Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1257 - 652: Blood River’s Recognition (Part 2)

"The Qinghe Holy Land reigns supreme in this territory. Even if the incoming individuals aren’t top-tier experts, we absolutely cannot afford to provoke them."

The man clad in gray clothing appeared somewhat hesitant.

"What if they intend to seize Gu Sheng after we capture him?"

"We flee!" declared the red-haired man without a second thought.

"We must abandon Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge, escape the Qinghe Holy Land’s dominion, and then make contact with the Supreme Immortal Sect."

The man in gray offered a nod in agreement.

"Should the secret Gu Sheng holds prove astonishing enough... we might even forgo the bounty offered by the Supreme Immortal Sect."

"Let us proceed with this plan!" A glint of avarice flickered within the red-haired man's eyes.

"At the very least, we'll abandon the Xinghong Spirit Domain."

Having reached a consensus, just as they were poised to resume their pursuit, a sharp aura forcefully approaching suddenly registered upon their senses.

Turning their heads, their eyes fell upon a youthful figure garbed in white, accompanied by several formidable individuals, all traversing the skies at an astonishing pace.

"Wang Xiu Jie!"

The expression of the man in gray shifted somewhat.

"Why has he appeared here as well?"

Wang Xiu Jie cast a brief glance toward the two men in gray, a mocking smile playing upon his lips.

"You two are truly sluggish; you can’t even apprehend a severely wounded junior."

The red-haired man was on the verge of a sharp retort when the man in gray restrained him, whispering.

"Let us avoid unnecessary trouble."

Observing the pair’s apprehension, Wang Xiu Jie’s sneer intensified.

He shifted his gaze toward the distant vanishing silhouette of Gu Sheng, which was disappearing into the dense mountain depths.

"There is something peculiar about that mountaintop," an Elder standing beside Wang Xiu Jie observed.

"It is emanating a red luminescence..."

"Hmph, a mere diversion!"

Wang Xiu Jie scoffed dismissively, instantly covering hundreds of meters to arrive at the mountain’s base.

The power that Wang Xiu Jie exhibited far surpassed their anticipations.

"We must engage!" the red-haired man gritted his teeth tightly.

"There is no room for further hesitation!"

The two ceased holding back, channeling their spiritual power to its fullest and transforming into twin streaks of light as they gave chase.

The other powerful figures who arrived took notice and also accelerated their pursuit, their collective presence filling the sky with brilliant glows and an overwhelming aura of killing intent.

Gu Sheng had already ascended to the summit. Glancing back, he perceived countless figures hurtling towards him.

A rueful smile graced his features as he comprehended that he was trapped, with no apparent means of escape.

"It seems I have no choice but to take a gamble..."

He then turned towards the opposite flank of the mountain, where a ferocious gale abruptly materialized, whipping up a monstrous tide of crimson blood.

The wave of blood surged skyward, painting a vast expanse of the heavens in a deep crimson hue.

On the far side of the mountain, unexpectedly, lay a turbulent Blood River!

The river’s fluid possessed the consistency of thick paste and exhaled a putrid, nauseating stench.

At the river’s terminus, an immense treasure sword stood impaled, piercing the sky, its blade radiating an icy gleam that sent tremors through one’s very core.

"That is..."

Gu Sheng’s heart pounded with rapid intensity.

"A Supreme Treasure Sword!"

He instantly apprehended that the Blood River constituted the sole pathway leading to the coveted treasure sword.

The pursuing throng was already descending upon him, their killing intent ensnaring him from above.

"I must seize this chance!"

Without further deliberation, Gu Sheng leaped, plunging headlong into the tempestuous Blood River.

"No!"

The man in gray reached the mountaintop first, his gaze fixed helplessly as Gu Sheng’s form was engulfed by the surging blood waves.

At the precise moment Gu Sheng’s figure vanished into the crimson torrent, the entire Blood River erupted in chaotic turbulence, with massive blood-hued bubbles bursting forth and releasing a truly repulsive stench.

Wang Xiu Jie stood at the precipice, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation.

The other powerful individuals arriving in his wake also halted their advance, their gazes fixed with uncertainty upon the eerie Blood River churning below.

"This Blood River..." Wang Xiu Jie mused softly to himself.

"Why has it never been documented in any intelligence regarding Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge?"

A man garbed in black, bearing a long spear, stepped forth and inquired with solemnity.

"Senior Brother Wang, is that youth acting impulsively, or..."

"Hmph!"

Wang Xiu Jie scoffed, cutting him short.

"Whether his actions are rash or calculated, entering such a place guarantees certain demise!"

Abruptly, from the very heart of the Blood River, a colossal blood wave, extending a hundred zhang, surged upwards, indistinctly revealing a struggling figure making headway towards the treasure sword that pierced the heavens in the distance.

"Is that... Gu Sheng?!" The man in black's eyes widened considerably.

Wang Xiu Jie’s pupils suddenly constricted, his face a mask of utter disbelief.

"How is this even conceivable! He is still alive?"

The terrifying aura emanating from the Blood River instilled a sense of dread even in these experts of the Heavenly Palace Realm. How could Gu Sheng, already gravely injured, possibly survive within such a perilous environment?

"Something is amiss..." Wang Xiu Jie narrowed his eyes discernibly.

"This Blood River could be some sort of trial, or perhaps..."

His words were cut short by a sharp slicing sound from afar disturbing the air.

All heads turned, observing multiple streaks of light hurtling towards them.

"People from Qinghe Holy Land!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Xiu Jie's visage grew somber, a hint of unease showing.

The two figures in front wore long green robes, one with a stern expression, the other a woman in red, wielding a fiery whip that seemed to push back the surrounding malevolent Qi.

"Core Disciples from Qinghe Holy Land..." the man in black beside Wang Xiu Jie murmured.

"This is becoming rather troublesome."

Upon landing, the man in the green robe fixed his gaze directly on Wang Xiu Jie.

"Wang Xiu Jie, your actions have gone too far."

Wang Xiu Jie let out a cold sneer.

"Since when did Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge become Qinghe Holy Land's exclusive territory?"

"Stop playing dumb," the woman in red retorted, cracking her whip. A burst of flames erupted from it in the air.

"Gu Sheng is a wanted fugitive of our Holy Land. The Supreme Immortal Sect has no right to interfere."

Another individual descended from the heavens, landing with a heavy thud on the mountaintop, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Hahaha, what a lively gathering!"

As the dust settled, a burly man was revealed, his bare chest adorned with gruesome scars, a colossal Mountain Opening Axe slung across his back.

"Lin Batian!" someone recognized the renowned Loose Cultivator.

Lin Batian surveyed the scene with a grin.

"I heard Gu Sheng's physique is comparable to an Ancient Fierce Beast. I've come to test that claim!"

Wang Xiu Jie scoffed, calling him a "brute."