Chapter 396: The Art of Winning Hearts

The Old Demon of Ten Thousand Ghosts was trapped within an impenetrable aura, unable even to change his facial expression. Every hair on his body, including those on his face, was sealed off. Even if he wanted to summon his two ghost servants, there was no space around his body at all, making it impossible for them to appear.
Like a bottle filled to the brim with water, leaving no room for an extra drop, there was no space for the ghost servants to exist, so how could they be summoned?
The Old Demon of Ten Thousand Ghosts could see nothing, feel nothing, and had no idea how Tai Xu had trapped him. He could only guess that it might be by strengthening the protective formation of the Tai Yi Sect, using the power of that formation to achieve such results.
“Tai Xu, what is your intention? What do you mean by ‘master’ or not?” Unable to open his mouth, the Old Demon could only shout through telepathy, “How dare you defy the laws of the Spirit Realm and provoke strife within the alliance first? Tai Xu, you’re seeking your own death! The envoys of the Spirit Realm will never tolerate you!”
Tai Xu sneered, too lazy to engage in further argument.
Trapping him alone wasn’t enough. Su Che was still figuring out how to break the Old Demon’s resistance when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
A sophisticated isolation barrier could prevent outsiders from sensing what was inside, but those inside could still detect outside events at any time to remain vigilant.
Thus, at that moment, the voice of Jun Ka, the leader of the Holy Sword Demon Sect, was clearly heard: “Ten Thousand Ghosts, it’s Jun Ka. I have something to discuss with you.”
“Jun Ka, save me!” The Old Demon of Ten Thousand Ghosts suddenly felt hope and shouted frantically through telepathy.
Unfortunately, the isolation barrier inside the room was set up by Tai Xu himself with great care—it was extremely sophisticated. Not only could ordinary telepathic messages be disrupted and absorbed, but even certain sound-based powers couldn’t penetrate it, allowing not a hint of sound to escape.
Moreover, even if the Old Demon could use sound-based powers, he couldn’t break through the aura prison created by over forty Yuan Ying cultivators working together. Only the most ordinary sounds could still allow him to shout a few times.
However, Jun Ka’s sudden arrival caused Su Che’s expression to change slightly, and he exchanged a glance with Tai Xu.
Tai Xu transmitted a message, “The Ten Thousand Ghosts Sect and the Holy Sword Demon Sect both belong to the demonic path. These two old demons have a good relationship. It’s normal for him to come to discuss matters with Ten Thousand Ghosts.”
Su Che nodded slightly and ordered, “Send him away.”

“Brother Jun Sha, I’m sorry, I have something to attend to right now. I’ll go to your room to find you in a bit.” Tai Xu imitated Wan Gui Lao Mo’s voice and tone perfectly. This wasn’t difficult—just basic skill in the cultivation world.

“You old ghost, you seem really strange today. Sometimes you’re suspicious, other times mysterious. I have no idea what you’re up to.”

Jun Sha muttered outside. He couldn’t force Wan Gui to open the door, so he had to return to his own room and wait for the old ghost to come visit.

“Brother Jun Sha, don’t leave! Please save me…”

No matter how loudly Wan Gui Lao Mo tried to send messages, there was soon no sound outside. Trapped in utter darkness, Wan Gui Lao Mo’s last hope for salvation vanished in an instant.

Only after confirming that no one was left outside did Su Che send a message: “Tai Xu, is there any way to knock Wan Gui out?”

He used telepathy so that Wan Gui Lao Mo wouldn’t hear them.

“I don’t have any good solutions either. In this state, unless we work together to attack him, no clever attack can penetrate this energy prison,” Tai Xu replied helplessly via telepathy.

Although the energy prison formed by over forty Yuan Ying servants was impregnable, it also caused strong interference among them. If someone tried to use subtle force to strike Wan Gui just enough to knock him out without being too strong or too weak, that force would be scattered by the energy of the other Yuan Ying servants and could never penetrate.

“Then you go deal with him. I won’t get involved.”

Su Che waved his hand and strode over to a very comfortable armchair. As for how to deal with Wan Gui Lao Mo, it was up to Tai Xu.

Originally, when Su Che didn’t have so many subordinates at the Yuan Ying stage, he had to do everything himself. Now, he certainly didn’t need to work so hard. By using the wisdom and strength of an experienced Yuan Ying like Tai Xu, he could not only slack off but also learn a few tricks from them sometimes.

“Wan Gui, you’re already in a desperate situation with no chance of escaping by luck. With just one of my blows now, I can take your life.”

Tai Xu began using psychological tactics, his tone sharp. “Before killing you, I can make sure you die knowing the truth. To be honest, my master is none other than the Messenger of the Spirit Realm. He already came to this world secretly ten days ago.”

“What?”

Wan Gui, who was as good as blind, was shocked and blurted out, “The Messenger has come to this world? Is he your master? But why would the Messenger treat me like this?”

At this moment, Wan Gui, just like Tai Xu back then, was trapped in endless darkness, able only to feel an overwhelmingly powerful force holding him firmly in its grasp, leaving him completely unable to resist. As a high-level cultivator in the late Yuan Ying stage, he was at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, and he was certain that such power definitely did not belong to the cultivation world. It was only after hearing Tai Xu’s words that he realized it was a technique used by the messengers of the Spirit Realm. No wonder those at the Lian Xu stage and above were so formidable and irresistible. The reason for this misunderstanding was that almost no one in the cultivation world had ever experienced being punished by dozens of Yuan Ying-stage cultivators working together; even if someone had, they would likely die on the spot. Who among the living could have such an experience? “Why treat you like this?” Tai Xu sneered twice. “The reason is that you showed disrespect to the messenger!” “No!” Wan Gui shouted loudly in protest. “I have no disrespect for the messenger at all; on the contrary, I revere him greatly.” “Still denying it now? I’ll execute you right away,” Tai Xu snapped. “The messenger possesses the power of mind-reading and can see through your thoughts. How dare you say otherwise? Still trying to lie now?” “Huh?” At this, Wan Gui was completely stunned. If the messenger had mind-reading powers, then all his thoughts, grievances, and insults must have been revealed to him. “No wonder they said I was disrespectful…” Finally, Wan Gui understood why he had felt uneasy and anxious since arriving at Tai Yi Gate—it was because the messenger wanted to punish him. Realizing this, his mental defenses collapsed instantly. If the messenger of the Spirit Realm wanted to punish him, resisting would only lead to death; only by begging for mercy could he have a chance. “Friend Tai Xu, out of our years of acquaintance, could you please intercede for me and spare my life? From now on, Wan Gui will never again show disrespect to the messenger. I swear…” With these pleads, it was clear that Tai Xu’s psychological tactics had worked perfectly. “Sigh!” Tai Xu let out a deep sigh. “Though we belong to different realms—immortals and demons—we share neighboring territories, and we don’t really have any deep grudges. I truly don’t want to see you die like this… Fine. Give up resisting now, seal your Yuan Ying and cultivation powers, and I’ll take you to the messenger to apologize and try to plead for you. Maybe there’s still a sliver of hope.”

“Good, good, thank you greatly, Brother Taixu, for saving my life.” Wan Gui felt hope surge and hurriedly swore, “If I survive today, I will surely repay Brother Taixu with all my wealth in the future.”

The more people who had lived for hundreds of years, the more afraid they were of death; the higher their status and the more imposing their lives seemed, the more afraid they were. This truth remained almost unchanging throughout time.

In this way, the old demon Wan Gui had his psychological defenses shattered by Taixu’s few words. He obediently sealed himself and was taken by Su Che along with those Yuan Ying cultivators into the Immortal Prison.

After a while, when the blinding effect completely wore off, the first thing he saw was Lao Hei—a towering, immensely powerful figure, resembling an ultimate demon king. His heart skipped a beat: “Is the envoy actually a demon? Then why does he practice the Immortal Path instead of the Demon Path?”

“What’s the difference between the Immortal Path and the Demon Path?” Lao Hei demanded loudly. “I’m a demon. Does that surprise you?”

“The envoy truly masters the art of reading minds!”

Moreover, Wan Gui felt that his strength had been suppressed by at least a hundred times, while the envoy before him seemed unfathomable. He firmly believed this was a powerful cultivator who had reached the Lianxu stage. How could he dare to be negligent? To save his life, Wan Gui immediately abandoned all dignity, knelt on the ground with a thud, and began to plead, “I, Wan Gui, did indeed have some selfish thoughts before, but I never truly disrespected the envoy. It was merely jealousy over the favor shown to the Taiyi Sect that caused my dissatisfaction. These were just demonic distractions in my heart—my mindset wasn’t strong enough to overcome them. Please, out of respect for my sincere reverence, spare my life…”

“Hahaha…” Lao Hei opened his mouth wide and laughed heartily.

Su Che also smiled inwardly. The head of the mighty Wan Gui Sect turned out to be such a cowardly man. Among all the Yuan Ying cultivators he had met, he was the least principled.

Oh, and there was also that Ghost Princess Youlan before—she had done everything possible to gain an extra hundred years of life, even willing to sacrifice her life treasure, the Wangxu Mirror.

Could it be that those who played with ghosts all day were the most afraid of death, the most terrified of becoming stray spirits after death?

Without further ado, Wan Gui was immediately sent to the fourth-floor Soul Slavery Space. After being transformed, he would use his identity to visit his friend Jun Sha, and then deal with the head of the Holy Sword Demon Sect as well…

Twenty minutes later, Su Che, Taixu, and Wan Gui stepped out of the room, ready to head to Jun Sha’s residence. But Taixu noticed that the emerald-green jade pendant hanging at his waist was emitting a faint glow.

Tai Xu’s expression changed, and he said to Su Che, “Master, the jade pendant is glowing. This means that the messenger from the Spirit Realm is summoning me—there must be something important to discuss.”
“Where shall we communicate with him?”
Su Che also frowned, feeling uneasy. “It can’t be bad luck. Is that messenger from the Spirit Realm coming down this soon?”
“That communication artifact from the Tai Yi Gate is stored in a secret chamber beneath the sect leader’s hall. Usually, I communicate with him there,” Tai Xu said seriously. “Just now, we’ve been inside the room the whole time, and the barrier must have blocked the signals sent by the communication artifact, which is why the jade pendant hasn’t glowed. It seems the messenger from the Spirit Realm has been calling me for some time already.”
If the messenger sends a summons and Tai Xu delays in responding, he’ll surely be reprimanded when they finally communicate.
“Can I watch as you two talk?” Su Che asked curiously.
“Yes,” Tai Xu replied. “He can only see me holding the jade pendant; he can’t see anyone else around me.”
“Then fine, I’ll go take a look.”
Su Che also wanted to see how many arms and heads that messenger from the Spirit Realm had…