Chapter 533: with translation of chapter title

Yan Buji cursed silently, "Old hag!" At this moment he actually had no strength to resist, being trapped in midair by the opponent, unable to move!

"If you'd just told me earlier, it would've been fine; why force me to fight? You don't think I can't deal with you just because I haven't recovered my strength, do you?"

"Hmph, kill or cut, do as you please!"

"Who wants to kill you?" Jianfan looked strange, took Yan Buji's multiple Storage Accumulation Devices, and with a raised hand wiped away his spiritual imprint.

Yan Buji's face darkened, but for now, staying alive is best.

"Let me see.... all this is junk, why are you so useless? Logically, since you met me, even if your strength is a bit lacking, you should be worth over a hundred million. These junk items add up to only ten million.... oh, you're an Alchemist, that's fine then."

Yan Buji widened his eyes, watching Jianfan dump out all his belongings and rummage around, suddenly picking up a few items.

These were the Six-Transform Immortal Materials Nine-leaf Ghost Orchid, Spiritual Water Lotus, and Fusang Sacred Wood that Yan Buji had been reluctant to use, all taken away, followed immediately by all of his stored medium-grade Spiritual Stones.

Afterwards, Jianfan rummaged through other things, taking away several stalks of Spiritual Material that Yan Buji had brought from Youming Jie and kept, then finally set him down.

"Have you been to Youming Jie before? What's the situation there now?"

Jianfan acted as if nothing had happened, sat down holding a Spiritual Stone, restoring his strength while refining Celestial Material.

Yan Buji gritted his teeth, picked up the Storage Accumulation Devices from the ground, gathered the scattered items, and snapped angrily: "What's it to you?!"

Jianfan chuckled: "Don't be angry, didn't I also give you that profound skill? Essentially, this is a forced sale, and I'm even selling at a loss to you, so it hasn't risen to the level of a blood-deep grudge. Of course, if you feel your pride is hurt, well, I learned this from your human folk, so if you want to blame someone, blame them."

Yan Buji was so angry steam seemed to rise from his head; he simply turned and wanted to leave.

"Hey hey, don't go, I still need to ask about the outside situation. You don't want to come here again, right?"

Yan Buji froze, then reluctantly turned back.

At least this girl has no malicious intent; otherwise I wouldn't be able to deal with her.

"Then... Senior, what do you want to ask?"

"Just call me Jianfan; I don't have all your formalities. What's the situation in Youming Jie?"

Yan Buji sat down and explained the situation in Youming Jie.

During this, Yan Buji was shocked at how fast the opponent refined Celestial Material—unimaginably swift—and used a special method to completely melt the Celestial Material, then forcibly condensed it into a pill.

As she swallowed the pill, she seemed to recover some strength as well.

"Oh, I see—is the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk broken and then made whole again? Hmm, that sounds like that guy's style."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that when the Martial Cultivators launched a massive invasion of Youming Jie back then, it was actually part of the Plan to Exterminate Martial Cultivators. By preventing the Martial Cultivators from breaking the Six Paths Reincarnation, the later splitting of Youming Jie into two wouldn't happen. Naturally, the Martial Cultivators' fortune was thus damaged, and as a result the effect of exterminating Martial Cultivators was achieved." Jianfan stood up, twisted her body to loosen her muscles and bones.

"Let's talk while we walk."

"....."

"You don't need to be so cautious; I don't have that many rules."

"I, the poor Daoist, dare not."

"Still angry? What a narrow mind!"

Upon hearing that, Yan Buji instantly flared up in rage.

But thinking he couldn't beat her, he could only endure.

Jianfan looked at him: "Well, I know this kind of feeling—it's like watching your wife being taken by someone else while you can't fight back, so you can only make yourself a green‑shelled turtle."

"You!"

"Oh oh, sorry. Actually, you need to learn self‑regulation; otherwise constantly getting angry is bad for your health." Jianfan chuckled.

Yan Buji's face twitched, he took a deep breath: "Then, Fairy Jian, what's your background?"

"Me? I know a lot of people, have wide connections, so I know many things."

"Then what's your relationship with the owner of this place?"

Jianfan shook her head, looking displeased: "An enemy."

"An enemy?" Yan Buji looked puzzled: "No way, judging by your methods you must be a grandmaster of the Alchemical Dao; surely all these traps here weren't set by you, right?"

Jianfan nodded: "Yeah, that guy back then saw the human race had sages, got angry, and had to fight them. As a result, I also had to preserve my life, so I did this."

Yan Buji narrowed his eyes, feeling she wasn't telling the truth.

Perhaps it really was to save her life, but the process definitely wasn't like that.

Strangely, Yan Buji sensed that this person had no intention to deceive him; she merely skipped over the process, making him feel something was off.

"Alas, after all, heaven and earth favor humanity. Back then I too was one of the few great powers heaven and earth had, yet now I have to strong‑arm a junior's belongings—saying it out loud is truly embarrassing. Remember not to tell others you met me; I'll also thank you for that." Jianfan sighed.

Yan Buji's face darkened: "I, the poor Daoist, naturally won't say more."

Could it be that being robbed of something is worth showing off?

"By the way, what is Fairy Jian looking for?"

"A sword's fragments."

"Fragments?"

Yan Buji found it strange: "Is that some kind of powerful thing?"

Jianfan waved her hand: "You don't need to test me; just ask whatever you want and I'll tell you."

Yan Buji's face darkened: "I, the poor Daoist, have no intention to test you!"

"Oh. It's the fragments of a Nine‑Transform Immortal Accumulation called the 'Slaughter‑Man Sword'."

"Nine...."

"Nine‑Transform Immortal Accumulation?!"

Yan Buji's face changed dramatically, then he calmed his surging emotions.

He had rarely even touched a Six‑Transform Immortal Accumulation; hearing of a Nine‑Transform one was indeed shocking.

Jianfan lifted her head and looked over: "What's wrong? Do you have an impression?"

"No.... Besides me, the poor Daoist, there were two others who came with me; they're probably also in here."

Jian Fan thought it over carefully, shook their head: 'Those two are in great danger. After the Slaughtering Person Sword shattered back then, the opposing lord still killed our enemies; I estimate those fragments have already taken over the original master's body and are in the process of recovering.'

Yan Buji gave a cold laugh.

Jian Fan saw that Yan Buji showed no agitation, but instead expected the person who came with him to meet misfortune, and thus understood some aspects of the situation.

"I'm just a passing acquaintance with them, too." Yan Buji said lightly.

Cultivators have to be like this; being too entangled by worldly affairs, they simply can't last long. Especially you humans have some sort of 'enter-the-world cultivation, Red Dust Heart Tempering' practice, which I completely fail to understand.

Yan Buji looked puzzled: 'Isn't that just fearing that cultivation will make one stupid? Red Dust Heart Tempering can also better fortify the Dao Heart.'

In my view, Red Dust Heart Tempering belongs to the deviant ways. Cultivators already have fate to enter the path; why insist on fortifying the Dao Heart? You are not me, he is not me, the Dao is not inherently tied to the heart; whether one walks or stops, the cultivator's path always moves forward.

Having said this maxim, Yan Buji fell silent.

Jian Fan's words amounted to just four characters.

Let nature take its course.

Soon after, Yan Buji shook his head.

It is precisely because he emerged from those decades of mortal life that he could establish himself in the cultivation world to this day. Although the past was merely short, less than thirty years, it has steadied Yan Buji's resolve to pursue cultivation to the utmost.

He is a defier of fate, a contender for the vanguard!

Therefore Yan Buji will not refute Jian Fan's words, nor will he of course agree with them.