Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

Chapter 6769 Choice

Before the Rainbow Cloud Leopard race joined the battle, the Black Wing Toxic Bats had already begun to retreat. That was precisely why Long Chen allowed the leopards to enter the fray.

The Black Wing Toxic Bat race had been broken. Their will to fight was gone. Letting the Rainbow Cloud Leopard race join in now was a way to look after them.

The Black Wing Toxic Bats had been retreating smoothly, maintaining formation to preserve their remaining strength. However, the moment the Rainbow Cloud Leopard race joined, their lines collapsed. They scattered like startled rabbits.

At that instant, Zhi Zhi’s massive net descended, sealing the surrounding space.

Panic erupted.

Even the acquired Divine Sovereigns lost their composure. They unleashed full-power attacks that tore apart the net of vines, only to discover another layer of net behind it.

They struck again, and a third net rapidly took shape.

That despair became an opening. The divine sons surged forward, harvesting lives. Youlan and Qingwu were especially ruthless, killing multiple acquired Divine Sovereigns each.

The Rainbow Cloud Leopard race’s divine sons charged over, eager to reclaim the dignity they had lost earlier. They attacked without hesitation, hurling themselves at the acquired Divine Sovereigns.

In a short time, every acquired Divine Sovereign of the Black Wing Toxic Bat race was slain. Two divine sons, however, fell during the counterattacks.

They had gravely overestimated themselves and fatally underestimated their opponents.

Even so, their losses would have been far worse without Youlan and Qingwu. The two of them had saved three divine sons from certain death. Without their protection, more divine sons would have perished.

With their acquired Divine Sovereigns gone, the remaining Black Wing Toxic Bats descended into complete chaos. The slaughter that followed was swift.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the final Black Wing Toxic Bat was killed, and the battle came to an end.

Zhi Zhi dispelled its heaven-encompassing net and pulled all the corpses and blood into the primal chaos space. Just like that, the world returned to its original appearance, as if nothing had happened.

Despite the overwhelming victory, no smiles appeared among the Rainbow Cloud Leopard disciples. Instead, tremor of fear rippled through their ranks.

Most of them were stained with blood—some their enemies’, some their own.

They still could not believe it. The Fullmoon and Golden Horn races’ disciples had slaughtered those bats so easily. Yet, when it was their turn, they were in constant danger of losing their lives.

Despite joining only once they had the upper hand, the Rainbow Cloud Leopard race still lost hundreds of thousands of disciples. Among the dead were two divine sons.

“Report our losses,” ordered Long Chen.

“The Golden Horn race lost seventeen people.”

“The Fullmoon race lost nineteen!”

Two people stepped forward and announced the results, sounding very proud. Each number felt like a blade stabbing into the Rainbow Cloud Leopards’ hearts.

However, Long Chen shook his head.

He said, “Even with an absolute advantage, you still lost over thirty people. As divine sons, you did not look after anyone. You took no responsibility for anyone but yourself.”

Youlan instantly lowered her head. His words were exceptionally sharp in her ears.

Long Chen continued, “As divine sons, you carry the future of your race on your shoulders. Everyone who follows you into battle is your brother or sister. Every death is a loss of future hope. When all your brothers and sisters are gone, when only you remain, how will you revive your race?

“Don’t look down on people who seem weak right now. You have no idea who may one day obtain an opportunity and soar to the heavens. In this world, no one is guaranteed to remain the strongest. As divine sons, your responsibility extends beyond yourselves. You must unite against your enemies, not turn on one another.”

Long Chen’s final sentence in particular made all the divine sons blush. They didn’t dare to look him in the eye.

Among them were those who secretly feared being surpassed.

Some had even employed secret methods during the battle to kill a potential rival amid the chaos.

Long Chen’s final sentence struck at a sickness that plagued countless sects and factions.

Perhaps during normal times, it was fine for disciples to be fighting amongst themselves. But now, if they could not be united, they were beyond foolish.

Turning to Xu Changchuan, Long Chen said, “Changchuan, we have known each other since our days in the High Firmament Academy. We can be considered old friends. Your thoughts do not escape me. If you continue to nurture those narrow-hearted selfish desires, the Fullmoon race may one day decline and perish because of you.”

Xu Changchuan’s expression changed. “Brother Long, I—”

“I’m only giving you a warning,” Long Chen said, waving him off. “The choice is yours.”

Long Chen understood Xu Changchuan’s circumstances. He also understood his thoughts.

Xu Changchuan lowered his head, and Li Wangshu stared at him. Li Wangshu had no idea what Long Chen was talking about. Was Xu Changchuan hiding something from him?

Though the battle had ended in victory, Long Chen’s speech left them with heavy hearts.

“We should continue onward,” Long Chen said. “If the devil race blocks our path again, I hope you guys will perform better.”

With that, he walked away. Yuantu, Li Wangshu, and Jin Ming quickly followed.

“Changchuan, what did Senior Long Chen talk about?” asked Qingwu hastily.

“I’m tired. I’m going to rest,” Xu Changchuan replied dully. He turned and left without another word.

Qingwu and Youlan exchanged a look. They had no idea what had just happened. They had clearly won, yet it felt as though they were the ones defeated.

“Perhaps by Senior Long Chen’s standards, we lost this battle terribly,” sighed Youlan.

She recalled witnessing Long Chen command the battlefield before. He had remained calm and precise the entire time. However, their battle was messy and riddled with mistakes.

By Long Chen’s measure, after undergoing the training of the Seven Treasure Space, the Golden Horn and Fullmoon races should not have suffered a single casualty in a battle of this level.

They had rested for barely an hour when devil qi suddenly erupted ahead. Terrifying fluctuations struck them.

“Again?!”

Everyone was startled. They had just fought and had not fully recuperated.

What appeared to be a blood-colored current came flying toward them, surrounding the flying shuttle in the blink of an eye.

“The Bone Blade Blood Devil race!”

Amongst the outsider devils, the Bone Blade Blood Devil race was rather famous. Their numbers seemed endless, and their ferocity was terrifying. They were even stronger than the Black Wing Toxic Bats.

“No one else moves! Fullmoon race disciples, follow me into battle!”

A cold shout rang out.

Xu Changchuan appeared in the sky.

In just one short hour, he seemed completely transformed, stunning both Youlan and Qingwu.