Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 1697: Chapter 861: I’m Not Really Interested in You_2

The internal space of the main hall was far more vast than it appeared from the outside, with passages crisscrossing and extending in all directions. Carvings of various birds, beasts, the sun, moon, and stars adorned the walls, exuding an ancient and desolate aura.

However, this seemingly silent ancient temple was fraught with countless dangers.

Along the way, Gu Sheng encountered various traps and restrictions.

There were poisoned crossbow arrows suddenly shooting from the walls, trap doors collapsing without warning beneath his feet, illusion arrays that confused the mind, and eruptions of flames and ice... These traps and restrictions were ingeniously designed and well-hidden, their power considerable enough to pose a deadly threat to ordinary Sect Realm martial artists.

Even though Gu Sheng had strong spiritual power and keen perception, he was caught off guard several times, either triggering traps or stepping into the range of restrictions.

Boom!

A scorching column of fire erupted from the ground, engulfing him.

Crack, crack, crack!

Numerous sharp metallic teeth gleaming coldly closed in from the walls on both sides, trying to crush him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A dense rain of energy arrows poured down from overhead.

Yet, faced with these attacks that would have flustered or even defeated martial artists of the same level, Gu Sheng relied on the formidable defense of his Small Success Glazed Golden Body to withstand them all! The fire column singed only his clothes slightly; the closing teeth made squeaking sounds but could not leave a mark on his skin; the energy arrows shattered into sparks upon impact, unable to penetrate!

He was like a humanoid wild beast, pushing forward in the most direct and domineering manner!

”These traps and restrictions, though powerful, seem more like a warning and a test.”

Gu Sheng analyzed calmly as he sprinted.

”Judging by their setup and power, the builder of the main hall, or rather the master of this Secret Realm, did not seem intent on annihilating all intruders. Rather, they set up obstacles so that those lacking strength and willpower would retreat in face of adversity.

It was indeed selecting for ’the destined one.’”

Just as his thoughts raced, a sudden change occurred!

He rolled abruptly to the side without warning!

Shhh——!

Several silver needles as thin as cow hair, nearly transparent, whisked past where he had just been standing, embedding precisely in the opposite wall! As the tips penetrated the stone, strange black smoke immediately rose, emitting a pungent stench, clearly indicating they were poisoned!

Gu Sheng’s nostrils flared slightly, catching the scent; his eyes turned cold.

But the attack did not cease!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——!

More transparent silver needles shot out from extremely concealed holes along the passage before and after, weaving a deathly net that sealed off almost all of his escape routes! In the passage, black smoke rose continuously from the embedded poison needles, slightly impairing visibility.

Gu Sheng’s form flickered like a phantom, narrowly avoiding most of the silver needles.

But immediately, his keen hearing picked up more, even denser sounds of something slicing through the air from various directions!

He furrowed his brow, knowing that continuing to dodge would only lead to passivity.

”Hmph!”

He snorted coldly, no longer wasting energy on evasive maneuvers. True Qi surged within him, a wave of powerful spiritual power radiating from him like ripples in water, probing for the exact position of the ambusher.

Simultaneously, he swept his sleeve forward, unleashing a torrent of pure and thick True Qi that instantly formed a solid, translucent True Qi barrier in front of him!

Clang, clang——!

The subsequent barrage of poison needles hit the barrier as if striking an impregnable iron plate, producing a series of crisp sounds, all deflected and broken, unable to penetrate the barrier in the slightest!

In the same moment that the spiritual power swept through, Gu Sheng detected an extremely subtle energy fluctuation within a shadowy area at the end of the passage!

”Found you!”

A glint of coldness flashed in his eyes as he hesitated no more. He kicked off the ground with both feet, shooting forward like an arrow, relying on the strong physical strength granted by his Small Success Glazed Golden Body, ignoring any potential traps along the way, charging directly toward the end of the passage with an overpowering attitude!

He moved so quickly that he left a trail of afterimages in the passage!

In almost the blink of an eye, he was before the shadow! His right hand shot out like lightning, fingers forming a claw, carrying a fierce wind as it fiercely grasped at the seemingly empty shadow!

”Ugh!”

A muffled groan sounded!

Gu Sheng’s hand seemed to grasp something substantial! He exerted force with his arm, yanking back fiercely, pulling out a figure that was trying to merge into the shadows and about to disappear, smashing it heavily onto the hard ground!

Bang!

Dust flew up.

Gu Sheng looked closely, finding that what he had slammed to the ground was not a martial artist as he had imagined, but a figure entirely black as ink, with indistinct features, seemingly made of shadows!

This thing had no facial features, no obvious signs of life, and even the spiritual power wave was so weak it almost didn’t exist, like a puppet or construct purely made of Secret Realm energy.

”Secret Realm creature?”

This thought flashed through Gu Sheng’s mind.

The black shadow, having suffered a heavy blow, seemed a bit dazed but quickly struggled to get up, its body twisting, attempting to merge back into the shadows.

Gu Sheng snorted coldly, stepping on the black shadow as if a mountain pressed down.

The black shadow struggled a few times, discovering that it could not escape Gu Sheng’s terrifyingly powerful foot.

Gu Sheng raised his fist, hesitating not at all, using fifty percent of his strength to deliver a punch squarely at the black shadow’s head!

Thud!

A dull sound like a drum echoed!

The black shadow’s head deformed, dented inward, a normal creature’s brain would have burst by now.

But the black shadow merely stiffened momentarily, shook its deformed head, seemingly not mortally injured, yet its struggle weakened significantly, becoming ”obedient,” as if cowed by the beating.

However, just as Gu Sheng’s attention was drawn to the black shadow beneath him—

Behind him, an exceptionally sharp sound sliced through the air, like a venomous snake’s tongue, suddenly resounding!

A fierce killing intent locked onto his back!

A peculiar spear, glinting with a ghostly blue light, seemed to rip through space, stabbing straight towards Gu Sheng’s vulnerable back with astonishing speed! Though the spear tip had not yet arrived, the condensed sharpness already made the skin on his back feel the icy chill!

The ambusher timed their attack perfectly, right at the moment when his old strength was depleted, new strength not yet born, and his attention distracted by the black shadow beneath!

Gu Sheng didn’t even turn his head!

His mind moved, True Qi within him rapidly circulating along a profound trajectory—this was the Transformation Path learned from Ling Qingyan!

Buzz!

The Protective Gang Qi around him responded instantly, not evenly distributed but gathering, compressing, and forming with precision at his back in the shape of a small Gang Qi Shield shimmering with light cyan-gold hues!

Clang——!!!

The resounding clash echoed within the passage like a great bell or booming drum!

The ghostly blue spear light fiercely collided with the cyan-golden Gang Qi Shield, erupting a dazzling light and violent energy ripples that distorted the surrounding air! The small Gang Qi Shield trembled intensely, flickering in and out but steadfastly blocking this lethal blow, unbroken!

Also at the moment of the collision, Gu Sheng, while still holding the initially subdued shadowy figure in his left hand, swung around with his right hand like roaring thunder, delivering a punch!

This punch contained no theatrics, purely a fusion of physical strength and pure True Qi, causing the air to burst as the fist wind passed!

Bam!!!

Crack!

The punch landed solidly on the assailant’s chest!

Accompanied by the cringe-inducing sound of bones cracking, the figure wielding the spear was struck as if by a rampaging beast.