Chapter 6623 Solidify Foundation (Double Chapter)
Long Chen and Xue Ying stood within a long, empty mountain range. The silence was so intense that it was rather frightening.
Long Chen had released his aura, driving away every beast and bird for thousands of miles.
“Sorry about this,” Xue Ying said softly.
Anticipation shone in her eyes, mixed with a trace of nervousness. She raised a hand and extended a finger toward Long Chen’s forehead.
The moment she touched him, an astral rune lit up. Spiritual Strength flowed slowly into Long Chen’s mind.
“Lord Long Chen, this divine ability has reached the limits of what my soul can contain. It might break free at any moment, so you have to be prepared for it. Furthermore, once I release it, this technique will quickly manifest and disappear. You will only have one chance to comprehend it.”
With their souls connected at this moment, Long Chen knew what Xue Ying was thinking.
In truth, this was why Xue Ying was in such a hurry to transmit this technique to Long Chen. She couldn’t hold onto it for much longer.
As Xue Ying released her Spiritual Strength, Long Chen saw a starry sky flashing in her spiritual world.
“Not good! Lord Long Chen, it’s going out of control!” Xue Ying cried out the instant the memory was released.
The flow of the astral energy was strangely fast, dozens of times faster than when she had copied it. She hastily tried to stop it with her own astral energy.
As a result, astral diagrams layered on top of each other chaotically. Countless stars shifted and surged. In just a short moment, the starry sea exploded, and the image faded.
Long Chen slowly opened his eyes. When he looked at Xue Ying, her face was incredibly pale. She was filled with guilt.
She had miscalculated. She hadn’t expected that while memorizing this technique required a terrifying amount of Spiritual Strength, actually unleashing it from its seal required even more.
Even with her doubled Spiritual Strength, she couldn’t sustain it. The instant the divine ability started to manifest, it spiraled out of control.
The peak divine ability she had risked everything to obtain was gone.
Though she had forcibly memorized it, the technique was locked within a sealed portion of her soul. Now that it was released, her memory of it vanished as well, leaving behind emptiness.
She had held it for so long yet gained nothing from it.
Long Chen, on the other hand, had seen it unfold at ten times the normal speed, only for it to turn into chaos in the end.
Thinking of this, Xue Ying couldn’t quite look Long Chen in the eye.
She was actually quite prideful. She had guarded her two bargaining chips carefully. Yet, one of them had been destroyed without yielding anything.
Even though Long Chen had already agreed to help her, she still felt ashamed for failing to fulfill her side of the bargain.
“Lord Long Chen, I’m sorry...” Xue Ying said quietly, unable to lift her head up.
“It’s fine. I’ve memorized it. Although the astral diagrams became chaotic toward the end, the changes and order can be figured out later. By process of elimination, we can find the correct answer,” Long Chen replied with a smile.
“Really?” Xue Ying stared at him in disbelief. “You’re not just comforting me?”
“Let’s go. You can come into seclusion with me,” Long Chen said.
Xue Ying’s heart shook. If Long Chen had truly grasped it under those circumstances, then his talent went beyond monstrous.
When they returned to the academy, the Dragonblood Legion, the dragon race, and the Starry River Sect’s disciples were already waiting.
The moment they saw Xue Ying, cries of shock rang out. That was their enemy in the heaven region’s battlefield. Why was she here?
Long Chen explained calmly that Xue Ying was now one of them. For the time being, she would oversee matters related to the Starry River line. Any cultivation questions could be directed to her.
Xue Ying had not expected to have obtained Long Chen’s trust just like that. Long Chen had entrusted all those disciples to her.
As the initial shock faded, acceptance followed just as quickly. She sensed no hostility from her allies. That immediate trust was something she had never experienced in her life.
Perhaps it was Long Chen’s presence. The moment he declared her trustworthy, everyone treated her as a live-and-death comrade.
For Xue Ying, who had seen the nine star line’s in-fighting and dog-eat-dog world, this feeling was particularly beautiful.
Trust was contagious. When others trusted her without reservation, she found herself able to trust them in return.
“Time is pressing. Everyone should solidify their foundations with me. We will digest the remaining heavenly tribulation energy and blessing energy in your bodies,” said Long Chen.
The Seven Treasure Colored Glass Tree covered the sky. Multicolored light cascaded down, cleansing souls and washing away vexations. Their hearts instantly grew calm.
Xue Ying was stunned. This was her first time seeing such a treasure.
Long Chen possessed it and shared it freely with everyone. With generosity like that, it was no wonder people followed him without hesitation, even unto death.
As Long Chen formed a series of hand seals, heaven and earth quivered. The clouds in the heavens fluctuated irregularly, with divine light thrumming through the air. The power of heaven and earth responded, supporting them all.
Heaven and earth became like a mirror, reflecting each individual. Now, it became particularly easy for them to enter an empty-mind state.
“Xue Ying, when you advanced to the Sovereign Lord realm, your heart was too disturbed and you were injured by the Heavenly Daos. As I help everyone recover using the power of heaven and earth, seize this chance to heal as well. This may be your only opportunity to resolve that Dao wound. If it remains, it will become a serious danger in the future,” transmitted Long Chen.
“Many thanks, Lord Long Chen!” Xue Ying was incredibly excited to hear that Long Chen had noticed this. She had nearly abandoned hope of healing that wound.
At the same time, she felt a deep sense of relief. This time, she had been completely sincere. If she had dared play any tricks, she didn’t even want to imagine the consequences.
Long Chen was the most terrifying enemy but also the most dependable friend. Everything depended on the choice one made.
Long Chen’s Heaven and Earth essence runes flashed on his palms. This was the power of the Heaven Earth Cauldron, condensed into essence runes, displaying immense power. With them summoned, it felt as though the entire world was under his control.
While Long Chen was in this state, he could sense the laws of heaven and earth with exceptional clarity. According to his perception, a portion of this natural energy drew to him, yet another portion rejected him.
Previously, when he had attempted to draw upon the laws of heaven and earth in battle, he had failed. Bathed in the Seven Treasure Colored Glass Tree’s light, his perception was now far sharper.
Now, he understood it.
The Earth Cauldron and the sweeping elder had said it before... these were no longer the old heavens, nor the old earth.
Within the portion of the world that rejected him, Long Chen sensed a vague yet immense will.
As a result, Long Chen concluded that the heaven and earth energy he could control was the original power of this world, while the power that rejected him came from beyond the heavens.
With this, it was obvious why he was bound by misfortune and had to undergo such brutal heavenly tribulation.
Time passed like the blink of an eye.
In three days, thanks to the support of this natural energy, everyone's wounds had healed. Vast reserves of energy remained sealed within their bodies, unrefined.
They discovered that the blessing energy they had absorbed was so immense that releasing it would lead to consecutive breakthroughs, possibly straight into the mid stage of their current realm.
Such advancement was dangerous.
Their bodies had yet to fully adapt to their current realms, so advancing further would destabilize their foundations. In the long run, it was unacceptable.
Thus, they suppressed this energy and used it to solidify their foundations. When the moment came, they would slowly release it and advance.
Xue Ying was also excited by her gains this time. With Long Chen’s help, not only had her Dao wound healed, but her comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth had deepened.
Suddenly, a dragon’s roar shook the world.
The Sovereign King Dragon Crown appeared on Long Chen’s head, radiating sacred dragon might. The roar echoed through heaven and earth, resonating with every soul present.
Manifestations erupted among the Dragonblood warriors and dragon race disciples. Then, millions of dragon roars answered Long Chen’s roar in unison.
Long Chen said, “Xue Ying, this is the dragon race’s manifestation resonance. Dragons symbolize the karmic fortune of heaven and earth. They are no ordinary race—they shoulder the circulation of the world’s laws. Sense this carefully. Absorb this sacred dragon qi into your sealed soul and use it as a seed to nourish the orthodox qi of heaven and earth. This will form the foundation for you to escape from Xiao Yin’s faith energy.”
“Yes. Many thanks!” Xue Ying exclaimed, her voice trembling from excitement.
She hadn’t expected to gain so many benefits in such a short time.
Her Dao wound was healed, and Long Chen was already laying the groundwork for her future.
What moved her the most was just how much Long Chen trusted her. Before coming, she had been prepared to offer herself as a slave to gain his support. Instead, his trust came freely—simple and absolute.
Dragon figures flew through the sky. Millions of them revolved around Long Chen’s Sovereign King Dragon Crown. It was a stunning sight.
The dragon images seemed to transcend spacetime, their roars growing deeper and deeper.
Both the dragon race experts and the Dragonblood warriors were surprised when their scales appeared on their bodies.
Originally, these dragon scales only had a singular dragon rune on them. But as these dragons flew through the air, the scales searched for ones that matched their own power.
Each person’s 108.000 scales started to transform. No two were the same.
This was an unprecedented fusion of dragon runes. Dragon souls exchanged runes among their kin, elevating every set of dragon armor.
When two runes were added together, it was not simply an addition. Each one multiplied each other’s power.
From now on, their dragon scales would be treasuries filled with limitless potential. But how much power they could draw out was up to each person’s individual luck.
If runes were merged properly, their power would multiple. If their power was merged incorrectly, their power would be reduced and lead to injuries.
“Xue Ying, don’t reject them just because you aren’t from the dragon race. Let them merge into your astral battle armor. Every dragon soul represents a kind of energy. If they do choose you, it means that they have destiny with you. Perhaps one day, they can help you,” said Long Chen.
In truth, when those dragon souls got close to her, she also wanted to absorb them. However, just receiving their blessing was already a huge favor. Absorbing them would feel too greedy to her.
But with Long Chen’s order, she nodded gratefully. Now, she fully understood why all those people had rushed to Long Chen’s side and fought to the death for him. Not a single one of those people had fled.
She was one of them now. Even facing death, she would never abandon them.
This feeling was more precious than her own life.
Xue Ying summoned her astral battle armor. As expected, multiple dragon souls merged into the star diagrams.
Just as Long Chen said, when they merged into her star diagrams, she could sense spiritual fluctuations that were filled with warmth.
Every fluctuation was like a question or a call. From these dragon souls, she felt a familiarity, like she was an old friend of theirs.
Although she was not from the dragon race and was not from the nine heavens, hundreds of dragon souls still merged into her.
She suddenly felt like the world was brighter, as if she had just gained hundreds of comrades who would fight alongside her. Now that they had merged with her, she was no longer alone.
Her eyes grew moist. For the first time, she felt the world was beautiful.
The dragon souls continued to circle for seven days, and the Starry River Sect’s disciples benefited as well. The dragon race’s inheritance was not merely a matter of bloodline—it extended to the will and mind as well.
During those seven days, everyone gained immensely. With the dragon souls’ aid, Long Chen also completed his scan of the Primal Chaos Dragon Sovereign’s totem tree.
However, he would still need a long time to actually test and corroborate his current understanding of it. After all, Long Chen was not an actual dragon. He had to think of ways to adapt these divine abilities into his divine abilities.
This was a complex process. Just thinking about it was useless—only experimentation would yield results.
“I know that everyone’s tired, but hold on a bit longer. In one burst, work hard to completely solidify your foundations.”
Long Chen changed his hand seals, and stars illuminated the sky.