Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

A divine palace floated high in the sky, surrounded by wisps of immortal qi. From this vantage point, the entire Undying Demon Forest lay beneath them like a vast sea of ancient green.

Above them stretched a colossal willow tree, its branches piercing the heavens and threading through the starry expanse. The sight left Long Chen momentarily stunned. This was the second time he had ever witnessed such a shocking scene.

It reminded Long Chen of when the Primal Chaos Dragon Sovereign once shared its perspective with him—an all-encompassing view of the cosmos. Yet, this time, Long Chen’s gaze couldn’t extend as far. Past the stars above, a black, formless space loomed, as if it could devour one’s soul.

Back then, Long Chen hadn’t thought much of it. But now, standing in this realm, that black space chilled him to the bone.

Liu Ruyan and Chu Yao were just as entranced, clearly their first time seeing this sacred place.

“This is where the Sovereign Lord cultivates. Up to now, other than myself, no one else has ever been invited here,” said Liu Xihua with a bright smile.

In fact, she looked to be in such a good mood it was like she had become a relaxed young maiden.

She had not expected Liu Changtian to invite Long Chen here. However, after thinking about it, she knew that it was because Long Chen had given him face. Since Liu Changtian was a stubborn person who refused to lose, Long Chen had to show the manner of a king as well to gain his recognition.

Thanks to this, Liu Xihua was completely relaxed about their future affairs. As long as Long Chen didn’t take the initiative to provoke Liu Changtian, Liu Changtian wouldn’t make things too hard on him. Liu Ruyan would also be able to settle her matter nicely.

Liu Changtian’s mighty voice rang out from inside.

Liu Xihua stuck out her tongue at the three of them and wriggled her eyebrows, indicating for them to be careful inside.

This was Long Chen’s first time seeing Liu Xihua display such a mischievous side, so he was caught off-guard. However, when he thought about it, perhaps it was due to her being with Liu Ruyan and Chu Yao for too long.

Long Chen couldn’t help but find it a bit funny. The Undying race’s people were really simple; they had no schemes.

Upon entering the palace, Long Chen found that the interior was surprisingly simple. Other than eight golden dragon pillars supporting the palace, there wasn’t much else.

But Long Chen’s eyes were immediately drawn to the carvings on those pillars. His heart began to pound. The dragon-shaped runes engraved on them were divine abilities—true, high-level techniques of the dragon race.

One in particular showed a dragon soaring into the sky, claws outstretched. Auspicious clouds surged around it as golden light burst forth… It was Cloud Dragon Immolation Claw.

Long Chen was instantly captivated. He stared at the pillar, completely absorbed, forgetting even to greet Liu Changtian who sat silently at the center of the hall.

His dragon blood stirred restlessly. These are no ordinary skills… these are the pinnacle of the dragon race’s inheritance. But why are they here?

“Long Chen…” Liu Ruyan gently nudged him.

Startled, Long Chen finally snapped out of it and cupped his fists. “Greetings, Sovereign Lord.”

In front of such a prideful person like Liu Changtian, Long Chen shouldn’t show too much deference, but he also shouldn’t be too rude. Otherwise, Liu Changtian would look down on him.

In any case, Long Chen couldn’t bother going too far with his display. Just a formality was enough.

If he wanted to obtain Liu Changtian’s approval, he could only rely on power. Everything else was meaningless. The more humble he acted, the more it would backfire.

However, Liu Ruyan and Chu Yao didn’t understand these things. As they saw him acting so casually, their hearts clenched. After all the effort it took to reach this stage, would Long Chen’s nonchalance ruin everything?

But as expected, Liu Changtian didn’t care about formalities. Seated cross-legged on a prayer mat beside one of the pillars, he simply nodded and said, “Sit.”

Hearing that Liu Changtian wished for them to sit, Liu Xihua was delighted. In her memory, no one had ever been allowed to sit at the same level as Liu Changtian.

Liu Ruyan and Chu Yao carefully sat down, clearly nervous. On the other hand, Long Chen casually sat right down, not forgetting to cross his legs casually. This tense atmosphere didn’t affect him at all.

“May I ask what those things are?” asked Long Chen, pointing at the dragon pillar beside him.

Liu Ruyan and Chu Yao felt dizzy. Just what is this fool doing? Who talked like that to the Sovereign Lord? Even if he has a question, shouldn’t he be more respectful?

They were afraid Liu Changtian would directly expel Long Chen. Wouldn’t all their work have been for nothing then?

Unexpectedly, Liu Changtian didn’t seem the slightest bit angry with Long Chen’s rudeness. He looked at the dragon pillar and replied, “A friend from the dragon race entrusted his final remains to me before he died. Shortly after… his entire race was annihilated.”

A rare trace of loneliness appeared on Liu Changtian’s usually stoic face.

He continued, “The nine heavens have opened. I don’t know what state the dragon race is in now, or where they’re gathering. But I wish to return his remains.”

“They’re gathering here,” Long Chen said seriously, pointing at his own nose.

Liu Changtian’s brow finally twitched. “I’ve heard the human race is shameless, but this level of shamelessness… this is unprecedented. You’re saying you are the one uniting the dragon race? Does such a shameless man truly exist?”

Liu Xihua nearly burst out laughing when her husband called Long Chen shameless, while Liu Ruyan and Chu Yao went pale with worry.

Long Chen said, “Ah, that’s what you are mistaken. Although I am human, the dragon blood within me is the most ancient and primal. The inheritance I carry is at the absolute apex—it cannot go any higher.”

“And can you prove that?” asked Liu Changtian.

“Sure, it’s simple.”

Long Chen flicked his finger, sending a drop of violet dragon blood flying toward the dragon pillar.

The next moment, the golden pillar quivered violently. Its dragon runes seemed to come to life, and a dragon roar shook their ears. The dragon pillar’s divine ability automatically manifested.

At the same time, violet mist appeared around the pillar. This was a unique inheritance technique—using essence blood to awaken divine abilities: The user would use their essence blood to activate the inheritance and then absorb the blood mist. This was definitely much simpler and faster than the human race’s traditional methods.

But the drop Long Chen used was heavily diluted. It wasn’t enough to fully trigger the inheritance—the mist dispersed too quickly.

Still, that wasn’t his goal. He didn’t need to activate the divine ability—only to prove himself to Liu Changtian.

As an old monster from the primal chaos era and a friend of the dragon race, Liu Changtian would know exactly what this meant. Only essence blood could awaken the inheritance, yet Long Chen had caused such a reaction with just a diluted drop.

That was enough to prove Long Chen’s earlier claim.

In truth, Liu Changtian had specifically invited Long Chen here to verify his own guess. Now, everything was within his expectations.

Liu Changtian gazed at the pillar in silence for a long time. Finally, he asked in a low voice:

“Is the Primal Chaos Dragon Sovereign… still alive?”