Chapter 616: Chapter 380: The Ancestor

Zhang Junwei, seeing Su Jie’s determined intention to leave, asked, “Are you planning to go to the Heavenly Soul Sect?”

Seeing the Ghost Bride behind Su Jie, Zhang Junwei had already guessed the situation.

When it comes to cultivating Fierce Ghosts, it has to be the Heavenly Soul Sect. Ghost Ridge Palace specializes in insect cultivation; no one here deals with ghosts.

“Yes, Sect Master, I plan to make a trip to the Heavenly Soul Sect,” Su Jie replied with a slight nod. To acquire more Fierce Ghosts, the Heavenly Soul Sect was Su Jie’s first choice.

Otherwise, relying on himself to search for and capture wild Fierce Ghosts in the wilderness would consume an enormous amount of time, and for the demands of the newly constructed Nightmare Park, the number of Fierce Ghosts Su Jie needed was extraordinarily high.

“I will write you a letter of introduction, but once you arrive at the Heavenly Soul Sect, you must be cautious of them,” Zhang Junwei said. During the great sect wars, Ghost Ridge Palace and the Heavenly Soul Sect had cooperated and were allies.

However, for the Demon Sect, allies meant nothing and could betray at any moment.

“I understand. If the Heavenly Soul Sect has any ulterior motives, I’ll make sure they know Ghost Ridge Palace is not to be trifled with,” Su Jie confidently replied, smiling. With the God Unification Level Primordial Spirit, a million-level Soul Summoning Banner, a Seventh Grade Marrying Ghost, a Six Refinement Poisonous Insect, and a Ninth Grade Sacred Lotus all at his disposal, Su Jie already possessed tremendous power within the Secret Realm; claiming to be invincible at his level was no exaggeration, and even if he encountered someone from the Taoist Platform Realm, he could either fight or escape.

“Moreover, you contributed greatly during the last great sect war, decimating Righteous sect Immortal Seeds and cleverly designing the Hundred Rivers Covering Sea Array to trap those hypocritical righteous men. As previously mentioned, besides the Flying Magic Boat, the sect had promised you additional rewards, which have been prepared over the last six months.”

Zhang Junwei took out a small, exquisitely crafted jade box, made from Star Dust Mysterious Jade.

The Star Dust Mysterious Jade, a top-grade spiritual material from the voids beyond the skies, is capable of absorbing the dispersed star energy of the void, and a bit of it added to a Magic Artifact can endow the artifact with terrifying might akin to falling starlight.

Of course, such a material would not usually be used in Magic Artifacts but rather as the main material for forging Spiritual Treasures.

Indeed, Spiritual Treasures are weapons with even more astonishing power than Magic Artifacts and Magical Treasures.

Su Jie’s eyes twitched at the sight of the palm-sized piece of Star Dust Mysterious Jade, which had a starting price of ten million Spirit Stones.

“Elder, wake up,” Zhang Junwei said very gently as he placed the jade box on the table with a soft call.

Through the semi-transparent jade box, a small shadow could be vaguely seen slumbering inside. Upon hearing the call, it seemed to turn over, then continued to snore deeply.

“Sect Master, what is this?” Su Jie asked, curious. Knowing that such an expensive piece of Star Dust Mysterious Jade was used as a bed, one could imagine how extraordinary the slumbering creature inside must be.

“This is a Sect Treasure of our sect, a Top Grade Nine Refinements Poisonous Insect, the annual ring worm! It’s over a thousand years old; its exact age is unknown, but it has witnessed the rises and falls of Ghost Ridge Palace,” Zhang Junwei explained. Speaking strictly, this annual ring worm, in terms of seniority, was the oldest in Ghost Ridge Palace–Zhang Junwei was still wearing open-crotch pants when the worm was already revered as an ancestral insect of the sect.

“An annual ring worm with a lifespan over a thousand years?” Su Jie’s eyes widened. Coming from a background of capturing insects, he was very familiar with the types of poisonous insects in Insect Valley, and there was an introduction about this type of annual ring worm.

The most notable feature of the annual ring worm was its long lifespan; the older the worm, the more fearsome its combat power became.

However, the initial combat power of an annual ring worm was very poor, and few disciples chose to contract with it, plus the worm liked to consume various rare spiritual materials. The older it got, the bigger its appetite became, and their numbers were not high in Insect Valley, so few could afford to nurture one.

To truly nurture an annual ring worm to possess the power to venture out would require it to be at least a hundred years old.

Such an age was beyond the lifespan of most disciples of Ghost Ridge Palace, who often turned to dust long before the annual ring worm reached combat readiness.

An annual ring worm with a lifespan over a thousand years could only be imagined for its combat strength, probably even making those from the Taoist Platform Realm tremble and turn tail at the sight of it.

“Its Elder prefers a quiet life now, preferring to rest. It rarely takes action personally, and each time it does, it needs a long sleep afterward, ranging from a few years to several decades,” Zhang Junwei seemed to see what Su Jie was thinking. If the annual ring worm could be used casually, the last great sect war might not have ended so badly under the Righteous sect’s oppression.

“Health cultivation?” Su Jie twitched his lips, hearing a worm discuss health cultivation for the first time.

However, it could not be denied that the annual ring worm had a significant presence. Zhang Junwei, as the Sect Master of Ghost Ridge Palace, had to call out several times before the annual ring worm reluctantly opened its eyes within the Star Dust Mysterious Jade.

Within the jade box, a baby-fist-sized worm, pure white and resembling the clearest amber, appeared before Su Jie.

It had a strange structure; its body was composed of ring upon ring, stacking up to a thousand layers, each representing a year of the annual ring worm’s life, similar to the annual rings of a tree.

Without limbs, the worm raised its chubby upper body, emitting a cry from its mouth.

Yiya! Yiya!

The sound carried a tinge of irritation as if it was complaining about Zhang Junwei for disturbing its sleep.

Su Jie was a bit puzzled, unable to understand what the annual ring worm was saying.

“Yes, yes, Elder, please look. This is the Immortal Seed of our sect, the most outstanding disciple of this generation… You have forgotten, Elder, the last time I mentioned it to you, the annual ring star marrow, all thanks to your generous gift,” Zhang Junwei could understand what the annual ring worm was saying and at this moment, he lost the dignity of a sect leader, appearing before the annual ring worm like a junior.

When the annual ring worm heard this, it turned around, its sesame seed-sized eyes looking at Su Jie, emitting a crisp cry. Although Su Jie couldn’t understand it, he could discern an elderly tone in its voice.

Su Jie looked confused. Without Zhang Junwei’s translation, he couldn’t understand the insect language!

However, the spiritual intelligence of the annual ring worm also secretly alarmed Su Jie, making him feel that its intelligence was no different from that of humans, as expected of an ancestral bug that had lived for over a thousand years.

Inside his sleeve, hearing the cry, the thousand-hand centipede poked its head out and made a sound at the annual ring worm.

Sizzle! Sizzle sizzle!

The cry of the thousand-hand centipede sounded joyful.

While calling, the thousand-hand centipede quickly climbed onto Su Jie’s hair, hugged it, and then comfortably lay down.

Eeek!

The face of the annual ring worm showed human-like disgust, and Su Jie even saw it pouting.

“What are they talking about?”

Su Jie looked at Zhang Junwei.

“Your poisonous insect invited the old ancestor to sleep on top of your head, saying it’s very comfortable there, but it was rejected,” Zhang Junwei said with a smile, causing Su Jie’s face to darken.

Under Su Jie’s watch, the two poisonous insects began their sizzling and eeeking exchange, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhang Junwei appeared a bit surprised and laughed, “The old ancestor really appreciates your thousand-hand centipede, noting that despite its young age, it has ascended so quickly and has great potential.”

Su Jie understood. When he had first contracted it, the thousand-hand centipede was only as long as a finger, a newly born inferior poisonous insect.

Now, just a few years later, having followed Su Jie and enjoyed luxuries, the thousand-hand centipede was already a mid-grade six refinement poisonous insect, and this speed of advancement was extremely astonishing even in Ghost Ridge Palace, which hosts countless insects.

A few minutes later, the annual ring worm seemed to have enjoyed its conversation with the thousand-hand centipede very much. It crawled back into the jade box and pulled out a small gold-plated crown.

The annual ring worm placed the crown on its head, and Su Jie felt a spatial fluctuation, his mouth agape, “A spatial equipment?”

An insect using spatial equipment, and judging by the quality of that spatial equipment, it was a top-notch one.

“Given by the 38th Sect Master, crafted from space spirit crystals worth five million spirit stones,” Zhang Junwei said. To be honest, the storage space in that crown was even larger than his current storage bag, and who knows how many treasures were within. Sadly, those were the private possessions of the annual ring worm.

Su Jie saw the thousand-hand centipede looking at him with a longing expression.

“It’s not that I don’t want to give you one, but you wouldn’t know how to use spatial equipment even if I did,”

Su Jie stroked the head of the thousand-hand centipede, causing it to droop despondently.

The annual ring worm fumbled around, then took out a drop of purple liquid from the storage subspace of the crown.

The purple droplet floated in mid-air, emitting a warm purple halo.

Bathed in the purple light, Su Jie felt that every cell in the thousand-hand centipede’s body was leaping excitedly, and he also received a strong desire from the centipede, an eager wish to devour that purple droplet.

“The old ancestor sheds its skin once every hundred years,” Zhang Junwei explained, “During the shedding process, it naturally gathers spiritual energy from the heavens and the earth to form this annual ring star marrow, which can promote a transformation and ascension in any poisonous insect below the Seven Refinements level.”

At these words, Su Jie’s eyes lit up.

“To think there’s such a spiritual object. Sect Master, is this my reward?”

Su Jie hadn’t expected Zhang Junwei to be so generous. With this annual ring star marrow, the thousand-hand centipede could advance to the top-grade seven-refinement level.

A top-grade poisonous insect was an absolute sign of power in Ghost Ridge Palace. Other Hidden Realm Elders might have top-grade poisonous insects, but most had not reached complete ascension, only reaching the Four or Five Refinements levels.

For a creature like the thousand-hand centipede, which had achieved perfect development at every grade and gained various innate talents, it was incredibly rare. Each transformative development consumed vast resources.

Once the thousand-hand centipede completed its top-grade ascension, those resources would make it exceptionally formidable.

“You are a key trainee Immortal Seed of our sect, and you also played an important role in the recent major sect battle. The sect will not mistreat any disciple who has contributed to the sect,”

Zhang Junwei straightened his expression and handed the annual ring star marrow to Su Jie, pointing to the thousand-hand centipede, “You’re also lucky. It just so happened to be the old ancestor’s shedding time recently, which is why this annual ring star marrow was available for you.”

“Thank you for your generous gift, Sect Master,”

Su Jie, thrilled, accepted the annual ring star marrow. The award was perfectly timed for use on the thousand-hand centipede, and Zhang Junwei’s efforts to boost his strength were heartening. Su Jie was completely satisfied with this reward.

Eeek eeek!

The annual ring worm chirped a few more times at the thousand-hand centipede, then yawned, curled up, and burrowed back into the jade box made of star mysterious jade, lying down in a bed made of ice silkworm silk, and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

“Once you get back, let your centipede ingest the annual ring star marrow. Wait for the centipede to break through to the Seven Refinements and then set out from the sect. Add an extra layer of strength, no need to rush. With a seven-refinement poisonous insect, your journey will be much safer,”

Zhang Junwei advised Su Jie. Ever since Su Jie had realized his Immortal Seed talent, even amidst the fierce competition of Ghost Ridge Palace, all he had encountered were good people.

Zhang Junwei then handed Su Jie a letter. After thanking him repeatedly, Su Jie left Zhang Junwei’s residence.