Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

Chapter 5723 Change of Plans

As the coffin opened, Yue Zifeng appeared before everyone. Even though Long Chen had already seen his condition before, his killing intent surged once more at the sight of him.

Yue Zifeng’s entire body was covered in nails, each inscribed with spiritual runes radiating Zuo Yan’s aura. He had clearly done this.

“That bastard!”

Gu Yang clenched his teeth furiously. Yue Zifeng had been suffering unimaginable torment all this time.

“This is troublesome. These nails carry Zuo Yan’s spiritual marks. They’ll explode if touched and are linked together. Removing even one would trigger them all,” said Xia Chen grimly after examining them.

“Is there no way to extract them?” asked Long Chen.

“There is, but it will take time—time that Zifeng doesn’t have,” replied Xia Chen.

“Let me,” said Long Zhantian.

Long Zhantian walked up and gently put his hand on Yue Zifeng’s chest. A seven-colored divine light enveloped the nails. With a slight movement of his hand, all three hundred and sixty nails were extracted simultaneously.

“Dad, your control is incredible!” Long Chen couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

The greatest difficulty in extracting the nails was maintaining an absolute balance between them. Xia Chen, as a formation master, could have done it too, but it would have required extensive preparations. As for Long Chen, even with his precise control, he wouldn’t have dared attempt it. The slightest mistake could have cost Yue Zifeng his life, and he didn’t dare to gamble on it.

Yet, Long Zhantian had done it with a mere wave of his hand. This level of mastery left Long Chen in awe. If he had such control, perhaps he would have been able to kill Zuo Yan.

Freed from his torment, Yue Zifeng shuddered before he erupted into a fit of coughing.

“Zifeng!”

Long Chen and the others were delighted to see him wake up.

Leaning on Song Mingyuan, Yue Zifeng slowly sat up, his face pale as paper yet his gaze remained sharp. When he saw Long Chen, he smiled faintly.

“I knew that as long as I merged with the Divine Sword fragment, Boss would come to save me.”

“Unfortunately, your boss couldn’t kill that bastard,” said Long Chen bitterly.

Yue Zifeng’s eyes brightened at those words. He said, “That’s even better. Once I comprehend the sword will inside this fragment, I’ll kill him myself.”

“Don’t use your sword. Use these nails to skewer him instead!” exclaimed Bai Xiaole.

Yue Zifeng chuckled but barely got a word out before his eyelids grew unbearably heavy. He struggled to keep them open.

“Rest. Once you’re healed, you can take your revenge however you like—cut him to pieces or nail him into mincemeat, it’s up to you,” said Long Chen.

Long Chen quickly fed Yue Zifeng a medicinal pill, and the latter immediately drifted into deep sleep. Given his weak physical state, his wounds were no small matter.

“A pure sword cultivator... truly a rarity in this world,” Long Zhantian mused in admiration.

“Dad, what do you mean by a ‘pure sword cultivator’?” Long Chen asked curiously.

Long Zhantian explained, “A pure sword cultivator is the origin of all sword cultivators. The Sword God created a unique system where the cultivator’s heart and soul merge entirely with their sword. From that moment on, the sword becomes their life. Outside of the sword, nothing else matters.

“The world has countless cultivators, and among them, the Sword Dao is supreme. But this refers to the Sword God’s lineage. As for Zuo Yan, he follows a different path. He cultivates the sword, but he also cultivates his body, qi, divinity, and soul. That’s why he could block your strike barehanded—not just because you held back, but because his physical body is extremely powerful.”

Long Chen finally understood. When facing Zuo Yan, the overwhelming pressure hadn’t just come from his sword—it had emanated from his entire body.

Long Zhantian continued, “The Sword God’s lineage focuses on the sword and sword alone, forsaking all else. Thus, their attack power is the strongest, but it also makes them the most fragile existence: a razor-sharp blade is also the easiest to break. That’s why the High Heaven lineage altered their path. To them, the sword is the sword, and the cultivator is the cultivator. They train both separately so that even without a sword, they remain formidable. But their full power is only realized when they become one with their sword.”

“So in other words, they lack confidence,” Long Chen sneered.

Long Zhantian laughed, patting Long Chen’s shoulder. “You’re spot on. If they truly believed in their sword, they wouldn’t need anything else. With just their sword, they would be unrivaled. The High Heaven lineage ruined a masterpiece by adding unnecessary strokes to a perfect painting. And to think that High Heaven dares to call himself the second Sword God? Ridiculous.”

Just from Long Zhantian’s tone, he clearly looked down on this so-called High Heaven Sword God. Judging from Zuo Yan’s methods and the actions of the High Heaven Sword Sect’s disciples, it was obvious their lineage was lacking in integrity.

“Dad, now that you’re back, stay with us,” Long Chen said earnestly.

“I can’t. In fact, I need to take you with me,” Long Zhantian replied.

“What? Where are we going?” asked Long Chen in surprise.

“To the violet blood race’s territory.”

“You’ve found them? Did you find mom’s tracks?” Long Chen asked, his excitement surging.

“Details on your mother are still unclear, but the situation is promising. I’ve already found your grandfather,” Long Zhantian revealed.

A stern and icy figure surfaced in Long Chen’s mind—one of immense wisdom and unparalleled determination: Immortal King Luo Zichuan.

Back when Luo Zichuan was merely an Immortal King, he had dared to embark on a lone journey to rescue his ancestors. Later, through a fateful encounter, Long Chen met him again in a secret realm, but their reunion was brief.

Apparently, the Lifehunter race had grasped the general location of the violet blood race. However, after clashing with them multiple times, Long Chen couldn’t gain any useful information.

Hearing that Long Zhantian had found his grandfather, Long Chen was delighted. The day his family would be reunited was finally within reach.

He could hardly contain his emotions. The thought of finally meeting the mother he had no memories of filled him with excitement and nervousness.

“Don’t celebrate just yet. Entering the violet blood race’s domain won’t be easy,” Long Zhantian warned.

“What do you mean?” asked Long Chen.

“I am considered a sinner for them. You must understand this. That’s why I need you to lead the way,” Long Zhantian said helplessly.

Long Chen instantly understood. Because of his mother, Long Zhantian had refrained from making direct contact with the violet blood race. Instead, he had come to find Long Chen—because Long Chen carried the violet blood within him.

“Senior...”

At that moment, Long Chen turned to consult the Dragon Sovereign. His plans would have to change.