Cultivating immortality relies on spatial abilities; defying fate to become the protagonist.

Chapter 176

Yu Tong closed her eyes and chanted incantations. Fiery red lotus flames bloomed around her, releasing intense heat that surged towards the crystal ball.

Long Teng and Jin Qi were not idle either, burning all the remaining black energy outside to prevent it from escaping even a little bit.

Gu Shihan was the most exhausted. Her soul was trembling, her face was pale, her forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat, and her head was throbbing.

The Tranquil Lotus in Gu Shihan's sea of ​​consciousness seemed to sense something. The lotus petals moved, and a soft light emanated from them. Part of the light protected Gu Shihan's soul, while the rest of the light, along with the output of spiritual power, entered the crystal ball.

Everyone performed their duties, but the consumption was considerable. Although the pervasive blackness was weakened considerably, it still resisted stubbornly.

Suddenly, a powerful dark force shot out from the crystal ball, breaking through everyone's defenses and attacking Gu Shihan directly.

Gu Shihan was unable to dodge in time and was about to be hit when Shi Qinghan leaped over and blocked the attack for her.

Shi Qinghan was injured and fell down. Gu Shihan was shocked and angrily increased the output of her spiritual power. Mo Yu was also angry because his companion was injured.

With the gentle light of the Tranquil Lotus, the black mist inside the crystal ball gradually calmed down, and the dark power weakened considerably.

The ethereal voice held a hint of relief, "Those who are destined, the merits you have made for this world will be remembered. But do not let your guard down, for the final dark forces are extremely stubborn."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became even more solemn. Xingbai came to Shi Qinghan's side to check his injuries. Seeing that his face was as pale as paper and his small eyes were rolling around, she took out a jade bottle containing the Elixir of Life, dripped a drop into his mouth, and then fed him a healing pill.

Shi Qinghan winced in pain, but still managed a smile. "Xingbai, I'm fine. Let's continue."

The group repositioned themselves, preparing for a final desperate attempt. Just as they were exhausting their black energy, a burst of wild laughter suddenly erupted from inside the crystal ball.

"You really think you can destroy me?" The dark power coalesced into a giant, grotesque face.

Everyone was startled, but they kept moving their hands, calmed their minds, and steadily controlled the crystal ball.

With a determined look in her eyes, Gu Shihan shouted, "If we work together, we will definitely succeed!"

The group worked together to try and break through the black mist inside the crystal ball.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, a petal of the Tranquil Lotus automatically detached, transforming into soft light that rushed towards the crystal ball and quickly disappeared into it.

Inside the crystal ball, the ghostly face twisted and struggled, as if it were undergoing some kind of torture. The black color continued to fade, changing from deep black to light black, and its size was also shrinking.

"Are we about to succeed?" Yu Tong asked, slightly out of breath.

“Yes, if we do it one more time, we will have perfect control over the black mist. With the white mist in control, it will be difficult for the black mist to grow stronger again. This is all we can do,” Gu Shihan said with a smile.

The blackness within the crystal ball was suppressed, and the high-level demonic beasts in the Heavenly Water Secret Realm regained their senses and calmed down their ferocity. However, the low-level demonic beasts would not fare well.

The same applies to cultivators. Those with strong enough spiritual power and a firmer will all returned to normal. Only those cultivators with insufficient moral character or a poor enough heart sank deeper and deeper, eventually becoming puppets.

Just as the group relaxed, they were thrown out of the main hall by a force. Looking back, there was no palace to be seen, only desolation.

After regaining her balance, Gu Shihan looked at Mo Yu and Shi Qinghan and found that although they looked disheveled, they were not seriously injured, but the surrounding atmosphere was still not clear.

Yu Tong and Xing Bai returned to their space, and Jin Qi and Long Teng also returned to where they belonged.

Shi Qinghan slumped to the ground and said softly, "It seems things aren't completely over yet. I need to quickly adjust my breathing and prepare for battle!"

Gu Shihan took out the Ten Thousand Year Bell Stone Milk and swallowed a drop. This stuff replenishes spiritual power the fastest and has no side effects.

Mo Yu and Shi Qinghan did the same, because they simply didn't have enough time. In less than a quarter of an hour, large patches of dark clouds rose on the horizon, pressing down heavily.

The suppressed dark power seemed unwilling to accept defeat, and it stirred up the evil energy in the world to gather once again.

"It's going to retaliate!" Shi Qinghan exclaimed.

The three quickly formed a circle, concentrating their spiritual energy. Gu Shihan formed a hand seal, and a beam of red light shot out from her hands, rushing towards the rolling dark clouds in the sky.

Shi Qinghan and Mo Yu followed closely behind, wielding their swords to merge and superimpose their strongest attacks with Gu Shihan's.

The dark force was too powerful and was about to break through the defenses and pounce on Gu Shihan and the others.

At the critical moment, all the high-level demonic beasts that had regained their senses within the Heavenly Water Secret Realm rushed over, letting out roars and releasing their power to join the fight against the darkness.

With the combined efforts of all the demons and cultivators, the dark power finally dissipated, and the sunlight shone down, dispelling the gloom.

After the dark power dissipated, all three breathed a sigh of relief.

A relieved smile appeared on Gu Shihan's face. She looked at her companions and the high-level demonic beasts who had helped her, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

Shi Qinghan said softly, "Little sister, we owe you a lot this time. If you hadn't been the first to suppress that dark power, we probably wouldn't have succeeded, and the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Gu Shihan shook her head. "This is the result of everyone's joint efforts."

Just then, an auspicious light suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping everyone.

A clear, ethereal voice rang out: "You have saved the Heavenly Water Secret Realm, your merits are immeasurable, and you are hereby granted this opportunity."

As the words fell, everyone felt their spiritual power continuously rising, as if their bodies were being reshaped.

Those high-level demonic beasts also benefited; some even gained sentience and were able to speak human language.

The monsters bowed to the group, indicating their willingness to protect this land that had regained peace.

"Ding dong, mission complete, please collect your reward: the method for making the Golden Light Talisman to ward off evil!" Gu Shihan felt as if something had been added to her mind.

The golden rune seemed to have a somewhat useless purpose, but it was still very useful against the endless stream of evil creatures. He was overjoyed; such a mission reward was too good to pass up.

"Junior sister! What are you laughing at?" Mo Yu walked up to Gu Shihan and asked.

"Ah! It's nothing, I'm just happy! Senior brother, elder brother, let's go treasure hunting!"

Six months passed quietly, and the day came for the Tianshui Secret Realm to close.

Gu Shihan, Mo Yu, and Shi Qinghan rushed towards the exit of the secret realm. They encountered few cultivators along the way, as many had perished in the mouths of demonized beasts. Of those who managed to leave the secret realm, only three out of ten survived.

Suddenly, a suction force came, and Gu Shihan felt dizzy and landed on a lawn.

"Junior Sister, over here!" Mo Yu's voice came from over.

Gu Shihan walked over with a smile, and Shi Qinghan also came over. The three of them looked around and found that there were less than thirty-seven people from the Five Flowers Sect.

(End of this chapter)