Novel Full Chapter 1323 - 685: Continuing Deeper (Part 2)
Chapter 1323 - 685: Continuing Deeper (Part 2)
But he couldn’t back down, otherwise where would his dignity be?
Mi Yingzong saw this and burst into laughter.
"Hong Tu, is this all you’ve got? Watch me!"
Saying this, he also stepped down, coming to a level with Hong Yun.
As soon as he stopped, Mi Yingzong’s expression changed but quickly returned to normal.
What Hong Yun didn’t notice was that Mi Yingzong, under the guise of adjusting his robe, secretly slipped an elixir pill into his mouth.
"How is it?"
Mi Yingzong maintained his composure, his voice booming.
"I’m not like some people, all pretentious!"
Hong Yun snorted coldly, saying no more, focusing on battling the turmoil within his Qi-Blood.
The two of them sat cross-legged in a deeper region, appearing as if they possessed high cultivation skills, but in reality, they were secretly suffering.
"Brother Hong and Brother Mi are really strong!"
"This is what a true body refinement expert is!"
"What’s that kid worth? Daring to embarrass himself here with a mere magical treasure!"
The cultivators were commenting one after another, many intentionally raising their voices, seemingly afraid Gu Sheng couldn’t hear.
Gu Sheng did hear, but he remained unmoved. At this moment, he was immersed in a wondrous state.
As his spiritual power circulated under extreme pressure, he was surprised to discover the hidden flaws from his previous rapid breakthrough were emerging—some subtle stagnations in his meridians, disharmonies in the flow of spiritual power within his dantian, and almost imperceptible weak points between his muscles and bones...
"So that’s it."
Gu Sheng realized. No wonder his master often said, cultivation is like building a floor, without a solid foundation, everything would shake violently.
Indeed, his previous breakthrough was too fast, and beneath the seemingly stable foundation, flaws were lurking.
Thinking about this, Gu Sheng was even more determined to temper himself here.
He no longer sought quick success but instead, like a craftsman polishing a jade, meticulously corrected those subtle inadequacies.
Each breath allowed his spiritual power to circulate one more round within his body; each heartbeat made his flesh and bones tighter.
Above them, the situation for Hong Yun and Mi Yingzong became more challenging.
Hong Yun’s face turned from red to white, then from white to blue.
The spiritual power within him was rapidly depleting, while the surrounding pressure hadn’t lessened at all.
"Damn it... if this continues..."
Hong Yun was anxious inside but couldn’t back down in public.
He stole a glance at Mi Yingzong, finding this old rival wasn’t having an easier time—though he was holding on, the bulging veins on his temples showed he was also enduring with difficulty.
Their gazes met, both reading the same thought in each other’s eyes.
Whoever gives in first will lose face!
"Brother Hong truly deserves his reputation!"
"Brother Mi is equally impressive!"
"With both brothers cultivating here, we’re truly enlightened!"
Compliments came, but they only made Hong Yun and Mi Yingzong feel even more bitter inside.
At this moment, these praises sounded like death sentences to them.
Just as the two were in a dilemma, Gu Sheng below suddenly made a new move. He slowly stood up and unbelievably... went another ten meters down!
"What?!"
Hong Yun’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Mi Yingzong gasped suddenly, choked by the scorching lava air, leading to a fit of coughing.
Gu Sheng’s new position was already twenty meters deeper than Hong Yun and Mi Yingzong! The distance seemed short, but in the depths of Heaven-Burning Valley, every additional meter was a world of difference in pressure.
What was more shocking for the two was that Gu Sheng had removed all his spiritual power defenses and was enduring purely with his physical body! His skin began to show faint golden patterns, shining in the dark red lava like a deity.
The whole place fell silent. All mocking words were stuck in their throats, and the cultivators who had just been flattering became like ducks with their necks grabbed, opening their mouths but unable to speak.
Gu Sheng endured the scorching lava air burning his lungs, but his mind grew clearer.
The faint golden patterns on his skin intermittently appeared, transforming the violent energy surrounding him into nourishment for his flesh.
If he hadn’t come to Golden Crow Mountain to cultivate, he wouldn’t have discovered the hidden dangers left by his rapid breakthrough.
The subtle stagnations in his meridians and the slight disharmonies in his dantian’s spiritual power were all ticking time bombs on his future cultivation path.
Thinking of Daoist Yong’an, a wave of guilt washed over Gu Sheng’s heart.
That seemingly strict but actually kind old man had planned the most secure cultivation path for him, but he...
"Ten years, Dao Palace Realm..."
Gu Sheng gritted his teeth.
This promise was like a sword hanging over his head, forcing him to take risks and cut corners.
But now, he found a way to achieve both—leveraging the extreme environment of Golden Crow Mountain to solidify his foundation and accelerate his cultivation.
Gu Sheng calmed his mind and re-examined his internal state.
Under the operation of the "Nine Revolutions Profound Yang Technique," those minor flaws were being repaired bit by bit.
Every breath brought subtle changes to his flesh and bones, like refined steel being repeatedly forged, with impurities gradually removed, leaving only the essence.
"Not enough yet..."
Gu Sheng opened his eyes, his gaze directed towards the deeper, darker region below.
The lava there was a dark gold, like molten metal, just looking at it was suffocating.
Amidst the shocked gazes of everyone, Gu Sheng slowly stood up and once more stepped downward.
"He’s descending again?!"
"Crazy! Even Senior Brother Hong wouldn’t dare try that easily!"
"Look, he even withdrew his spiritual power defenses!"
The discussions rose one after another, but Gu Sheng was oblivious to them.
Each step was like carrying a mountain, his bones creaking under the strain, but his eyes remained determined and his steps steady.
Ten meters... twenty meters... thirty meters...
When Gu Sheng reached the same level as Hong Yun and Mi Yingzong, the entire depth of Heaven-Burning Valley fell silent.
Everyone held their breath, watching this young man who had created a miracle.
Hong Yun’s face was ashen, the veins on his forehead bulging. Mi Yingzong squinted, lost in thought.
Gu Sheng did not pause and continued downward. Fifty meters... sixty meters...
"Damn it!"
Hong Yun suddenly shouted furiously, abruptly standing up.
"Pretentious!"
Among the astonished gazes of everyone, Hong Yun’s spiritual power surged around him, forcing himself another twenty meters downward.
As soon as he stopped, his face turned pale, with fresh blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, but he stubbornly resisted retreating.
Mi Yingzong saw this, gritted his teeth, and followed.
But he was worse off than Hong Yun, groaning after descending just ten meters, quickly taking out an elixir pill and swallowing it.
"The two brothers are indeed formidable!"
"This is what true strength is!"
"What’s that kid worth? Just a show-off!"
Flattering voices came just in time, but Hong Yun and Mi Yingzong looked even grimmer.
Because they clearly saw that Gu Sheng not only did not stop but went another ten meters down!
At this moment, Gu Sheng had already reached an unprecedented depth.
The pressure here was more than ten times that of the upper layers, and the energy contained in the lava was almost tangible, like thousands of steel needles constantly piercing his body.
"Uh..."
Gu Sheng grunted, blood pearls oozing from his skin, but they were instantly evaporated by the high temperature.
Those faint golden patterns grew clearer, vaguely forming an ancient totemic design.
In the fourth barrier of Golden Crow Mountain, the crimson energy surged, illuminating the entire cultivation area like the inside of a furnace.
This was a forbidden land that only Qinghe Holy Land core disciples could step into, with every thread of energy carrying enough terrifying pressure to rip apart the flesh of ordinary cultivators.
"There he goes again! That guy is delving deeper again!"
At the edge of the barrier, several core disciples gathered, their eyes fixed intently on the figure faintly visible in the red energy.
With each inch the figure advanced, the surrounding energy boiled like water, emitting a heart-pounding humming sound.
"This is already the seventh day, and he can still go deeper..."
One disciple’s voice trembled, almost dropping the jade scroll in his hand.
Everyone was silent, their faces full of disbelief.
As the core disciples painstakingly selected by Qinghe Holy Land, which of them wasn’t usually proud?
Yet now, everyone’s confidence was tottering before the young man named Gu Sheng.
In the depths of the crimson energy, Gu Sheng’s eyes were tightly closed, his muscles taut like iron.