Chapter 585: Cycle of Life and Death

Yan Buji fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Does Fairy Jian know which ancient martial cultivators are still alive?"

Jian Fan looked puzzled and said, "You offended them?"

"It's not that," he replied, "I just took the benefits without doing them any favors."

"Then you're doomed," Jian Fan laughed. "That group holds grudges and will definitely come after you."

Yan Buji thought for a moment and said, "So I want to ask whether any of those people are still alive; I'd rather avoid them."

"You don't need to worry about that," Jian Fan replied. "Those few may not dare to appear openly, but their successors might."

"What do you mean?" Yan Buji asked, puzzled.

"From what I know of the ancient martial cultivators' sects," Jian Fan said, "those old guys have some exceptionally talented disciples who vanished mysteriously. It might not be disappearance; perhaps they arrived in this era."

"How would that happen? Time travel?"

"That's impossible. Time and space are already fixed; even at the pinnacle of cultivation you can't shuttle between past and future. The only way is to grind time, and with their methods and strength it might be feasible."

Yan Buji thought and asked, "So you mean… their descendants might have used corpse‑liberation techniques to survive into this era?"

"That's about right."

"How strong are they?"

"At worst they're at the Hua Shen stage."

Yan Buji's face twitched; that really can't be trifled with.

"So what? They want you to do something and you didn't?"

"They want me to take the Huang Tian Soul so that the Youming Jie won't merge into one."

Jian Fan was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "Those guys really dare to imagine that."

"But if the Youming Jie doesn't merge, what benefit does that give them?"

Jian Fan thought for a moment and said, "I can only tell you that there is indeed a great advantage, at least for their plan."

"I see."

It seems Jian Fan knows quite a lot.

Yan Buji asked again, "Given that, is the merging of the Youming Jie a good thing or a bad thing?"

"That depends on what your goal is," Jian Fan said, looking at Yan Buji oddly. "It's not something you can influence, is it?"

"So I want to ask, if the Youming Jie were to be restored, what changes would occur?"

"First, the Cycle of Life and Death would return to normal. Back then, those martial cultivators invaded the Youming Jie with a massive amount of Rift Stone, splitting the Youming Jie in two and disrupting the normal Cycle of Life and Death, which threw the Nine Heavens and Five Domains cultivation realms into chaos. Eventually, Martial Cultivation's qi flow waned, persisting to this day. Once the Cycle normalizes, some unique forces will reappear."

"What does that mean?"

"For example, soul cultivators, ghost cultivators, and the like; these practitioners rely on the Yin‑Ming Qi of the Youming Jie for cultivation. When the Cycle of Life and Death is broken, the Youming Jie's ability to normally absorb the power of yin souls is compromised, causing it to indiscriminately draw yin souls, overloading the Six Paths of Rebirth. It's like a dam: it used to store and release water properly, but once the dam is destroyed, no one can stop the water from flowing."

Jian Fan's explanation was straightforward, and Yan Buji quickly grasped its meaning.

"If the Cycle of Life and Death and the Six Paths of Rebirth operate normally, this situation wouldn't arise. The number of lingering yin souls in the world would increase, making it easier to cultivate in places of yin death. Moreover, some adept individuals can use formations and Accumulation Device to communicate with the Youming Jie and draw Yin‑Ming Qi for cultivation."

Yan Buji said, "I see."

It's like a mountain village whose road has been cut off; once the road is repaired and connected, merchants can pass through.

It may mean nothing to ordinary people, but for merchants it provides better, more unique resources.

But with the Six Paths of Rebirth damaged, what does that imply for Martial Cultivation?

"Martial Cultivation can't withstand the pull of the Six Paths of Rebirth, can it? Does destroying the Six Paths allow Martial Cultivation to persist in the world?"

"That's impossible. Martial Cultivation doesn't mean you stop aging; those old guys have each lived for millions of years. Destroying the Youming Jie and the Six Paths of Rebirth is just part of their plan. Do you think they'd care about the subsequent consequences?" Jian Fan waved his hand as he spoke.

"Then why does my practice of the Martial Dao not extend my lifespan?"

"One more question: did ancient martial cultivators also follow the Golden Core to Nascent Soul path?"

"Yes, didn't you?"

Yan Buji's face darkened, and he fell silent.

Jian Fan suddenly said, "I always thought you were different from others; turns out you walk a different path."

"But we all cultivate Dao Marks; is having a Nascent Soul really that important?"

"The Nascent Soul is the embodiment of a person's essence, spirit, and vitality; it ingests and exhales the universe's spiritual qi to strengthen the self, embodying the unity of heaven and man. After the Nascent Soul separates from the flesh, it can linger in the world for a while. Cultivating the Nascent Soul is the short‑term key to extending lifespan; if you don't forge a Nascent Soul, it's no wonder you don't live long."

Yan Buji sighed.

"So it seems it's my own fault; I shouldn't have believed in the spirit‑body unification method, which shortened my lifespan."

"But aren't you also Martial and Law Dual Cultivation? Isn't forging a magical Nascent Soul enough?" Jian Fan laughed.

"But my technique seems to have some problems…"

Yan Buji mentioned the hidden flaws in his own method, and Jian Fan frowned, "Why do you still treat Heaven Gate Law as your primary cultivation method?"

"I was forced into it; after taking the Celestial Pill, that's how I ended up like this."

"All I can say is that you must use the Five Elements Path or another Great Dao principle as a springboard to comprehend the Way of the Universe. Then, with Heaven Gate Law as a cosmic Dao technique working together with the Way of the Universe, you might break through the Nascent Soul."

Way of the Universe...

Yan Buji's complexion twitched.

"Learning the Way of the Universe already gives him a headache; after all these years he hasn't even reached the minor achievement stage, and now he jumps to the Way of the Universe—can he possibly master it?"

"It's not just a matter of whether he can learn it; where he learns it is also crucial."

"How does the Five Elements Path grasp the Way of the Universe?"

"How would I know? Cultivation depends on personal destiny; perhaps your opportunity hasn't arrived yet."

Yan Buji sighed, stood up, and said, "Thank you, Fairy, for clearing up my doubts today."

"You're welcome. I may need to ask you for help again later. Also, could you look into the whereabouts of the Zhan Ren Sword Fragment? Let me know if you hear anything."

"Is the Zhan Ren Sword that important to you?"

"Isn't the Nine‑Turn Celestial Accumulation important enough?"

Yan Buji nodded, "Alright."

Anyway, this sort of thing isn't something he can lay a hand on, so Yan Buji accepted the antler Jianfan sent as a messenger beacon and left the cave dwelling.

"Woo—!!"

The antlered deer ran out and nudged Yan Buji's thigh.

Yan Buji laughed and patted its head, "When you cultivate into a humanoid form, I'll take you out to play."

"Woo—woo—woo!"

"A gentleman's word is a swift horse and a sharp whip."

Jianfan stood nearby and laughed, "You didn't hear what that guy just said; do you think he's a gentleman?"

"Woo…"

The antlered deer, hearing Jianfan's words, looked at Yan Buji with a questioning expression.

Yan Buji coughed, "It's not a dangerous matter, so I will naturally agree. When you come to find me then, I will definitely treat you well."