Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)

“Senior… did I mishear you?” asked Long Chen, his voice quivering. The Earth Cauldron seemed extremely dissatisfied with him, but now it said that it wanted to formally accept him as its master? Long Chen was dumbfounded. What a sudden turn of events.

Although the Earth Cauldron had been by Long Chen’s side all this time, Long Chen had never thought of becoming its true master.

As it was one of the ten great primal chaos divine items, the kind of individual who could be its master must be of an extraordinary caliber. A mere bandit like himself certainly couldn’t bear the weight of such immense responsibility and karma.

“To tell the truth, you really are stupid. But you have a special quality about you that makes people blindly trust you. Furthermore, no matter what terrible situation you are in, you never give up. It’s like you don’t know what fear is. When others feel fear, you only feel anger. When you’re angry, you always do some foolish things. At first, I suspected that the old monster of the dragon race had gone crazy to actually associate with you and even share its untransmittable secrets,” remarked the Earth Cauldron.

“Are you talking about that senior of the dragon race? Do you know it?” asked Long Chen, his heart pounding hard in his chest. From the Earth Cauldron’s tone, it seemed they were acquainted.

The Earth Cauldron didn’t answer him and instead continued, “My past companions were glorious, overflowing with talent and intelligence. Yet, none of them had a good end. As for you, you are different. After thinking about it over and over again, I’ve decided to make a gamble. So, are you willing to take this gamble with me?”

“What are we exactly gambling?” asked Long Chen.

“We are gambling lives, both mine and yours. We are gambling with the fate of all life within the nine heavens and ten lands.”

“Why do we have to gamble?” Long Chen couldn’t help asking.

“Because the nine heavens and ten lands are on the verge of destruction. I must choose a master and support them with my full power in order to race against time. In truth, you aren’t my top choice, but circumstances leave me with no other option but to choose you,” the Earth Cauldron explained solemnly.

“Fully support me?” Long Chen was delighted to hear that.

“Don’t get too happy. Your power is too weak. After the master acknowledgment, the karma you face will be absolutely terrifying, and your heavenly tribulation will become even more difficult. You might not be able to endure your next tribulation. I have to make this danger clear.”

“A person’s gain depends on how big their guts are! Guts are profit! There’s nothing to fear. I will accept this gamble!” replied Long Chen directly.

“Think this through,” the Earth Cauldron urged solemnly.

“There’s nothing to think about. You already said that I’m stupid, so how could I think of a better idea?” Long Chen responded with a grin.

“Don’t joke about it. This is a path of no return. Once this decision is made, neither you nor myself can go back on it,” warned the Earth Cauldron gravely.

“You are one of the ten supreme divine items. If even you’re willing to gamble your life, how can I not be willing to do so?” said Long Chen.

“Fine. If that’s the case, prepare yourself. I will carry out the ceremony,” remarked the Earth Cauldron.

Buzz.

Even though it told Long Chen to prepare himself, in truth, it didn’t give Long Chen any time to do so. The Earth Cauldron hovered above Long Chen’s head, shaking intensely. Long Chen then felt his soul come out and brand itself onto the Earth Cauldron.

At the same time, the image of a bronze cauldron appeared on Long Chen’s forehead, and he sensed a temporary exchange of souls with the Earth Cauldron.

During this soul exchange, Long Chen felt a profound sense of weakness, as if his entire cultivation base had been crippled. It reminded him of the time in the Phoenix Cry Empire when he lay in bed after being beaten unconscious.

Dejection, humiliation, anger, resentment—countless negative emotions filled his heart. The feeling of weakness drove him to the brink of madness.

Long Chen knew that these were the feelings of the Earth Cauldron. As one of the ten supreme divine items, it was practically at death’s door. Hence, the resentment and humiliation it felt could not be described with words.

Heaven and earth quivered as the cosmos itself shook, halting the movements of the stars. Every expert within the nine heavens and ten lands stared in shock at the sky.

Amongst the stars, the image of an enormous cauldron appeared, and there was a vague figure beneath the cauldron.

“What is that?!”

Screams of terror filled the world as people thought that this was a manifestation of some devil god. They had no idea what it was.

“Could it be that the legends are true? Are the nine heavens and ten lands about to be destroyed? Heaven and earth will flip, and the ten thousand Daos will be destroyed. Can anyone escape this tribulation?” asked an elderly expert, his voice quivering with fear.

Throughout every corner of the nine heavens and ten lands, panic and chaos ensued when this scene appeared.

In the High Firmament Academy, an old man who had been tirelessly sweeping the ground for what seemed like an eternity finally set down his broom. Lifting his gaze to the starry sky above, his once-clouded eyes cleared instantly, becoming as clear as spring water. It was as though his gaze could penetrate through the very fabric of time and space.

A slow smile crept over his face. “The manifestation of the heavens. A primal chaos divine item has accepted a master. Long Chen, hehe, you really aren’t a normal little fellow!”

…

Long Chen was unaware that this process had caused a huge disturbance within the nine heavens and ten lands. At this moment, he was slowly merging his soul with the Earth Cauldron’s.

The Earth Cauldron’s soul was simply too vast, akin to an ocean, while Long Chen’s soul was like a tiny boat. Long Chen could only resonate with a portion of the Earth Cauldron’s Spiritual Strength.

Suddenly, Long Chen shook, and his soul returned to his body. He didn’t feel any change in himself. However, the Earth Cauldron now felt like a part of him.

The Earth Cauldron said, “Master…”

“Ah, senior, please don’t call me that! You can just call me little fellow like usual!” Long Chen jumped at the mention of that word.

“I’ve already accepted you as my master. Calling you master is very normal,” said the Earth Cauldron.

“No, no, it’s not normal! It feels very weird! Why don’t you just call me by name?” Long Chen hastily waved his hand. Being called master was not something he could get accustomed to.

“Alright, then I’ll just call you by name. Long Chen, I have formally recognized you as my master. A manifestation will shake the nine heavens and ten lands. When the time comes, the monsters of the various races will come to hunt you down like madmen,” warned the Earth Cauldron.

“Why? Are they jealous of my looks?” asked Long Chen.

Ignoring Long Chen’s jest, the Earth Cauldron continued, “Since I have accepted a master, as long as someone can kill you, I will become a masterless item. But in this state, all they will have to do is place a spiritual seal on me to become my new master.”

“No way!” Long Chen was horrified. Didn’t this make him a live target?

“Furthermore, I would be unable to resist at that time. That’s why I said that it was a gamble. There’s no turning back anymore. I will bring you to a certain place now.”

“Where?”

“A place you dream of going.”