Chapter 376: The Target Appears

Su Che asked, “The demonization incident has been going on for months—has no solution been found yet?”
“No,” Yuan Jing replied with a shake of his head. He didn’t look down on Su Che just because he was a lone cultivator; instead, he asked humbly, “I wonder, Daoist Xuan Yu, what are your thoughts on this?”
“I’ve just emerged from seclusion and know very little about this matter, so I have no opinions at all. However, for such a disaster, one must surely do one’s best and contribute one’s share of effort.”
Half of Su Che’s words were sincere. The primordial demonic energy had brought endless disasters to Mu Lan Star. Cultivators might not be greatly affected, but the ordinary people were pitiful. If possible, he was willing to do something good to help them through this hardship.
Moreover, since primordial demonic energy could serve as a powerful supplement for Lao Hei, storing it in the Immortal Prison could greatly accelerate his cultivation speed. It was a win-win situation—why not do it?
Of course, as long as it didn’t interfere with his own important matters or cause him too much trouble…
Yuan Jing was sure to express his gratitude for Su Che’s stance. As the master of this place, he had to treat every Yuan Ying cultivator who came here with respect.
They talked for about fifteen more minutes. Yuan Jing subtly inquired about Su Che’s background. After all, it was extremely rare for a lone cultivator to successfully reach the Yuan Ying stage, which naturally raised many questions.
Fortunately, Su Che had a native subordinate—Yan Gu. His hundreds of years on Mu Lan Star hadn’t been in vain. The identity he fabricated for Su Che was quite plausible. Anyway, in this chaotic times, no one would risk being demonized to go to the cultivation cave Su Che mentioned and investigate.
After that, Yuan Jing took Su Che to an elegantly landscaped garden, where dozens of Yuan Ying-level elders were gathered in small groups, chatting among themselves.
“To date, over 250 Daoists at the Yuan Ying stage have gathered in Jue Chen Valley to devise strategies and share their insights to overcome this disaster,” Yuan Jing explained softly. “This garden is an informal place for gatherings and exchanges. Most of the time, the elders rest in their own rooms. If anyone has any ideas, they can come here to discuss them with others.”

Su Che nodded silently. He could imagine that the process of demonic transformation had been going on for half a year already. With over two hundred Nascent Soul cultivators gathered here, it was impossible for them to hold formal meetings every day, so such a leisurely place was created—where anyone who wanted to chat with others could do so at their own pace, without anyone forcing them.

Moreover, in the entire cultivation world of Mu Lan Star, there were not just over two hundred Nascent Soul cultivators; the total number must exceed four hundred. The other Nascent Soul cultivators surely remained in their respective sects or families, sending only representatives to Jue Chen Valley.

At this moment, the dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators in the garden had already noticed Su Che, a face they hadn’t seen before. They couldn’t help but feel curious—another Nascent Soul cultivator had appeared in the Mu Lan Star cultivation world. They just didn’t know which sect he belonged to or why they had never seen him before.

Su Che was also observing them, but he didn’t see any Rat Demons in the Infant Demonic stage. He didn’t even know if those rats had arrived in Jue Chen Valley.

He couldn’t casually ask Yuan Jing around him for information, as that might arouse his curiosity or speculations. He would have to find another way to find out.

“Dear fellow cultivators, allow me to introduce…” Yuan Jing said loudly, “This is fellow cultivator Xuan Yu, a newly risen Nascent Soul cultivator from our Mu Lan Star cultivation world. He left his secluded cultivation place not long ago and came straight to Jue Chen Valley.”

Following his introduction, Su Che bowed to everyone, saying, “I am Xuan Yu, a solitary cultivator. It’s an honor to meet all of you, fellow cultivators.”

“A solitary cultivator?”

Immediately, a dozen or so people gathered around, greeting Su Che very friendlyly. Clearly, they were all warm-hearted and sociable people, often with extensive networks, having friends wherever they went.

There were also some people standing at a distance, looking at Su Che with cold eyes, even with a hint of disdain. These people came from major sects and clans, holding themselves in high esteem. They felt that a solitary cultivator like Su Che, even if he had reached the Nascent Soul stage, wasn’t strong enough to be on equal footing with them.

In the Immortal Prison, Lao He sneered darkly, “Once we find the chance, we’ll capture these annoying guys and turn them all into the master’s servants. Primitive demonic energy? Pfft. I’m the nightmare for you all.”

Su Che thought to himself with a smile, “Lao He, that line of yours sounds like that of a typical villain. On stage, such characters end up getting killed off…”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you, the master, are the good guy, no one can kill me,” Lao He said with a grin. “I, Lao He, am not afraid of them.”

While joking with Lao He in his mind, Su Che also exchanged pleasantries with the dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators in front of him and swapped communication jade talismans with them, becoming friends on a superficial level.

This is the principle of “if you show me respect, I’ll return it in kind.” Even if given the chance to meet these people alone, Su Che wouldn’t ambush or scheme against them. Making friends is also a pleasure; capturing someone requires a reason. It should be said that Su Che approached his trip to Muran Star with a relaxed attitude of half-leisure and half-duty. If not for the strange incident involving primordial demonic energy, he had planned to explore Muran Star thoroughly. After that, Yuan Jing arranged an extremely luxurious room for Su Che to stay in, thus fulfilling his obligations as a host perfectly. Starting from that day, Su Che could move freely within the gates of Juechen Valley, except for the most secluded valley at its core, where access was restricted. “The capture operation can begin. But after capturing you, we still need to do something for you…” From their recent interactions, Su Che believed that people like Yuan Jing had good character and would indeed be worth treating as friends in the cultivation world of Qiyuan Star. Muran Star also had good and evil people, so it was necessary to capture those who deserved it and do what needed to be done to uphold one’s conscience… Over the next two days, Su Che spent most of his time in the gathering garden, actually waiting for some rat demon to appear. By chance, he met a few compatible temporary friends, all at the early Yuan Ying stage, with many common topics regarding cultivation. On the third day, the target finally appeared—a black-clothed old man with a sharp mouth and monkey-like face, looking extremely vile. He was the Canglin Rat mentioned earlier by Yan Gu, a mid-level fourth-tier demon, equivalent to a human at the mid-Yuan Ying stage. Lao He recorded all his spiritual energy fluctuations, life force, and other characteristics. This way, even if he was in a room with a barrier, Lao He could still find him. “This rat is named Gachi. He’s greedy, lustful, cruel, and vicious, with an extremely reclusive personality. He has hardly any real friends on Muran Star,” Yan Gu explained in detail. “I guess he came to Juechen Valley to avoid the calamity of demonic transformation, but he probably has other motives as well.” “Other motives?” Su Che wondered. “Since you can make such a judgment, the several Yuan Ying cultivators in Juechen Valley should also be able to guess his intentions, right?” “Not necessarily,” Yan Gu replied. “I have a special reason for knowing Gachi’s character, personality, and ways of acting, which allows me to make such guesses. But the people in Juechen Valley might not be able to figure it out.”

“Well, none of this matters. Capture him—all the answers can be obtained from his mind,” Su Che thought. “The most crucial thing is to capture him alive without anyone noticing.”

You see, at this moment, Juechen Valley was filled with over two hundred powerful cultivators at the Infant Stage, each of whom was formidable. Capturing one at the Mid-Elemental Infant Stage right under their noses was indeed a huge challenge.

Su Che silently observed Gachi, not through his own eyes or spiritual sense, but by using Lao Hei’s detection abilities, so as not to arouse the other party’s suspicion.

Unexpectedly, although Su Che appeared to be ignoring Gachi, Gachi noticed this strange face. And for some reason, this cunning rat actually stepped forward and greeted Su Che.

“This Dao brother seems very unfamiliar. I’m sure I’ve never met you before,” Gachi said with a smile.

Before Su Che could respond, one of his temporary friends, “Zou Ye,” interjected, “Dao brother Xuan Yu is a newly promoted Elemental Infant. Though he’s a solitary cultivator, he possesses great wisdom and fortune. He’s been in Juechen Valley for three days now.”

After saying this, Zou Ye sent a message to Su Che, warning, “Dao brother Xuan Yu, this man is a demon cultivator at the middle level of the fourth tier, with an extremely poor reputation. Be extremely cautious when dealing with him to avoid falling into his schemes and suffering hidden losses.”

“Understood,” Su Che replied via message, though inwardly he hoped to get to know Gachi better.

Lao Hei was even more excited. If they could capture this sharp-nosed guy, not only could he achieve complete fusion at the fourth level and advance to the Elemental Infant Stage, but more importantly, the fourth layer of the Immortal Prison could also be opened. Without accidents, his master would gain a large number of extremely loyal servants at the Elemental Infant Stage.

To others, Gachi was like a pile of stinky dog dung that needed to be avoided; but to them, he was the missing element that would make everything possible!

“Oh, so you’re Dao brother Xuan Yu.”

Gachi chuckled. “Just by looking at Dao brother Xuan Yu’s facial features, it’s clear he’s a fortunate person. No wonder he was able to advance to the Elemental Infant Stage as a solitary cultivator—truly blessed indeed.”

Facial features?

Su Che thought to himself with amusement: This face is nothing but a fake mask. There’s no such thing as facial features. If I said I had a three-thousand-zhang-high pillar of fortune above my head, that would sound more plausible.

“It’s an honor to meet Dao brother Xuan Yu. We can exchange communication jade talismans and keep in touch from now on to share what we have,” Gachi said, taking out several communication jade talismans and handing them to Su Che.

The communication jade talismans in the cultivation world are extremely convenient communication tools. One only needs to engrave a trace of mental imprint within the talisman. Once someone else sends the talisman, no matter how far away they are, one can still receive the message sent by the other party.
“That’s not right!”
In the Immortal Prison, Yan Gu reminded Su Che in time: “Master, Gachi is a reclusive and gloomy person who never takes the initiative to interact with others. Even if he were to scheme against someone, he wouldn’t wear such a sycophantic expression today. I really doubt if his soul has been replaced—he’s not the same person anymore.”
“A replaced soul?”
These words stirred Su Che’s thoughts. Weren’t he the same? Reborn through another’s body, gaining a new life…