Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

BOOM!

An explosion came from the pill furnace, startling Meng Qi and the others. The Demon Moon Furnace had actually caused the pills to explode.

“What happened?” asked Meng Qi, looking at Long Chen’s clone.

Ling-er was also startled. “Spiritual fluctuations came from senior Evilmoon, disturbing me. It seems that something has happened.”

Long Chen’s clone had Evilmoon controlling the spirit, while Ling-er and the Heaven Flipping Seal controlled the qi and essence. When Long Chen left and brought away Evilmoon, Evilmoon had left a portion of its soul behind to maintain the clone.

Right now, the void split open. Evilmoon appeared and merged into the clone. “It’s not good. Long Chen has fallen for a trap.”

“What?”

…

Within endless darkness, a chilling cold invaded Zi Yan’s body. This was a prison. The sinister, ear-piercing laugh of devils occasionally rang out here, as if resentful spirits were wailing.

That sound possessed a powerful effect on the soul. It could invade a person’s mind-sea and draw them into illusions. It could even be used to grow a heart-devil.

As a music cultivator, Zi Yan was even more sensitive to such an attack. She felt ten times the pain someone else would.

However, whether it was the pain of the physical body or the torment of her soul, she didn’t care about any of it. Only one thing gnawed at her heart like a viper.

“Long Chen, I harmed you…”

Within the darkness, the Music Master’s sinister voice rang out in her mind along with her ruthless expression.

She felt hatred. She had become a chess piece used to harm Long Chen. Since they were unable to directly target Long Chen, they used her and Long Chen’s trust in her.

She wished that she was dead now. With Long Chen in their hands, he was definitely suffering a fate worse than death.

Hatred. Resentment. Unwillingness. Killing intent. The devil music crashing down upon her from all directions was clearly attempting to nourish a heart-devil within her, gradually erasing her will and turning her into a puppet.

What she needed to do was to calm herself. That was the only way to resist the invasion of the heart-devil. However, whenever she thought of Long Chen, those negative emotions surged within her.

In front of her lay the Southern Sea Zither. Regretfully, it was already under someone else’s control. It was like a lifeless log.

“Senior, did you also encounter something like this? Am I really going to end up becoming their puppet? Will my own hands slaughter the lives of the Martial Heaven Continent? Will I kill my sisters and Long Chen’s hot-blooded brothers?” Zi Yan muttered to herself. Tears once more surfaced in her eyes.

She felt like she had fallen into a bottomless hell, powerless to resist. The formations and chains made her unable to even kill herself.

“Now do you know the evil side of humanity?” Suddenly, a voice rang out in Zi Yan’s mind.

Zi Yan was startled but ecstatic. “Senior, is it you? Is it really you?”

That voice belonged to the Southern Sea Zither. But that was impossible. The Music Master had used the zither soul to gain complete control over the Southern Sea Zither. What lay before her should be nothing more than an empty husk.

This husk was for her when she became bedeviled. She would then play a song of slaughter, becoming nothing more than a tool. Hence, for the Southern Sea Zither to be able to speak to her, she finally felt a glimmer of hope within this endless darkness.

“Of course it is me. Answer my question from twenty years ago again. When you encounter evil people, what should you do?”

Zi Yan felt as if she had returned to twenty years ago. When she was but a girl, the Southern Sea Zither had asked her this question.

Her answer was that she would turn evil to good, bringing them to the correct path. Now that the Southern Sea Zither brought it back up, she felt that this answer was laughable.

“Kill… Kill them all!”

Killing intent raged within Zi Yan’s eyes. She recalled the Music Master’s fake face and her seniors’ expressions. At this moment, her killing intent exploded like a volcano.

In that instant, Zi Yan began to transform. Her face grew colder, harder. If Long Chen was present, he would definitely find her resembling Sovereign Han Wei.

“Good. The current you are finally qualified to be my master. I am a slaughter zither. The music of slaughter can only be played by those who can kill resolutely. In that battle of the immortal era, my master betrayed me, almost causing the destruction of the Eastern Wasteland Bell. Ever since then, I carry a disgrace that cannot be washed away. From then onward, I stop believing in kindness. I only believe in killing. My last master was Han Wei, and you will be the next Sovereign Han Wei. Come, join forces with me. We will kill until the world flips,” said the Southern Sea Zither.

An ancient zither appeared within Zi Yan’s mind-sea. This was the zither soul, and it fully merged with Zi Yan. However, this zither soul was not very powerful. Before Zi Yan could speak, the Southern Sea Zither explained.

“My main soul is still under their control. But as long as you do as I teach you, acting like you’ve become a bedeviled puppet, we will reclaim that main soul when they try to control you. Furthermore, after you become a puppet, they will definitely pour their resources into you to turn you into the strongest killing machine. While becoming a Sovereign isn’t possible, you will become an Emperor. Then we will kill them until their blood turns into a river.”

Zi Yan nodded. Within the darkness, an unprecedented determination shone in her eyes.

Long Chen, if you are still alive, I will accompany you in battle; if you are dead, I will kill all our enemies and then join you.

…

Pain wracked Long Chen’s body. He felt like he had become prey caught in a spider web. Every single bone, every single meridian was hooked. His blood had almost been sucked dry, and he was incomparably weak.

“Long Chen, I’ll give you another chance, one last chance. If you want to live, hand over your secrets.”

Long Chen barely managed to raise his head. His neck crackled. He didn’t know what they had done to him, but just opening his eyes made his eyes burn.

His vision was extremely indistinct at first. He found himself in a foreign world, cold and desolate. Stones covered this craggy land, and the spiritual qi of heaven and earth had been sucked dry. There was no sign of life.

Standing in front of him were two people. One was the Lord Saint, while the other the sinister Heaven Executioner. His slender hands held a delicate bloody blade. He was looking at Long Chen with interest, a smile on his face.

“I didn’t expect that after so many years, I will get to use my blade against your body once more. It truly is an honor.”