Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)

The Nirvana Scripture rang out in Long Chen’s mind. However, its tone was different this time.

Besides sounding sacred and holy, the scripture now carried a gentle yet profound weight, a resonance capable of silently nurturing all existence.

Back in the temple, Long Chen had only memorized up to the fifth volume. When the sixth volume appeared, Long Chen entered a state of forgetting himself and even the world. As a result, he couldn’t remember the scripture from back then.

Now that he once more heard the sixth volume, Long Chen started to chant along with Yu Qingxuan. However, while Yu Qingxuan’s voice was gentle and warm, Long Chen’s voice was hard and domineering.

The same scripture was producing a different flavor when chanted by two different people. When Yu Qingxuan chanted it, flame runes flowed around her like the tide, gentle but unfathomably deep.

On the other hand, when Long Chen chanted it, the flame runes were like roaring dragons, their ferocious flame energy shaking the world.

Long Chen’s flame energy seemed to specialize in destruction. When he chanted the Nirvana Scripture, its power of annihilation made the world uneasy. It was like the very world quivered because of Long Chen’s voice.

Following Yu Qingxuan’s transmission of the Nirvana Scripture to Long Chen, Huo Linger manifested and, in turn, conveyed her recorded version of the scripture to him.

As a flame spirit, Huo Linger’s comprehension abilities were limited. While she could absorb and memorize the scripture quickly, her assimilation of the content was a more gradual process. Thus, she directly transmitted the memorized Nirvana Scripture to Long Chen.

Although Huo Linger’s understanding of the Nirvana Scripture was not that high, the Nirvana Scripture she chanted also had a different flavor, feeling like a natural unending loop.

After hearing Yu Qingxuan and Huo Linger’s Nirvana Scriptures, Long Chen started to slowly take in this new knowledge. Atop a towering mountain, his hands moved with fluidity, weaving intricate seals as flames enveloped him, each flame containing the merged essence of all flames within this world.

When a sacred chanting rang out like gods murmuring, chains started to appear in the air one by one, only to be sundered by the potent flame energy emanating from Long Chen.

An air of annihilation permeated the surroundings, and amid this ethereal atmosphere, the Earth Cauldron appeared, looking at Long Chen quietly. After accepting Long Chen as master, it mostly stayed out of his spiritual space whenever he cultivated.

“Senior, is Long Chen alright?” Yu Qingxuan asked anxiously, her gaze fixed on the myriad chains materializing around Long Chen before shattering into fragments.

“Don’t worry, he is branding himself with the Nirvana mark,” the Earth Cauldron reassured her.

“What is the Nirvana mark?” asked Yu Qingxuan hastily.

“The Nirvana Scripture is the number one flame element scripture within the nine heavens and ten lands, and it encompasses the way to control the energy of every flame within this world. Due to how large its scope is, every person must choose a single path for them to follow in the Nirvana Scripture. A master cannot be a jack of all trades, so many times, you must abandon one thing to gain another. Countless people throughout the ages had tried to cultivate the Nirvana Scripture, but none of them walked the same path. Even someone as powerful as Lord Brahma only specializes in one aspect of the Nirvana Scripture. It is simply a law of the Nirvana Scripture that no one can change,” replied the Earth Cauldron.

Yu Qingxuan seemed to understand, but she also felt that she was missing something. What the Earth Cauldron was saying seemed simple to understand, but there was something more profound in its words that she didn’t quite grasp.

The Earth Cauldron continued, “Your path has long since been set, yet Long Chen must choose his own path. Your character is different from Long Chen’s, so your cultivation of the Nirvana Scripture will also be different. Long Chen is searching for the path most suitable to him.”

More and more chains appeared in the sky. They were like a heaven-encompassing net now, seemingly binding Long Chen.

BOOM!

Suddenly, Long Chen’s hand seals changed, and a torrent of flames exploded out of him ferociously.

This torrent of flames turned into a flame dragon and soared into the heavens, shattering all the chains. It roared as it pierced through the dome of the heavens.

“Alright, his Nirvana Scripture has taken an embryonic form, so his technique has its own unique mark now,” said the Earth Cauldron.

“Raging Flame Dragon Prison!”

Long Chen’s roar reverberated like thunder, resonating with the authority of a sacred and formidable scripture. As he uttered those four words, they carried the weight of the divine resonance echoing behind them.

BOOM!

A giant flame cage appeared around Long Chen, and he could vaguely see dragon runes within the flames. They were beautiful and brilliant, looking as if they were made of immortal metal, not flame energy.

Yu Qingxuan stood in astonishment, her hand covering her mouth in disbelief. She was shocked not just by the cage’s terrifying aura but by how it looked as if it were made of immortal metal. What left her truly astonished was Long Chen's ability to summon the cage effortlessly, without any hand seals or other gestures. The mere invocation of its name seemed to command the manifestation of this cage.

“This is the path he chose. He fights to live and destroys to survive. In the future, fighting and destroying will be the theme of his life,” said the Earth Cauldron, its voice also excited. It seemed that it hadn’t expected this.

Long Chen slowly extended his hands toward the cage. As he clenched his hands, the flame prison instantly contracted and exploded.

Seeing his flame energy blast a giant hole into the void, Long Chen smiled with satisfaction.

He had finally found the core of the Nirvana Scripture, a foundational technique upon which countless others could be erected. It was akin to opening a door to an entirely new realm of possibilities.

It was just like how he had risen to a new level with the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art. Now, the world before him was completely different from the world he had known before.

This metamorphosis was like a sublimation beyond the reach of language. Only those who had undergone a similar journey could truly grasp its significance. For those who hadn't, no explanation could suffice. It was an experience that simply defied explanation.

“Senior, thank you very much.”

Long Chen turned to the Earth Cauldron excitedly. This time, upon entering this world, he had relied on the Earth Cauldron’s guidance, which was the only reason he had gained so much.

“There’s no need for words of courtesy between us as you have reached the initial realm of mastery. What do you plan on doing now?” asked the Earth Cauldron.

“I’d like to ask for senior’s guidance,” replied Long Chen humbly.

What kind of joke was that? If he had the Earth Cauldron guiding him, would he even need to think? The Earth Cauldron definitely knew where the good stuff was.

“Right now, we are just waiting for the heavenly manifestation to descend so that you can undergo your Divine Venerate tribulation. However, it seems that it will still take some time. You can choose to simply digest your gains, or you can walk around. I can’t tell you what to do,” said the Earth Cauldron.

“If that’s the case, I want to go back to that temple,” muttered Long Chen.

“For what?” asked Yu Qingxuan.

“I want to see if I can kill that disciple of Lord Brahma’s.” A fierce light flashed in Long Chen’s eyes.