Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

“Achoo!”

Long Chen sneezed hard.

“Hm, which of my wives is thinking about me?” he muttered with a grin. “Don’t worry, once I open all eight gates, is there anywhere in this world I wouldn’t dare go?”

Right now, he stood unrivaled beneath third Heavenstage Sovereign Lords. But once spatial power entered the picture, he didn’t stand a chance.

The Earth Cauldron had also gone into seclusion. Without the eight gates opened, he could only keep his head down and behave—at least for now.

Before long, Long Chen sensed the aura of experts. Seeing that it was from a sect, he flew toward it.

…

Across the nine heavens, heavenly tribulations surged nonstop.

Those who hadn’t chosen to brave the earliest waves were either uncertain of their power or lacked faith in their sect’s protection.

Undergoing tribulation early came with a large advantage. This tribulation was a major restart point for this era’s heavenly geniuses. Now, they were standing on the same starting line.

Whoever underwent tribulation first would gain a lead in the cultivation base. And between heavenly geniuses, even a single Heavenstage difference meant a massive gap in strength.

For those with both talent and powerful backgrounds, surpassing each other was already difficult. Fall behind even a little, and the gap would only grow with time. That was why the strongest had all vied to be part of the first wave.

Now, the tribulations had entered their third wave. Compared to the first two, these cultivators were clearly inferior—in both talent and backing.

Just as the elites from the first and second waves emerged from their tribulations, shocking news spread across countless factions and sects.

Long Chen had used his heavenly tribulation to slaughter the top heavenly geniuses of multiple races. He had even slain Sovereign Lords mid-tribulation and forced double-body Sovereign Lords to kneel and beg for mercy.

After that, he openly proclaimed himself the number one expert of the human race and declared his ambition:

To unify the human race.

To wage war on the ten thousand races.

To make the world follow him—or perish.

“Follow him or perish?! Who does he think he is—the master of the nine heavens?!”

“Beneath Sovereign Lords, I am unmatched. Amongst Sovereign Lords, one for one? Is he not worried about choking on his words?”

“This idiot is too arrogant. This lunatic is going to provoke the ten thousand races into uniting against us!”

“What is he thinking? Does he really think he is the strongest? His foolishness will harm all humans.”

The human race was the first to react. The major sects in particular were outraged.

If Long Chen wanted to stand out so badly, then fine, go ahead. But why drag the entire human race into his madness? Now that he had openly challenged the world, wouldn’t the major sects become the first target once war broke out?

On the other hand, the weaker sects—the ones Long Chen had saved during the war against the ten thousand races—were ecstatic.

In their hearts, Long Chen was already a divine figure. A hero. If he could truly unify the human race, what would they need to fear?

Thus, the news exploded across the world. Within the human race, some mocked him, some supported him, and some just doubted the reports altogether.

As for the ten thousand races, they were furious. How could a newly advanced Human Emperor dare to be so arrogant?

As a result, many races marked Long Chen for death on sight. Some even prepared to mobilize third Heavenstage Sovereign Lords to crush him.

Others saw Long Chen as a grindstone—a perfect trial for their disciples once they emerged from seclusion.

If Long Chen claimed to be the number one expert of the human race, then whoever killed him would get the bright light for themselves.

It was an irresistible lure for many hot-blooded young elites.

For now, though, the storm remained in the distance. The world was peaceful, but dark currents churned beneath the surface. Once the first-wave experts returned from their seclusion, a true storm would erupt.

…

Long Chen arrived at the sect. It was small and was guarded by two Sovereign Lords. Outside, their disciples were undergoing the tribulations.

The thunderforce crackled and roared, but to Long Chen, it was no more than a warm shower.

When Long Chen arrived, these disciples all jumped in fright. The two Sovereign Lords also tensed up.

But when they saw Long Chen’s face, they froze.

“Mister Long Chen!”

The Sovereign Lords rushed over with the utmost respect and bowed.

This sect had once been on the brink of destruction, besieged by many invaders. Just as all hope was lost, their enemies suddenly retreated.

Only later did they learn that Long Chen had massacred so many invaders that the enemies panicked and pulled back. Their sect had survived because of this.

Now, hearing that Long Chen was just passing by and wanted to borrow their transportation formation, the Sovereign Lords personally escorted him.

All the sect’s elders and disciples came out to greet Long Chen, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude. To them, Long Chen was more than a hero—he was the reason they were still alive.

Without him, who knew how many humans would have fallen to the butcher’s blade of the invaders?

Hence, they were all deeply moved to see him in person.

Long Chen gave them a respectful farewell as he stepped onto the transportation formation.

The sect had over ten formations, but due to interference from the tribulations, only one was still functional.

With a flash of spatial light, Long Chen was transported to a new location—an ancient city bathed entirely in white.

The buildings, the walls, even the roads were white stone.

This was Bai[1] Sovereign City, one of the human race’s eight divine cities. Its name stood alongside Orchid Mound City in terms of reputation.

But unlike Orchid Mound City, Bai Sovereign City welcomed Brahma Pill Valley. Here, the latter was even allowed to recruit followers.

The city was a haven for countless divine denominations, each allowed to proselytize freely.

But ultimately, the Bai Sovereign City’s Bai family controlled the city. They had inherited the title of city lord since the city’s founding.

They were so powerful that even the Brahma Pill Valley had to work hard to stay on their good side. Within Bai Sovereign City, everyone had to respect the rules.

As Long Chen stepped through the city gates, his heart trembled.

“Oh? This entire city… it’s a karmic luck divine weapon!”

1. Bai = white ☜