Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)
chapter-1975

The lightning gate in the sky slowly opened. More and more lightning beasts descended from within, and they were clearly more numerous than before.

However, there was a certain lightning mark on their heads. The senior generation was stunned by that sight.

“The divine mark of the Heavenly Daos! Long Chen has fully infuriated the Heavenly Daos!”

This mark represented the will of the world. When it appeared, it meant that the world was intent on annihilating someone. In other words, Long Chen could no longer exist within the Heavenly Daos.

When the first lightning beast with that mark descended, one of the lightning drakes went to block it. However, it was actually sent flying.

True Immortal Jiaoqi and the others’ expressions changed. True Immortal Jiaoqi received one of their blows, resulting in him almost losing his grip on his halberd.

“What do we do? Without going all-out, there’s no way we can block them. If we do go all-out, will we still be able to kill Long Chen after exposing our trump cards?” Yan Wei sent a message to the others.

“We can’t expose our trump cards. Killing Long Chen is more important. Let’s leave!” sighed Di Feng.

“Impossible! If we leave, Heavenly Fate Island will be destroyed by the tribulation!” raged one of the Fate Princes.

“Sorry, we just don’t have the ability. If Long Chen learns our trump cards and is on guard, he might be able to get away. We have to save them to kill him. Everything else isn’t important in comparison,” said Di Feng. He was the first to leave.

However, just at that moment, his expression changed. A dozen of the lightning beasts actually blocked him. Being attacked by so many, he coughed up blood despite his hasty block.

Just as he was injured, a lightning sword shot over at the back of his head.

“Not good! The lightning has gone crazy! It no longer differentiates between people inside the tribulation!”

Xie Luo and the others’ expressions changed. They were powerful Empyreans blessed by the heavens. Although the lightning beasts had previously been violent, they had still been gentle in comparison toward them. But now, they were shocked to find that the new lightning beasts no longer cared that they were Empyreans. The lightning beasts were fully intent on annihilating them.

“Run! If we still don’t run, it’ll be too late!” shouted Huo Lieyun. He was finally afraid.

Originally, they had relied on their status as Empyreans with great karmic luck to protect them from the Heavenly Daos. They should have been able to come and go as they wished. But now they found that they were wrong. If they still didn’t leave, they might have to endure the entire lightning tribulation with Long Chen.

Unfortunately for them, they were clearly one step too late. The gate in the sky was gigantic, and they were at the center. Hence, they were surrounded.

“Join together and charge!” shouted Di Feng. The four Fate Princes were unwilling, but if Di Feng and the others refused to join in, just the four of them were unable to kill Long Chen.

If Di Feng and the others left without them, they would be stuck here in Long Chen’s tribulation and would be killed eventually.

With no other choice, they followed Di Feng and the others. Joining hands, they forcibly blasted a path through the lightning beasts.

They quickly charged out of Heavenly Fate Island, but the lightning beasts continued to chase them.

“Get in!” True Immortal Jiaoqi shouted, summoning his celestial horse and the Qilin War Chariot. They immediately jumped into the chariot, fleeing.

The lightning beasts continued chasing, but at a certain range, they seemed to be pulled back by the lightning gate and were forced to stop.

Seeing all that, people were unable to even make a sound. Just what kind of tribulation was it, for it to not even care about Empyreans? Weren’t Empyreans supposed to be the favorites of the heavens? Was this how the heavens treated their favored sons?

An Empyrean’s tribulation was filled with life, but this tribulation was no trial, it was pure annihilation.

Only once the tribulation stopped chasing them did True Immortal Jiaoqi stop the chariot. They all had unsightly expressions. After jumping in to kill Long Chen, they had been forced to flee miserably without even touching a hair on Long Chen’s head.

Well, it wasn’t accurate to say they hadn’t touched a hair on his head. At least True Immortal Jiaoqi had met the touch of Long Chen’s hand with his face.

“True Immortal Jiaoqi, you were bragging so much before this. Tell me, does your face hurt now?” laughed Mo Nian.

Before this, True Immortal Jiaoqi had said many arrogant words, such as that he would personally cut off Long Chen’s head. But now? Other than being slapped, it seemed he hadn’t even managed to touch him.

“Mo Nian…!” True Immortal Jiaoqi clenched his teeth furiously.

“What? You want to bite me?” asked Mo Nian disdainfully.

Rumbling rang out. The endless lightning beasts were so powerful that even the drakes were unable to stop them. They were only able to devour a portion of them, but the majority managed to get past.

Long Chen was finally forced to fight. He had the Wild Lightning Soul Battle Spear in hand and his lightning wings on his back. With each strike of his spear, lightning beasts exploded.

“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen is mighty!”

Seeing that Long Chen was so powerful once he fought personally, the Martial Heaven Alliance’s disciples cheered. Hundreds of lightning beasts were blown apart, transforming into runes.

They also couldn’t help glancing at True Immortal Jiaoqi and the others. These experts had been forced to flee in front of the lightning beasts, but Long Chen was able to easily slay them. The difference between the two groups was immense.

“What powerful lightning paragon arts,” sighed one of the Martial Heaven Alliance’s Elders.

“It’s not that his paragon arts are powerful, it’s his thunderforce. It comes from the same source as the tribulation lightning. He’s fighting fire with fire. The will of the Heavenly Daos is contained within this lightning, while Empyreans like True Immortal Jiaoqi and the others don’t have the bravery to go against the Heavenly Daos. That’s why they fled,” said Qu Jianying.

“True Immortal Jiaoqi, that idiot’s arrogance knows no bounds. He actually calls himself True Immortal. That just shows how ridiculous the Xuan Beasts’ overconfidence in themselves has grown,” sneered Mo Nian.

The title of True Immortal was given only to those who had reached the peak of cultivation. Furthermore, it was never self-given. It was something people bestowed upon them based on their accomplishments.

For example, Daoist Heavenly Feather had taken the ice element’s cultivation path to an entirely new level, so she was given such a name.

As for True Immortal Jiaoqi, he was nothing. Although he was a genius, he hadn’t actually made anything himself. His title was self-given, so Mo Nian had long since felt intense disgust for him.

Hearing this, Qu Jianying actually smiled. “In this world, true can be false and false can be true. As long as you say enough false things, people will believe them to be true. Mo Nian, tell me, if you encounter an idiot, what would you do?”

“Just slap them to death,” said Mo Nian.

Ye Lingshan suppressed a chuckle.

“What, did I say something wrong?” demanded Mo Nian.

“My master posed the same question to Long Chen, but he gave a much better answer,” said Ye Lingshan.

“What did he say?”

“He said, if he encountered an idiot, he would praise everything they said and raise them into an even bigger idiot.”

Mo Nian suddenly understood. “You mean that True Immortal Jiaoqi, or perhaps the entire Xuan Beasts, are being groomed to have an overinflated sense of ego?”

Qu Jianying smiled and didn’t reply. Her meaning was clear. The Xuan Beasts were a group of idiots who had immense pride. If someone wanted to, it was easy to make their confidence inflate. However, it wasn’t Long Chen who was doing that.

As they were speaking, Long Chen continued to tear through the lightning beasts. Lei Long wildly absorbed the lightning runes, strengthening itself and passing on the energy to Long Chen.

There were so many lightning runes filling the air that even the lightning drakes were benefiting from Long Chen’s fight. That made them even more grateful toward him.

Long Chen’s own body was absorbing the lightning runes when he touched them. The 108,000 stars in his body began to activate, indicating that he was starting to condense an astral space.

“Stop absorbing it. Wait for the final wave.” A voice rang out in Long Chen’s mind, and he immediately stopped absorbing the lightning runes. However, he then realized that something was wrong.