapter 49 Pill Valley

  “Do you want to know why Wei Cang and I are like fire and water?”

  Long Chen was startled; he actually had wanted to know this; however, such a thing was too embarrassing to ask about. But now that Yun Qi had brought it up, it naturally evoked his curiosity.

  Yun Qi began to tell him a story. From it, Long Chen learned that Yun Qi and Wei Cang had actually been fellow apprentices. Their master had taken three apprentices in his lifetime.

  Other than Yun Qi and Wei Cang, there was a third, female apprentice. That person had been Yun Qi’s wife, the woman in the drawing he had shown Long Chen who looked just like Xia Baichi.

  Their master was a reclusive expert, and only in his final years did he take three apprentices and pass down his refining techniques.

  Those three had been extremely talented at refining pills, especially Yun Qi. He had been the best amongst the three, and their master did everything to teach him.

  But jealousy was a constant part of human nature, especially for Wei Cang who came from humble beginnings. He had felt extremely bitter and cynical about his master’s preferential treatment of Yun Qi.

  He had always suppressed those feelings and never displayed them until there finally came a day when their master had reached an extremely great age and his life was about to end. He had called Yun Qi to his side and given him a tablet.

  “Haha, my enmity with Wei Cang all stemmed from this tablet.”

  Grandmaster Yun Qi sighed, and a bronze tablet appeared in his hand. The entire room became warmer when that tablet appeared.

  Carved on the tablet was a delicate pill cauldron with thousands of rays of light coming from it, appearing extremely lifelike.

  The other side had a scenic picture on it. There were mountains and water, and between them was a valley. Immortal qi hazily curled around its surroundings, and just looking at it caused Long Chen’s mind to become much brighter.

  “This is what my master left me. Because of it, us fellow apprentices ended up quarreling, and my loving wife was implicated and died.”

  Yun Qi rubbed the tablet with a complicated expression. There was both a trace of regret and a trace of mourning.

  Long Chen didn’t know what to say. Eventually, Yun Qi p
ut aside those feelings and continued.

  Originally, their master had given it to Yun Qi secretly, and only the two of them had known of it. But somehow Wei Cang had learned of its existence and began to demand it from Yun Qi.

  Yun Qi refused no matter how Wei Cang wheedled him. Seeing that his attempts produced no results and since he wasn’t a match for Yun Qi, Wei Cang finally turned a sinister hand towards their junior apprentice-sister.

  Their junior apprentice-sister had already expressed her affection for Yun Qi in secret, and Wei Cang had hatched a plot around her, using her life to extort Yun Qi.

  But no one had expected that their usually gentle junior apprentice-sister was actually extremely resolute and upright inside. She had killed herself rather than bring Yun Qi down.

  This panicked Wei Cang; Yun Qi’s killing intent had exploded, shaking the heavens. He had wanted to tear Wei Cang into a thousand pieces as revenge for his junior apprentice-sister.

  But although Wei Cang was much weaker than Yun Qi when it came to refining pills, in terms of combat ability, he was only slightly weaker.

  Knowing he couldn’t beat Yun Qi, Wei Cang had fled. Yun Qi had chased him for thousands of miles but Wei Cang still escaped in the end. Over the next thirty years, Yun Qi had never stopped inquiring after news about Wei Cang, always wanting to get revenge for his junior apprentice-sister.

  But Wei Cang was extremely crafty and never revealed himself. He even occasionally requested experts go kill Yun Qi, and over that time, Yun Qi was attacked several times and almost died.

  Finally, Yun Qi awoke from his hatred. If it continued on like this, then he would not only be unable to get his revenge, he would even lose his life.

  By using his powerful pill refining arts, he had entered the alchemist guild and become a guild chairman, temporarily laying down his vengeance.

  But just a couple of years ago, Wei Cang had appeared again, and he had also become an alchemist guild’s chairman.

  Although over thirty years had passed, that hatred hadn’t lessened in the slightest and the two of them had fought many times.