Chapter 68

If you never obtained it, what is there to talk about losing?

If you never succeeded, what is there to speak of failure?

If I am still alive, what is there to speak of death?

Yan Buji laughed: "Cultivator, cultivation, if even you deny yourself, then you are not worthy to walk this path."

After clarifying his heart once more and following his deepest desire, he took hold of himself and would no longer be lost.

However, this encounter was not a bad thing; at least Yan Buji learned the method for a cultivator to enter the path.

Is it merely that his talent is lacking?

He does not believe that the cultivation world has no method to improve talent; worst case, I will first undergo bitter cultivation for several years to sense spiritual energy, and after completing drawing qi into the body, we'll talk again!

Yan Buji is not unable to calm his heart; rather, he feels some time is very precious and need not be wasted in bitter cultivation.

How long can a mortal's lifespan be?

Even if he reaches the Heavenly Human realm, after fifty his bodily functions will decline severely; he is now thirty-five, and can only guarantee peak mortal combat power for the next fifteen years.

Moreover, he can at most live a hundred years; how can that compare to those cultivators?

Every second counts!

Since he has no background and no talent, he can only seek opportunity.

Opportunity certainly won't just fall from the sky while you sit at home; just like this time, when Yan Buji came to Li Huo City, he happened to meet Gu Li and Gu Yue.

"The perfume that can attract Gu worms can also be prepared some, kept as backup."

Yan Buji thought it over, turned and went to the street to buy more materials, and prepared several batches.

This time no Gu worms were attracted; it seems the previous coincidence was indeed his opportunity.

But since even cultivators cannot discern their true condition, it seems this Yama's Judgment Ghost Tattoo is even more useful than he imagined!

Indeed worthy of being the cultivation method of ancient martial artists!

He must go find the address of the Blood Flow Sect.

Since normal cultivation is unlikely to succeed, try the path of ancient martial artists; perhaps it can still be walked.

After all, his martial arts talent is not bad, even quite high; even if the ancient martial artist's cultivation path is difficult, it is still simpler than sensing spiritual energy.

Yan Buji thought so; after all, when he first obtained the stone tablet, he immediately sensed he lacked an internal martial art, so perhaps to enter the cultivation world he truly needed to start from martial arts.

The Blood Flow Sect's base is in the mountains a hundred li outside Li Huo City; as a rebel force that once brought calamity to a region, it is infamous here.

However, due to the imperial court's suppression, the sect's base was long destroyed, leaving only ruins and broken walls.

But at this moment, several martial artists hide in the forests, boredly looking around.

"Alas, how many years has it been? Why must we suddenly secretly observe the remnants of the Blood Flow Sect again?"

"Wasn't it said earlier that the Iron Tiger Guard's Kūn Gate Master was killed by the Blood Flow Sect remnants? Then it's only natural for us to wipe the Iron Tiger Guard's backside."

"Ridiculous, every member of our Golden Eagle Brigade is a busy person; why should we wipe the Iron Tiger Guard's backside? Or is this waiting-by-the-stump foolish method?"

These martial artists are actually the Golden Eagle Brigade warriors, whom few in the capital know are also imperial confidants like the Iron Tiger Guard.

Their strength is not weak either; all four martial artists are Grandmaster-level experts.

"Shh! Don't make a sound, someone's coming!"

"Who is it?"

"These people... aren't they the Kan Dao caravan?"

"Hehehe, interesting; I recall that a Kan Dao caravan fled during the chaos back then, and I didn't expect to meet them again!"

"You mean when His Majesty sent troops to destroy the Blood Flow Sect?"

"Yes, look at these people; none of them is free of blood evil entwined—how could they be good? Although we didn't catch that foreign demon, these people still count as a not insignificant achievement."

"Why then have they come here?"

"Who knows; perhaps they didn't clean this place out back when they looted it?"

"Catch them and ask, then we'll know."

"Wait a moment, see what they intend to do."

The four Grandmasters of the Golden Eagle Brigade await at ease, watching as those Blood Flow Sect remnants gather here.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man resembling a merchant frowned tightly, cautiously observing his surroundings:

"Make sure no one is around?"

"No one, we have been former husbands here for many years, we already probed the situation around clearly. The court has for over ten years not placed any spies here, and now isn't there that fellow named Yan Buji, a fellow sect member, helping us draw fire?" said the cloth-clad old man with a sly laugh.

The middle-aged man nodded: "Above all, be cautious; the Fifth Elder back then must have entered the secret land left by the patriarch to take away the complete Blood Essence Skill; although we don't know why it ended up in Yan Buji's hands, we cannot rule out that Yan Buji will also come here; we must hurry to find the secret land and take away the patriarch's legacy."

"Hehehe, rest assured! We're now making a splash in Kan Dao; even if our whereabouts are exposed here, we just won't come back later, right?" said the cloth-clad old man.

The middle-aged man glanced at him, then turned his head to look around.

"Fellow disciples, if you discover black spiral patterns, report immediately!"

"Yes!"

A crowd began searching the surroundings; the Golden Eagle Brigade hidden in the dark had solemn expressions.

Seeing this, they also knew their guess was correct; the Blood Flow Sect remnants really came to look for something!

But since the imperial court dug three feet deep and turned this place upside down, what could possibly remain?

"Could it be... they are looking for the legendary treasure and complete Blood Essence Skill left by the Blood Flow Sect's patriarch?"

"No, the complete Blood Essence Skill should be in the hands of that foreign demon Yan Buji. If so, they should have already retrieved those things; why...."

"Old Four, go gather the troops!"

"Yes!"

A figure beside them left; the remaining three watched the surroundings, seeing a disciple suddenly shout with joy from beneath a foundation:

"We found it! We found it!!!"

The middle-aged man and the cloth-robed old man walked over, and upon seeing the black spiral pattern on the foundation, they couldn't help but exclaim in delight: "This place...... I remember it being the location of the Ancestral Master Hall? We should have searched many times back then, why haven't we found this mark?"

Still not clear—if it weren't the Fifth Elder deliberately hiding it, we would have known! That damned bastard, taking away the complete Blood Essence Skill is bad enough, yet the treasure is still left here and not taken away!

Since he took away the complete Blood Essence Skill, why would he send a message saying the treasure hasn't been taken? Could it be that the Sect Master had other arrangements back then?

Who knows how many years the Sect Master has been dead?

The middle-aged man and the cloth-robed old man fell silent for a moment, but recalling the Ancestral Master's formidable battle prowess—his terrifying power that could shatter half of the Imperial Palace's city wall with a single kick—they, as disciples of the Blood Flow Sect, naturally knew this was all due to a treasure on the Ancestral Master's person.

Mortals, how could they have such strength?