Chapter 26: Who Can Judge Me?

The situation's development had already surpassed Yan Buji's imagination, but for him he was now immersed in excitement.

Because he had already combined the patterned profound skill on the Profound Accumulation Secret Order with Blood Essence Skill and Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng, thoroughly mastering it!

Currently, although Yan Buji had just entered the door of Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng, the inner energy born within his body had split into two clearly distinct regions!

That is to say, Blood Essence Skill requires isolating the portion of inner energy that merges with blood, and it will not affect Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng.

The main factor causing all this is the prowess of that patterned profound skill!

"Who would have thought it could simultaneously contain two kinds of inner energy; no wonder there's a legend that it can let one break through to the Heaven-Man Realm." Yan Buji laughed.

You should know that a martial artist who endures decades of hardship can train his inner energy to its peak; basically, they certainly follow a single cultivation method, or if they cultivate multiple inner energies, they must be mutually complementary.

The key is that cultivating multiple inner energies simultaneously consumes enormous time, far less efficient than the combination of Blood Essence Skill, Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng, and patterned profound skill!

Because Yan Buji's strength lies entirely in his qi and blood, although there is no inner energy stored in his dantian, his martial arts realm is truly at the peak of grandmaster; the barriers past martial artists needed to clear he has already cleared, so practicing Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng fundamentally does not require twenty years of time.

Moreover, some of the inner energy circulation routes of Blood Essence Skill and Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng are the same; aside from a few other places needing some time to comprehend, entry is already no difficulty for him.

However, interestingly, Blood Essence Skill excels at refining qi and blood, while Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng requires using the power of qi and blood to reciprocally nourish inner energy cultivation. In short, practicing Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng requires a martial artist's qi and blood to be sufficiently strong, able to withstand the frenzied state brought about when contemplating the ghost-god diagram.

Under this state, it not only greatly affects or even destroys a person's sanity, but the burden on the body is also extraordinary.

A martial artist with strong qi and blood naturally has far better spirit than an ordinary person, just as Yan Buji now can go ten days and nights without sleep, food, or water without any issue.

But after ten days, his condition will plummet rapidly, which is also the limit that Blood Essence Skill can support.

Although it's unclear why Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng requires meditating on those three ghost-god diagrams for cultivation, after practicing it Yan Buji felt that when he contemplated the ghost-god diagram, his inner energy, following the circulation of the inner skill, would bring a great increase in speed.

Currently, the inner energy Yan Buji has accumulated is already comparable to that of a martial artist who has trained for a year.

The key is, this is only a few days?

If he continues practicing like this, as long as he accumulates inner energy to grandmaster quality, breaking through to the Heaven-Man Realm will be easy.

But calculated, this time at minimum requires a year, and he naturally doesn't have that much time to practice.

"However, the several methods recorded in Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng for stimulating qi and blood explosion through inner energy are truly terrifying; if combined with Blood Essence Skill's qi and blood enhancement, I could likely obtain Heaven-Man Realm combat power in a short time." Yan Buji laughed.

Thanks to the patterned profound skill, Yan Buji bears the two top inner arts of the evil and demonic paths, confident that even if he encounters a Heaven-Man Realm expert he could still handle one or two.

Moreover, there is one more matter.

Yan Buji always believed that tattooing was something only the imperial court's exiled convicts would do; as a man of integrity, he would not get a tattoo.

But Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng actually writes: "Tattoo the Abyss, and a hundred ghosts will submit; tattoo Asura, and weapons will not invade; tattoo Yama, and spirits and ghosts are forbidden to act." This truly makes Yan Buji somewhat moved.

Although he had prepared for the Spring Literary Assembly for many years, but if he could be more secure, why not give it a try?

Moreover, contemplating these three ghost-god diagrams truly helps cultivate Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng; perhaps this tattoo... really has some mysterious use.

However, thinking of Chi Ren Fo's frenzied state, Yan Buji naturally could not lightly tattoo it on his body. After all, if it were truly tattooed and couldn't be washed off, that would be fine; but if there were side effects affecting his later plans, that would be a loss not worth the gain.

"If it really won't work, I'll make a transfer and try it on my clothing first."

Yan Buji thought, picking up a thin sheet of paper and placing it on black cloth, then taking a look.

"Let's first try this Yama Judging Ghosts, after all I also bear the surname Yan." Yan Buji chuckled, looking in good spirits, even cracking jokes.

He lightly brushed the inked stamp, and although Yan Buji was not a professional, by following the pattern on the paper underneath and controlling the force, he could still easily accomplish it.

Soon, Yan Buji's gaze was captured by a scroll before him. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a painting titled "Yama Judging Ghosts Diagram".

In the center of the scene, Lord Yama sat solemnly on the judgment platform, his countenance stern and dignified; below knelt a host of ghosts of various forms, some terrified beyond measure, some trembling, some trying to argue and beg for mercy. The whole atmosphere was tense and oppressive, sending chills down one's spine.

Yan Buji stared at the diagram, as if he could hear the ghosts' pleas and Lord Yama's angry rebukes. He couldn't help but fall into contemplation: if people in this world do not cultivate virtue and do good while alive, would they not suffer such punishment after death?

Yan Buji took off his clothes, revealing his sturdy upper body, and affixed the diagram onto himself.

Before Yan Buji could regain his senses, in an instant his mind felt as if struck by something, and in the blink of an eye his surroundings turned pitch black.

He abruptly closed and opened his eyes, as if he saw Lord Yama seated on a high platform, judging the multitude of ghosts!

"Criminal Yan Buji, having killed his wife and abused his daughter, over twenty years has slain martial artists by no less than a hundred, and slaughtered civilians by no less than a thousand. Cruel and ruthless, devoid of emotion and righteousness, you deserve the eighteen levels of hell's torments! Considering your usual deeds of disaster relief and aid to the people, you have some merit, reducing your sin by three thousand years. Thus decreed!" Lord Yama suddenly shouted, roaring angrily.

Yan Buji stood frozen, pinching his chin as he pondered: "This ghost-god diagram is indeed powerful; just having it printed on my body can make me hallucinate."

"Criminal's mad raving, unrepentant—where are the Black and White Impermanence?!" Seeing Yan Buji show no panic or fear, kneeling to beg for mercy, the King Yama above shouted angrily as if enraged.

"At your service!"

Black and White Impermanence silently emerged from both sides, their tongues enormously long, clad in black and white long robes like the embodiments of night and day. The black impermanence's visage was stern, sending chills; the white impermanence bore a strange smile, giving a sense of mystery. Each held a soul-summoning banner and a mourning staff, embroidered with mysterious symbols and patterns.

Hahaha!!

Just as Black and White Impermanence, with a ferocious expression, tried to drag Yan Buji away, Yan Buji burst out laughing.

"Why does the criminal laugh?!"

"I laugh because your illusion is unreal, pure nonsense!"

"You!"

"For the sake of the immortal path, what wrong have I done?"

"Who can judge me?"

"Only the Nine Heavens Jade Emperor, even the Ten Directions Yama cannot!"

Having said that, the scene before Yan Buji's eyes seemed to lose power and suddenly froze, and as he closed and opened his eyes again it vanished completely.

Yan Buji's eyes were full of contempt and mockery.

If the day truly comes when I must go to hell, even Lord Yama would have to politely invite me to cross the Naihe Bridge!