Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048
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Chapter 1020 Genius? Or Madman?
These leopards were called Dark Devil Leopards. However, they were a bit different from normal Magical Beasts. These lifeforms were not from this world, but a Devil World.
The Martial Heaven Continent had once gone through an unprecedented tribulation. There had been a battle of gods that had destroyed the world barrier and changed the terrain. The Martial Heaven Sea-Ring had formed at that time.
The destruction of the world barrier had allowed foreign lifeforms to invade the Martial Heaven Continent. These Bone Spur Devil Apes and Dark Devil Leopards came from a Devil World.
It was rumored that they were the original ancestors of Magical Beasts, the result of interbreeding with the wild beasts from this world. However, the odds of that being true were very low. The lifeforms that came from Devil Worlds were tyrannical, berserk, and only thought of slaughter. It was impossible for them to breed with the continent’s species.
For example, these Bone Spur Devil Apes had no sense of fear despite having been cut down in droves. The only thing they had was a desire to kill. That wasn’t something that should occur in lifeforms with intelligent minds.
On the ground, the Bone Spur Devil Apes were growing stronger and still attacking, while in the sky, the huge Dark Devil Leopards launched vicious attacks. Dozens of them came directly for Long Chen.
Long Chen extended a hand, and dodging the claws of one of them, he grabbed the skin on the back of its neck and swung it around, using it as a weapon to knock back the other Dark Devil Leopards.
What startled him was that their claws were extremely sharp. The one caught in his hand was lacerated all over by them.
“Everyone, be careful! These leopards’ offensive power far outstrips their defensive power!” warned Long Chen.
They were incredibly fast with sharp attacks. Even if their defense was weak, their speed made up for it. Whenever they swooped down from the sky and fell into their midst, shrieks of pain would erupt. All the factions were panicked.
Tang Wan-er flew into the air, wind blades erupting. She cut down hordes of the Dark Devil Leopards, but there were too many of them, and she couldn’t kill them all.
When Long Chen said that their defense was weaker than their offense, that was just in comparison. Their defensive power was by no means weaker than an ordinary eighth rank Magical Beast’s.
The number of deaths in each faction rapidly rose. With each passing second, disciples were being killed. Now the difference between the disciples was made even more apparent.
The Central Plains’ disciples didn’t stay panicked for long. Fighting all-out, although there were some losses, the death rate of the four regions’ disciples far outstripped theirs.
The four regions’ disciples were being cut down one by one. They had never experienced such a terrifying fight, and their mental realms crumbled.
Fan Song, Hu Guishan, Que Xinyan, and Wang Zhen didn’t bother with the people dying behind them. They continued charging forward.
Only Hua Shiyu extended the scope of her attack to protect the women behind her. But there were too many people, and she couldn’t protect them all.
Zhao Ziyan also unleashed her full power to protect them, showing the power of her water energy. But still, she wasn’t able to protect all of them. People were constantly dying, filling her with pain.
She felt profoundly helpless. She was a generation’s genius, but in front of endless devil beasts, she could only watch as they killed these young women.
“Ziyan, just do your best. A person’s power is limited. Don’t feel bad,” comforted Hua Shiyu.
She had clearly experienced much more than Zhao Ziyan and had endured the cruelness of reality. To protect everyone was impossible. They could only do their best.
Fan Song and the others simply charged forward without care. This trial washed away the weak, leaving behind only the elite. What they wanted was the elite, not the trash. That was why they didn’t bother with those people at the back. Their goal was merely to open the way forward, and those that lived would be the people worth raising.
The Dark Devil Leopards didn’t slow them down at all. In fact, they advanced faster and faster.
As for Long Chen’s side, their speed began to slow down once the Dark Devil Leopards appeared. Long Chen was entangled with several of the Dark Devil Leopards, causing quite a few people to sneer.
Once Long Chen’s faction was thrown to the back, they would be alone and eventually exterminated by the sea of beasts.
Long Chen was constantly swinging two Dark Devil Leopards in his hands. Suddenly, he tossed them aside, and he let out a roar like spring thunder. With a single fist, astral winds blew apart dozens of Dark Devil Leopards.
This attack allowed the people following him to be filled with new confidence in him. Previously, he had been entangled with them and been unable to do anything, causing their hearts to sink. But now that he killed so many in one blow, their hearts lifted again.
“These devil leopards’ attacks are strong, and they are fast. Don’t get in a tangle with them. What you have to do is kill them in one blow.
“They have two vital points, one is their heads and the other is their underbellies. Their skulls are extremely strange. Other than their lower jaws, they are completely sealed and Treasure items have difficulty injuring them. So don’t bother attacking their heads.
“Focus on attacking their underbellies. There is a row of scales on the bottom of their underbellies. Counting backward from the front, their seventh scale is their fatal weak point. That scale is just a decoration to trick people. It has no defensive power, and as long as your weapon stabs through it, you’ll shatter a bead inside them that’s similar to a Neidan, and they’ll die. Wan-er, give a demonstration.”
“Alright.” Tang Wan-er formed a hand seal, and small wind blades suddenly stabbed through the Dark Devil Leopards’ underbellies right where Long Chen had indicated it.
What startled people was that as soon as these wind blades pierced their bodies, the Dark Devil Leopards stiffened and died.
It had to be known that even if they were cut in two, their heads would still try to bite people, and their claws would continue to attack. But now, they were instantly killed. It was inconceivable.
The disciples following the Dragonblood Legion only realized now why Long Chen had slowed down and been entangled with those Dark Devil Leopards. He had been searching for their weak points.
With Long Chen’s power, there was absolutely no need for him to do such a thing. He had done it entirely for them, causing their eyes to turn red.
“However, don’t get too excited. With your power, aiming for that place against a rapidly moving target is almost impossible. That’s why you’ll need to learn how to cooperate and trust your companions. You’ll need to learn how to entrust your lives to the people by your side. Three people block the Dark Devil Leopard’s attack, and one person takes advantage of when it’s blocked to launch a fatal blow. It’ll be up to yourselves!” shouted Long Chen.
He had pointed out their weak point, but while it sounded simple, it was incredibly difficult. Furthermore, working together and entrusting their lives to others was not something anyone could do.
“Our lives were given to us by senior apprentice-brother Long Chen. Why are we still hesitating? Brothers, charge! I leave my life in your hands!”
Suddenly, a large man with a hatchet roared furiously. He swung his huge hatchet at a Dark Devil Leopard that was charging over.
BOOM!
The Dark Devil Leopard’s claw slammed into the hatchet, causing sparks to fly. The large man was forced back dozens of meters, while the Dark Devil Leopard was also knocked back. It was just about to use its wings to regain its balance.
Just at that moment, a ray of Sword Qi pierced through one of the scales at its belly. The Dark Devil Leopard stiffened and then collapsed limply.
“Hahaha, success, success! Brothers, kill!” cried the d
isciple who had launched this attack.
The success of this attack raised their morale. People immediately went out to block the Dark Devil Leopards, creating an opening for others to launch the fatal blows.
They formed small groups to handle each Dark Devil Leopard. As for the ordinary Bone Spur Devil Apes, their threat wasn’t of much concern any longer.
With this method, they gradually began to test and learn what cooperation was, what it meant to help each other. Only by handing their lives to the people beside them would they have any chance at surviving.
They had never dreamed that one day, they would be able to place their lives in someone else’s hands. They had also never imagined that someone would be willing to place their lives in their hands.
After establishing this absolute trust, their cooperation grew more and more skillful. Even without Tang Wan-er, they were able to advance steadily. Although there were still some accidents, compared to the previous slaughter, it was a thousand times better.
“It’s just like us in the 108th monastery. When we fought against the Corrupt path for the first time, boss taught us just like this…” sighed one of the Dragonblood warriors emotionally.
…
“What a monster. Is he the reincarnation of a war god? In just a few hours, this weak group was transformed into a real army. That’s ridiculous.”
Chaos raged in the Elder Hall. These old fellows who had lived for centuries and millennia were all deeply shaken by Long Chen’s methods.
His vision was sharp, and his methods were brilliant. He was able to probe the Dark Devil Leopards’ weaknesses, find a practical way to take advantage, and get these disciples to trust each other.
“He’s definitely on the level of a war god. But it seems his temper and principles make him not suited for such an appellation,” said the Hall Master.
He had a special charisma that could make his subordinates loyal to death, vision to see the smallest details, and the flexibility to adapt according to the situation. These abilities to control the whole situation were definitely on the level of a war god.
But then he would occasionally do unreliable, rash things. For a Sea Expansion disciple to cut off the head of a King, the disciple definitely must have lacked some brain cells. However, Long Chen hadn’t hesitated to do so.
Looking at that figure that seemed to have the entire situation under his control, they didn’t know if he was a genius or a madman.
Chapter 1021 Tit for Tat
Long Chen’s actions startled everyone. Even after all this time fighting, the other disciples had been relying on brute force to charge through the ranks of the Dark Devil Leopards.
But the Dark Devil Leopards were incredibly quick and powerful. Even rank four Celestials were in constant danger of falling.
The disciples were all bunched together in their factions, competing in terms of luck to see who the Dark Devil Leopards would target. While the leopards were attacking their prey, the other disciples would attack them.
But as for the unlucky ones to be targeted by the Dark Devil Leopards, only a few of them managed to survive. This was the method they were using to kill the Dark Devil Leopards.
Now that Long Chen had explained their weaknesses and how to take advantage of them, they all followed his lead. And immediately, they felt like killing the Dark Devil Leopards became much easier.
Furthermore, they also picked out some elite experts to handle the leopards. By using this method, it changed from a one-sided slaughter to an even battle.
However, although they were powerful, they still didn’t possess as much killing power as the disciples on Long Chen’s side. In their case, after everyone had begun to cooperate, only a few casualties ever occurred again.
As for the other factions, although this method reduced their casualties, their people were still constantly being killed.
They were all heavenly geniuses, but unlike the disciples in Long Chen’s faction, they were unable to entrust their lives to others. To simplify it, they only fought for themselves. They knew how to kill the Dark Devil Leopards; however, cooperating with others to do it was something else entirely. For them, their ‘comrades’ were nothing more than strangers.
“Not bad. Continue like this and cut them down together. The weapons in your hands don’t exist just to kill. They are also used to protect. When people don’t hesitate to give their lives to you, you’ll feel moved and blessed. However, you’ll also feel the burden on your shoulders grow heavier. Yes, this is what I was talking about before, the reason for getting stronger. Experts need to know why they want to get stronger. Everyone, keep up. I’m going to charge forward. How can we allow ourselves to fall behind others?” Long Chen smiled.
Huo Long suddenly roared. Its flame energy exploded in power, and a single swing of its tail killed all the devil beasts in front of it.
“Come, charge! Let the world see that you are not weak!”
Long Chen roared and charged forward with Huo Long. He was a blazing streak of light that slaughtered all the Dark Devil Leopards and Bone Spur Devil Apes in front of them.
One man and one dragon, both possessing an unstoppable air. Standing atop Huo Long’s head, Long Chen appeared indescribably domineering.
“Boss is finally getting serious. Each time I see this, I can’t help but get excited,” cried Guo Ran. “Brothers, charge with boss!”
Long Chen was like a blade that viciously stabbed into the sea of devil beasts. The Dragonblood warriors followed close behind him, still maintaining a widened formation to reduce the pressure on the disciples behind them as much as possible.
It had been a long time since they had seen Long Chen emitting this undefeatable aura on the battlefield. Seeing him like a battle god in the air, they felt their own blood boiling. Even the disciples behind the Dragonblood warriors were affected.
The other heavenly geniuses looked down on them. The world had abandoned them. They had thought they would die in this trial, but Long Chen had extended a helping hand.
Now seeing how mighty Long Chen appeared atop the flame dragon’s head, they all felt their blood heating up. Roaring, they charged their way forward.
Long Chen’s group had originally fallen a dozen miles behind. But now it was like they were blowing through rotting wood. Nothing could stop them.
In less than an incense stick’s worth of time, they had caught up with the other five factions and were advancing side by side. Seeing them standing on the same level as the five great factions, those disciples felt a burst of pride and let out cheers.
“Shut up! A group of trash without the slightest standards will never be worth anything. There’s still a long way until the trial ends, so what are you getting so excited about?” shouted Wei Changhai from Hu Guishan’s faction.
They immediately felt embarrassed. This really was too early to be excited.
Long Chen ignored him. But Guo Ran said, “If you’re a man, you should follow your heart’s desire. Don’t listen to an idiot’s bullshit. He’s just jealous, so he’s trying to belittle and insult you. Your actions have caused certain people to feel uncomfortable inside. That’s because your current battle power is even greater than those so-called elites that they picked. It’s a slap in their faces, and a very vicious one at that. Your display has proven their blindness.”
“What nonsense, why would I be jealous over trash? What a huge joke. Furthermore, how are they any stronger than the disciples we chose?” retorted Wei Changhai.
“Idiot, you still don’t want to admit it? Isn’t it obvious if you just look at the death ratio? How many people did you have before, and how many do you have now? Furthermore, are you blind? Do you not see how few people are even injured on our side? As for you… look, another one of your people died.” Just as Guo Ran was speaking, another rank four Celestial was mercilessly torn apart by a Dark Devil Leopard.
The disciples in Long Chen’s faction were all shocked. Even rank four Celestials were killed
so easily, but they were still alive. It was all because of the protection of their companions.
Although Long Chen had only been leading them for a short few hours, they had now comprehended things that others wouldn’t be able to understand in a lifetime.
In these short few hours, each one of them had gone through a heaven-toppling transformation. Now that they compared themselves to the other factions, their gratefulness toward Long Chen could no longer be described with words. In their hearts, Long Chen was like a god now, and they were unswervingly loyal to him.
“Hmph, it’s just luck. Let’s see just how long you will last!” sneered Wei Changhai. He clearly had no way to retort.
There had been just over thirty-four thousand people at Long Chen’s side at the beginning. Now there were still thirty-three thousand people, and only over a thousand people had died. It was practically a miracle.
As for the other factions, their losses were shockingly high. Even the Ten Thousand Insect Guild which only had twenty thousand disciples at the beginning had lost five thousand people now.
As for the ones who had lost the most, it was the Heaven Female Alliance. Despite Hua Shiyu and Zhao Ziyan doing their best to protect them, of their original one hundred and thirty thousand members, thirty thousand had still died. This trial was too cruel. Zhao Ziyan had already wept several times, almost collapsing. Fortunately, Hua Shiyu was there to support her.
At this time, the Dragonblood Legion realized why Long Chen had refused to allow Zhao Ziyan to join twice. Her character was too kind and weak. The Dragonblood Legion truly wasn’t suited to her. If she couldn’t even handle something like this, there was no way she could handle what would come in the future.
For the other factions, their deaths were in the tens of thousands. When it came to true combat power, Long Chen’s people were the weakest, but they had the least casualties. This was an indisputable fact.
“Did your father not teach you that luck is also a kind of power? If your father didn’t teach you that, then I’ll teach it to you instead,” said Guo Ran.