Chapter 99: Deciding on Your Behalf

Elder Xuanji smiled silently, his deep voice echoing throughout the hall: “Su Che, you’re quite bold—planning to make a deal with me, are you?”
“Master, how could it be a deal?”
Although Su Che also thought it was a deal in his heart, he couldn’t admit it aloud. So, mustering courage, he explained, “If Sister Zhenzhen’s disappearance was indeed caused by me, then my actions do carry the nature of a deal. But if it has nothing to do with me… Please forgive my boldness, but I believe that since you are my master, you have the duty to uphold justice for me and clear my name. Similarly, as your disciple, I also have the duty to serve you, even if it means facing extreme danger.”
“Haha, that makes some sense.”
Elder Xuanji turned and gave him an appreciative look—few disciples dared speak to him in such a manner. Anyway, this kid’s courage was truly admirable.
“Su Che, you’re right. If Sister Zhenzhen’s disappearance was caused by you, even if you’re willing to enter the Little Immortal Realm for me, I still can’t protect you. But if it has nothing to do with you, I will decide on your behalf. No one should wrong my disciple without reason.”
“Thank you, Master,” Su Che replied with a bow.
Elder Xuanji moved closer, sitting face to face with Su Che on a mat a few feet apart, and said solemnly, “Then you must first prove your innocence before I decide whether to act on your behalf.”
“Understood, Master.”
So, Su Che recounted the whole story in detail, starting from Jiang Chen and Song Pangzi’s harassment and accusations, all the way to being separated from Zhenzhen and Fei Yun in the barren mountains. He omitted only the details related to the Immortal Prison and didn’t mention the exact number of Earth-Stealing Pills used, saying only that three were consumed…
After Su Che finished speaking, Elder Xuanji nodded slightly and asked, “Do you still have those relics left by that bald demon cultivator?”
“Yes.”
Su Che took out the Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner, the Blood-Colored Demon Blade, the Blood Cloud Veil, and the seventh-grade pill, the “Fierce Kill Pill.”
Elder Xuanji waved his hand to take these items and examined them one by one. Then he asked, “Where are the evil ghosts in that Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner?”
“The disciple thought such demons shouldn’t exist in the world, so I eliminated them all.”

Su Che’s words were half true and half false. Hundreds of evil ghosts had indeed been wiped out, but they all became Old Black’s food—far from as noble as Su Che claimed. Over the past half year, Old Black had devoured hundreds of evil ghosts, countless demon and fiend souls, raising his soul power to a critical level, equivalent to the peak of the Qi Cultivation stage. Since then, his progress had stalled. This indicated that his method of devouring was not as smooth as imagined; there were still barriers to breaking through, though the way to do so was vastly different from that of ordinary cultivators, and no specific method had yet been identified.

At this moment, Venerable Mysterious Insight said, “All these things can be used as evidence. However, what you obtained from Zhen Zhen cannot be shown for now, to avoid adding unnecessary complexity and further confusion.”

“Yes, Master.”

Su Che felt relieved. From his words, it seemed things were moving in a positive direction.

Sure enough, Venerable Mysterious Insight then made his decision: “Su Che, your explanation must conceal something—your personal secrets…”

Su Che’s heart skipped a beat. He had to admit that a master cultivator like Venerable Mysterious Insight had piercing insight. It was almost impossible to hide his true thoughts from him.

“But!”

A sudden change in Venerable Mysterious Insight’s tone calmed Su Che’s anxious mind somewhat. “You indeed didn’t lie about the most crucial matters. I can tell that. Very well, I trust you and will vouch for you.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Su Che bowed respectfully in gratitude.

After that, Su Che took the initiative to say, “In two years, I still wish to enter the Little Mi Immortal Realm. While searching for treasures for Master, I might also find my own fortune.”

Hearing this, Venerable Mysterious Insight showed satisfaction but also sighed slightly. “Actually, I don’t seek any other treasures. I only hope to obtain an Immortal Crystal, from which I can draw a trace of immortal energy to help me break through my current realm. That would be enough to satisfy me. Apart from the Immortal Crystal, I don’t want any other treasures you find in the Little Mi Immortal Realm. They are all yours.”

Venerable Mysterious Insight’s generosity stunned Su Che, but he quickly realized that at such a high level, progress in cultivation was what mattered most. Advancing further from the late Golden Core stage would mean reaching the Yuan Ying stage—a realm held by only five great masters in the entire Tianxuan Sect.

Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul… The further one progresses, the more difficult it becomes to advance to each higher realm. Achieving the Nascent Soul stage must surely be Supreme Mysterious One’s greatest desire at this stage.
Of course, Su Che wouldn’t fully trust Supreme Mysterious One either. On the day he left the Little Mi Immortal Realm, he would definitely store the treasures that belonged to him in the Immortal Prison in advance, rather than keeping them in his Qiankun Bag…
Moreover, the main reason Su Che had the courage to enter the Little Mi Immortal Realm voluntarily was that he had discovered the golden flag of the underground fire veins in Yinwind Gorge earlier. As Lao He had said, since he had stumbled upon it, perhaps it truly was another blessing meant for him.
Although he wasn’t sure about the function of that golden flag, Su Che instinctively felt that since it was embroidered with the Wu Clan’s script and was a special magic artifact that hadn’t decayed for millions of years, it was likely to be the key to entering the “Mi Immortal Realm,” a talisman, or some kind of pass. With it in hand, he would surely gain advantages that others didn’t have…
Thinking of this, Su Che wanted to take this opportunity to ask Supreme Mysterious One more detailed questions about the Little Mi Immortal Realm, but then he saw Supreme Mysterious One raise his eyebrows slightly and say in a low voice, “You’re really impatient, coming here right away.”
Who had come?
Su Che immediately guessed that it might be Supreme Heavenly Object who had received news of his return to the sect and had come to Supreme Mysterious One to claim him.
“Su Che, come and sit behind me.”
Just with these words, Supreme Mysterious One’s intention to protect his disciple was clearly shown.
“Junior brother Mysterious One, Supreme Heavenly Object has arrived.”
A few moments later, a loud voice came from outside the hall.
“Senior brother Heavenly Object, please come in and talk,” Supreme Mysterious One said, his lips moving slightly, yet the majestic voice he produced was no less powerful.
Soon, three figures entered the hall. The leader was also middle-aged, wearing a light green robe, tall and thin, with an air of scholarly refinement.
The other two were also cultivators at the Golden Core stage, surely top figures from the Heavenly Object Peak—two senior elders of high status.
About ten zhang away, the three stopped. The leader, Supreme Heavenly Object, turned his gaze toward Su Che and asked, “Junior brother Mysterious One, is this your disciple, Su Che?”
“That’s right,” Supreme Mysterious One replied calmly, waving his hand. “Senior brother, don’t rush. Please sit first.”
“No need!”

Venerable Tianwu waved his hand and said in a deep voice, “Younger brother, just hand this kid over to me. I’ll take him back and investigate. If Zhen Zhen’s disappearance has nothing to do with him, I’ll bring him back to you right away.”

Venerable Xuanji chuckled and said, “If I hand him over to you, I’m afraid by the time he’s brought back, he’ll be a fool.”

Undoubtedly, Venerable Tianwu was eager to know the whereabouts of his beloved disciple and had no patience to listen to what Su Che had to say. He would only believe the truth obtained through soul-searching techniques. However, Su Che’s cultivation level was low, and his soul power was weak. If subjected to soul-searching, he might suffer memory loss, forgetting parts of his life, or even have his brain damaged, turning him into an idiot.

Venerable Tianwu’s expression turned cold as he asked sternly, “Younger brother, what do you mean by that?”

“The meaning is obvious,” Venerable Xuanji replied with a smile. “I care for my disciples just as much as you do. If your disciple goes missing, you’ll be worried. So, if my disciple becomes an idiot, won’t I feel pain too?”

“He’s just a…” Venerable Tianwu glanced at Su Che’s robes. “Just an inner disciple. How can he be compared to my direct disciple? Younger brother, your words clearly aim to put me in a difficult position.”

“What’s wrong with an inner disciple?” Venerable Xuanji turned to look at Su Che with a kind and indulgent gaze, showing that this venerable master’s acting skills were also flawless. “Su Che only took one and a half years to rise from the first level of Qi Cultivation to the ninth level, and he’s almost at the state of great perfection. Isn’t he on par with your direct disciples?”

“This…”

Venerable Tianwu’s expression froze. He then examined Su Che carefully and indeed found that at just sixteen years old, he had already reached the ninth level of Qi Cultivation. No matter what the reason for such achievements, he truly deserved special cultivation by the sect.

Tianxuan Sect had endured for nearly ten thousand years, and its rules were extremely thorough, detailed to the utmost. Especially the protection provisions for outstanding disciples numbered in the thousands.

This was because they were all derived from painful lessons learned through bloodshed.

Today, a super sect in the demonic path, the Xuansha Sect, was founded seven thousand years ago when a master in Tianxuan Sect acted unjustly, driving one of his disciples away. Now, it has become Tianxuan Sect’s greatest enemy. The Xuansha Sect opposes Tianxuan Sect in every way. Just from the name “Xuansha Sect,” one can tell how deep the resentment of that former disciple toward Tianxuan Sect was.

These days, Su Che’s outstanding achievements prove that as an exceptional disciple, he enjoys the protection of numerous sect rules. Such a disciple certainly cannot be dealt with carelessly. Moreover, he is a disciple of Mysterious Insight Peak and is not under the jurisdiction of Heavenly Essence Peak.