Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 1415: Chapter 731: Method of Breaking the Formation (Part 2)

Bai Lingtong picked up the conversation, his face turning pale.

Gu Sheng had already taken large strides towards the courtyard’s exit, the hem of his black uniform stirring up a gust of wind.

Bai Lingtong jogged to catch up.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Intelligence on the Desert of Ten Thousand Ants, as quickly as possible."

Gu Sheng spoke without turning his head.

Bai Lingtong fished out a yellowed parchment from his storage bag.

"By chance, I just organized a map of this area a few days ago."

Gu Sheng took the map, his gaze sweeping over the dense markings on it.

"Thank you."

Before the words were finished, he had already turned into a shadow and vanished beyond the courtyard gate.

The teleportation array of the Emperor Sect was located halfway up the main peak, encircled by twelve rune-inscribed stone pillars.

Gu Sheng showed his Core Disciple Token, and the guards immediately stepped aside to clear the way.

"The outskirts of Xuan City, quickly!"

Gu Sheng said to the elder in charge of the array.

The elder saw his anxious expression and didn’t ask further, forming seals with his hands to activate the array.

With a flash of dazzling white light, Gu Sheng felt his body being torn apart and reassembled; when he opened his eyes again, he was standing on a desolate plain.

In the distance, the sandstorm of the Desert of Ten Thousand Ants loomed like a lurking giant beast.

Gu Sheng unfolded the map to confirm his direction, then used his movement technique to swiftly head south.

His boots barely touched the ground, each step covering over ten zhang, the gust he stirred up leaving a trail of dust behind.

An hour later, Gu Sheng stood at the edge of the Desert of Ten Thousand Ants.

A wave of heat hit him, and the air was filled with a strange acidic stench.

He activated the Communication Jade Talisman again and finally received a response.

"Junior Brother Gu... I’m in the desert depths... there’s an oasis... and the ruins of a tall tower..."

Gu Ningshuang’s voice was so weak it was barely audible.

"Be careful... there’s a trap..."

The signal was cut off once more.

Gu Sheng gripped the jade talisman tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He stepped into this desert of death.

Having only walked less than a hundred steps, Gu Sheng suddenly felt an unusual tremor from the sandy ground beneath him.

His figure flickered, and the spot he stood upon exploded, with a massive pair of black mandibles as thick as an adult’s arm breaking through the soil, the clashing air producing a booming sound.

"Xuanwu Realm Demon Beast!"

Gu Sheng’s pupils constricted, and the longsword at his waist was already drawn.

The dust settled, revealing a giant ant the size of a small mountain.

Its entire body was jet-black, its shell covered in bizarre red patterns.

With an ear-piercing screech, the surrounding sand rose, and five more equally terrifying giant ants broke through the ground.

Further out, sand waves churned, clearly indicating more giant ants were on the way.

Gu Sheng made a swift decision, turning to break out, but suddenly a blinding greenish-black light erupted from the ground beneath him.

These lights quickly interwoven, forming an inverted eggshell-shaped restriction that trapped him inside.

"An array?"

Gu Sheng’s heart tightened.

"Someone laid this in advance... specifically waiting for me to fall into their trap!"

He immediately thought of Shen Qingyun, who recently harbored a grudge against him.

This direct disciple of an inner sect elder had harbored resentment ever since Gu Sheng defeated him in the sect competition.

"Hehehe..."

A sinister laugh echoed from outside the restriction.

Following the sound, Gu Sheng saw a gaunt old man in a red robe standing on a sand dune, holding a bizarrely shaped bone staff in his hand.

What was even more concerning was that Gu Sheng keenly noticed several nearly invisible black lines behind the old man, penetrating the restriction and connecting to the giant ants.

"Controlling Demon Beasts?"

Gu Sheng felt his heart sink.

"At least a spiritual power cultivation of the Heavenly Martial Realm."

The red-robed old man, with murky eyes, scrutinized Gu Sheng, his voice like the scraping of sandpaper.

"As expected of a core disciple of the Emperor Sect, you quickly discovered my Soul Binding Silk."

He licked his cracked lips.

"To have such cultivation at such a young age; if turned into a living puppet, it would surely boost my strength by another level."

Gu Sheng sneered.

"With just these few insects?"

"Sharp-tongued."

The elder was not offended, lightly waving the bone staff.

"Go, but don’t kill him, just leave him alive."

Six giant ants simultaneously let out screeches, pouncing towards Gu Sheng from different directions.

Their speed was completely inversely proportional to their size, blocking all escape routes in the blink of an eye.

"Light Splitting Shadow Sword!"

Gu Sheng shouted clearly, and the longsword in his hand suddenly transformed into nine indistinguishable figures, charging towards the giant ants along with his true self.

This was his best group combat martial technique, always effective against low-intelligence demon beasts.

Sure enough, the movement of the six giant ants paused, reflecting multiple "Gu Shengs" in their compound eyes, not knowing which to attack for the moment.

"A mere trick."

The red-robed elder sneered, and the skull on the bone staff suddenly lit up with a green light.

The black lines connecting to the giant ants trembled, and all six giant ants simultaneously changed direction, pouncing towards Gu Sheng’s true self!

"Can he see through my true body?"

Gu Sheng was startled, immediately noticing something amiss—a weak spiritual power penetrated the restriction, locking firmly onto him.

The six giant ants came at him from all directions, their sharp giant jaws gleaming coldly, with enough force to tear through refined iron, creating a piercing sound of ripping through the air.

Gu Sheng’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, true yuan surging within his body.

"Nirvana Three Profound Changes!"

With a low shout, dazzling firelight suddenly erupted around Gu Sheng, crimson flames entwining his whole body, and the protective gang qi condensed into dozens of qi swords within the flames, rotating rapidly around him.

"Slash!"

The qi swords tore through the air, and before the foremost giant ant could react, its proud giant jaws were severed at the base.

The momentum of the qi swords didn’t diminish, directly piercing through the ant’s head, and before the green acidic blood could splash out, the giant ant collapsed with a crash.

"Sssss——"

The remaining five giant ants let out shrill cries, their giant jaws simultaneously aimed at the vital parts around Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng didn’t dodge or evade, the protective gang qi forming an invisible barrier in front of him.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing was incessant, the biting of the giant ants unable to break through this seemingly weak gang qi defense.

"Break!"

Gu Sheng’s right hand formed a sword with his fingers, and a three-zhang long sword qi swept out, splitting a giant ant on the left from head to tail.

The green ant acid sizzled as it fell to the ground, corroding deeper pits into the hard rock.

Gu Sheng frowned slightly, dispersing the protective gang qi in an instant and retreating more than ten zhang.

"Sky-breaking Sword Technique!"

Two silver-white sword qis burst from his fingertips, moving too fast to be discerned by the naked eye, piercing through the compound eyes of two giant ants, exiting through the back of their heads.

The massive bodies of the giant ants twitched a few times, then ceased moving.

The last two giant ants seemed to sense danger, turning to flee simultaneously.

"Trying to leave?"

Gu Sheng sneered, forming a hand seal with both hands, and two sword qis pursued, accurately piercing the weak spot in the back of the giant ants’ heads.

Six giant ants, which could easily cause the downfall of an ordinary Earth Martial Realm expert, were thus effortlessly slain by Gu Sheng.

"Clap, clap, clap——"

A slow applause came from the depths of the restriction. The red-robed elder walked out slowly, a cold gleam in his eyes.

"As expected of a junior who could reach this place, you certainly have some skill."

The elder’s voice was hoarse.

"However, what comes next won’t be so simple."

The elder waved his sleeve, and six shadows flew out from the restriction, fanning out to surround Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng looked closely and saw that it was six martial artists, the weakest of whom was at the Xuanwu Realm peak, and the strongest had even reached the early stage of the Earth Martial Realm.

Strangely, their eyes were vacant, connected by thin black threads, yet their movements were exceptionally fluid.

"Puppets?"

Gu Sheng’s heart tightened.

"Good eye."

The elder sneered.

"These were once well-known strongmen, but now they are nothing but my playthings."

The six puppets attacked simultaneously, blades and sword shadows aimed at Gu Sheng’s vital points from various angles.

Gu Sheng’s form flickered evasively, but a sword qi still cut through his sleeve.

"The souls of these puppets have been drained, their bodies entirely controlled by that old thing."

Yue Shen Gong’s voice suddenly rang in Gu Sheng’s sea of consciousness.

"And... the power within them feels somewhat familiar to me."

As Gu Sheng responded to the attack, he asked in his heart.

"Senior, is there a way to break it?"

"Use the Divine Craft Maze Palace! The control threads on these puppets are very special; if you can sever the connection between the elder and the puppets..."

A bronze palace the size of a palm suddenly appeared in Gu Sheng’s palm.