Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

The seven-color chain dragged Long Chen through three barriers in a row. With each one he passed, a wave of information poured into his mind, leaving even him feeling momentarily dizzy from the overwhelming influx.

When his vision cleared, he found himself standing before a peerlessly beautiful woman. With a smile, Long Chen said, “Many thanks, Fairy Tianrui. I owe you a favor.”

Long Tianrui responded with a smile of her own. “It would be more accurate to say you owe me a child.”

Long Chen immediately felt a headache coming on. Long Tianrui truly was in a league of her own. How could she utter such shocking words so casually?

Yet, there was no trace of teasing in her expression. Her clear eyes held a sincerity that made it impossible to brush off her words as a jest.

Long Chen normally felt like he had a glib tongue. But against Long Tianrui, he never knew what to say.

Seeing his discomfort, Long Tianrui smiled wider, and a soft laugh escaped her lips. It was a rare sound—one of genuine amusement—and it left Long Chen momentarily dazed. When she laughed, she seemed even more beautiful, as though the world around her dimmed in comparison.

“To think the man who crushed a monster like Long Zaiye could be left speechless by a few simple words,” Long Tianrui teased, her voice light and melodic.

“That’s completely different. The difficulty is on a whole other level. How about you take back your words, and I’ll go out and beat up Long Zaiye again?” Long Chen suggested with a wry grin.

“Nice try. Do you think something that I, Long Tianrui, have decided upon can be changed so easily? However, there’s no rush. We can discuss this matter in the future.”

“Discuss it in the future?”

Long Chen got goosebumps at the thought. But seeing her calm expression, he realized he was the only one thinking dirty here.

“There are nine Jiuli barriers,” Long Tianrui explained, her tone returning to seriousness. “Every barrier you pass grants you Jiuli immortal characters. The barrier in front of us is the eighth. The first seven can be breached through bloodline power alone, but the eighth requires comprehension. Only by deciphering the immortal characters on this barrier can you reach the ninth level.

“After reaching the ninth level, you will be able to comprehend the original characters on the stele. It is said that the Jiuli Divine Stele comes from beyond the heavens and holds the greatest secrets of the nine heavens and ten lands.

“According to legend, all magical arts, divine abilities, talismans, pills, and other techniques trace their origins to these immortal characters.

“Whoever can master the original Jiuli immortal characters holds the potential to control the entire world. The stele is said to contain three thousand immortal characters, each corresponding to one of the three thousand worlds.

“The Long clan’s historical records say that the greatest expert in our clan’s history managed to comprehend seventeen characters, achieving the half-step Sovereign realm—a height far beyond ordinary understanding.

“However, these original characters cannot be recorded, transmitted, or shared. After that expert’s death, no one in the Long clan has managed to comprehend more than seven characters. This is why the Heaven Vein Mystic Realm’s opening is such a monumental event for the four divine clans. Those who comprehend the most original characters will become the future leaders of the clans.”

Long Chen was stunned by her explanation. The implications of the Jiuli Divine Stele were far beyond his imagination. Seventeen characters to reach the half-step Sovereign realm?

The Sovereign realm represented the ultimate pinnacle in both the mortal and immortal worlds. Comprehending over ten runes to achieve such power was already mind-boggling, but what if someone managed to comprehend all three thousand?

Suddenly, the space nearby rippled. Both Long Chen and Long Tianrui turned to see Long Zimo pressing his hands against the eighth barrier. Runes swirled around him as he advanced. ŔἈ𐌽օΒĚS

“We should hurry too—” Long Tianrui suddenly faltered, her face turning pale.

“What’s wrong?” Long Chen asked sharply.

“It’s nothing,” Long Tianrui replied, shaking her head.

Long Chen quickly realized the truth. To drag him through the barriers, she must have expended a significant amount of her bloodline power.

“Take this,” Long Chen said, offering her a medicinal pill.

Long Tianrui nodded and took it. When her hand brushed against his, her body quivered slightly. To conceal her reaction, she quickly swallowed the pill and closed her eyes to recover.

So this girl who talks about wanting children actually has a bashful side? Long Chen thought with surprise. Who would’ve guessed a simple touch could cause such a reaction?

Just then, an enraged roar broke the moment.

“Long Chen, you lowly thief! You’re not worthy of the Jiuli immortal characters! Once I recover, I’ll wring your neck!”

It was Long Zaiye, who was still stuck at the fifth barrier. Seeing Long Chen advance with help had pushed him into a frenzy.

“Shut up. Does your face not hurt from your last beating? Once I’m free, I’ll deal with you properly,” Long Chen shot back coldly, dismissing Long Zaiye entirely.

Looking around, Long Chen found his vision restricted. The only other person in sight was Long Zimo.

Earlier, Feng Fei had called out to him, her voice filled with urgency. Long Chen was certain she had also reached the eighth level, likely with Jiang Yue’e’s assistance, but he couldn’t see either of them here.

Before Long Chen could reach Feng Fei, Long Tianrui had acted decisively, pulling him to her side before anyone else could, and in doing so, leaving him indebted to her.

This space was rather peculiar. Though it seemed they were all advancing in a straight line, the spatial distortion likely separated them into isolated paths, scattering them like stars in a fractured sky.

Long Chen took a deep breath and closed his eyes, steadying himself. Placing his hands on the barrier before him, he felt a faint tremor ripple through it. In an instant, a world appeared within his mind.

It was an empty expanse of primal chaos, brimming with countless runes that drifted like living spirits. Some moved freely, radiating a faint glow, while others remained still, suspended in the void like dormant embers.

Long Chen examined them closely. Gradually, he realized they were the very runes that had entered his mind while passing through the previous barriers.

As he stared, he found that he could control the direction of their movements.

The runes started to flow under his control. Like playing with sand, Long Chen piled up the runes and made them take different forms. Because there were countless transformations, Long Chen became so engrossed in playing with them that he forgot about himself.

The runes were constantly changing, becoming mountains, tall pavilions, trees, rooms, and flowing water. Under Long Chen’s control, their transformations became more and more refined. In the end, they could even take human form.

Long Chen lost himself in them, like a child playing around. He became so absorbed in their transformations that he completely forgot about his purpose. Time slipped away unnoticed until a sudden thought jolted him back to reality.

“This rune, I feel like I recognize it?”

Long Chen suddenly focused on one of them. But when he looked more closely, he didn’t recognize it.

“There seems to be something missing here. If I were to add another stroke…”

As if triggered by his intent, the chaotic runes surged together, aligning in a harmonious flow to form a single powerful stroke. At that moment, an ancient character took shape before him, radiating immense energy.

“This seems to be the ‘Defend’ character,” murmured Long Chen.

BOOM!

The moment Long Chen said the name of this character, the world in his mind vanished. The barrier in front of him shuddered, and he was suddenly drawn inside.

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