Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1316 - 682: Next Stop

"Go there."

Ling Xiao gasped— the lava in that direction was darker, a nearly black-red hue, clearly indicating the core region with its higher temperature.

"Are you crazy? The guards explicitly stated..."

"You can stay here."

Gu Sheng cut him off.

"I must descend."

Ling Xiao gazed at Gu Sheng for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Do you take me for someone who would falter at the crucial moment?"

Without awaiting Gu Sheng's reply, he plunged downwards first.

Gu Sheng responded with a wry smile, shaking his head, and followed close behind.

As their descent continued, the ambient pressure intensified dramatically.

The lava transformed from its viscous state to a flowing consistency, akin to water. The heat was so extreme that even their protective Gang Qi began to waver and distort.

Ling Xiao's skin started to crack, and any blood that seeped out was instantly vaporized. Nevertheless, he grit his teeth and pressed onward.

"We have arrived."

Gu Sheng halted abruptly.

They found themselves suspended in a vast expanse of black-red lava, where the Yang Qi was so potent it felt almost tangible, manifesting as countless tiny golden-red light spots drifting within the magma.

"This place..."

Ling Xiao's voice was raspy.

"It's literally courting death."

Within the deepest core of the Golden Crow Volcano's crater, the crimson lava churned unrelentingly, its currents resembling seething blood.

At its very bottom, it appeared as though a miniature sun was being nurtured, radiating an oppressive, ultimate Yang Qi. This energy formed nine golden beams that pierced straight towards the heavens, imbuing the clouds within a hundred-mile radius with golden hues.

"Hiss—"

Gu Sheng assumed a cross-legged position on the lowest rock platform within the second barrier, enveloped by wisps of grey-black Yin Sha Qi that continuously emanated from him.

The instant these Yin Qi encountered the pervasive Gold Crow Yang Qi in the atmosphere, they reacted with sharp hissing sounds, as if water were clashing with fire.

"The concentration of Yang Qi in this second barrier surpasses that of the first by more than three times..."

Gu Sheng’s tightly shut eyes quivered slightly. Sweat beaded on his forehead, only to evaporate instantaneously in the searing heat.

The [Nine Dragon Heaven and Earth Technique] circulating within his body was operating at maximum velocity. With each completed cycle, a strand of pure Yin Qi was expelled from his Dantian.

Three zhang directly below the platform lay the fiercely boiling Magma Lake. Suddenly, a surge of fire erupted from its depths.

Gu Sheng's eyes snapped open. His hands moved with incredible speed, forming intricate seals before his chest, instantly conjuring a barrier of Yin Qi.

With a resounding 'boom,' the wave of fire collided with the barrier, fragmenting into countless effervescent sparks.

"That was incredibly close..."

Gu Sheng felt a sweetish sensation in his throat as he forcefully suppressed the surge of blood returning upwards.

He glanced at his palm, revealing a blackened, scorched mark.

"Even the second barrier possesses such formidable power. It's no wonder they advise against entering without reaching the Heavenly Palace Realm."

Across the turbulent Magma Lake, several Body Refiners who were engaged in their cultivation were startled by the sudden commotion. They turned their curious gazes towards Gu Sheng.

One man, with a bare chest, let out a sneer.

"Another clueless Yin Attribute Cultivator. Does he genuinely believe Golden Crow Mountain is just some ordinary training ground?"

"Hush, keep your voice down."

A companion signaled for silence, lowering his voice.

"If he can endure this long at the bottom of the second barrier, he must be a Core Disciple from a significant power."

Gu Sheng paid no mind to their hushed conversation. Instead, he retrieved a piece of Spirit Grass, emanating a soft blue luminescence, from his robes.

Its leaves still bore two pristine, crystal-clear leaflets – precisely the [Holy Infant Grass] he had perilously acquired within the Ancient Ruins.

"Only two portions remain..."

A flicker of anguish crossed Gu Sheng's eyes, but it quickly gave way to resolve.

He plucked one of the remaining pieces and consumed it. Instantly, a revitalizing sensation coursed through his entire being.

The minor burns marring his skin, inflicted by the intense Yang Qi, began to mend at a visibly rapid pace.

As the potent energy of the Holy Infant Grass permeated his body, the Yin Qi within Gu Sheng surged with renewed vigor.

He resumed forming seals with his hands, resting them on his knees. Nine illusory streams of air, shaped like dragons, materialized around him.

These streams intertwined, coalescing into a densely swirling vortex of Yin Qi.

"Nine Dragon Heaven and Earth, reverse Yin and Yang!"

Gu Sheng uttered in a low tone, and the nine dragon-shaped streams of air expanded dramatically.

The surface of the Magma Lake abruptly contracted inwards. Energy within a hundred-meter radius was violently drawn towards the vortex, forming a colossal eye of energy in the air above.

The nearby Body Refiners, caught completely unprepared, were nearly swept into the vortex's epicenter.

"Is this fellow insane?!"

The bare-chested cultivator clung precariously to the rock face, shouting in a mixture of shock and indignation.

"He's conjuring an energy storm in a place like this, intending to drag us all down with him?"

At the heart of the tempest, Gu Sheng's form became increasingly indistinct.

Only the nine dragon-shaped streams of air grew more substantial, relentlessly absorbing the surrounding, volatile Yang Qi.

The Supreme Yang Qi was forcefully transmuted into pure essence, surging into Gu Sheng’s very being.

"Still insufficient..."

Gu Sheng clenched his jaw, a thin trickle of blood painting the corners of his lips. He could sense the mental technique’s restraints beginning to fray, yet a final surge of power was still lacking for a complete breakthrough.

At this critical juncture, a solitary figure materialized at the periphery of the tempest. It was Ling Xiao, who had just achieved his own realm advancement.

He cast a keen glance towards the storm's core, a hint of amusement gracing his features. The peculiarity of the Magma Lake did not escape the notice of even more formidable individuals dwelling within the inner sanctums.

Beyond the fourth barrier, two Cultivators engaged in their practices, their eyes opening in unison. One bore intricate flame patterns etched upon his brow, while the other was as translucent and pure as jade from head to toe.

"Someone is stirring an Qi tide within the second barrier," the flame-patterned Cultivator remarked with an air of detachment, his voice resonating like incandescent magma.

"Shall we intervene?" the Jade Body Cultivator inquired, only to be met with a shake of his head.

"A mere scuffle amongst ants. However, that newcomer, Ling Xiao, shows considerable promise—worth observing."

With that pronouncement, both figures resumed their silent contemplation. The potent Qi radiating from them pulsed with the might of the Heavenly Palace Realm's Great Perfection. Even more astonishing was the automatic redirection of the Golden Crow Yang Qi, which flowed outwards, maintaining a distance of three feet from them as if confronted by a primal adversary.

Five days elapsed with breathtaking swiftness. The heavens above Golden Crow Mountain remained perpetually veiled in scarlet clouds, rendering the passage of time indistinguishable between day and night. The epicenter of the storm, where Gu Sheng was situated, had contracted to a mere ten zhang radius, yet the concentration of Qi within this diminished space had amplified more than tenfold.