Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)
Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN) - Chapter 4599: Scarlet Armor Armadillo

The armadillo was not only protecting the mountain peak but also four of its newborn pups.

These pups, although already a few meters long and large compared to humans, still had translucent scales and couldn’t open their eyes yet. It was evident that they were newborns.

“So it was fighting to the death not for some natural treasure but to protect its offspring.” Long Chen’s heart softened upon seeing this scene.

A devil beast usually possessed a brutal nature, and they would even eat their own offspring if they didn’t have enough food or energy.

However, this armadillo refused to flee despite knowing that it would die, not abandoning its pups. This scene almost toppled Long Chen’s understanding of devil beasts.

Looking at the armadillo, Long Chen knew that its wounds were serious. Almost all of its scales were broken, and its blood soaked the mountain.

When Long Chen walked up to it, it opened its eyes. There was neither brutality nor anger in its eyes, only a pleading expression.

It looked from its four pups in its embrace and then the mountain top. After that, it nodded repeatedly to Long Chen.

Long Chen understood. It was saying that he could take the treasure but not harm its children.

Long Chen then walked to the peak and saw a flat region. The instant he stepped foot onto it, a refreshing fragrance enveloped him, causing every pore of his body to open in one go.

“The Violet Leaf Orchid Heart Fruit. It really is a treasure,” remarked Long Chen with a sigh as he saw the three-foot-tall medicinal ingredient.

Its leaves resembled upright swords, and the central stem held a fist-sized fruit, which exuded a captivating fragrance.

This was indeed a Saint medicine. Even without consumption, merely inhaling its fragrance every day would maintain a person’s mind in an enlightened state. It would ensure a smooth flow of Blood Qi without impediments, offering tremendous benefits for healing, comprehension, and cultivation.

When Long Chen plucked the fruit, the tree started to wither but didn’t die. After losing its fruit, it entered a state of slumber.

Just like grass in the winter waiting for the spring to come, it was persevering. It would once more bear fruit, but that would probably be hundreds of thousands of years from now or even longer.

The armadillo quivered when Long Chen took the fruit. Having protected it for many years, it had formed a spiritual connection with it and seemed able to sense the tree’s pain of having its fruit taken.

Perhaps it was due to this spiritual connection that this devil beast’s brutal nature was no more.

“What are you doing?” asked the Earth Cauldron suddenly as it saw Long Chen pull open the armadillo’s mouth.

Long Chen didn’t reply and directly tossed the fruit into the armadillo’s mouth.

The armadillo seemed shocked, its eyes full of disbelief. When the fruit entered its belly, its wounds rapidly healed, and new scales grew all over it.

“This is a Scarlet Armor Armadillo,” reminded the Earth Cauldron.

“The Scarlet Armor Armadillo has a sharp nose for natural treasures and relies on consuming those precious medicinal ingredients to grow. Its armor, blood, flesh, bones, and innards are all rarely seen alchemy ingredients. The stronger it is, the more valuable its parts are. This one has reached the Saint realm, so many parts of its body can be used to refine Saint pills,” said Long Chen lightly.

“Then why are you letting it go?” asked the Earth Cauldron.

“I don’t want to, but I have no choice. I can’t beat my conscience,” muttered Long Chen with a helpless shrug. He had no idea about this armadillo’s origins, but seeing it fight to protect its own pups, he couldn’t bring himself to harm it? If he did, those four wouldn’t survive either. Despite his disdain for devil beasts, he couldn’t bring himself to kill this particular armadillo.

“Your race really is incomprehensible,” sighed the Earth Cauldron.

“You’re right. Human nature is impossible to understand. Right and wrong are subjective,” Long Chen remarked with a wry smile. “Hehe, I am who I am, and no one can change that. I have a temper that makes me want to set the heavens on fire and destroy everything, yet I also have a compassionate side that seeks to perform good deeds without seeking recognition. I simply follow what my heart says.”

He chuckled softly, almost self-mockingly. “Senior, do you find my actions foolish? Do you believe I am too soft-hearted?”

Long Chen went to the Violet Leaf Orchid Heart Fruit Tree and took out a jade shovel. With care, he dug it out and then transported it into the primal chaos space. Upon being planted, the tree underwent an instant revitalization. Its withering leaves turned plump and green once more.

“No, your race’s character is a source of both admiration and disdain among all experts. I have seen this world flourish due to the human race, but I have also witnessed your race bring ruin upon it with your own hands,” replied the Earth Cauldron solemnly.

“Haha, that’s fine. Perhaps you will see the human race’s glory once more from me,” laughed Long Chen.

“Don’t you think you should declare something like this with a raised fist, like a solemn oath?”

“Hehe, no, what if I can’t do it? Big words can’t be taken back once they’re spoken. It doesn’t feel good to slap my own face,” replied Long Chen with a laugh.

He examined the Violet Leaf Orchid Heart Fruit Tree, and it had recovered to the state before he harvested its fruit. He then started to split up its roots, swiftly cutting hundreds of roots from a single tree.

The hundreds of roots that had been separated from the mother tree quickly withered, but after being replanted, life thrummed through them, causing them to rapidly grow into soft shoots.

After doing that, Long Chen turned his attention back to the armadillo. It went without saying that the Violet Leaf Orchid Heart Fruit was a priceless treasure, given its transformative effect on the armadillo. The creature had transitioned from a half-dead state to near-complete recovery. Its wounds had healed entirely, and there was a subtle glow in its eyes, suggesting a profound metamorphosis was taking place.

Suddenly, the Scarlet Armor Armadillo knelt on the ground and pressed its head down as if kowtowing to Long Chen, its eyes full of gratitude.

Long Chen nodded. He jumped onto its head and pressed a hand on its forehead. When his Spiritual Strength entered its mind, the Scarlet Armor Armadillo quivered slightly, but it didn’t resist.

Countless images quickly poured through Long Chen’s mind, and he jumped up in excitement.

“There are actually so many treasures here!”