Chapter 231

Under the marvelous use of the Golden Foil Pattern, Yan Buji gradually understood the cultivation method and unique aspects of the Breaking Evil Divine Light.

Ah, I see—it's not the power of the pupil itself that's consumed, but rather one's own essence, qi, and spirit are expended through the pupil as a medium to unleash this Breaking Evil Divine Light!

Yan Buji suddenly realized that this Breaking Evil Divine Light belonged to the kind of secret art that harms the user first before harming others—no wonder it was written so obscurely, as if fearing one wouldn't dare cultivate it.

However, since this pupil technique only targets evil entities, Yan Buji thought for a while and still felt he could succeed in cultivating it with the aid of the Golden Foil Pattern.

It only took the effort of one night.

The next day Yan Buji went to the city wall as usual to stand guard; with yesterday's military merit reward, he now had nearly fifteen hundred military merit.

Aside from the thousand merit reward from the barbarian ox and Xuan Kan Dao, he himself had slain many minor demons while on guard, but today the demon tribe's assault intensity was not as great as yesterday's—just a volley of javelins before they withdrew.

Although it's unclear what the demon tribe meant, perhaps they were waiting to lower their guard before a sweeping push; regardless, it bought Yan Buji time to cultivate the second secret art.

Roughly a day's time; I don't need to understand it—so long as the Golden Foil Pattern works, that's fine.

Yan Buji contemplated the second secret art; this secret art surpassed his imagination.

"Qi Tight?"

Relying on the Golden Foil Pattern, Yan Buji pondered for a while and suddenly sensed that this Qi Tight secret art was profoundly unfathomable; pushing further, even his current spiritual awareness could not bear it, so he stopped the deduction.

"This seems like... a reduced version of the Earth Fiend Qi Prohibition Divine Ability?"

This reduced version differs from the high-fidelity Opening Wall Divine Ability's disintegration technique I obtained earlier; that technique has realm requirements, but this Qi Tight secret art can be cultivated by me right now.

After cultivating it with the Golden Foil Pattern, Yan Buji mastered a power that can compress all the air and spiritual qi in a space before him into a point; once compressed to a point, that space becomes a vacuum, yet he can move freely within it.

Moreover, if one uses the pupil's Spiritual Explosion Technique to trap the enemy in that space and detonate that compressed point, an explosion...

What would an explosion be like in a vacuum environment?

Yan Buji was somewhat eager to try it out.

This actually suits quite well the means he currently possesses.

After taking a sip of the jade liquid from the Demon-Refining Gourd, Yan Buji quickly brought his disciples and continued to rush to the city wall to rotate guard duty.

For several days running, the demon tribe's offensive was not strong, which also made Yan Buji a little worried, fearing they truly intended a sweeping push; perhaps these Lianqi Phase cultivators could not possibly hold the walls.

Many cultivators voluntarily cleared the limbs and fragments from the city walls, or burned them with Spiritual Fire, and soon thick smoke rose from everywhere in Kan Dao Huang Du.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Flying demons in the sky launched another volley of javelins; experienced cultivators proactively sought dead corners, crouched and opened spiritual shields, and after the wave few cultivators were injured.

"Aren't these demons annoying? They don't attack the city each day, just keep doing this—who can stand it?"

"Wouldn't it be better to fight me head-on?"

"Come on, I actually hope they keep doing this every day—do you really want to try the scene from the first day?"

"But I heard other walls are fighting fiercely every day—are we too peaceful here?"

Yan Buji was exactly worried about this; if the other three walls were merely feigned attacks by the demon tribe's strong assaults each day, then the southern wall would certainly be the breach they prepared for a full-scale push.

"Daoist Yuejin?" Yuanzan of Songhu Sect approached and sat beside Yan Buji.

Yan Buji looked around; the disciples of Songhu Sect regarded them with mockery and ridicule, Yuanzan included.

"Daoist Yu, isn't Songhu Sect secretly in contact with the Great River Sect? You coming over like this—aren't you afraid they'll think too much of you?"

"Overthinking? Sigh, we're all grasshoppers on the same rope; they still cling to these things, which only makes me look down on them." Yuanzan reached back, touched his wine gourd, and took a sip.

Yan Buji smiled, picked up his Demon-Refining Gourd: "How about trying my humble daoist's spirit-demon jade liquid?"

Yuanzan was surprised, took it and drank a sip: "Eh? I thought it contained liquor, but I didn't expect this gourd to actually be an Accumulation Device. This spirit-demon jade liquid must be distilled from the dissolved flesh of minor demons—quite pungent."

"I wouldn't have guessed Daoist Yu is a liquor lover; I, your humble daoist, used to brew some wine." Yan Buji laughed, took back the Demon-Refining Gourd, and produced the gentleman's wine he had brewed earlier.

Yuanzan opened the gourd, took a whiff, his eyes lit up, he hastily gulped a mouthful, licked the liquor from the corner of his mouth: "Good wine!"

It's clear Yuanzan greatly likes this gentleman's wine.

"Daoist Yuejin, do you have more of this wine? Could you spare some?"

"If you like it, Daoist Yu, just take it and drink." Yan Buji said with a smile.

Yuanzan clasped his fists: "Many thanks."

Yan Buji said lightly: "These days the demon tribe only harasses the southern wall without attacking, while the other three walls remain as usual. Even without considering whether they'll truly take the southern wall as a breach, their relentless, consumption‑ignoring assaults are more than we can withstand."

"Indeed, I heard that foundation‑establishment cultivators on the other walls have also gone into battle; casualties these past days have been grievous."

Yuanzan pointed over there: "The Great River Sect's Lin Ruoyu is full of petty cleverness and scheming—not a good person. Even now, he's still up all night discussing military merit with some of our Great River Sect senior brothers and sisters, showing how heavy his utilitarian mindset is."

Yan Buji smiled: "Everyone has some utilitarian motive; Daoist Yu, do you think everyone came here just to protect Kan Dao Huang Du?"

Yuanzan laughed loudly: "Hahaha, how could I possibly want to protect a mortal city? Even if this city were drowned in a tide of demons, if I weren't present here, I wouldn't bother with it at all."

"Daoist Yu, you're quite perceptive."

Yuanzan's face darkened: "However, these people, for the sake of military merit and that human foundation‑establishment pill, keep scheming this and that, yet they overlook the simplest problem."

"Oh?"

"Strength. If they had strength, they could, like Daoist Yuejin, leap from the city wall to battle the demon horde—then the military merit they'd accumulate would be honorable and convincing. Daoist Yu, did you know that recently Lin Ruoyu has actually been trading military merit with my fellow brothers and sisters behind the scenes..."

Yan Buji raised his eyebrows: "Female cultivators indeed have a natural advantage in this regard."

But if it's for the foundation‑establishment pill, Yan Buji actually finds Lin Ruoyu somewhat interesting.

Yuanzan shook his head: "That's not the proper way; it won't get far."

Having said that, Yuanzan rose, looked at Yan Buji, and said: "Daoist Yuejin, I'll be going first."

"Alright."

Yuanzan's visit this time—could it be to remind me of Lin Ruoyu's little tricks?

Yan Buji stroked his chin; although he didn't mind a beautiful woman throwing herself into his arms, if he were to be bewitched by a woman's beauty and do something foolish, that would truly be stupid.