Chapter 156: A Capital Offense

No, this isn't Blood Essence Skill.... It should be some kind of derived internal skill.

This strong bloody smell is the odor given off when Blood Essence Skill absorbs a martial artist's essence blood, and this smell contains a strong corpse stench and foul odor.

But the smell Yan Buji detected wasn't as strong as when he sucked blood himself, and it also carried a medicinal fragrance, suggesting it had been aided by some medicinal refinement.

"Hu Yan Feng, don't smell this odor and think we are some kind of heretical martial artists; they practice using beast essence blood."

"Beast essence blood? What internal skill needs this kind of blood?" Yan Buji frowned.

Even if I practice Blood Essence Skill, I know beast blood is mostly impure; even if it has some medicinal use, it cannot be taken raw, placing a huge burden on the body's various organs.

Never mind the use; just this harm—don't those who practice Blood Essence Skill know about it?

If sucking beast blood could cultivate, why would one suck human blood and turn into a demonic heretic?

"Heh heh, you'll know once you come in and look."

Yan Buji entered with curiosity, following Fang Kun into the house, and discovered many Martial Ancestors soaked in a tub full of fresh blood and large bones.

These large bones should be from ferocious beasts, their marrow knocked out and flowing into the tub, while the martial artists with bare upper bodies are struggling to absorb the blood, their bodies swelling like inflated balloons to several times their size!

"These are tiger and leopard blood, right? Why is there a medicinal fragrance?"

"Haha, this is why we dare to directly absorb beast blood. But before that, I must ask: are you willing to join us?" Fang Kun asked with a smile.

"I don't even know what you do." Yan Buji said indifferently.

Fang Kun's eyes turned sharp; the firmness in his gaze made the stooped old man appear several inches taller.

He slowly opened his mouth and spoke with a resounding tone:

"All for the common people of the Nan Ting Mountain Region."

Yan Buji's pupils contracted, instantly thinking of multiple possibilities.

"That's too grandiose; why not tell us what use there is in cultivating so many martial artists with this method?"

Fang Kun shook his head: "I'll tell you after you join."

"Then forget it."

Yan Buji turned and left.

For such an obscure matter, normal people would certainly not want to inquire; since Yan Buji couldn't get to the bottom of it, turning around and leaving posed no problem.

Fang Kun hesitated a moment, and the instant he saw Yan Buji step out of the doorway, he immediately called out: "Wait a moment!"

"Master Fang, is there anything else you want to say?" Yan Buji turned his head and asked.

"This matter.... involves far and wide; I can only say that if you wish to join, further progress is not impossible! And what we do is certainly for the common folk! I don't know if you've noticed, but compared to a few hundred years ago, ordinary people now live no more than sixty years."

Yan Buji frowned, pondering for a moment.

He turned and asked: "What do you mean?"

"As long as you join, I will tell you."

"I'm not afraid of death, but if this matter truly involves countless commoners, I can join you."

Fang Kun took a deep breath: "Then come."

Following Fang Kun, after passing this group of martial artists, Yan Buji followed him into an underground chamber.

After lighting the candles, the two sat on the ground, and Fang Kun spoke: "Hu Yan Feng, although I don't know your background, I have seen all your actions. Although you might not wish to join, I still hope you give it serious thought."

"Please speak."

"Do you know why the Eight Dao Dynasties of the Nan Ting Mountain Region have always been this way?"

"Since ancient times?"

"No, it should be that after the Martial Dao path was severed ten thousand years ago, when Magical Cultivation rose, the Nan Ting Mountain Region became what it is today."

However, Yan Buji wouldn't say more, only asking: "Why?"

"It's all because cultivators' private desires!!"

Fang Kun gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"We martial artists should also have the power to reach heaven and penetrate earth, but it's because those hateful cultivators deserving of death, relying on the human dao power of the Eight Dao Dynasties, suppressed our martial dao cultivation!"

"Hmm?"

Yan Buji's face looked strange; this doesn't match what I've heard.

"Where did you get this news?"

"It's all I've seen. Do you know Profound Gen Dao? It is the Magical Cultivation Profound Gate under a cultivator force in the Myriad Dao Mountain Range, responsible for Gen Dao affairs. On the surface they don't interfere in court matters, but privately they demand the court must keep the population at a certain level each year!"

"Ah?"

Yan Buji froze.

"Meaning.... these cultivators want the commoners' numbers to surge?"

"Exactly. But you also know Gen Dao's territory is mountainous, with only so much livable land. When the population grows, who can guarantee food, clothing, housing, and travel? And even if the emperor disagrees, thinking this would surely overburden all of Gen Dao, those self-serving cultivators unwilling to contribute any resources have actually researched an evil method that shortens ordinary people's lifespans to boost birth rates!!" Fang Kun said through gritted teeth.

Yan Buji stared wide-eyed, somewhat unable to believe it.

"Um...."

Population growth is indeed not a good thing; it must be judged by economics, land, and other factors.

After all, the Eight Dao Dynasties cannot interfere with each other, meaning they cannot expand outward; with little land and many people, Gen Dao cannot unlimitedly raise birth rates to increase population—this must be controlled.

The key is that Profound Gen Dao actually has a method that shortens lifespan to increase birth rates—what kind of method is this?

How have I never heard of this?

"Could such a thing be possible?"

"Then how do you explain that people used to live over a hundred years, but now most commoners only live to sixty, some even dying in their fifties or forties—isn't this treating us like livestock?!"

"I can't accept this!" Fang Kun hammered the floor, and the underground chamber trembled momentarily.

Yan Buji pressed the ground, stopping the tremor.

After regaining his senses, Fang Kun was suddenly startled, looking at Yan Buji with shock.

He took a deep breath and said: "Huyan Feng, at your age your Martial Dao realm is far above mine; I know your future is limitless. But those cultivators treat us like livestock! Even if the common folk are utterly ignorant, for the sake of all living beings we shouldn't allow them to act this way!"

Yan Buji fell silent.

He was thinking about how to answer properly.

But seeing Fang Kun like that, perhaps being direct would be better.

"If the common folk are content and happy, even if their lifespans are shortened, but if they can have enough to eat three times a day, with the elderly supported and the young nurtured, that too counts as peace under heaven; but if those cultivators forcibly take their lifespans with this method, who knows—one day all the common folk might become livestock for them to slaughter at will, and that is absolutely unacceptable!" Yan Buji said solemnly.

Fang Kun's eyes lit up, and he laughed: "What about you?"

"I wish to join."

"Good! Hahaha!"

Having said that, Fang Kun stood up, grabbed Yan Buji's arm: "Come on, come on, Huyan Laodi, I'll take you to see our internal cultivation room!"

He trusts that much?

It seems what they're doing is indeed a capital offense, but once you join, you needn't fear betraying them.

Moreover, they didn't worry that Yan Buji was a spy sent by the cultivators, because in their view, any hint of such matters would surely be struck down by thunder, so they had no need to worry about his identity.

That works out perfectly.

Yan Buji chuckled: "Master Fang, don't get so excited."

"How could I not be excited? After all, it's not easy for Huyan Laodi to be willing to join; we naturally ought to treat him with sincerity! Oh right, His Majesty is our current leader; in secret we call ourselves the One Line Society. If you join, you'll be number four." Fang Kun laughed.

"Number four?"

"Yes, I'm number three."

Then it seems there are still two Heavenly Human Realm cultivators.

It doesn't matter; mere Heavenly Human Realm cultivators haven't even mastered the Martial Dao Profound Skill, so they're not worth extra attention.