Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

She stared as that withered hand that had almost pierced her throat now hung weakly before her eyes, watched as Chen turned into a dried corpse right in front of her. Her heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of her chest!

The shadow of death had never been this close!

Those four ferocious vines, after devouring three Peak Heavenly Martial Realm Disciples, slowly retracted their barbs instead of harming Gu Yuanyuan, who was right within reach.

One of the vines even lightly brushed against her arm, as if to soothe her.

Gu Yuanyuan suddenly remembered the drop of golden-glowing blood her master had made her drink before! It was that drop of blood! It made the Heavenly Demon Vine treat her as one of its own!

The immense shock of surviving this calamity turned her legs to jelly; she could barely stand.

At this moment, Gu Sheng’s figure appeared at her side and gently supported her.

”Master…”

Gu Yuanyuan lifted her head, looking at Gu Sheng’s calm face. She could no longer control her tears; they surged out.

”I’m sorry… Master… this Disciple… this Disciple is so useless… I’ve only become a burden to you…”

Her heart was filled with self-blame and remorse.

If she had listened to her master and hidden inside the Divine Craft Maze Palace, she wouldn’t have been captured, her master wouldn’t have been threatened, and they wouldn’t have fallen into such a passive predicament.

Gu Sheng looked at his Disciple whose face was streaked with tears, his eyes calm.

”No need to blame yourself. Since I had you stay, I was already prepared to face everything. You did not drag your master down.”

He paused, his tone carrying unquestionable authority.

”The road of Martial Arts is paved with thorns. Today’s peril is also tempering. Remember this sense of powerlessness and turn it into the drive for you to grow stronger.”

Gu Yuanyuan wiped away her tears forcefully. Her gaze grew firm again, and she nodded hard.

”This Disciple understands! This Disciple will train bitterly and never let Master be distracted again! This Disciple will become strong! Strong enough to fight side by side with Master!”

”Very good.”

Gu Sheng nodded slightly.

”This place is not suitable for a long stay. The people of Wuya Sect will soon notice something is wrong.”

His gaze swept over the scene of devastation and the few dried corpses. With a thought, the Heavenly Demon Vine instantly shrank back into the ground and vanished without a trace.

He pulled Gu Yuanyuan up.

”Go! Let’s find a safe place to settle first. Your master… still has things to do.”

The two no longer lingered. Their figures turned into two blurred streaks of light and swiftly disappeared into the depths of the ruins.

At the same time, deep within the Thousand Souls Hall Secret Realm.

Xiao Beixuan stood beneath the Soul Burial Tower, his expression dark as water, listening to his subordinates’ report.

The teams he had sent out to search for Bai Zhi and ”suspicious individuals” had practically turned the entire Secret Realm upside down, yet they still found nothing!

Bai Zhi had vanished as if from the face of the earth!

”Trash! A bunch of trash!”

Xiao Beixuan slammed his palm down onto a massive boulder beside him! The boulder exploded with a boom! Shards of stone flew!

”Young Master, please quell your anger!”

A mid-stage Human King Realm elder with a deep aura quickly bowed.

”The Secret Realm’s space is unstable. Perhaps… Bai Zhi has already perished in a spatial fissure…”

”Impossible!”

Xiao Beixuan cut him off harshly.

”The Evil Spirit Binding Lock was undone! She’s definitely still alive! And… someone rescued her! Keep searching! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find her!”

”Yes!”

Everyone trembled like cicadas in winter and hurriedly answered.

Just then, a figure rushed over—it was ”Blood Jade” (Black Snake), who was being controlled by Gu Sheng.

”Blood Jade” walked up to Xiao Beixuan, head slightly lowered, his voice respectful with a trace of ”weariness.”

”Young Master, the outer regions have been carefully searched. No trace of Bai Zhi was found.

However… this subordinate discovered some signs of battle near the boundary areas. It seems… some outside Martial Artist broke in and clashed with our patrol teams, but the other party was not weak and escaped.”

”Outside Martial Artist?”

Xiao Beixuan’s eyes turned cold.

”Not weak? How strong?”

”Blood Jade” shook his head.

”The traces are very faint; it’s hard to judge the exact Cultivation. But to break through the outer blockade and escape under the siege of the patrol teams, at the very least… they’re at the Human King Realm.”

Xiao Beixuan’s brows knitted tightly, doubt flickering in his eyes. Human King Realm? Could it be reinforcements sent by the Holy Academy? Or… people from some other force?

At his side, the Shadow Guard (Venerable Ming River’s Disciple), who had been silent all this time, stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

”Young Master, what matters most now is to gather the sacrifices as quickly as possible and activate the array. Bai Zhi’s disappearance is indeed a major problem, but once the array is activated, everything will be under our control. As for that outsider… as long as he’s still in the Secret Realm, he can’t escape our grasp.”

Xiao Beixuan suppressed the irritation in his heart and nodded.

”You’re right.”

His gaze swept across the crowd and he spoke coldly.

”Pass down my orders! Speed up the hunt! Drive all Sect Realm Martial Artists who enter the Secret Realm into the Thousand Souls Hall’s territory! Three days from now, regardless of whether the sacrifices are fully gathered, the Sacrificial Array will be activated on time!”

”Yes!”

The crowd answered in unison.

”Blood Jade” also bowed to receive the command, though a faint, icy gleam flashed in his eyes, hard to notice.

Xiao Beixuan failed to notice ”Blood Jade’s” abnormality. He turned his head to look at the Shadow Guard beside him, his tone laden with meaning.

”Let’s hope… I won’t have to use you.”

The Shadow Guard’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly. He lowered his head and said,

”This subordinate… awaits the Young Master’s orders at any time.”

Elsewhere, Gu Sheng led Gu Yuanyuan through the ruins for about an hour before finally stopping in the remains of an abandoned palace that was relatively secluded, encircled by huge broken walls.

The palace had already collapsed for the most part, leaving only a few thick stone pillars supporting part of the dome, forming a relatively hidden space.

Huge chunks of stone and rotting timbers lay scattered all around. Dust and mildew hung heavy in the air.

”We’ll stay here for now.”

Gu Sheng surveyed the surroundings, his Divine Sense sweeping out to confirm that there were no dangerous auras nearby.