Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048
Page 1018
Di Long’s expression immediately sank. Qu Jianying’s attitude was clearly one of not giving a single inch.
“Reporting to the alliance head, Long Chen viciously slaughtered all… all the attending disciples of the Southern Xuan Region in the Jade Lake Sacred Land. You have to get justice for us!” An elder walked over, quivering. He was the southern branch master of the Martial Heaven Alliance. His descendants had also died in the Jade Lake Sacred Land.
“Is this true?” Qu Jianying was startled.
“Long Chen has already personally admitted to it. How could it be false?” sneered Han Wanchang.
“Long Chen, is it true?” Qu Jianying barked at Long Chen.
“Well… I suppose… it’s possible… that it’s likely… maybe… true.” Long Chen didn’t know how to reply.
“You…!” Qu Jianying was enraged.
“Let me first declare that they wanted to kill me, and I had no choice but to fight back. It was well within the bounds of self-defense.” Long Chen hastily expressed his innocence.
“Tell us clearly! With no evil smile!” raged Qu Jianying.
Only now did Long Chen narrate everything that had happened in the Jade Lake Sacred Land, including the trap that Di Xin and Shen Bijun had laid for him right from the start. When Long Chen had still managed to fight back, Shen Bijun had used devil music to control the Southern Xuan Region’s experts to attack the Pill Fairy, Tang Wan-er, and the others. In the end, they had all died to his Star Fall.
“What nonsense! We only have your word and one side of the story. Who could believe such a thing?!” roared an expert.
“It’s because you wouldn’t believe me that I didn’t say anything. However, since the alliance head ordered me, I had no choice.” Long Chen shrugged indifferently.
“You shameless bastard, you killed so many people and still want to act innocent?! You’re the most shameless bastard in this world!”
“The Illusive Music Immortal Palace is one of the protectors of the continent. They have a mission to protect the Martial Heaven Continent, so how could they be so sinister? You definitely tried to kill someone for their treasures and then silenced others by killing them. Long Chen, how sinister! If you don’t die, the heavens won’t be able to rest!”
“We refuse to believe Long Chen’s one-sided story. Furthermore, even if they were controlled, how could you kill the innocents? They had lost their minds, but you still killed them. How vicious is your heart? Are you even human?”
The Southern Xuan Region’s experts’ roars surged out in waves, each louder than the last.
“Are you joking? They wanted to kill us. How did we become the vicious ones for killing them? You must have a mental illness!” Liu Ruyan couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Slut, shut your mouth! We have to kill Long Chen as vengeance for those departed souls. Otherwise, they’ll never be able to rest in peace. Long Chen must die!” Liu Ruyan’s words provoked those experts’ fury even further.
“I just knew that talking reasonably had no use. That’s why I couldn’t even be bothered to try. As I said before, either fight or fuck off.” Long Chen then turned to Qu Jianying. “Alliance head, now you know what happened. I don’t like causing trouble, but I’m not afraid of trouble. No matter who tries to kill me, I will fight back with my full power. Right now, as long as you can stall that fellow for one incense stick’s worth of time, I will make sure these noisy people never open their mouths again. Alliance head, just give me the order!”
Hearing that, those cursing experts immediately shut their mouths. It felt like a blade was pressed against their throats. Everyone was deathly silent.
Chapter 1664 There’s No Cure
How could they not be afraid? They were already intimidated by Tang Wan-er’s previous attack. When Di Long came, that powerful support made them start shouting for their deaths. However, once Long Chen said this, they all turned green.
If Qu Jianying tied down Di Long, then with how tough Long Chen and the others were, who could stop them? Han Wanchang wasn’t even able to stop Long Chen, while Tang Wan-er was even more terrifying. Then there was Meng Qi, Chu Yao, Cloud, and Liu Ruyan who hadn’t attacked yet. Who knew how powerful their trump cards were? If they started fighting, then their numbers wouldn’t save these people. It would probably be a complete collapse on their part.
The people who had been cursing the loudest were all mute. If a fight really started, they were afraid of being the first ones targeted by Long Chen and the others. Even ten lives wouldn’t be enough for them then.
“What an arrogant tone. You should be fortunate you’ve been in the Eastern Xuan Region all this time. If you came to the Central Xuan Region, you’d have long since lost your life to that arrogance!” shouted Di Long.
“That really is true. The Central Xuan Region has so many impressively shameless people. Why, even a grand Netherpassage expert personally came to attack me, a little Soul Transformation disciple! Dying from shame would have been quite normal. I really admire experts who condense all their life’s cultivation base into thickening their skin. Just now, my hand even hurt having slapped such thick skin! Admirable, really admirable!” laughed Long Chen.
Long Chen looked coldly at Di Long. Even after considering what he had done in the Jade Lake Sacred Land, for a Netherpassage expert to actually chase him across regions was far too shameless.
The power of Long Chen’s words was not one whit lower than the power of his slap. Di Long was shaking with rage.
Di Xin’s nine-line Soul Calming Jade was a life-protecting talisman with Di Long’s spiritual mark, allowing Di Long to open a spatial channel through it to launch an attack through space and annihilate Di Xin’s enemies.
However, Di Long had been too careless in the Jade Lake Sacred Land. He hadn’t activated his life and death energy to seal space, allowing Tang Wan-er to save them.
His attack also roused the core of the Jade Lake Sacred Land, and that core had launched an attack to destroy the spatial channel he had created.
Fortunately, the southern branch master of the ancient family alliance, Han Wanchang, had a jade plate that Di Long could use to give him direct orders. He had charged his way over here to kill Long Chen immediately, but regretfully, Qu Jianying had also come.
The fact that he hadn’t managed to subdue Long Chen and had instead been slapped in the face was the greatest humiliation of Di Long’s life. He, a grand Netherpassage expert, had attacked a Soul Transformation disciple. That in itself was already extremely humiliating. The slap was even worse.
Now, these words were like another slap in his face. Even with Di Long’s calm, veins bulged on his forehead.
“Long Chen, don’t say random things,” shouted Qu Jianying.
Qu Jianying was actually very apprehensive toward Di Long. Unless she had no choice, she would rather not become hostile with him.
“Di Long, this is a misunderstanding. I understand Long Chen’s character, and he has always disdained to lie. I trust what he’s saying. Furthermore, that girl from Pill Valley can also testify to it. If Long Chen was lying, he’d quickly be exposed, so he has no reason to lie. Although it might have been a bit vicious to kill those experts, have you considered what you would do if you had been in his place? He and his wives’ lives were in danger. If you were in his place, would you just let them die in front of you, or would you protect them? Don’t tell me that he could have switched to a different method to have his cake and eat it too. In that kind of critical moment, protecting his own side is an instinct, and that’s not wrong. The wrong doesn’t lie with Long Chen, but with Shen Bijun and Di Xin. Di Long, someone with such a respected status like you wouldn’t refuse to admit to this, right?” Qu Jianying turned to Di Long.
Di Long’s expression was gloomy. He had looked over what had happened before coming here. This matter truly had Shen Bijun and Di Xin to blame. They were the ones who had taken the initiative to provoke Long Chen. With his status, he couldn’
t just lie bald-faced.
However, to have him admit that this matter was Di Xin’s fault was definitely impossible. If he admitted to that, his previous attack against Long Chen would become the conduct of a despicable, petty little person.
“I’m still not clear on the whole sequence of events. Di Xin has fallen unconscious, and I came over this time mostly to ask Long Chen for the antidote. Long Chen, if you hand over the antidote and my son survives, there will still be room for discussion. If my son dies, then no matter what your reason is, don’t even think about getting away alive!” shouted Di Long while pointing at Long Chen.
“The antidote?”
Qu Jianying and the others were startled. What antidote? Long Chen had merely said that he had injured Di Xin and made him flee. He hadn’t said anything about poison.
In the face of Di Long’s threat, Long Chen suddenly laughed. “What a great, unreasonable excuse. Yes, it’s truly domineering enough. Then I’ll tell you, this thing has no cure. Your son’s life and death will just depend on how many sins he has committed in this life. Other than that, don’t point your finger at me, as that’s very rude. Don’t think of me as just some insignificant Soul Transformation rookie. If you provoke me, you’ll find your nest burned to the ground.”
Long Chen was really angry now. He had been stifling his anger ever since this old bastard had almost killed him, and now this old bastard was threatening him again.
What made him lose his temper was Di Long saying ‘no matter your reason’. In other words, even if Di Xin was the one in the wrong, he would kill Long Chen. In what world was that reasonable?
Long Chen was completely infuriated. If Di Long said anything more, he decided that he would have his next tribulation in the headquarters of the ancient family alliance.
“Brat, your arrogance is soaring!” Di Long laughed furiously. In all his life, this was his first time hearing someone say such a thing to him, and it was someone he could kill with the wave of a hand at that.
“Long Chen, don’t mess around. What poison is affecting Di Xin? If you have the antidote, hand it over. This isn’t the time to be messing around,” ordered Qu Jianying.
Qu Jianying knew Di Xin’s name. He was the most spoiled of Di Long’s sons. That wasn’t just because of his talent, but because Di Xin’s mother was an extremely large figure in her own right. Even Di Long had to concede to her somewhat.
Although Long Chen had slain the Southern Xuan Region’s top disciples, the fault stemmed from the Illusive Music Immortal Palace, and it would be carried by them. That way, Long Chen’s responsibility for this matter would shrink. However, if Di Xin died, this matter would grow even bigger to the point that even Qu Jianying was apprehensive of the consequences.
That was why she wanted Long Chen to hand over the antidote. After all, he was an alchemist, and refining some poison pills wasn’t difficult for him.
“Alliance head, there really is no antidote, as that thing wasn’t brewed by me. It is something I obtained in a strange place. Even I don’t know its origins,” answered Long Chen respectfully.
After all, Qu Jianying was the old man’s… close friend. Long Chen viewed her as an aunt. If he dared to be rude to her, the old man would come flying back from the Netherpassage realm and give him a spanking.
Furthermore, Qu Jianying viewed Long Chen as family. Long Chen was fearless toward other experts, but he had to be respectful in this kind of relationship.
“Nonsense! That thing contains boundless death qi that even invades a person’s Yuan Spirit! How could you possibly not know what it is? If you didn’t know, you’d have long since been poisoned to death!” roared Di Long furiously. He was extremely anxious.
Although he had invited expert healers, he hadn’t received any news about their results. They had most likely yet to find a way to control the poison.
If Di Long had wanted Long Chen dead from the start, Long Chen would have long since died. What he wanted was to capture Long Chen and force him to hand over the antidote. That was what resulted in Di Long being slapped. But now wasn’t the time to quibble about that. Getting the antidote was a more pressing matter.
Qu Jianying was also anxious now. This was no joking matter. But looking at Long Chen’s appearance, it didn’t seem like he was lying. She couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you get it then?”
“It’s this.”
Long Chen took out a jade bottle and handed it to Qu Jianying. When Qu Jianying opened the bottle, her expression completely changed. “This is…”
She recognized this. When she had gone into the Netherworld, she had used a spiritual seal to preserve her memories before the Gates of Hell. Although she hadn’t crossed the black lake, she had seen the black waterfall in the whirlpool, and she still remembered the death qi that came from it. Seeing this death spirit water, she was filled with disbelief.
“Well, what is it?!” demanded Di Long.
Qu Jianying handed the bottle to Di Long. Although Qu Jianying knew what it was, she didn’t press Long Chen for answers. She didn’t even use a spiritual message as she was afraid of Di Long sensing it.
“What is this?! How can it have such a dense death aura? This kind of sinister thing is something only the Corrupt path could have! Speak, are you colluding with the Corrupt path?!”
Di Long saw a dozen drops of the death spirit water inside the bottle. Even he sensed danger from it. It was no wonder Di Xin hadn’t been able to block it.
“Can you think before speaking? Is your head only there to eat crap? Even if I wanted to collude with the Corrupt path, would they collude with me?” sneered Long Chen.
His huge, irreconcilable enmity with the Corrupt path was well known. The Corrupt path wished to kill him in the most painful way possible. Him colluding with them was a huge joke.
Although Tang Wan-er knew that now definitely wasn’t the time to laugh, a chuckle still managed to escape from her lips. Meng Qi and Chu Yao were bitterly enduring. Liu Ruyan’s expression was as icy as ever, while Cloud was too pure to understand what was happening.
“Long Chen, don’t be rude!” Qu Jianying also wanted to laugh. This little brat’s cursing skill was quite amazing, however, she managed to endure it.
“Perhaps my Skywood Divine Palace can help with this matter.” In the midst of this extremely awkward atmosphere, the palace master slowly entered the conversation.
Chapter 1665 Heavenly Spirit Divine Tree
The palace master of the Skywood Divine Palace walked over and bowed slightly toward Qu Jianying and Di Long. Whether it was in terms of cultivation base, status, or seniority, she was not on the same level as them, so she had to greet them as a junior.
“Palace master, you have a way? Wonderful!” Qu Jianying was delighted. As long as Di Xin didn’t die, things would be easy to handle.
“I’ll have to thank you for this. If you can really guarantee that my son will be fine, I, Di Long, will owe you a favor.” Di Long’s expression also softened.
The palace master shook her head slightly. She received the jade bottle from Di Long and sniffed it lightly. “This is no evil water. It is something condensed by death energy. Rather than saying it is poison, it would be better to call it a manifestation of a law. Long Chen is correct. There is no way to resolve this kind of energy. My Skywood Divine Palace has a Heavenly Spirit Divine tree that I can lend to you. With its life energy, it can dilute this death energy. However, I would estimate that even the Heavenly Spirit Divine Tree would only be able to suppress it, actually expelling it would be very difficult. Nevertheless, I’m confident that as long as it can be suppressed, you have your own way to expel it, correct?”
“Yes, as long as it can be suppressed, everything will be easier to handle,” said Di Long hastily.
A translucent sphere appeared in the palace master’s hand. What startled Long Chen was that this little sphere contained a giant space. Within it was a tree.
That tree was extremely strange. It was clearl
y a heaven-soaring tree with only three branches, each with only one leaf. It was like a sapling that had just sprouted.
Although it was encased in its own mysterious barrier, Long Chen could still sense endless life energy coming from it. Just breathing it in relaxed one’s whole body. This was definitely a treasure.
“This is the Heavenly Spirit Divine Tree. These trees have gone extinct on the Martial Heaven Continent, and only my Skywood Divine Palace has three of them left. Today, I will lend you one so that young master Di Xin can be cured earlier. Let us exchange hostility for friendship.”
The reason the palace master was lending Di Long the Heavenly Spirit Divine Tree was two-fold. One reason was because this matter had occurred in the Skywood Divine Palace, and as the host, she couldn’t stay out of it. The other reason was because she truly did not want to see the Martial Heaven Alliance start fighting the ancient family alliance. If these two large forces started a fight, rivers of blood would flow. No one would be able to suppress the Corrupt path.
The Martial Heaven Continent had entered the great era, and heavenly geniuses were springing up like young bamboo after rain. Powerful existences were rising all at the same time. There was the Corrupt path right in front of them, while there were also neutral forces like the ancient races, Xuan Beasts, Bloodkill Hall, and more. They were like tigers lying in wait. The Righteous path had internal troubles and plenty of external ones as well.
“Many thanks for your assistance. Once my son is healed, I will definitely come personally to thank you.” Di Long received the Heavenly Spirit Divine Tree. He was about to leave.
“Hold it!” said Qu Jianying.
“What? Could it be that you wish to exchange a few pointers against me?” Seeing Qu Jianying block him, Di Long’s suppressed rage flared once more.
“There’s no need for that. You are just a clone and don’t have the qualifications to challenge me,” said Qu Jianying coldly. “I’m simply asking how you plan on handling this matter. That Illusive Music Immortal Palace’s Shen Bijun was so malicious. Although Long Chen killed her already, this huge calamity the Southern Xuan Region went through was all caused by the Illusive Music Immortal Palace. Are you not planning on demanding an explanation from them?”