Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

“Slaughter them. This is the gift that the devil race is giving you, brave warriors. There’s no reason for you to not take it,” Long Chen transmitted telepathically.

“The devil race’s gift?” asked Su Yu, baffled.

She suddenly noticed that after Sha Tiantong’s death, the fluctuations of heaven and earth had changed. The natural energy he had absorbed to condense his ninth heaven vein was released to the surroundings. Furthermore, as these devil experts were slain, Su Yu vaguely felt more Doyen energy merging with these fluctuations, only to be absorbed by everyone’s heaven veins.

Realization struck her. The grand formation set up by the devil race was now benefiting them. Though she didn’t fully grasp the details, she understood that killing these devil experts was a rare opportunity for everyone to break through their bottlenecks.

“Kill!”

At this moment, Su Yu practically viewed Long Chen like a god. Without hesitation, she charged toward one of the devil race’s eight-vein Heaven Saints.

This eight-vein Heaven Saint had been desperately trying to escape, but the chaos in their ranks slowed his retreat. Gritting his teeth, he started killing his own comrades to clear a path. However, Su Yu caught up to him and, after a fierce battle, managed to slay him.

After killing him, Su Yu clearly felt her own heaven vein dragon qi fluctuating. There were signs of a breakthrough. This validated her hypothesis and fueled her determination. Without pause, she targeted another eight-vein Heaven Saint.

The battlefield was a sea of chaos. The devil race’s strongest experts formed the inner ring, while the weaker ones occupied the outer ring. When the stronger devils tried to flee in panic, they slew the weaker ones, causing confusion among their ranks. As chaos reigned, the Southern Alliance warriors seized the chance to deliver devastating blows.

Two hours later, the battle ended. The massive encirclement of the devil experts had thinned, and pursuing the remaining devils was no longer feasible. At this moment, the ground was littered with corpses, and the air was thick with the pungent stench of blood.

Seeing this scene, Su Yu gave the order to retreat. The enemy’s forces were too scattered, and chasing them further could lead to unnecessary casualties. In any case, victory was already theirs. There was no need to turn a victory into a tragedy.

What astonished Su Yu the most was the overwhelming progress made by their forces. Almost every member of the Southern Alliance’s 30-million-strong army had advanced. The eight squad leaders had all become eight-vein Heaven Saints, and Su Yu herself could sense her next bottleneck approaching. It felt like a dream, and she was afraid of waking up.

The others were similarly overwhelmed. Many pinched themselves to confirm this fact.

In this bloody battle, over thirty million people had advanced—a feat beyond anyone’s imagination.

As they regrouped, they saw Long Chen seated in the air, adjusting his aura. When they looked at him, their eyes were full of reverence and worship.

Though they didn’t know the full details of what had happened, they all understood one thing: their incredible breakthroughs were thanks to Long Chen. To them, he was no longer just a powerful ally—he was a god-like figure.

When Long Chen opened his eyes, he greeted them with a casual smile. “Congratulations, everyone! And don’t forget to congratulate me too. Our collaboration this time was a resounding success. We’ve all reaped immense rewards!”

Long Chen started to act casual again. Now, he seemed less like a peerless expert and more like the playful boy from the neighborhood who always found a way to surprise someone.

“Yes, our collaboration was truly... a success,” Su Yu said hesitantly, though she felt a pang of embarrassment as the words left her lips. Collaboration? She knew better. This victory was entirely thanks to Long Chen’s brilliance. Her role had been negligible in comparison.

Sensing her unease, Long Chen waved dismissively. “Don’t be so stiff. Let me clear up the mystery for you. The reason you could break through is, ironically, thanks to the devil race’s efforts.”

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Long Chen chuckled and continued, “Sha Tiantong sacrificed his blood soul power to draw on the karmic luck of their ancestors. When he died, that karmic luck ignited, releasing the energy he had absorbed. Killing those devils allowed that energy to flow to you, blessing your bodies with its power. It was a heaven-defying stroke of fortune, but credit to you all for being strong enough to seize it! So, how does it feel?”

His explanation cleared their doubts, but they knew the true credit belonged to Long Chen. Without his guidance, they wouldn’t have recognized the opportunity, let alone capitalized on it.

Taking a deep breath, Su Yu said, “Long Chen, this victory is entirely thanks to you. We will never forget this favor. Though you may never need us, if you do, our lives are yours to command.”

The eight squad leaders and countless others echoed her sentiments with reverent gazes. They understood that Long Chen’s strength far surpassed theirs, and the likelihood of him requiring their aid was slim. Nonetheless, they were resolved to repay this debt, even at the cost of their lives.

“You’re talking like an outsider,” Long Chen chuckled. “The strong will always be surpassed one day, and the weak can transform at any moment. Fate is not set in stone. Even if the heavens decree your destiny, who says you can’t defy them? Work hard. Opportunities favor the prepared. Otherwise, even if fortune smiles upon you, you’ll lack the strength to seize it. I believe it won’t be long before we meet again.”

With a final smile, Long Chen vanished, leaving them to ponder his words.

…

“Fate is not set in stone.”

“Who says you cannot defy the heavens and change your fate?”

Long Chen’s words resonated deeply, shaking the very foundations of their beliefs. For the first time, they dared to imagine a future where they could rise beyond the limitations they had long accepted as unchangeable.

Everyone wanted to be stronger, but reality had always been unforgiving. Becoming a true expert required an intricate combination of talent, relentless effort, proper guidance, luck, a powerful background, abundant resources, connections, and more. Missing even one of these elements would stop them on their paths.

Although they could already be considered strong, they were still far too lacking compared to the peak experts in the Heaven Vein Mystic Realm. Many had quietly resigned themselves to their fates, believing they could never overcome such an overwhelming disparity.

But today, Long Chen’s words ignited a spark within them, giving them the courage to challenge fate itself.

“Being called warriors by someone like him... there’s no way we can undervalue ourselves again,” Su Yu said, her voice tinged with emotion. She sighed deeply before adding, “To do so would not only disrespect Long Chen but also betray ourselves.”

Only now did they fully remember how Long Chen had addressed them: “brave warriors”. The thought sent a new surge of determination coursing through their veins. If even someone like Long Chen saw such potential in them, how could they ever look down on themselves again?

“Let’s go. From now on, we have to work even harder,” declared Su Yu. “Long Chen promised we’d meet again. When that time comes, we must be ready—we can’t let him down!”

With a wave of her hand, Su Yu led the group away from the battlefield. For every one of them, this place would forever be remembered as the turning point of their lives. Long Chen’s parting words had flung open the doors to a world they had only dared to glimpse, inviting them to step into the realm of true experts.

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