Nine Star Hegemon Body Art - Chapter 5367: The True Wind God Sea Pavilion

“Wan-er, don’t hold back. If you want to kill them, do it. I swear you can take them down before the divine emissary can interfere,” Long Chen transmitted to Tang Wan-er.

However, Tang Wan-er responded with a maturity that Long Chen hadn’t seen before. “Long Chen, after everything we’ve been through, I’ve learned so much. Right now, I want them to live. Their heads can stay where they are for now, as a reminder of the pain they’ve caused us. Each time we see them, it’ll fuel our resolve. And when I’m in the mood—whether I’m feeling good or bad—I’ll take their heads. Let them live in constant fear of death.”

Long Chen looked into Tang Wan-er’s tear-filled eyes and felt a deep ache in his heart. Growth often came at a heavy price, and the losses of the Hidden Dragon warriors weighed heavily on her.

Every member of the Hidden Dragon Legion had been personally chosen by Tang Wan-er, not for their talent or strength, but for their kindness. She had always remembered Long Chen’s words: Kind people deserve to be treated with warmth by this world. If the world won’t provide that warmth, then we’ll create a new world for them.

Long Chen had first said these words when they visited the Spirit race’s world, a place where purity and kindness seemed to radiate from every being. It was the first time they saw such pure eyes and felt such pure kindness. They could let down all their defenses and embrace every single one of them.

The Spirit race’s goodness had a large impact on the Dragonblood Legion, who had grown accustomed to endless slaughter. At the time, Long Chen saw them freely dancing and singing. It was during this peaceful moment that Long Chen made his promise.

Tang Wan-er had taken those words to heart. She had sworn that one day, when she was strong enough, she would protect the kind-hearted.

That dream had given rise to the Hidden Dragon Legion. However, in their first battle, the Hidden Dragon Legion suffered a cruel blow. Tang Wan-er watched helplessly as tens of her sisters were killed, and she couldn’t do anything to save them. The pain of that loss, coupled with the crushing weight of self-blame, was like poison gnawing at her heart.

This ordeal had hardened her. The once-naive Tang Wan-er had become a more decisive, determined leader.

Long Chen was aggrieved for her, but he knew that these were experiences she had to go through as a commander. He had endured similar pain when the Dragonblood Legion had suffered devastating losses on the Martial Heaven Continent. It was a pain that haunted him to this day.

Though Long Chen wished he could carry her burden, Tang Wan-er was no longer a solitary warrior. She was the commander of the Hidden Dragon Legion and had to lead them forward. Once she had taken on this role, there was no turning back. She had to follow through and keep advancing forward with them.

At this moment, the divine emissary jumped down from the palace and walked over to everyone. When he stood in front of them, Long Chen’s heart shook.

Previously, Long Chen had been unable to sense the divine emissary’s aura at all. But now that he was closer, Long Chen’s astral energy suddenly started to circulate.

This divine emissary was even more terrifying than Long Chen had expected. Despite giving off no hostility, the pressure he gave Long Chen activated his astral energy automatically.

The divine emissary looked at Long Chen with a hint of surprise, making Long Chen’s heart tighten. He had a feeling this man had seen through him. But the emissary said nothing. He turned to the assistant pavilion masters and declared, “Today’s matter ends here. All those with positions in the Wind God Sea Pavilion are hereby forbidden to leave Wind God Island.”

The faces of the higher-ups changed. They appeared to understand something but kept their emotions in check and slowly dispersed.

With a wave of his hand, the divine emissary activated the Wind Dominion Pearl, and its divine light enveloped the entire Wind God Sea Pavilion.

He then bowed slightly to Feng Xinyue, waved to Long Chen, and with a few steps, vanished from sight.

Tang Wan-er dismissed the Hidden Dragon Legion to rest on Hidden Dragon Island. She and Long Chen then made their way to Feng Xinyue’s palace. Once inside, with no one else around, Tang Wan-er could no longer hold back her emotions. She threw herself into Feng Xinyue’s arms, sobbing.

“Master…!”

Feng Xinyue gently embraced her disciple, her face etched with sorrow. She sighed, “Child, I told you not to form the Hidden Dragon Legion. Being a commander is much harder than you could ever imagine. Do you regret it now?”

Tang Wan-er cried in her master’s chest, but she firmly shook her head. She clearly did not regret making this decision. She just couldn’t accept the deaths of her sisters.

“Child, this is the price of growth,” murmured Feng Xinyue, stroking Tang Wan-er’s hair. “I know you’re tired, child. Rest now. When you wake up, it will be a new day.”

Tang Wan-er’s sobs gradually faded as she fell asleep. Feng Xinyue gently laid her down before turning to Long Chen.

She said, “You have many questions, don’t you? Sit.”

Long Chen waited for Feng Xinyue to sit before asking, “Senior, I don’t understand. Why would such a powerful force like the Wind God Sea Pavilion be controlled by people worse than dogs and pigs?”

“There are many things behind the scenes that you don’t know about. The assistant pavilion master you killed was an undercover agent from the Brahma Pill Valley, and the old crone I killed was a spy from the Soaring Dragon Company. It’s not just the two of them. Almost all the higher-ups in the Wind God Sea Pavilion are enemies who’ve infiltrated our ranks and sought to destroy the Wind God’s legacy,” said Feng Xinyue.

Long Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to comprehend how things had deteriorated to this extent. “Then why not use this opportunity to restore order to their chaos?”

“Restore order to their chaos? The Wind God Sea Pavilion isn’t in chaos, so why must the order be restored?” countered Feng Xinyue.

“The Pavilion has been reduced to this state, and you still don’t consider it chaotic?” Long Chen was astonished, almost speechless.

Feng Xinyue shook her head. “No. What you’ve seen is not the true Wind God Sea Pavilion. This is merely a facade, a mask the Pavilion wears.”

“This isn’t the true Wind God Sea Pavilion? Then where is the true Wind God Sea Pavilion?” asked Long Chen.

Feng Xinyue silently looked up toward the Wind Dominion Pearl.

Long Chen’s heart shuddered as realization struck him. “Are you saying this Wind God Sea Pavilion is just a deception meant to mislead its enemies?”

“Exactly.” Feng Xinyue gave a small nod, satisfied that Long Chen had caught on quickly. “Now, tell me about your gains? Did you manage to acquire that?”

“What do you mean?” Long Chen asked, momentarily confused.

“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I’m referring to. It’s the thing that’s tied to your source,” Feng Xinyue said, her eyes sharp and penetrating.

Long Chen’s heart shook. Could it be…?