Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

“Big sister, what do you think? Is Long Chen one of those legendary…”

Once they had returned to the Immortal Intoxication Pavilion, Yu Tong and Zi Yan were staring at the scenery outside the window. It was Yu Tong who was asking Zi Yan.

“Yu Tong, don’t say it!” shouted Zi Yan.

“Sister…”

“You can’t say that word. Our cultivation is different from other people’s. We are close to the Heavenly Daos, and we are also easily sensed by the Heavenly Daos. If you say it and it’s true, you’ll immediately receive a backlash from the Heavenly Daos and be wiped out of existence!” said Zi Yan solemnly.

“So you also suspect it?” asked Yu Tong.

Zi Yan sighed. She pulled off her veil. Her expression was very complicated.

“If he’s not that legendary existence, how could he have such combat abilities? How could he resist the will of the Heavenly Daos?

“Most terrifying of all, he was even able to make heavenly tribulation lightning submit to him. If he wasn’t that kind of existence, how could he dare insult the Heavenly Daos?

“If he is that existence, then he isn’t my devil star. Such people will bring about unmatched heavenly tribulations each time they advance.

“Furthermore, as his cultivation base advances, the more intense the tribulation will be, all the way until he is exterminated beneath the Heavenly Daos.”

The two of them sank into silence for a while before Yu Tong sighed, “That really is regretful. Long Chen is unafraid of heaven or earth, someone who cares deeply about relationships. Although his Dao is contrary to our Dao, he still is admirable!”

Zi Yan felt a complicated feeling. At the beginning, she had thought Long Chen was her devil star and would affect her entire life. So she had started paying more attention to him.

After learning of his background, she had felt that Long Chen had received too much torment as a child, which had led to his heart becoming embittered. She had hoped that she could guide him onto the correct path. Then she wouldn’t need to kill him.

But now she was sure Long Chen was that legendary existence. He was fated to die beneath heavenly tribulation. He had nothing to do with her anymore.

That kind of result didn’t make her relax. Instead, it made her a bit disappointed. She felt it was too much for the heavens to treat such a person like this. Long Chen had suffered so much as a child. He had finally soared, but it was destined for him to die to the Heavenly Daos. That was too pitiless.

“Don’t overthink it. Counting the days, our training experience this time is about over, and we’ll be returning to the Immortal Palace soon. We’ll have nothing to do with this secular world,” comforted Zi Yan.

Although she said this to comfort Yu Tong, she was also comforting herself. Just like Long Chen had said, the two of them were in different worlds.

…

Long Chen returned Little Snow back to his spiritual space. Although this revealed that he was a dabbler Beast Tamer, it was better than leaving Little Snow outside.

Little Snow’s aura was extremely berserk and chaotic. It was different from any other Magical Beast’s, which made it too conspicuous. 

Little Snow’s mutation shocked Long Chen. Although Little Snow was only at the late fifth rank, equivalent to the human race’s Meridian Opening realm, he was strong enough to easily kill any Xiantian experts. That kind of strength had broken the rules of the cultivation world, so Long Chen preferred to keep Little Snow’s strength as hidden as possible.

After returning to Mo Gate, Long Chen and Mu Xue were pleasantly surprised to see that other than Zhang Wu, nine other members of the Muxue Mercenary Unit had gathered here.

Because the ambush had been too chaotic back then, and everyone had known staying was just sending themselves to their deaths, they had all rushed to report the news to Long Chen. 

Furthermore, their opponents’ target had been Mu Xue. That had allowed the others to escape with their lives.

The two women were amongst the surviving members. When explaining what had happened, the two of them burst into tears.

They were the ones who had been focused the most at the beginning. But as a result, several of their brothers had protected them with their lives, buying precious time for them to escape. 

Now that they were gathered again, they couldn’t help sobbing. The people who had died were their family, the people they had been closest with throughout these years. Those kinds of feelings were something outsiders were unable to understand.

Even Mo Yunshan and the others were moved by their plight. Although they were just mercenaries who lived on the bottom levels of the cultivation world, their emotions were the most sincere.

Within this sinister world filled with schemes and strife, such pure emotions were too rare. After they cried for a while, Mu Xue told them about how Long Chen had killed the experts of the three great powers and fought Yin Wushang.

Hearing the three great powers’ masters and Yin Wushang had been killed, their hatred lessened slightly. There were few cultivators who ever managed to get a good ending. With the revenge Long Chen had gotten for them, they trusted that their fallen brothers would be comforted within the springs below.

While they were talking, a group of experts from the Mo family walked over. Their bodies were covered in blood, giving Mu Xue and the others a fright.

Long Chen recognized the leader of that group as it was Mo Nian’s uncle. He asked, “Did you go plundering?”

“Hahaha!” Mo Nian’s uncle laughed. “Brat, you really have some smarts. You got it right in one guess. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see your battle with Yin Wushang, or you definitely would have heard my cheering!”

From their current conditions, Long Chen could easily guess that after he had killed Luo Yingxiong, Wang Yishan, and all the other experts, the Mo family’s people had directly gone to ransack their headquarters.

With the three masters dead, the other experts had fled. If the Mo family didn’t take this opportunity, then the three powers would have either splintered from inner struggles or been devoured by other powers.

If the Mo family really wasn’t able to see that, then they would have long since been destroyed by others. So just looking at their conditions, Long Chen could tell what had happened.

“Leader Mu Xue, Qing Prefecture is in a chaotic state. If you aren’t unwilling, you should stay with my Mo family,” said Mo Nian.

Mu Xue was startled, not knowing how to reply. She looked at Long Chen who said, “Leader Mu Xue, you’re overthinking it. The Mo family doesn’t have any thoughts of tricking you. This time, our unit received a heavy blow, and the current state outside here is very turbulent. Staying with the Mo family is just temporary. Once the storm passes, we still have to completely revamp the entire unit, making the Muxue Mercenary Unit a legend in Qing Prefecture’s mercenary world. To do otherwise would be unworthy of those fallen brothers.”

Long Chen’s words were extremely comforting to them. Furthermore, he called himself a member of the unit, making them extremely emotional. Long Chen would always be a member of the Muxue Mercenary Unit.

Furthermore, for those fallen brothers, he had not hesitated to challenge Yin Wushang to a bloody battle to the death, becoming mortal enemies with an ancient family. That made them incomparably moved. Long Chen was still the same Long Chen, the one who had eaten with them, slept with them, and who liked to talk and joke around with them.

“Alright, the dead are already gone. As cultivators, the only way we can make it up to those who fell is to live even more brilliantly than before. Come, today we got our vengeance and we should be celebrating. The wine’s already set up, and, hehe, I spent a bit of money to buy photographic jades of Long Chen and Yin Wushang’s battle. We can all experience it together, haha,” said Mo Nian’s uncle, bringing them into Mo Gate.

A feast had long since been prepared. Mo Yi was already sitting at the front. Seeing Long Chen, he beckoned. “Come, sit beside me!”

Long Chen hastily went over. Mo Yi patted him on the shoulder so hard that he shook. “Nice, nice, this is how a real man should be!”

Long Chen was about to say some modest words when Mo Nian interrupted, “Old man, what are you talking about? I’m your flesh and blood grandson. Are you praising him to piss me off?”

Mo Yi glared at him. “If your blood wasn’t proof that you had my Mo family’s bloodline, I really wouldn’t believe you were my grandson. If you had half the daring of Long Chen, what would I still have to be so worried about? Get over here!”

“You want to hit me? You must think I’m stupid. I’m not going over.” Mo Nian found a seat further away for himself.

“Bastard, you’re this childish?” Mo Yi’s expression sank.

“Hurry up and go over. Don’t make grandpa mad.” Liu Zongying pulled Mo Nian over. Only then did Mo Nian sit beside his grandpa, quivering the entire time, prepared to defend at any moment.

“Nian-er, the current you is not bad. I can sense your aura is different from before. In truth, you are also a good child. However, your grandpa’s teaching methods weren’t suitable, causing you to suffer for nothing without understanding the true essence of what a martial artist is…” Mo Yi looked at Mo Nian, his solemn face becoming a bit doting. That was an expression Mo Nian had never seen on him.

“Grandfather…” Mo Nian’s heart soured. In truth, his grandfather had always loved him.

“Nian-er, your display today was very good. You dared to fight alongside Long Chen, to use your own body to protect your brother. I’m very happy.

“However, you are different from Long Chen. Each of Long Chen’s steps is over a field of thorns, and each of his steps is filled with blood. That’s why his Dao-heart is more stable than yours.

“As for your grandfather and father, although we were ruthless, we weren’t ruthless enough to truly have you risk death. We were unable to make you truly feel the danger of death.

“So your temperament is also because of us. You should thank Long Chen and yourself for the things you comprehended today.

“So this wine, which is my own personal wine, is something I prepared not only for Long Chen, but also for you. Starting today, you are no longer a child, but a true man of our Mo family.” Mo Yi patted Mo Nian on the back; his face filled with pride.

Mo Nian was also filled with emotion. Ever since he was a child, Mo Yi had always used his fists to speak to him. His words today made him feel incomparably warm.

“Grandfather, I definitely won’t let you down,” said Mo Nian.

“Hahaha, I know. I trust that you and Long Chen will grow to a point that everyone in this world will have to look up to both of you. Come, let grandpa offer you a toast.

“Although your current selves don’t have the qualifications for that, I trust that in less than a decade, you’ll have much greater achievements than me.

“According to the cultivation world’s practices, it seems that at that time, I might have to call you two senior, hahaha! Cheers!”

Mo Yi raised his bronze wine cup high into the air. Long Chen and Mo Nian also hastily raised their cups, respectfully clinking them against the bottom of Mo Yi’s cup.

According to normal wine-drinking customs, when two people touched cups, the person whose status was lower than the other would touch their cup below the top of the cup. Touching the middle would be for when the other person’s status was similar to an uncle. But when touching cups with someone on the seniority of your grandfather, you could only touch the bottom of the cup, because if you went any lower, you wouldn’t be able to touch it at all.

Mo Yi was extremely happy today. Long Chen and Mo Nian accompanied him on his left and right, and the other seniors of the Mo family were also present, making the atmosphere extremely lively. They watched photographic jades of Long Chen’s battle with Yin Wushang.

Even after they had seen it, watching it again still made their blood boil. That shocking, domineering, and mighty scene lingered in their memories.

They drank late into the night before they all returned to their residences. Long Chen first helped the Muxue Mercenary Unit settle in and chatted with them for a bit.

By the time he had returned to Mo Nian’s residence, the sky had already brightened. Mo Nian was in a meditative state, cultivating.

Long Chen slept on the bed for only a couple of hours before getting up. Saying he was going out to the Huayun auction house, he left for the center of the city.