Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

"What?!"

Guo Ran's soul almost flew out of his body. "Boss, are you trying to scare me?"

Long Chen apologetically said, "I'm not trying to trick you. The countdown to the end of your life starts now."

"No way. Boss, you definitely have a way to save me!" Guo Ran almost wept.

"Fool, as soon as a person is born, the countdown to the end of their life starts," snorted Tang Wan-er disdainfully.

"Boss, are you just messing with me?" asked Guo Ran.

"Why would I do that? Right now, everyone else is fine. But you and Xia Chen have weak constitutions that can't stop the curse from spreading. In under two years, both of you will be dead," said Long Chen. "As for everyone else, their constitutions are stronger, and they can last longer. Because we were born on the Martial Heaven Continent, the curse of the Star Field Divine World will slowly be ground down by the will of the Martial Heaven Continent. It will slowly weaken over time. Only you two will be unable to endure. I won't waste any more words. I have a way to save your lives, but whether or not you survive will be up to yourselves."

Long Chen opened a door, revealing a pool filled with blood.

The scent of blood poured over them along with a berserk will. All their souls shook. The roar of dragons rang out in their minds.

This terrifying dragon might made them shiver.

"This is…"

Long Chen explained, "This is the dragon blood within the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest's blood pool. Those who were allowed to contribute to this blood pool were all dragons who had reached the thirteenth rank, and only those with the purest bloodlines at that. They were elites amongst elites in the dragon race. After so many years, it's unknown how many dragons have contributed to this essence blood. As for what I obtained, it is the final part of the essence blood, the quintessence. Considering that you cultivate the Dragon Blood Body Tempering Art, you are extremely sensitive to the pressure of this dragon blood. If you want to erase the curse in your bodies, you will have to let the dragon blood reforge your bodies. This second tempering will strengthen your bodies and allow you to gain a trace of the dragon king's might. That curse will be wiped out that way."

Long Chen had originally been planning on having the Dragonblood warriors undergo this tempering in the Star Field Divine World, but Ling Xi had told him that it would be better to wait until they returned to the Martial Heaven Continent. Then they might be able to gain the blessing of the dragon race's ancestral spirits, allowing the tempering to have a greater effect.

"Ten thousand dragon blood?"

"Dragon king's might?"

Gu Yang and the others involuntarily gulped, having not expected Long Chen to possess such a terrifying treasure. This was precisely what they needed.

If they merged with this essence blood, their bodies would be strengthened once more. It could even strengthen their dragon blood manifestations. That power… was unimaginable.

They felt a mix of surprise and joy. Hence, they had an urge to jump inside right now.

"However, let me just say this first. This blood contains the will of the dragons. Because we belong to the human race, there will be a powerful rejection. You all know the rule of the dragon race. Only by obtaining their approval can you absorb their essence blood. I'm not worried about your wills. But Xia Chen and Guo Ran, the two of you have to mentally prepare yourselves," said Long Chen.

The two of their expressions changed. They had a bad premonition. As expected, Long Chen's following words made their hearts sink.

"Since the two of you have spent a long time using Zhao Ritian to excavate immortal ores, the curse is strongest in you. To erase it will be a long, painful process. During this tempering, if your will slackens, you might die. No one can save you then."

"It can't be that serious, right?" Guo Ran gulped.

"Perhaps it's even more serious than you believe. The dragon might contains its own sacred aura, which is the bane of the curse. You'll need to stay inside the dragon pool for at least seven days and seven nights. Moreover, to avoid impacting the others, I've set up two special tempering pools for you two. There's an hourglass inside there for you to keep watch." Long Chen patted them on the shoulders. "Brothers, you have to survive. All your other brothers depend on you."

He then turned to Gu Yang and the others. "You guys can enter the blood pool now."

Gu Yang and the others had long since grown impatient. Gu Yang charged in. But as soon as he did, he shouted and flew out.

When he flew out, everyone saw that he was red, like a roasted toad. Countless bubbles had appeared under his skin.

Everyone was horrified. Considering how powerful Gu Yang was, even if he was tossed into lava, it would be like a hot bath. But this blood pool immediately caused such a reaction. All his defenses were useless in the face of this blood pool.

"Don't worry, the reason there's such a reaction was due to the rejection of the blood pool. The dragon blood that you previously obtained was too low grade and not pure enough. The blood pool's essence blood contains only the highest of grades, resulting in a greater rejection. Hence, the first thing you'll need to do is endure the trial of the dragon blood. That includes the pressure of the dragon might and the tearing of the physical body, but your lives won't be in danger. So as long as you persevere and don't offend the dragon will, you will be fine. Only real experts can obtain their approval. If you feel the slightest cowardice, don't even think of using the dragon blood to temper your bodies," warned Long Chen.

Gu Yang immediately jumped back into the blood pool upon hearing this. His teeth clattered as he immersed himself in the pool. That appearance was horrifying. He seemed to be in immense pain.

However, after a few breaths, Gu Yang's expression relaxed. He lay inside the blood pool, as if he was sleeping.

"He has received the approval of the dragon will." Long Chen nodded. Gu Yang's will was truly powerful.

Seeing that Gu Yang had succeeded so quickly, everyone else was reinvigorated. Li Qi and Song Mingyuan also walked over.

However, just as they were on the edge, a scream ripped through the air. Gu Yang's eyes suddenly popped open, and the veins on his forehead almost exploded. Li Qi and Song Mingyuan were so startled that they almost fell in.

"Don't make a fuss. He has passed the trial of the dragon might, so now is the tempering of his physical body. The dragon blood in his body is being expelled in the most barbaric way. Yes, it will be a bit painful," said Long Chen calmly.

A bit painful? Everyone stared at Gu Yang screaming. Was this really just a little bit?

Li Qi and Song Mingyuan exchanged a glance. Clenching their teeth, they jumped in. The two of them were captains of the Dragonblood Legion, and everyone was watching. They couldn't turn into cowards.

A muffled groan came from both of them as they bitterly endured.

"Let's go. Blessings and disasters are shared between brothers."

Other Dragonblood warriors also jumped in. They couldn't keep waiting because they felt like they wouldn't have the courage to jump in if they didn't go now.

As a result, screams rang out through the air. The blood pool seemed to be a hell for them. Meng Qi and the others felt a chill and couldn't bear to watch. The first to enter, Gu Yang, was now stripped of his skin, revealing his bloody flesh.

"Let's go to the blood pools I prepared for you two," said Long Chen to Xia Chen and Guo Ran.

Xia Chen was pale but forced himself to walk. Guo Ran was being dragged by Xia Chen, and he was weeping. "Brother, I can't feel my legs. They have their own thoughts, and they don't want to go."

"Brother, don't pull. My legs feel weak too," said Xia Chen. This really was frightening. As a formation cultivator, his physical body was weak. Perhaps he would be even inferior to Guo Ran upon entering the blood pool. After all, Guo Ran was half a fighter.

"We've arrived." Long Chen pointed at the rooms in front of him. "This room is connected to the other room, so the two of you can hear each other's voices. I don't want the two of you to go so crazy that you injure each other, so I separated you physically, but this way you can encourage each other. Guo Ran, my good brother, you must endure. When the curse is erased, you have to lead the Dragonblood Legion against the divine families. Promise me that you'll live."

Guo Ran: "Boss, I…"

Before he finished speaking, Long Chen tossed him into the blood pool. His screams instantly started.

Long Chen then shut the door. They could hear Guo Ran's screams from the other side. Right now, Meng Qi and the others felt some pity for him. Guo Ran was most afraid of pain.

"Boss, I can enter myself." On the other hand, Xia Chen rather manfully walked in by himself.

When Xia Chen jumped in, he grew dumbfounded. Although there was some sizzling pain, it wasn't so exaggerated. "Boss…"

Meng Qi suddenly covered her mouth and laughed. "You really are evil. You tricked everyone."

"Tricked everyone?" Tang Wan-er and the others stared at her in disbelief.

"If the sacred aura of dragon might was the bane of curses, Long Chen wouldn't have suffered so badly to Gui Yan's curse, forcing him to go all the way to Pill Valley to get the second volume of the Nirvana Scripture," said Meng Qi.

Everyone came to a sudden comprehension. After that, Long Chen laughed. "How else could I trick Guo Ran into toughening up?"

Xia Chen's jaw dropped, and he stared at Long Chen in disbelief. They had all been fooled?

Long Chen said, "Your pool has been modified with some special medicinal ingredients, or you really would die. You just need to soak in it and get used to the dragon might. Otherwise, when the Dragonblood Legion goes all-out, their dragon might will harm you. You also have another mission."

"What mission?"

Long Chen pointed to the wall and chuckled. "It's to act like you're in a similar pain to encourage Guo Ran to continue. Do you understand? The seven days is nonsense. He only needs to endure three days, and his combat power will advance a startling amount. That amount will then be multiplied by his armor. How strong he can grow is up to you."

Guo Ran was currently struggling for his life inside the blood pool. Never in his dreams would he imagine that he had been schemed against by his most respected boss.