Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)
chapter-4464

The news of the battle in Heavenly Fiend Prefecture shook the nine heavens and ten lands. The battle between the Sage King and the first awakened Doyen was called the greatest battle of heavenly geniuses in the present era.

Long Chen’s name also quickly spread throughout every corner of the nine heavens and ten lands due to this.

However, many people had not personally witnessed the fight and could only learn of it from someone else. As a result, they felt the rumor was exaggerated and didn’t truly believe that Long Chen and Netherdragon Tianzhao were that powerful. After all, rumors were called rumors because there was a great deal of exaggeration.

There was no way around it. Long Chen and Netherdragon Tianzhao’s battle contained the secrets of the Heavenly Daos, so it could only be watched and not recorded. To make the rumors worse, many people had only watched through formations and were unable to truly sense their terrifying pressures.

From the way the heaven and earth collapsed and the ten thousand Daos were torn apart, they could only imagine it. After that, they started to add their own details, narrating the story as if they had been right in the middle of it.

For them, being able to witness such a terrifying battle was the peak of their life. In any case, since a lot of people hadn’t seen it, any details that they added would have no way of being verified.

One spoke to ten, and ten spoke to a hundred. Each storyteller then infused their own embellishments, transforming Long Chen into a three-headed, six-armed monstrosity in people’s imagination.

In the end, there were thousands of versions of the story, but Long Chen’s victory over Netherdragon Tianzhao remained constant. That detail never changed.

The human race’s Sage King had defeated this era’s first Heavenly Doyen. It was an undeniable fact that made countless budding Doyens feel a sense of disappointment.

Their goal was to become an awakened Doyen, and they felt that if they could do so, they would be unrivaled. However, the first awakened Doyen was still defeated by Long Chen, which caused quite a blow to their confidence.

“Hmph, Netherdragon Tianzhao bragged so much, but he’s worse than dogshit. When I become a Doyen, I will take Long Chen’s head and show the world that this Sage King is still an ant in front of a Doyen.”

Some people spat out some big words, however, they didn’t dare to appear in public.

No one knew if they went into seclusion to awaken as Doyens, or if they were afraid of Long Chen suddenly strolling by and beating them.

Most of the spectators of Long Chen and Netherdragon Tianzhao’s battle were from the Darklight Heaven, and the experts of other heavens were unaware of it. Thus, when this news spread, it shook the various worlds.

When they heard that someone from the Darklight Heaven had awakened as a Doyen, they were shocked—such a swift awakening. However, hot on the trail of that information was that this awakened Doyen had been bested.

Reactions varied among the experts—some were astonished, some were reverent, and some were too stubborn to accept it. Whether it was the human race or the other races, they all had doubts about the veracity of this battle.

Yet, despite the skepticism, all the heavenly geniuses of the world were now working hard to awaken as Doyens and were too busy to investigate the truth of this matter. Nevertheless, this battle did push Long Chen into the heart of the storm.

Everyone knew that the Darklight Heaven had produced the first awakened Doyen, only for Long Chen to swiftly topple him from the pinnacle.

Now, the only one standing at the peak was Long Chen. Since that mountain peak couldn’t hide two tigers, Long Chen became the sole target of countless experts. Just like that, the stage was set for a looming and inevitable bloody battlefield.

However, Long Chen remained indifferent to the attention and the brewing conflicts. He wasn’t even thinking about how the recent battle would affect the future, as he had completely changed his attitude toward cultivation. Contemplating the long view was too exhausting for Long Chen.

Long Chen brought the Dragonblood Legion back to the High Firmament Academy. The academy's atmosphere remained serene, seemingly untouched by the recent events.

However, the tranquility swiftly gave way to explosive reactions the next day. Only now did the disciples realize that while they were in seclusion, Long Chen had defeated the world’s first awakened Doyen.

The news traveled slowly here because the academy was essentially on lockdown. After all, they had to do so as they were targeted by many powerful factions inside the various worlds.

A few days prior, when the Dragonblood Legion ventured out, numerous disciples engaged in quiet conversations, speculating about the purpose of their mission. Then, the shocking news that followed made it clear—the Dragonblood Legion had done something amazing and then silently came back. They were too low-key.

The High Firmament Academy’s higher-ups didn’t mention a word about this matter, and even the disciples who had been present during the delivery of the challenge letter had been ordered to keep that matter secret.

As word spread that Long Chen not only vanquished Netherdragon Tianzhao but also seized the nether dragon race’s Ten Thousand Dragon Nest, slaughtering numerous Eternal experts and budding Doyens, the academy’s disciples erupted in excitement.

Ever since the other worlds opened and countless other races started targeting them, the disciples had endured a sense of oppression and humiliation. They were even instructed to remain within the academy and cower. Thankfully, Long Chen’s vicious counterattack let them vent all those negative emotions.

When some disciples checked the outside world, they found that some of the lifeforms that had been constantly shouting from outside had already vanished, perhaps scared away.

The academy’s disciples felt almost god-like now, and their worship and reverence for Long Chen could no longer be described with words.

***

The sound of a brush sweeping rang out. The ground was already clean, yet when this broom swept over it, it still brought out some dust.

The broom was firmly held by the knobbly hands of an elder in weathered robes. Despite the apparent wear, the robes remained pristine, untouched by a single speck of dust.

“Sweeping elder, when are you going to let me go all out? Cleaning up after others doesn’t suit me. I’m going to explode at this rate.” The palace master stood beside the sweeping elder, frustration etched on his face.

Now, the palace master no longer appeared like a mighty expert and was like a complaining child instead.

The elder continued sweeping. “You still haven’t restrained yourself enough. Keep going!”

“But-!” The palace master shook his head. “Sweeping elder, at this rate, my body is going to rust.”

Finally, the sweeping elder stopped his movements, and his turbid eyes stared at the palace master. The palace master instantly stood at attention, waiting for his teachings.

“Your chance has come.” The sweeping elder smiled slightly.

The palace master was baffled to hear this. However, he also quickly sensed someone walking over.