Tens of thousands of disciples were bustling, all serving this purpose.

A large number of demon sects from various states of the Da Li Dynasty came uninvited to attend the celebration of Su Jie, the great figure of Qingzhou's Demon Path.

..........

After half a month, the ceremonial handover of the Sect Master at Ghost Ridge Palace officially began.

At the mountain gate of Ghost Ridge Palace, one after another, representatives of demon forces arrived, presented gifts, and entered the ceremony site.

"Ji Minxuan from Golden Brilliance Sect, gifts one tael of Yellow River Longquan Gold and a Divine Sword made from Star Iron, hoping for both sects to cooperate more and create a glorious era of demon path together."

"Xu Wen'an from Sky Wolf Village gifts a mid-grade Snow Demon Wolf cub, wishing Su Sect Master an early ascension to the Purple Mansion Great Power and achievement in the Yang God Dao."

"Fu Renmu from Illusion Tower gifts one Baihua Divine Tree and a pair of Heavenly Thunder, wishing Su Sect Master an eternal life and longevity equal to the heavens."

"Yan Yarou from Desire Sect gifts a bottle of Silver Vine Soul-Gathering Liquid and two Dragon Saliva Jade Flowers. Su Sect Master spreads the renown of our demon path; these little gifts are a token of our respect."

"Shi Zhixing from Blood Demon Cave specially comes to apologize in person, offering this Lianhua Luli Pearl Magical Treasure for Su Sect Master to accept, hoping past misunderstandings will be excused."

The booming voices of those announcing the gifts rose one after another. Su Jie's power extended beyond Ghost Ridge Palace; demon forces from various corners of the Da Li Dynasty came to form alliances, and even noble families were willing to associate with him.

Some who had past grievances with Su Jie, like Blood Demon Cave, proactively lowered their stance to apologize.

Meanwhile, inside the sect's main hall of Ghost Ridge Palace, one divine fire palace lamp after another illuminated the spacious hall, with wisps of incense smoke rising and intertwining with the mellow sound of silk and bamboo.

In the main hall, dancers dressed in splendid attire, with flowing veils, danced gracefully, accompanied by Qingzhou's most famous band playing harmonious music, resonating perfectly with the dancers' light singing and dancing.

As a bell rang, everyone assumed a solemn expression, and the dancers and musicians bowed and withdrew, leaving only the representatives from various sects and high-ranking elders like those in the Secret Storage Realm from Ghost Ridge Palace; ordinary inner disciples were not qualified to enter.

They could only stand outside the main hall, forming a massive formation, waiting for the final ceremony to end.

"Now, as the Sect Master of Ghost Ridge Palace, I formally announce the decision for Saint Heir Su Jie to take over my position as Sect Master. Let all factions bear witness, let the ancestors approve, let almighty heaven observe."

Zhang Junwei wasted no time, stepping forward to Su Jie, holding the token representing the Sect Master's position in one hand and a delicate jade box in the other.

Su Jie stood up, extended his hand to receive them, and loudly declared, "I, Su Jie, pledge to dedicate myself to protecting the peace and order of Ghost Ridge Palace, living and breathing with the sect."

After taking the token representing the Sect Master and hanging it at his waist, Su Jie opened the delicate jade box made of Star Dust Mysterious Jade. Inside lay, sleeping on Ice Silkworm Silk, a poisonous insect the size of a baby's fist, pure white like the purest amber.

This was Ghost Ridge Palace's ancestor, the renowned nine-grade gu worm, the annual ring worm.

The annual ring worm awakened from its sleep, first glancing with its sesame-sized eyes at Zhang Junwei behind it, then turning to look at Su Jie, seeming to realize something.

"Please, Ancestor, form a contract."

Zhang Junwei bit his fingertip, squeezing out a droplet of blood that evaporated, thus dissolving the contract with the annual ring worm.

The annual ring worm was the treasure of Ghost Ridge Palace; every successive Sect Master would contract it. So far, it has seen off countless Sect Masters, making it the true ancestor of Ghost Ridge Palace.

"Yiya!"

The annual ring worm expertly flipped over, stood upright, and hopped into Su Jie's palm, biting his fingertip lightly.

It was so adept at this process that it practically developed immunity; forming a contract was no constraint to the annual ring worm.

The reason the worm liked to do this was simply its fondness for Ghost Ridge Palace, a place where it could enjoy endless supplies of food, drink, attendants, and continuous offerings of spirit stones, treasure medicines, and spiritual materials. For a worm that loved to sleep and enjoy life, there was no better nest than Ghost Ridge Palace.

Su Jie felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth, wanting to tease the worm for its deft actions.

Buzz!

The thousand-hand centipede emerged from Su Jie's sleeve and greeted the annual ring worm.

Yiya! Yiyaya!

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Yiya-yiya!

Buzz-buzz!

The two insects chatted in their language, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. A few exchanges later, the thousand-hand centipede suddenly waved its antennae at Su Jie.

"What, it said I should feed it more spirit stones?"

Su Jie felt another twitch at the corner of his eye; he had just assumed the position of Sect Master, and the annual ring worm was already eager for food.

"This really is an ancestor!"

Su Jie was already feeling the pinch on his wallet. Although he could use the sect's treasury for personal purposes, it was essentially his own now, since Ghost Ridge Palace belonged to him.

Given the annual ring worm's appetite, feeding this nine-grade gu worm wasn't going to be an easy task.

However, with Su Jie's establishment of a contract with the annual ring worm, he officially became the new Sect Master of Ghost Ridge Palace, the leading demon sect in Qingzhou.

Elsewhere, Liu Yingying watched Su Jie with excitement. During her time at Ghost Ridge Palace, she realized what kind of place it was and understood the high status and power held by the position Su Jie had just taken over.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"

Zhang Junwei smiled and greeted Su Jie.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"

The elders of the Secret Storage Realm, led by Tang Peiqing and Taoist Qiu, followed suit, bowing respectfully to Su Jie.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"

Outside the main hall, tens of thousands of Ghost Ridge Palace disciples shouted in unison, their voices thundering like a storm, shaking the mountains and valleys.

The representatives from various sects witnessing the ceremony were filled with emotion, thinking about how formidable Su Jie, as the devilish immortal seed leading Ghost Ridge Palace, might become. Even Guan Chao Pavilion would need to keep a respectful distance.

While these thoughts were swirling in people's minds, a cold voice suddenly resounded from the sky.

"Hmph, Su Jie of Ghost Ridge Palace, come out and meet your end."

This voice carried undisguised wild arrogance and contempt, leaving everyone present utterly shocked. Who would dare cause trouble at Ghost Ridge Palace at such a time, openly challenging Su Jie?

"Could it be that Guan Chao Pavilion couldn't hold back?"

Someone murmured quietly; Su Jie's grand gesture in assuming the Sect Master role was undoubtedly provocative towards Guan Chao Pavilion, the head of Qingzhou's righteous sects; they seemed the most likely to take action.

"Guan Chao Pavilion now has limited power; they probably wouldn't dare to come."

Someone promptly rebutted; in the past, a demon sect like Ghost Ridge Palace being so ostentatious would surely incur Guan Chao Pavilion's wrath, potentially ruining the celebrations.

But the current Guan Chao Pavilion, reportedly ravaged by Su Jie, now only had three Taoist Platform Realm experts and announced a retreat three years ago. Facing Ghost Ridge Palace's boldness, they're likely to avoid stirring up trouble.

"Let's go see together."

More individuals opted to expand their divine senses, searching for the speaker to identify their background.

"Reckless fool."

Su Jie's smile gradually faded, his eyes flashing coldly, his good mood disrupted.

Bang!

A tremendous boom echoed as Ghost Ridge Palace's Mountain Protection Array came under attack, lighting up with layers of colorful lights, shaking violently.

The outsider was not only provoking verbally but also launching an attack, disregarding Ghost Ridge Palace, disregarding Su Jie!

In the heights above the Mountain Protection Array, a defiant-looking man stood in the void.

He stood seven feet tall, dressed in a blue feather robe, with faint red dragon scale patterns on both sides of his neck, exuding a supreme arrogance.

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