Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

BOOM!

Long Zaiye staggered back, momentarily dazed by the backlash. Stars spun in his vision as disbelief filled his face. The attack he had imbued with his newly comprehended Jiuli immortal characters had actually been blocked.

“You little bastard, it seems you haven’t learned your lesson.”

Long Chen had been holding back his frustration at struggling to comprehend the ninth barrier. Now, with this ambush, his patience snapped. The power of his eight stars ignited instantly, and he swung Evilmoon through the air, its blade carrying a storm of fury toward Long Zaiye.

Long Zaiye hastily raised his spear to block, only to be sent flying. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he crashed to the ground.

“You’ve got some nerve, I’ll give you that,” Long Chen muttered, eyes cold.

Long Chen noted that while Long Zaiye had recovered about sixty percent of his core energy, he himself had restored nearly eighty percent. For Long Zaiye to attack him now was not just reckless—it was suicidal.

“Die!”

Long Chen’s figure blurred as he charged toward Long Zaiye.

Long Zaiye was shocked and enraged. He hadn’t expected Long Chen’s recovery to be even faster than his own. His divine wings flared, releasing a ray of divine light. But instead of aiming at Long Chen, it was directed toward Long Tianrui.

When Long Chen saw this, rage seethed within him. With a flash, he appeared in front of Long Tianrui, shattering Long Zaiye’s attack.

By the time the dust settled, Long Zaiye had already vanished. Long Chen clenched his fists, his knuckles white with frustration.

“What a coward,” he spat.

Long Zaiye’s underhanded tactics and willingness to endanger others made Long Chen’s blood boil. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress his fury.

“Just wait,” he muttered darkly.

Chasing after Long Zaiye wasn’t an option. The twisted space of the ninth level made locating him nearly impossible, and Long Chen didn’t have the time to track him down. More importantly, Long Chen couldn’t risk leaving Long Tianrui alone. The moment he left, someone like Long Zimo could take the chance to take advantage of Long Tianrui. That was entirely possible. After all, the Long clan was filled with bad eggs.

…

Elsewhere, in another part of the ninth level, Long Zaiye reappeared. Blood dripped from his lips as he pressed a hand to his chest.

“I told you not to go after him. Now do you believe me?” Long Zimo’s voice carried a note of schadenfreude as he watched Long Zaiye’s pitiful state.

Though his tone was indifferent, Long Zimo couldn’t help but feel relieved. He had almost ambushed Long Chen but had decided against it at the last moment. Watching Long Zaiye now, he realized how close he had come to making the same foolish mistake.

After breaking through the eighth barrier, Long Zaiye stumbled across Long Zimo and immediately demanded to know if he had seen Long Chen. Long Zimo initially feigned ignorance, claiming Long Zaiye wasn’t a match for Long Chen. In the end, his calculated use of reverse psychology successfully riled up the brash warrior.

As Long Zaiye’s temper flared, he threatened Long Zimo with the Dark Demon Spear. With no other choice, Long Zimo "helplessly" revealed Long Chen’s location.

Seeing Long Zaiye coughing blood and retreating in disgrace, Long Zimo was stunned. He had always known that beneath Long Zaiye’s fiery exterior lay a cunning and strategic mind. For Long Zaiye to make a move, it meant he had calculated a significant chance of victory. And yet, he had failed so miserably.

“Shut your mouth!” Long Zaiye roared furiously before staggering away, no doubt seeking a place to recuperate before facing the ninth barrier again.

“Fool,” muttered Long Zimo under his breath, shaking his head in disdain.

Inwardly, he couldn’t suppress a sense of triumph. With Long Zaiye out of the picture, he could focus on finding his own way to break through the ninth barrier.

…

Once Long Zaiye left, Long Chen steadied his breathing. He felt an immense pressure now. Long Zaiye had grown much stronger after breaking through the first eight barriers, so what would he gain if he broke through the ninth one?

“Wait, if he could gain this much power, I should be able to do the same thing. I’m not inferior to him. Hold on, my Defend character…” Long Chen murmured, a flash of determination igniting in his eyes. His thoughts turned to the Defend character he had unconsciously used earlier.

Just moments ago, when Long Zaiye’s attack came infused with Jiuli characters, Long Chen had a sudden inspiration. In response, he instinctively summoned a shield formed from a Defend character, and to his astonishment, it successfully blocked the strike.

“It was just a single Defend character, yet it carried a strength far beyond any magical art or divine ability I’ve seen. It was… miraculous,” Long Chen muttered.

A bold idea struck Long Chen like a lightning bolt. “Could it be that breaking through the ninth barrier is connected to this character?”

Long Chen wasted no time. Sitting cross-legged before the barrier, he formed hand seals. His mind became a whirlpool of ancient runes as countless characters flowed in it. The air around him shimmered and twisted. Slowly, yet steadily, a glowing Defend character emerged before him.

As the character took form, the barrier trembled. To Long Chen’s surprise, countless other characters started to flow from its surface and surround him. The world around him dissolved, leaving him standing in an infinite world of divine characters.

However, Long Chen ignored the changes occurring around him and sank his mind into the Defend character. Everything else faded from his consciousness. Time flowed like a slow river as he patiently studied the character, sensing its pulse and rhythm. It was as if he were watching over an egg, waiting for it to hatch.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the character started to quiver faintly. Then, a scene that astonished Long Chen appeared: the Defend character split in two.

Before he could fully grasp this transformation, a third character emerged between the two. The three characters resonated with each other, and in an instant, millions of Defend characters bloomed into existence, filling the entire space with their brilliance.

“Is this the essence of the Dao?” Long Chen murmured to himself.

If the first character represented Yang, then the second character symbolized Yin. Alone, Yin could not create life, and Yang could not foster growth. It was the fusion of Yin and Yang that gave rise to all things. The third character was the energy that bridged and harmonized them, enabling their union.

Long Chen had always viewed Yin and Yang as opposing forces, akin to right and wrong or good and evil. But now, witnessing their intricate transformation, he grasped a deeper truth about their nature.

Yin encompassed Yang, while Yang safeguarded Yin. They were not merely opposites—they were complementary forces that sustained and completed one another.

As the realization struck him, the countless runes merged into the original Defend character. The process of expanding from simplicity to complexity and returning to simplicity again struck Long Chen as the essence of the Grand Dao itself—a profound cycle imbued with endless mysteries.

Around the Defend character, more runes appeared, swirling and shifting endlessly.

“Magical arts, divine abilities, formations, talismans…” Long Chen whispered in astonishment.

His eyes widened as he saw that the transformations of this single character encompassed all the laws and Daos of existence. A single Defend character could manifest in countless forms, its applications seemingly limitless. Long Chen was left in awe.

Suddenly, everything vanished like it had never occurred, but the ninth barrier was still standing in front of Long Chen.

Long Chen took a slow, steady breath and raised his hand. The Defend character materialized on his palm, radiating a subtle yet immeasurable power. For the first time, he felt a complete mastery over its energy.

Without hesitation, Long Chen pressed the Defend character against the ninth barrier. The barrier trembled for a moment, emitting a faint ripple. Then, with a flash of light, it dissolved, and Long Chen disappeared into the next realm.

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