Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048
Page 785
“This idiot really is unlucky. He actually slammed into the Sovereign seal’s stone pillar with such power. Of course the Sovereign Blood Seal was going to kill him.” Chang Hao was also speechless. This result caught him a bit off-guard.
Those two huge stone pillars were connected with the Sovereign Blood Seal. Just touching it wouldn’t normally cause any problems. But if you used any force, it would be viewed as an attack and the Sovereign Blood Seal would automatically counterattack.
The Sovereign Blood Seal wasn’t something a weak Foundation Forging expert could endure. In fact, even a Soul Transformation expert would be instantly annihilated without the slightest hope of survival.
The Scarlet Blood Gold Ape expert had been either too arrogant or too stupid. He had actually neglected to pay heed to his surroundings. Rather than saying Long Chen had killed him, it was more accurate to say the stone pillar had killed him. So his death truly was a bit ridiculous.
After being killed, he didn’t leave anything behind. Even his spatial ring had been turned to dust. But Long Chen didn’t gain nothing; another Heaven Dao Fruit had appeared in the primal chaos space.
But this time was different. Previously, when a Celestial was killed, their core Heavenly Dao energy would be sucked away by the primal chaos bead instantly.
This time, Long Chen had clearly felt the Sovereign Blood Seal had fought with the primal chaos bead over some kind of energy.
However, in front of the primal chaos bead, that suction force had been too weak. The seal could only allow this energy to be taken away.
This was Long Chen’s first time encountering such a thing. He couldn’t help being shocked. What was going on?
“Long Chen, let’s go in!” said Bao Buping. Seeing the entrance below the Sovereign Blood Seal, battle intent raged in his eyes.
In the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect, finding the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet was every disciple’s most sacred mission. Even if they had to pay with their lives, they wouldn’t frown. Even if they never found it, fighting for it was their glory.
That was because the nine forms of Split the Heavens were the lifeline of the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect. In truth, Bao Buping, Chang Hao, and the other disciples didn’t know that their Heaven Earth Divine Pool had run out because of Long Chen.
But even if Long Chen hadn’t appeared, the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect wouldn’t have been able to survive for long. Right now, the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect was already standing on the border of death.
After reaching the Foundation Forging realm, Bao Buping and Chang Hao had begged the old man to go to Devil Spirit Mountain countless times, but he had refused every time.
In fact, once when the two had stealthily sneaked away, they had been immediately caught and fiercely beaten.
Now that Long Chen arrived, they didn’t know what the old man was thinking, but he suddenly permitted them to go. Seeing the entrance to Devil Spirit Mountain, they were impatient to search for the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet within.
Long Chen looked around. He saw several wild cultivators looking at the entrance to Devil Spirit Mountain with conflicted expressions. They clearly hadn’t made up their minds as to whether or not they wanted to step into this land of death.
These wild cultivators all had low statuses and limited resources. After reaching the Foundation Forging realm or perhaps the Jade Core realm, they no longer had any hope of advancing again. That was the only reason they would come to Devil Spirit Mountain. This was their final chance.
Losing meant dying without a corpse. But if they could leave alive, they would definitely return with amazing gains. No matter what they brought out of Devil Spirit Mountain, it would benefit them for a lifetime.
They had used their final savings to buy a supreme teleportation talisman. If they did manage to get out of Devil Spirit Mountain, they would immediately use this teleportation talisman to flee far away so they didn’t need to worry about anyone coveting their treasures.
The ironic thing was that after Devil Spirit Mountain had started opening up to adventurers, the prices of these supreme teleportation talismans spiked, making the talisman cultivators rich.
In the end, these people standing in front of Devil Spirit Mountain were unable to gather their courage to enter, resulting in them dithering over the entrance. The chances of dying once they entered were too high.
No one laughed at them. In front of death, only a few people were able to act confident.
Long Chen looked at the two of them surging with battle intent and shook his head. If they entered like this, they would definitely die.
He pulled them to the side and gravely warned them, “The reason the old man allowed the three of us to come here is mostly because of me. So the two of you have to listen to me once we’re in.”
“We know. You’re the one with the best head. We’ll do as you say.” Bao Buping and Chang Hao nodded.
Ever since Long Chen had led them to defeat the seven bosses, allowing their names to shake the entire sect, they and the rest of the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect’s disciples had started viewing him as a god-like existence. They would naturally listen to his orders. This was also something the old man had strictly ordered them to do before coming.
“Good. Then before entering Devil Spirit Mountain, we’ll need to talk to them first.” Long Chen nodded and led them to the entrance. At this time, there were quite a few people struggling over their decisions.
“Everyone, the three of us want to enter Devil Spirit Mountain. But there are some things I have to say first. Devil Spirit Mountain is filled with countless dangers, and the odds of death are shockingly high. Since everyone has come here, I know you’ve come here to gamble with your lives…” began Long Chen.
These people looked at Long Chen warily. The fact that he had killed a rank eight Celestial with a slap had shocked them all. Although they all knew it was actually the Sovereign Blood Seal that had killed him, it was indisputable that Long Chen had slapped that powerful expert like he had been a child. His power was shocking enough for them to all listen carefully.
“So I think that while we aren’t allies, we can’t count as enemies, so there’s something I must tell you all. After we enter Devil Spirit Mountain, for the next six hours, no one else is permitted to enter. If anyone wants to take advantage by following us, the three of us won’t be merciful.” Long Chen’s gaze swept over them.
Long Chen’s meaning was obvious. After entering, he didn’t want to be implicated by anyone else. If someone else caused a disturbance that drew out some terrifying existence, the three of them would be dead.
So he first gave them a warning. If anyone really wanted to court death, Long Chen would definitely kill them. This was Devil Spirit Mountain, and he couldn’t be the slightest bit careless.
After saying this, Long Chen didn’t give them any chance to declare their own positions. He led Chang Hao and Bao Buping to the entrance. He wasn’t discussing this. He was warning them.
Bao Buping and Chang Hao exchanged a glance. They had never thought about such details before.
The three of them walked between the two stone pillars. The huge Sovereign Blood Seal floated above their heads. Only once they were close did they truly sense just how terrifying it was.
In front of this huge seal, they felt themselves to be insignificant ants. They were filled with reverence and shock.
The energy accumulated within the Sovereign Blood Seal was enough to exterminate this entire world. It possessed unimaginable power.
The three of them were like three ants scuttling in front of this huge entrance. With the Sovereign Blood Seal’s pressure above them, they all felt like their hearts were going to rise out of their throats.
Even with the guts of Chang Hao and Bao Buping, their faces were pale. Although they didn’t sense any hostility from the Sovereign Blood Seal, that kind of world-destroying power evoked terror in their souls.
The stone pillars and the So
vereign Blood Seal between them formed a huge gate. But at the bottom of this gate was a crack, a tear in space that was dozens of meters wide. Three people now stood in front of this crack.
“Let’s go.”
The three of them exchanged a glance. Taking a deep breath, they stepped into the crack.
The wild cultivators outside were deeply shaken to see the three of them walk in just like this. They were filled with admiration.
According to reason, the heavenly geniuses of the various sects had limitless futures. They would soar like shooting stars. Their lives were incredibly valuable, but they hadn’t even frowned before charging into one of the seven danger zones.
“Six hours from now, I want to be the next one to enter. I hope everyone will give me this face.” One of the wild cultivators clenched his teeth.
“I will be the third.”
Having been influenced by the three of them, these wild cultivators who had been unable to gather their courage finally decided to hesitate no longer.
They had only come here because they had no hope for their futures, or because they had no choice but to put their lives on the line. Either way, seeing that the powerful heavenly geniuses were able to ignore death like this allowed them to resolve to go in. If even such valiant figures were willing to risk it, why did they need to be so reluctant?
When Long Chen, Chang Hao, and Bao Buping entered the crack, they felt their bodies tighten. Space seemed to vaguely change. When they saw the scene around them, they sucked in a cold gasp of air.
Chapter 1259 The Trap
The stone pillars were still present, and the Sovereign Blood Seal still hung in the air. But what they were seeing around them was different. There were black strands of qi coiling up ahead.
Those black strands of qi were like countless sinister pythons that were constantly attacking the Sovereign Blood Seal. Rumbling sounds rang out so loudly that it shook their ears and caused pain in their souls.
Seeing this black mist in front of them made their scalps turn numb. That sinister energy felt like countless blades pointed at them. As long as they moved, they would be pierced through the heart.
“This should be the buffer zone of the Sovereign Blood Seal that the old man mentioned. Constantly sealing the entrance of Devil Spirit Mountain, the Sovereign Blood Seal receives this constant encroachment.” Long Chen couldn’t help being shocked as he saw the black mist constantly attacking the Sovereign Blood Seal.
Just what kind of existence did a Sovereign have to be for a single seal that they left behind to have such power after being attacked like this for over a hundred thousand years?
This zone was close to the Sovereign Blood Seal, which made it safe. It was said that this safe zone was a semicircle covering hundreds of miles.
“Long Chen, in which direction should we go?” asked Bao Buping. Their divine sense was unable to pierce the black mist in front of them. They were all blind.
“Most people would choose to go along the edges here. So let’s just go straight in. Perhaps this will lower the danger slightly,” said Long Chen. Although the odds of this were very low, it was probably best to walk a different path from others.
Looking at the Sovereign Blood Seal behind them to determine their orientation, they continued onward carefully.
All of them were suppressing their heartbeats, their breathing, and even the opening of their pores as much as possible. Even though the three of them had big guts, they didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless here.
This was Devil Spirit Mountain. It was unknown how many peerless martyrs had died here in the battle back then. And it was also unknown just how many geniuses had died here in the past tens of thousands of years.
Bao Buping and Chang Hao were tightly holding their broadswords, while Long Chen held the pot in his left hand and Blooddrinker in his right hand.
This black mist could block their divine sense, but it wasn’t able to block the danger sense the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art possessed. Long Chen was using those senses to advance. He had the utmost confidence in the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, and it was the greatest factor that allowed him to dare to come to Devil Spirit Mountain.
Even with this sharp danger sense, Long Chen was still advancing slowly and carefully. It took four hours for them to reach the point that the black mist began to fade and their sight restored.
Long Chen waved his hand. Bao Buping and Chang Hao immediately stopped. The three of them hid behind a black rock, peering out of a crack to see the scene outside.
Now that they were within Devil Spirit Mountain, they didn’t dare to use their divine sense to avoid anyone sensing it. Using just their eyes was safer.
They saw an unending mountain range. The mountains were barren, and it was impossible to see their end. Due to the rising and falling mountains, it was impossible to see what could be inside the gulches.
Now that they were here, Bao Buping and Chang Hao couldn’t help being a bit surprised. This didn’t seem as terrifying as the land of death they had imagined. They didn’t see a single powerful lifeform.
Long Chen also didn’t sense any danger. He was curious, and having a thought, he turned toward the black mist and crushed a medicinal pill.
The medicinal pill transformed into powder that slowly floated toward the black mist. But once it did, the powder was suddenly blocked by some invisible energy.
Seeing this, Bao Buping and Chang Hao’s expressions changed. Long Chen nodded. “As expected, it’s a trap.”
“What do you mean?” asked the two of them.
“This region outside the black mist has its own formation around it. It only allows people to enter, but not leave. My guess is that as soon as we try to leave, the formation will stop us and also alert the lifeforms of this world,” said Long Chen gravely.
He looked at the ground and saw a batch of dirt that was scarlet a few hundred meters away. That further confirmed his guess.
“Then we can’t go back?” asked Bao Buping. He then shook his head and said, “No, that’s impossible. If it was impossible to go back, how did one of our disciples manage to return with word that this was a hoax? Furthermore, what about those people who managed to escape with treasures? There must be an exit somewhere.”
Long Chen shook his head. “There’s no chance of that. There’s no way they would leave an opening in this formation. That’s completely illogical. This is the territory of this world’s creatures, and this formation was clearly established by them. If you put yourself in their shoes, would you leave an opening? This is not a trial. They’re our mortal enemies.”
Hearing this, Bao Buping’s burst of confidence vanished. It truly didn’t make sense for there to be a backdoor.
“Then what do you think is going on? If there really is such a formation, how did two disciples of our Heaven Splitting Battle Sect escape, as well as those lucky adventurers?” Bao Buping and Chang Hao didn’t bother wasting time thinking about it themselves. They directly asked Long Chen.
Long Chen looked at the medicinal powders that were blocked from the black mist. “This formation isn’t something we should touch right now. I don’t know how powerful it is, but this world’s creatures aren’t idiots. The power of this formation must surpass the power a Jade Core expert can possess to make it so even they are unable to get through it. As for why those two geniuses of our Heaven Splitting Battle Sect could escape Devil Spirit Mountain, I feel like it’s very likely to do with Split the Heavens. Split the Heavens has a barrier-breaking effect. Whether it’s a formation, a magical art, or a shield, they become flimsy in front of Split the Heavens. Furthermore, the old man said that those two disciples were extremely powerful, not at all weaker than us.”
Bao Buping and Chang Hao nodded. This comforted them a bit. If this was the case, there was a high chance for them to get out. If a single disciple had been able to break out, then it should be no problem for the three of them.
“That’s not right. What about thos
e lucky adventurers? How do you explain that?” asked Chang Hao.
Those adventurers weren’t disciples of the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect, nor did they know Split the Heavens. How had they managed to escape?
“This probably has to do with how one of our deceased seniors said it was a hoax,” said Long Chen, sinking into thought.
“What about it is a hoax?”
“I’m just guessing, so I can’t be sure. But when the old man first told us about those people that returned from Devil Spirit Mountain with their cultivation bases advancing, their brilliant treasures, and their names resounding throughout the world, I immediately felt it was odd. Were those people idiots? Why would they start widely announcing that they had obtained treasures as if they were worried other people wouldn’t know of it? In reality, none of those people had good endings. The majority of them were secretly killed by other experts, and those treasures transferred owners. There are even some who simply vanished. Basically, none of them managed to escape calamity. That also doesn’t make sense.”
“That sounds right. Those people really were stupid. Weren’t they deliberately making other people greedy for their treasures and drawing killers?” Chang Hao and Bao Buping both came to a sudden understanding.
“So that didn’t make sense, and looking at this formation, as well as how that disciple said it was all a hoax, I feel like those lucky people are most likely just a con made by the lifeforms of this world. They should have used some kind of method to control those people’s souls, allowing them to bring out a few useless treasures. They had those people spread the word as much as possible to draw more people here, when in reality, they’re just drawn to a deathtrap.” Long Chen’s gaze grew sharper and colder as he looked around.
He smelled something was off. He felt like he was currently in the middle of some mysterious riddle.
Just why had the dark era occurred at all back then? No one knew. There were a few legends that had trickled down from that time, but they were confusing and contradictory, making their credibility very low.