Chapter 549: The Truth Revealed

Despite having many doubts in his heart, Su Che ultimately managed to eliminate four powerful competitors and thus secured a chance to survive. That was what truly mattered—the most crucial thing. The other issues could be thought about and analyzed slowly…
“I finally made it through!”
At the center of the underground cave battlefield, Su Che sheathed his purple crystal sword back into Immortal Prison and instructed Lao He to quickly convert more special energy for future use. Meanwhile, he sat down in meditation to heal his wounds.
Although the mysterious old man claimed this was the third and final competition, who would believe such nonsense from a madman? Therefore, it was essential to remain in peak fighting condition at all times, ready for any unexpected developments.
During this time, Su Che also silently speculated about Tian Yin’s group’s situation: “Even if Tian Yin, Heng Yi, and Lin Feng are in the same group, facing just two Mahayana-level opponents still doesn’t look promising.”
“Probably, Heng Yi and Lin Feng will fight each other while Tian Yin uses her sonic powers to assist and strike from behind. That way, their chances of winning increase.”
“However, even if they win in the end, according to the game rules, only one of Tian Yin, Heng Yi, and Lin Feng can survive. Tian Yin surely wouldn’t bear to kill Heng Yi and Lin Feng herself. They’ll likely choose to die on their own…”
As soul slaves, it was their duty to protect their masters’ beloved partners. To save Tian Yin, Heng Yi and Lin Feng would undoubtedly choose death without hesitation. Su Che had no doubts about this.
Thinking of these things, Su Che’s mood naturally became quite heavy…
Perhaps because the battles in the other groups took longer, Su Che had plenty of time to wait. It was over an hour later when he began to feel slightly dizzy, only to be transported again.
The moment his eyes could see again, he was filled with anxiety—uncertain whether he would see Tian Yin.
All he could see were four figures, including two graceful women. Tian Yin was one of them, and the other was the Snow Jade Fairy.
Tian Yin’s complexion was slightly pale, suggesting she had sustained minor injuries, but overall, she seemed fine, which greatly relieved Su Che.
As for the Snow Jade Fairy, Su Che had long expected her to easily defeat the other four Mahayana-level opponents. Everyone else might die, but she would surely survive. This woman was truly too powerful and troublesome…

“Su Che!”
Seeing Su Che appear unharmed before her, Tian Yin, who had been filled with worry, was overjoyed. With a soft cry, she rushed forward and threw herself into Su Che’s arms.
She had thought that Su Che, facing four Great Perfection-stage warriors alone, was doomed to death, with extremely slim chances of survival. She couldn’t imagine how he could defeat his opponents and secure that almost non-existent chance of survival.
Tian Yin had already prepared for the worst: if Su Che met an accident, she would go find the Witch God, be reborn in the body of a great witch left from a past life, and even use her status as a great witch to lead hundreds of thousands of Witch Tribe warriors to avenge Su Che.
By then, not only would that mysterious old man but also everyone who had a grudge against Su Che face Tian Yin’s furious revenge. That situation could be described in just three words: Kill! Kill! Kill!
At this moment, seeing that Su Che was the only survivor from his group, not only Tian Yin but also Princess Xueyu was quite surprised—and secretly delighted: He really survived! That’s good; I still have a chance to take that pagoda from him…
Still at the Cloud Temple built atop the white clouds, only five people remained: Su Che, Tian Yin, Princess Xueyu, Li Jiu, and another Great Perfection-stage warrior whose name Su Che didn’t know.
Undoubtedly, these five final survivors, if not the strongest in terms of strength, were at least the luckiest to have made it this far.
Su Che was about to ask about the fates of Heng Yi and Lin Feng when he heard…
“You five have survived. I will grant you freedom…”
The massive head of the mysterious old man appeared. Su Che and the others thought he would deliver a long speech, but after just one short sentence, there was only a two-word roar: “Go!”
Whoosh!
Princess Xueyu and the other two disappeared without a trace, taken somewhere unknown. If the mysterious old man kept his promise, he should have sent them out of this perilous private realm and into the outside cultivation world.
But what worried Su Che deeply was that, for some reason, he and Tian Yin were left behind.
“Could it be that that desperate battle earlier didn’t kill me, and this old bastard plans to kill me himself?” Su Che guessed in his heart. “Or maybe he wants to keep me and Tian Yin here for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, forcing us to guard his herb garden or do some other chores…”

Just as I was thinking about it, all the answers came rushing out, revealed very satisfactorily.
“Su Che, after several tests, I’m quite satisfied with your performance.”
The mysterious old man’s expression and tone suddenly changed drastically—the wildness vanished, and he now appeared kind. He said gently, “Have you still not guessed who I am?”
“I can’t,” Su Che replied, shaking his head in confusion.
Actually, when they were first at the Red Refining Palace on the Alchemy Planet, the mysterious old man used the black mist to save Su Che from certain death as he was surrounded by dozens of beings at the Great Vehicle stage. At first, Su Che thought this mysterious old man might be related to the “Sky-Devouring Rat” and had come to save him, the inheritor of the Power of Destruction.
But after enduring those three absurd, crisis-ridden games, Su Che had changed his mind. There was no reason for the ancient demon god Sky-Devouring Rat to treat him like this or torment him like that.
Of course, Su Che wouldn’t easily voice such a guess now. What if this mysterious old man, suspected to be an ancient demon god, had a feud with the Sky-Devouring Rat? Revealing his inheritance connection to the Sky-Devouring Rat would only bring trouble upon himself.
So, for safety’s sake, it was better to pretend to be clueless.
“Hahaha…”
The mysterious old man laughed loudly. “Su Che, you’re indeed very cautious. Such a personality is quite good! Being cautious helps one live longer. With your intelligence, you must have guessed that I am that Sky-Devouring Rat, right?”
“Elder, please stop playing riddles,” Su Che said with a wry smile, touching his nose as if begging. “I can’t fathom your thoughts at all. How dare I give an answer rashly?”
“Haha, fine. I’ll tell you directly—yes, I am the Sky-Devouring Rat! But I’m slightly different from the one you imagine.”
The mysterious old man finally revealed the answer on his own. “That black mist at the Alchemy Planet was indeed to save you. But the three games that followed were created just for you, to test whether you, as my inheritor of power, are qualified and worthy of this role.”
Hearing this explanation, Su Che felt relieved, but at the same time, an inexplicable anger surged in him. He retorted, “Elder, it was your own decision to choose me as your inheritor. I didn’t pester you to do it. Why bring in such a test now? Is it really necessary?”
“It’s different!”

The mysterious old man replied, “The part of me that chose you as the successor to the power was merely my heart—not my complete self. Its decision cannot represent the true will of the Sky-Devouring Rat.”
“I am one of the earliest ancient demons in the world. Because I refused to submit to the laws of heaven, my true form was destroyed by those laws. Only my heart, the bones of the demon god, and the Sky-Devouring Domain remained in this world.”
“As the Sky-Devouring Rat, among these three parts, the Sky-Devouring Domain must take precedence. Although my heart chose you as the successor and you have obtained most of the bones of the demon god, the title of successor can only be truly established with the recognition of my Sky-Devouring Domain.”
“My Sky-Devouring Domain is sealed within the core of Qi Yuan Star by the laws of heaven. Unless Qi Yuan Star is destroyed, it can never break free from this seal. Fortunately, the rise of the Witch Clan led to the destruction of Qi Yuan Star, freeing me. In this regard, you also deserve credit…”
Hearing this, Su Che couldn’t help but think, “If I’ve done so much to help you and saved you indirectly, why treat me like this?”
As if able to read Su Che’s thoughts, the mysterious old man chuckled and said, “Actually, though these three games seem extremely dangerous, I have been watching over you the whole time. I would never let you die for real. It’s like an elder in a family arranging trials for a younger member—seemingly dangerous, but without any real risk to life. If you fail to achieve victory on your own, I will only be disappointed, not kill you. Do you understand?”
“Oh, I see…”
Only then did Su Che realize that from the beginning, he had never been in real danger of dying. He had just been kept in the dark, unaware of the truth.
With this realization, his resentment and anger diminished somewhat. At least this “Sky-Devouring Rat” wasn’t trying to harm or trick him on purpose.
The mysterious old man continued, “However, I still need to tell you that your victory isn’t entirely due to your own abilities. I’ve also arranged some opportunities for you—such as the hundred-year reward from the Time Wheel and that amethyst long sword. They were all given to you on purpose by me.”

“After the destruction of Qiyuan Star, my Devouring Heavens Domain merged with my heart. But since my heart is 100% inclined toward you, it caused me some sort of mental split—my heart is with you, yet in my thoughts, I want to pose more challenges to you, to make things harder for you…”
“Now, since your overall performance is passable, I can finally acknowledge you as my successor. Thus, there are no more conflicts between my thoughts and my heart, and they can fully merge together. In other words, I, the Devouring Heavens Rat, am reborn!”