Chapter 333: Stalemate

Su Che predicted that those Golden Core cultivators who were already unconscious had too low a status. Even if they were captured and taken to the Immortal Prison, it was uncertain whether they could uncover the true reason behind the blockade of this star region. If possible, it would be best to capture a Yuan Ying cultivator to obtain the most valuable information.
So he asked Tian Yin, “Is it possible to capture that early-stage Yuan Ying cultivator alive?”
Regarding the bronze bell in Tian Yin’s possession, Su Che believed that since it was a top-grade Dao artifact, its functions surely went beyond mere offensive powers—it must also possess other forms of power.
For example, it could not only serve as a defensive talisman but also function as the core of a powerful sect, absorbing celestial energy at an astonishing speed and scale. Even the sect leader could carry the entire sect’s combat strength with them, going wherever there was abundant spiritual energy to plunder—truly extremely convenient.
Sure enough, Tian Yin replied through telepathy, “My Tian Yin can not only be used for attacks but also to trap people inside the bell, preventing them from escaping. Moreover, those trapped inside will face attacks ten times more powerful.”
“Ten times more powerful?”
Su Che was stunned. The normal attacks of that bronze bell could already repel late-stage Yuan Ying cultivators. At ten times the intensity, it could surely inflict serious injuries or even kill early-stage Yuan Ying cultivators outright.
Tian Yin, sensing Su Che’s thoughts, reminded him, “However, with my current cultivation level, it’s very slow to use the bell to trap others. Even Golden Core cultivators can easily dodge it. Unless your soul-control power can freeze them in place in advance, I won’t be able to trap them.”
“Let’s give it a try,” Su Che replied. “If it works, great. If not, forget it.”
Su Che was already at the late stage of the Golden Core phase, and his soul-control power could exert considerable pressure on early-stage Yuan Ying cultivators. But it was uncertain whether the opponent possessed a soul-stabilizing talisman or a method to refine their spiritual essence.
Generally speaking, it wasn’t difficult for a Yuan Ying cultivator to obtain such a talisman. So while it was worth a try, he shouldn’t place too much hope on it.
At this moment, the two Yuan Ying cultivators, Yan Gu and Yan Lin, on the other side, had also made up their minds to seize the Dao artifact from Su Che and his companion.
They flew a little closer. The seemingly kinder-looking Yan Lin chuckled and said, “Young friends, you must have traveled a long way to reach this star region. Do you consider visiting Mu Lan Star?”
“Mu Lan Star?”
Su Che showed a bit of naive curiosity and asked, “Is it interesting there?”
“Of course it is.”

Yan Lin smiled and continued to float closer with Yan Gu, ready to strike at any moment: “I sincerely invite the two of you to come as my guests. All expenses will be covered by my brother and I…”
At that moment, Yan Gu suddenly attacked. His right hand was clad in a huge white jade bone claw. From a distance of two hundred zhang, he reached out and grabbed at Su Che.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…
An invisible, powerful energy tore cracks through the void, and a giant bone claw over ten zhang long appeared out of thin air. With a crack, it caught Su Che and the other person between its claws.
“The Claw of the Demon God—shattering heaven and earth!”
Being able to catch them so easily filled Yan Gu with joy. He intensified the power of the white jade bone claw, aiming to crush Su Che and the other person to dust.
Crack!
Yet, Su Che and the other person remained as steady as mountains, while the energy of the bone claw shattered into dust that scattered into nothingness.
Juge Fu’s defensive barrier had an extremely strong rebound force. Before it was bonded to a master, it could only exert 30-40% of its power when activated by its spirit. Now, with Su Che using his true energy to control it, it could reach 50% of its power.
Even with just 30-40% of its power, it could withstand the relentless attacks of people like Tai Xu. Today, with just Yan Gu’s strength alone, it was impossible to break through Juge Fu’s defense.
“Haha, truly a top-tier Dao artifact—what formidable defensive power.”
Yan Gu and Yan Lin were not alarmed but rather delighted. The better the treasure, the happier they were.
They made the same mistake as Tai Xu and the others—believing that Su Che and the other person were only at the Golden Core stage. Even if they could activate a top-tier Dao artifact, it wouldn’t be very powerful. As long as they trapped them here and used various tactics, they could slowly force their way into possession of the treasure.
But times had changed. Su Che was now in the later stages of the Golden Core stage, and with his best partner, Sister Tian Yin, by his side, there was no way they could continue to harass them.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap…
Su Che jumped up and stood on the Star Emperor Compass, delivering dozens of Destruction Fists in quick succession, attacking both Yan Gu and Yan Lin at the same time.
Having reached the later stages of the Golden Core stage, the power of his Destruction Fists had increased several times over. Su Che estimated that even against Yuan Ying cultivators, they could cause significant damage. With the targets right in front of him, it was the perfect opportunity to test them.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…
The destructive force exploded, causing Yan Gu and the others to change expressions dramatically. They had never seen such a peculiar form of destructive power before.

Cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage still cared about face. Faced with an attack from a Jin Dan cultivator, they couldn’t bear to dodge and resisted most of the Destruction Force with their own attack techniques. Yet, Su Che unleashed dozens of punches in an instant, and a couple of them managed to find gaps, forcing them to withstand them with their own protective energy auras.

Still, they underestimated the Destruction Force inherited from the ancient demon gods. When the force intensified, they immediately regretted their decision.

With several loud booms, Yan Gu was pushed back dozens of feet, while Yan Lin, having a lower cultivation level, was sent flying even further. Though neither was injured, they both felt embarrassed.

If only they had known this beforehand; it would have been better to dodge calmly and appear more graceful.

“Damn you, kid!”
The two cursed inwardly, no longer daring to underestimate Su Che.

Bang!

Tian Yin wasn’t idle either. With a bell strike, she pushed the closer Yan Gu back dozens of feet, putting him back on equal footing with Yan Lin. This showed that Tian Yin’s attack power was also precisely controlled.

As for the Yan Gu brothers, though they appeared calm on the surface, they were furious inside. From this brief encounter, it seemed that those two younger ones were actually the stronger cultivators, playing with them out of mockery.

“Why stare? Not convinced?”
Su Che sneered before activating the Great Thunderfall Technique.

Crack…

Four beams of Heavenly Fire Thunder appeared simultaneously, all aimed at the burly Yan Gu.

Different types of thunder naturally had varying strengths, but they all shared one characteristic: lightning-fast speed that made evasion impossible. Any cultivator in the realm of cultivation could only endure them, with no time to dodge.

Boom!

Yan Gu used his protective energy aura to withstand the four beams of Heavenly Fire Thunder. Though unharmed, the lightning strikes left him looking disheveled.

Since Su Che had reached the later stage of Jin Dan, the power of his various techniques had increased, including the Great Thunderfall Technique. He had thought he could summon even more powerful thunder, but to his surprise, a single invocation only produced four beams, all of which were Heavenly Fire Thunder matching his own attributes.

“Clearly specializing in fire, yet able to use thunder magic?”
The Yan Gu brothers finally realized that these young man and woman possessed mysterious and unpredictable techniques—true oddities. Fortunately, their cultivation levels were low, and their attack techniques weren’t powerful enough to truly harm Yuan Ying cultivators.

“It’s bound to be a back-and-forth battle of attrition…”
The Yan Gu brothers understood this and slightly adjusted their earlier plans.

In fact, this was also the form Su Che and Tian Yin wanted to create—to give the opponent such a feeling and gradually paralyze their psychological defenses. Next, the two sides exchanged attacks, with various supernatural spells repeated over and over again, yet none of them could harm the opponent. Su Che and Tian Yin’s attacks could only push them back, not truly injure them. Similarly, Yan Gu and Yan Lin’s attacks were not enough to break through Jufu’s defenses. During this time, Su Che controlled the Star Emperor Compass to keep changing positions, capturing about half of the sixty-some Golden Core cultivators who were unconscious in the starry sky; the rest were rescued by Yan Gu and the others using their magical treasure spaces. With twenty-two more Golden Core cultivators added to the Immortal Prison, it could be considered a small success. Lao He woke up a few of them and interrogated them briefly. As Su Che had predicted, they knew nothing about Witch Yellow Star; they only knew they had followed their sect’s Yuan Ying elders to this star region to patrol and guard there for over six months. They belonged to a powerful demonic sect on Mu Lan Star called the “Netherworld Sect.” That silver ship was a top-grade spiritual treasure-class flying artifact, with an internal space spanning hundreds of miles, equipped with gardens for growing spiritual herbs and beasts, and even hundreds of lower-tier cultivation partners… It could be said that drifting in the vast starry sky for decades would not be hard at all. Boom… While Lao He interrogated the prisoners, the enemy and allies continued to clash in the starry sky. Yan Gu and Yan Lin had long realized they had encountered a tough opponent today, but no matter how difficult it was, they had to try. For two top-grade Dao artifacts, any effort was worth it. Yan Gu’s giant bone claws and Yan Lin’s cutting ability kept attacking Jufu’s defensive barrier, yet they never managed to touch even a thread of Su Che and Tian Yin’s clothing, making them even more envious of Jufu’s formidable defense. Yan Gu even began to change his mind; he thought this palace-like defensive artifact seemed more practical than the small copper bell in that woman’s hands. With such defense, one would be invincible in battles. On the path of cultivation, survival came first. Yan Lin felt even more so, his desire to possess Jufu filling his mind as he imagined: With it in hand, who on Mu Lan Star could dare to challenge him? Invincibility meant victory; even if his own attack power was slightly weak, he could wear down his opponent bit by bit…

The two of them made up their minds: in this vast expanse of emptiness, they would somehow trap these two youngsters here to death, whether it took ten days or ten months—those two top-grade Dao artifacts must fall into their hands. Su Che and the others used the Power of Destruction and the Bell of Heavenly Sound to attack intermittently, deliberately striking a few times before resting for a while, then striking again, and resting once more… This approach wouldn’t make the opponents feel like they were being fooled, as it perfectly matched the cultivation level expected at the Golden Core stage. After all, without the support of life energy, the power of the Bell of Heavenly Sound could only produce nine rings before running out of strength. Su Che was extremely patient, waiting calmly for an opportunity… Once he got his chance, he would deal them a devastating blow they would never forget.