The Tianlan Saint Mother gritted her teeth.
"Are we really going to let the traitor roam free?"
"Of course not."
The Tianlan Saint Master’s eyes flashed with a cold light.
"Once the turmoil settles, I will make them pay. But now... we must first find Gu Sheng."
Mentioning Gu Sheng, the Tianlan Saint Mother’s expression softened slightly.
"That child now..."
"I have already sent the Great Elder to protect him secretly, but..."
The Tianlan Saint Master frowned deeply.
"I just received a message that even the Great Elder has lost Gu Sheng’s trail."
A stream of light burst through the air, transforming into a Jade Scroll that landed in the Tianlan Saint Master’s hand.
With a sweep of his Divine Sense, his face changed drastically.
"This is bad!"
"What happened?"
The Tianlan Saint Mother asked urgently.
The Tianlan Saint Master spoke in a deep voice.
"The Supreme Immortal Sect has issued a Killing Order, with a bounty on Gu Sheng’s life! The rewards include Upper Realm Magical Treasures, Immortal King-level Techniques, Nine-Revolution Golden Pill..."
"What?!"
The Tianlan Saint Mother exclaimed in shock.
"Such a grand gesture..."
The news quickly spread throughout the Xinghong Spirit Domain.
The Six Great Holy Lands sprang into action, even some old monsters who rarely showed themselves were shaken.
"Did you hear? The Supreme Immortal Sect’s bounty..."
"Gu Sheng’s head is more valuable than Holy Medicine now!"
"Hehe, the Tianlan Sacred Land can’t protect him this time..."
Similar conversations played out across the Cultivation World.
Countless cultivators began frantically searching for Gu Sheng’s whereabouts.
The Tianlan Saint Master stood at the highest point of the Holy Land, gazing into the distance.
In recent days, they had searched thousands of miles in the direction Gu Sheng left, yet not a single trace was found.
"Saint Master."
An elder hurriedly approached.
"We just received news that the Xuanming Holy Land has sent out three Heavenly Palace Realm elders to hunt Gu Sheng!"
"The Red Flame Holy Land has also mobilized..."
"The Qinghong Holy Land even activated their sect-guarding Magical Treasure, the ’Heaven-Peeping Mirror’..."
"And several Loose Cultivators have formed an alliance..."
Bad news followed one after another, making the Tianlan Saint Master’s expression increasingly somber.
He took out a Communication Jade Talisman, trying again to contact the Great Elder, but again it was like a stone sinking into the sea.
"Gu Sheng... where on earth are you?"
.........
"This is impossible!"
The Great Elder’s face was livid, the compass in his hand spinning wildly.
"Gu Sheng’s aura completely disappears here."
The Tianlan Saint Master stood among towering ancient trees.
This forest seemed ordinary, yet gave him an inexplicable sense of eeriness.
It was here that Gu Sheng vanished into thin air, even the Great Elder who was secretly protecting him lost track.
"Either he stumbled into some kind of Ancient Array..."
The Tianlan Saint Master reached out, touching the lingering Spiritual Power fluctuations in the air.
"Or he was taken by some Great Power."
The Great Elder was deeply worried.
"Saint Master, now that the Six Great Holy Lands are all pursuing Gu Sheng, if he is found—"
"You stay here and continue the search,"
the Tianlan Saint Master interrupted.
"I must return to the Holy Land to hold the fort. The Xinghong Spirit Domain’s situation is turbulent, and the Supreme Immortal Sect’s Killing Order has stirred various forces into action."
The Great Elder nodded solemnly.
"I will do my utmost."
The Tianlan Saint Master glanced at the eerie forest, then transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the horizon.
Amid the gentle sound of flowing water, Gu Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself sitting cross-legged on a simple wooden boat, drifting with the current in a deep pool beneath the Qing Shan waterfall.
"Where is this place?"
"I was clearly in the forest..."
At this moment, the scenery before him twisted and changed.
Towering peaks rose around him, encircling him completely.
Atop each peak stood an ancient stone pavilion, each with a figure inside.
On the first peak, an old man with a face full of Evil Qi was playing with a blood-colored Jade Pendant with his bony fingers.
The second peak housed a swordsman in green robes, sitting with his Longsword in his arms, eyes closed in meditation.
The third peak floated a mass of ghostly blue soul fire, flickering.
On the fourth peak sat a one-armed hulking figure, his muscular form like a dragon.
The last peak was occupied by a dead infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, its skin blue-purple, devoid of life.
"Elders..."
Gu Sheng attempted to call out, but received no response.
The sun rose and set, an unknown amount of time passed.
The old man with Evil Qi suddenly stood up, let out a strange laugh, and leaped off the cliff, disappearing.
The swordsman in green robes followed suit, turning into a sword light that pierced through the sky.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World