Chapter 6567 Imprisoned
The little girl wore multicolored robes, and her pretty features made her look as though she were carved from warm jade. Her eyes shone as purely as gemstones. Her beauty felt unreal—an innocence so bright it changed the world around her, turning it into a dreamlike wonderland.
This girl was Little Crane, whom Long Chen had not seen since leaving the High Firmament Academy. She beamed with surprise and delight the moment she saw him. Opening her arms wide, she rushed toward Long Chen.
Normally, Long Chen would have hugged her without hesitation. But the white-robed Long Chen stared blankly at Little Crane.
“Big Brother Long Chen... what’s wrong? Do you not recognize Little Crane?” she asked, tilting her head. A faint confusion clouded her pure eyes.
“I... think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not him.”
For some reason, the white-robed Long Chen couldn’t look her in the eyes.
In the heaven region’s battlefield, he had slaughtered countless lifeforms and had faced off against the Heaven Earth Cauldron. His expression hadn’t even flickered when standing before Ye Boran, a Divine Sovereign.
Yet now, before this small girl, that unshakable confidence faltered.
“I wouldn’t get it wrong! You are Big Brother Long Chen. Do you not want Little Crane anymore? Is it because I’m always sleeping? But if I don’t sleep, I’ll never grow up...” Little Crane’s arms remained outstretched. She stared at Long Chen with a wronged expression, her eyes misty.
“I...”
Even someone whose heart was forged from iron couldn’t help feeling flustered before Little Crane’s gaze.
Seeing she was about to cry, the white-robed Long Chen gritted his teeth and reached out to hug Little Crane.
“I knew it! Big Brother Long Chen would never hate me! You even agreed to marry me when I grow up!” Little Crane giggled happily.
The white-robed Long Chen was tense; every nerve in his body was stretched taut. Goosebumps prickled along his neck.
However, when Little Crane held him tightly, a serene feeling washed away all his discomfort.
“Actually, I’m not Long Chen...” The white-robed Long Chen tried to explain again.
“Big Brother Long Chen, don’t lie to me! You are my big brother! Even if your aura is different, even if your spiritual fluctuations changed—you are definitely my Big Brother Long Chen!” Little Crane said with an innocent laugh.
The white-robed Long Chen was baffled. He asked, “Then how did you recognize me?”
Little Crane tilted her head. “I don’t know. It just feels right.”
Above them, the other Rainbow Cranes started to circle, their radiant wings releasing waves of auspicious qi that lit up the sky. It was as if they were urging Little Crane onward.
Little Crane stepped back from Long Chen’s hold and held his hand.
She asked, “Ah, Big Brother Long Chen, I have to go repair a heavenly crack with my big and little sisters! Can you come with us?”
The white-robed opened his mouth to refuse, wanting to continue his discussion with Evilmoon. After all, he needed the blade’s cooperation if he wanted to remain in Long Chen’s body for long.
However, just as he was about to reject her, he saw the expectation in her eyes. Against his will, he nodded.
“I knew it! Big Brother Long Chen always treats me the best!” Little Crane said, overjoyed.
She then tugged Long Chen toward the other Rainbow Cranes.
The Rainbow Cranes flew at the front, leaving trails of auspicious qi that gathered around Little Crane and the white-robed Long Chen, pulling them gently along.
Wrapped in that gentle radiance, while holding Little Crane’s small hand and watching the Rainbow Cranes glide through the sky, the white-robed Long Chen emptied his mind. Peace spread quietly through him.
“Big Brother Long Chen...” Little Crane patted Long Chen’s shoulder, wanting him to sit.
When he settled down, she sat directly on his legs and leaned back against his arm, smiling contentedly.
“There’s still a bit of time until we arrive. I’m going to sleep for a while. Every bit I sleep is a bit I grow!”
The white-robed Long Chen was completely baffled. Little Crane really did fall asleep just like that. Within moments, she was dreaming peacefully in his embrace.
The white-robed Long Chen felt like dreaming. He was an unmatched devil to countless people, his hands covered in blood. He couldn’t believe someone would fall asleep soundly in his embrace.
“Just who am I...?” he whispered, gazing into the distance.
A glimmer of confusion flashed through his black eyes. After taking control of this body, he was like an unmatched expert, turning the battlefield into hell on earth and drowning the world in fresh blood.
Yet afterward, he had felt a hollow loneliness. Even after breaking free of Purgatory and returning to the nine heavens, nothing here belonged to him.
Evilmoon’s rejection only deepened that emptiness. The heavens were vast, yet he had no place in them. But then, Little Crane appeared before him. She was perhaps the only existence in this world who acknowledged him as him.
Sleeping peacefully in his arms, she wore a soft smile. Her lashes fluttered gently with her dreams.
“Look, it’s Rainbow Cranes! Heavens, we’re really seeing Rainbow Cranes...!”
Startled cries rang out from the mountain range ahead.
There was a sect built there, and the appearance of the Rainbow Cranes caused startled cries to ring out. Everyone immediately came out to see the flock of Rainbow Cranes.
“They’re actually flying right at us! Doesn’t this mean our Pure Profound Sect is about to rise?” A disciple cried out in shock.
Just then, the Rainbow Cranes flew over their heads, bringing auspicious qi that flowed into their sect.
Just like that, their sect’s grand formation shuddered, and the mountain range lit up. That light continued to spread into the distance.
“A revival of karmic luck?” The white-robed Long Chen’s eyes narrowed. Even he was stunned, as the profundities involved were beyond his comprehension.
This phenomenon lasted only for a moment and was only visible from the sky. The people below didn’t know of it, still waving to the Rainbow Cranes.
“Heavens, isn’t that... Lord Long Chen?”
Once the Rainbow Cranes flew past, they saw the white-robed Long Chen at the rear and shouted in excitement.
“Lord Long Chen!”
Their excitement upon seeing Long Chen surpassed even that for the Rainbow Cranes. If their elders hadn’t chided them, they would have flown into the air.
“Hmph. I didn’t think people would like him that much,” the white-robed Long Chen said coolly.
“Back then, Long Chen launched a massive counterattack against the ten thousand races. In the process, he saved these small sects and factions by drawing the hatred of the other races onto himself. To them, he is their savior,” said Evilmoon.
Seeing those disciples’ excited shouts, the white-robed Long Chen snorted disdainfully. It seemed they truly idolized Long Chen.
“Worthless.”
“I also found it worthless,” Evilmoon said. “But if Long Chen were in danger, these worthless people would feel alright to die on his behalf.”
“Ants are still ants—no matter how many there are. Better to improve yourself than waste time on them.” The white-robed Long Chen sneered.
“Yes. I felt the same,” Evilmoon agreed. “But Long Chen said he was once an ant who grew step by step. Who knows if another Long Chen will rise from among these ants?”
The white-robed Long Chen fell silent. In the past, Long Chen wasn’t even an ant in the eyes of the immortal world, just a speck of dust.
After being silent for a long time, the white-robed Long Chen finally asked the most important question.
“Evilmoon... what must I do for you to work with me?”
“I can work with you,” Evilmoon said after a pause, “but first, you must find something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know what it is.”
“Are you joking with me?” The white-robed Long Chen’s expression sank.
“You just find something in this world that you would willingly sacrifice your life to protect. Only then will I cooperate,” said Evilmoon calmly.
“And what is that supposed to be?” the white-robed Long Chen demanded, frowning.
Evilmoon didn’t reply.
It simply let the white-robed Long Chen ponder this question himself.
...
Darkness, endless darkness.
Atop an icy throne, Long Chen stared blankly at the world around him.
At first, Long Chen couldn’t see anything at all, and he didn’t know how long he had been here. Eventually, either the world grew brighter or his eyes simply adjusted.
Now, he could see it.
A sea of blood around him. All of a sudden, the pungent scent of blood assaulted his nose.
He was on an island, an absolutely enormous island of endless bones. At its highest point stood a bone throne, and Long Chen sat on it all alone, surrounded by silence so complete he couldn’t even hear his own heartbeat.
“We switched places?” Long Chen murmured, brushing his hand across the throne. His mouth twisted wryly.
He recognized this place. He had once used the Purgatory Eyes to peer into it. He had even used this place to slay the Primal Chaos Dragon Sovereign’s heart-devil, Zhu Yin.
It seemed his retribution for doing so had come. In the heaven region’s battlefield, he hadn’t dared to use the Purgatory Eyes, but his heart-devil still managed to drag him here.
Long Chen smiled. He remembered the first time he confronted his heart-devil—when Yu Qingxuan’s father locked him in that little black room.
“Looks like it’s my turn to be imprisoned.”
Long Chen leaned back lazily, not feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable here.
Before being devoured, he had entrusted everyone to Green Old Sixth—the trump card the Earth Cauldron left him. He trusted that Green Old Sixth would protect everyone.
As for his enemies... Long Chen trusted that his heart-devil wouldn’t let them off lightly. Right now, he should take the chance to cultivate and fix the imperfections left behind by his nirvanic rebirth. Then, he would find a chance to take back his body.
Suddenly, a voice clearly rang out in his ears.
“Great nine star heir, the pathway between our worlds has appeared. You must hurry to the Primal Chaos World. The Star Master Palace’s legacy has activated. The nine star line’s greatest divine arts are waiting for you to learn them...”
The mysterious voice returned—clearer than ever in this dark world.
Long Chen’s gaze turned cold, and he shouted, “You want me to receive the legacy of the nine star line? Or do you simply wish for me to be enslaved by the Star Prince?”
The darkness roared.
The blood sea surged violently.
Suddenly, the void in front of Long Chen split open, and a massive disc appeared—dragged into this world by the raging dark energy.