Chapter 98: Shut Up!

In the underground fire veins of the Yin Wind Gorge, Su Che temporarily set aside all negative emotions and devoted himself entirely to cultivation. This time, he had a sufficient supply of pills—over 300 fifth-grade pills, including Earth Spirit Pills, and more than 60 sixth-grade pills, such as Purple Fire Pills and Rising Dragon Pills.

In the cave at the bottom of the Black Stone, Su Che would take either two fifth-grade pills a day or one sixth-grade pill a day. Coupled with the special effects of the Immortal Prison Warm Current and Black Stone Clear Stream, even though he was already at the later stage of Qi Cultivation, his progress was incredibly fast.

Days passed, and another half year went by. By the time Su Che returned to Tianxuan Sect, he had reached an astonishing level of the ninth layer of Qi Cultivation.

Due to a badpremonition he had harbored half a year earlier, Su Che used a fake identity when returning to Mysterious Insight Peak. It was only when he entered the Spirit Herb Garden that he reverted to his true appearance.

The moment she saw Su Che, Linglong’s expression changed drastically. But this time, her shock wasn’t because his cultivation level had surpassed hers—it was because he was in grave danger.

“Su Che, how dare you come back?”
Linglong rushed over from a few dozen feet away, grabbed Su Che’s arm, and whispered anxiously, “Weren’t you supposed to escape? Why are you back? Hurry, go away! I’ll pretend I never saw you!”

“Escape?” Su Che frowned. “Escape from what? Why would I escape? Over these past six months, I’ve just been cultivating again. Senior Sister, see—now I’m already at the ninth layer of Qi Cultivation. It’s because I’m facing the barrier to reaching the ultimate stage of Qi Cultivation that I’ve returned to the sect to seek guidance from Senior Brother Yu Qing.”

“Guidance? Ha!” Linglong spat angrily. “Do you know you’re in big trouble? Better think about how to die gracefully.”

Despite her hatred, she kept pushing him away. “Go, go! You fool! You could have slipped away under disguise—there’s still time.”

But it was already too late.

Outside Linglong’s residence, the voice of Head Manager Chen from the first-level Herb Garden came through: “Junior Sister Linglong, Su Che has returned, right? I’ve already informed the sect master. He immediately replied and ordered me to take him to the Mysterious Insight Golden Hall for questioning.”

When Su Che returned, he did so openly without any disguise. He had already been seen by Head Manager Chen when passing by the first-level Herb Garden. Head Manager Chen had long resented his nephew’s disappearance due to Su Che and would never miss such a rare opportunity for revenge.

Inside the room, Su Che nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go see the master. I haven’t done anything wrong—what’s there to be afraid of?”
“Are you really sure you haven’t done anything wrong?” Linglong tilted her head and asked, “Sister Zhen Zhen from Tianwu Peak has been missing for half a year. Has nothing to do with you?”
Su Che’s heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself that his prediction was correct, but he still spoke confidently, “Her disappearance has nothing to do with me. She’s a legitimate disciple in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. How could I possibly interfere in her movements?”
“Very well. If you truly feel no guilt, then ask the master to make a decision for you,” Linglong reminded him. “Su Che, let me tell you—someone at the master’s level possesses profound magical powers. If you have any ulterior motives, they won’t go unnoticed.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just tell the truth. There’s no need to hide anything,” Su Che replied firmly.
“Then okay.” Linglong felt slightly relieved.
After that, Su Che followed Chief Chen, seemingly under his supervision, as they left the spiritual herb garden and headed toward the top of Xuanji Peak.
Before Chief Chen could mock Su Che further, Yu Qing, who had just heard the news, rushed up behind them.
“Junior Brother Su.”
Yu Qing didn’t waste words, but his tone was serious. “I’ll just ask you—do you need me to go see your uncle and plead for you?”
“No, thank you, Senior Brother,” Su Che replied equally succinctly.
“Alright. I’ll wait for good news from you.” Yu Qing turned and left.
Su Che and Chief Chen continued along the mountain path. After a while, Chief Chen sneered, “Junior Brother Su, you’re quite skilled in magic. First, you made my nephew disappear without a trace, and now you even managed to… haha, impressive. Truly admirable.”
“Impressive?” Su Che replied with a cold laugh through telepathy, “It’s your turn soon.”
He used telepathy to avoid leaving any voice recordings that could be used against him.
Chief Chen’s expression changed. He glared and said, “Su Che, if you’ve got the guts, say that out loud!”
“What did I say?” Su Che pretended to be confused, waving his hands. “Chief Chen, I certainly know Sister Zhen Zhen from Tianwu Peak. But as for your nephew, I’ve never seen him. I also can’t believe someone as narrow-minded as you even has a nephew. I thought all your relatives were killed by you.”
By now, Su Che no longer cared about his status as a chief.
“You…”

Manager Chen was so furious that his hair and beard trembled. Pointing at Su Che, he said, “Don’t be stubborn. Do you realize you’re dying?” Su Che gave a cold smile on the surface and said nothing, seemingly too lazy to argue further. In reality, he sent a message: “Manager Chen, stop wasting words here. If you have the guts, go and accuse me to your master for causing your nephew’s disappearance… I ask you, do you have the courage? Can you clear your own name?” Manager Chen’s face turned ugly, and he was instantly speechless. Initially, it had been out of greed that he had conspired with his nephew to intercept Su Che, aiming to obtain the spiritual herbs and quick cultivation methods from him. If this matter were exposed, his crime of “attempted murder of a fellow disciple” would also be unforgivable. As for falsely accusing Su Che and denying his own evil intentions, Manager Chen had neither the confidence nor the courage to play tricks in front of Venerable Mysterious Insight. Once things started, all the vile deeds he had committed in his life could no longer be hidden. Thus, Su Che’s prediction was correct—he really didn’t dare! “Don’t dare, huh?” Su Che sneered and sent a message, “If you lack the courage, then shut up! You shameless wretch! If I’m on my deathbed, I’ll definitely expose you too.” Manager Chen was almost driven mad with anger but could only shut up obediently. At that moment, he deeply regretted it: Why did he bother provoking such a madman? He even dared to target a true disciple of Tianwu Peak—what did a mere manager like himself mean to him? From then on, Manager Chen lived in fear and anxiety, worried that Su Che would be proven guilty and sentenced to extreme punishment. If that happened, he would surely go berserk and expose people like himself. Since he was already dying, what was there left to worry about… It was too late to regret. Manager Chen was trapped and could only follow Su Che timidly as they slowly headed toward the mountain top. Now, the power dynamic between the two had completely reversed—it seemed as though Su Che, striding confidently, was escorting the anxious Manager Chen to the Golden Hall of Mysterious Insight to face judgment. The Golden Hall of Mysterious Insight. After entering, Su Che simply chose a cushion to kneel on, while Manager Chen left dejectedly, filled with worry. His task of bringing Su Che here was complete; he didn’t even have the right to stay and hear what would happen next. This time, in just a dozen breaths, Venerable Mysterious Insight arrived before Su Che.

Just as before, he appeared silently in the same place, with his hands behind his back, not even glancing at Su Che.
“I have seen the master.”
Su Che bowed respectfully.
“You’ve reached the ninth level of Qi Cultivation. It’s been half a year—your progress is truly impressive.” As a cultivator in the later stage of the Golden Core phase, Venerable Xuanji’s spiritual perception could cover at least 500 zhang. His perception was far more accurate than mere sight.
Su Che replied in a low voice, “Last time, after learning about the Xiaomi Immortal Realm from Senior Yu Qing, I entered seclusion again to focus on cultivation, hoping to reach the ultimate stage of Qi Cultivation in time so I could enter the Xiaomi Immortal Realm and help the master search for treasures.”
“Oh?”
Venerable Xuanji’s expression changed slightly as he turned around immediately. “So, you’re willing to enter the Xiaomi Immortal Realm on your own accord?”
“Yes,” Su Che replied. “I believe I am blessed enough to find the treasures and return unharmed.”
Half a year earlier, Su Che had already had a badpremonition, but those were just guesses—unreliable. He couldn’t just flee because of a hunch and live in exile, not even daring to return to his sect to find out what was going on. That wasn’t Su Che’s style at all.
More importantly, Su Che had a certain degree of stubbornness in his character. He wasn’t willing to become a fugitive wanted by the Tianxuan Sect and bear unjust accusations just because of Zhen Zhen. His past experience as a patrol officer made it unbearable for him to live in fear and flee—worse than being killed.
So, Su Che chose to enter the Xiaomi Immortal Realm voluntarily two years later as part of a deal with Venerable Xuanji, asking him to clear his name and save him.
From Yu Qing, Su Che learned that the opening of the Xiaomi Immortal Realm once every fifty years was a major event in the entire cultivation world. The Tianxuan Sect could only allocate ten spots, meaning Xuanji Peak could only assign one disciple to enter. Yet, this seemingly valuable spot caused great trouble for Venerable Xuanji.
The reason was that the disciples weren’t fools—they all knew that entering the Xiaomi Immortal Realm was almost the same as being sentenced to death. With a 1% survival rate, who would risk their lives?
Among the inner sect disciples, only Yu Qing had reached the ultimate stage of Qi Cultivation. But to avoid entering the Xiaomi Immortal Realm, he took risks and entered seclusion prematurely to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. The other dozen or so disciples at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation also tried every means to suppress their cultivation levels, refusing to advance to the ultimate stage at such a critical moment.

For Venerable Mysterious Insight, as a true follower of the Immortal Path, he couldn’t force his disciples to go to their deaths like the demonic sects could. Thus, he racked his brains to find someone suitable for this position but never succeeded.
Therefore, Su Che believed that the bet he offered would surely interest Venerable Mysterious Insight greatly.
So, in reality, is Venerable Mysterious Insight really as easy to deal with as Su Che thought?