Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1330 - 689: Shut Up

"Elder Yong’an, make haste back! The Heavenly Fire Red Lotus Pearl located at Golden Crow Mountain has been pilfered, and suspicion alights upon your disciple, Gu Sheng! The Second Elder has decreed your immediate return within half a day, lest you be branded a traitor!"

"What absurdity is this?!"

Daoist Yong’an was utterly stunned, as if struck by celestial lightning, and the formidable sword clutched in his grasp emitted a desolate hum.

"Gu Sheng... how could you possibly stoop so low..."

An uncontrolled surge of explosive Sword Qi obliterated a vast expanse of forest stretching a thousand meters, reducing it to barren, level ground.

Daoist Yong’an’s countenance hardened like unyielding iron, and he transformed into a radiant sword rainbow, propelling himself directly towards the Qinghe Holy Land.

Meanwhile, in a separate domain.

Luomu Taoist was navigating the ethereal expanse of the heavens, accompanied by his disciple, Hong Yun.

Abruptly, the Sound Transmission Talisman nestled within his sleeve began to vibrate. Upon deciphering its message, this elder, whose complexion bore a sinister hue, revealed a peculiar, knowing smile.

"Master?"

Hong Yun inquired, a cloud of confusion shadowing his features.

"Have you chanced upon the whereabouts of that treacherous Gu Sheng?"

Luomu Taoist stowed away the Sound Transmission Talisman, his laughter echoing with a dark, ominous resonance.

"The situation has unfolded in a far more intriguing fashion than mere detection. Come, let us return to the Holy Land posthaste; I shall grant you the privilege of witnessing a truly magnificent spectacle."

...

Within the hallowed grounds of Qinghe Holy Land, atop Golden Crow Peak.

Luomu Taoist stood poised in the heart of the Grand Hall, his azure Daoist robes billowing as if stirred by an unseen, supernatural breeze.

His gaze swept across the twelve Dragon Jade Pillars adorning the hall, each intricately carved with the illustrious accomplishments of Qinghe Holy Land's past Holy Masters, yet they now seemed to serve as silent, mocking testament to their current failings.

"Esteemed colleagues."

Luomu Taoist's voice, sharp as clashing steel, resonated through the hall.

"That audacious thief managed to abscond with the Heavenly Fire Red Lotus Pearl right beneath our watchful eyes; this could hardly be mere happenstance."

The Second Elder, Xuanmingzi, occupied a regal sandalwood chair, his fingers rhythmically tapping upon its armrest in a contemplative cadence.

Standing sentinel behind him were eight venerable law enforcement elders, each adorned with Qinghe Holy Land’s distinctive Mystic Ice Token affixed to their waists.

"Brother Luomu."

Xuanmingzi narrowed his sharp gaze.

"Are you unequivocally certain that this scoundrel is none other than Gu Sheng hailing from the Tianlan Sacred Land?"

At that precise moment, hurried footsteps echoed from beyond the hall's entrance.

Daoist Yong’an burst into the grand hall with imposing haste, his Daoist robe trailing behind him, marked by the unique crimson ashes emanating from Golden Crow Mountain.

"Luomu!"

Daoist Yong’an’s usually dignified beard and hair were in disarray, bristling with agitation.

"What malicious gossip have you taken it upon yourself to disseminate this time?"

Luomu Taoist responded with a cold, contemptuous sneer, and a beam of azure light shot forth from his sleeve.

Suspended in mid-air, the light expanded, coalescing into a vivid projection. It depicted Gu Sheng in the act of cultivation deep within Golden Crow Mountain—a solitary youth, wielding a sword with such mastery that the very lava around him seemed to part at its edge.

"Brother Yong’an, cast your discerning eye upon this projection."

Luomu Taoist’s fingertip delicately pointed towards Gu Sheng’s sword within the spectral image.

"Observe closely, for this particular Sword Qi fluctuation bears an uncanny resemblance to that of the Supreme Treasure Sword recently unearthed from the depths of Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge."

Xuanmingzi abruptly pushed himself up from his seat, the sharp scraping of his chair against the polished floor echoing the sudden tension in the room.

"Yong’an! Explain yourself! Why did you impede Luomu's pursuit on that fateful day?"

Daoist Yong’an’s countenance underwent a dramatic and visible alteration.

He most certainly recalled the enigmatic young man who had introduced himself as "Qing Feng"—an individual of seemingly ordinary appearance but possessing astonishingly luminous eyes. At that juncture, the youth had claimed to be an unaffiliated cultivator, expressing a desire to harness the potent Earth Fire of Golden Crow Mountain for the refinement of a spiritual artifact...

"Preposterous! Utterly impossible!"

Daoist Yong’an exclaimed with sudden vehemence.

"His bone age registers merely twenty years; how could he possibly have attained the Heavenly Palace Realm? Unless... unless..."

A profound and unnerving silence descended upon the grand hall. Every individual present recalled the persistent whispers and rumors that had circulated three years prior—tales of Tianlan Sacred Land’s peerless prodigy, Gu Sheng, possessing the terrifying capability to vanquish cultivators of the Heavenly Palace Realm while still firmly situated within the Earth Palace Stage.

It was at this critical juncture that Su Yongchang stumbled into the hall.

The blood staining his forehead had yet to fully dry, a clear testament to a recent, harsh punishment.

"Master!"

Su Yongchang collapsed at Daoist Yong’an’s feet, his voice choked with remorse.

"This disciple deserves ten thousand deaths for his transgressions! That day, at the Earth Spirit Palace’s crucial examination..."

Xuanmingzi’s eyes gleamed with a chilling, penetrating light.

With a swift gesture, he initiated a spell, instantly manifesting an image meticulously recorded by the Holy Land’s formidable Array—three months prior, Su Yongchang was undeniably seen escorting a youth clad in gray garments through the testing grounds of the Earth Spirit Palace.

"Excellent! Truly excellent!"

Xuanmingzi’s laughter was sharp, laced with palpable anger.

"One member shirks his sacred duties, while the other harbors a sworn enemy within his ranks. You, master and disciple, are indeed the very pillars upon which the Qinghe Holy Land stands firm!"

Daoist Yong’an suddenly erupted into a violent coughing fit, dark crimson blood seeping visibly from between his tightly clenched fingers.

Images flashed through his mind: Gu Sheng—no, the young individual who had insisted on being called Qing Feng, who had even offered him tea with the utmost respect.

Daoist Yong’an murmured to himself, his voice barely audible.

"All this time, his true objective was the Heavenly Fire Red Lotus Pearl..."

Luomu Taoist, seizing the opportune moment, stepped forward.

"Does everyone present recall, three years ago, when the venerable Daoist Xiushan from Tianlan Sacred Land forcibly severed Elder Yong’an’s arm, Gu Sheng stood nearby, a sneer contorting his youthful features?"

That statement pierced Daoist Yong’an’s heart like a dagger.

A violent tremor wracked his entire body as the repulsive visage of Daoist Xiushan, coupled with the silent young man standing behind him, flashed in his mind.

"Pfft—"

A gush of vital blood erupted, spraying a considerable distance.

As Daoist Yong’an finally collapsed, a crimson crystal stone tumbled from his robes – it was the companion ore to the Heavenly Fire Red Lotus Pearl, still bearing the residual imprint of Gu Sheng’s Spiritual Power.

"Take him away!"

Xuanmingzi’s roared, his furious voice causing dust to cascade from the grand hall’s ornate ceiling.

"We shall deal with this matter once the Holy Master concludes his seclusion!"

...

Simultaneously, high above the clouds, three hundred miles from the gates of Qinghe Holy Land.

Gu Sheng stood poised on a dark, elongated sword, cradling a crimson Treasure Bead, roughly the size of a fist, in his left hand.

The swirling inferno within the bead cast an unearthly glow upon his otherwise unremarkable features.

"Thirty thousand points?"

His gaze fell upon the Killing Order recently plundered from Qinghe Holy Land, and a predatory smile played on his lips.

"This is worth more than I had initially anticipated."

With a swift incantation, he dispelled the illusion cloaking his face, revealing his naturally handsome countenance.

A golden sigil pulsed at the center of his brow, signifying his mastery at the Great Perfection stage of the Heavenly Palace Realm.

From the dense forest below, the sharp tearing sound of air being split echoed suddenly.

Without even turning his head, Gu Sheng executed a swift backward slash with his sword, his sword aura, stretching for hundreds of meters, bisecting five deacons of Qinghe Holy Land.

"Convey this message to Xuanmingzi."

Gu Sheng’s voice, infused with potent Sword Qi, resonated throughout the expanse.

"Gu Sheng of Tianlan Sacred Land vows to claim your head one day."

...

Within the hallowed grounds of Tianlan Sacred Land, on the uppermost floor of the Book Collection Pavilion.

The Jade Scroll held tightly in Daoist Xiushan’s hand suddenly disintegrated into fine dust.

The elderly man, initially taken aback, erupted into boisterous, earth-shattering laughter, the sheer force of his Spiritual Power causing the entire Book Collection Pavilion to tremble.