Chapter 423: Ancient Battlefield

"May I ask which Daoist companion you are, face to face?"

Hm?

Yan Buji put away the pill he was refining, rose into midair, and stared at those few people.

Are you all Golden Core stage cultivators?

Yan Buji clasped his hands and said, "I am Yan Buji; who are you?"

"Oh, we are cultivators from the Rough Current Sea, having come via True Yellow Island, and we intend to explore a hidden realm."

"So you all have just arrived… is that hidden realm here?" Yan Buji wore a strange expression.

"Fellow Daoist, have you been cultivating here for so long without noticing?" the few cultivators asked, quite puzzled.

They weren't worried about anyone entering the hidden realm; the key was that Yan Buji seemed truly clueless.

Yan Buji shook his head: "I haven't noticed. If you wish to search, be at your liberty."

Watching them converse in secret, Yan Buji wasn't afraid of them making a dirty move.

In a place like this, making a dirty move depends on whether the other side has the strength.

After a while, the leading cultivator flew over, clasped his hands and said, "I am Lie Huo of Sun Moon Palace."

"So you are a Daoist from Sun Moon Palace, my apologies. If my presence here is inconvenient for you, then I shall take my leave," Yan Buji said with a smile.

"Not at all. Yan Daoist, being able to come here alone to this dangerous place suggests you have confidence. Do you know where this is?"

"Boundless Sea?"

Lie Huo smiled, "This place was once the ancient battlefield where my fellow cultivators from Dongxing fought the Wing Tribe. You've been here so long; haven't you noticed any anomalies?"

Wing Tribe?

Ancient Battlefield?

Yan Buji was momentarily stunned, looked around, then shook his head: "Indeed I hadn't noticed. If it's an ancient battlefield, it might retain murderous aura and blood qi. But the great sea's shifting winds and surging tides make it impossible to sense."

"I see. Since you've come here, you must be seeking an opportunity. Seeing your body brimming with True Essence, you are likely a Martial Dao cultivator as well," Lie Huo said with a smile.

Yan Buji nodded; he hadn't deliberately restrained his aura.

They were all strangers; Yan Buji didn't want to fight them here, there was no need at all.

Although the others' identities were hard to verify, seeing they had no intention to act, Yan Buji didn't wish to get involved. With no grudges on either side, parting ways was best.

"Lie Daoist, any advice?"

"If you don't mind, would you join us in exploring the hidden realm?"

Yan Buji clasped his hands: "Thank you for your kindness; I am accustomed to traveling alone, so I fear I'm not suited to go with you. In that case, I won't trouble you further; I shall depart."

Having said that, Yan Buji turned and left, and the others did not block him.

Seeing Yan Buji fly away, the others stepped forward, frowned, and said, "Lie Daoist, that person's background is unknown, and he's here… does he also covet that thing? Letting him leave so easily seems…"

Lie Huo waved his hand, his expression solemn, "We've faced many dangers on this journey; you are not unexperienced. Being able to cultivate in seclusion here is already extraordinary. Why make enemies over some unfounded matter?"

"But…"

"We happened to meet him; it's unlikely there is any conflict of interest, so he has no reason to attack us. Moreover, since we're already here, we must first locate where the ancient battlefield is."

"Alright."

The group was wary of Yan Buji, but his voluntary departure showed he truly had no predatory intentions.

Yan Buji indeed didn't want to unnecessarily provoke strong individuals here; the fact they came all the way indicates they aren't weak.

He's not a bloodthirsty killer; he doesn't cultivate for slaughter, so why must he be at odds with others?

"But this place is actually the ancient battlefield where the Wing Tribe fought the Human Tribe?"

Yan Buji pondered for a long time, unaware of anyone following, and then dived into the sea floor to search.

Ancient battlefields are not uncommon in the Dongxing Sea Region; conflicts between the Human Tribe and the Otherworldly Race, demon tribes, demonic beasts, and so on are also frequent. However, the ocean is unsuitable for human habitation, so in the Dongxing Sea Region, unlike the Nan Ting Mountain Region where humans dominate, the area is more diversified, leading to many regional conflicts turning into wars.

But the others mentioning the Wing Tribe's clash with the Human Tribe raised Yan Buji's suspicion.

Could it be that back then the Wing Tribe fought in the Day Layer, causing part of the Day Layer to collapse, and some surviving Wing Tribe members clashed with the Human Tribe?

Perhaps this nearby sea is the very place of the primordial Day Qi he seeks.

After searching the seabed for half a month, Yan Buji finally saw some unusual things.

"Is this… a warship?"

Yan Buji had never witnessed a war in the cultivation world firsthand, but he had heard that major factions habitually construct mobile fortresses for campaigns or defense.

Thanks to the rapid development of Accumulation Devices, major factions now have many options and ample talent reserves when forging a mobile fortress.

These fortresses come in various shapes, and in the Dongxing Sea Region they most often take the form of warships.

"If a war erupts in the cultivation world, it indeed affects the region's environment," Yan Buji said, watching the warship, corroded by seawater for years, its once majestic form reduced to a broken skeleton covered in seaweed and silt, realizing many untold stories were buried here.

But stories are just stories; finding what one seeks is what matters.

He has no time for archaeology.

After a careful search, Yan Buji discovered many cultivator skeletons; though they had lost their spirit, it was fortunate they hadn't been washed away by the sea.

As for other items, there's no need to think: either they were corroded and swept away by seawater, or destroyed in the war, leaving nothing usable.

Tracing the battlefield's traces for a long time, Yan Buji also found signs of corpse transformation, but the demonic beasts here are also numerous, likely already dealt with.

After another half year, Yan Buji finally, in a relatively well‑preserved warship, discovered some clues.

Holding the jade tablet, Yan Buji pondered, "The war between the Sun Moon Sect and the Wing Tribe? It seems the Sun Moon Sect employed a massive lethal Accumulation Device that pierced the Wing Tribe's war fortress in a single strike, but was also destroyed because of it?"

The jade tablet only contained brief briefing notes, insufficient for Yan Buji to infer the battlefield's conditions back then.

But he thought that since both sides possessed war fortresses, it could have led to mutual annihilation.

Yet the tablet clearly states that the Wing Tribe's war fortress was already destroyed; why then couldn't the Sun Moon Sect's people return, and instead perished in the sea?

Strange.

"Perhaps locating the Wing Tribe's destroyed fortress will uncover the truth."

Thinking, Yan Buji followed the clues on the jade slip, roughly calculated the direction, and hurried over.