Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048
Page 1055
Yue Xihan nodded. “In truth, these small spatial cracks were opened by me.”
Long Chen was startled, not understanding why she would do this. It sounded like she had been bored and looking for trouble.
Yue Xihan looked at Long Chen emotionally. She continued, “Our original devil race has been hunted down by the continent for so many years. We were unable to replenish many of the resources that we used up, and we’ve long since lost our former glory. But with your help, we are finally able to walk on the continent again and do business. We’re starting to get many resources that we lacked. However, rejuvenating the race requires a baptism of blood and fire, or even if we’re stronger, we would still just be stronger prey. So this is tempering for them. I calculated the spatial nodes and tore open the space to allow these Magical Beasts to invade, using them to temper the geniuses of the original devil race. Although they are very talented, without experiencing true life and death battles, their true combat power will always be limited. It’s just that I didn’t expect that after I opened a few cracks, suddenly they combined into one giant crack. The cracks I opened were originally perfect and would have only allowed early eleventh rank Magical Beasts through. Any stronger ones coming would cause the spatial channel to react and unleash spatial blades to kill them before they could pass. It was a safe and convenient way of training, but this giant spatial crack was not within my expectations.”
Now Long Chen understood. Any race needed a powerful enemy to train themselves with. The Martial Heaven Continent might be their enemy, but they still didn’t have the power to fight back. Without any fighting, even geniuses would rot into trash. They would never become true warriors.
Yue Xihan’s decision was the right one, but many things in this world never went according to plan.
Fortunately, this current situation was still within her control. Since Yue Xihan was capable of opening these cracks, she should be capable of closing them as well.
This was an even faster way to temper their junior generation. It was to make them feel a sense of crisis, like they were needed to protect their home.
Long Chen saw that the warriors fighting were at the Soul Transformation realm and below. The Life Star Elders would only go help during dangerous times. They were there just to make sure there wasn’t anything unexpected that caused huge casualties.
Just now, because of the sudden surge of Magical Beasts, with a particularly large number of eleventh rank Magical Beasts, even the Elders had been having some trouble handling them. Fortunately, Long Chen and Wilde had resolved that.
Seeing that Long Chen was capable of annihilating these powerful Magical Beasts with just a wave of his hand, the original devil race’s experts were stunned. Although they had long since heard of Long Chen, for many of them, it was their first time seeing him. This casual attack of his had won him their profound respect.
Although they were also in the Soul Transformation realm, Long Chen’s combat power could only be described as monstrous. He could kill such powerful existences without batting an eye as if it was an incredibly minor thing.
“Xiaoqian, why don’t you take Long Chen to the ancestral lands for a stroll?” Seeing that the current situation was handled, Yue Xihan turned to Yue Xiaoqian.
Yue Xiaoqian nodded, and then she suddenly blushed. Right in front of Yue Xihan she brazenly held Long Chen’s hand. The two of them left, leaving Yue Xihan with only a faint smile. She didn’t say anything.
The two of them progressed deeper into the Skyscraping World. Long Chen hadn’t expected the Skyscraping World to be so marvelous. It was like the Spirit World. However, a large part of it was now a barren wasteland.
Yue Xiaoqian explained that there had once been a terrible battle, a battle strong enough to influence the laws of this world. The vitality in those barren wastelands had been stripped away, and their situation had been extremely bleak, especially with the inability to get more resources from the Martial Heaven Continent.
“Originally, the Skyscraping World was a sacred land. Based on the historical murals, it was filled with beautiful ancient forests and wonderful sights. Unfortunately, all of that was destroyed in battle. Battle really is the most frightening thing. No matter what you have, battle will mercilessly strip it from you. Your resources, your wealth, your inheritance, and even your life. That’s why I hate battle.”
Yue Xiaoqian suddenly stopped. She held Long Chen, resting her head on his chest. For some reason, she began to cry.
“I’m afraid that one day, battle will also take you from me. I’m very afraid.” Yue Xiaoqian tightly held on to Long Chen.
Long Chen immediately understood that she knew of his battles during these years. He had been constantly fighting, going through constant danger. She was afraid he would die.
Long Chen was extremely moved. Just this simple ‘I’m very afraid’ was superior to millions of oaths of eternal love.
In this chaotic world, nothing was eternal. No one knew if they would live to see the sun set the next day. No one knew the future. Battle was that cruel. A bright smile could die in an instant.
This was something everyone was helpless about. The majority of people were peaceful, but those who wanted peace were weaker, targets to be preyed on.
So when the weak asked for peace, it was a joke. If they really wanted peace, they had to get stronger so that they could protect everything they wanted to protect.
Long Chen also disliked battle, but he had to fight. He had to stand with his blade, becoming a demon king.
Long Chen held Yue Xiaoqian tightly and rubbed her cheek. He gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.
“Don’t be afraid. I promise, no one will be able to take me from you, not even a death god, not even the heavens.”
Yue Xiaoqian trembled, her face growing even redder. She didn’t dare to look up at him, so she just held him tightly, listening to his powerful heartbeat. The sound made her feel safe. It was like with him present, even if the sky collapsed, he would hold it up for her.
After a while, Yue Xiaoqian finally raised her head. She had finished crying, but she still had some tears left on her face. Those tears were like pearls trickling down white jade.
“Xiaoqian, you’re beautiful.”
Unable to control himself upon seeing this beautiful, charming face, Long Chen held Yue Xiaoqian as his fiery lips met her wet ones.
Chapter 1727 Original Devil Ancestor
Yue Xiaoqian’s body shuddered. Her arms tightly held Long Chen’s waist as they immersed themselves in that feeling.
Eventually, the two of them slowly parted. Yue Xiaoqian still had wet marks on her face, and she didn’t dare to look at Long Chen’s fiery gaze. Instead, she plastered her face into Long Chen’s sturdy chest, feeling his wild heartbeat. Her heart was doing the same.
“It’s like a drum.”
Yue Xiaoqian suddenly smiled. Long Chen’s heartbeat really was like a drum.
“It’s like a honey peach.”
Long Chen also made a comparison.
“What?” Yue Xiaoqian looked at him in confusion.
Long Chen wriggled his eyebrows at her and licked his lips. “Fragrant and delicious.”
“Scoundrel.” Yue Xiaoqian couldn’t help lightly hitting him a few times for that joke, making Long Chen laugh. “Stop! Otherwise, I’ll tell my mom you bullied me!”
“That’s just what I was looking for. If she knew, would she immediately urge us to finish our marriage vows?”
“Hmph, that’s a nice dream. If an outsider wants to marry one of the original devil race’s women, they need the approval of Mixihaweiya, our god. Then they’ll need to accomplish three missions and get the approval of the entire race. Furthermore, hehe, the original devil’s race inheritance is matriarchal. Doesn’t that mean our children would have my surname?” Yue Xiaoqian laughed.
“Xiaoqian, aren’t we one family? What do you think about reversing this sequence?”
“What sequence?”
“Scoundrel! You wish!” Yue Xiaoqian ran away. Long Chen’s words were too roguish.
Long Chen laughed and caught up to her. Holding hands, the two of them continued onward.
“Xiaoqian, I thought you knew how to read minds? It seems you can no longer read mine,” said Long Chen. Back in the Jiuli secret realm when he had first encountered her, Yue Xiaoqian seemed to be able to read all his thoughts.
“Hmph, I told you that it wasn’t a mind-reading art. It was just guessing a person’s thought process based on their spiritual fluctuations, heartbeat, eyes, aura, blood flow, movements, etc. It’s only useful against strangers. My mom taught it to me back then so I wouldn’t get tricked by strangers. Now that we’re already this familiar with each other, it’s useless.” Yue Xiaoqian glared at Long Chen.
Long Chen was delighted to hear that. Then wouldn’t he be able to continue teasing other beauties without worry?
He walked alongside her, feeling her warm hand and smelling her scent. He felt relaxed and content.
“Long Chen, don’t you feel tired from fighting and killing all day in the Martial Heaven Continent? Aren’t you sick of it?”
“I am sick of it. I got sick of it a long time ago. There are so many idiots who have had water get into their brains. They buzz around me like house flies all day. As for being tired? It’s not that bad. When I think about it, all my efforts are so the people I love will feel happier and safer.”
Yue Xiaoqian’s hand tightened around Long Chen’s. Leaning against him, she felt like he was the one who made her feel safest in this world.
Two huge mountains appeared as they were walking. They formed a natural gate. Here, Yue Xiaoqian let go of Long Chen’s hand and her expression grew solemn.
“This is the ancestral land. Follow me.”
Yue Xiaoqian and Long Chen passed through the two mountains. After a dozen miles, they reached a giant palace.
It was an ancient palace, one that was grand and imposing. Although some areas were damaged and some looked like they had been patched, that did not hide its sacred air.
Inside the palace was a statue two hundred and ninety-seven meters tall. It looked as if it had been made using bright jade. Its expression was vivid, and it looked like a real person.
The statue was of a woman sitting cross-legged. She looked to be in her thirties and had a faint smile. A Devil character could be seen on her forehead. It was rainbow-colored and flowing with divine light.
“This is the original devil ancestor.”
Yue Xiaoqian respectfully knelt down and paid respect to the statue. The etiquette she used was one of worship and offering sacrifice to an ancestor.
In the cultivation world, many times when people offered sacrifices to their ancestors, they were actually offering sacrifices to their heroic spirits, using their devout faith energy to preserve those spirits so that they could protect their descendants.
In the secular world, there was a similar ritual, but it was simpler. They offered sacrifices to their ancestors as a reminder to themselves of how they had ended up in this world. Without their ancestors, they wouldn’t exist, so this was a form of thanks.
Of course, in the secular world, there were no heroic spirits remaining. That was why many cultivators turned their noses up at this secular rite, not realizing that they were the ones that had forgotten their roots.
This woman was Yue Xiaoqian’s ancestor. Sooner or later, Yue Xiaoqian would be Long Chen’s wife, so this person could also count as Long Chen’s Elder. Hence, Long Chen also followed along with Yue Xiaoqian’s etiquette.
However, he had just moved when Yue Xiaoqian’s expression completely changed and she grabbed onto him, preventing him from moving. Her face was pale.
“What is it?” Long Chen also jumped in fright.
“Long Chen, you have to remember, as the heir of the nine stars, no one is qualified to receive your kowtow other than your parents and closest family. Even heaven and earth, even gods are not qualified. If you did kneel to them, the heavens would crash, and the earth would wither. Even gods would fall.” Yue Xiaoqian’s frightened expression had yet to fade even though she had managed to stop Long Chen in time.
“Is the heir of the nine stars so amazing?”
“Long Chen, none of us can divulge too much about the secrets of the nine stars. The more we tell you, the worse it will be for you. It would be harming you. But you need to understand that the heir of the nine stars is the most respected existence in the world. You cannot lower your head to anyone, not even heaven or earth. Perhaps you’ve already sensed some clues. You are not accepted by the heavens because-”
BOOM!
Suddenly, divine pressure and angry light exploded out of the ancestral statue, interrupting Yue Xiaoqian’s words.
“Ancestor, please calm your rage! I know I was wrong!” Yue Xiaoqian hastily knelt toward the statue again.
Once she admitted her fault, the divine pressure and light faded. It seemed that it had been a warning.
“Long Chen, many things about you are taboo, so don’t blame the ancestor. She is doing this for you.” Yue Xiaoqian saw that Long Chen’s expression was a bit angry, and she knew it was because he was feeling resentful toward the statue for scaring her, so she hastily explained.
Long Chen felt a bit better from that explanation. In his heart, Yue Xiaoqian was already his woman, and he wouldn’t let her suffer.
Yue Xiaoqian began to pull Long Chen away. In the end, Long Chen only cupped his fists toward the statue. After all, it was still Yue Xiaoqian’s ancestor.
Once they were past the statue, they entered a long corridor. The two sides of the corridor were filled with ancient murals. Many of them were motley, and some places had been damaged too badly to be understood. However, nothing had been repaired at all. They were still in their original form.
“These murals were carved by the ancestors of my race. However, so much time has passed, and it’s unknown just how many wars the Skyscraping World has gone through. This is the place enemies wanted to destroy, so some places are already incomplete. The material used to create these carvings is very precious, and the ancestors’ wills and divine charm are still present within them. With our current level, it’s impossible to restore them, so we don’t even dare to try,” sighed Yue Xiaoqian. Her voice contained respect for those ancestors, as well as sadness for the original devil race’s decline.
“Things decline and prosper. When things get so bad that they can’t get any worse, they can only get better,” comforted Long Chen.
He knew that Yue Xiaoqian was actually carrying just as many things on her back as he was. Having a powerful sense of responsibility, she wanted to help the original devil race to escape its current predicament. That was immense pressure.
In truth, there were quite a few areas where Long Chen and Yue Xiaoqian had things in common. That made Long Chen understand the hardships she was under and feel more love for her.
Although he had more things on his back, he felt that as a man, he had to face those things. These difficulties, they were a whetstone to temper himself on. As long as he used them well, they would become his stepping stones to grow.
“Xiaoqian, don’t worry, I will help you carry this burden. Trust me.”
“Yes.”
Xiaoqian smiled happily. Now she had someone she could rely on. Furthermore, Long Chen’s shoulder always made her feel at peace.
They continued onward through the corridor. Suddenly, Long Chen paused as he saw a shocking scene.
Chapter 1728 Skyscraping Ancestral Land
The murals here were mostly of scenes of the original devil race fighting against the devil creatures. There were all kinds of devil creatures depicted in the murals.
The number of different creatures shown numbered in the tens of thousands. Some were as large as mountains, while some were as ti
ny as flies. There were mountains of corpses depicted. Some were the devil creatures, while some were warriors from the original devil race. It was a bloody and cruel sight.
They quickly reached the end of the corridor, and there, Long Chen saw a scene that made his heart shake.
It was a giant mural, with millions of the original devil race’s experts kneeling on the ground. Their leader was a beautiful woman, also kneeling, her hands crossed before her. She was looking up, her expression sacred.
A brush was pressed against her forehead, leaving behind a seven-colored divine rune. That divine rune was the Devil character.
Long Chen instantly understood that this Devil character, this divine rune, was not innate to the original devil race. It was something that had been bestowed upon them.
What was truly shocking though was that the person holding the brush had nine stars behind him. The nine stars were unleashing brilliant divine light, and even through the mural, Long Chen felt a terrifying pressure that transcended through time.
Regretfully, the divine light was too bright, it was blinding. Those nine stars were like blazing suns, and their light drowned out the appearance of that person. Long Chen could only see a single hand through that light.
The hand was also covered in divine light and difficult to see clearly. It was hard to even say whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
Upon looking at those nine stars, Long Chen’s aura began to slowly rise. The Nine Star Hegemon Body Art began to circulate on its own.
Long Chen closed his eyes and felt a kind of summons. Perhaps he would be able to learn some secrets relating to the nine stars.
Regretfully, when he opened his eyes, that feeling of being summoned had vanished. The nine stars in the mural were the same and he felt a resonance, but all he had was a close feeling with them, a feeling like coming from the same source.
He couldn’t help being disappointed. He knew too little about the nine stars. That made him lack confidence.