Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1519 - 782: A Moment of Impulse (Part 2)

"Need a hand?"

Qin Yurou asked softly. The Spirit Beast Bag at her waist trembled slightly; it seemed the Treasure Hunting Mouse inside had also sensed the tense atmosphere.

"Depends on whether you’re willing to hire me."

Gu Sheng’s lips curved slightly.

"Just the chance to stretch my muscles."

Shen Qingtan nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"Your bat strength is decent. You can join; you’ll get a share of the reward."

"Hold on."

The richly dressed youth suddenly spoke, his brows tightly knitted.

"This guy’s background is unclear, and his cultivation is only at the Heavenly Martial Realm. Won’t he just drag us down?"

Gu Sheng’s brows furrowed slightly. This youth’s cultivation was only at the Sixth Realm of the Heavenly Martial Realm, one level lower than Qin Yurou’s, yet he was already looking down on him.

"Jiang Feiyu, you and I aren’t close enough for you to call me by name."

Shen Qingtan’s voice turned cold in an instant, a chill leaking out from beneath the bronze faceplate.

"I’m the one leading this mission. If not for saving you, those two wouldn’t have died. If you’re unhappy, you can leave."

Jiang Feiyu’s face stiffened. A gloomy, vicious look flashed in his eyes, but in the end he just gave a cold snort and fell silent.

"Young Master Gu, up ahead is our temporary base."

When Shen Qingtan turned to Gu Sheng, her tone eased quite a bit.

"We’ll go there and go over the mission intel in detail."

Gu Sheng nodded in agreement.

He could easily deal with the Evil Cultivator by using Origin Power, but this time he wanted to fight relying on his own strength, so understanding the information was necessary.

The four of them passed through the dense forest and arrived at an abandoned Daoist temple.

Several Concealing Restrictions had been laid outside the temple; without Shen Qingtan leading the way, ordinary people would be hard-pressed to find it.

"The senior sister who set up the Array has already fallen..."

Qin Yurou lightly brushed a crack on the temple doorframe, her voice choked.

Shen Qingtan was silent for a moment, then said.

"First we figure out how to deal with the Evil Cultivator. Afterwards we’ll seek justice for those who died."

She turned to Gu Sheng, her voice solemn.

"The Evil Cultivator we plan to besiege cultivates a Blood Refining Technique and calls himself ’Blood Refining Child.’ He was originally a Disciple of a small sect in the Northern Territory, but after secretly learning a Forbidden Technique he was expelled and later fell into the demonic path."

"Blood Refining Technique?"

Gu Sheng’s brows knitted, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the hilt of the blade at his waist.

"I did run into a similar Evil Cultivator at the Qin Family in Wuyun City, but that one was at most Third Level Heavenly Martial."

Shen Qingtan was dressed in pure white that outshone snow, yet a worry that wouldn’t disperse was etched between her brows.

"This one is different. He was indeed only at the Heavenly Martial Realm originally, but after absorbing the corpses of two Martial Artists at the Seventh Level of the Heavenly Martial Realm..."

She paused, her voice sinking low.

"He’s already broken through to the Sect Realm."

"Sect Realm?!"

Qin Yurou cried out, her Longsword letting out a sharp "zheng" as it slid half an inch from its sheath.

"Then what are we waiting for? We should hurry and inform the Holy Academy to send elders to eradicate him!"

Gu Sheng lifted a hand, signaling her to calm down, but his gaze never left Shen Qingtan.

"Tell me in detail—what other special traits does this Evil Cultivator have?"

Shen Qingtan’s slender fingers traced through the air, and a pale-blue Light Screen appeared, displaying several images of savage wounds.

"I fought him three days ago and struck him three times."

She pointed to the deepest wound on the Light Screen.

"This strike nearly cut him clean in half at the waist, but..."

"It healed in an instant?"

Gu Sheng narrowed his eyes.

"Correct."

Shen Qingtan dispelled the Light Screen, her expression grave.

"I suspect he’s already cultivated a Blood Core; his fleshly body’s toughness is parable to the Peak of Nine Heavens of the body refinement path."

Gu Sheng nodded, thoughtful.

"Aside from that?"

"There’s also an Evil Technique that controls blood threads."

Shen Qingtan flipped her right hand over, and several scarlet threads surfaced in her palm, twisting as if alive.

"These blood threads can burrow into a Martial Artist’s body and drain their Life Force. Their effective range is about three hundred feet."

Qin Yurou sucked in a sharp breath.

"Th-this means that as long as you get within three hundred feet of him, you might be silently drained of your Life Force?"

"It’s not that simple."

Gu Sheng suddenly spoke.

"The blood threads need time to invade, and..."

He looked at Shen Qingtan.

"There should be some kind of limitation. Otherwise he’d already be invincible."

Shen Qingtan gave Gu Sheng an approving look.

"Indeed. The blood threads have to break through the target’s Protective True Qi first, and their number is limited. The most I’ve seen him control at once is ten threads."

Light flashed in Gu Sheng’s eyes.

"Do you know where he’s hiding right now?"

"In a border town, mingling among ordinary folk."

Shen Qingtan pointed toward the northwest.

"It’s less than thirty miles from here. If Holy Academy Disciples hadn’t been killed while carrying out a mission, we’d never have realized that there was such a Demon hiding near Great Wilderness City."

Gu Sheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly said,

"I’ll go lure him out."

"What?"

Qin Yurou exclaimed.

"Gu, that’s too dangerous!"

Shen Qingtan, however, looked thoughtful.

"You mean..."

"I’m not from the Holy Academy. That Evil Cultivator should be able to sense that from my aura."

Gu Sheng analyzed calmly.

"As long as he thinks I’m an ’easy target,’ he’ll make a move. When that happens..."

"I understand."

A flash of resolve appeared in Shen Qingtan’s eyes.

"I’ll go with you. With the two of us watching out for each other, we’ll have a better chance of escaping."

Qin Yurou bit her lip.

"Then... then I’ll go too!"

"No!"

Gu Sheng and Shen Qingtan spoke in unison.

"Why?"

Qin Yurou stared wide-eyed in grievance.

Gu Sheng was just about to explain when a shrill voice suddenly cut in.

"Are you all insane?!"

Jiang Feiyu stepped out from behind a tree, his face pale as paper.

"A Sect Realm Evil Cultivator! And you actually want to go provoke him on purpose?"

He rushed up to Shen Qingtan.

"Qingtan, you promised my brother you’d keep me safe!"

Impatience flickered in Shen Qingtan’s eyes.

"Jiang Feiyu, I never said I was taking you with me."

"That still won’t do!"

Jiang Feiyu shouted hysterically.

"If you leave and that Evil Cultivator finds this place, what then? H-how am I supposed to handle it alone?"

Gu Sheng swept a cold glance over him.

"You can go back to Great Wilderness City."

"Gu Sheng! What the hell are you, to dare look at me like that?"

Jiang Feiyu’s hair seemed to bristle with rage, True Qi surging all over him as his Daoist robe billowed without wind.

His right hand was already on the hilt at his waist, veins bulging on his fingers, betraying the fury in his heart.

Gu Sheng slowly turned around, eyes black as ink, as though ice was congealing in their depths.

When his gaze swept across Jiang Feiyu, the latter actually couldn’t help but take half a step back.

"I’m looking at trash."

Gu Sheng’s voice was terrifyingly calm, every word like an icy blade stabbing straight into Jiang Feiyu’s heart.

"You..."

Jiang Feiyu’s face flushed crimson in an instant, a mix of shame and fury.

He was a Direct Lineage of the Jiang family; when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

"You’re courting death!"

With a ringing "zheng," the Longsword left its scabbard, pale cyan True Qi flowing along the blade.

Jiang Feiyu’s figure shot out like lightning, sword tip aimed straight at Gu Sheng’s throat. This strike, launched in fury, was infused with the Jiang family’s signature technique, "Green Rainbow Piercing Sun."

Shen Qingtan cried out in alarm.

"Jiang, stop!"

But it was already too late.

A cold light flashed in Gu Sheng’s eyes, and his figure vanished from where he stood like a ghost.

Jiang Feiyu only felt his vision blur, then a searing pain exploded in his chest. His whole body flew back like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily onto a bluestone slab ten zhang away.

"Pff..."

Jiang Feiyu spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

He struggled to prop himself up, staring in disbelief at Gu Sheng, who was walking over unhurriedly.

"You... you actually dared..."

Jiang Feiyu’s voice trembled, from both pain and fear.

The power of that single punch had far exceeded his imagination.

Gu Sheng looked down at him from above, his voice cold as a blade.

"Say one more word, and I don’t mind leaving you here forever."

Jiang Feiyu shuddered all over; the killing intent in those eyes was anything but a bluff.

His lips moved a few times, but in the end he didn’t dare make another sound.

"Mr. Gu, show some mercy."

Shen Qingtan quickly stepped forward, placing herself between the two.

Her delicate brows knit slightly, and the look she gave Gu Sheng carried a hint of plexity.

"Jiang just acted on impulse..."

Gu Sheng withdrew his gaze. When he turned to Shen Qingtan, the chill in his eyes eased slightly.

"Miss Shen, we should set out."

Shen Qingtan nodded, then turned to Jiang Feiyu.

"Jiang, your injuries aren’t light. Stay here and regulate your breathing. Mr. Gu, Junior Sister Qin, and I will go probe that Evil Cultivator’s background first."

"You all..."

Jiang Feiyu ground his teeth, but seeing that the three of them had already reached an agreement and no one was paying his opinion any heed, he could only swallow his words.