Chapter 533: Chapter 290: The Pride of Turquoise Pool?_2 Now Gu Sheng is no longer the person he used to be. With strength, he’s eager to try many things, even those he hadn’t dared to do before. There are many places he didn’t dare to go, but now he dares to visit them. The scorching sun bakes the desert, and the heat waves roll in like tides. Gu Sheng stands atop a sand dune, his gaze like a torch scanning the vast and mysterious expanse. The red light of the vine demon soul behind him flickers, like a burning flame, standing out strikingly in the desert. "Is this the desert at the far western end of Xiwu?" Gu Sheng murmurs to himself, his eyes flashing with anticipation and excitement. He knows that countless opportunities lie hidden in this desert, just waiting for the right person to discover them. And he is that person. The vine demon soul seems to sense its master’s intentions, darting out like a bolt of lightning and burrowing into the sand, disappearing without a trace. Gu Sheng smiles slightly, follows closely, and vanishes behind the sand dune. Soon after, the sounds of intense battle echo throughout the desert. The vine demon soul emerges from the sand, clutching a struggling poison shadow lizard in its mouth. This poison shadow lizard is massive, emanating a faint poisonous mist, clearly no ordinary creature. Upon seeing Gu Sheng, a look of slyness and fear flashes in its eyes. "Hmph, trying to run?" Gu Sheng coldly chuckles, moving to appear in front of the poison shadow lizard. He extends his palm, golden light swirling, exerting a powerful suction force that tightly grips the poison shadow lizard. "Shoo!" The poison shadow lizard is utterly terrified, opening its mouth wide to spew out streams of venom in an attempt to break free. How could Gu Sheng’s Ancient Sacred Body be so easily affected? His whole body radiates golden light, like wearing a layer of golden armor, rendering the venom harmless as it instantly dissipates upon contact. "Vine, devour!" At Gu Sheng’s command, the vine demon soul transforms into a red light, instantly enveloping the poison shadow lizard. A moment later, the struggling sounds of the poison shadow lizard gradually weaken, eventually fading into silence. The red light of the vine demon soul flickers, evidently finding the poison shadow lizard a great supplement. The vine demon soul’s appetite is far from satiated. It burrows back into the sand in search of its next prey. Gu Sheng follows closely behind, knowing that this desert conceals countless opportunities and dangers, but he’s confident in making a mark with the vine demon soul by his side. Soon, they discover a massive lightning ant nest. These fist-sized ants emit a faint blue glow all over, drifting around the sky and earth like a swarm of blue phantoms. Their lightning can easily electrocute demon wolves and make them the overlord of this desert. With a slight squint, Gu Sheng softly murmurs, "So this is the Lightning Ant? Truly, they live up to their reputation." The vine demon soul, however, is extremely excited, splitting into countless avatars to pounce on the lightning ant swarm like a ravenous beast. For a time, shrill screams echo in the desert, mingled with the joyous sounds of the vine demon soul devouring. Standing by, Gu Sheng watches this Taotie feast, secretly clicking his tongue in astonishment. He knows that the vine demon soul’s strength lies not only in its corrosiveness but also in its terrifying devouring capability. This ability can devour almost any living thing and convert it into its own power. This fills him with great anticipation for the vine demon soul’s future. Amid the vine demon soul’s rampant devouring, a black shadow suddenly descends from the sky, heading straight for Gu Sheng. His eyes narrow, and with a swift movement, he dodges the fatal blow. Focusing, he sees a massive black demon eagle glaring at him fiercely. "Hmph! Trying to pick on the weak?" Gu Sheng sneers, swiftly moving towards the black demon eagle to attack. He knows this battle can’t be avoided, only by defeating the black demon eagle can he delve deeper into the desert in search of opportunities. The black demon eagle obviously didn’t expect Gu Sheng to be so troublesome. It spreads its wings, releasing countless black feathers to try to trap him. Gu Sheng moves even faster, employing the Carefree Ascension Step, weaving like a phantom through the black feathers. "Gale Nine Swords!" With a loud cry, Gu Sheng’s Jade Maiden Sword transforms into nine sword lights, instantly enveloping the black demon eagle. The black demon eagle, panic-stricken, struggles with all its might, but ultimately ends up pierced through the heart by Gu Sheng’s sword, dying on the spot. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞 Looking at the fallen black demon eagle, Gu Sheng snorts softly, "Overestimating oneself." He turns to the vine demon soul to see that it has already devoured most of the lightning ants and is licking its lips with satisfaction. "Vine, let’s move on." At Gu Sheng’s command, the vine demon soul immediately transforms into a red light and flies back to his side. The two move forward side by side, venturing further into the desert. In the days that follow, Gu Sheng and the vine demon soul overcome numerous hardships, eventually finding a hidden secret realm. This secret realm is filled with rich spiritual energy and rare Spirit Grass and Spirit Fruit, a paradise for cultivators. Gu Sheng knows they have found their true opportunity. As they venture deeper into the secret realm, they discover that someone has already arrived before them. A youth in white is sitting cross-legged on the central Spirit Platform, meditating, surrounded by countless Spirit Grass and Spirit Fruit, resembling stars supporting the moon, making him look incredibly sacred. The man’s cultivation is unfathomable, and Gu Sheng does not disturb him, choosing instead to sit cross-legged at another Spirit Platform. He follows suit, placing numerous Spirit Grass, Spirit Fruit, and Spirit Stones around him, beginning his meditation. Central Province, a place where gods battle, where the Marrow Refining Realm is merely the foundation of cultivation. Beyond the Marrow Refining Realm are realms like the Sea Floor Realm, Navel Wheel Realm, and Sun Realm. Generally speaking, each major realm completely overwhelms the lower; with some rare Martial Artists as exceptions, having other means to defeat opponents of higher realms. To Gu Sheng’s reckoning, the youth in white has cultivation at least above the Sea Floor Realm. Once Martial Artists reach the Sea Floor Realm, they become cultivators in the truest sense, unmatched by ordinary Martial Artists. Almost two different beings. The Sea Floor Realm’s Martial Artists possess the Sea Floor Wheel, where a secret realm appears at the perineum, called the Sea Floor Secret Realm, manifesting various phenomena with practice and surrounding spiritual energy, some even evolving into tangible forms, varied and unpredictable, where many genius Martial Artists can directly manifest the secret realm to unleash martial power. For example, Shaking Light Saint’s blooming lotus scatter is a secret realm power output, transforming to attack enemies. Another example is Wei Daoyuan of the Destruction Hall, whose black light mist is also a secret realm output, containing immense great power, grand in presence. Apart from martial arts cultivation, almost every power has its own inheritance and foundation—the Heavenly Dao Sect possesses treasures like the Divine Sword of Heavenly Dao, capable of destroying the heavens and earth. Infinite Mountain has the Chaos Bell with powers from ancient times, the Shaking Light Sacred Land possesses the Shaking Light Stars, encapsulating a star in a treasure secret realm to forge an extreme weapon. The Destruction Hall owns the Divine Mountain of Darkness, forging it into an extreme weapon, and so on. Encounter at the Spirit Platform Secret Realm The youth in white, Gao Yichen, sits silently on the Spirit Platform, surrounded by the Spirit Grass and Spirit Fruit seemingly infusing him with the essence of heaven and earth. His expression is serene, and his breathing barely perceptible, as if he has become one with this world. Gu Sheng, on the adjacent Spirit Platform, enters a meditative state too, yet his heart cannot find peace. He can sense the unfathomable aura emanating from Gao Yichen, a height he has yet to reach. Central Province, this vast and boundless land, is filled with strong practitioners, with forces intertwined. In this land, the Marrow Refining Realm is merely a beginning, the true masters are hidden within those top Sects. The Heavenly Dao Sect, Infinite Mountain, Shaking Light Sacred Land, Destruction Hall... These names echo in Gu Sheng’s mind, each representing endless heritage and foundation. Time flows like water, and when Gu Sheng awakens from his meditation, he finds Gao Yichen already standing in front of him. "Brother Gu, how was your cultivation?" Gao Yichen asks with a smile. Gu Sheng stands up, clasping his fists, "Thanks to Brother Gao for providing this treasure land, I’ve gained quite a lot." The two exchange smiles, as if seeing mutual admiration in each other’s eyes. "Brother Gu’s reputation precedes you," Gao Yichen remarks, "to reach this point with just a Fourth Level Marrow Refining Realm is no easy feat." Gu Sheng smiles modestly, "Just lucky. But Brother Gao’s unfathomable cultivation earns my respect."