The situation was already very clear.
It must have been this merchant caravan that encountered an Alien Ghost while on the move.
Although Ghost Ridge Palace had arranged for disciples to be stationed around the trade routes, most Alien Ghosts would be intercepted by the disciples.
But there were always some Alien Ghosts that would breach the defenses and wander into the trade route, attacking the caravans.
This caravan was just such an unlucky one.
At that moment, the Alien Ghost that had killed dozens of people was in hot pursuit, and the three fleeing individuals were a portly merchant and two martial master guards.
Using the vision of the Reconnaissance Dragonfly, Su Jie noticed the portly merchant pulling out a deep blue talisman from his chest, wincing with pain as he threw it at the Alien Ghost.
Boom!
The talisman ignited in mid-air and transformed into an Octagonal Spirit Pillar Cage, trapping the Alien Ghost inside.
A talisman capable of trapping an Alien Ghost must be at least of Lower Grade Intermediate level, costing dozens of Blood Marrow Crystals.
Seeing the Alien Ghost temporarily trapped, the portly merchant continued to flee with the help of the two martial master guards, stumbling toward Su Jie's direction.
The distance was too short in a straight line, and soon they ran into each other.
On seeing Su Jie and his companions, the merchant shouted loudly, "Thank goodness, the people from Ghost Ridge Palace over there, I have an Alien Ghost behind me, please help me stop it."
The merchant's shoes had fallen off during his run, and his chubby face was scratched and bloody from branches and bushes.
Upon seeing Su Jie, he didn't think twice before asking for Su Jie's help to fend off the Alien Ghost.
"What are you waiting for? We came all this way through countless hardships to support your business, do you dare not to help us in peril? Believe it or not, I can report you to the Command Hall, and the consequences will be beyond what you can bear."
The merchant pointed at Su Jie, his attitude was very aggressive.
Being black market traders, they supported the resources for Ghost Ridge Palace, so even a Demon Cultivation Sect like Ghost Ridge Palace wouldn't harm the merchants but instead would try to woo and protect them.
While speaking, the merchant fumbled over his body, intending to pull out a Pass Token issued by the Command Hall.
However, he found nothing, the token was lost amidst the chaos.
"Fatso, you are really clamorous!"
Su Jie frowned and his piercing eyes filled with a cold light made the merchant shiver.
Enraged and embarrassed, the merchant bellowed, "Do you know who I am? My uncle is Jia Geng, the manor master of Liuyun Manor and one of the five special authorized merchants of Ghost Ridge Palace! Do you believe I can make the Elder flay your skin?"
"Brother Su, this fat man indeed comes from a formidable background, a merchant from Liuyun Manor, let's not provoke trouble."
Gu Weonian seemed to recognize the man and cautioned Su Jie not to anger him.
The so-called five special authorized merchants was a collaboration mechanism established by Ghost Ridge Palace with five major families.
Ghost Ridge Palace would open up resources to them, and the five merchants must fulfill Ghost Ridge Palace's special resource demands.
And what special resources meant, of course, was people.
Demon cultivation couldn't do without it.
It could be said, these five authorized merchants were notoriously large slave masters, and practically all the human trafficking in the black market was monopolized by these five families.
Because they could provide the scarce human resources that Ghost Ridge Palace needed, the five merchants held a high position within the Sect, no wonder he was so arrogant.
"Now that you know the consequences of offending me, be sensible and help me stop the Alien Ghost. There'll be plenty of Blood Marrow Crystals as a reward afterward, or else I'll make sure you can't afford the consequences."
Jia Xin looked triumphantly at Su Jie, about to continue his rant when he suddenly heard the roar of the Alien Ghost behind him.
Following that, the terrifying hunched figure of the Alien Ghost appeared in their sight, having already broken free from the talisman's restraint.
"This is bad, Brother Su, we need to get out of here."
Gu Weonian involuntarily took a step back, his heart trembling, not everyone had the courage to face an Alien Ghost head-on.
Not to mention he was injured, and Chen Yun was seriously hurt as well.
Even if their team was at full strength, facing such an Alien Ghost, their chances of winning were less than thirty percent.
Chen Yun took a deep breath, a determined look in her eyes as if making a decision, she stepped in front of Su Jie and said, "Mr. Su, you go first, I'll hold off the Alien Ghost."
This act alone made it clear that Chen Yun was prepared to die, willing to buy Su Jie time by holding off the Alien Ghost.
Su Jie paid no attention to Jia Xin's shouting on the side, just assessing the gap between himself and the Alien Ghost, then he patted Chen Yun's shoulder in front of him.
"There's no need, I'll handle this Alien Ghost myself. You won't be able to hold it back."
Su Jie locked eyes with the Alien Ghost, inwardly concerned about not being able to test the fight capabilities of the Second Spiritual Refining of the Thousand-Handed Centipede, now seeming like a perfect opportunity.
Whirring!
A swarm of Yin Fire Blood Bees flew out, their tails lifted, streaks of fire rained down.
The Alien Ghost, incredibly agile, dodged most of the fire streaks with several swift movements. The occasional streak that landed only scorched a layer of its pale skin, hardly impacting its mobility.
Several Silver Winged Golden Line Cicadas also returned unsuccessfully, unable to breach the Alien Ghost's defenses.
"Quite formidable."
Su Jie took a step forward and suddenly dashed into the nearby forest.
Alien Ghost was drawn by the offensive, and instantaneously, its attention shifted to Su Jie as it roared furiously in pursuit.
Perhaps, in the Alien Ghost's perspective, others were merely prey to be toyed with, but Su Jie not only didn't flee but also dared to counterattack, so he had to be dealt with first.
Su Jie's speed was no match for the Alien Ghost, and it wasn't long before he was caught up.
As the heavy footsteps and panting sounds neared him, Su Jie also summoned his trump card.
The Thousand-Handed Centipede climbed out from his sleeve, its body rapidly expanding and enlarging, transforming in the blink of an eye into a monstrous creature six meters long—double the length of the Alien Ghost. Its terrifying, upright form forced the swiftly pouncing Alien Ghost to screech to a halt, carving two long trenches into the ground.
Roar!
The Alien Ghost let out a menacing roar, its sharp fangs still strung with flesh, overwhelmingly bloody.
Hiss!
The Thousand-Handed Centipede responded with a screech, a strong fishy wind sweeping forth, making the Alien Ghost's facial skin tremble like the surface of water, instantly deciding the outcome in terms of momentum.
"Kill it, Xiao Qian."
Su Jie rubbed the monstrous body of the Thousand-Handed Centipede while issuing the attack command.
The next moment, the Thousand-Handed Centipede did not hesitate to carry out Su Jie's order.
Its enormous body crushed a large swath of bushes, sweeping through like a black wind.
With no fanfare, the Alien Ghost, unwilling to show weakness, lunged forward, using both claws and teeth.
The ability to easily slice through steel with its sharp claws and teeth, coupled with its formidable physique, was the capital that the Alien Ghost relied on to dominate.
Ordinary Outer Disciples couldn't kill an Alien Ghost with a single strike; they could only use poisonous insects to continuously inject poison and wear it down.
This was also the reason why an Outer Disciple encountering an Alien Ghost alone almost certainly meant death.
Unfortunately, today the Alien Ghost met an existence with a corporeal body even stronger than its own.
In a melee battle of similar sizes, insects' perception, agility, and capturing abilities often surpass those of wild beasts, let alone the fact that the Thousand-Handed Centipede was much larger than the Alien Ghost.
Mere contact was like being hit by a speeding train, with the Thousand-Handed Centipede blowing the Alien Ghost away.
Then, the Thousand-Handed Centipede held the Alien Ghost tightly between its mandibles, smashing its way through several towering trees along its path.
Roar, roar!
The Alien Ghost struggled furiously; rocks and ancient trees touched by its claws, as soft as tofu, were easily torn apart.
But when the target was switched to the Thousand-Handed Centipede, it was a different story altogether.
The seemingly sharp claws of the Alien Ghost struck the chitin shell of the Thousand-Handed Centipede, merely etching deep grooves and scratches.
Occasionally, some vulnerable joints where the chitin connected were injured, splattering green insect blood, but these injuries quickly healed.
Even the wounded parts split directly, turning into smaller centipedes that fell and burrowed into the Alien Ghost's flesh.
Hiss, hiss.
The Thousand-Handed Centipede, more excited in battle, was like having obtained a large toy, stretching numerous pale corpse hands to wrap the Alien Ghost around an ancient tree trunk, twisting both the ghost and the tree together until they snapped.
In an instant, the two massive figures were buried by the fallen branches.
Seconds later, only the Thousand-Handed Centipede could be seen standing upright; the Alien Ghost on the ground had all its bones broken, and its colorful organs squeezed out of its belly, laying silent.
Hiss, hiss!
Holding the corpse of the Alien Ghost aloft, the Thousand-Handed Centipede continued to shake its head vigorously, seemingly not yet having its fill of fun.
"That's settled then."
Watching this scene, even Su Jie was somewhat astonished.
Although Su Jie knew the Thousand-Handed Centipede enhanced a lot having evolved to Low Grade Second Refinement, the current situation still far exceeded his expectations.
Such a formidable Alien Ghost, capable of wiping out a three-person squad, was dealt with by the Thousand-Handed Centipede in less than two minutes.
Having had its fill of fun, the Thousand-Handed Centipede placed the battered corpse of the Alien Ghost in front of Su Jie.
"So this is the power of a Low Grade Second Refinement poisonous insect, indeed, my path is the correct one."
Su Jie looked at the Alien Ghost's corpse brought by the Thousand-Handed Centipede, a smile appearing on his face as this was a valuable addition of several hundred Blood Marrow Crystals to his account.
After hanging the corpse of the Alien Ghost on a tree, Su Jie didn't rush to return, especially since he was near the site where the merchant convoy had been attacked by the Alien Ghost.
Adhering to the principle of taking advantage of any opportunity, Su Jie, ignoring the bloodshed, sifted through each corpse on the ground.
Some of these bodies held pieces of Blood Marrow Crystals, one or two per body, which Su Jie also didn't mind taking, gathering them all into his pockets.
After a thorough search, Su Jie managed to collect twenty-three Blood Marrow Crystals in total.
Finally, Su Jie turned his gaze to several overturned carts, those the merchants had intended to transport to Ghost Ridge Palace's Black Market.
A chill seeped out from the carts; pulling back the canvas, Su Jie gasped at the shocking scene it revealed.
The carts held cubical blocks of ice, each enclosing the frozen corpse of a child.
The eldest corpse was no more than five or six years old, the youngest perhaps not even a year old. The deceased were clearly strangled to death, evidenced by the purple strangulation marks around their necks.
He turned over a few more carts, and all were the same.