Seeing Little Nine act like it had seen a devil, Bai Xiaole and the others were curious.

“Who is Jin Wuji?”

Little Nine always acted fearless, but this name alone sent shivers down its spine.

“How can that be? Didn’t he fail to become a Sovereign and was destroyed by his Sovereign tribulation?” asked Little Nine, its voice hoarse.

Long Chen and the others had never heard of Jin Wuji or the Heavenly Demon Golden Monkey race before this. However, hearing that this person had tried to become a Sovereign, Long Chen and the others were shocked.

Sovereigns represented the strongest experts of a world, a supreme existence that exceeded all laws and restrictions. They were existences that truly stood above the masses.

On the Martial Heaven Continent, there were five Sovereigns, and even someone as arrogant as Long Chen was full of reverence toward them. If he had to compare himself to them, he felt as if he were a firefly in front of five bright moons.

Even with all his confidence and pride, Long Chen never dared to claim that he could match the Sovereigns. They were idols that he worshiped. Their conviction to save everyone was something that he would never be able to achieve in this lifetime.

If Long Chen had to select a Sovereign he dared to say he could match, it would be Sovereign Han Wei. While the other four Sovereigns treated him like a brother, providing him assistance and guidance, Long Chen could only regard them with reverence. It was only with Sovereign Han Wei that he felt a closer kinship, like family. They were somewhat similar in some regards.

The five Sovereigns were apex existences on the Martial Heaven Continent. Although there were the three Emperors beneath them, Long Chen scoffed at their very existence. In his opinion, the three Emperors weren’t fit to carry the Sovereigns’ shoes. They were in different dimensions and shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence.

Even in Long Chen’s current realm, he felt that he couldn’t surpass the Sovereigns. Thus, everyone’s expressions changed when they heard that Jin Wuji had tried to become a Sovereign.

Now they knew why someone as fearless as Little Nine would look so afraid.

“Sweeping elder, could it be that you are mistaken? In my inherited memories, Jin Wuji is dead, destroyed by his Sovereign tribulation with no chance of reincarnation,” Little Nine said with a glimmer of hope, almost pleading for the sweeping elder to be in error.

The sweeping elder responded, “Your race’s inherited memories have been tampered with.”

“Then... are you implying that Jin Wuji is still alive?” Little Nine went ashen.

The sweeping elder shook his head. “This matter relates to a certain secret. Back then, Jin Wuji unified the demon race, forcing the other demonkind to submit to him. As a result, he gained control over the entire demon race’s karmic luck and used that to undergo his Sovereign tribulation. He was confident in his odds, but midway through his tribulation, someone forcibly interrupted him, causing his tribulation to fail. Hence, he died, his Dao vanishing.”

“Someone interrupted his tribulation?!”

Even Long Chen’s jaw dropped. Who could do something so dramatic like interrupting a Sovereign tribulation? Just how terrifying did such a person have to be?

“So he is dead?” asked Little Nine, not understanding.

“He died. However, realizing he had no hope of survival during his Sovereign tribulation, he wagered the entire karmic luck of the Heavenly Demon Golden Monkey race to secure his chance at reincarnation. Ultimately, his gamble paid off. Upon successfully reincarnating, he chose to seal himself. Based on my estimation, he will undo his seal when the nine heavens are reconnected, and then he will fight to become a Sovereign again. Therefore, you should carefully consider whether to confront him or first conceal your strength,” explained the sweeping elder.

The sweeping elder had always spoken ambiguously, but this time, he was surprisingly direct. His words served as a clear caution to Little Nine, illustrating the immense threat posed by Jin Wuji.

Little Nine nodded. “I’ll hide my power until I can—”

“No need!” Long Chen interrupted Little Nine, “There’s no need to hide your power. What will come, will come. You should act as you should. If you encounter Jin Wuji, I will help you.”

“Boss…” Little Nine cried. It couldn’t even speak.

Long Chen looked at the sweeping elder. “I’m sorry, forgive this little one for his rudeness. Due to my cultivation technique, I cannot retreat and can only keep moving forward.”

Before this, on the pathway to the ninth heaven, he had found the true Nirvana Scripture and fought a true nine star disciple, as well as encountered an expert of the Sovereign clan. Long Chen felt like he had seen a new world, feeling like he could see himself clearly.

After comprehending the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, the Nirvana Scripture, and the Dragon Soul Body Forging Art’s true essence, Long Chen decided upon his future path, a path that he would continue down until the end.

Within the pathway to the ninth heaven, he understood that a person’s power didn’t solely depend on how many trump cards they had, but on whether or not they had the confidence to face all the dangers around. Hence, he strived to have the same confidence as that impudent brat from Phoenix Cry Empire again.

The sweeping elder smiled and nodded. “Since you’ve made your decision, you must have confidence. That’s a good thing.”

“Sweeping elder, don’t worry. As long as the enemy is in the same realm, I have absolute confidence against them. This isn’t blind confidence, but rather an iron law forged through countless battles—something that will never change,” declared Long Chen.

Hearing that, the Dragonblood warriors felt their blood heating in them. Their boss was the heart of their legion, so this iron rule applied to them as well.

“That’s right, sweeping elder, can I ask who it was that interrupted Jin Wuji’s Sovereign tribulation?” asked Long Chen. Everyone’s ears perked up as they all wanted to know what had happened back then.

“It was nothing more than an accident. The main thing was that Jin Wuji was unlucky. But this matter involves immense karma, so it’s not a good thing for me to talk about. Other than that, that person’s name is taboo. Speaking his name alone will strip you of your longevity.”

“What?”

Long Chen and the others were shocked. Just saying a name would strip away someone’s longevity? That was too domineering, wasn’t it? This kind of karma was absolutely terrifying.

“We’ve gotten off topic.” The sweeping elder suddenly clapped his own forehead. “When a person gets old, their head isn’t as clear. I almost forgot this important matter.”

After saying that, the sweeping elder took out an elegant wooden case that gave off an ancient aura. When it was opened, it revealed a wrapped-up embroidered handkerchief, within which lay a hairpin.

The hairpin, pitch-black in color, featured a head shaped like a black bat wing. Despite its feminine design, it emitted a menacing aura that seemed to shake their very souls.

The sweeping elder stared at the hairpin for a long time, lost in distant memories. After a long time, he turned back to Long Chen.

“Child, as a personal favor, I ask you to help me with this matter.”