Chapter 770: Fate Is Predestined

“Paying my respects to the master!”
The Yin and Yang Duo truly rushed forward to pay Su Che a deep bow.

Su Che wasn’t surprised or puzzled at all. These death row inmates, desperate to survive and regain their freedom, no longer cared about dignity or face.

“Though it’s a bit late, at least you’ve finally come to your senses,” Su Che said calmly. “Since you’ve willingly acknowledged me as your master, you’ll surely be treated differently from the others. Go capture those at the early Golden Immortal stage. I won’t leave here for a hundred years, and I no longer need your protection.”

“Yes, master.”

Yang Sha laughed heartily, not expecting Su Che to agree so readily without putting them in any difficulty.

Yin Sha spoke softly, “Master, rest assured. Now that we’ve acknowledged you as our master, we’ll go all out to carry out your orders from this day forward, without any hesitation.”

“All that talk is useless,” Su Che said bluntly. “I won’t trust anyone’s empty promises. The real test will come when I leave. Go!”

“Yes.”

The Yin and Yang Duo obediently withdrew, not daring to look up at Su Che the whole time. It was because the brutal efficiency he had just demonstrated—capturing and killing over thirty people in an instant amidst hundreds of Golden Immortals—showed that eliminating them would be a trivial task for him.

How could they not feel nervous and in awe when facing someone who could effortlessly destroy them?

Within a few days, the news of Su Che single-handedly killing over thirty Golden Immortal death row inmates spread rapidly throughout the Realm of Punishment. It wasn’t the Yin and Yang Duo who spread it, but those early-stage Golden Immortal inmates, warning everyone that their doom had arrived.

Many late-stage Golden Immortals then grew worried: Just as the rabbit is killed and the dog is cooked, once all the early-stage Golden Immortals are captured, would it be our turn?

This fear quickly spread among everyone. Most stopped their hunting activities and gathered to discuss strategies. Only a few truly wise ones tried to find the Yin and Yang Duo for help.

That day, the Yin and Yang Duo returned to Su Che and presented two offerings from early-stage Golden Immortals, then reported, “Master, in recent days, some late-stage Golden Immortals have come to us, asking about you. We simply replied that those who willingly acknowledge you as their master will be treated differently… Master, is that acceptable?”

“It’s fine.”

Su Che nodded and replied, “By taking initiative to acknowledge a master, one can save their life—indeed, that’s true. You two needn’t worry; there’s no need to test me like this.”
“I dare not.”
The Yin-Yang Duo of Fiends quickly knelt on the ground, their faces filled with panic. This was because Su Che had indeed seen through their thoughts.
They were only slightly stronger than the others, and the couple was also worried—would they become the next batch of sacrifices?
At that moment, seven late-stage Golden Immortals who were condemned to death joined forces and flew toward the valley where Su Che was.
Was someone else here to cause trouble?
One of them said to his companions, “Is what the Yin-Yang Duo of Fiends said believable? If we go and acknowledge him as our master, will that be throwing ourselves into danger? I’m quite worried…”
“Are you the only one who knows how to worry? Don’t we worry too?”
Another rough-looking bald Golden Immortal grunted, “But that man was sent here by the Supreme Immortal to carry out a task. No matter what his purpose is, do we have the strength to resist him?”
“That’s right,” said another female immortal. “Either way, we’re going to die. It’s better to take a chance. Maybe he’s the kind of person who keeps his word. After all, he’s not just a condemned prisoner—he’s an envoy sent by the Supreme Immortal, of extremely high status. Once he gives his word, he usually doesn’t go back on it. We, as condemned prisoners, are all scum with no credibility at all.”
Though these words were somewhat self-deprecating, no one objected. It was unnecessary to talk about their own character or virtues—no matter how much they tried to beautify themselves, it was useless.
Another person agreed, “It’s just about acknowledging a master. Calling him ‘master’ won’t cost us anything. As long as it saves our lives, I’d be happy to kneel before him every day. I don’t want to die, especially not here…”
All the companions had made up their minds, and the Golden Immortal who had expressed concern at first had nothing left to say.
Indeed, since death was inevitable, having a chance to take a gamble was already quite good.
The group flew at great speed. A few dozen breaths later, they knelt in a line before Su Che, shouting out to greet their master as soon as they saw him.
“By taking initiative to acknowledge a master, I’ll ensure you don’t die.”
Su Che didn’t waste any words. He handed each of them a communication talisman. “When I leave, I’ll send you a message. By then, I’ll give you at most ten hours. Now, go back to what you were doing.”
“Yes, master,” replied the seven late-stage Golden Immortals in unison.

This scene excited Lao He greatly in the Immortal Prison. He exclaimed, “Amazing! So many late-stage Golden Immortals come willingly to pledge allegiance. The moment they meet me, they kneel and kowtow—such dignity is rare even throughout the entire Immortal Realm…”

Su Che, on the other hand, remained indifferent. “They’re just death row inmates—without virtue, integrity, or honor. They already have no dignity. Their kneeling and kowtowing are neither trustworthy nor valuable.”

“That’s still quite good,” Lao He said, very satisfied. “If it were someone else, not to mention subduing them, they might even get torn apart by these guys.”

With the first batch arriving, more followed. From that day on, a few or even a dozen late-stage Golden Immortals would come to pledge allegiance every day.

As for those early-stage Golden Immortals, they were merely targets for capture and had no right to pledge allegiance.

Twenty days passed, and the number of late-stage Golden Immortals coming to pledge allegiance suddenly decreased. It seemed there weren’t many left in the entire Punishment Realm.

The capture of early-stage Golden Immortals continued. The change was that after they pledged allegiance, Golden Immortals were offered as sacrifices, so Su Che no longer needed to pay with Immortal Crystals.

Even if given a thousand chances, they wouldn’t dare discuss money with their master—though their use of the term “master” lacked sincerity.

Bang bang bang bang…

That day, three more early-stage Golden Immortals were captured by one of Su Che’s subordinates and thrown at his feet, including the long-bearded Golden Immortal who had been absent for a long time.

His face was ashen, his ability to move completely restricted. He was thrown to the ground in an extremely humiliating position, like a dog eating trash.

Su Che released some energy to help him up and smiled, “I see you again.”

The long-bearded Golden Immortal’s lips moved slightly, but he didn’t know what to say. He knew he was just one of countless sacrifices. In such a situation, begging for mercy was useless.

Su Che continued, “I’ve seen you three times, and each time you’re in a worse state. How can you change such a fate?”

Hearing Su Che’s words, the despair in the long-bearded Golden Immortal’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a desire to survive. Though he couldn’t kneel or kowtow, he hurriedly pleaded, “I beg my lord to show mercy and change my fate.”

“Good!”

Su Che agreed readily. “I’ve seen you three times, and you’re still alive. It’s not because you’re tough—it’s because there’s a master-slave bond between us.”

As he spoke, he gave a signal to another subordinate, a late-stage Golden Immortal. The man immediately understood and removed the seals and restrictions from the long-bearded Golden Immortal’s body.

Having regained his mobility, the Golden Immortal with a long beard knelt on the ground and repeatedly kowtowed, saying, “Jin Xu pays his respects to his master.”
“Jin Xu?”
Su Che nodded. “That name is good.”
With a gesture of his hand, he sent him along with the other two Golden Immortals to the Immortal Prison, but their fates were vastly different. Jin Xu was sent to the fourth level of the Immortal Prison for soul transformation, allowing him to retain his complete thoughts and consciousness. By becoming a soul slave, he could continue to live and pursue cultivation.
The other two, on the other hand, had to go to the fifth level to acquire skills before being sent to the sixth level to suffer extreme punishment, ending their lives completely.
Such was their fate under Su Che’s dominion.
Coincidentally, during the process of soul enslavement, some memories in Jin Xu’s mind piqued Su Che’s interest. There was a passage that read:
Back in the mortal world, he already had the name “Jin Xu,” bestowed by his sect. Among his peers, there was another disciple who ascended before him, far surpassing Jin Xu in terms of talent and achievements.
That person’s name was “Jin Hao.” After ascending to the immortal realm, he seized the opportunity to master the primordial demonic energy, quickly reaching the second stage of the Great Luo realm, that is, the middle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.
But later, this very opportunity sowed the seeds of disaster as he offended a certain Immortal Emperor. From then on, he disappeared without a trace.
Many believed Jin Hao was dead, but Jin Xu thought that given his senior’s talent and wisdom, it was impossible for him to perish so easily. It was highly likely he had been banished to the mortal world, or at the very least reborn to continue cultivation. In any case, he would return to the immortal realm sooner or later.
“The Master of Dustless Valley!”
Su Che immediately thought of this title.
The real Master of Dustless Valley was merely a late Yuan Ying stage cultivator from the mortal cultivation world of Mu Lan Star. However, he had been replaced by Jin Hao, who possessed the primordial demonic energy. Su Che had always been accustomed to calling him “the Master of Dustless Valley.”
He must be Jin Hao!
Su Che was almost certain of this, because there were very few true immortals in the entire immortal realm who possessed the primordial demonic energy. Among them, he was likely the only one who had been unfortunate enough to be banished to the mortal world.
“This is indeed fate at work,” Su Che thought with a smile. “Since Jin Xu’s fate is tied to Jin Hao’s, even though he is trapped in a place of punishment, he can still be indirectly rescued by me. That’s because I still have some unfinished business with that ‘Master of Dustless Valley’…”
Time passed, and another decade or so went by. Most of the early-stage Golden Immortals in the realm of punishment should have been captured by now. Only occasionally, one or two Golden Immortals would be sacrificed and brought before Su Che every month.

On the Divine Tree of Fate, over two thousand Golden Immortal Fruits had already been formed. This quantity was certainly not enough for Su Che to reach the realm of a Golden Immortal, but it was the best he could do. Su Che began to ponder: Since staying here offered no further benefits, perhaps it was time to send a message to the Evil Emperor? Although less than two hundred years had passed since entering the Realm of Punishment, Su Che had truly had enough of it. The monotonous and desolate Realm of Punishment was just like the damned battlefield of immortals and demons mentioned by Lan Ling—there was not a single thing that could bring comfort. One day, just as Su Che had not yet made up his mind whether to leave, that calm and melodious voice rang in his ears: “It’s about time. Until when do you plan to stay?”