Chapter 29: Demonic Techniques

Had Su Che really made a wrong decision in desperation, just as Lei Qingxue had thought?
The terrain in this area of the canyon was complex, with rocks scattered everywhere. Su Che took advantage of the terrain to dart around, making it difficult for Zhao Fenger to catch up. Yet, with a two-level difference in cultivation, it was only a matter of time before Zhao Fenger caught up with him.
After turning at a fork in the path, Su Che could no longer see what was happening with the Lei siblings. While fleeing, he casually threw a small gray-black sphere, which landed beneath a thick, tall stone pillar.
As he continued to run, Zhao Fenger was now less than ten zhang behind him.
Whoosh!
Zhao Fenger waved his hand, firing a small fireball. With his third-level Qi cultivation, he could easily cast such a basic fireball spell instantly.
“Master, be careful!”
Lao He’s warning came at just the right time. Although Su Che couldn’t see the fireball behind him, he still dodged to the side, barely avoiding it.
The fireball, the size of a head, flew past Su Che’s body. Fortunately, his Taoist robes provided some protection, preventing his skin from being burned by the fireball’s intense heat.
Su Che’s evasion was somewhat clumsy; he lost his balance and nearly fell. Ignoring the danger, he swung his hand backward and quickly activated a fireball spirit talisman.
Since it was still a small fireball, the power of the talisman was certainly inferior to that of a spell cast directly by a cultivator. The fireball Su Che activated was noticeably smaller than the previous one.
Moreover, seemingly due to haste, its trajectory was slightly off. Even if it could hit Zhao Fenger, it would only graze his left arm.
“Panicking!”
Zhao Fenger smiled silently, his face filled with mockery. “Just a small fireball? If you can dodge that, how could you possibly hit me?”
Zhao Fenger calmly dodged to the right, ending up near that tall stone pillar.
This time, it was Su Che who turned around with a mocking smile in his eyes…
“You’ve been tricked!” Zhao Fenger realized that the fireball had been deliberately aimed poorly to lure him closer to the pillar.
Puff!
With a barely audible sound, the small sphere that landed beneath the pillar exploded, turning into a wisp of smoke that rushed toward Zhao Fenger’s calf.
So close, with no chance to avoid it, Zhao Fenger, no matter how fast he reacted, couldn’t do anything. He could only hope that the earth-based defense talisman he had activated earlier would still be effective enough to keep the smoke at bay…

Hope is beautiful, but reality is cruel. That wisp of smoke ignored the earth-type shield and passed through his clothes without any hindrance, seeping into his skin.
“What is this?”
Although Wind-Ear still didn’t feel any discomfort, he realized that this smoke invading his body must be something terrifying.
“Lao Hei, it’s up to you,” Su Che thought to himself.
“Watch closely, master!” Lao Hei’s extremely unpleasant, rough voice came through faintly.
Wind-Ear stopped in his tracks, pressing his thighs in panic as he shouted angrily, “You little bastard! What trick is this?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Su Che stretched out a finger and pointed at his head from afar. “First, you’ll feel your head explode, and then… all sorts of amazing things will happen…”
Before he could finish speaking, Wind-Ear cried out in pain and clutched his head. However, the expression on his face was hidden by the human skin mask.
“No! It’s not true… Father, don’t kill me! Mother, brother, save me… No, stop, this isn’t real…”
Wind-Ear screamed and wailed, holding his head. It was obvious to anyone that he had gone mad and was trapped in delusions.
Su Che carefully circled behind him. When he was about ten feet away, he picked up a fist-sized stone and threw it, hitting him right on the back of the head.
The force was just right—not enough to kill him, but enough to knock any cultivator in the Qi Cultivation stage unconscious.
Bang!
Wind-Ear fell to the ground and fell silent, no longer screaming or struggling, thus relieving him of his mental suffering.
“Come back, Lao Hei,” Su Che said softly.
A wisp of smoke seeped out of Wind-Ear’s head and returned to Su Che’s forehead. Then, Su Che thought again, “Capture this person!”
As soon as the thought arose, Wind-Ear on the ground disappeared without a trace—undoubtedly captured by the mysterious black tower.
In the prison cell on the first floor of the black tower, which was ten feet high, Lao Hei, resembling a hellish demon, held the unconscious Wind-Ear in his hands and reported to Su Che, “Master, I didn’t disappoint you, did I?”
“Very good, very good! It was so easy to take him down!” Su Che was also extremely excited.
But Lao Hei shook his head and sighed, “However, master, this tactic is only effective against low-level cultivators in the early stages of Qi Cultivation. If the opponent is too strong, they might easily eliminate me.”

“I know, I know.” Su Che wasn’t disappointed at all. “I’m already very satisfied that I could ambush an opponent at the third level of Qi Cultivation. After all, I’m only at the first level!”
“Hehe.” Lao He nodded. “As long as you’re satisfied, Master, that’s the greatest happiness for me, Lao He.”
“You’re quite sweet-talking,” Su Che thought to himself with a smile.
Just now, Lao He used the possession ability derived from the extraterrestrial demons, using its soul power to invade ‘Flapping Ears’’ mind and successfully trigger his inner demons, thus giving Su Che the chance to strike from behind and easily defeat an opponent at the third level of Qi Cultivation.
However, as Lao He said, this method has its limitations. If the opponent’s cultivation level is too high and their soul power is too strong, they can instantly suppress the inner demons or even erase Lao He’s soul—just like when a cultivator defeats the possessed extraterrestrial demon. In that case, Lao He would be completely destroyed, and Su Che would have to capture beings from the human, demon, and fiend races again to create a new spirit vessel. Of course, the new spirit vessel wouldn’t be this Lao He.
Although Lao He’s appearance isn’t appealing, it is loyal, and at least its character has been recognized by Su Che. He wouldn’t dare use it as a mere pawn.
Lao He was created by the fusion of a human cultivator at the third level of Qi Cultivation named ‘Chen Shi’, an extraterrestrial demon at the first level of Qi Cultivation, and a Wind Rat at the first level of Qi Cultivation. Its current soul power can only steadily suppress cultivators at the third level of Qi Cultivation; dealing with stronger opponents would be extremely risky.
Moreover, this method can only be used in one-on-one battles. With any bystanders around, the secret of the black tower in its mind could be exposed. For example, in public competitions among peers, Su Che wouldn’t dare use this method.
“This method must be used carefully!” Su Che reminded himself. “Lao He, from now on, unless I give permission, no matter how urgent the situation, you must not act on your own to save me, understand?”
“But…” Lao He wasn’t someone who would blindly obey. Scratching his head, he asked, “What if you pass out and temporarily lose consciousness, unable to give me orders?”
“Hmm, you’ve thought this through well,” Su Che praised him first before answering, “In that case, you can weigh the pros and cons on your own. In any case, the black tower in my mind is my greatest secret. Unless it’s an absolute last resort, never expose it.”
“Understood, Master.” Lao He replied with a loud affirmation.

“Well…” Su Che’s thoughts turned once again to the unconscious Flapping Ears. He asked, “Lao Hei, if he wakes up, can you keep control of the situation?”
“Don’t worry, master,” Lao Hei said, patting his chest. “Inside the prison, you’re the greatest, and I’m second! As for anyone else—once they’re caught by us, they’re like fish on a cutting board; we can do whatever we want to them without any resistance!”
“Good.” Only then did Su Che feel relieved.
It wasn’t that Su Che was timid or overly cautious. In fact, even this Black Tower existed within his mind. What if things got out of control? Would his brain…
Having successfully captured the first prisoner of the Black Tower Prison, Su Che was naturally emotional and unable to calm down… But right now, there was no time for emotions or excitement. After all, around the corner, the Lei siblings were still fighting.
Thanks to Lao Hei’s scouting abilities, Su Che could understand the situation on the other side even without using his own eyes. Yet he preferred to see things with his own eyes, so he sneaked around the corner…