Chapter 6459 Star Prince Xiao Yin
“Toxic? If it’s toxic, why did you give it to that girl?” demanded Evilmoon.
“What’s poison to one can be nourishment to another,” Long Chen replied calmly. “For Fei Shuang, it was a rare opportunity. But for me, it would’ve been lethal. When I severed Bing Yi’s arm, I noticed something off. That’s why I asked the Earth Cauldron to confirm it by examining her essence divine rune.”
“So you already noticed back then,” said the Earth Cauldron in surprise.
Long Chen nodded. “In truth, I already felt something strange during my fight with Aogu. His astral energy seemed off, but I couldn’t tell what it was. Then, during the battle with Bing Yi, I understood.”
The Earth Cauldron sighed. “The human race’s perceptiveness really is on another level.”
“Hey, hey, what are you two talking about? Stop beating around the bush and get to the point,” Evilmoon barked, feeling like a fool.
Long Chen explained, “When I fought Aogu, I felt vague divine fluctuations from his astral energy.”
“Divine fluctuations?!” Evilmoon exclaimed, its tone turning sharp. “Since when did the nine star line carry the inheritance of gods?”
“That’s exactly the problem,” said Long Chen grimly. “The nine star line isn’t a god lineage. There shouldn’t be divine fluctuations at all. Yet, with Bing Yi, those fluctuations were even stronger. That’s when I went looking for proof.”
He told Evilmoon everything he had seen inside Bing Yi’s essence divine rune. Although their souls were connected, neither of them pried into the other’s memories. That was their sign of trust in each other.
“Senior,” said Long Chen, “I figured this out myself. I’ll bear whatever karma comes with it. There’s no point in hiding it from me anymore, is there?”
The Earth Cauldron had helped him enter that divine hall, and from its reaction, Long Chen could tell it had known the truth all along.
However, the Earth Cauldron had many secrets that it couldn’t tell Long Chen outright.
“You old cauldron, what are you up to? If you already knew, why didn’t you say anything?” raged Evilmoon.
The Earth Cauldron retorted, “Do you think I’m as brainless as you? My guidance would invoke major karma that could harm Long Chen.”
Evilmoon bristled, but before it could lash out, Long Chen calmed it down.
Evilmoon wasn’t truly brainless—it just disliked using its brain. To it, problems existed to be solved with one swing of a blade. Two, if the first didn’t work. And since it trusted Long Chen completely, there was no need for it to use its brain anyway.
With a deep tone, the Earth Cauldron explained, “That hall is known as the Star Immortal Hall. It was where the Star Master comprehended the Dao. Within it remains the astral will he left behind when creating the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art. It’s the sacred cultivation ground of the nine star line. The divine statues you saw are the statues of the Star Master’s followers—peerless figures who once shook heaven and earth. Unfortunately, every one of them fell in the primal chaos war.”
Long Chen’s heart shook. No wonder those statues had emitted such terrifying auras; they were once the Star Master’s mightiest followers.
The Earth Cauldron continued, “As for the person seated on the platform, his name is Xiao Yin. He is also the Star Prince they speak of.”
“The Star Master’s surname was Xiao?” asked Evilmoon.
“No one knows the Star Master’s real name,” corrected the Earth Cauldron. “The same goes for the Pill Sovereign. Xiao Yin was the Star Master’s adopted son.”
“The Star Master had no children? Not even with the Pill Sovereign?” Evilmoon pressed.
The Earth Cauldron ignored the question and went on. “Xiao Yin should’ve perished in the primal chaos war, yet somehow, his soul still lingers in the Star Immortal Hall. Judging by his state, he’s using those divine statues to recover. That’s all I know—and all I should say.”
Hearing this, Long Chen sank into thought.
So, the Star Prince is actually the Star Master’s adopted son.
Someone who should have died was recovering in that divine hall. Also, Bing Yi had worshiped him like a god and received a sliver of his divine energy—one that elevated her to an entirely new level.
Long Chen suddenly took out the bottle with Bing Yi’s soul in it. She was being tormented badly. The moment she saw him, she lunged like a crazed specter, only to be burned back by the flames.
“Even after burning for so long, your temperament still hasn’t improved,” said Long Chen coldly. “Seems I’ll have to turn up the heat.”
As he increased the flame’s intensity, Bing Yi screamed, her voice hoarse and venomous.
“Long Chen, I curse you! I curse you—!”
With a flick of his wrist, Long Chen sealed the bottle again, silencing the shrieks. It seemed that cleansing her dirty mouth wasn’t possible. However, he had no other method to use against her. If he increased the ferocity of the flame, it would incinerate her soul.
“Senior,” said Long Chen, turning back to the Earth Cauldron, “let me make some assumptions. Xiao Yin possesses divine energy, which means he walks the path of a god cultivator. The divine statues in that hall seem bound by some force, serving as conduits for something. Could it be that the revived Xiao Yin is the one who altered the nine star line’s path? Did he turn them all into god cultivators? In that case, every nine star heir would be his follower, and he’s gathering power from them all, is that correct?”
“Based on what we know, this possibility exists. However, such a thing goes completely against the Star Master’s legacy. It would be completely unfilial of him. Xiao Yin is the Star Prince, and he should never have done such a thing...”
The cauldron trailed off. Some truths were too dangerous to confirm aloud.
“The Star Prince walks the path of a god cultivator,” Long Chen said darkly. “He divides heirs into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Mortal tiers. He shows no mercy to former allies—only cruelty. And yet, he claims his is the true lineage of the nine star line?”
Thinking of how they treated the Shadow Devil Bat race and the original devil race, Long Chen sneered contemptuously.
These were just the ones he had run into. And those were only the atrocities he’d personally witnessed. Who knew what else they’d done in the shadows?
“Long Chen, this matter might not be as simple as it appears. You need more evidence before reaching any conclusion. Xiao Yin was once the foremost figure beneath the Star Master—so powerful that even Lord Brahma and Fallen Daynight avoided him. He truly inherited the Star Master’s mantle. If you wish to condense a divine rune, you may have to humble yourself and learn from his inheritance,” said the Earth Cauldron cautiously.
In truth, the Earth Cauldron agreed with Evilmoon’s perspective: strength mattered more than virtue. Those nine star heirs indeed cultivated the most original and proper techniques of the nine star line. Even if Long Chen didn’t directly absorb them, he could study and use them as references. That would be better than just fumbling around in the dark.
Even a single Bing Yi had forced Long Chen to his limit. Compared to the top heavenly geniuses of this era, he could no longer be arrogant.
“The nine star line truly is unique,” murmured the Earth Cauldron. “Without the proper inheritance, condensing an essence divine rune is all but impossible.”
“That’s fine... I’ll just open the eighth gate first,” said Long Chen, his eyes narrowing with resolve.