Chapter 385: Trying to Skin the Tiger

The master of Juechen Valley was truly detestable. While using the Great Penetration Technique to evade Xiao Hei’s attacks, he still managed to strike Su Che as well. A ten to twenty percent of the attack’s force penetrated the wealthy man’s barrier and struck Su Che’s magic shield, producing a clear ringing sound.

By the time the master of Juechen Valley reappeared from his dissipated state, he was still within Xiao Hei’s attack range. Whoosh! Another axe swing came from the side. This time, Xiao Hei didn’t rely on brute force—he unleashed chaotic energy, creating a strange force field that enveloped the surroundings. The master of Juechen Valley tried to avoid the battle axe by using the Great Penetration Technique to dissolve his body again, only to be shocked to find that the technique had failed!

“Chaos Energy!”

Coming from the Immortal Realm, the master of Juechen Valley was certainly discerning. Now surrounded by Chaos Energy and in close contact with this supreme force, how could he fail to recognize it? It wasn’t that Chaos Energy could completely suppress all magical techniques—it was rather that within its range, everything related to energy would be heavily suppressed.

Chaos Energy was the origin of all energies. When faced with its ancestral force, all energies would instinctively feel awe. Thus, the master of Juechen Valley’s Great Penetration Technique wasn’t completely blocked; rather, his current body was too weak, and his mastery of the technique was only at a basic level, which caused it to fail entirely.

With this, his attempt to evade attacks by dissolving his body was utterly useless. There was no time to use other supernatural abilities—he could only muster all his magical power to withstand the fierce axe strike.

Whoosh!

Black demonic energy surged from his body, forming a conical mountain between his palms, with its peak facing the axe blade, ready for a head-on collision. But since this was his first encounter with a monster like Xiao Hei, he had underestimated its overwhelming power. Perhaps Xiao Hei’s overall strength wasn’t even comparable to that of a Cultivator at the Transcendence stage, but with its unstoppable momentum, it could even cut through solid metal like paper.

Sssh!

The mountain of demonic energy was shattered by the axe, and with unrelenting force, it swung toward the master of Juechen Valley’s chest.

“Move!”

How could the master of Juechen Valley dare to face the axe strike with his flesh and blood? He uttered a sacred word, attempting to use some form of teleportation skill to dodge. But still under the influence of the Chaos Energy field, his usual teleportation skills were severely restricted, causing him to react slightly too late.

Thud!

Blood splashed—pure black blood.

The chest of the Valley Lord was cut several inches deep by the energy of the battle axe, nearly splitting in two, but he managed to move hundreds of feet away, escaping the chaotic energy field created by Xiao Hei. The wound on his chest was over a foot long, resembling a huge crack on his body. Yet, he was clearly no longer a normal human—his internal organs were a terrifying deep black, and his exposed heart showed no signs of beating.

Huh… A demonic aura covered the wound. It seemed the Valley Lord also possessed near-immortal regenerative abilities—the wound closed instantly, leaving him as good as new in the blink of an eye.

Su Che controlled Xiao Hei with his mind and did not pursue further. Instead, he stood in mid-air wielding the battle axe like an ancient war god, with the spectacularly beautiful Mu Lan Star as the backdrop behind him.

“Who is that?” the Valley Lord asked Su Che, pointing at Xiao Hei.

“Why should I tell you?” Su Che replied with a smile.

“How can he control chaotic energy? That defies logic!” The Valley Lord appeared agitated.

The deeper one’s understanding of the forces in the world, the more they could grasp the true meaning and significance of the word “chaos.”

“There are too many things that defy logic. I see them all the time—what’s so strange about that?” Su Che said calmly. “Take you for example. Your insistence on staying in the cultivation realm also defies logic.”

The Valley Lord was momentarily speechless, his gaze shifting unpredictably.

It was clear that from this moment onward, he truly realized Su Che’s strength. With his current abilities, it would be difficult to deal with Su Che. But the problem was, if he were to merge all the magical seeds on Mu Lan Star into his own body, once his cultivation power exceeded a certain threshold, it would attract the attention of the laws of the universe, sending him directly to the Spirit Realm or even the Immortal Realm.

“No! I must not go back. It’s not the right time yet…”

The Valley Lord was certain that with his current overall strength, returning to the Immortal Realm would result in a miserable fate.

Suddenly, Su Che asked, “Your opponents in the Immortal Realm must be extremely powerful, right?”

He asked this based on Bai Lao Mo’s inference—that the Valley Lord had offended someone very powerful in the Immortal Realm, forcing him into a desperate situation. Cornered and in utter peril, he had torn open space at a great cost to plunge into the temporal chaos, barely escaping death before hiding in the core of Mu Lan Star and entering a million-year slumber.

Think about it—even at the height of his power, he was just a stray in the Immortal Realm. In his current state, even if he devoured all the creatures on Muran Planet and returned to the Immortal Realm, he would likely be among the lowest-ranked beings, with no chance of survival at all. These were all conclusions drawn by Old Demon Bai based on years of experience, and Su Che also believed they were quite accurate. “Why ask this?” The master of Juechen Valley’s expression turned gloomy when mentioning his enemies. “Actually, I also have enemies in the Immortal Realm,” Su Che said solemnly. “They might even be far more powerful than your enemies.” “Oh? Who are your enemies? Maybe I know them.” The master of Juechen Valley was quite curious, as he had already suspected that this young man might be the reincarnation of an immortal, given his numerous extraordinary abilities. The once enemies who were fighting each other had now paused their battle and started talking. Without the master’s mental control, the possessed people stood there in dull expressions, like statues. “I can’t tell,” Su Che shook his head. “It’s my personal secret. Similarly, I won’t inquire about your private affairs either.” “Then what’s the purpose of bringing this up?” the master asked in a low voice. “There’s no particular purpose. I just want to tell you not to underestimate my abilities,” Su Che said coldly. “If you push me to the brink, we’ll both be destroyed!” As soon as he finished speaking, crack… Ten bolts of lightning struck simultaneously, hitting one of the possessed people who had temporarily lost control. Though they didn’t kill him, they severely injured him. “Great Thunder Technique!” The master of Juechen Valley was even more shocked, witnessing yet another powerful technique mastered by Su Che. Now, he had almost no doubts about Su Che’s claim of being a reincarnated immortal. Even the highest-ranking immortals in the Immortal Realm had a life-saving trick or two. If pushed to the absolute limit and forced to use them, it could indeed lead to mutual destruction. Su Che said these things to remind him: Our real enemies are in the Immortal Realm. It would be extremely foolish for us two, who share the same plight, to fight each other to mutual ruin.

Su Che adopted such a conciliatory approach out of concern that he might go to extreme measures. If he absorbed all the magical seeds on Mu Lan Star, he might become a terrifying force beyond the Void Refinement stage. By then, even if he were forcibly pulled away by the laws of the universe, he would likely be unable to resist a final attack from Su Che before leaving.

If he couldn’t resist, there was only one outcome: death!

Therefore, it was ideal to subdue him without fighting.

The Master of the Dust-Free Valley had a gloomy expression, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. “His spatial magic artifact is indeed very useful; it could solve many of my problems. But obviously, it’s extremely difficult to seize it from him. He must have some last-ditch tactics left unused… Yet, it’s frustrating to let go of such a rare opportunity…”

Su Che also knew that mere words wouldn’t be enough to persuade him. Raising the stakes, he continued, “I’m rather stubborn. I’d rather burn with my enemy than let my possessions fall into their hands. When both of us are devastated, I’ll still detonate that spatial magic artifact you’re thinking of. Even if you happen to survive, you’ll gain nothing.”

His tone grew heavier as he added, “You must weigh the gains and losses carefully, because the decision you make next will determine our fates. Whether to fight or reconcile, live or die—it all depends on your choice.”

As he finished speaking, Xiao Hei, not far away, adjusted his stance with his battle axe, ready to deliver a devastating strike at any moment.

The Master of the Dust-Free Valley nodded slightly and replied immediately, “You’ve only mentioned the disadvantages of fighting each other. But what if we cooperate?”

“Cooperate?”

Su Che shook his head and smiled. “I really haven’t thought about that. You follow the path of darkness, while I follow the path of immortals. It seems we can’t work together. I strongly disapprove of your actions of killing innocents on Mu Lan Star. It’s just that I don’t have the ability to stop you for now.”

The Master of the Dust-Free Valley smiled faintly. From just this statement, it was clear that Su Che was a principled person. It had to be admitted that dealing with someone like this made one feel relatively at ease.

“Then let me propose a way for us to cooperate. You can consider it.”

He spoke slowly, “What is your purpose for coming to Muran Planet? You can tell me. Perhaps I can help you resolve it easily. But you must swear an oath with your inner demon that in the future, if I need your help, you will cover up the secrets of the universe and help me deceive others.”
By covering up the secrets of the universe, he meant preventing the laws of the world from detecting this special being who disrupted balance. At present, the simplest method was to lock him up in the Immortal Prison, and then everything would be fine.
However, the Master of Juechen Valley could not fully trust Su Che to simply and foolishly enter someone else’s magical space. Therefore, specific details still needed further discussion.
“This is just our initial cooperation,” the Master of Juechen Valley continued. “If there is a possibility of further cooperation, when we return to the Immortal Realm, we can work together to fight our common enemies. You help me avenge myself, and I will do the same for you. What do you think?”
Su Che remained silent for a while, not responding immediately. In his mind, he was analyzing with Lao Hei and the White Old Demon whether this person truly wanted to cooperate or was using some other trick…