Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 1450: Chapter 748: Time to Go Up

The vine shrank back quickly in pain.

Gu Sheng, however, stared at his own palm, his brows tightly knitted—despite his recently tempered body, he had only managed to leave a few white marks on the vine.

“Master, this is bad!”

The Spirit Embryo Incarnation finally broke through the magma barrier, making its way over, and its voice was tinged with rare panic.

“There are hundreds of such demon plants rising from the bottom of the lake!”

Gu Sheng’s spiritual power probed downward, and indeed he sensed a mass of blood-red vines surging upward, crazily devouring the Life Force in the magma as they ascended.

“Let’s go!”

The Spirit Embryo Incarnation grabbed Gu Sheng, ready to float upward.

“In the magma, our movements are restricted; we’re no match for them!”

Gu Sheng, however, remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the approaching vines.

In the thick magma, his speed was indeed much slower than outside, while the speed of these demon plants was astonishingly fast.

“Wait…”

Gu Sheng dodged while observing.

“The way these vines attack… seems familiar to me.”

In the Molten Rock Lake, the crimson magma flowed slowly, illuminating the entire lakebed in a blood-red hue.

Gu Sheng hovered mid-layer in this lake of death, surrounded by countless twisting and writhing vines, emitting eerie ‘hissing’ sounds.

“Wham—”

A black shadow broke through the water, so fast it seemed to tear the flow apart.

From the corner of his eye, Gu Sheng caught sight of a vine charging towards his chest with thundering momentum, accompanied by the sound of a sonic boom.

“Good timing!”

Gu Sheng neither dodged nor flinched. His right hand lifted, Gang Qi condensed in his palm, forming instantly into a three-foot Qi Sword.

The sword’s cold light was sharp and biting as it slashed towards the vine.

“Clang!”

The clash of metal resounded at the lake’s bottom; the Qi Sword collided with the vine, sending forth a spray of sparks.

The vine, which appeared soft, was unharmed and instead, the force of the impact sent a numbing sensation up Gu Sheng’s wrist.

“So hard?”

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow, surprise flashing in his eyes.

“Careful!”

The Innate Spirit Embryo exclaimed in his Sea of Consciousness.

“You’ve angered them!”

Indeed, that strike was like poking a hornet’s nest.

The previously slow-moving vines suddenly erupted, sweeping towards Gu Sheng from all directions.

In the water, their speed was astonishing, far exceeding an Earth Martial Realm Martial Artist’s limits, forming an impenetrable network in the blink of an eye.

Gu Sheng looked around and saw that in every direction, up and down, there were only heaving vines, forming a tightly packed mass that made his scalp tingle.

These vines were covered in dense thorns, reflecting a metallic cold light under the magma’s illumination.

“This is trouble…”

The Innate Spirit Embryo’s voice was heavy.

“The hardness of these vines rivals Xuan Iron, and there’s so many of them. Fighting head-on isn’t a viable solution.”

Unexpectedly, Gu Sheng was not alarmed. On the contrary, his eyes lit up, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“I see… it’s the Heavenly Demon Vine!”

“Heavenly Demon Vine?”

The Innate Spirit Embryo was puzzled.

“What is that?”

Gu Sheng cautiously observed the encroaching vine net, explaining swiftly in his Sea of Consciousness.

“I read about them in Ancient texts within the Grotto Heaven. The Heavenly Demon Vine is an ancient exotic plant, its seeds are extremely difficult to germinate, only growing where Life Energy is exceedingly abundant.”

His gaze swept over the faint Life Energy around them.

“This Molten Rock Lake should have had the surging Life Force from the fall of a Divine Phoenix, yet it’s so scarce now because it was absorbed by the Heavenly Demon Vine.”

“What do we do now?”

The Innate Spirit Embryo asked anxiously.

“The vines have already encircled us!”

Gu Sheng remained calm.

“Now that we know what it is, it’s easier to deal with.”

As he spoke, his eyes focused, and the spiritual power in his Sea of Consciousness formed an invisible shield around his body, covering a range of about a yard.

A miraculous thing happened.

The previously aggressive vines suddenly froze in mid-air, as if immobilized by a spell.

They swayed gently in the water but did not advance even a fraction, as if they had suddenly lost their target.

“This…”

The Innate Spirit Embryo was astonished.

“Why aren’t they moving?”

Gu Sheng chuckled softly.

“The Heavenly Demon Vine lacks intelligence, acting purely on instinct.

Their feeding relies on sensing Life Energy; the stronger the Life Force, the more attractive the target.”

He pointed at his spiritual power shield.

“Now I’ve blocked all my presence. To their perception, I’m no different from a stone.”

The Innate Spirit Embryo suddenly understood.

“I see! You know quite a bit.”

“Traveling the Martial World broadens one’s horizons, that’s all.”

Gu Sheng’s eyes held a hint of nostalgia.

“I’ve actually been searching for a living Heavenly Demon Vine. Didn’t expect to find it here.”

With that, he began to slowly swim toward the lake’s depths. His spiritual power shield moved with him, like a transparent protective layer, parting the vines away like they were retreating from a red-hot brand.

“What are you planning to do?”

The Innate Spirit Embryo sensed his intention and suddenly raised its voice.

“Don’t tell me you want to find the main body of the Heavenly Demon Vine!”

Gu Sheng’s lips curved up.

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“You’re insane!”

The Innate Spirit Embryo was almost about to leap up.

“This is the Heavenly Demon Vine! What did the ancient texts say about it?”

“The texts say that the Heavenly Demon Vine has great Life Force and immense potential for cultivation.”

Gu Sheng replied while diving deeper, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

“If it can be tamed and cultivated, its utility rivals that of Divine weapons.”

The Molten Rock Lake was several hundred fathoms deep; in the mid-layer where Gu Sheng was located, Life Energy was already thin, and the deeper he went, the fainter the Life Energy in the water became. Evidently, all the energy was being absorbed by the main body of the Heavenly Demon Vine at the lake’s bottom.

As the depth increased, the water pressure became greater, and the temperature rose higher.

For an ordinary Martial Artist, this environment would have likely long since crushed or roasted them. But Gang Qi circulated around Gu Sheng, isolating him from the harsh environment outside.