Nine Star Hegemon Body ArtNine Star Hegemon Body Art
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen!”
A startled cry pierced through the crowd. Long Chen turned, his gaze falling on a young face he didn’t recognize.
Seeing Long Chen’s confusion, the young man hastily explained, “Senior apprentice-brother, I came with you from outside the Desolation!”
“Tell everyone who came with us to stay away,” Long Chen said flatly. “I’m killing my way in. Once the slaughter begins, I won’t be able to differentiate between friend and foe.”
The young man hesitated, alarmed by Long Chen’s chilling tone. “I—”
“Go!” Long Chen barked, silencing the young man.
The metallic scrape of Long Chen’s dragon bone spear dragging across the ground echoed ominously as he moved forward. His killing intent intensified with every step, cutting through the oppressive atmosphere like a blade.
Long Chen couldn’t figure out how the dragon race could turn into this state. The rot he had seen outside the Desolation was appalling, but this... this was insane. And this was just the outer region of the Dragon Domain. Was the core of the Dragon Domain just as rotten? If it was, would saving them even matter?
“You’re from the Dragonblood Legion, aren’t you? Those cowards refuse to show their faces.” A mocking voice interrupted his thoughts. A red-robed woman descended from the sky, her dragon horns gleaming and a powerful Blood Qi radiating from her.
However, Long Chen didn’t even look at her. Dragging along the spear, he continued onward.
“It’s an expert from the blood dragon race!” exclaimed one of the onlookers.
“Arrogant fellow, be suppressed!” The woman’s voice dripped with disdain as she raised her hand. Heaven and earth trembled, and a massive palm formed from dense Blood Qi descended upon Long Chen.
BOOM!
Without pausing, Long Chen casually waved his hand and disintegrated the enormous palm into blood-colored runes.
The red-robed woman shuddered, blood oozing out of the corner of her mouth. She stared at him in shock, unable to believe it.
As an elite of the blood dragon race, she prided herself on her strength. While she hadn’t unleashed her full power, her attack was still a high-level divine ability of her clan, combining Spiritual Strength with a mix of hardness and softness. It was notoriously difficult to counter. Yet, Long Chen had obliterated it with a single, casual gesture.
Fortunately, she hadn’t used her full power; otherwise, the backlash would have shattered her soul, killing her instantly. She had walked past the gates of hell just now, and the realization left her pale and trembling.
“A divine ability with form but no soul, power but no will, is fit only to bully the weak,” Long Chen said coldly, finally turning to look at her. His gaze burned with angry disappointment. “Without the will to soar above the heavens, what is its worth? How did the dragon race produce fools like you?”
Her body shuddered under his gaze. It felt as though a king was passing judgment on a lowly peasant, and she was utterly insignificant.
Suddenly, the void tore open, and a spear shot toward Long Chen. A voice, icy and full of righteous fury, shouted, “Do you feel proud bullying a woman?”
The spear roared with immense energy, suffocating everyone nearby. Another powerful expert had arrived.
With a single hand, Long Chen suddenly caught the spear mid-flight. The immense power contained within it vanished like a clay ox falling into the ocean.
“What?!” gasped the onlookers.
“Bullying a woman?” Long Chen sneered, his voice laced with disdain. “There are also supreme experts amongst women. They can become Emperors and Sovereigns—dazzling existences whose light fills the world. Only a frog at the bottom of a well would spout such ignorant nonsense. What do you, a mere frog, know of the ocean?”
A flicker of starlight glimmered in Long Chen’s palm as he clenched the spear, causing it to shatter into fragments.
“As a member of the dragon race, your physical body is your strongest weapon. Using human weapons to bolster your strength only shows your lack of faith in yourself—and in the dragon race. What gives you the right to speak of pride?” Long Chen snorted.
When he waved his hand, those fragments flew toward their hidden master.
A scream erupted as a bloodied figure was forced out of the void, his body riddled with wounds. The man immediately turned to flee.
Seeing him retreat, Long Chen’s anger flared even hotter. With a sharp motion, he clawed the air, causing space itself to twist. The man screamed in terror as his body was dragged back toward Long Chen.
His legs churned as though running at full speed, but it was futile—he continued to slide backward against his will. It was a comical sight, but no one dared to laugh. There was only horror in their eyes.
The man’s screams reached a climax before abruptly stopping as he landed in Long Chen’s grasp.
Without hesitation, Long Chen stabbed his spear into the ground, holding the man by his collar. Then, with unrestrained fury, he started slapping this man repeatedly, sixteen times in a row, each blow echoing loudly.
“You’re going to run after losing? This is the Dragon Domain—your home! Shouldn’t you defend it to the death? Shouldn’t you fight to protect your family? Where is your bravery? Your courage? What happened to the pride of the dragon race? Can you even answer me?!” Long Chen roared with each slap, his voice shaking the air.
The man passed out after only a few strikes, unable to respond. Long Chen glared at him in disgust.
“Fuck off, you worthless trash. Your dragon blood is wasted on you,” Long Chen spat.
Though his anger burned hot, Long Chen ultimately refrained from killing the man. This fool wasn’t inherently evil—just spineless and pathetic. Tossing him aside like garbage, Long Chen left him crumpled on the ground.
The surrounding experts were dumbfounded when they heard the disappointment in Long Chen’s voice. They didn’t know if they should attack or run.
Attack? They had no hope of winning. Flee? The image of that man being so thoroughly humiliated sent chills down their spines.
At that moment, a cold, sharp voice broke the tense silence. “When did the Dragon Domain become a place where the human race could act arrogant?”
The surrounding dragon experts were instantly revitalized.