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

Chapter 254

The man in black robes rolled his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then replied, "I... I just heard that there are magic stone mines here, and I was tempted by greed, so I thought I'd sneak over here to try my luck."

His tone sounded somewhat guilty, clearly indicating that his answer was not entirely true.

Gu Shihan frowned, her smile vanishing instantly. With a gentle flip of her hand, a vibrant red lotus quietly appeared on her fingertips. The lotus shimmered with dazzling light, radiating a terrifying aura that sent chills down one's spine.

The moment the black-robed man's gaze fell upon the crimson lotus flames, his face contorted with extreme terror. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he even stammered, "Crimson lotus flames?! How...how could they possibly appear here!"

Gu Shihan snorted coldly and pressed again, "Hmph! Stop playing tricks on me and tell the truth! How much were you involved in the case of those ascended cultivators' mysterious disappearances? If you utter even a single lie, don't blame the Red Lotus Karmic Fire for being merciless!"

"No! I absolutely did not capture any ascended cultivators. Those people were all captured by people under my control. Oh, no, no, to be precise, they were tricked into coming. They... they were all after the high reward of spirit stones. That is an absolute fact!"

The man in black robes trembled uncontrollably, as if he might collapse to the ground at any moment, and he spoke with trepidation.

"Hmph, if you only want these people to mine for you, then why take their lives?"

Gu Shihan's tone grew increasingly cold, carrying an unquestionable air of authority.

"Innocent! Immortal, I never intended to harm them! It was simply that the evil aura emanating from those demonic stones was too powerful for them to resist. Ultimately, this aura corrupted their minds, causing them to fight each other, which led to their tragic end. All of this has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

The man in black robes shook his head and waved his hands frantically, while desperately trying to defend himself.

"Stop talking nonsense! Hand over the map now!" Gu Shihan had clearly lost her patience and shouted sternly.

"Fairy, spare me! What kind of map are you talking about? I really don't know!" The man in black robes stared wide-eyed at the person in front of him, his face full of terror, seemingly having no idea what the map the other person was talking about was.

"A map of the mining area! And tell me, just how many men in black like you are here? If you tell me even a single lie, don't blame this fairy for being ruthless!"

"In response to your question, Fairy, there are ten men in black here. However, strictly speaking, they cannot be considered human; rather, they are terrifying puppets that are half-human and half-corpse! As for the map of the mining area, it is on that table over there!" The man in black robes dared not conceal anything any longer and answered honestly.

Gu Shihan felt she had asked enough questions. With a wave of her hand, a ball of blazing red lotus karmic fire shot towards the man in black like a meteor.

"You liar! I don't want to die! Please, spare me!" The man in black robes let out a bloodcurdling scream, but it only lasted a moment before abruptly stopping. As the crimson lotus flames completely engulfed him, the man in black robes instantly turned into a pile of ashes and vanished into the air.

"Hanhan, how do we do it?" Xingbai asked, removing the restriction.

Gu Shihan pondered for a moment and said, "Wait, wait for the next group of people to come back. Xingbai, go and find out the location of the black-clad men that the black-robed man mentioned. We need to eliminate them first before thinking about rescuing people."

Soon, Xingbai's location was determined. Gu Shihan found the person and, without saying a word, unleashed the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, which quickly reduced five people to ashes.

"Hanhan. The others are in the mining area. Actually, there's not much left in the mine. The last few magic stones are in the room. We need to keep them safe and put up a protective talisman." "Thanks for the reminder, Xingbai. We don't need the magic stones, but who can guarantee we won't need them one day? My dark spirit root might be useful too, right?!" Gu Shihan said with a smile.

"Congratulations, Hanhan, you've struck it rich!" Xingbai said mischievously.

After waiting for almost half a day, a man in black arrived with three people whose spirits had been imprisoned.

Gu Shihan stepped forward and dealt with the man in black, releasing the spiritual energy binding the three cultivators, and asked, "How were you captured?"

"We..." The three cultivators were stunned by the sudden turn of events. After a moment, one of them said, "We were rescued while hunting immortal beasts. We didn't expect that the rescue was a ruse; the real purpose was to kidnap and rob us."

"Fairy, were you also captured?" Gu Shihan shook her head. "I'm here to rescue people. There are quite a few other cultivators who have also been captured. Let's go rescue them first and then leave."

The group nodded quickly, and Gu Shihan led the three cultivators towards the dungeon, swiftly releasing the cultivators from the spiritual energy imprisonment.

"Thank you! May I ask your name, fairy?" With their spiritual energy returning, the cultivators who had been listless just moments before instantly came back to life and bowed to express their gratitude.

"Yes, your surname is Gu, your given name is Han, and your alias is Qingluo! To make a long story short, we brought you here to mine, did you know that?" Gu Shihan asked.

"I don't know! We were captured without any warning. The moment we were caught, our spiritual power and speech were suppressed. The people who captured us didn't say anything, just that if we wanted to live, we should obey. Who wouldn't want to live?" one of them said.

"Fairy, is it a spirit stone mine?" one of them asked.

"No, it's a magic stone mine. The people who captured you are demonic cultivators! It's said there's a magic stone mine here. Are you going to stay here or come with me to the mine to rescue the others?" Gu Shihan asked, looking at everyone.

“Let’s go together! There’s strength in numbers. Demonic cultivators are not easy to deal with! Although our cultivation is not strong enough, we can still provide support from the side.” A male cultivator in white robes said.

“Alright!” Gu Shihan led his men forward according to the map, only to find that the entire route was blocked by restrictions.

"Xingbai, what's going on? Can you crack this quickly?" Gu Shihan frowned.

Xingbai stepped forward to examine it. "This restriction is a bit tricky; it will take some time to break through it."

Just then, a sinister laugh rang out, "Want to leave? Not so easy. Those who have come will stay and mine for me. I need plenty of manpower." A demonic cultivator, exuding an even stronger demonic aura, slowly walked over.

"Who are you? Who was that man in black robes just now?" Gu Shihan drew her sword warily, and the others also became alert.

"I am the true master of this place. That fellow was merely my trusted subordinate. It wouldn't have been difficult for you to eliminate him. You ruined my plans, so you'll all have to stay here today," the demonic cultivator sneered.

(End of this chapter)