Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

With a solemn expression, Mo Nian explained, “The divine statue is connected to a dragon vein. However, it is not natural—it’s one the Sovereigness created herself. Before dying, she sealed her Grand Dao qi underground. If you had discovered it back then, you could have activated it directly, and the Sovereigness would have revived with ease.

“But too much time has passed. The Grand Dao qi has evolved and spread into a root-like network covering a vast region. If you forcibly moved the statue, it would be like severing a tree from its roots. The Sovereigness’s path to revival would be destroyed.”

Mo Nian’s dispirited and reluctant expression made Ming Yu and the others groan with despair.

In other words, the statue could not be moved. Yet, as time passed, the Grand Dao qi would only grow denser, shining like a beacon in the dark and attracting endless predators.

The Golden Wing Heavenly Devil race alone had caused them so much trouble. And without Long Chen, Aogu and the other nine star heirs would have annihilated them all.

With the Shadow Devil Bat race’s current power, they couldn’t protect their Sovereigness under these circumstances. At this rate, they would be wiped out. Not only would the Sovereigness fail to revive, but the entire Shadow Devil Bat race would be crippled—erased from history altogether.

“But...?” Long Chen pressed when he saw Mo Nian lower his head, still putting on an act.

As expected, Mo Nian’s gloom vanished in an instant.

His eyes lit up with confidence as he declared, “But with me, Mo Nian, here, none of that matters! Difficult for others, maybe, but not for me! I’ve spent years working underground, honing my craft through countless archaeological digs. All I need to do is sink the divine statue underground and set up a formation. That will slow the flow of Grand Dao qi. It might take longer for the Sovereigness to revive, but the aura will be suppressed this way. No powerful experts will sense it. Afterward, I’ll layer an aura-concealing formation and an illusion formation to cover everything.”

“Really?” Ming Yu and the others were overjoyed to hear that.

Everything was within Long Chen’s expectations. After all, Mo Nian had spent most of his time in underground tombs, which were filled with countless dangers, including ancient traps and formations. For him to be able to survive until now showed that in terms of formations, his skill was not much inferior to a formation specialist like Xia Chen.

Moreover, Mo Nian was brimming with experience and tricks that others could only dream of. This problem was nothing to him. He had exaggerated the crisis only to make his ability shine brighter. But at least, he truly had the skills to back it up.

Everyone was delighted to hear this and immediately started following Mo Nian’s instructions.

The divine statue was constructed by experts of the Shadow Devil Bat race, and it enshrined the Heavenly Bat Sovereigness’s body.

Through centuries of offerings and worship, the Shadow Devil Bat race had managed to establish a faint resonance with the Sovereigness’s physical body. It was this resonance that allowed them to draw upon the divine statue’s protection.

Thus, only the Shadow Devil Bat race’s experts could safely move the divine statue. If outsiders tried to touch it, the foundation would be damaged beyond repair. Carefully, their experts guided the divine statue underground using their blood soul energy.

Before long, Long Chen saw vast formations of stone beneath the earth, resembling mountain ranges. From them, an immense surge of Grand Dao qi pulsed outward.

“This is... the Sovereign Dao-Fruit?” Long Chen asked, his expression turning solemn.

The sacred aura pressed down on him with such majesty that even he found himself unable to muster the will to resist.

Mo Nian stood beside him and watched the process.

Mo Nian explained, “Legend has it that during the primal chaos era, supreme heavenly geniuses were born with natural manifestations that marked them as extraordinary. They carried a Grand Dao Source within their bodies—the true essence of the Grand Dao. To cultivate the Dao is to cultivate this Source.

“Over countless years of cultivation, this trace of Source qi has merged with the Heavenly Bat Sovereigness’s techniques and her comprehension of heaven and earth. Think of the Source qi as a seed. Her cultivation allowed it to take root, sprout, blossom, and ultimately bear fruit. What you sense now is the Dao-Fruit. If someone can merge with it, they can bypass the first three steps and directly reach the stage of bearing fruit, becoming a Divine Sovereign.”

“How do you know this much?” Long Chen asked, surprised.

When did this fellow learn so much?

Lifting his chin arrogantly, Mo Nian said, “Do you think I’ve spent all these years crawling through tombs for nothing? Don’t think being the Dean of the High Firmament Academy makes you the most knowledgeable. When it comes to the secrets of the nine heavens and ten lands, I know far more than you. Those ancient tombs don’t just hold treasures and corpses. They contain fragments of history lost to time. Once I piece them all together, the true face of the primal chaos war, the origins of the outer-world devils, and the deepest secrets of the nine heavens and ten lands will all come to light.”

Long Chen was amazed. “I never expected you to know so much. I always thought you were just a shameless graverobber.”

Mo Nian: “...”

By now, the divine statue had been completely submerged, resting within the heart of a colossal dragon vein. Without hesitation, Mo Nian got to work. He opened his spatial ring and pulled out more than a hundred coffins, each with its own number on it.

“Give me the brush from coffin seventeen.”

“Open coffin thirty-two. Take out a dozen of the inscription papers at the bottom level—the golden ones.”

“I need a hundred of the primal chaos violet crystals from coffin fifty, and thirty-six primal chaos golden crystals.”

“The formation discs from coffin sixty-seven... actually, just give me all of them. I’ll sort out which ones are usable.”

...

The Shadow Devil Bat race’s experts were busy following Mo Nian’s instructions. Even Qi Ying was part of the bustle. At a single word from Mo Nian, someone would immediately and respectfully present him with the needed instrument.

As the future of their race rested on this moment, none of them dared show the slightest carelessness. They executed each movement with unwavering focus.

Precious materials piled up like mountains, dazzling to the eye. Even Long Chen was shocked by the sheer extravagance. He had never imagined that Mo Nian possessed such wealth.

Many of these treasures were items that would drive Guo Ran and Xia Chen into a frenzy, yet Mo Nian brought them out as if they were nothing.

“As expected, if you want money...” A saying surfaced in Long Chen’s mind, leaving him both amused and impressed.

At the same time, he felt deeply moved. Just for his sake, Mo Nian was willing to burn through so many priceless resources. That was what it meant to be a true brother.

Suddenly, Mo Nian activated the grand formation. Divine light burst forth, wrapping around the dragon vein before spreading outward like a radiant tide.

But in the next instant, Ming Yu and the others’ expressions darkened. The Grand Dao qi was still seeping out from beneath the divine statue.