Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

“Hall Master! The group we sent to the North Sea Silver Fox race... They... they all... died...”

A disciple rushed into a private room and blurted out a report without even properly greeting the powerful figures gathered here.

“What?!”

There were six elders in this meeting. All of their expressions changed, and their leader slammed the desk. “What nonsense are you spouting?! We sent the elites of the Assassin Hall! How could they possibly be wiped out? If you’re trying something funny, I’ll skin you!”

“Hall Master, it’s true! Their spiritual tablets... they’ve all shattered! Every last one!” cried the disciple.

He was truly scared of his wits. The Cult of Mara placed a great deal of importance on the matter of the North Sea Silver Fox race, and they had indeed sent their strongest elites over. The very notion that they had all died was unimaginable. That would mean that the Assassin Hall was basically crippled, and they would be unable to participate in many of their upcoming operations.

Another disciple suddenly came running in. “Reporting in! Hall Master, our karmic luck divine pool has been sealed by some kind of energy! We cannot even touch it! The disciples cannot cultivate anymore, and even the grand formations can no longer draw on its power!”

Now those elders were truly shaken. Just as they were about to go investigate, they felt a sharp killing intent suddenly descend upon them. This was followed by an icy voice that only said one short sentence.

“Don’t let a single one survive!”

When those elders charged out, they saw eight immense war flags surrounding their territory, as well as a large army of young people who were armed to the teeth and looked thirsty for blood.

The hall master, a strong half-step Heavenly Sovereign, stood in the air and roared furiously, “This is the Cult of Mara’s Assassin Hall! Who dares to attack us?!”

But then he saw Long Chen, and his expression completely changed. Although he had never met Long Chen before, he had seen photographic jades, and he knew all there was to know about this young man.

“The Cult of Mara has never had any dealings with the High Firmament Academy! What do you think you’re doing?! Is the High Firmament Academy declaring war?!” roared the hall master.

“How did an idiot like you become a hall master? How much money did you spend on bribes?” Long Chen snorted incredulously. This fellow couldn’t even tell that a karmic luck challenge had been initiated between the two of them? This was absurd. However he’d reached his position, brains had certainly played no part in it.

By this point, the academy’s elites and Miao Yin’s subordinates had already barged through the disabled barriers and simply started a massacre. Having lost the support of their karmic luck, their grand formations put up about as much resistance as pieces of paper. Many of the disciples were killed before even understanding what was happening.

“Eight Flag Bearers, deal with those old fellows. As for this hall master...” Long Chen chuckled and prepared to personally take action.

“Leave that old fellow to me!” Surprisingly, Zi Yan took the initiative, and she didn’t wait for a response from Long Chen before she stepped forward. She vanished, then appeared before that elder like a violet cloud.

The elder’s eyes narrowed. He immediately thought of something terrifying. He naturally recognized the master of the Heavenly Devil Zither, just like he’d recognized Long Chen, and he knew that her appearance was no good omen. He hastily formed hand seals, but by that time, it was already too late.

Zi Yan didn’t seem to move at all, but the sound of a zither rang out. The elder’s heart suddenly shook. His hands quivered out of his control, and he was unable to finish his seals.

An expression of terror covered his face. If he couldn’t form hand seals, he couldn’t summon his true power!

“Are you afraid? Are you afraid of dying, or are you afraid of the darkness you’ve buried in your heart?”

Zi Yan slowly walked up to him. She appeared holy and grand, like a noble goddess, but also incredibly cold.

Even this elder, a half-step Heavenly Sovereign who was on the verge of breaking through, was like an ant in front of her. More accurately, he felt like an ant under a magnifying glass—all his secrets were exposed, and not even his thoughts could hide from her icy gaze.

Using the music of the heavens to question the heart... Big sister Zi Yan has already reached this level? Miao Yin was deeply shocked. Zi Yan was not using the Heavenly Devil Zither, and she hadn’t even formed hand seals, yet she had just taken control of the hall master.

She bitterly smiled inside. As expected, every person by Long Chen’s side was an extraordinary monster. Even though Zi Yan didn’t often show her power, that power was unimaginable.

The ability she had just displayed relied on comprehension of the Music Dao, and it showed that Zi Yan had reached a level of comprehension Miao Yin could only dream of. As the name implied, a music cultivator could use the power of the Heavenly Daos to question another’s heart. This power could directly penetrate a person’s soul; someone who didn’t have a firm Dao-heart would instantly crumble.

The hall master was shivering, and sweat dripped down his face. He knew he was under Zi Yan’s control.

He had spent countless years doing so many evil deeds that even he himself couldn’t tell how many he’d done. And indeed, just as Long Chen had guessed, his actual abilities did not qualify him to be a hall master. He had relied on dirty tricks to get there.

While this was a glorious status, his heart was cast in darkness. He spent every day guilty and worried that his secrets would be exposed. His emotions fluctuated, and these fluctuations were easily grasped by Zi Yan. Once that happened, no matter how powerful he was, he was nothing more than a child in front of her.

The hall master struggled to break free, but the terrifying thing about this kind of technique was that the only way to break free was to confront his own inner demons. Zi Yan was not attacking him with her own power, but simply magnifying the darkness in his heart, causing it to overwhelm him. No matter how great his cultivation base, once that darkness swarmed him, he was as weak as a sheep.

“AHH!”

The hall master suddenly let out a wild howl. He clutched his head, and his nails dug deep into his scalp. He actually tore apart his own face, revealing bone. Everyone who saw this shuddered; was a grand half-step Heavenly Sovereign being driven to suicide?

Only Long Chen, Miao Yin, and a few other experts realized what he was doing. He was using this immense physical pain to drag himself out of Zi Yan’s control!

BOOM!

Suddenly, a giant figure appeared behind the hall master. Tremendous Grand Dao power radiated from it. The pain of the body had finally allowed him to escape Zi Yan’s control, but his face was completely gone. He looked absolutely horrifying.

“Demon girl, you will die!” roared the hall master.

Just as he said this, a zither string cut through the air, and his head went flying.