Chapter 289: Seeking an Audience with the Supreme Lord

The next morning, Han Ying arrived at the Supreme Lord’s Hall on Tianying Mountain and met Liu Lou, who was there handling official affairs.
“Senior Brother Han Ying, what brings you here?”
Liu Lou was unaware of Han Ying and Ming Lian’s joint efforts in refining pills, so his expression remained completely natural.
“Junior Brother Liu Lou, yesterday Ming Lian and I wanted to start refining the Wind-Fire Separation Pill, but we encountered a dilemma and wanted to consult Senior Brother Changqing in person.”
The one speaking was naturally Su Che disguised as Han Ying.
“A few days ago, the Supreme Lord went to Tianwei Mountain. Senior Brother Han Ying should be aware of this, right?” Liu Lou replied.
“I know,” Su Che nodded. “That’s why I’m here to ask you—when will Senior Brother Changqing return?”
“Well…”
Liu Lou hesitated for a moment before saying, “The Supreme Lord didn’t specify when he would return. He only said that if there’s an urgent matter, a message can be sent to him. I guess he won’t return just for a few questions from Senior Brother Han Ying.”
“Then, may I go to Tianwei Mountain to see Senior Brother Changqing?” Su Che continued.
“I think so,” Liu Lou nodded. “All I know is that the two Supreme Lords aren’t working together on refining pills. A brief visit shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Thank you, Junior Brother Liu Lou,” Su Che said with a bow. “I’ll head to Tianwei Mountain right away.”
Liu Lou smiled and nodded, standing up to see him off.
Su Che thought that since he could meet Lu Changqing under the guise of Han Ying, there was no need to capture Liu Lou anymore. After all, the more people he captured, the more flaws and risks there would be.
After flying hundreds of miles, Su Che arrived at Tianwei Mountain. As an elder now, he didn’t need any procedures to pass through the mountain’s protective barrier—he still had some authority.
Reaching the top of the mountain and the square outside the Supreme Lord’s Hall, Su Che found a disciple on duty and asked, “Is the Supreme Lord of Tianying inside?”
“Reporting to you, uncle, the Supreme Lord of Tianying is inside the hall,” the disciple replied respectfully. “Also, the Supreme Lords of Tianyong and Tianxian are there as guests.”
Su Che nodded calmly, but inwardly groaned, “Tianwei, Tianying, Tianyong, Tianxian—four Supreme Lords in the later stages of the Golden Pill stage gathered in one hall. How am I supposed to proceed?”
So, Su Che asked again, “Do you know how long this gathering of the four Supreme Lords will last?”
“The disciple doesn’t know,” the disciple replied with a bow.

Lingyao Mountain was a sect focused on alchemy. Besides cultivation levels, they placed even greater emphasis on alchemy skills. Thus, these Mountain Lords here were all only at the later stage of the Golden Core realm, unlike Tianxuan Sect, where the ten lords of its main peaks were all at the highest level of the Golden Core realm.

However, since this was their sacred territory, even if there were only four people at the later stage of the Golden Core realm gathered together, Su Che wasn’t sure he could handle them silently and quickly.

Facing four lords at once was too risky. The slightest mistake could alert the Primordial Soul Ancestor of Lingyao Mountain…

What to do?

Su Che stood still, various ideas flashing through his mind…

After a moment, the duty disciple asked curiously, “Uncle Han Ying, do you need me to go to the main hall and inform them for you?”

“Not yet,” Su Che waved his hand. “I’m still deciding whether it’s worth disturbing these four lords for my own personal matter.”

The duty disciple nodded. He had heard about Han Ying’s stinginess, so he didn’t expect any reward. Unexpectedly…

Su Che took out a bag of spirit stones, containing hundreds of lower-grade spirit stones, and handed it to him, saying, “Help me think of a way to meet Senior Changqing alone.”

Han Ying, as portrayed by Su Che, was originally a Golden Core elder of Tianying Mountain. It was quite normal for him to request a private meeting with the Lord of Tianying if he had important matters to discuss. The duty disciple wasn’t surprised by this, but he was somewhat taken aback that such a stingy person would make an exception.

“What kind of important matter could force him to spend spirit stones…?”

The duty disciple pondered silently before saying, “Uncle Han Ying, you can wait in the side hall. Every day at noon, the lords take a short rest. At that time, I can convey a message to the Lord of Tianying, and you should be able to meet him alone.”

“Good!”

Su Che was delighted. He immediately went to the side hall and waited patiently.

The side hall was dozens of feet away from the main hall, with barriers inside and outside to prevent eavesdropping. If he could capture Lu Changqing within a few breaths, he had a good chance of not alerting the other three lords in the main hall. Of course, Su Che wouldn’t act recklessly. He would adapt to the situation. If he wasn’t confident, he could simply ask a few questions related to the creation of the Wind-Flame Separation Pill and then leave to look for another opportunity.

By noon, Su Che finally met his main goal in this mission—Lu Changqing.

Lu Changqing appeared to be in his forties, with regular features and a calm demeanor. Though not tall, he exuded an air of authority typical of those in high positions.

This man was the killer who indirectly caused the death of Linglong’s mother, and moreover, his original spirit was also one of the keys to unlocking the third layer of the Immortal Prison.
“Junior Han Ying, why are you in such a hurry to see me?”
After entering the side hall, Lu Changqing’s expression and tone were not particularly friendly, indicating that he disapproved of Han Ying’s many flaws. Their relationship was not good, which was why Han Ying preferred to take the risk of refining pills on his own rather than ask Lu Changqing for help.
“Senior brother, it’s like this…”
Su Che imitated Han Ying’s distinctive cold tone and said after bowing, “Recently, I plan to work with junior sister Ming Lian to refine a batch of Wind-Fire Separation Pills. As you know, this is extremely important for both me and Ming Lian. But before starting, I’m plagued by excessive anxiety and am in a poor state. With no other choice, I had to disturb you to seek some guidance.”
Lu Changqing smirked inwardly, feeling somewhat pleased at Han Ying’s predicament: “Even a miser knows when to ask for help—quite remarkable.”
“Please share any doubts you have, senior brother.”
After all, they were brothers from the same sect. Even if he disliked Han Ying, Lu Changqing couldn’t openly refuse his request for advice. A sect leader must possess the demeanor and breadth of mind befitting such a role.
Before Su Che could ask for advice, Lao He had already confirmed, “Master, there’s nothing unusual outside. The isolation barrier inside the hall is also in normal condition. Now is a good opportunity to act.”
“Senior brother, the biggest doubt is…”
As Su Che spoke, a blue light suddenly flashed at his forehead!
At that moment, he was only about ten feet away from Lu Changqing. The soul-piercing blue light barely spread before hitting Lu Changqing’s forehead in an instant. It seemed as though a blue beam connected their foreheads, delivering a highly concentrated impact on Lu Changqing’s original spirit, with no leakage.
Normally, Su Che’s soul-piercing power should have caused Lu Changqing’s mind to become chaotic for over ten breaths. Ten breaths was more than enough for Su Che—almost an eternity in a critical battle between masters.
But…
Lu Changqing simply closed his eyes instinctively, then suddenly opened them wide, staring at Su Che with fury, clearly ready to counterattack.
“Not good!”
Su Che immediately realized that Lu Changqing must possess a highly advanced soul-stabilizing artifact; otherwise, he couldn’t remain completely immune to such power from such close range.
Something so private could not possibly be discovered by the Tianxuan Sect’s spies stationed on Lingyao Mountain.
Prison Demon!

After all, Su Che had the advantage of a surprise attack. He had anticipated many unfavorable situations in advance and reacted faster than Lu Changqing in every aspect. Almost as soon as the blue light appeared and faded, his Prison Demon Art was already unleashed. A large character for “prison” formed, and the magical light that had just flashed in Lu Changqing’s right hand immediately went out. Whoosh! The entire Immortal Prison Team sprang into action, each taking on their role. Bang! Bang! Two Holy Demon Puppets leaped into the prison-shaped enclosure, opening their arms like wild beasts from the mountains. One after the other, they surrounded Lu Changqing and pinned him in the middle. The prison-shaped enclosure had already trapped Lu Changqing’s vital energy and Golden Elixir within it. Now, it was like a piece of meat, tightly squeezed between the two cold puppets, leaving him unable to use even his physical strength. Hum… The sixteen Ghost Kings exerted their versatile powers, transforming into sixteen arc-shaped plates of different shapes. Silently, they combined to form a huge dark gray bowl, which then descended and covered Su Che, Lu Changqing, and the prison-shaped enclosure. This was an extremely unique isolation barrier created by the sixteen Ghost Kings using their own ghostly bodies and formidable ghostly strength. It could not only block sound, vision, and spiritual perception but also prevent Lu Changqing from sending out rescue talismans to some extent. “You’re Tian Yu from the Tianxuan Sect!” Lu Changqing roared. Based on the two divine arts Su Che had just used, along with such a large number of ghost servants and spiritual pets, it was impossible for him not to guess Su Che’s true identity. No matter how loud his voice was, it couldn’t penetrate the isolation barrier created by the Ghost Kings, so Su Che wasn’t worried about being heard by others. What was crucial now was to kill him silently or knock him out before capturing him and taking him to Immortal Prison. The prison-shaped enclosure must not be broken—once it was, Lu Changqing’s vital energy and Golden Elixir would return to normal, unleashing immense power that would break through the blockade of the sixteen Ghost Kings and alert the three supreme masters in the main hall. It could be said that dealing with Lu Changqing was no longer a problem; the key was to do it silently so that Su Che could leave Lingyao Mountain unnoticed. Only then would he truly have succeeded. Su Che took a few steps forward and slowly entered the prison-shaped enclosure. Such a gentle movement wouldn’t cause any damage to it. Prison Demon Art was Su Che’s own ability, so the restraining force of the prison-shaped enclosure certainly wouldn’t affect him at all. Su Che slowly raised his hand and pressed it on Lu Changqing’s head. “What are you doing?”

Trapped tightly by the two puppets, Lu Changqing was filled with fear, realizing that Tian Yu was very likely to kill him outright.
“Warning you, Tian Yu—if you kill me, my Life Soul Card will shatter, and my Yuan Ying ancestor will surely notice and arrive here immediately!” In a desperate bid to save himself, Lu Changqing hurriedly threatened, “By then, you too will have nowhere to escape and will surely die.”
“Is that so?”
Su Che held his head and said in a deep voice, “Thank you for the warning. Then I won’t kill you.”