Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 1416: Chapter 732: Wanling Palace

The palace, though small, exuded an ancient and mysterious aura.

”Collect!”

With a light command from Gu Sheng, a peculiar wave of power emanated from the bronze palace, shattering the black threads connecting to the puppets as if struck by lightning.

The old man’s expression changed drastically.

”What?!”

The next moment, Gu Sheng and the six puppets disappeared simultaneously from the spot, leaving behind the furious roar of the red-robed elder echoing within the restriction.

In the Divine Craft Maze Palace, the six puppets stood motionless.

Gu Sheng exhaled deeply and looked around.

It was an ancient stone chamber, with complex and inscrutable runes carved all over the walls, and a bronze throne placed at the center.

Yue Shen Gong’s shadow drifted out from Gu Sheng’s Sea of Consciousness and settled onto the throne.

He carefully examined the puppets, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

”Just as I suspected...”

Yue Shen Gong’s voice carried anger.

”This is the ’Spirit Puppet Rebirth Array,’ originally created by my wife for automaton puppets to grant action to non-living things. I never expected it to be used on living people!”

Gu Sheng was startled by these words.

”Senior, do you mean this array wasn’t supposed to be used this way?”

”Of course not!”

Yue Shen Gong angrily slapped the armrest of the throne.

”Automaton puppets possess no soul, this array merely simulates the operation of life. But when used on living people, it forcibly extracts their souls, leaving only their bodies as puppets! This is the way of evil!”

Gu Sheng walked over to a puppet, observing carefully.

Faint runes could be seen on the puppet’s skin, its eyes hollow and lifeless, yet it still maintained the muscle memory from when it was alive, executing martial techniques fluidly.

”Senior, is there a way to break this array? To save these people?”

Gu Sheng asked gravely.

Yue Shen Gong was silent for a moment before suddenly extending his hand to the bronze throne.

The entire Divine Craft Maze Palace emitted the sound of mechanisms in motion; the stone chamber began twisting and transforming, the runes on the walls flowing and reorganizing.

”This is...”

Gu Sheng watched the changes around him in surprise.

”One of the true functions of the Divine Craft Maze Palace—’Return All Techniques to the Source.’”

Yue Shen Gong explained.

”It can trace any array or cultivation technique to its original form.”

With a light sound, an ancient manuscript flew out from the suddenly appeared bookshelf, landing steadily in front of Gu Sheng. On the cover, ancient characters spelled out ’The Record of Spiritual Mechanism Metamorphoses.’

”This is my wife’s manuscript from back then.”

Yue Shen Gong’s voice carried a tone of reminiscence.

”Inside is recorded the original version of the ’Spirit Puppet Rebirth Array’ and... the method to break it.”

Gu Sheng’s fingers gently caressed the yellowed pages of the ancient book, his eyes reflecting a sense of reminiscence.

In a past life as the Immortal Emperor, although not specialized in arrays, the knowledge accumulated over countless ages allowed him to dabble in all paths of the heavens.

This puppet array, though intricate, was merely a drop in the ocean.

”I see...”

Gu Sheng’s lips curved slightly as he tapped lightly on a certain part of the book page, and a strand of golden light merged into the paper.

Within the Divine Craft Maze Palace, Yue Shen Gong’s shadow fluctuated violently, his face, condensed from Soul Power, filled with shock and anticipation.

”Gu... Mr. Gu, have you really found the method to break it?”

Yue Shen Gong’s voice trembled, like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.

Gu Sheng closed the ancient book and looked up at the former Artifact Refining Master.

”Not only have I found the method to break it, but I have also discovered some interesting things.”

He paused for a moment.

”The puppet array used by that red-robed evil cultivator bears a seven-tenth resemblance to the ’Spirit Puppet Profound Technique’ created by your wife back then.”

”What?!”

Yue Shen Gong’s shadow trembled violently, almost about to disperse.

”Impossible... that was my wife’s original creation...”

Gu Sheng gently shook his head.

”To be precise, it’s a modified version. The core Array Patterns remain unchanged, only the periphery has been supplemented with some evil methods to refine living people into puppets.”

Yue Shen Gong’s soul fluctuations became extremely intense, causing the entire Divine Craft Maze Palace to tremble along with them.

Gu Sheng could feel the overwhelming hatred and sorrow.

”I beg you, Mr. Gu, help me!”

Yue Shen Gong suddenly kowtowed to the ground, his soul almost touching the floor.

”As long as I can find the place where my wife perished, I am willing to pay any price!”

Gu Sheng stood with his hands behind his back, a deep gaze in his eyes.

”Since I have promised to help you fulfill your wish, I will not break my word. Once I capture that red-robed evil cultivator, I will leave him to your discretion.”

Yue Shen Gong raised his head, with tears seeming to glisten in his soulful eyes.

”My great gratitude is beyond words! Within the Divine Craft Maze Palace there is a ’Concentrating Spirit Orchid’ which can enhance your spiritual power by thirty percent, consider it as a token of thanks!”

Even in his previous life, the Concentrating Spirit Orchid was a rare find; little did he expect Yue Shen Gong to possess such a treasure.

”Since that’s the case, I’ll gladly accept.”

Gu Sheng nodded slightly, and with a thought, a Spirit Grass with an entirely deep blue hue and starry stamens appeared in his hand.

As soon as the Spirit Grass landed in his hand, the spiritual power in his Sea of Consciousness surged forth.

Outside, the red-robed elder was growing impatient.

”Youngster! Stop pretending to be mysterious!”

The red-robed elder roared angrily, and as his sleeve billowed, three black shadows flew from afar, landing heavily outside the restriction.

Gu Sheng’s figure reappeared at this exact moment.

He held the Concentrating Spirit Orchid, and with a gentle inhalation, the Spirit Grass transformed into a thread of blue light and merged into his forehead.

In an instant, his presence surged dramatically, with golden light swirling in his eyes, as if a Heavenly God had descended.

”Old thing, your living puppets have been liberated.”

Gu Sheng said indifferently, casually discarding the now withered remnants of the Spirit Grass.

”Nonsense!”

The red-robed elder laughed angrily out of extreme rage.

”My puppets are not something a mere youngster like you can break! Today I’ll let you see what true puppetry is!”

He formed a seal with his hands, and the three black shadows stepped into the restriction simultaneously. The barrier trembled violently, almost unable to withstand this pressure.