Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1737 881: Brief Separation from the Body (2)

This wait lasted for three hours.

When the Heavenly Demon Vine had consumed all the scattered flesh, even the soil tainted by Demonic Qi, the initially menacing vine began to slowly retract, turning dim, until it transformed into a beam of black light and re-entered Gu Sheng's left arm, falling into a deep slumber.

Gu Sheng could clearly sense that the Heavenly Demon Vine had gained a new ability from devouring Huang Batian's body, which was close to Heavenly King Realm's combat power as a Body Cultivator—it could forcibly seal those undigestible and too vast energies within the vine's core and slowly refine and absorb them through prolonged dormancy.

He speculated that once the Heavenly Demon Vine woke up from this digestion, its combat power could at least start at the Earth King Realm or even higher!

"Indeed, a Body Cultivator's Qi-Blood essence is a treasure for the entire body," Gu Sheng thought to himself with a hint of regret, "It's just a pity that the East Desolation is relatively lacking in Spiritual Energy, with resources leaning more towards True Qi cultivation, causing pure Body Cultivation heritage to be rare, and high-level Body Cultivators are even fewer..."

It seems, if there's a chance to visit the Central Province in the future, I must find some 'top-tier fertilizer' for the Heavenly Demon Vine."

He shook off his thoughts and did not linger, took Qidiao Yaoyao, found a border city belonging to a small force nearby, and used its Transmission Array to return to the Great Wilderness City after many turns, where he had been away for several months.

...

When they walked out of the Transmission Array in the 'Xuan City' area of the Great Wilderness City, it was already evening.

Qidiao Yaoyao, coming to the core city of East Desolation for the first time, curiously surveyed her surroundings. As the outer area of the Great Wilderness City, Xuan City had a rough architectural style. Although the flow of people was dense, overall it didn't seem to be more prosperous than her Southern Border's Five Immortals King City. She pouted and instinctively muttered.

"Hmph, it seems just so..."

However, as Gu Sheng led her through several streets and further towards the core area, the surrounding scene began to change rapidly.

The buildings grew more grand and beautiful, the streets wide and clear, and the aura of the martial artists passing by grew noticeably stronger. Various stores flourished, selling rare materials and elixirs hard to find even in the Southern Border.

The concentration of Spiritual Energy in the air was far beyond comparison to the Southern Border's edges.

The nonchalant expression on Qidiao Yaoyao's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a trace of surprise and gravity.

She realized her previous judgment was too hasty; this Great Wilderness City was far larger and more prosperous than she had imagined.

Gu Sheng didn't pay attention to her psychological changes and directly led her into a majestic palace inscribed with three large characters 'Linlang Pavilion' in flying script.

Just upon entering, the Third Pavilion Master Huang Ting, who had already received the news, smiling warmly, quickly came up to greet them, clasping his hands from afar.

"Gu! Haha, you're finally back! It seems this trip to the Southern Border has been quite fruitful!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Gu Sheng's eyes; he hadn't notified in advance, yet Huang Ting could meet him so precisely. "Master Huang has a well-informed network; I just returned to the Great Wilderness City and you've already learned of it."

Huang Ting stroked his beard with a smile, a few proud expressions on his face, and explained.

"Thanks to you, since the two misses brought back fragments of the 'Mother and Child Celestial Observation Mirror' from a certain Secret Realm, my Linlang Pavilion's intelligence network has become much more responsive. When you passed through the border Transmission Array, news came back."

I see. Gu Sheng nodded; it seemed Xueli and Bingtang hadn't forgotten to manage the Linlang Pavilion even while training outside.

At this moment, Huang Ting's gaze fell on the person behind Gu Sheng, Qidiao Yaoyao, whose appearance had changed but retained a hint of untamed and agile temperament, and asked curiously.

"Who is this lady?"

"A newly accepted disciple from the Southern Border."

Gu Sheng introduced casually.

"Oh?"

In Huang Ting's eyes, a glint flashed; being chosen by Gu Sheng to be accepted as a disciple must be extraordinary indeed.

He immediately smiled and took out a delicately crafted, jade stone-inlaid women's storage bracelet from his storage ring and handed it over.

"Being Gu's esteemed disciple, as this is our first meeting, I don't have anything substantial with me; may this little thing serve as a greeting gift, and I hope you don't find it lacking."

Though the bracelet seemed simple, the jade stones inlaid were the rare 'Heart Calming Warm Jade,' which, when worn long-term, nurtures the Divine Soul and calms the mind, being quite valuable.

Qidiao Yaoyao took a moment, instinctively looking at Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng nodded slightly.

"One may not decline a gift from a senior. Take it."

"Thank you... Master Huang."

Only then did Qidiao Yaoyao accept the bracelet, thanking softly, and gaining a new understanding of Gu Sheng's status within the 'Linlang Pavilion.'

Gu Sheng then turned to Huang Ting and asked.

"Master Huang, I wonder how Lady Xueli and Master Bingtang have been recently? Are they in the Pavilion?"

Huang Ting quickly replied.

"To answer Gu, the Great Pavilion Master had gone out to visit friends days ago and hasn't returned yet. The Second Pavilion Master came back, but she seemed to be in a bad mood and has been in seclusion since her return. Affairs within the Pavilion are still being managed by Elder Xia."

Upon hearing this, Gu Sheng pondered. Xueli went out, yet Bingtang returned unhappy? It seemed something must have happened during his absence in East Desolation.

After a few simple exchanges with Huang Ting to understand recent trends in the Great Wilderness City and East Desolation, Gu Sheng bade farewell, taking Qidiao Yaoyao and heading towards the Transmission Array to 'Underground City.'

Walking, Qidiao Yaoyao couldn't help but ask curiously, in a low voice.

"Master, if we're going back to Underground City, why did we detour to Linlang Pavilion in Xuan City first?"

Gu Sheng didn't stop walking and didn't immediately answer her question.

Just as the two were about to step into the Transmission Array's range, he raised his hand seemingly casually.

Next moment, Qidiao Yaoyao keenly noticed two extremely subtle, yet overwhelmingly powerful auras appearing silently about several feet beside them, like phantoms, bowing slightly to her and Gu Sheng before merging into shadows, disappearing without a trace.

The speed of the entire process was so incredible that none of the martial artists around noticed!

Qidiao Yaoyao's heart trembled! Those two auras were clearly King Realm experts! And definitely not merely those who've just entered the King Realm!

Only then did Gu Sheng speak casually, as if he had just done a trivial task.

"Let you see that your master is not a mere rootless drifter in this Great Wilderness City.

The two just now were Hidden Guards of Linlang Pavilion.

And the Intelligence Hall operated by Pavilion Master Huang is one of my eyes and ears here."

Qidiao Yaoyao suddenly understood; the detour was to showcase his strength, letting her know the energy her master possessed far exceeded her imagination.

She pursed her lips, and the last hint of unwillingness owing to forced apprenticeship also quietly faded slightly.

The two stepped into the Transmission Array, and with a flash of light, they appeared in the central Transmission Array of the more prosperous and spiritually rich 'Underground City.'

At the moment of stepping out of the Transmission Array, even Qidiao Yaoyao, born in the Five Poison Divine Sect and accustomed to Southern Border sceneries, was deeply shocked by the scene.

The street was wide enough for ten horse-drawn carriages to run side by side, flanked by towering buildings, reaching into the clouds, flashing various spiritual lights. In the sky, magnificent flying boats occasionally swiftly passed by with powerful martial artists flying with tunneling light.

On the streets, people thronged, and those with mighty aura were everywhere, Sect Realm martial artists were commonly seen, and occasionally the obscure aura of King Realm experts could even be felt. The blended aura of various rare treasures, spiritual medicine, and elixir pills, mixed within the dense Spiritual Energy, was overwhelming.

"This... here..."

Qidiao Yaoyao opened her mouth wide, unable to find the right words to describe for a moment. Compared to the Southern Border King City where she grew up, this place was simply another world! She realized for the first time acutely that maybe she had been a frog in well, sitting in complacency for too long.