Nine Star Hegemon Body ArtNine Star Hegemon Body Art
Long Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief as the corpse of the Silver Wing Heaven Devil moved. But then, he saw the source of the movement—the human skeleton in tattered robes. It emitted strange, erratic fluctuations, and the rusty sword in its grasp shuddered as if still gripped by some lingering force.
“Even after being dead for so many years, you are still suppressing this devil,” Long Chen murmured, a note of admiration in his voice. “It’s been hard on you.”
This human expert’s body had long since decayed. His bones were crumbling, yet a special power continued to suppress the Silver Wing Heaven Devil.
This power came from an undying will and a rock-solid foundation that would never change. In truth, his physical body had long since reached its limit, and a light touch would instantly turn it to dust. Yet, against the might of the Silver Wing Heaven Devil, it had held on.
Long Chen was deeply moved. The aura of the skeleton revealed that this human expert had likely been at the peak of the Human Emperor realm. Yet, he had personally slain and subdued a six-vein Devil Emperor—a feat that required unimaginable willpower.
Long Chen took out a coffin and approached the human corpse with great reverence. Using his Spiritual Strength, he gently enveloped the body, preparing to give it a proper resting place.
“Senior, it’s all over now. Rest in peace. Leave the future to us.”
As if hearing his words, the skeletal hands slowly released their grip on the sword’s hilt. Long Chen did not dare to touch the corpse directly, for even the lightest physical contact would reduce it to dust. This hero deserved a grand burial, not to be forgotten in such a way.
With delicate precision, Long Chen guided the body into the coffin with his Spiritual Strength. Afterward, he turned his attention to the rusty sword, which lay beside the corpse. Its spirit had long since perished, but its will and the will of its master remained—eternal, undying. Long Chen could still feel the sword’s powerful desire to slay devils.
One man, one sword. Their hatred for the devil race had not faded, not even in death, and not even after the erosion of time itself.
“Would those animals who allied themselves with the devil creatures feel ashamed if they saw this scene?” Long Chen sighed inside.
“You call them animals, so how could they feel ashamed? In my opinion, just kill them like you did in the last battle. Why waste words? If it were me, I wouldn’t even give them a warning. That’s a waste of spit,” Evilmoon remarked disdainfully.
“You can’t say that,” the Earth Cauldron interjected before Long Chen could respond. “By giving them a chance, the choice is theirs. If they refuse to listen, then that’s their fault, and you can have a clear conscience.”
“Would your conscience not be clear if you didn’t give them a warning? We’re not here to be saviors—why waste time saving fools? People flock to those like themselves, so you can judge them by the company they keep. Tell me, would you expect to find a good person in a group of villains?” retorted Evilmoon sharply.
Long Chen blinked in surprise. Evilmoon’s perspective was unusually insightful. Its strength wasn’t the only thing growing—its clarity of thought was sharpening too.
It had a point. Would a good person end up staying with a group of bastards? Sooner or later, they’d either be destroyed or absorbed by that darkness. Thinking back to how he had given them a warning, Long Chen felt that perhaps his warning had indeed been unnecessary.
The Earth Cauldron was at a loss for words for a long time before it replied, “Still, having your heart at peace is a good thing.”
“Tch, you might as well have not said anything. I don’t believe that with Long Chen’s vision, he wouldn’t be able to differentiate between good and bad people. Give them a chance? Even if they survive because Long Chen scared them, what happens next? Do you think they’ll suddenly change? No, they’ll just congratulate themselves for being clever and continue their wicked ways,” Evilmoon sneered, unimpressed.
Both Long Chen and the Earth Cauldron fell silent, caught off guard by Evilmoon’s bluntness. Long Chen gave it a thumbs-up with a wry smile. “Evilmoon, you’re really getting wiser.”
With nothing to counter its point, Long Chen could only offer praise, knowing that challenging Evilmoon would likely lead to more harsh words. Long Chen didn’t mind the criticism himself, but he was mindful of the Earth Cauldron.
“Tch, I don’t need your praise,” Evilmoon scoffed. “I just think you’d do well to avoid all these unnecessary gestures. The old cauldron says keeping your heart at peace is good—but isn’t forcing yourself to act a certain way simply a lack of confidence? How can anyone lacking confidence reach the pinnacle of power? You can only reach your peak when you trust fully in yourself.”
Long Chen nodded. It seemed that these words had been simmering in Evilmoon for some time and were finally spilling out in rapid succession.
“You understand these principles, but your actions don’t match them. You’re still walking on tiptoe all the time. Why can’t you be more like—”
Evilmoon suddenly stopped mid-sentence, realizing it had gone too far.
“Sorry.”
The awkward pause hung in the air. Long Chen and the Earth Cauldron both knew exactly who Evilmoon had been about to mention, but that was a taboo subject. Long Chen preferred not to hear it.
The white-robed Long Chen had been ruthless, killing without hesitation. Every time he appeared, he would decide who lived and who died. That confidence and domineeringness had greatly affected Evilmoon.
Though Long Chen was its trusted life-and-death comrade, Evilmoon couldn’t help but prefer the unrestrained confidence of the white-robed Long Chen.
In the past, Long Chen had also been like that, looking down on the rest of the world with a fierce, undaunting gaze. However, the passage of time seemed to have ground away his sharpness.
Evilmoon understood why Long Chen had changed, but it still wished that when he faced critical choices, he could tap back into that former confidence without hesitation.
During the last battle, Long Chen’s boldness and decisive ruthlessness had been exactly what Evilmoon wanted to see. However, there were some particular details that it didn’t like, which was why it was suddenly speaking out.
In its eagerness, Evilmoon had nearly mentioned the white-robed Long Chen—a comparison that was akin to an insult. Regretful for bringing it up, Evilmoon grew silent but couldn’t take it back. The atmosphere grew rather awkward.
Long Chen sat in quiet contemplation for a while, then a small smile broke his expression. “He isn’t a taboo subject. After all, he is my heart-devil, a part of me. Perhaps I was too strict in suppressing him, and that only made him grow. Evilmoon, you’re right. Maybe there’s something to learn from him. It could even curb his influence.”
“Hahaha, that’s right! Anyone who opposes you, fight and kill them!” Evilmoon exclaimed, gratified that Long Chen didn’t get angry and even seemed to agree with it.
Just as the moment of camaraderie settled in, a sudden change occurred. The Silver Wing Heaven Devil, which had been lying lifeless just moments before, abruptly stood up. Its wizened eyes locked onto Long Chen, and with a guttural roar, a sharp claw raked toward him.