A few Elders trembled as they walked out, falling to their knees with a thud, their backs already drenched in cold sweat. Others may not understand the terror of Su Jie, but these Ghost Ridge Palace Elders surely do. Being singled out by Su Jie is akin to receiving a death warrant from the King of Hell; who wouldn’t be afraid! "All of you remain silent, behaving differently when I announce the decree. You certainly didn’t act this way before. Take Elder Yin, for example. Twelve days ago, you slaughtered nine villages and fed the villagers, regardless of age or gender, to the insects. Eight days ago, you let the Insect Cloud ravage Fengkou City, leaving after killing ten thousand people. Six days ago, you conducted a Blood Sacrifice at the Lian Port Wharf, blocking rivers with corpses and turning the water murky red." Su Jie meticulously listed the countless blood crimes that Elder Yin Changtian committed in recent days. These few Elders have been rampaging across Qingzhou, causing chaos where order had once settled. Su Jie understands their thoughts: the Ghost Ridge Palace becoming Qingzhou’s strongest force means their previously restrained desire to kill can be indulged without restriction, overflowing with slaughter, cultivating with Demon Techniques, feeding humans to insects, accelerating cultivation speed. "Sect Master, those were just ordinary people. To cultivate the Human Worm Refining Technique, it inherently requires killing people and feeding insects. I merely killed a bit more. Those common folk are as numerous as weeds; what’s the harm in killing some?" Under Su Jie’s scrutiny, Yin Changtian’s heart beat like a drum, causing him a headache as he tried to justify himself. These words caused slight nods among many present. The Human Worm Refining Technique is one of Ghost Ridge Palace’s three major techniques, comparable to the Insect Control Technique and the Body Worm Focusing Method, known as the Three Gu Master Classics. Many disciples and Elders at Ghost Ridge Palace practice this cultivation technique. Those who practice the Human Worm Refining Technique need to feed insects with humans, merging one’s body with the insect, transforming them into a Human Worm body, which is extremely ferocious and brutal. In the past, Ghost Ridge Palace bought human slaves in large quantities, mostly to satisfy the demands of those cultivating the Human Worm Refining Technique. "What a wasteful approach, hmph, relying on killing to cultivate, it’s a crooked path, and you still don’t see the error. You require capital punishment prisoners transported monthly across Qingzhou to meet the minimum needs of your Demon Technique, yet you’re still not satisfied, your greed is limitless." Su Jie snorted coldly—reaching today’s level wasn’t achieved through killing for cultivation. Humans, to Su Jie, are the most precious resource, similar to Blue Star: nurturing insects and Gu, providing fear emotions, raising livestock to harvest souls, providing blood, and so on. The wealth extracted from living humans far exceeds the cold corpses left after killing, it’s the difference between stones and gold. The simplistic and brutal killing for cultivation is completely beneath Su Jie, and he refuses to let anyone squander his wealth this way. Yin Changtian doesn’t feel he is wrong at all, insisting it’s Su Jie who is being unreasonable. If Demon Cultivators don’t kill, can they still be called Demon Cultivators? But Yin Changtian dared not speak back, only his head bowing to the ground: "Sect Master, I know my mistakes now, and I won’t act recklessly in the future." Inside, Yin Changtian secretly resolved to be more discreet in his future massacres, avoiding blatant actions like before. Having tasted the sweetness of rapidly improving his Human Worm Refining Technique through killing, he is reluctant to give it up. "It’s good to know your mistakes, now it’s time to go." Su Jie patted the thousand-hand centipede’s head, the centipede opening its bloody maw with their shared intentions, releasing beams of purple light. Yin Changtian could not react in time, enveloped by the purple light, melting like a candle, unable to scream, with no next time, dying miserably on the spot. This cruel scene shocked everyone present. Not just ordinary disciples, even the Elders flinched, their faces twitching in fear. Though Su Jie had slain countless outsiders before, he had never been so ruthless internally—claiming the life of a Secret Realm Elder in mere seconds. However, witnessing Su Jie’s cold gaze, even Elders who were friendly with Yin Changtian dared not step forward to speak for them, fearing involvement in their downfall. When Su Jie’s gaze fell upon the other three kneeling Elders, they abruptly woke up, their expressions changing drastically, realizing Su Jie intended to eradicate them. "Sect Master, the Sect Master has gone mad, quickly stop him!" "We’ve only killed some common folk and consumed some blood food, and you’re defending those people. Are you our Sect Master or theirs?" "I’ve bled for the sect, I’ve achieved merits for the sect, you can’t kill me, I want to see Sect Master Zhang, I want to see Sect Master Zhang, save me, Sect Master Zhang!" "Young brat, you should never have become Sect Master, you betrayed our Ghost Ridge Palace, you betrayed our Demon Cultivators." The kneeling Elders varied; some raving madly, others pleading for mercy, and some cursing. Su Jie held no expression, calmly waving his hand: "Defaming the Sect Master, what crime is that!" Chen Yun glanced at the Elders, displaying a steadfast look, addressing Su Jie: "Reporting to the Sect Master, according to Ghost Ridge Palace’s Law Enforcement Hall’s criminal codes, showing disrespect to, defaming, or defying the Sect Master’s orders, warrants skinning, tendon extraction, soul extraction and lantern-burning, subjected to the punishment of ten thousand insect bites." "What are you waiting for then, execute." Su Jie declared death sentences for several Elders. Without killing to make an example, the Demon Cultivators wouldn’t be afraid. Instead, they might consider their status as privileged, and such incidents would inevitably recur. Additionally, Su Jie needed to show everyone at Ghost Ridge Palace that defying his order would have dire consequences, proving his resolve to cleanse internally with the same ruthlessness as he did against Righteous Cultivators. Upon hearing Su Jie’s merciless words, some Elders felt despair, collapsing on the ground, while others attempted to escape, seeking even the slightest chance of survival, despite dim prospects. There was no need for Su Jie to act, a black light flashed in the void. Taoist Qiu emerged, stepping forcefully on an escaping Elder’s chest, crushing their ribcage to the ground, forming a deep pit. Tang Peiqing opened his left palm, gently blowing out invisible poisonous insects that flew into one fleeing Elder’s body, causing excruciating screams and convulsions, falling from the sky. Zhang Junwei, the former Sect Master, also appeared in the air, gazing complexly at the last fleeing Elder, his sleeve waving, the Heavenly Might descended, conjuring countless dragon-shaped vines, wrapping the Elder like a cocoon, immobilizing them. Moreover, dozens of Elders simultaneously joined in, directly suppressing the other two escaping Elders. The Martial Arts Arena fell into a frightful silence, with all the disciples silently witnessing the internal purge, eventually bowing down in unison. "Su Sect Master, Divine Might!" ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by NovєlFіre.net The voice resounded like thunder, shaking the heavens. Su Jie’s prestige and power are undeniable, with his accomplishments in destroying Guan Chao Pavilion, these few Elders can’t shake Su Jie’s position. In Demon Path, strength reigns. As long as Su Jie remains in the Purple Mansion, he can secure his position as Ghost Ridge Palace Sect Master, a fact no one can change. Amidst the shouts of thousands of disciples, the backdrop comprises several Elders reduced to prisoners. They were akin to having their spines removed, slumped on the ground, their eyes filled with despair and regret. Had they known Su Jie was so ruthless internally, they wouldn’t have violated his orders, rampaging through Qingzhou’s common folk. But there’s no regret medicine; Chen Yun had already brought Law Enforcement Hall disciples, escorting these Elders, bringing various restraints. After enduring extreme punishment, their ultimate fate awaited as soul extraction, their souls bound in the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Having gone through this experience, Su Jie reaffirmed his authority in Ghost Ridge Palace. He also dismantled some constraints left by Zhang Junwei, even with the former Sect Master issuing personal appearances, handling rebellious Elders, Su Jie’s authority is evident. The established authority is subsequently spread over time. Seeing how ruthlessly Su Jie tackled his own sect, other Righteous sects dared not defy Su Jie’s orders, obediently following his arrangements. All of Qingzhou subsequently regained order, transitioning rapidly into the development express lane, heading towards the capitalized model that Su Jie anticipated.