Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

Chapter 5188 Cleaning Up the Sect

“Really?” Long Chen couldn’t help but confirm it again.

“Really,” replied Lu Chengkong firmly.

Long Chen wanted to rush over immediately, but he still had something to do here. Suppressing his excitement, he turned to the disciples of the branch academy.

Long Chen said, “I know you’re stubborn and angry, finding this hard to believe. But you’re too naive. This is the reality. On the martial stage, you might be considered skilled within the confines of certain rules. But the battlefield is a different story. There, the rules are cruel—people use any means necessary to kill. The outside world is more dangerous than you can comprehend.

“Your lives in your secluded world were too easy, too peaceful. You’ve lost your edge, your sense of crisis. Of course, that’s not entirely your fault. It’s the environment that shaped you. I was going to abandon you, but Dean Chengkong has given you a second chance. If you can grasp it, then good. If not, you’ll essentially be crippled for the rest of your life.

“Today marks my first day in charge of the academy. As the new manager, I’m going to do things my way. But my way might be a bit dangerous.

“First, all the laws and systems of the first academy must be approved by the head academy. Whether or not you agree to it, you have to accept it.

“Second, all positions in the branch academy will be temporarily taken over by the head academy. Remember, it’s just temporary. All staff of the branch academy will work together to hand over their tasks. Once the branch academy has stabilized, the positions will be handed to those who have the right aptitude, integrity, and capability.”

When Long Chen mentioned the second point, the elders of the branch academy immediately exploded in protest, but Long Chen ignored them.

“Third, and this is the final point, this academy is filled with corruption. It’s rotted to the core. All members of the branch academy will be investigated closely, and the reports will be followed up on. If you were simply greedy and formed your own gangs in the academy, your punishment might be light. But if you caused the death of anyone—whether they were a superior or subordinate—you’ll pay with your life. No exceptions.”

Hearing this, everyone, including Bai Letian, was shaken. Long Chen’s approach was ruthless. If this continued, with everyone reporting to each other, how many people from the first academy would survive?

The expressions of the elders from the first academy changed, but many younger disciples’ eyes shone with hope.

“Dean Long Chen...” started Bai Letian.

“Dean, I have yet to hand over the first academy’s seal to you. In other words, I am still the dean of the first academy. Of course, you can use your authority as dean of the head academy to relieveof my position. Just say the word, and I won’t bother with this place any longer,” said Long Chen, taking out the first academy’s dean seal.

Bai Letian looked at the seal and sighed helplessly. He knew Long Chen was truly angry and wanted to use the most domineering method to cleanse the first academy of its tumors.

In Bai Letian’s view, this method was too risky. A more stable approach would be to gradually teach the people of the first academy, taking things step by step.

On the other hand, the palace master nodded in approval of Long Chen’s actions, as he liked the swift and decisive approach. Once a decision was made, there should be no hesitation in its execution.

Long Chen sternly continued, “As the dean of the first academy, I will create a set of fair rules and standards. Every person’s life is precious—no one has the authority to strip someone of their life or trample over them. You can’t change the rule because someone killed a weaker or smaller person, or give special treatment to someone with authority or power. I, Long Chen, was once an ant in the mortal world, and I reached this level step by step. I want to prove to this world that you can’t bully the weak. The weak are not necessarily weak forever. When the weak rise, the world will turn upside down.”

Countless disciples in the first academy felt a resonance with Long Chen’s words, their blood boiling with excitement.

Suddenly, one of them stepped forward and shouted, “Dean Long Chen, I want to make a report! Elder Xiao Yunyu killed my big brother to help his own disciple achieve a better placement on the Earth Rankings! I can swear on my soul that it’s true!”

“You... you’re spouting nonsense!” an eight-vein Heaven Saint shouted at him.

However, just then, spatial fluctuations appeared around the elder, and startled cries rang out. “He’s trying to escape!”

All of a sudden, Sword Qi sliced through the air. The elder’s body had just started to blur, on the verge of being transported away, when this Sword Qi sliced through his head.

Startled, everyone looked over at Long Chen, only to see that he hadn’t moved. But behind him, Yue Zifeng was slowly sheathing his sword.

Yue Zifeng had killed the elder instantly, terrifying everyone. The attack hadn’t unleashed any aura nor a heaven-shaking explosion, yet it had easily killed an eight-vein Heaven Saint.

At that moment, Zhao Weizhou, who had previously challenged Xia Chen, felt a chill run down his spine. Yue Zifeng stood alongside Xia Chen. In other words, he had challenged an existence on this level without even realizing it; he wished he could find a hole to bury himself in.

“As the dean, if I couldn’t control this academy, there would be no point inbeing here,” said Long Chen coldly.

Just then, the Dragonblood warriors spread out, surrounding the disciples. Their icy gazes terrified everyone, even the nine-vein Heaven Saints didn’t dare to resist.

“I want to make a report!”

“I want to report...”

Seeing that even an eight-vein Heaven Saint was executed for his crimes, countless people started to make reports. Speople wept as they vented their grievances. Thanks to the corrupted lead of those two elders, the entire branch academy was completely rotten.

One by one, the corrupt elders were executed. By the tall the reports were processed, over eighty percent of the academy’s higher-ups lay dead on the ground.

As for the disciples, half of them were pulled out. Under Long Chen’s supervision, the victims personally executed those who wronged them.

Rivers of blood flowed before the palace, but Long Chen’s heart remained unmoved. He never pitied people like this because they never pitied their victims.

Suddenly, a wave of movement rippled through the crowd. Every single one of the survivors knelt before Long Chen. As if seeing light at the end of a long tunnel of darkness, they looked at him with reverence and gratitude.

“Dean, sorry for this,” Long Chen said as he offered the seal in his hand to Bai Letian.

Seeing the disciples crying on the ground, unable to contain their emotions after avenging their grudges, Bai Letian sighed, “You have nothing to be sorry about. Perhaps your actions are the correct one.”

If Bai Letian had handled the situation, he would have executed a few people as examples and let the matter rest. From the academy’s development perspective, his methods might have been correct, but they would have been unfair to those who suffered.

“I should have waited for things to settle before doing this, but I don’t have time. Now the academy’s operation might be a bit messy for a while,” said Long Chen with a bitter smile.

Long Chen had only cared about letting the victims vent their grievances, not thinking that many of those criminals had important duties in the academy. Without them, the academy’s internal business would cto a grinding halt.

“It’s fine. Now that the tumors have been carved out, the rest of the body can slowly heal,” Bai Letian reassured him.

At this moment, Lu Chengkong stared at the corpses piled on the ground, feeling immense guilt. Perhaps if he had been tougher, if he had fought against the two vice deans, the first academy wouldn’t have decayed to this point.

“Dean Chengkong, could I trouble you to bringto the High Firmament Treasure Pavilion?” asked Long Chen.

When this matter was done, Long Chen’s attention shifted back to the Nirvana Scripture.