Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

With a stable pace, Long Chen formed hand seals, yet the moment his fingers aligned, an uproar erupted throughout the Starry River Palace.

“Is it a trick?!”

“He can’t be doing what I think he’s doing!”

“Those are the Demon Suppressing seals...”

“Is he planning on summoning the Starry River Demon Suppressing Bell?! Has the world gone insane?!”

Long Chen’s movements were clearly unpolished. After all, he had never used these hand seals before.

Long Chen wasn’t a disciple of the Starry River Palace. Even within the palace, only those who had reached the Heaven Rankings were qualified to cultivate this divine ability.

However, most disciples were familiar with the Demon Suppressing hand seals. They had seen quite a few people display it. But throughout the entire junior generation, the only one capable of summoning the Starry River Demon Suppressing Bell was Li Tianbi.

Long Chen’s hand seals were the same as Li Tianbi’s. As he formed them, stars flowed around him, and the ten thousand Daos rumbled.

A palm-sized bell slowly materialized before him.

“This is impossible!” Li Tianbi howled, refusing to believe his own eyes.

Years of bitter cultivation—years in which he alone stood above his peers—were being overturned before his eyes.

“While condensing the Demon Suppressing Bell, his movements are restricted! Stop him!” Li Tianbi shouted.

Ignoring his wounds, he charged at Long Chen.

Previously, when Li Tianbi himself had summoned the bell, Long Chen had allowed him all the time he needed. But Li Tianbi didn’t care about that. He had to stop Long Chen.

The others gritted their teeth and rushed forward as well. Only Qu Yingying hesitated, wondering whether or not she should help Long Chen.

Just as they got close, the tiny bell quivered and rang out, its burst of majestic astral energy sending them reeling back.

Li Tianbi’s expression changed.

Long Chen had not just condensed the Starry River Devil Suppressing Bell, but he had also grasped the method to boost its power.

Just as they continued pushing forward against this pressure, the bell rang out once more.

An invisible wall slammed down in front of them. They couldn’t advance even a single step. Instead, they were driven backward.

Even when they ignited their astral energy, they could not resist this terrifying force.

The bell rang a third time.

The entire martial stage rocked violently. Li Tianbi and the others screamed as they were hurled away, blood spraying from their mouths as they slammed into the barrier once more.

The astral bell was now enormous, and its aura was many times stronger than the Starry River Demon Suppressing Bell that Li Tianbi and the others had condensed.

Then, before the horrified eyes of the crowd, the bell rang again.

The martial stage cracked apart. Star diagrams spread across the barrier for the first time in its history.

This bell’s power had exceeded the martial stage’s limits. Its self-protective formations had been forced to activate.

“Heavens, he rang the Starry River Demon Suppressing Bell four times all by himself?!” shouted a spectator.

The eight gates behind Long Chen flashed, and his eight stars were still stable.

In contrast, Li Tianbi and the others had exhausted everything to barely maintain their bell. Long Chen’s astral bell, however, was calm and controlled, showing no signs of instability.

Four rings.

The same as their bells, but the pressure was on an entirely different level.

Ripples continuously spread from Long Chen’s bell, striking the martial stage. Now, the martial stage was on the verge of collapse.

Meanwhile, Li Tianbi and the others were pressed against the barrier, unable to resist.

Only Qu Yingying remained standing. Star diagrams weaved around her, protecting her from the pressure.

“It seems I still haven’t secured an absolute victory,” Long Chen said calmly. “The martial stage still believes you have a chance. In that case...”

Long Chen took a deep breath, and the stars around him blazed even more.

The bell rang a fifth time.

The entire Starry River Palace shuddered. A terrifying aura pierced through the barrier and swept outward.

“Is this the end of the world?!”

Terrified screams rang out.

Qu Yingying’s protective barrier shattered. At that instant, she and the others were transported away.

At the same moment, the astral bell, which was on the verge of destroying the martial stage, dissipated.

The mechanical voice rang out once more.

“The challenger has passed consecutive battles to the peak. Everyone on the Three Rankings loses all their points to the challenger. The challenger may bring their tablet to the Starry River Sovereign Palace to receive the legacy.”

Long Chen was transported off the martial stage.

His face was a bit pale now. It seemed that he had slightly underestimated the Starry River Demon Suppressing Bell. Forcing the fifth ring out had drained him.

What puzzled him was that the martial stage hadn’t declared his victory after the fourth ring.

That big sister of his looked so frail. Could she have a trump card that could resist the Starry River Demon Suppressing Bell after four rings?

Though Long Chen’s bell was only an improvised version copied from Li Tianbi—and inferior to the true divine ability—it was backed by his immense astral energy. Its power far surpassed what those fools could unleash.

From that perspective, Qu Yingying might be foolish, but she was far from helpless. Otherwise, the martial stage wouldn’t have waited until five rings.

Qu Liushang smiled at Long Chen.

He said, “Congratulations, little brother! You are the first to successfully complete the consecutive battles to the peak. You have also obtained the right to enter the Starry River Sovereign Palace to receive the Heavenly Sovereign’s legacy.”

Even Qu Liushang hadn’t expected to misjudge so badly. Long Chen had truly hidden his power deeply.

“My apologies for causing such a disturbance,” Long Chen said, cupping his fists and bowing slightly. “In truth, I only wished to provide a fair chance for disciples of the nine heavens to compete.”

Long Chen did not sense any anger or hostility from Qu Liushang. In fact, what he sensed was heartfelt admiration.

That point alone was enough to make Long Chen trust him.

“The martial stage is recovering, so let us discuss this elsewhere,” Qu Liushang said.

After that, both of them vanished.

The moment the projection on the desolate mountain disappeared, heaven-shaking cheers erupted.

“Did Lord Long Chen really win?!”

“He swept through the Heaven Rankings!”

“How powerful is he?!”

“I want to see who dares look down on us for being from the nine heavens again!”

Roars and screams burst forth as years of resentment were finally released. Some of them were even crying silently.

However, a few of them were crying emotionally, kneeling on the ground like pious believers.

“To think we were punished by Lord Long Chen, who swept the Heaven Rankings... What a glory!”