Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

Chapter 5656 Heaven-Shaking Dragon Blood

“I’ve already transmitted all the dragon blood runes. As for the divine abilities themselves, I won’t teach you,” said the Dragon Sovereign.

“Why not?” asked Long Chen.

The Dragon Sovereign explained, “The dragon race’s divine abilities are born from these runes. If I were to teach you specific techniques, it would limit you. You would be able to imitate the form, but the soul of the technique would be missing, and your imagination would be limited by what I taught you. 

“You’ve already learned the Cloud Dragon Immolation Claw, the Divine Dragon Tail Pendulum, Dragon Roars at the Nine Heavens, and the Sovereign Blood Seal. Rather than learning more, you should learn to extrapolate from what you already know. Grasp the essence of divine abilities and forge your own path.

“The human race’s greatest strength lies in its intelligence. The dragon race’s techniques might not suit you perfectly, so you should develop divine abilities that truly belong to you, Long Chen. What is mine will always be mine—just like how the Nine Star Master’s skills are ultimately his. Others can only imitate him, never truly become him. 

“The same goes for you. You’ve walked your own path since the mortal world. Countless people revere you and wish to be you, but true experts are unique existences. They cannot be replicated.”

Long Chen nodded. “I understand.”

The Primal Chaos Dragon Sovereign’s speech made him feel enlightened, as if his vision had suddenly cleared.

In truth, the Dragon Sovereign subtly hinted that Long Chen had been stuck in the “form” of the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art for too long. As a result, his thinking had become rigid and inflexible.

Ultimately, form was just that—form. It wasn’t the true essence of the technique. Long Chen had been overly fixated on what his final Eight Star Battle Armor would look like, never truly considering the deeper meaning of the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art itself. But now, he grasped the crux of the matter.

With a flash, Long Chen appeared beneath the Seven Treasure Colored Glass Tree. He scanned the gathered disciples and saw that nearly all thirty million members of the Wind God Sea Pavilion had managed to condense core veins. However, eighty percent of them had only managed to form a single core vein.

Long Chen sighed. He had given them an opportunity, but in the end, he couldn’t change their fates. For most of them, one core vein was likely their limit.

However, a few among them stood out—exceptionally talented individuals with shocking comprehension abilities. Some had already condensed three to four core veins.

Core veins determined the full potential of a Heavenly Doyen’s power. Those who possessed them stood leagues above other Heavenly Doyens. The difference between the two could not even be compared.

Turning his gaze to the Hidden Dragon Legion, Long Chen was pleasantly surprised to see that every single one of them had condensed six core veins. Xiao Yue and the others had even reached seven.

A surge of pride welled up within him. All these warriors had been handpicked by Tang Wan-er and trained by Yue Zifeng.

This group of steadfast and resolute women had endured the brutal and bloody training of the Seven Treasure Space. They had faced death countless times but had lived up to his expectations.

Although Long Chen had provided them with the best cultivation conditions, their achievements were ultimately the result of their own determination and courage.

Others trained diligently. They cultivated as if their lives depended on it. That was why they had reached heights that they could truly take pride in.

When Long Chen turned to Tang Wan-er, he was so shocked that he had to count on his fingers.

“One, two… eight, nine, ten! Ten core veins?!” Long Chen was stunned.

Nine was supposed to be the limit, the pinnacle. Any further progress required stepping into the Human Emperor realm. But Tang Wan-er had already condensed ten core veins.

“Could it be…?”

“Did you think you were the only one who could surpass the limit and condense thirteen core veins? The Wind God’s legacy is strong. Furthermore, their karmic luck has never been severed. Since Feng Xinyue has placed all of that karmic luck onto Tang Wan-er, it won’t be long before she condenses her eleventh core vein. Her speed will far surpass yours,” said the Dragon Sovereign.

Long Chen chuckled. “Hehe, that’s perfect. With such a strong wife, I can just relax under the shade of a giant tree.”

“Grow up,” the Dragon Sovereign scoffed.

Long Chen merely shrugged. Having a strong wife was also part of his talents. What was there to grow up about?

Moving silently, Long Chen approached the base of the Seven Treasure Colored Glass Tree. There, he spotted Wilde snoring like rolling thunder.

However, beneath that deafening snoring was another rumbling sound.

Long Chen listened carefully and then smiled.

It was Wilde’s stomach growling.

Even in deep sleep, Wilde was still consuming energy. It wouldn’t be long before hunger woke him up, and he would need to eat again.

Seeing that everything was peaceful, Long Chen didn’t waste any more time. He closed his eyes and focused. Under the shimmering light of the Seven Treasure Colored Glass Tree, nine blood-colored dragons manifested behind him.

They were different from other people’s indistinct heaven veins. These dragons looked lifelike, and divine light shone in their eyes.

Runes adorned their scales—the very bloodline runes that the Primal Chaos Dragon Sovereign had bestowed upon Long Chen.

Even their horns, claws, fins, and fangs had these runes on them. Long Chen didn’t intentionally place the runes there. They simply found a place for themselves and stopped there.

The nine dragons coiled around Long Chen, causing the light of the Seven Treasure Colored Glass Tree to pass through them before landing on Long Chen. He was immersed in a sacred aura.

Comprehension was an elusive thing. Sometimes, it arrived like a sudden windfall. Other times, no matter how much effort one put in, nothing came of it. 

But regardless of the outcome, one’s heart had to remain clear. Anxiety and impatience would only lead to madness.

Long Chen trained calmly as time passed. He neither forced the process nor rushed it.

Unbeknownst to him, the nine dragons surrounding him were growing increasingly solid. Their scales shimmered with a new radiance, while their fangs and claws gleamed with razor-sharp light.

Then, without warning, the void trembled.

A sudden shockwave rippled through the space, jolting everyone awake. Even Long Chen was forced out of his meditation. His eyes snapped open.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed across the realm.

The spatial channel had collapsed.