Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1151 599: One Step Away (Part 2)

A formidable force battered the archaic and enigmatic Ancient Array situated outside the Immortal Temple. Runes pulsed frantically across the array's surface, struggling to deflect the overwhelming onslaught.

The intensity of the strike was crushing; under such sustained pressure, the array’s defenses began to falter.

With a thunderous explosion, a devastating Divine Artifact shattered the Ancient Array into oblivion. Panic-stricken, a band of cultivators fled the site.

The exhaustion etched onto their features spoke volumes of the grueling trials they had endured during the array's collapse.

The Tianxuan Divine Girl emerged last, her gait faltering. As she cleared the basin, she could no longer stifle the surge rising in her chest, coughing up a tragic spray of blood before she collapsed into darkness.

Having exhausted every drop of her spiritual power to force an exit, her body simply lacked the strength to sustain itself any longer.

"Goddess!" Bixuan cried out, defying her own agony to fly toward the falling figure.

She managed to arrive just in time, catching the girl before she hit the ground.

Even then, Bixuan could not suppress a soft moan as fresh blood filled her own throat.

She surveyed the Sun and Moon Space-Time Divine Ship; its once brilliant hull was now pockmarked and riddled with breaches, its internal runes flickering with dying light.

Scanning the survivors, Bixuan noted that everyone appeared hollow, their bodies ravaged by grievous wounds.

The Ancient Array had pelted them with relentless, bizarre traps and strikes. Had it not been for the formidable spiritual strength of the Tianxuan Divine Girl, they surely would have met their ends within.

"Is everyone holding up?" Bixuan inquired weakly.

They collectively shook their heads, their expressions reflecting the profound relief of the survivors.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Look! The miasma shrouding Death Valley is lifting!"

Peering into the depths of the valley, they observed that the once-choking fog had thinned considerably. Through the hazy veil, the distant outline of an Immortal Temple revealed itself.

Luo Jun muttered, "I suspect Gu Sheng is likely residing there."

Gongsun Yue interjected, her tone filled with fervor, "Then we must make haste to locate him!"

Bixuan clutched the unconscious Tianxuan Divine Girl and observed the battered condition of her companions, cautioning them, "Our injuries are catastrophic. A reckless push into the unknown could prove fatal.

The Goddess remains unconscious. We must secure a sanctuary to rest and wait for her to recover her senses."

Seeing the state of their comrades, the group felt the weight of her logic and nodded in somber agreement.

They soon discovered a concealed cavern nearby.

Though meager in scale, it offered sufficient space for the group.

Leaning on one another for support, they entered the hollow, laying the Tianxuan Divine Girl upon a stone slab.

Bixuan and Gongsun Yue channeled what little spiritual power remained to begin mending the Goddess’s injuries.

The others, suffering from their own traumatic wounds, huddled into corners and began circulating their own Qi to dull the sharp pangs of pain.

Deep, tortured groans were the only sounds filling the quiet cave.

Outside, the suffocating presence of the mysterious Daoist, which had long pinned the Qiankun Venerate King and others, began to dissipate.

The Qiankun Venerate King, released from this invisible shackle, felt a surge of triumph, murmuring, "Heh, the pressure from this mysterious entity is finally waning. It seems my time to strike has arrived!"

Kunpeng Taoist noticed the shift as well, thinking to himself, "As long as Qiankun Venerate King preoccupies that Daoist, I shall have an opening to claim the legacy."

The Qiankun Venerate King’s greed for the mysterious legacy now dwarfed his hatred for Gu Sheng. Possessing it meant standing atop the world—no longer would he fear Gu Sheng or any wandering Daoist.

Other masters lurking in the periphery also sensed the waning aura and readied themselves, waiting for the split second to snatch the prize.

The Qiankun Venerate King tasted the excitement of victory as the pressure vanished, yet his ingrained caution as a veteran of the Martial World held him back.

This Daoist was far too dangerous; he feared a trap.

He repressed his urge to charge, continuing to observe—a decision that would lead him to miss the final window of opportunity.

Gu Sheng was currently drowning in the greatest ecstasy of his life.

Within that mysterious void, he and the Qinghe Saintess shared a profound, indelible connection.

As the trial of desire reached its conclusion, Gu Sheng’s aura began to stabilize.

He stood merely a moment away from completing the final phase of the legacy trials.

Once Gu Sheng finished his interaction with the Qinghe Saintess, the mysterious Daoist appeared once more.

She swathed the flurried Qinghe Saintess in her robes and offered comfort, "Little one, fear not. Gu Sheng was pure; you have lost nothing. Rather, you have absorbed his virgin essence, which shall serve your future Cultivation significantly."

Hearing this, the saintess’s resentment cooled, though her face remained stoic. Without a word, she smoothed her garments and prepared to depart.

The mysterious Daoist watched her go, waving her hand to loose a beam of light that instantly teleported the woman away from Death Valley.

The Qiankun Venerate King witnessed this but did not chase her; he dismissed it as another one of the Daoist's petty tricks.

Four days ticked by, and the aura of the mysterious Daoist was reduced by half.

Unable to restrain his craving any longer, the Qiankun Venerate King decided to delay no further and lunged forward.

Accompanied by Kunpeng Taoist and his other cohorts, he charged toward the center of the cosmos.

Kunpeng Taoist tagged along, hatching his own scheme: he would wait for the inevitable clash between those two, then seize the heirloom for himself.

Though such an act would incite the wrath of the Qiankun Venerate King, the prospect of the legacy was worth the risk. It was a path to building a peerless, everlasting Sect.

Just as they neared the cosmic heart,

Gu Sheng’s frame arched in a sudden spasm. The firmament tore open, and a pillar of celestial brilliance descended, piercing deep into his Dantian.

Seated upon a purple-gold lotus, Gu Sheng was completely encased within a shimmering, holy barrier.

The mysterious Daoist trembled with raw intensity, her hands shaking as she roared, "Gu Sheng has conquered the trial!"

The legacy left by the Master of the Holy Road was neither a rare Cultivation Technique nor an artifact to dominate the world, nor was it a stolen life of experience. It was something far transcends material wealth: a miraculous Immortal Seed.

Though it appeared plain, this seed held the ultimate truth of immortality, containing the Master's entire comprehension of the heavens and the agonizing journey required to reach them.

Claiming this Immortal Seed was the equivalent of securing the very bedrock of immortality—a fortuitous encounter of legendary proportions!

If the Master of the Purple Spirit Realm were to glimpse such a treasure, he would lose his sanity from excitement.

Masters of all Great Realms would wage ruinous, brutal wars to possess this essence.

Contemplating this, the mysterious Daoist turned her gaze back to Gu Sheng. The celestial rays began to converge, and a placid, content smile broke across her face—she could perish now without a single regret.

As the light pooled, the lotus pulse with intense, holy luster.

An aura echoing from a forgotten epoch surged inside Gu Sheng.

Having secured the Immortal Seed, he also inherited the lingering immortal power tied to it. Though it was a mere fragment of what the Holy Road Master possessed, it was a colossal boon for Gu Sheng.

He absorbed this energy frantically. His cultivation realm shattered its limitations, his aura climbing visibly to the naked eye.

The last fears that plagued the mysterious Daoist finally evaporated. Supported by the inheritance, Gu Sheng’s strength was destined to soar. Given the proper growth, he would eventually be more than a match for the Qiankun Venerate King. Her duty was fulfilled, and she could finally rest.

Within the reach of her Divine Thought, she registered a familiar, baleful presence—the Qiankun Venerate King had arrived.