Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 1457: Chapter 751: Found It (2)

In the distance, the flickering light of a campfire brought warmth to the dark space.

“Cough… cough…”

He tried to cough but spat out a mouthful of black blood mixed with pieces of his internal organs.

His internal organs felt as if they had been pulverized, and every breath was accompanied by severe pain.

Even more terrifying, he could feel the meridians within him were like a dried-up riverbed, covered in cracks.

“Forcing the Origin Power twice indeed exceeded my limits…”

Gu Sheng smiled bitterly in his heart.

This was supposed to be his trump card for survival, but when faced with the siege of numerous Heavenly Martial Realm masters, he had no other choice.

Looking back now, it was already a miracle that he managed to escape alive.

He tried to move his body again, but it only aggravated the pain.

After a dizzy spell, he had to give up and collapse back onto the ground.

“Someone’s here!”

Suddenly, Gu Sheng keenly sensed movement at the cave entrance.

He immediately held his breath, enduring the intense pain to gather the last of his spiritual power.

Though he was in terrible condition, if there were indeed enemies, he could at least make a final stand.

“Young Master Gu! You’re awake?”

A clear female voice came from the cave entrance, brimming with unconcealed joy.

Gu Sheng was slightly taken aback; the voice was somewhat familiar.

Footsteps approached, and a girl in a light green dress appeared in his view.

She held a broad banana leaf filled with bright red wild fruits.

Sunlight streamed in from behind her, casting a golden edge around her.

“Xie… Xie Qingxuan?”

Gu Sheng recognized the newcomer, and his tense nerves slightly relaxed.

Xie Qingxuan hurried over to Gu Sheng’s side, squatting down, her eyes full of concern.

“Thank goodness! You’ve been unconscious for two days; I was so worried you…”

She stopped mid-sentence as if afraid to continue.

“Was it you… who saved me?”

Gu Sheng’s voice was hoarse, every word like a knife scraping through his throat.

Xie Qingxuan nodded, placing the banana leaf aside.

“I waited in the great hall for a long time without seeing you come out, so I went looking for a way out myself. After getting out, I found you unconscious not far away and brought you to this cave.”

As she spoke, she took a water pouch from her waist, carefully lifting Gu Sheng’s head to let him drink a few sips.

The cool water trickled down his throat, making Gu Sheng feel a bit more comfortable.

He noticed Xie Qingxuan’s movements were very practiced, clearly indicating she had been taking care of him these two days.

“Thank you.”

Gu Sheng expressed his gratitude sincerely.

In the Cultivation World, it’s rare to find someone willing to lend a hand to a stranger.

Xie Qingxuan shook her head, a blush rising to her cheeks.

“Young Master Gu, you overstate it. If you hadn’t saved me in the great hall, I’d have been dead already. This small thing is nothing.”

Gu Sheng said nothing more. In cultivation, one values Cause and Effect, and he would remember this kindness.

“How long was I unconscious? Where is this place?”

He turned to ask.

“About two days.”

Xie Qingxuan counted on her fingers.

“We are already far from Spirit Flame Mountain; I’ve brought you more than three thousand miles east.”

Gu Sheng nodded slightly.

At this distance, the people from the two major sects shouldn’t be able to catch up anytime soon.

However…

“You didn’t encounter any search parties from the two major sects?”

Xie Qingxuan shook her head.

“No. I took the small and remote paths, and besides…”

She hesitated for a moment.

“I used the Concealing Talisman given to me by my grandfather.”

Gu Sheng looked at her with a hint of surprise.

The Concealing Talisman was valuable; it seemed Xie Qingxuan’s grandfather held a significant position in the Xie Family.

“You needn’t worry.”

Gu Sheng saw her concern.

“Their target is me; the Xie Family won’t be implicated.”

Xie Qingxuan bit her lip.

“That’s not my worry… I’m worried about your injuries.”

Her eyes fell on Gu Sheng’s cracked hand, full of distress.

“Your injuries… are very serious, aren’t they?”

Gu Sheng let out a bitter smile.

“Indeed not light. Internal organs are damaged, meridians shattered, Origin Power exhausted.”

He paused.

“But I won’t die.”

“Do you need any medicinal herbs? I can go find them!”

Xie Qingxuan asked urgently.

Gu Sheng pondered for a moment.

“If there are Jade Bone Grass, Blood Coagulation Fruit, and Hundred-Year-old Ganoderma, it’s best. We can refine the ‘Heaven Returning Pill,’ which can speed up the recovery process.”

“Jade Bone Grass? Blood Coagulation Fruit?”

Xie Qingxuan’s eyes lit up.

“I saw them by the stream outside!”

Gu Sheng was a bit surprised.

“You recognize these medicinal herbs?”

Xie Qingxuan smiled embarrassedly.

“Although my cultivation is not high, I have been learning pharmacology with my grandfather since childhood. I still recognize these basic medicinal herbs.”

Gu Sheng nodded.

“Then I’ll trouble you. But be careful, even though this place is far from Spirit Flame Mountain, we can’t be sure there aren’t spies from the two major sects.”

“I understand.”

Xie Qingxuan nodded solemnly, then got up.

“I’ll go gather the herbs now and be back soon.”

Watching the girl hurriedly leave, Gu Sheng let out a long breath.

With Xie Qingxuan’s help, his recovery speed would be significantly faster.

After Xie Qingxuan’s footsteps completely disappeared, Gu Sheng closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness.

“Spiritual Embryo?”

The sea of consciousness was chaotic. The Innate Spirit Embryo, originally lively and dynamic, was now languid, curled up in a corner, its light dim.

“How are you?”

Gu Sheng asked with divine sense.

The Spiritual Embryo barely lifted its head, sending over a vague message.

From it, Gu Sheng learned that the incarnation controlled by the Spiritual Embryo had diverted half of the pursuers, but under the joint attack of several Heavenly Martial Realm experts, the incarnation was finally destroyed.

“Can the incarnation still be used now?”

Gu Sheng asked hoarsely, enduring the intense pain from his meridians.

“No.”

The voice of the Innate Spirit Embryo sounded in his mind, clear and almost cold.

“Those Heavenly Martial Realm Martial Artists, along with two Sect Realm fighters, attacked together and directly destroyed the incarnation. Reforming it will take a long time. Moreover…”

It paused, with a hint of warning in its tone.

“Even if you could use it, there’s no true qi in your body right now. How would you provide energy for the incarnation?”

Gu Sheng fell silent for a moment, then pulled a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth.

He knew how dangerous his situation was… right now, even a Xuanwu Realm demon beast could easily take his life.

“If the sect masters of the two major sects were outside the Secret Realm at that time, you probably would not have escaped this time.”

The Innate Spirit Embryo continued, with a tone of slight fear.

“Your courage is really too big to dare forcibly mobilize Origin Power in such a situation…”

Gu Sheng ignored its complaints, gritted his teeth, propped himself on the ground with both hands, and moved his body little by little, sitting against the damp mountain wall.

Each movement felt as if countless fine needles were piercing his meridians, causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead.

“Huff…”

He exhaled a long breath, forced himself to sit cross-legged, formed seals with his hands, and began to cultivate the Nine Dragon Heaven and Earth Technique.

As soon as the cultivation technique started, a tearing pain radiated from his meridians.

Gu Sheng grunted, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

“Stop forcing it!”

The Innate Spirit Embryo urged anxiously.

“Using Origin Power has already reached its limit. Continuing like this will damage your foundation and even endanger your life!”

“Shut up…”

Gu Sheng gritted his teeth, his voice low and resolute.

“I must… recover as soon as possible…”

He knew how dire his current state was… severely damaged meridians, blocked dantian, even the basic circulation of true qi was extremely difficult.

But time waits for no one; who knows when those pursuing him will find this place?

“At least… try not to use Origin Power…”

Gu Sheng recited in his heart, continuing to circulate the mental method.

The Nine Dragon Heaven and Earth Technique circulated laboriously within him, each advance feeling like a knife cut.

“If I can clear the blocked dantian and activate a Grotto Heaven within two hours… the recovery speed of my injuries can accelerate…”

Gu Sheng calculated in his heart, forcing himself to ignore the almost fainting pain.

Meanwhile, in the dense forest outside the cave.

Xie Qingxuan cautiously parted the bushes in front of her, her gaze locked on a few spirit grass emitting a faint glow.

Those were the “Seven-Star Vein Continuation Grass” that Gu Sheng needed, having miraculous effects on meridian injuries.

“Found it!”

She felt a rush of joy, just about to move forward to pick them, when suddenly a sharp whistling sound came from behind.

“Careful!”

She instinctively sidestepped to dodge, but was still a step too slow… an invisible wind blade grazed her back, and immediately blood gushed forth.

“Ah!”

Xie Qingxuan cried out in pain, stumbling and falling to the ground.