Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

The golden lotus seed appeared, its light driving away the darkness. The monster’s divine will slowly dissipated into nothingness.

“Senior... this is...”

“The Dark Master’s great emissary isn’t an existence you can fight. Only the golden lotus seed can counter them,” said the Earth Cauldron.

“If he wasn’t an existence I could fight, why send me against him at all?” demanded Long Chen.

“Do you even need to ask? It’s good for you to see what true experts are like. Think of it as training. After all, you will face him again one day.”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll shatter my confidence?” Long Chen asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

It was only because the Earth Cauldron had urged him on that he had persisted. Long Chen believed the Earth Cauldron wouldn’t have told him to refine Cang Lu into a puppet unless there was some chance of success. Yet, the moment the emissary appeared, Long Chen had been utterly suppressed, which showed that there was an uncrossable gap between them.

Moreover, the Earth Cauldron had said it would be a clash of wills. However, this had been no clash of wills at all—it was a brutal collision of Yuan Spirits.

“I’m not afraid of that. On the contrary, I fear you getting overconfident and doing something rash without thinking about it. Just remember. No matter what you encounter in the future, keep your wits about you. Just because you can’t do something now doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to. But if you get yourself killed because of that, you’ll never have the chance,” said the Earth Cauldron solemnly.

“Senior, are you trying to give me some kind of pointers?” Long Chen asked, sensing an undertone in the Earth Cauldron’s words.

“I only want you to understand that your enemies will only grow stronger. Your margin of safety is gone. From now on, you cannot afford to be hot-headed.”

Long Chen nodded but couldn’t shake the feeling that the Earth Cauldron was hiding something. But since it refused to elaborate, he refrained from pressing further.

“Senior, just what kind of origin does this golden lotus seed have? How can it restrain such a terrifying monster?” asked Long Chen.

“Its origin is extraordinary. One day, you will know. When the time comes, ask its master yourself.”

“Aunt Gong!”

Long Chen’s mind turned to the gentle woman whose smile always carried kindness. She was the ruler of that golden lotus world. She had asked him a few simple questions and then entrusted him with this golden seed.

It had saved him from multiple crises, but Long Chen only knew little about it.

“Sometimes answers are hidden because you have not yet reached the point where you are ready for them,” the Earth Cauldron said. “Take things step by step. For now, focus on refining Cang Lu into a puppet. With him, you will have a supreme fighter.”

Long Chen formed hand seals, activating the curse art. With the emissary’s will erased, he was now the master here. The process was simple.

Hours later, Cang Lu opened his eyes. Now, starlight gleamed within them.

Long Chen had four kinds of power he could have used to control Cang Lu. In theory, his violet blood was the most suitable, since it was easiest to command.

However, the Earth Cauldron had warned him that if he chose violet blood, he would have to continually supply violet blood energy to nourish Cang Lu. Without it, Cang Lu would stagnate, becoming less useful over time.

But then, using his violet blood energy for this would slow down his own cultivation. In that case, the most suitable option was his astral energy.

After all, Long Chen could endlessly summon astral energy from beyond the heavens. Thus, he chose to control Cang Lu with astral energy instead.

His astral energy carried no inherent attribute, but it was possible to extract various energies from it. Even Cang Lu’s dark energy could be drawn out this way, and it wouldn’t hinder Long Chen’s growth or combat ability. It was, in every sense, perfect.

Cang Lu hovered in the air, starlight flashing above him. He was absorbing astral energy to heal.

“Had I known I would refine him into a puppet, I wouldn’t have gone so hard on him.” Long Chen sighed.

A puppet ultimately wasn’t a real person. Its recovery would always be slower.

“Hmph. If you had known earlier, you wouldn’t have beaten him,” Evilmoon scoffed.

Cang Lu had been incredibly powerful. Who could guarantee defeating him without causing such severe injuries? Keeping his corpse intact was already remarkable. Yet, Long Chen was still not satisfied.

As Cang Lu recuperated, Long Chen sank into Cang Lu’s mind-sea again and arrived before a gate.

The gate was covered in chains woven from Cang Lu’s old memories. They required an incredibly vast amount of Spiritual Strength to undo.

Moreover, they could only be undone once Cang Lu reached the Divine Sovereign realm. Forcing them open now would erase the memories forever.

At present, all Cang Lu retained was his name, his identity as the Dark Son, and vague fragments of a former life. His true memories were sealed away.

But among the countless chains, one stood out. Only a few hundred runes glimmered faintly across its length. According to Cang Lu’s recollections, this was the one he could activate in his current state.

Yet, he didn’t have a chance to do so because Long Chen had killed him first.

“I wonder what’s sealed inside this chain?” Long Chen asked, slowly reaching out.

BOOM!

The moment Long Chen’s Spiritual Strength brushed against the chain, he appeared on a battlefield. The stench of blood choked him, and thunderous booms echoed all around.

Before he could even take a good look around, an icy-faced woman with blazing killing intent manifested in front of him.

With a flick of her finger, she sent a streak of black light shooting out. Instinctively, Long Chen raised his weapon to block. Only then did he realize he wasn’t himself—he was Cang Lu, and he was holding the Bloodfiend Halberd.

The black light was actually some kind of ball, and Long Chen swung the bloody halberd at it.

BOOM!

Long Chen’s right hand burst apart, and the Bloodfiend Halberd was blasted from his grip.

“A medicinal pill?!”

Long Chen was shocked. That ball was actually a medicinal pill covered in dense runes. When it exploded, its power was practically apocalyptic.

Cang Lu’s roar echoed in his ears. Forming seals with his left hand, he summoned the Bloodfiend Wings. Darkness enveloped the heavens as his strongest defense unfurled.

BOOM!

A blinding streak of light tore through the Bloodfiend Wings. To Long Chen, it was as if a sun had pierced the sky. Then, everything fell into darkness.

“You destroyed my nine heavens and slaughtered my people. I, Cui Yue, swear on my soul and blood that as long as I live, all those I kill shall sink into hell and never reincarnate!”

The woman’s voice rang within the abyss, brimming with hatred.

“Cui Yue? She... she’s Cui Yue? The Pill Sovereign’s disciple?”

Long Chen’s heart quaked. In the primal chaos war, the one who had slain Cang Lu had been her.