Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)

The High Firmament Academy’s core region was an area that not even the academy’s disciples could get close to.

Inside that core region was the High Firmament Palace, the final building of the academy to appear. The reason why the disciples weren’t allowed there was because this palace wasn’t a region where the weak could enter.

If a person’s life was not tough enough, they would directly die inside. After all, the High Firmament Palace contained the High Firmament Academy’s highest level tomes.

Afraid of the disciples losing their lives for nothing, the higher-ups didn’t allow anyone to go near the palace even before it fully emerged.

Now that it finally appeared, all the High Firmament Academy’s disciples rushed over to take a look, and by the time Long Chen and the others arrived, there were already hundreds of thousands of disciples around it.

“When did our High Firmament Academy have so many experts?” asked Long Chen.

“We’ve never been lacking talented disciples. We just like to keep them hidden.” Just then, a burst of fragrance washed over them.

“Mom?” Bai Shishi cried out in delight. The speaker was her mother.

Her mother smiled warmly at Bai Shishi and remarked, “You’re finally acting like a girl instead of a block of ice. Good.”

“Mom!”

Bai Shishi blushed. The fact that she understood what her mother was saying was already proof that she had changed, and this change was brought on by Long Chen.

“Greetings, Aunt.” Long Chen cupped his fists toward his future mother-in-law.

“We’re all a family. There’s no need for such courtesies.”

Upon hearing this sentence, Bai Shishi’s blush deepened. Her mother was talking far too frankly for her liking, so she hastily changed the subject.

“Mom, why didn’t you tell me that you are coming? And where is my other mother?”

This other mother referred to Bai Xiaole’s mother. It was perhaps Bai Shishi’s first time voluntarily referring to her as her own mother.

Previously, Bai Shishi had been very cold to her own mother, Bai Xiaole’s mother, and her father. After all, she had been unable to accept two women sharing one man. However, after encountering Long Chen, she found that it didn’t matter how high your cultivation base was, you could only accept your fate.

As she lowered her head to love, she finally understood her mother. Now, when she looked at her mother, the familiar maternal bond from her childhood seemed to have rekindled.

“Your other mother is looking after Xiaole. After all, he is injured, and his injury distresses her badly. But the palace master only let her visit him at this time. Let’s not talk about it. Your father and the palace master have entered the High Firmament Palace. We can go in as well.” Bai Shishi’s mother held her daughter’s hand and walked in with everyone.

When they walked through the gate, a towering palace appeared in front of them. But curiously, this palace was impossible to see from the outside.

Once they walked through the gate, an ancient and sacred aura washed over them. The palace was decked in glorious splendor, its divine light washing over everything. It felt like there were dragons swimming around the palace, bestowing it with their light.

The sacred aura enveloped all, instilling a profound sense of reverence in those who approached. In front of this palace, Long Chen felt himself to be miniscule, as though he was standing in the river of history, watching as time flowed around him. Even as time flowed rapidly around this palace, it stood eternal.

It was like a spectator watching the time pass. The spectator had watched the rise and fall of the nine heavens and ten lands. Regretfully, it could not express what it saw, or perhaps it should be said that it did not wish to express it.

Three gilded characters were written on a horizontal sign board, but Long Chen didn’t recognize these characters. Actually, they didn’t resemble characters but appeared more like runes with complex lines, almost like mystical formations.

They exuded an aura of soaring beyond the clouds and standing at the peak of the ten thousand Daos, embodying a supreme will that transcended all life.

This aura had the feeling of looking down on everything beneath the heavens, like that of an overbearing bully. It was a feeling that made people willing to kowtow and worship it.

Although no one recognized these characters, they could guess their meaning. These three characters were High Firmament Palace.

These characters should be first-generation Jiuli immortal characters. Long Chen could read third-generation Jiuli immortal characters and recognize a few second-generation characters, but he didn’t recognize any first-generation Jiuli immortal characters.

There were countless disciples wearing robes of the High Firmament Academy outside the High Firmament Palace. Long Chen also saw many disciples wearing similar robes, but there was a large Battle character emblazoned on their chests.

Seeing Long Chen eyeing those disciples, Bai Shishi’s mother said, “Those are disciples of the Battle God Palace. They have a different system from the academy.”

Long Chen nodded. The High Firmament Academy had its own plans, and this time, for the Sage King Convention, they summoned their hidden experts one by one.

However, even these disciples could only mill around the outside of the High Firmament Palace. After all, the immense pressure exuding from the High Firmament Palace was so great that they had to gradually get accustomed to it before they could enter.

As for Long Chen and the others, they directly walked through a barrier of light at the gate. When Long Chen passed through this barrier, he felt some kind of mysterious ripple go through his body.

It was an extremely odd feeling, and it seemed to be directed at his heart, as if it was asking his heart a question. As for how his heart responded, even he himself didn’t know.

Long Chen glanced at Bai Shishi and the others and saw that they didn’t seem to have sensed anything. Long Chen couldn’t help being curious. Could it be that this mysterious ripple only affected him?

Beyond this gate lay countless figures, with many more layers of divine light and gates stretching ahead.

"These are the gates of destiny," explained Bai Shishi's mother. "There are three levels, each consisting of three gates. However, you can only access the palace's interior if you pass through all nine gates of destiny. Within the palace, the secrets of the Grand Dao are enshrined, but if you want to learn about them, you need a strong life. Without it, your longevity will be stripped away and you will die inside. Here, the main requirement as to whether or not you can enter is the toughness of your life. If you feel a stabbing pain in your soul, you must immediately stop. The High Firmament Palace might not be able to defy the heavens and change your fate, but as our High Firmament Academy’s sacred land, it can help change your karmic luck. However, every person’s karmic luck has an upper limit. If you reach that limit and still can’t pass through the nine gates, it can only be said that you have no destiny with the High Firmament Palace,” she concluded.

While speaking, they all passed through seven layers of light. It was when they reached the eighth gate that Zhong Ling and Zhong Xiu felt that it was getting difficult to proceed.

Bai Shishi’s mother told them not to force it. At this time, they basically had entered and just needed some time to adjust.

The two sisters were very obedient. After feeling like it was getting too much, they stopped while Long Chen and the others continued on.

Once they were through the nine layers of light, they reached the palace gate of the High Firmament Palace. The moment Long Chen set foot on it, a vast pressure crashed down on him.