The void exploded, runes of the Dao flew wildly, and Long Chen was shaken back more than ten steps, his blood and energy surging violently.
Clearly, the power of this strike was not as strong as that of the Nine-Star disciple, but a look of wild joy appeared on Long Chen's face.
"I succeeded, I succeeded."
Long Chen himself could hardly believe it—he had mastered the Nine-Star Secret Technique in an instant. Only those who had endured attacks from Nine-Star disciples knew just how terrifying this move was.
Such a terrifying move was instantly learned and executed by him.
Although Long Chen's strength still seemed inferior to the Nine-Star disciple, it must be noted that Long Chen was only a beginner and had not fully mastered it, yet he could possess such terrifying power. This was already extremely rare.
In fact, Long Chen was able to master this move in an instant thanks to the Galaxy Sky Technique and the Nine-Star successor he met during the last tribulation.
During the last heavenly tribulation, that Nine-Star successor had used a similar skill. Long Chen had tried to imitate it, but both attempts failed. The summoning techniques he copied were ambiguous but lacked the essence.
Later, guided by the Galaxy and Firmament Technique, Long Chen learned to draw stars into his body, transforming his body into stars, laying a solid foundation for himself.
The Galaxy Firmament Technique itself evolved from the Nine-Star Overlord Body Technique, but the Galaxy Firmament Technique is simpler and easier to understand. Still, the gap between it and the Nine-Star Overlord Body Technique remains enormous.
Long Chen easily mastered the Star Transformation of his body, but trying to imitate the techniques of the Nine Star Heir from the last tribulation never worked. Even when he managed to condense it, it was only a similar form, with a difference in power.
However, without the Galaxy and Firmament Technique, without the disguise of that Nine-Star successor, without Long Chen's countless painstaking studies, there would not have been today's instant fusion.
So, many times, success is not accidental; countless seemingly futile efforts have led to today's muddled success.
"Boom!"
Another loud crash rang out as Long Chen and the Nine-Star disciple clashed head-on with each other. The waves of energy overlapped, and Long Chen was once more forced back.
But Long Chen was overjoyed. Although still at a disadvantage, at least he had a chance to fight against him.
Long Chen howled toward the sky, stars swirling within the divine ring behind him, purple divine radiance surging. The phenomenon Long Chen had awakened before—'Purple Qi Born from the Sea of Stars'—now revealed a different kind of divine radiance.
The mysterious purple divine radiance flowed, causing endless stars to operate in a rhythmic fashion. Long Chen's star power, like a volcano that had been suppressed for billions of years, finally found a breakthrough and unleashed its power, unstoppable.
"Boom boom boom... This
time, Long Chen fought back, swinging his fists like meteors, desperately attacking the Nine-Star disciples.
Unlike before, when he was passively taking hits, Long Chen began to fight for the initiative. Although he was still being suppressed, at least three out of ten moves could be used to counterattack.
The Qiankun Cauldron watched Long Chen fight fiercely from the side. It had been very worried, knowing Long Chen's character. If it stepped in to help, it could severely damage his confidence and severely hinder his growth.
But if he didn't act, and he was afraid Long Chen would actually be killed, that Nine-Star disciple had been copied by the formation, and he would never show mercy.
Now that Long Chen was gradually stabilizing the situation, it secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "This guy is a bit dumb, but when it comes to cultivation, he possesses powerful perception and talent. He always finds the most beneficial way to train." Although
the Qiankun Cauldron always called Long Chen stupid, in reality, it meant that when Long Chen was angry, he lost his mind.
When it comes to Long Chen's cultivation, it still highly respects him; otherwise, it wouldn't risk betting on him.
Rumble...
Long Chen exchanged punches and kicks with the Nine-Star disciples. Long Chen fought back with all his might, but he could never gain the upper hand and was still being overwhelmed.
Long Chen knew that the reason he suffered was because of the unfathomable movement technique of the Nine Star successor. Also, as a member of the Nine Star lineage, his perception of danger had noticeably dulled, so Long Chen suffered a major loss.
If Long Chen weren't battle-hardened and possessing invincible close-combat strength, he would have been defeated by the Nine-Star heir long ago.
While attacking, Long Chen kept an eye on the movement changes of the Nine-Star heir, while also keeping an eye on the anomalies in the star map behind him.
Soon, Long Chen noticed a faint purple aura swirling beneath the Nine Star Heir's feet. With every step he took, a star in the sea of stars above the Nine Heavens would flicker with a purple divine light.
"I understand now. His footwork follows a sequence, just like walking on a plum blossom stake—each step is a star position..."
Suddenly, the image of the arena floor appeared in Long Chen's mind. Immediately, the arena was filled with stars, and with every step taken by the Nine-Star disciple, the stars beneath his feet would light up.
It was as if countless formation disks had been arranged across the entire arena mountain, each capable of teleporting at will. Therefore, his movement technique showed no signs or traces.
"The star sea above the dome is just like the star sea in my divine ring—it corresponds to the positions of the stars in the Ninth Heaven.
He was using the power of a strange phenomenon to radiate across the earth, forming an invisible star map.
Within the Star Sea, he could go wherever he wished, just like Lei Ling'er's Thunder Domain and Huo Ling'er's Flame Domain.
Within his own domain, his body moved by his thoughts, freely traversing. However, this star domain was even more terrifying, with not the slightest spatial fluctuation and no trace of movement to be found. "
Various patterns flashed continuously in Long Chen's mind as he rapidly analyzed the movement techniques of the Nine-Star disciples and confirmed their own guesses.
The Nine-Star Inheritor's movement was so fast that his figure was everywhere on the arena, as if Long Chen alone were battling tens of thousands of Nine-Star disciples.
If it had been another person, forget about fighting—those figures alone would have been enough to stun a person, making it impossible to tell who was the real body and which was the afterimage.
"I'm doomed. With these billion-eight million stars, if every step takes a billion-eight million steps, even if I'm exhausted and cough up blood, I won't remember them!" While studying his movement technique and memorizing his steps, Long Chen suddenly thought of a question that made him feel hopeless.
However, Long Chen soon realized that the Nine-Star disciple's steps were somewhat limited; the area where the stars twinkled only occupied a small part of the center of the Star Sea.
Long Chen carefully counted: the Nine-Star disciple had set foot on only 3,600 stars, and this discovery gave him hope instantly.
"Boom!"
Long Chen roared angrily, throwing a fierce punch and clashing head-on with the Nine-Star disciple. The disciple was shaken by Long Chen's shock, and Long Chen seized the opportunity, rising and charging forward, his kick like a whip sweeping across.
"Whoosh"
Long Chen kicked out, but missed completely. Long Chen seemed to have anticipated the missed kick all along. Using the momentum of that kick, he spun around sharply, and with a punch carrying a howling wind, he smashed it fiercely toward a spot.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous explosion, the void collapsed, and a figure was sent flying by Long Chen's punch.