Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

Chapter 6317 The High Heaven Line

Within the starry sea, six astral gates blazed brilliantly, fully open. The seventh gate flickered unsteadily, half open and half shut.

This was the Death Gate, the seventh of his eight astral gates.

Even now, Long Chen understood far too little about them. He had only uncovered the correct sequence of opening the gates, but not the reason behind it. Why this sequence worked remained a mystery.

The Death Gate loomed before him like a bottomless abyss. Even with his current strength, he didn’t dare to fling it wide open and dive right in. He could only control the opening little by little, carefully regulating the outpour of astral energy.

Fortunately, his Supreme Bone’s awakening, coupled with the condensation of his Sovereign flames, had raised his power to unprecedented heights. His physical body had reached a terrifying new level.

Before, just a sliver of this gate’s power had nearly killed him. Now, he could at least endure its pressure.

However, opening it halfway was his current limit. Still, he discovered he could control its opening, adjusting the flow bit by bit to give himself time to adapt.

With every little bit of opening, the astral energy pouring out surged exponentially.

Violent starlight wrapped around Long Chen’s body. Soon, his blood mixed into it, spraying out in a mist. His skin started to split and bleed.

The dragon experts guarding him were instantly alarmed.

They couldn’t see what was happening inside Long Chen’s body, only the blood mist and violent fluctuations outside. They all tensed, but none dared to interfere for fear of causing him harm.

As a result, they just watched anxiously and had the divine wing owl dragon fly slower just to be safe. There could be no rocking or swaying.

Fortunately, Long Chen’s condition didn’t worsen. Though bleeding, he held steady. His control was absolute. The seventh gate was opening slowly but surely.

...

Three days passed.

Qing Yi was the first to awaken from her seclusion. When she opened her eyes, they were full of joy.

Not only had she gained insight into the mysterious tree within her manifestation, but she had also refined the Azure Dragon Pearl into her divine weapon.

She immediately looked at Long Chen. Other than that blood mist around his body, his aura had not changed.

Then, she turned to Di Mengyao and gasped in delight.

The 997th Sovereign flame flickered above Di Mengyao. Though as weak as a firefly, it was there.

All the dragon experts were excited by this. Di Mengyao had condensed 997 Sovereign flames, just two steps away from the legendary peak.

Her new Sovereign flame grew stronger over time. Soon, her realm fully stabilized.

“Did anything happen during this time?” asked Qing Yi.

“A few fools tried to test us, but Xue Tu killed them all,” reported one of them excitedly.

They explained that several experts with over nine hundred Sovereign flames had attacked, seeking to test their strength. Ordinarily, such experts were considered apex figures. Even if they couldn’t win, they should have been able to retreat.

But they hadn’t accounted for Xue Tu.

After Xue Tu had awakened the Divine Dragon Blood Blaze, his Sovereign flames slowly surged to 926.

The experts testing them had sensed Xue Tu’s power, but since they were on the same level, they dared to attack, especially because Xue Tu was guarding a large group behind him.

That arrogance cost them their lives. Xue Tu unleashed his fiercest killing techniques without hesitation. From the very beginning, he was practically unrivaled—fearless, ruthless, and efficient. Slaughtering opponents with the same number of Sovereign flames was child’s play to him.

Even the strongest among those attackers, who possessed 967 Sovereign flames, fell in just a few berserk strikes.

At first, the dragon experts watching grew excited. They thought Xue Tu would showcase his newly awakened divine ability. But to their frustration, even such a powerful opponent failed to force him to use the Divine Dragon Blood Blaze.

That left the dragon experts cursing inside, but Xue Tu himself was overjoyed. Ever since awakening this divine ability, his senses had become sharper than ever. He could predict his enemies’ movements before they even acted.

The sensation of having everything under control filled him with exhilaration. He roared in excitement, convinced it was tied to the “Dragon Soul Body Forging Art” that Long Chen had gifted him. It had even sharpened his combat instincts.

After all, he had been the first to receive that divine rune seed. Of course, he would be different from the others. Getting a little extra was only natural.

And while Xue Tu was often mocked for his empty head, his assumption wasn’t wrong.

Long Chen’s dragon blood carried traces of his own combat experience. When Long Chen condensed it into the rune seed, some of that experience was replicated and branded into Xue Tu’s body.

Because of Xue Tu’s blind, absolute trust in Long Chen, he hadn’t resisted the infusion at all. Thus, he absorbed a fragment of Long Chen’s hard-earned battle knowledge.

Sadly, if Xue Tu had possessed more intelligence, he could have consciously attuned himself during the branding process, drawing in far more of Long Chen’s experience.

One had to remember: Long Chen’s battle experience had been forged through countless life-and-death struggles, through blood and sacrifice. How priceless was such a thing? If Xue Tu realized how much more he could have absorbed, he would likely slap himself until his face turned blue.

Just then, rumbling shook the distance. Divine lights pierced the heavens, and terrifying ripples spread outward. An immense battle was raging up ahead.

“Go around!” ordered Qing Yi.

Everyone else was in seclusion, while Long Chen and Di Mengyao had reached important junctures in their seclusion. They couldn’t be disturbed.

Just as the owl dragon was about to slow down, Xue Tu shouted, “Don’t go around! Charge right in! We have to reach Heaven’s Spine Mountain Range as soon as possible. That was Boss’s instructions.”

“But...” Qing Yi hesitated, not wanting anyone to disturb Long Chen or Di Mengyao.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already obtained Boss’s legacy. I can handle them,” Xue Tu replied confidently.

Seeing how sure Xue Tu was, Qing Yi decided it was worth the risk. She knew Xue Tu’s confidence had ballooned beyond control. Even on normal days, persuading him was impossible—let alone now.

Before long, they reached the battlefield. They hadn’t even seen the combatants when a slash of Sword Qi ripped toward them, sharp enough to cut heaven and earth. A thunderous shout followed:

“This is the High Heaven line’s territory! Unrelated people should scram!”