Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048
Page 871
Towering trees still covered the sky, but sunlight managed to sprinkle on the ground. From a distance, it looked like streaking rainbows were roaming within the forest. It was a world of fantasy.
“How beautiful.” Meng Qi was enchanted by this dream-like forest.
“Friends, please come.”
They had only just begun appreciating this beautiful world when a translucent figure walked out of the forest.
“Forest divinity? It’s good to see you again. Thank you for your favor from back then. That was the only reason I could reach my current level.” Long Chen immediately recognized her familiar voice and aura.
The translucent figure walked out of the forest. Ripples condensed into a graceful woman wearing a green dress and an emerald hat. “I am Ling Yao. I know the human race’s cultivators don’t like to bother with too much etiquette, so you can call me sister Ling Yao.” A single smile from her made everyone feel like they were being cleansed by spring wind. They all felt a good feeling for her that came from the bottom of their hearts.
“I should be the one to thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, it would have been impossible for me to return to the Spirit World so quickly. Come, let me welcome you to the Forest of Life.” Ling Yao stretched out her hand. Divine light fell and condensed a rainbow bridge that stretched into the depths of the forest.
This rainbow was composed of countless rainbow-colored leaves. As they walked along with it through the giant forest, immortal qi swirled around them, making them feel like they had entered an immortal world.
Lights began to twinkle from the huge trees. They were coming from butterflies that flew through the forest. Their wings gave off a fairy light that adorned the forest, making it feel dream-like.
Meng Qi and Tang Wan-er were both intoxicated with this beauty. They gently reached out their hands, and butterflies flew over to them, landing on their hands and arms. Their fairy light illuminated their faces. Not even a master painter would be able to capture that scene. When Long Chen saw them like that, he was simply stunned.
More and more butterflies came over, circling around everyone. Some brazen ones landed on their bodies.
Even the Dragonblood warriors involuntarily came to a stop, afraid that if they moved, they would scare them away.
These butterflies were incredibly beautiful, but they looked extremely weak. The Dragonblood warriors didn't dare to touch them in fear of harming them.
Seeing more and more of the butterflies coming, Ling Yao sighed emotionally. “Dream Butterflies, go play somewhere else. Our guests need to keep going.”
The butterflies were like naughty children that were shooed off by an adult, and they scattered. In that instant, they filled the air, illuminating everything for a moment. The light then slowly faded deeper into the forest.
“Sister Ling Yao, the Spirit World is so beautiful. Can we come here more often?” asked Tang Wan-er, completely infatuated with this world.
“Of course, you can. As long as our Forest of Life is still present, you can come whenever you want.” Ling Yao smiled, but Long Chen saw an unnatural expression flitted across her eyes.
“Sister Ling Yao, I came here to repay my debt to you. If it hadn’t been for your divine life elixir, I would probably have died a long time ago. So no matter what troubles the Forest of Life has, I will do my best to help, even if I have to sacrifice my life,” promised Long Chen. He could see that the Forest of Life was most likely in an extremely bad situation.
“Sister Ling Yao, since you saved our boss, the entire Dragonblood Legion will help repay you. Without boss, we wouldn’t have our current achievements. So we will stand together with you no matter what,” added Guo Ran heroically.
They all knew that Long Chen was someone who cared deeply about returning debts. The favor of a drop of water in need had to be repaid with a gushing spring. As for Long Chen’s debt to her, it was truly enormous.
Ling Yao gratefully bowed. “Thank you for your kind intentions. Please just follow me. The Spirit Emperor has been waiting for a long time.”
Ling Yao continued to lead the way. More and more lifeforms appeared in the forest, curiously staring at them.
Long Chen and the others saw huge tigers lying on the ground, resting. They also saw huge pythons extending their heads to stare at them.
“Eleventh rank Magical Beasts?!”
Those Magical Beasts didn’t give off any malice, but their auras were extremely shocking. They were Magical Beasts on the Life Star level.
Although eleventh rank Magical Beasts were on the same level as human Life Star experts, there was a great gap in combat power. An eleventh rank Magical Beast could instantly kill ordinary Life Star experts.
However, these Magical Beasts didn’t give off any hostility as they passed. More and more of them appeared as they entered deeper into the forest, but they were all very tranquil. It was like they were domesticated.
“They are the protector spirit beasts of the Forest of Life. They’re our friends. They’ll only attack when facing the brutal Dark Forest,” explained Ling Yao.
Eventually, a large open space appeared in front of them. Many floating islands hung in the air.
The flying islands were all of different sizes. The larger ones would be hundreds of miles wide, while the smaller ones were just a few meters.
Those islands were overflowing with greenery. They were like green clouds floating in the sky.
Spring water flowed down from them. Under the sunlight, it was especially dazzling. They were like silver rivers flowing down from the heavens.
Such beauty was something Long Chen and the others had never imagined even in their dreams. They were all intoxicated by the sight.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to rise. Only then did they realize that the rainbow bridge beneath them had disappeared, replaced with a rainbow-colored parrot that was carrying them to the floating islands.
They flew past thousands of floating islands. From this height, their admiration of the Spirit World’s supernatural beauty increased even more.
“Originally, the Spirit World had eight places with similar floating islands. Unfortunately, this place is the only one left.” Seeing that Long Chen and the others were stunned by the beauty here, Ling Yao was first proud, but then she lamented.
“The Dark Forest would destroy such beauty?!” raged Tang Wan-er.
After entering the Forest of Life, they sensed a feeling of unprecedented tranquility. It made them feel even more disgust for the outside world’s slaughter.
When this place was compared to the Dark Forest, one was a wonderland, while one was hell on earth. All of them felt regret that those other floating islands had been ruined.
“Long Chen, let’s eliminate the Dark Forest.” Guo Ran was also enraged.
“How are we supposed to eliminate them? With your mouth?” demanded Long Chen.
Did Guo Ran think he could brag about such a thing? Just how vast was the Dark Forest? They had countless tree demons. The portion they had traveled through was probably less than one-millionth of the total Dark Forest.
The only reason the Dark Forest had allowed them to pass was because the trees had mistaken them to be on their side. That was why they had managed to go straight to the battlefield. But if this hadn’t happened, they would have had to face terrifying tree demons and berserk Magical Beasts. Long Chen couldn’t help but feel that his power was too miniscule.
The Forest of Life was also extremely powerful. Just those Magical Beasts they had seen on the way represented a terrifying force.
Furthermore, those Magical Beasts should just be a portion of what the Forest of Life had. The Forest of Life was shockingly powerful, so Guo Ran’s bragging was out of place.
“Boss, of course I’m just bragging, but I’m sure an unrivaled hero like you can do it.” Guo Ran laughed mischievously, pulling Long Chen up so his fall would be worse.
“Long Chen, the Dark Forest is too evil. I know yo
u have some evil plots- cough, I mean some wise stratagems to help the Forest of Life.” Tang Wan-er held Long Chen’s hand, standing on the same front as Guo Ran.
Then she looked around and whispered, “Once you drive away the Dark Forest, think about how nice it would be if we came to live here!”
You want to live here?! Long Chen was first startled, but then when he thought about it, once all his problems were resolved, to bring a bunch of beauties and come live in seclusion in the Spirit World sounded perfect. They could do some good things and have a whole group of babies. If he could have such a life, he wouldn’t exchange it even for the chance to become a god.
Two hours later, they flew past the region of floating islands. But what greeted them was a desert.
The terrain changed so suddenly that it caught them off guard. There was only a single tree within the desert. At this time, it was night, and they could see the tree piercing into the sky. They had never seen such a giant tree.
Its branches were huge and covered the sky. The stars that twinkled above them looked like the tree’s fruit.
However, Long Chen saw that the tips of the branches were starting to wither. The tree was giant, but it also gave off a feeling that its vitality was about to run out.
When Long Chen and the others arrived, a gentle ‘rain’ floated down. However, that wasn’t rain, but women of the Spirit race.
They were flying down from the giant tree. A sea of beautiful women surged over to their side, and Guo Ran lost his voice. It was his first time seeing so many beautiful women.
“Respected guests, welcome to the Spirit World.” Just at this moment, a voice rang out, and all the Spirit race women knelt on the ground.
Chapter 1406 A Fetus-like State
Ripples spread from the branches of the giant tree. A rain of light fell, and a slender figure appeared within it.
She was a beautiful woman who looked to be in her thirties. She was slender, and her hair was tied in a high knot. Each part of her was beautiful.
She held a wooden staff in her right hand. Immortal mist revolved around the staff, and an emerald gemstone was inlaid in its head. Powerful life energy fluctuations came from it, as though it was alive.
When she appeared, all the Spirit race women knelt on the ground, and their hands clasped over their chests. Their expressions were pious as if they were offering their respects to a god.
“Greetings, senior.” Long Chen didn’t know what he was supposed to call her, so he simply acted in accordance with the human race’s customs.
“When Ling Yao returned, she mentioned you. For you to come to my Spirit World with kindness in your hearts, you are my respected guest.” The beautiful woman smiled.
“Long Chen, this is the leader of the Spirit World, the Spirit Emperor,” said Ling Yao.
Long Chen was a bit speechless. Why hadn’t she introduced them earlier? He was just about to open his mouth and switch senior with Spirit Emperor.
Yet, the Spirit Emperor waved it off. “Spirit World’s customs are completely different from the human race’s. You don’t need to be constrained about it. As the respected guests of my Spirit race, I’d like to invite you to dance together with the women of my Spirit race!”
Music suddenly began to fill the air. Long Chen and the others raised their heads to see that it was coming from birds that had filled the air.
The Spirit race women began to dance. Each of their movements was graceful and elegant. Long Chen and the others were a bit embarrassed, because these women only had leaves covering their private areas. A great deal of their skin was exposed, making this scene too stimulating.
However, the women then began to laughingly pull the Dragonblood warriors into their dance. Those Dragonblood warriors became even more embarrassed.
When it came to hacking people with their blades, they had some skill. But having coarse men like them dance made them feel like they might die of embarrassment. Furthermore, with the Spirit race women holding their hands, their faces turned completely red.
However, they quickly found that these women were as pure as children. They had no other intentions, which made them feel ashamed of their thoughts.
The wood cultivators quickly became accustomed. They were the first to feel the purity of these Spirit race women.
Tang Wan-er was also very unrestrained, dancing with two of the Spirit race women. Tinkling laughter came from them occasionally. It was like everyone was being brought back to their childhood and was simply playing.
Everyone gradually became accustomed. The flashy Guo Ran did his best to display his own dance as he was surrounded by a group of women. It looked about as ugly as a bear trying to scratch its own back, making these women clap and laugh.
As for Guo Ran, he thought they were praising his dancing, and he began to dance even harder.
“Long Chen, are you not dancing?” asked Ling Yao.
“Me? I think I’ll pass. If I start dancing, I think I’ll be even worse than that fellow.” Long Chen looked at Guo Ran.
“Come, I’ll show you. It’s very simple.” Ling Yao grabbed Long Chen’s arm and pulled him into a dance.
In truth, their dance was very simple. There were only a few movements, and it wasn’t something that required great skill.
Long Chen couldn’t refuse a dance request from the person who had saved his life, so he thickened his skin and danced. He matched Ling Yao’s movements.
He quickly sensed something strange. As he entered the rhythm of the dance, he noticed a strange air flow around him. It felt like his heart was being cleansed by the dance, as if his soul was being purified. This was a feeling that made a person abandon all their misgivings and become one with the world.
In just a moment, Long Chen had relaxed a great deal. He felt like he had returned to his childhood and was gleefully playing under the watchful eye of his mother.
There was no mocking, no struggle, and no competition. It felt like they were all bathed in sunlight, playing like carefree children.
This feeling was something that had long since been forgotten under the torrent of blood and battle. Today, they finally found it again.
Tang Wan-er was dancing gaily, while Meng Qi was also dancing with one of the Spirit race women, an expression of peace and contentment on her face.
“This dance is called the Spirit of Life. It’s the blessing the Life God left for us. Whether you are in a good mood or a bad mood, whether you are angry or sorrowful, as long as you dance this dance, the wounds of your heart will be soothed, and you will feel happy and safe.” Ling Yao looked up at the tree above them. A grateful and devout expression appeared on her face.
Long Chen was startled. Was this giant tree the Spirit race’s Life God?
After an unknown amount of time, everyone became exhausted. Long Chen was also one of them, and he fell asleep without realizing it.
It was like he had gotten tired of playing and was now sleeping in the embrace of his mother. He felt completely safe in her embrace.
He didn’t know how long he stayed in that moment, but this dream suddenly took a turn. A bottomless abyss appeared behind him, and he felt like he would drop and break all his bones as soon as he turned. He instantly awoke.
Waking up, Long Chen realized he was lying in Ling Yao’s embrace. She was staring at him with care.
“Sorry about this.” Long Chen hastily crawled up. He found that the entire Dragonblood Legion was asleep, each of them in the embrace of a woman. Those Spirit race women had spiritual light flowing around them.
The Dragonblood warriors were like sleeping babies, lying in their embrace.
“They are enjoying the blessing of the Life God. The Life God’s power is soothing their sorrows, letting their souls sublimate. But you woke as soon as you fell asleep. It seems you have too many burdens to relax.” The Spirit Emperor walked over, a trace of pity in her eyes as she stared at Long Chen.
Long Chen smiled slightly. “It’s not that bad. There
are many things that I have to carry, and I can’t just run away from them. If I did, it would be tossing my burdens to someone else, and that’s not what a man should do. Spirit Emperor, I came to the Spirit World to repay my debt, but it seems… without even doing so, I’ve accumulated a new one.”
He knew that the Dragonblood Legion was in a special, fetus-like state. This kind of state was something all cultivators would long to achieve.
The meditative state was a state of spiritual emptiness. By releasing everything, you became closer to the Heavenly Daos and could comprehend them better.
However, this state was artificial. Just by wanting to enter this state, you had a goal, which contradicted the point of this state. That made it very difficult for one to grasp anything about the Heavenly Daos.
Despite its low efficiency, this meditative state was the only cultivation method to get closer to the Heavenly Daos, so everyone had to use it to increase their mental realms.
A person’s mental realm was just as important as their cultivation realm. Normally, the mental realm had to be higher than the cultivation realm. The mental realm was like a canal, while the cultivation base was the water. The canal had to be constructed perfectly to allow water to flow through it.
If a person’s mental realm wasn’t high enough and their cultivation base sharply exceeded it, it could easily ruin a person’s foundation and cause a heart-devil. So there were many geniuses that couldn’t put their full energy into raising their cultivation base because their mental realms were lagging.
Now the Dragonblood Legion was in an innate meditative state. This was completely different from when cultivators forced themselves into a meditative state.
In the secular world’s words, everything you gained while you were still in the womb was innate, while everything you had after you were born was acquired.
Once you were born, you couldn’t gain more innate things. But the Dragonblood Legion had returned to a fetus-like state. This was practically a heaven-defying opportunity for them.
As long as their mental realms were high enough, Long Chen could refine medicinal pills for them to raise their cultivation bases rapidly.