The Dead Cannot Speak

"Outrageous!"

Su Jie was agitated. Most of these young children were likely used to cultivate some special Devilish arts.

This was also the common impression of Devilish Cultivators: brutal, bloodthirsty, and slaughtering innocents without cause.

Even though Su Jie himself was a Devilish Cultivator, that didn't mean he could understand such atrocities.

As Su Jie frowned and pondered, Chen Yun, worried about his safety, disregarded the dissuasion and insisted on coming to the battle site to check.

The moment they arrived, Chen Yun and Gu Weinan were shocked by the Strange Ghost's corpse hanging from the tree.

"Brother Su, did you kill this Strange Ghost?"

Gu Weinan was startled at first, then realized the Strange Ghost was already dead.

Immediately after, Gu Weinan swallowed hard, looking at Su Jie with disbelief.

The Strange Ghost had become a corpse, meaning Su Jie had defeated a Strange Ghost single-handedly?

Thinking of this, Gu Weinan's heart pounded wildly.

This was a Strange Ghost!

He had never heard of any outer disciple who could confidently defeat a Strange Ghost in a one-on-one fight, let alone dare to even look directly at one.

Chen Yun was equally shocked by Su Jie's astonishing combat prowess.

If he could kill a Strange Ghost solo, then in terms of raw strength, no other outer disciple was likely his opponent.

"The Strange Ghost was already in a bad state, and by chance, I found an opportunity."

Su Jie glanced at the two of them. Without waiting to see if they believed him, he said, "When we return to the sect later, say that Meng Dongge and the others killed the Strange Ghost. Don't involve me."

Gu Weinan and Chen Yun knew Su Jie was hiding his strength. They nodded and said, "Understood."

As Su Jie was speaking with Gu Weinan and Chen Yun, a bossy voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey, you three, hurry up and load my goods. Don't let the ice melt, or you won't be able to afford the compensation."

Jia Xin returned, accompanied by two martial artist guards. He was clearly still obsessed with his goods, or perhaps he thought that since Su Jie had lured the Strange Ghost away, he could sneak back and take his goods.

Su Jie looked over and saw Jia Xin staring intently at the Strange Ghost's corpse hanging on the tree, his eyes filled with greed.

"Also, this Strange Ghost attacked our caravan earlier. We heavily wounded it and brought it to the brink of death, which gave you the chance to finish it off. Therefore, it's my prey. Hand it over to me to deal with, and it can serve as part of my compensation."

A single Strange Ghost was worth several hundred Blood Marrow Crystals. Jia Xin's heart burned with desire as he shamelessly tried to claim the Strange Ghost's corpse.

If he succeeded, not only would he break even this time, but he could also make a small profit.

If it were an inner disciple, Jia Xin wouldn't dare to have such ideas, but facing an outer disciple, he felt quite confident.

Hearing Jia Xin's preposterous request, Su Jie was amused, though his smile was somewhat cold.

"You want my Strange Ghost?"

Su Jie's gaze was playful. Did this guy really think he couldn't wield his blade after making such a greedy demand?

"What 'your' Strange Ghost? It's mine now. My uncle is the owner of Flowing Cloud Villa. People don't even have a chance to curry favor with me, so don't be ungrateful."

Jia Xin said arrogantly, his words laced with threats.

Relying on his powerful backing from Flowing Cloud Villa, he completely disregarded Su Jie.

"Then I should thank you!"

Su Jie slowly raised his right hand. He was in a foul mood right now, and when he was unhappy, someone had to pay the price.

A large swarm of Yin Fire Blood Bees flew out. Under Jia Xin's stunned gaze, streams of fire targeted the horse-drawn carriages, burning the ice and the young corpses within to ashes, obliterating this sin.

"Brother Su, don't be impulsive."

Gu Weinan's eyelids twitched slightly, sensing that trouble was brewing.

He didn't react much to the corpses of the young children; having spent so many years in Ghost Ridge Palace, he had seen his fair share of brutal scenes.

Gu Weinan was merely worried that Su Jie's actions might bring disaster.

After all, Jia Xin's background was indeed significant. Compared to an outer disciple, the higher-ups of Ghost Ridge Palace would surely value Flowing Cloud Villa, which continuously supplied them with people.

"Impulsive? No, no, no. Don't you think these goods are an eyesore, Brother Gu? Wouldn't it be nice to burn them clean with a fire?"

Su Jie's gaze was sharp as a knife, making Gu Weinan inexplicably tremble and dare not speak further.

At this moment, Jia Xin finally reacted, seeing his merchant carriages and goods engulfed in flames.

The young corpses he had painstakingly collected turned into charcoal in the firelight. The scene before him made his heart bleed, and he was furious.

"You're crazy, you're insane! How dare you burn my goods? Do you know how much they're worth? It's more money than you, an outer disciple, will earn in your lifetime! I'm definitely reporting you to the Command Hall, and you'll be my slave for life to compensate for the losses."

Seeing his precious goods burned, Jia Xin wished he could devour Su Jie alive.

"I'm afraid you won't have that chance."

Su Jie's eyes were cold, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"What did you say?"

Jia Xin hadn't yet understood Su Jie's meaning when he suddenly saw a gold and silver line slash through the air.

Thud!

The two guards standing beside Jia Xin had their heads roll off their necks, their blood splattering all over Jia Xin.

These guards were martial artists who knew some basic skills. They could shatter bluestone slabs with their fists and leap several meters high onto houses. To ordinary people, they were considered masters, but before Devilish Cultivators like Su Jie, they were merely stronger mortals.

"How dare you, how dare you do this? Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the Command Hall? My uncle is the Master of Flowing Cloud Villa."

Jia Xin, who had been furious moments before, was suddenly doused with cold water by the sudden murder. He trembled all over and unconsciously took a step back.

"If you had a pass token, I would've shown you some respect. Now, look at this."

Su Jie sneered and tossed a black token in his left hand.

This was the pass certificate specifically issued by the Command Hall to Black Market merchants.

It was because Ghost Ridge Palace knew the nature of their own disciples.

Without some measures in place, these merchants would likely be robbed clean before they even reached the Black Market.

Once this pass token was activated, as long as they were near the mountains of Ghost Ridge Palace, it could transmit the surrounding images back to the Command Hall via divine sense.

If disciples attacked and plundered a merchant caravan, the Command Hall, in order to maintain its reputation, would severely punish any disciples caught committing such crimes.

Su Jie had picked up this token from the ground, and with it, Jia Xin's greatest threat was gone.

"I know Elder Situ of your Ghost Ridge Palace. My uncle is the Master of Flowing Cloud Villa. If you dare to touch me..."

A look of intense fear appeared on Jia Xin's face.

This Devilish Cultivator before him was simply lawless. He had no means to restrain him.

"I dare to kill Strange Ghosts, why wouldn't I dare to kill a mere merchant like you? The dead don't speak."

Su Jie pointed at the corpse of the Strange Ghost beside them, his eyes full of recklessness.

Jia Xin's face turned ashen, and he angrily shouted, "You two, did you hear what he said? He's violating the preferential treatment order for merchants set by your Ghost Ridge Palace. Hurry up and arrest him, or I'll report you both too."

In his desperation, Jia Xin tried to get Gu Weinan and Chen Yun to side with him.

"Brother Su, if the Command Hall finds out about this, we..."

Gu Weinan hesitated. The older one gets, the more timid one becomes. If this matter were discovered, it would be a huge problem.

"You're right, which is why we must face this together."

Su Jie picked up a long saber from the ground and, without another word, plunged it into Jia Xin's side.

Then, amidst Jia Xin's screams, Su Jie smilingly handed the saber to Gu Weinan and said, "Brother Gu, it's your turn."

Gu Weinan shuddered. Looking at Su Jie's smiling face, he knew this was a blood oath.

If they committed this crime together, no one would dare to report it.

Chen Yun silently blocked behind Gu Weinan, and a Nether Sound Bat poked its head out from her embrace, staring at Gu Weinan with a very dangerous gaze.

Gu Weinan then realized he was trapped. Su Jie, who could kill Strange Ghosts, was someone he couldn't possibly contend with.

Now, his only option was to go all the way with Su Jie. Otherwise, he had no doubt that Su Jie would ensure he, as a witness, wouldn't see the next sunrise.

"Don't blame me."

Biting his lip fiercely, Gu Weinan took a deep breath, took the saber, and stabbed it into Jia Xin's stomach, even giving it a vicious twist.

Without needing Su Jie's instruction, Chen Yun took the saber and, with a swish, severed all of Jia Xin's limbs, turning him into a human cripple.

"Alas, people! They fear greed the most, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Not everyone will fear your background."

Su Jie squatted in front of Jia Xin, patted his plump face, and then brought down his saber, separating the head from the body, ending his life completely.

He searched the body and found Jia Xin to be quite wealthy.

Su Jie found over two hundred Blood Marrow Crystals. He was practically a fat sheep, and slaughtering him was effortless. It was no wonder Ghost Ridge Palace had to set rules; otherwise, these merchants wouldn't be enough for the disciples to slaughter.

After cleaning up the evidence, the three continued along the path through the mountains.

The rest of the journey back was without any further incidents. By the afternoon, they saw the mountain gate of Ghost Ridge Palace.

The sect's atmosphere was even more somber than when Su Jie had left, and there were fewer people.

Clearly, the recent pressure from the Strange Ghosts had been immense, and manpower had been diverted to guard duties.