Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048
Page 465
Shui Guanzhi’s water element cultivation technique was too abnormal, and it restricted him. He was an earth element expert. Shui Guanzhi’s water technique might not specialize in offense, but it was unrivaled when it came to softness and flexibility.
Each time Zhao Wuji’s fists tried to hit him, it would be like hitting cotton. The feeling of his fists landing on nothing was so irritating that it almost made him puke.
Shui Guanzhi rarely fought head-on with others. He used his endless water magical arts to exhaust his opponents to death. So Zhao Wuji hated fighting him the most.
Long Chen’s saber landed on Shui Guanzhi’s water shield. He found that this water shield was constantly rippling. Each time it rippled, it erased part of his power. It was extremely strange.
The two of them were deadlocked for a moment. Shui Guanzhi sneered, “You’re just a country bumpkin and have no qualifications to be here. You should leave while you still can. Stay in the red zone.”
Shui Guanzhi had long since heard of Long Chen, but he had never taken him seriously. He considered him nothing more than a slightly strong bumpkin who had come from the mountains.
He and the other rank two Celestials had all been found to have an innate Dao mark by the time they were five years old. They were innate rank two Celestials.
There were two kinds of rank two Celestials. One kind had advanced from the first rank. But that was extremely difficult.
For example, Yin Wushang had been a powerful figure amongst rank one Celestials. If he could have perfectly merged his true body with his clone, then he would have had at least a thirty percent chance of becoming a rank two Celestial.
Not all Celestials would have a chance of advancing. It would depend on their Heavenly Dao runes, as well as their talent. The most important thing was that it required an ocean’s worth of resources. Amongst one hundred rank one Celestials, less than one might advance to the second rank.
Most rank two Celestials were innate. They simply had to awaken their Heavenly Dao runes. That was what made Shui Guanzhi, Zhao Wuji, Zhong Wuyan, and Yue Qianshan supreme existences in the Xuantian Dao Sect.
Their arrogance was natural. They didn’t place any rank one Celestials in their eyes, let alone Long Chen who wasn’t even a Celestial.
“Hehe, Long Chen really has struck an iron board. Shui Guanzhi has never been defeated by someone in the same realm. His water magical arts are something even late Sea Expansion experts are helpless against,” sneered one of the Shui family’s experts.
A rank two Celestial’s Heavenly Dao runes could help them activate magical arts. Through training, they would be able to unleash incredible power. Rank two Celestials could truly dominate the Sea Expansion realm. But rank one Xiantian Celestials were only able to fight the early Sea Expansion realm.
Amongst rank one Celestials, ninety-nine percent of them didn’t have any attributes. So the only thing they could depend on was their Heavenly Dao manifestations. But rank two Celestials were blessed by the Heavenly Daos and had higher chances of having an affinity with an element. That created a huge chasm between rank one and rank two Celestials.
So no matter how monstrous Long Chen was, no matter how heaven-defying he was, no one had a favorable opinion of his chances against a rank two Celestial.
Shui Yuncong smiled. Shui Guanzhi was a descendant of the Shui family, and that was much more dependable than an outsider. Just having Shui Guanzhi in the Shui family was enough. As for Long Chen, he would at most be fit to be Shui Guanzhi’s servant.
Of course, if Long Chen was willing to be Shui Guanzhi’s servant, he definitely wouldn’t mistreat him. But if Long Chen wasn’t willing, then there was no way around it. Shui Guanzhi would ruthlessly suppress him.
The sky did not have two suns. The people didn’t have two masters. A family couldn’t contain two pinnacle figures. One had to suppress the other.
Shui Yuncong glanced at Shui Wuhen. But seeing her cold smile made him furious. Shui Wuhen was becoming more and more unreliable. Since that was the case, then he would just allow Shui Guanzhi to properly beat Long Chen up.
As for Zhou Tianyi, his expression was calm, but he was laughing with delight inside. He had never expected that he wouldn’t even need Zhao Wuji to do anything. The Shui family’s own people were helping him out.
Zhou Tianyi hated Long Chen to the core. He hated him so much that he wished Long Chen would die in the trial. It was because of him that his Zhou family had lost so miserably.
The vice sect master frowned slightly. He was unable to understand what Long Chen was doing. He was clearly exceedingly powerful, but he still refused to release that power. Were all the youngsters these days so low-key?
“In front of me, you are just an ant. You are helpless against me.” Shui Guanzhi continued to block Long Chen’s saber. Although Long Chen was constantly increasing his power, his water shield was dispelling it at the same time. Long Chen was just wasting his time. He was unable to threaten him.
“Is that so? Then I want to see whether or not I can threaten you.”
Long Chen suddenly smiled. His saber fiercely cut down. What flabbergasted everyone was that Shui Guanzhi’s incomparably tenacious shield was directly cut apart.
Shui Guanzhi was dumbfounded. This was something that had never happened before. But before he could react, a hand came from a strange angle. It made an intimate connection with his handsome face.
POW!
Chapter 715 This is Domineering
When Long Chen’s hand slapped against Shui Guanzhi’s face, it was like it also slapped against everyone’s hearts. Time seemed to come to a stop.
The Dragonblood warriors, the thirty-sixth supermonastery’s disciples, the Xuantian Dao Sect’s people, Zhao Wuji, Zhong Wuyan, Yue Qianshan, and the four families were all stunned.
POW!
Shui Guanzhi was like a shooting star. When Long Chen’s strength was added to the power of the current, he immediately pierced through the Xuantian Sea and slammed into the basin.
People didn’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but Shui Guanzhi slammed into the exact same place as Long Chen. However, Shui Guanzhi appeared even more miserable, and he slammed a huge hole into the rock that had been compressed by countless years of these waves.
Shui Guanzhi coughed up a mouthful of blood and crawled up from the ground. People saw an extremely clear handprint on his face. Although Shui Guanzhi quickly circulated his spiritual yuan and that mark faded, that image was forever imprinted in their hearts. A grand rank two Celestial had actually been slapped in the face.
They then turned to look back into the storm zone. Long Chen’s saber was resting on his shoulder. He appeared like a domineering god. The shockwaves from Long Chen’s slap shook their hearts.
Zhong Wuyan had never imagined that Long Chen, who usually didn’t reveal any power, was actually this terrifying.
The Four Heavenly Geniuses had exchanged blows before. But it hadn’t been a life and death battle, and so they hadn’t determined a winner.
But whether it was Zhong Wuyan, Zhao Wuji, or Yue Qianshan, none of them liked to battle Shui Guanzhi.
That was because Shui Guanzhi’s water magical arts were too irritating. They came one after another, endless and boundless. Their techniques were unable to display their true power in front of him.
Furthermore, Shui Guanzhi had abnormally deep reserves of spiritual yuan. If they tried to fight a battle of attrition, none of them would be able to exhaust him. Furthermore, his defense was perfect, practically impenetrable.
But Long Chen had broken that perfect defense with a single slash of his saber. That was the most shocking part of it. Having exchanged blows with Shui Guanzhi, they were aware of how strong that shield was. It would constantly dissipate other people’s power, making them helpless.
They were unable to understand how Long Chen had done this. Just now, they hadn’t seen him release any great power. It had happened too suddenly.
“This Long Chen has gone too far! This is just humiliating others!” Shui Yuncong’s expression was incomparably ugly now.
“Too far? Humiliating? How come you didn’t think that Shui Guanzhi’s sneak attack against Long Chen was going too far or humiliating?” sneered Shui Wuhen.
“After a win, you laugh so happily, but after a loss, you have to curse others? Brother Yuncong, don’t lose face. After all, whether it’s Shui Guanzhi or Long Chen, they’re both on the side of your Shui family. They’re both equally valuable. Even if you’re biased, you shouldn’t make it so obvious,” advised Zhou Tianyi with a smile.
Although he knew Zhou Tianyi’s words were trying to infuriate him, Shui Yuncong’s fury still almost burst out of control.
Long Chen’s slap hadn’t just been a slap in the face of Shui Guanzhi, but it had also been a slap in the face of the entire Shui family.
“This Long Chen really is strange. How did he do this? How did he break Shui Guanzhi’s defense?”
At this time, the Wang family head finally couldn’t help opening his mouth. He wasn’t interested in their verbal warfare. But Long Chen’s attack did make him very curious. When he said this, he looked toward the vice sect master, hoping he could answer him.
The vice sect master didn’t disappoint him. “I’m also not sure if he took advantage of the opening in Guanzhi’s defense or not. But if Long Chen really did do it on purpose, then his ability to see through his enemies is truly terrifying!”
“Opening in his defense?! How could there be a gap in Shui Guanzhi’s water magical arts?!” Shui Yuncong didn’t believe it.
The vice sect master couldn’t be bothered to even look at him. He coldly said, “There is nothing in this world that is perfect. If something was truly perfect, all that represents is extinction. Magical arts are the same, and no matter how strong the magical art, it must have a weak point. Just because you don’t know about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
“Please give me pointers, vice sect master,” asked Shui Wuhen respectfully. To tell the truth, she also wanted to know very much.
The vice sect master looked at the distant Long Chen. “There is a saying that wind cannot exist without motion, and water is constantly flowing. The essence of water magical arts is that constant change. The wheel turns in an unending cycle. No matter what form the outer shape of the magical art takes, it must be in motion on the inside. As those runes flow, they cancel out the opponent’s attack power. It’s most definitely a very powerful ability.
“When fighting with water cultivators, if you try to fight a battle of attrition, you’ll essentially be asking to be defeated. Water attribute experts have profound reserves of spiritual yuan. Even if the two sides have the same amount of spiritual yuan, the water cultivator will be able to use this method to exhaust their opponent’s energy. So when their opponent is out of spiritual yuan, the water cultivator will still have at least twenty percent of theirs left.
“To sum up, a water cultivator’s strongest point is their defense, not offense. But again, whether it is offense or defense, Shui Guanzhi’s water magical arts are in constant motion. That is his strongest point, and also where his weakness lies.”
“What…?”
The vice sect master continued, “Since it’s in motion, there are waves. And where there are waves, there must be times of high and low, a time where strong and weak superimpose.”
“Then you mean…” These experts now understood.
“Yes, Long Chen used his power to figure out the fluctuations of Shui Guanzhi’s power, and when his power was at its weakest, he struck. That was what brought on this result.
“But as a rank two Celestial, Shui Guanzhi’s water energy is incomparably pure. Hundreds of fluctuations occur within his defense with every blink of the eye.
“But even then, Long Chen was still able to figure out which wave was the weakest out of those hundreds of fluctuations. That is why I called him terrifying.”
Everyone was shaken. The opening the vice sect master had described wasn’t even an opening! Even if someone knew about it, no one could take advantage of it.
Furthermore, Long Chen and Shui Guanzhi had only fought for a few breaths’ time. To be able to find the opening during this short time and then take advantage of it, was that something a human could do?
“Perhaps you don’t believe it. In truth, even I don’t believe it. Even for me, if I was fighting someone on the same level, I would never be able to so cleanly grasp that kind of opportunity.
“This would require maintaining an absolutely pure and bright Dao-heart in the midst of battle. Perhaps out of everyone here, only Long Chen is capable of doing this!” sighed the vice sect master.
“Is Long Chen really this strong?” asked Shui Yuncong.
“The strong you’re talking about is referring to combat strength. But what I’m referring to is the strength of his heart and will. Those things aren’t something that can be raised just by spending resources. It is something forged through walking on the line between life and death over and over again.
“Perhaps in terms of combat strength, Long Chen might be weaker than some people here. But when it comes to the determination of his heart and the strength of his will, everyone here, including me, is unable to get even close to his level!”
Everyone was shocked. It was completely unexpected for the vice sect master to have such a high opinion of Long Chen. He actually said that even he was not his equal. That was raising his status a bit too much, wasn’t it?
The vice sect master continued, “Maybe not all of you know this, but yesterday, I went through all the information available about Long Chen. Only then did I come to understand his past. He was just an ordinary child. His talent, his background, the amount of resources he could get, they were all terrible. But all he focused on was getting stronger.
“He had nothing to gamble with. So in order to get stronger, the only thing he could do was gamble with his life. He created countless miracles on his path by risking his life. Perhaps even the heavens have been convinced by him, and as he got stronger, he managed to grab hold of more opportunities.
“But remember, opportunities are only obtained by those who have the power to grasp them. The weak are unable to even grab hold of the opportunities they are given. If the weak try to forcibly grasp those opportunities, they’ll just end up tossing their lives away.
“Compared to Long Chen, we lack that bravery to risk our lives. Of course, there’s a reason for that: we don’t need to risk our lives. We have so much, and we can obtain anything that we want.
“But if Long Chen wants to obtain something, he’ll have to put in ten times, or perhaps even a hundred times the effort compared to others. Furthermore, he’ll be in danger of losing his life. Such a person doesn’t need talent. As long as he wants to live, he’ll constantly get stronger."
Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help being deeply moved and impressed. They had heard of Long Chen, but they had always thought that the only reason he had his current accomplishments was luck.
But now their opinions of him completely changed. Many people were lost in thought.
Most of the experts here were all stuck in a bottleneck. They had tried attacking a higher realm multiple times, only to fail every time. They had already lost their confidence and drive. Continuously attacking a bottleneck was something that became more dangerous with each attempt. A person could easily be afflicted by a heart-devil and die.
In their hearts, they were already afraid. They were afraid of death. They were experts, and they were reluctant to lose everything they had. But the vice sect master’s words were like an alarm bell. Were they really planning on waiting until they reached the end of their lifespans?
There were still many people here who were comparatively young. They still had a chance of advancing to a higher realm. However, they had lost the Dao-heart that a martial artist required.
“Shui Guanzhi’s moving!”
Suddenly, a cry rang out. Shui Guanzhi let out a furious roar, killing intent exploding off of him. He shot forward.
He was enraged. This was a kind of humiliation, a kind of completely intolerable humiliation. He wanted to tear Long Chen to pieces. His killing intent was suffocating.
Everyone hastily got out of Shui Guanzhi’s way, afraid he would slaughter them.
“Long Chen!”
Shui Guanzhi’s Heavenly Dao runes suddenly condensed into a pair of huge wings on his back. He charged directly into the storm zone.
Chapter 716 Despicable and Shameless
“Fuck off!”
Shui Guanzhi had only just taken a step into the storm zone when a huge saber-image carried by the current struck him.
BOOM!
Shui Guanzhi had yet to stabilize himself in the storm zone when he once more shot back like a shooting star.
This time, he was even faster than last time because Long Chen had taken advantage of the situation. He had merged the current’s power with his Saber Qi, and he didn’t give Shui Guanzhi any opportunity.
“Idiot, let me just say that with me here, don’t even think about getting in.”
Long Chen’s voice resounded throughout the whole region. Everyone’s hearts shook. Perhaps Long Chen was about to make Shui Guanzhi regret his actions.
“Too contemptible!” roared Shui Yuncong. With the storm zone’s power backing him, Long Chen had placed himself in an invincible position. Shui Guanzhi had no chance.
“Long Chen, you are courting death!”
BOOM!
Shui Guanzhi had just charged into the storm zone when Long Chen once more sent him flying.
There was no way around this. The storm zone was already extremely terrifying. Anyone who charged in would encounter an exceedingly terrifying pressure, and it would require their full strength to resist.
Long Chen was aware of that, and so he had immediately taken this advantage. When he combined his attacks with the current here, Shui Guanzhi was powerless.