Nine Star Hegemon Body ArtNine Star Hegemon Body Art
Long Chen continued forward, feeling the death qi growing denser until it seemed to make his very soul quiver. As he pressed on, he saw more corpses scattered about, but what shocked him the most was that some of them still had flesh on their bones. These bodies exuded powerful life energy, as if they had just died.
When Long Chen approached those corpses, he found that they seemed to be supported by a formation. Death qi bubbled out of them while they absorbed life energy from the air. Following the grooves of blood running along the ground, Long Chen ventured deeper into the darkness. Along the way, he was resisting the temptation to toss these corpses into the primal chaos space.
Suddenly, his body jolted as an invisible force pushed him back, sending him stumbling ten steps before he could stabilize himself. His eyes were drawn to dried bloodstains on the ground, and he was immediately struck by a sense of familiarity.
It’s Chu He’s blood! Long Chen realized.
Chu He seemed to have reached this point in his previous journey. Most likely, he had been injured and had no choice but to retreat.
“Don’t worry, this barrier is based on realm suppression. It repelled Chu He, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pass through it,” said the Earth Cauldron.
There was a barrier up ahead, and it was one where the strength of the repelling force depended on the intruder’s cultivation level. Long Chen knew this type of barrier was designed to conserve energy, only using the amount necessary to fend off the intruders.
If the barrier had to use the same energy to repel an ant as it did an Emperor, a swarm of ants could slowly drain its power over time. This design allowed it to withstand attacks more efficiently.
However, the barrier also had a fatal flaw—every realm had its limits. If someone’s strength exceeded the barrier’s set threshold, it would fail to stop them.
Summoning his Starry Sky Battle Robe, Long Chen touched the barrier again. Instantly, his body trembled, as if he had slammed into a solid wall. He staggered back, nearly spitting out blood from the impact.
“Why go to such lengths? Just let me cut it apart!” Evilmoon suggested impatiently.
“No, we have to be quiet. Don’t disturb whatever’s inside,” replied Long Chen.
This barrier might be strong, but Long Chen felt like he could pass through on his own. Moreover, he wanted to slip through without causing a large disturbance.
As Long Chen circulated his astral energy, the barrier started to tremble. A black screen of light appeared, but as he tried to push through, silver spots flickered across the barrier.
Step by step, Long Chen forced his way in. With every inch he advanced, the pressure mounted, threatening to crush him. Yet, he dared not release his full strength, fearing it might cause a large disturbance.
Gritting his teeth, Long Chen pressed forward. After thirty meters of painstaking effort, the pressure suddenly vanished. To his relief, he had made it through the barrier.
But the moment he crossed over, an immense devilish pressure slammed into him. Taken by surprise, Long Chen was nearly flattened, his bones creaking under the weight.
With great difficulty, Long Chen raised his head and saw a thirty-meter humanoid figure standing ahead.
The creature had long limbs and wielded a white bone spear. A pair of silver wings stretched from its back. Upon seeing its face, Long Chen couldn’t suppress his shock.
“Winged devil?!” Long Chen gasped in disbelief.
The winged devils he had repeatedly encountered in the mortal world existed here as well.
Though its form wasn’t exactly the same as the devils he had fought in the mortal world, its aura and the shape of its head were unmistakably similar. Despite being long dead, its flesh had not decayed, and its Emperor pressure still radiated strongly.
Long Chen examined it more closely. “Its aura is like a winged devil, but it also has the bloodline pressure of the Heaven Devil race. What kind of monster is this?”
As Long Chen recalled the piles of corpses and bones outside and the grooves of blood leading into the depths, a chilling thought occurred to him.
“Could this be an altar? Did someone place those corpses there as offerings to draw in heaven and earth’s life energy in an attempt to revive this devil corpse?”
The possibility alarmed Long Chen. If this devil corpse were to awaken, it would be a calamity. Slowly, he approached the body, noticing that while its Blood Qi remained astonishing, there were no spiritual fluctuations. He then climbed up its body, wanting to confirm if it was truly dead.
Once Long Chen got to its neck, he paused for a moment. Seeing no reaction, he continued his ascent, pulling himself up by its hair until he stood atop its head. There, at the very top, he saw something unexpected—a foot-long parrot perched in the center of a six-sided star diagram.
At first, Long Chen thought it was merely a totem, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a real parrot. Its entire body was a deep emerald green, and each feather seemed to flow with a mysterious green liquid. The vividness of its green color was like nothing Long Chen had ever seen before. It was as if the whole world’s green color was concentrated in the parrot.
The parrot calmly squatted on the six-sided star, but when Long Chen appeared, it slowly raised its head. A pair of green bean-like eyes locked onto Long Chen.
The parrot was a bit surprised to see Long Chen, and Long Chen was also baffled to see it. For a few moments, a man and a bird just stared at each other in silence.
Long Chen observed the bird for a long time, noting that its aura was incredibly weak. It didn’t seem like it posed any threat.
“Little fellow, don’t be afraid. Can you tell me how you got here?” Long Chen whispered gently, not wanting to startle it.
“Brat, is this how you speak to Lord Sixth?”
The green parrot’s expression changed as if offended by the way Long Chen spoke to it. On the other hand, Long Chen quivered at the bird’s sudden outburst, and his expression changed dramatically.