He indeed never entertained the notion that he could breach the Ghost Ridge Palace alone.

If it were that easy, Guan Chao Pavilion wouldn't have been at a loss back then; he's here merely to warn Su Jie and show him some force.

He had just assumed office in Qingzhou for less than ten days, and the biggest scourge in Qingzhou was the Ghost Ridge Palace. Taking advantage of the time when the sect master position was changing, he intended to give them a good shake, making it easier to proceed with his work later.

Yet, Meng Hui, freshly appointed, had an overly simplistic understanding of Ghost Ridge Palace and Su Jie. Had he understood Su Jie's temperament more clearly, he would have never rushed eagerly to confront him.

Just like now, Meng Hui wanted to leave, but someone disagreed.

"You want to leave after causing a ruckus in my presence? What do you take Ghost Ridge Palace for?"

Su Jie gazed at Meng Hui, and from within his robe sleeves, the thousand-hand centipede emerged, its size swiftly expanding from the length of a chopstick to a colossal beast of several hundred meters, ready to devour Meng Hui with its bloodthirsty jaws.

"Audacious! How dare you attack me!"

Flustered and furious, Meng Hui never expected Su Jie to resort to lethal force, especially since he was part of the Heavenly Patrol Department.

However, the thousand-hand centipede paid no heed to what warnings Meng Hui was issuing. Accompanied by a foul wind, its numerous teeth glistened ominously, poised to swallow Meng Hui whole.

The immense sense of danger caused Meng Hui's hair to stand on end; he hurriedly retreated, and in his hand appeared a top-grade magical treasure—the Dragon Bone Flame Spear, which transformed into a large lava Jiao Long, attempting to entangle the thousand-hand centipede's body.

Yet, the thousand-hand centipede's strength was beyond imagination; merely a top-grade magical treasure could hardly withstand its chaos-daunting body. With one swing of its over five-hundred-meter-long form, it ripped the lava Jiao Long apart, charging at Meng Hui.

"Heavenly Might!"

Meng Hui's expression drastically changed as he invoked the Heavenly Constitution, commanding the Heavenly Might.

Boom!

In the sky, a golden sea of flames roiled over, transforming into a towering flame giant, who roared to the heavens, its arms like heavenly pillars, firmly grasping the thousand-hand centipede.

Sizzle!

The thousand-hand centipede coiled its body, with countless pale corpse hands instead clutching the flame giant, wrapping it into a corpse sphere, annihilated by even hotter flames with bursts of Purple Light Ray, vanishing into the earth.

The next second, the thousand-hand centipede flapped its six pairs of devil wings like sails, rapidly catching up to the fleeing Meng Hui.

"How can this devil be so strong?"

Meng Hui, with disbelief written all over his face, found his Dao Platform Realm Fourth Level cultivation utterly powerless before the thousand-hand centipede; this was merely a poisonous insect of Su Jie, who hadn't even started his attack.

Though the thousand-hand centipede was enormous, its agility and speed were not sluggish; even in terms of speed, Meng Hui could not outpace the thousand-hand centipede.

Over a kilometer apart, the thousand-hand centipede suddenly opened its mouth, spewing outward.

A mass of black mist erupted, instantly covering a vast region ahead.

This fog carried a curse effect; anything it touched aged, decayed, and dissipated faster.

Below, the earth and forest merely exposed to a sliver of it saw trees corrode and break quickly, rocks turned to gravel, blown as dust by the wind as if weathered for thousands of years.

Animals living there found their flesh and blood withering like melting snow in spring, ultimately disappearing with the wind.

Looking from afar, the land turned gray and white, like an area devoid of life, without a trace of vitality.

This was a power the thousand-hand centipede mastered during its fifth Spirit Refining, the Death Decline Curse Cloud; as it ascended to top-grade Eight Refinement Gu worm, this curse ability became ever stronger.

Meng Hui, hit by the black mist of the Death Decline Curse Cloud, found the curse spreading throughout his body, his skin and flesh turning slack, his spiritual power within rapidly decaying and receiving irreparable damage, his speed visibly slowing.

Then, while Meng Hui desperately resisted the curse, the thousand-hand centipede quietly arrived, its sinister mouthparts opening, ready to swallow Meng Hui alive.

Gazing at the gaping dark maw of the thousand-hand centipede, Meng Hui felt his limbs freeze, fear of death causing him to shout, "Master Lai, save me!"

Whoosh!

Across the void, a sword mark sliced through, cleaving the earth as if the sky itself was cleaved in two, with a kilometer-long gorge and deep ravine appearing below in the forest and river.

The huge head of the thousand-hand centipede was struck askew by the sword mark, leaving a slightly concave sword wound on the otherwise indestructible insect armor—a practically negligible injury to the thousand-hand centipede.

And before Meng Hui, a figure donned in white stood firm, wielding a Low Grade Spirit Treasure Sky Eagle Sword, with sword Qi swirling like a dragon, unfurling unpredictably.

"What? It's actually him?"

Upon seeing Meng Hui's rescuer, many immediately recognized the person's prior identity.

It turned out to be the sect master Li Yuze of the Ten Thousand Sword Alliance, with his Daoist Platform Realm Seventh Stage cultivation. Yet, today the Ten Thousand Sword Alliance had long been exterminated by the Fire Cloud Palace, leaving Li Yuze alone for a long time.

Su Jie stared at Li Yuze, the sect master of the once second-largest sect in Qing Province, not unfamiliar with him since Su Jie played a role in the Ten-Thousand Sword Alliance's downfall.

"So it's you, Master Li. It seems you've joined the Da Li Dynasty Heavenly Patrol Department, and I guess I know who's pulling the strings behind the scenes."

With a smile on his face, Su Jie gazed from afar at Li Yuze at the edge of the sky.

"Sect Master Su, putting aside our past grievances, be benevolent when possible. Do you wish to make a mortal enemy of the Heavenly Patrol Department?"

Li Yuze kept a stern face; his sect was decimated due to Su Jie's alliance with Fire Cloud Palace, leading him to join Da Li Dynasty's Heavenly Patrol Department with no hope of rebuilding his sect.

His hatred for Su Jie wouldn't lightly fade, yet knowing the trouble Su Jie could bring, he felt little assurance in victory.

Three years ago, Su Jie alone, with a single poisonous insect and ghost, brought forth rivers of blood. He wasn't like Meng Hui, newly appointed, half-heartedly aware of the terror Su Jie could invoke.

Three years later, no one knew what level of strength Su Jie possessed. Normally, for others, strength might barely improve in three years.

But Su Jie's rise spanned only about a decade—turning from a mere Yunling Realm disciple to a Qingzhou-dominating Demon Path juggernaut; three years might have sufficed for Su Jie's strength to double.

Therefore, now Li Yuze intended only to secure Meng Hui, dealing with Su Jie was beyond his scope.

"What about the Heavenly Patrol Department? A barely surviving entity cloaked in tiger skin wishing to cower behind its might, I've even fought against the Da Li Dynasty prince, would I fear killing off you royal lapdogs?"

With a firm step, Su Jie appeared before Li Yuze and Meng Hui.

This speed surpassed anything Li Yuze anticipated; then Su Jie raised a hand, swinging a palm.

Though seemingly gentle and light, the strike stirred heaven and earth, as immense spiritual power surged like a vast ocean, akin to the Heavenly River reversing.

Li Yuze, holding the Low Grade Spirit Treasure Sky Eagle Sword, slashed a glorious sword Qi, seemingly set on cleaving the Sky Dome.

Yet, upon clashing with Su Jie's palm force, the sound of metal clashing arose; the sword Qi shattered, as Su Jie's spiritual power-driven palm decisively smashed the sword Qi.

"What?"

Li Yuze found it hard to believe, feeling utterly shocked by the unfathomable depth of Su Jie's spiritual power.

Three years ago, when he last met Su Jie, the latter was at Taoist Platform Realm Second Level. Su Jie was daunting then, yet he didn't possess this tyrannical might, often depending on the undying characteristic of the Blood Sea Devouring Sky Demon Skill to prove troublesome.

But now, Su Jie's spiritual power, though Li Yuze couldn't perceive its entirety, revealed a vast superiority in both quantity and quality compared to his own.

He stood as a great expert at the peak of Daoist Platform Realm Seventh Stage; this meant Su Jie possessed strength in the Daoist Platform Seventh Stage.

Three years from Daoist Platform Realm Second Level to Seventh Stage—had he not seen it, Li Yuze would have never imagined it.

Su Jie ignored whatever Li Yuze was contemplating, having shattered the sword Qi with a palm; he then appeared before Meng Hui, his large hand aiming toward Meng Hui's top of the skull.

"No, Guan Chao Pavilion sent me, don't kill..."

Meng Hui's pupils dilated, attempting to plead but it was too late.

Su Jie's palm descended, smashing his head like a rotten watermelon, with his Primordial Spirit attempting to escape only to be seized by Su Jie's palm.

Until his death, Meng Hui remained unyieldingly perplexed; Su Jie, this devil, indeed dared disregard his status and kill him, a commander of the Heavenly Patrol Department.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.