242: Chapter 242 Negotiations Failed

"Liu Xuan, sigh... You are making it difficult for this Supervisor..."

Liu Xuan sneered internally, but his face grew increasingly sincere:

"Supervisor Zhao, please understand, it is not that I intend to delay. The truth is, this matter is rather peculiar; the production of immortal essence stones, by all logic, should not have dropped so much all at once. Perhaps we have dug into a more difficult-to-mine rich ore branch lineage, but it has yet to stabilize, hence the fluctuation in production."

He paused, observing Supervisor Zhao's expression, and continued:

"If we rashly report the exhaustion of the ore vein now and attract inspectors from above, only for it to turn out to be a false alarm, it would make us appear incompetent and unnecessarily displease Steward Li."

"How about granting me two more days to investigate clearly before reporting? What do you say?"

Supervisor Zhao's eyes flickered as he calculated rapidly in his mind.

It had to be said that Liu Xuan's words indeed made sense; if a new ore vein had been discovered, reporting it would be a great achievement.

When the rewards were issued, he would also receive a significant share.

In the end, greed and self-interest gained the upper hand.

Supervisor Zhao feigned contemplation for a moment, then nodded:

"In that case, I will grant you two days. However, after two days, regardless of the outcome, you must give me a definitive answer."

Liu Xuan cupped his hands and smiled:

"That is only natural! Many thanks for your accommodation, Supervisor Zhao!"

Watching the back of Supervisor Zhao, who left with his subordinates in satisfaction, the smile on Liu Xuan's face gradually faded.

He had originally intended to slowly investigate what Savage Stone was hiding, but he hadn't expected to nearly disrupt his own plans, forcing him to accelerate his pace.

"But that is fine as well..."

The cold light in Liu Xuan's eyes intensified:

"Cut the Gordian knot and avoid future trouble!"

Savage Stone and the others returned to the Buddha Kingdom space, and Su Mo opened his eyes and asked:

"How did it go?"

"Just as you, Senior, expected, the Supervisor has noticed, and by all logic, he is prepared to report it. However, I fear Liu Xuan will intervene."

Upon hearing this, a smile of complete control appeared on Su Mo's face.

He had long been aware of Liu Xuan's investigation, but compared to engaging in petty schemes with others, Su Mo preferred to expand the production of immortal essence stones.

The mine he was in was a Grade D mine, so there must be Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, and even other more Advanced mines.

These mines all represented inexhaustible mountains of gold, waiting for Su Mo to grace them with his presence.

"Do not worry about him. If he wants to investigate, let him come. If he is willing to submit, give him a chance; if not..."

A day passed in a flash.

The Cultivator sent to investigate the situation had already returned to Liu Xuan.

"Leader, Savage Stone and the others are still mining immortal essence stones as usual every day, but..."

The investigating Cultivator had a strange expression:

"It is just that they are extremely crazy when they mine... No, not crazy, but desperate!"

Liu Xuan frowned:

"Speak more clearly!"

The Cultivator took a deep breath to calm himself, but his voice still carried a sense of shock:

"I saw it with my own eyes; when Savage Stone and the others mine immortal essence stones, their bodies are wrapped in flames that burn their essence blood, Divine Soul, and Lifespan..."

"Burning essence blood, Divine Soul, and Lifespan?"

Liu Xuan's pupils constricted, his voice suddenly rising:

"Are you sure you did not see wrong?!"

"It is absolutely true!"

The Cultivator's tone was certain, his eyes still harboring lingering terror:

"And it is not just one person; it is over three hundred of them! It is as if they have no exhaustion at all. Every time they swing their pickaxes, they use all their strength, and the burning flames almost illuminate the entire mine tunnel!"

Liu Xuan muttered to himself, his brows tightly locked:

"This is impossible..."

Burning essence blood, Divine Soul, and Lifespan is a method Cultivators only use when forced into a desperate situation.

How could Savage Stone and his men be so crazy?!

Liu Xuan pondered, his curiosity now uncontrollable.

Supervisor Zhao had only granted two days, and one day had already passed; he could not afford to investigate slowly anymore.

Liu Xuan decided to go and meet Savage Stone in person.

Liu Xuan went alone, his figure like a ghost, silently merging into the shadows deep within the mine tunnel.

He headed straight for the East Mining Area occupied by Savage Stone; the closer he got, the more obvious the violent atmosphere permeating the air became.

Finally, at the end of a side tunnel, he saw a shocking scene.

In the dimly lit mine tunnel, hundreds of miners were working hard to excavate.

Each of them had bright tri-colored flames rising from their bodies, illuminating the entire tunnel in a bizarre and fantastic way.

Liu Xuan keenly noticed that the three hundred-plus people were divided into two groups: one group of Cultivators were expressionless, their eyes hollow, tirelessly wielding pickaxes to dig.

He recognized many of their faces as those of the Cultivators who had originally been lying in the corners waiting to die.

The others were the Cultivators from Savage Stone's group, and they looked excited.

Moreover, the aura on their bodies was much stronger than it had been a few days ago!

"What on earth is going on?!"

A storm surged in Liu Xuan's heart; such a scene simply defied logic.

"Fellow Daoist, rather than hiding, why not come out and speak?"

A calm voice suddenly sounded behind Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan's pupils contracted sharply, and he turned around abruptly, instantly raising his immortal essence.

He had not even noticed how this person had appeared.

He saw a young man dressed in clean cyan robes, standing with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a calm gaze.

What shocked Liu Xuan the most was that this person's neck was bare, completely free from the restraint of an immortal locking ring.

"Who are you?!"

Liu Xuan's voice was low, his face full of vigilance.

Su Mo chuckled:

"Since you came here to investigate, isn't it to find me?"

Liu Xuan instantly understood:

"It was you who made Savage Stone and the others burn their foundations as the price to mine immortal essence stones for you?!"

While talking to Su Mo, he was searching for an escape route.

For some reason, the Cultivator before him had only completed three refinements, yet he gave him a feeling of extreme danger.

"Correct! However, you are wrong about a few points. For them now, burning their foundations is a trivial matter, and I can allow them to absorb the Immortal Qi within the immortal essence stones to Cultivate; they are too grateful to me to complain."

Liu Xuan was stunned upon hearing this, his voice dry:

"How did you do it?"

Su Mo did not answer, speaking indifferently:

"I will give you two choices now: one is to submit to me, and I will grant you immortality and the ability to absorb immortal essence stones."

As he spoke, Savage Stone and the others had already surrounded Liu Xuan, the implication of which needed no explanation.

"Immortality? How is that possible! Furthermore, you are only a Cultivator who has completed three refinements; wanting me to submit is simply wishful thinking!"

Having spent a thousand years in the mines, he had long since recognized reality.

Su Mo scoffed upon hearing this, having anticipated it long ago:

"It seems you are determined to walk this path to the end."

Without further ado, Savage Stone and the group of Cultivators had already swung their pickaxes and struck.

Liu Xuan did not panic in the face of danger; after all, he was a Cultivator who had completed eight refinements. Even with the suppression of this place and the restriction of the immortal locking ring, his strength was far superior to these miners who had only completed one or two refinements.