Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

Long Chen nodded. The pain of having one’s soul torn was definitely not something ordinary people could endure. The seven star red spider lily nectar was the only thing capable of quickly stopping the pain. It was very reasonable for them to be looking for it.

Originally, he wanted to refuse. But looking at their imploring expressions, and especially since they had taken this risk to help heal someone, he couldn’t bring himself to say no. Furthermore, he saw that the strange light on their bodies was weakening them. Otherwise, they would have been able to flee from those five.

“Fine, I can accompany you for a stroll. Hopefully it won’t take too long, because I still have things to do,” said Long Chen.

“Don’t worry, big brother, that seven star red spider lily nectar is right within these mountains. It should just require a bit of time!” said the one man excitedly upon seeing Long Chen agree.

Just now, Long Chen had killed four Celestials in one blow. They hadn’t even been able to resist. Furthermore, from their terrified gazes, it was obvious that Long Chen was an absolutely terrifying figure. If Long Chen helped them, they would have an absolute assurance of safety.

Since he had agreed, Long Chen followed them back to their original location. According to them, there was a nearby mountain valley that was guaranteed to have the lily.

“Big brother, I’m Xiao Fei, and she is Xiao Yu. Dare I ask big brother’s name?” asked the young man.

“Long Chen.”

“Big brother Long Chen, the mountain valley is up ahead. If it weren’t for the invaders- ah, sorry big brother Long Chen.” The young man realized he had misspoken and hastily apologized.

“It’s fine.” Long Chen shook his head. He didn’t mind if they called him an invader.

“If it weren’t for them, you would have already obtained it?” asked Long Chen.

“Yes.”

“You really were unlucky then. This place is quite a bit off the main path. There shouldn’t have been anyone here, but in this large of place, you still managed to run into them. That kind of bad luck can count as heaven-defying.”

“Hehe, you can’t put it like that. Didn’t we also run into you? That means our luck is not bad,” laughed the woman. She had already recovered from her shock and fear.

Long Chen looked at the light coming from their bodies and wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words in the end. He didn’t want to ask about their secrets. That was taboo.

“In truth, we…” Xiao Fei saw Long Chen’s actions, and after a moment’s hesitation, he opened his mouth to explain.

“We’ve arrived. Let’s split up to look for it, but don’t go too far. Everyone remains within sight of each other. If you run into anything dangerous, let out a shout.” Long Chen cut him off.

Xiao Fei was grateful. Long Chen was trying not to make it hard on him. After all, this related to the aboriginals’ secrets. If he explained it to an invader, he would be considered a sinner.

The three of them entered the mountain valley and spread out. They stayed within a few miles of each other so Long Chen could handle any sudden changes.

The seven star red spider lily nectar was actually a dewdrop condensed from the lily. Once this liquid was condensed, it would rest on the pistil of the flower for seven days. After seven days, it would naturally fall and land on the ground.

The essence in the dewdrop would be absorbed by the earth. Then it would be reabsorbed by the lily. Three months later, a new dewdrop would form. The cycle continued to repeat endlessly.

The red spider lily went from one star to seven stars. Seven stars was the peak, a seventh tier medicinal ingredient. It had already gone almost extinct in the outside world.

Long Chen traveled several miles, and he quickly found a three star red spider lily. But it was useless. One reason was that it hadn’t condensed a dewdrop, and another was that if it hadn’t reached the seven star level, its dewdrop would be useless.

He pulled that three star red spider lily into the primal chaos space. He was just about to see if he could make it grow to the seven star level when Xiao Fei’s startled cry rang out. Long Chen hastily shot over, his saber appearing in his hand.

But when he arrived, he didn’t even see a ghost by Xiao Fei’s side. He hadn’t encountered any attack. Seeing him completely fine, Long Chen rebuked, “What are you shouting for? You made me think something happened.”

Xiao Fei reddened and he apologized, “Sorry, I was too emotional. I saw a seven star red spider lily nectar!” He pointed to a three-foot-tall lily. There was a thumb-sized dewdrop on it.

That dewdrop sparkled like a jewel. It reflected their three images perfectly like it was crystal.

“This is amazing!” cried Xiao Fei. But he quickly realized that Long Chen was just staring at the dewdrop, lost in thought. What was he thinking? He gently pulled on him. “Big brother Long Chen, what is it?” 

“The seven star red spider lily is actually a branch of the Paramita Flower. As there can be up to seven starry spots on its leaves, it received the name of the seven star red spider lily.[1]

“Although it isn’t the true Paramita Flower, as long as the flower remains undamaged, the dewdrop will undergo a perpetual cycle of reincarnation. It contains the essence of life.

“When you stand on top of the petal, looking at the ground, you will be full of fear because you’ll feel like landing on the ground signifies death.

“But a few months later, the dewdrops essence will be reabsorbed, and the red spider lily will condense the dewdrop again. Would you still be you? Or would you no longer be the old you?”

For some unknown reason, Long Chen felt endless emotion when he looked at that dewdrop. It felt like he had suddenly reached a higher comprehension of the true essence of life.

If a red spider lily had ten stars, it would be called the flower of reincarnation, the Paramita Flower. It was said that the true Paramita Flower would bloom for a thousand years. Then its flower would wilt, and its leaves would grow. The blossom and the leaves would forever cycle, never to see each other.

For some unknown reason, Long Chen was filled with pain and sorrow as he looked at this lily. He felt a heart-wrenching pain.

This was a seven star red spider lily, not the Paramita Flower. It only had a slight relationship to the Paramita Flower. Its flower and leaves were completely different. But Long Chen couldn’t help feeling grief.

“Is it the Pill God memories?” Long Chen’s heart was heavy. Ever since he had awakened those incomplete Pill God memories, their effect on him had lessened, as his cultivation base had increased. 

But today, he felt an emotion that was difficult to describe. He felt extremely sad.

He still understood far too little about the Pill God memories and the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art. Touching his spatial ring, he took out a small bamboo straw. It was a special straw that could isolate the outside world’s aura. It was the best tool for storing medicinal liquid.

Long Chen carefully extracted the dewdrop and gave it to Xiao Fei.

“Thank you, big brother Long Chen!” Xiao Fei was endlessly grateful.

Long Chen smiled slightly. He was just about to say something when he smashed his fist behind him.

BOOM!

Long Chen’s fist struck a spear. The entire ground trembled. A powerful qi wave directly sent Xiao Fei and Xiao Yu flying.

Long Chen was startled. This attack had contained incredible power. Without even thinking about, his saber slashed behind him.

Only now did he have a chance to see his ambusher. It was a tall man with a powerful aura. He was clearly startled, not expecting Long Chen to have managed to block his attack.

“Sea Expansion Celestial.” Long Chen was startled. This aura of his was as vast as a sea. But some kind of strange law was suppressing it.

Long Chen’s saber was like berserk lightning. Its angle was perfectly the most difficult angle for the man to block. It was too late for him to block with his spear. He suddenly used his arms to knock aside the saber.

BOOM! The large man’s sleeves were torn apart and sent flying. Long Chen’s saber shook. It had actually been blocked by his arms.

Long Chen was startled. What kind of person could use just their bare arms to block his attack? But then he saw the arm protectors he was wearing.

But although that person managed to block, he still wasn’t able to resist Long Chen’s immense power. He lost his balance and was sent flying.

Long Chen shot after him. His afterimage suddenly blurred as he appeared behind the large man. His saber once more slashed down.

“Big brother Long Chen, don’t!” Xiao Fei and Xiao Yu both shouted in panic.

But it was too late. Long Chen was just too fast. His saber was already slashing toward that man’s back.

The man was like a shooting star. He slammed into the ground and continued for several miles. The entire mountain valley shook and half of it collapsed. He vomited a mouthful of blood, but he didn’t die.

Xiao Fei and Xiao Yu both sighed with relief. They were pale with fright. There were over ten people by their side now, and their leader was a woman in her late twenties who looked vigilantly at Long Chen.

“Next time, can you shout faster?” Long Chen swung his blade, a bit speechless.

When those two had shouted, Long Chen had realized the situation had turned sour. But it had been too late to stop his attack. So at that moment, he had reversed his saber, using the back of it to send that person flying. Otherwise, he would be dead.

Xiao Fei patted his pounding heart. Just now, he really had been terrified. He hadn’t expected Long Chen to be so powerful. Even a Sea Expansion Celestial couldn’t last a single breath against him.

“Just who are you? What’s your goal in getting close to Xiao Fei?” the lead woman asked icily, staring cautiously at Long Chen.

[1] 曼珠沙华 man zhu sha hua = red spider lily. 彼岸花  bi an hua = Paramita Flower. In Chinese, 彼岸花 is another way of saying red spider lily. Paramita is literally ‘other side’, ‘getting to the other shore’. 

The most popular concept of Paramita is that the mundane life is a ‘sea of bitterness’, and Paramita involves crossing the sea to reach the other shore, which is normally done through enlightenment.