Chapter 1004: Chapter 526: The Hidden Plot Looking at the stone building, Gu Sheng was both amused and frustrated. "Alright, let’s go. A team has already passed us." The group continued along the path, and the further up the mountain they went, the stronger the scent of blood became. "Oh no." Er Gou suddenly exclaimed, twisting his ankle and almost falling off the mountain. Huang Shan was startled and quickly grabbed him. "Be careful!" "I stepped on a stone, round and slippery, almost made me fall!" Er Gou angrily kicked it hard, and a white bone flew into everyone’s view! "No, this... this..." As he stepped back, Er Gou staggered again. "Oh no!" Shi Lou quickly reached out and caught him once more. "Are you sure you’re not clashing with this mountain? The higher we go, the more you stumble." "I don’t know, I just slipped and almost fell." "Stepped on another bone?" "Seems not..." As Er Gou turned to look, a bloody arm suddenly appeared at his feet! "Damn, I stepped on an arm! Brother Sheng, I stepped on an arm!" Hearing his cry, Gu Sheng quickly came to his side. Seeing the severed arm, he thought for a moment and picked it up. As Gu Sheng picked up the severed arm, everyone instinctively stepped back. At this moment, Gu Sheng said, "This person belonged to the sect that was ahead of us." At his words, everyone’s mouths fell open in shock. "Brother Sheng, are you sure?" "I’m sure, they all have marks on their wrists, it’s obvious." "But why would his arm be severed?" "It’s not just his arm; he’s already dead." "What? Already dead!" "Look at it, the flesh has turned black, clearly poisoned, causing an inner qi explosion that killed him. Only an arm remains here; the rest... probably nothing left but dust." Imagining such a death, everyone felt chills run down their spines. "Who poisoned him? Aren’t they afraid of damaging the Spiritual Pearl’s essence?" After Shi Lou’s question, Huang Shan said: "It may not have been another sect; it might have been caused by the spirits or monsters of South Mountain itself." Gu Sheng especially agreed with these words. "That’s right, along the way, we encountered wild animals and shellfish that have absorbed the essence of South Mountain to become spirits. As we go higher, who knows what else we might find. Everyone needs to be careful." Thinking it over, Gu Sheng took out a pearl, examined it, and swallowed it. "Everyone, swallow the pearl. Right now, high strength is the best way to protect ourselves." Everyone knew he was right, so they all swallowed the pearl. In an instant, Divine Power surged from their bodies, causing the surrounding flowers and plants to flourish. To prevent these from becoming spirits, Gu Sheng deliberately released inner strength to suppress the spiritual energy. Once assured of safety, they moved on. In the next two days, they saw many severed limbs, some recognizable, others not, with the shocking number of bones below showing how many lives South Mountain had claimed! Approaching the summit, Gu Sheng felt the air become increasingly cold. Turning to look at Shi Lou and the others, he noticed their complexions had turned a bit blue. Knowing they were suppressing their Divine Power, Gu Sheng said, "Don’t suppress it, or you’ll freeze before we reach the top." "Brother Sheng, if we release our Divine Power, won’t it attract beasts?" "Near the summit, the path gets narrower. Even if we don’t release it, we’re at risk of being noticed. So, preserving life is more important." After considering, everyone agreed with his rationale and released their Divine Power, slowly warming up. While they adjusted, two pairs of eyes fixated on them from afar. "Luan Yun, is that Gu Sheng?" "That’s right, it’s him! If we weren’t near the top, I’d have killed him already!" Hearing Luan Yun’s gritted words, Zhang Ping’s lips curved wickedly. "We can’t kill him, but if he dies on his own, it has nothing to do with us, right? The Spiritual Pearl, so full of spiritual energy, won’t blame us." After he spoke, Luan Yun’s eyes widened. "Brother Zhang Ping, do you have a plan?" "Look above Gu Sheng’s position. Those giant stones don’t seem stable. The path below is so narrow; if those stones fall, would they be crushed?" Hearing this, Luan Yun’s eyes lit up but quickly dimmed. "We’re near the top. If we used Divine Power, what about the Spiritual Pearl’s essence?" "Check the stone size. With our Heisha Sect and your Purple Mist Peak people, I doubt we’d need Divine Power to move them." Finally understanding his meaning, Luan Yun was overjoyed. "Brother Zhang Ping, you’re clever. Let’s head up first and finish them off from above." The two agreed and quietly took a side path, reaching the top first. Meanwhile, on Gu Sheng’s side, their body temperatures had fully recovered. Seeing them brimming with energy, Gu Sheng reminded them, "Don’t celebrate too soon. It’s only less cold now. The higher we go, the colder it gets. You must adapt quickly. There aren’t many groups ascending, but we’re not alone. The path above is narrower; we’ll likely meet them. Stay alert from now on. We need eyes everywhere, ears everywhere; nothing should be missed."