Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)

When Long Chen entered the palace and was preparing to argue with Yu Xiaoyun, he found that the emperor wasn’t present. As if knowing that Long Chen would be displeased, the ones to appear before him were the two empresses.

Seeing them, Long Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. No matter how angry he was, he couldn’t cast his anger on his two mothers-in-law.

Jiang Huixin smiled. “Long Chen, don’t be angry. Sometimes suffering is a blessing. The Philosopher Institute is a mirror that the Vermilion Bird Empire uses to see themselves clearly, so there is not supposed to be a subordinate relationship between them. As we have to maintain the Philosopher Institute’s special position in the empire, history cannot be written so directly. But don’t be angry. Good things will quickly come. However, before that, I want to ask you a few questions. If war breaks out, would you be willing to fight for the Vermilion Bird Empire?”

“I am,” answered Long Chen without hesitation.

“What if it weren’t for Qingxuan?”

“Then I wouldn’t.” Long Chen shook his head.

“For Qingxuan, you are willing to fight all-out. What if at the end, His Majesty still doesn’t agree to your marriage? Then what will you do?” asked Xu Lanxin.

“I’ll take her if I can take, con if I can con, swindle if I can swindle. In any case, I’ll use everything I can. Qingxuan will be mine in the end,” said Long Chen confidently.

“Isn’t that a bit too shameless?” said Xu Lanxin while covering up her smile.

“For Qingxuan, I am willing to even lose my life, so who cares about some face?” said Long Chen indifferently.

Long Chen was actually able to say such scoundrel words so righteously, causing even Jiang Huixin to laugh.

“Alright. This time, we called you over to give you your compensation. We won’t make you a scapegoat for nothing. The Vermilion Bird sacrificial altar is about to open. You and Qingxuan, along with all the disciples of the royal bloodline, will enter the Vermilion Bird space to cultivate. This is the strongest trial by fire we have, and it is unimaginably beneficial to both the physical body and one’s flame energy. Furthermore, there are also special trials inside the Vermilion Bird space, one of them being the heroic spirit of the immemorial Vermilion Bird that can be your training partner. Although you are not an imperial disciple with the royal bloodline, we can see that your physical body is in the midst of rapidly growing. So, that place would be the best spot for you to train.”

Before Long Chen could reply, a bunch of runes already lit up beneath his feet, and space twisted. The next moment, he appeared in front of a giant spatial gate.

This spatial gate exuded a sacred aura as it was condensed from flames. As a result, an ordinary person would be struck dumb with terror when they saw this gate.

“Long Chen!”

Long Chen had just arrived when he heard Yu Qingxuan’s delighted cry, so he turned to see that she was right behind him. But they weren’t alone here. Zhu Yifeng, Zhu Yunwen, Yu Qianxue, and the other princes and princesses were also present, along with hundreds of thousands of experts behind them.

To Long Chen’s surprise, these hundreds of thousands of experts were all Supremes with dense flame energy. Since when did the royal family possess this many powerful disciples? As expected, the Vermilion Bird Empire had been concealing their true power.

“You really did come! That’s great! I thought that my imperial father wouldn’t let you.” Yu Qingxuan came over to Long Chen, staring at him excitedly.

“I helped him by being a scapegoat. If he didn’t give me some compensation, I’d have to announce the truth to the world,” chortled Long Chen. Now, he no longer minded being a scapegoat.

Zhu Yunwen and the others also came to greet Long Chen. Their previous encounter with Long Chen had left a lasting impression, causing them to see him as a goal to aspire to, rather than a rival to compete against.

In that instant, the runes on the spatial gate began to tremble, causing a resounding rumble to fill the air. As if in response, a dazzling burst of divine light erupted from the gate, illuminating the surroundings with its brilliance.

“The Vermilion Bird space is open! Everyone, enter!” announced Zhu Yunwen.

Long Chen nodded, indicating for Zhu Yunwen to go first. After all, the latter was a crown prince, and this was his territory. As a guest, it was inappropriate for Long Chen to go in first.

On the other hand, Zhu Yunwen tried to get Long Chen to go in first several times. But seeing that Long Chen still refused, he then led everyone inside.

Buzz.

The fabric of space quivered, revealing a long flame channel, with vibrant flames coiling around its length. As they approached, a faint yet haunting cry of an ancient bird resonated through their very souls, sending shivers down their spines.

When that bird cry appeared, everyone in the passageway was shaken. In an instant, flames surged around them, automatically protecting their bodies.

“Long Chen, are you alright?” Yu Qingxuan looked at Long Chen worriedly.

“I’m fine. What is it?” Long Chen looked at her curiously, not sensing anything. But everyone, including Yu Qingxuan, had summoned flames around them as protection.

“This is the immemorial Vermilion Bird cry, and it contains immense sacred power. You should know that outsiders can’t even get in here. Even us, with the royal bloodline, the Jiuli bloodline, suffer under immense pressure to pass through here. So, I was worried that you would be injured.” Yu Qingxuan relaxed when she saw that Long Chen was fine.

What they didn’t know was that when Long Chen followed them into the passageway, Yu Xiaoyun, Jiang Huixin, and Xu Lanxin were right behind them. The moment Long Chen was in danger, they would pull him out of the passageway.

On the other side of the spatial gate, they watched as Long Chen and the others walked to the end of the passageway. Seeing nothing occur, they sank into thought.

“Long Chen has reached the end of the passageway. But no matter how powerful his physical body, soul, and will are, how can he not sense anything at all?” wondered Xu Lanxin.

When the two of them proposed for Long Chen to enter the Vermilion Bird space, Yu Xiaoyun had rejected them as this secret space was not suitable for outsiders to enter. However, Jiang Huixin and Xu Lanxin did not view Long Chen as an outsider.

After the two of them nagged him about it, Yu Xiaoyun finally assented, but there was a condition. If Long Chen faced a powerful rejection, which Yu Xiaoyun expected to occur, they would immediately drag him out.

Originally, they had all thought that he would face a certain amount of rejection from this space, but as long as he could endure it, he would be able to get through. That would be a huge opportunity for him.

To their astonishment, Long Chen remained completely unaffected by the powerful presence emanating from the Vermilion Bird's sacred bird cry. As a result, the three of them simply stared at each other in dumbfounded silence.

BOOM!

Just then, the spatial gate slammed shut, and two Vermilion Bird marks appeared, manifesting into two clumps of flames in the form of the Yin Yang fish. As they revolved around each other, countless stars condensed into specks of light on the spatial gate.

Suddenly, they heard a clear clacking sound as the spatial gate went from illusory to solid. It was a giant gate hanging against the dome of the heavens, so big that even Yu Xiaoyun and the others appeared tiny in front of it.

When they saw this gate, their expressions changed as they were filled with disbelief.

“The strongest trial by fire, the Double Bird Heaven Earth Lock?”