Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

Chapter 5466 A Dilemma

The sword quivered as starlight rippled along its edge, illuminating everyone’s face. A sharp Sword Qi surged, causing the entire Ten Thousand Dragon Nest to tremble.

Although the sword’s immense power was completely under Long Chen’s control, the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest's defenses instinctively activated. It wasn’t that the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest distrusted him—it simply reacted reflexively to the perceived threat.

Everyone could see the runes on the sword swirling on it, as if it had been bestowed with life. When Long Chen withdrew his astral energy, the sword settled, its radiance dimming. Yet, the awe it inspired lingered, leaving everyone stunned.

“Boss, you can go all-out. Test out its strength!” urged Guo Ran.

Long Chen, however, shook his head. “It’s very strong, but it still cannot contain my full astral energy. Destroying it in a test would be a waste. Besides, this sword’s true strength lies in its compatibility with dragon blood power. Only with that can it reach its full potential, and I won’t use my dragon blood power on it now. I’ll leave you in suspense—test it yourselves.”

After handing the sword back to Guo Ran, Long Chen announced, “For now, everyone should just stay here. Don’t go out. Guo Ran, it’ll be hard on you. Quickly awaken the spirits of the Dragonblood Blades. We’re going to have a big battle in a bit.”

“Are we fighting the resonant dragon race?” asked one of the Dragonblood warriors.

Everyone’s eyes lit up. After all, the resonant dragon race had provoked them the most, so their blood was instantly set ablaze at the thought of putting them in their place.

“Not just the resonant dragon race. There should be our old opponent as well,” Long Chen replied, smiling slightly.

“Our old opponent?” Everyone was startled.

“Do you mean the Silver Hair Void Crusher?” guessed Yue Zifeng.

Long Chen nodded. “Yes. He’ll probably come aiming to crush us instantly. This time, we’ll settle the score.”

“He’s really terrifying,” said Bai Xiaole, scared at the thought of the Silver Hair Void Crusher.

“What’s there to fear?” scoffed the little fox on Bai Xiaole’s shoulder. “The current Dragonblood Legion isn’t the same as before. If he dares to show up, we’ll make sure he can’t leave!”

“That’s right, he won’t escape this time,” Long Chen said firmly. “I’ll personally deal with him, but he won’t come alone. He’ll bring a large group of experts, and there might even be others as powerful as him. This is going to be an intense clash. Every ounce of strength we can muster will increase our chances of victory. Last time, the Dragonblood Legion was utterly crushed by him. Let that serve as a warning—our path will only grow more challenging from here. We must all become stronger.”

Hearing the Silver Hair Void Crusher was coming and bringing a large group of experts, the Dragonblood warriors clenched their fists. Last time, the Silver Hair Void Crusher had crushed them, and Long Chen had to risk his life for their escape. None of them wanted history to repeat itself.

Guo Ran immediately started forging weapons, while the others entered seclusion in the white dragon race’s training facilities to prepare.

At this moment, Bai Yingxue came over and said, “Long Chen, the race leader is looking for you.”

Long Chen followed her to another section of the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest, where the white dragon race leader Chi Yue, Mo Ying, Xie Qianzhong, and several other key figures awaited. However, this time, they had come through secret channels instead of openly.

Their expressions were grave, reflecting the weight of the situation. As soon as Long Chen entered, Mo Ying spoke bluntly, “The situation is worse than expected. The resonant dragon race and the bone dragon race have started to make their move. The resonant dragon race and the bone dragon race have begun awakening the monsters sealed within their ranks. They’re clearly preparing to stake everything against us. We’re debating whether to awaken our own sealed heavenly geniuses, but we need your opinion.”

“For them to take such drastic measures now means they’ve already received their orders,” Long Chen said. “When their reinforcements arrive, they’ll launch their attack immediately. This battle will decide the Dragon Domain’s survival. We have to bring our full strength to war.”

Mo Ying said, “We agree, but there is likely a major problem. The sealed monsters... they’re not easy to deal with. They’re all incredibly arrogant. What if, when awakened, they—”

“You’re worried they won’t accept the current state of the Dragon Domain?” Long Chen interrupted, a small smile forming. “And that seeing you allied with the human race might drive them to rebel or refuse to follow orders?”

Mo Ying and the others nodded. Indeed, talking to smart people saved a great deal of effort, sparing them the need for further explanation.

This was their greatest worry. The Dragon Domain’s various factions had sealed away many peerless geniuses throughout history—formidable individuals from the immemorial era to the present. These geniuses had been preserved at their peak, awaiting an era of great opportunity.

The six major factions possessed tens of thousands of such sealed experts, each a dominant force in their respective times. However, awakening them came at a risk. These figures thirsted for true challenges against opponents of equal caliber.

There was a saying, “There cannot be two kings of the hill.” In any era, there could only be one true leader in any race. Therefore, if all the sealed geniuses were awakened at once, they would likely clash with each other before even facing their enemies.

This left Mo Ying and the others in a dilemma. Their decision wasn’t just about whether or not to awaken them, but how many to awaken. The initial plan was to awaken only a select few—the more moderate ones with some sense of reason. However, the number of such individuals was limited. Most of the heavenly geniuses were wild and self-willed. They did nothing unless it suited them.

Long Chen’s suggestion, however, was to awaken them all. These unruly beings could very well cause chaos throughout the Dragon Domain, which was their biggest concern.

“We don’t know how the resonant dragon race and the bone dragon race managed to keep their sealed monsters in check, but it seems like they’ve found a way to keep them at peace. For us, though, I don’t think we have the power to control them all if we awaken them,” Chi Yue said, his voice filled with concern.

“Their method was simple,” Long Chen replied. “They told the sealed monsters that the resonant dragon and bone dragon races want to take control of the Dragon Domain. With a shared goal, it’s easier to keep them in line.”

Chi Yue’s eyes brightened. “So, can we do the same?”

“That approach works for them, but it won’t work for us,” Mo Ying answered, shaking his head.

“Why not?”

Mo Ying explained, “Because they’re facing the entire Dragon Domain. They know they have no choice but to unite against such overwhelming odds. But we’re six major factions being threatened by just two. Our sealed heavenly geniuses will not feel threatened by them. They might even mock us for overreacting.

“Worse, they could ignore us and attack our enemies directly. Some of them might try to declare themselves kings. But the real danger comes if they see Long Chen and the others. They’ll likely see them as rivals and strike first. Just think about our attitude when the Dragonblood Legion first arrived in the Dragon Domain. Do you feel like their reaction will be any better than ours?”

After Mo Ying said that, everyone fell silent again.

“It’s fine. You can awaken them all.” Long Chen smiled slightly. “Let me deal with them.”