Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

Even Long Chen’s pupils contracted when he saw this punch. At this moment, Lei Linger exuded a strength so overwhelming that it shook even Long Chen. Now, she seemed like a completely different person.

With a single blow, Lei Linger blasted apart the Divine Blood Lightning Phoenix’s head. Countless lightning runes flickered across the shattered skull as Lei Linger extended her hand. Those runes, along with their thunderforce, surged toward her like a tide.

The Divine Blood Lightning Phoenix’s body rapidly withered, its terrifying thunderforce sucked dry in an instant. Without its lightning runes, its bones became brittle and could no longer support its weight. The once-mighty creature started collapsing in on itself.

Lei Linger made a pulling motion, and the void twisted. The withered corpse was instantly dragged into the primal chaos space. She had absorbed its thunderforce while preserving its primal blood, so the primal chaos space could still use it as fertilizer.

Without even glancing at the stunned Bi Xingyao, Lei Linger returned to Long Chen’s side with a radiant smile. She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly and resting her head against his chest.

“Big brother Long Chen, I’ve grown up. I can finally protect you!” said Lei Linger excitedly.

Long Chen instinctively raised his hand to rub her head, but hesitated. For some reason, Lei Linger felt unfamiliar now. So much so that he didn’t know if he should even rub her head like before.

However, Lei Linger raised her head and pushed it into his palm, looking up at him with a smile.

She asked, “Why? Does big brother Long Chen not recognize me any longer?”

Long Chen felt awkward. Of course, he recognized her, but her transformation was so complete. It made him feel strangely awkward.

“This nirvanic rebirth was mostly thanks to the insights I gained from the little vine. I couldn’t just rely on big brother’s tribulations, so I needed to find my own path. I accumulated my power, and Senior gave me some guidance. Now, I’ve finally taken that step,” Lei Linger said, her eyes shining. “Before, I was just a thunderforce user—a controller—just like Huo Linger. But I realized that her path wasn’t mine. So, I transformed all the thunderforce and lightning runes I had gathered from the mortal world to the immortal world… and turned them into flames to ignite my soul.”

“You—what!?”

Long Chen’s expression changed drastically. Igniting the soul? That was madness. One wrong step, and her soul would’ve been incinerated beyond salvation.

Long Chen hadn’t realized her nirvanic rebirth had been so dangerous. Just as panic overtook him, the Earth Cauldron spoke from within the primal chaos space. “She begged me not to tell you.”

“You foolish girl…”

Long Chen forcefully rubbed her head, equal parts angry and terrified. He even had the urge to spank her. If she had failed, how would he have lived with himself?

After all, Lei Linger had only taken this risk because he wasn’t strong enough. She wanted to protect him. Long Chen couldn’t live without Lei Linger… and Lei Linger felt the same about him.

Unlike Huo Linger, who was as open and passionate as fire, Lei Linger hid her emotions behind a cold exterior. Her heart, however, was far more sensitive than she ever let on.

Every time, Lei Linger could only eat until full during Long Chen’s tribulations. And after a brief moment of glory, Huo Linger would surpass her. In every large battle, she couldn’t help him as much as Huo Linger. Though it hurt, she never voiced her feelings. She knew saying anything would only make Long Chen worry. After all, he could do nothing to help her.

But everything changed after the mysterious vine entered the primal chaos space. The vine’s black lightning provided her with many insights. It didn’t reject her and allowed her to observe its lightning, even absorb some of it.

The mysterious vine could be said to be the cornerstone of Lei Linger’s nirvanic rebirth.

The Earth Cauldron was the first to notice something off with her, but she had pleaded for it not to say anything. The Earth Cauldron ultimately chose to trust her and kept it from Long Chen.

Using a flame composed of ten thousand lightning, Lei Linger ignited her soul. One misstep would’ve erased her from existence.

But she succeeded.

Now, she possessed her own unique lightning flame—something that didn’t manifest externally but burned within her like a furnace, refining all types of lightning it consumed.

She was no longer a wielder of thunderforce… she had become lightning itself. She no longer needed hand seals to summon magical arts, nor did she need to shout the names of techniques to unleash their full power. Her body, voice, and will were one, and she could unleash divine abilities as naturally as breathing.

If ordinary cultivators could control ten levels of power, they would need to start from level one and gradually ramp up to ten. Some prodigies could jump one or two levels at most, but more than that risked backlash or injury.

Even Long Chen, whose control had reached an incredibly high level, wouldn’t dare to unleash his full strength instantly. Without his bloodline fully activated, doing so would be courting death.

However, Lei Linger was different. She could directly unleash her maximum power, and her strength was terrifyingly concentrated. On the surface, it didn’t even appear overwhelming… until it struck.

That was how she had annihilated the Divine Blood Lightning Phoenix with a single punch.

What stunned Long Chen even more was that her aura hadn’t weakened at all afterward. In fact, it seemed even stronger.

In other words, Lei Linger had instantly absorbed and refined the Divine Blood Lightning Phoenix’s thunderforce, integrating it into her core. It was now part of her.

That kind of ability was heaven-defying.

If she fought lightning-attribute cultivators or demonic beasts, she could battle endlessly and only grow stronger with each fight.

“Heavens!”

Long Chen’s thoughts turned to his upcoming Human Emperor tribulation. With Lei Linger like this… her power…

Long Chen felt a wave of excitement. With Lei Linger by his side, that terrifying tribulation didn’t seem so terrifying anymore.

“Big brother Long Chen, that guy detonated those demonic beasts to draw a formation with their essence blood. Judging by the energy fluctuations, he’s summoning something even stronger,” said Lei Linger, her tone serious.

To think that Lei Linger now possessed such sharp perception… Long Chen was startled. Even he hadn’t realized why Bi Xingyao had sacrificed those beasts. When the Divine Blood Lightning Phoenix appeared, he had assumed the blood was meant to empower it.

But even after the phoenix’s death, the essence blood remained. Instead of dispersing, it started to converge, strange spatial fluctuations rippling outward.

Long Chen had just started to grow suspicious when Lei Linger spoke. Her strength now genuinely left him astonished.

“Should I stop him?” asked Lei Linger.

Shaking his head, Long Chen replied, “Let’s see what kind of move he has up his sleeve.”

This battle seemed to have been arranged in advance by someone. And the one behind it was most likely the mountain lord. Was she planning to use Long Chen to get rid of Bi Xingyao?

Just then, the void shuddered. A blood-colored divine light exploded, forming a runic formation in the air. The world started to quake violently.

“Hahaha, Long Chen, your death is at hand!” roared Bi Xingyao, his cowardice from earlier vanishing.

His laughter was triumphant as two figures emerged from the formation. But the moment Bi Xingyao saw them, his laughter abruptly died. He stared in confusion.

Long Chen’s pupils shrank when he saw one of the two figures. He was filled with disbelief.