Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

Chapter 5518 Reflections of the Dao

“After occupying our land, you dare to threaten us? Who gave you those guts? The only reason no one has dealt with you before is that you’ve never encountered Boss Long San. I was just planning to pass through, but your arrogance was too revolting to ignore. So, are you satisfied now?” Long Chen said coldly.

Standing in the air with Dragonbone Evilmoon resting on his shoulder, Long Chen looked extremely arrogant. Black qi gushed out of Evilmoon like a waterfall, enveloping the battlefield in dread.

Having just destroyed an ancient city with a single blow, Long Chen seemed less a man and more a harbinger of death. Beside him, Yue Zifeng stood serenely, his calm demeanor contrasting sharply with the destruction around them. His unshakable composure made the observers tremble.

“You...”

The woman from the Heaven Demon Divine Phoenix race gritted her teeth. She had underestimated Long Chen. Although she knew that Long Chen was much stronger than the idiots from the High Heaven Sword God Sect, she hadn’t expected this level of power.

So, a provocation from her had led to the destruction of an entire city and the death of its lord? The Heaven Demon Alliance had never suffered such humiliation before.

“Who are you!? What sect are you from? Do you dare to tell us? Let me know who has the guts to challenge the entire Heaven Demon Alliance!” she shouted.

“I am Long Chen, but people usually call me Boss Long San. I am from the High Firmament Academy. I have no positive feelings or negative feelings toward the demon race as a whole. That’s because within the demon race, I have mortal enemies I will kill one day, and I also have close friends I would die for. As for whether you wish to be friends or enemies, it’s up to you,” replied Long Chen indifferently.

“Long Chen? I’ve never heard of the High Firmament Academy. Are you too cowardly to reveal your true origins?” she retorted, disbelief coloring her tone.

She truly had never heard of him or the High Firmament Academy. Hence, she thought he was trying to trick her.

“Long Chen? The one on the Brahma Pill Valley’s arrest warrant?!” exclaimed someone from the crowd.

Long Chen glanced at the speaker before continuing, “If you’ve never heard of the High Firmament Academy, it’s either because you’re ignorant or your ancestors were. I won’t waste more words on you. Don’t bother stalling for reinforcements; I’ve already disabled the transportation formations. The two of us are busy, and we’ll be leaving shortly. You have two choices: let us leave peacefully or force us to kill you all before we go.”

His tone was calm, yet the weight of his words pressed down on them like a mountain.

The woman trembled with rage. Her hand tightened around her original true feathers, and her blood qi surged. But in the end, she held back.

Although neither side had been going at full power, the previous exchange had revealed the truth: she couldn’t beat Long Chen.

After all, she had used the power of her original true feather, while Long Chen hadn’t channeled Evilmoon’s power. Even then, she had been blown back. Though she still had many trump cards in her hands, they might not be enough against Long Chen.

Furthermore, she was alone, while Long Chen still had a terrifying sword cultivator by his side. There was no way she could challenge both of them.

Under the watchful eyes of countless experts, Long Chen and Yue Zifeng turned and left without so much as a backward glance. They left behind a pile of ruins and a group of stupefied experts.

...

As they walked away, Yue Zifeng finally spoke. “That woman was powerful. It’s a shame she didn’t attack.”

Yue Zifeng was a bit disappointed that no one dared to stop or pursue them.

“Her power comes from her weapon, not herself. You wouldn’t obtain anything from fighting someone like her,” replied Long Chen.

Yue Zifeng’s hands itched to fight a powerful expert, but his judgment of people’s strengths wasn’t as refined as Long Chen’s. Immersed in the world of swords, Yue Zifeng naturally hadn’t honed that skill so much. However, Long Chen instantly saw through that woman; her power stemmed entirely from her bloodline and divine weapons, not her own efforts.

“If you fought her, you’d destroy her feathers and kill her. It would be a waste of energy,” Long Chen added.

After a moment of thought, Yue Zifeng nodded. “Boss really is great. Your judgment is incredibly precise.”

Long Chen chuckled. “Your sword would have told you the same thing the moment you drew it against her.”

“True, but my sword doesn’t usually look at others,” Yue Zifeng said with a faint smile.

“You’re right. Anyone your sword looks at dies,” Long Chen replied.

“Hahaha!”

The two of them laughed, Yue Zifeng’s usual aloofness seemed non-existent now. Around Long Chen, his guard fell away, and he seemed more relaxed.

“Boss, can I ask how someone like that woman can progress?” Yue Zifeng’s voice was thoughtful as they traveled.

“Her path is set in stone. She’ll never step into the ranks of peak experts. To put it simply, she has no Dao,” Long Chen said.

“What do you mean?”

“As long as you have a Dao, you can always improve through various techniques. But if you have techniques without a Dao, you’ll stagnate,” Long Chen explained.

Yue Zifeng said, “Then the Dao is like a pool, while techniques are like water. Even if the pool has no water, rain will fall from the heavens and nourish it. Rivers and creeks will form from the nourishment, growing continuously. However, without a pool, even if the water is within the starry river of cosmos, it remains water. Its essence never changes, and its amount never increases.”

Smiling slightly, Long Chen replied, “That’s one way to put it, but it’s incomplete. The Dao can be comprehended but not spoken. Once you try to explain it, the Dao ceases to exist. Describing it as a pool or water is only one reflection of its nature. If you cling to that analogy, your understanding of the Dao will be constrained by it. You will only be able to think of the Dao as a pool of water, but the Dao cannot be described as something like that.

“Remember, all descriptions and analogies of the Dao are incomplete. The Dao has countless faces, and each analogy reflects only a single side of it. To describe the limitless Dao as something limited is impossible. So, while your analogy holds some truth, you must let go of it. Don’t get locked into that mentality, or it will be detrimental to your cultivation.”

Yue Zifeng was silent for a moment, processing Long Chen’s words. Finally, he said, “Boss, following you is the blessing of a lifetime.”

Long Chen’s expression grew serious. “Having brothers like you who listen to me brag is also a blessing.”

The two exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

...

Several days later, they arrived at the Wind God Sea Pavilion’s territory. As they approached, Yue Zifeng’s expression turned grim.

“Boss, something seems off.”

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