Chapter 702: Me?

Yan Buji saw that Jianfan Fairy seemed to have no major problem, so he stepped down from the altar and helped Ye Lin, who was on the ground, to his feet.

Ye Lin wore a bitter expression, looking at Yan Buji: "Hall Master Yan, when you traveled the world before, did you…?"

"Don't worry, I had it worse; you still have a breath left, whereas I almost lost my life back then," Yan Buji smiled.

In truth, Ye Lin knew nothing of the inside story and hadn't shown any hostility earlier; Yan Buji didn't want his investment to go to waste, so his usual concern remained unchanged.

"But… Hall Master Yan, Elder Hong said before his death that this ceremony concerns a great calamity for humanity; is it true or false?"

"Do you think a topic of this magnitude is something we Nascent Soul cultivators should discuss?" Yan Buji looked at Ye Lin oddly.

Ye Lin snapped back: "Right! Why should I worry about this?!"

Ye Lin finally understood that as a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, even with great talent, he couldn't reach the Great Vehicle Stage in a year or two, so what use is pondering all this?

Living in the present is the most important; Ye Lin couldn't help recalling Yan Buji's earlier words, his face moved: "Hall Master Yan is still so open‑minded, you warned me before, and I only realize it now."

"And with so many monsters outside now, do you think we could get out without this Jianfan Fairy?" Yan Buji sighed, saying.

Ye Lin heard that and his face darkened instantly: "Yeah, I barely fought my way through all those monsters, only to fall into a trap at the end."

"So when training outside you need to be more vigilant; regardless of others' lives, you must first look after yourself, otherwise if you die you have nothing." Yan Buji kept imparting his philosophy to Ye Lin, also to let him know that sometimes his actions are merely self‑preservation and not really wrong.

For a young cultivator like Ye Lin who has just set foot on the path of cultivation, they often lack sufficient experience and their mind is not yet fully mature. Therefore, when confronted with offhand remarks from others, they are easily influenced, leading to various one‑sided and stereotyped notions about what a cultivator should or should not do.

However, if we truly start from the actual situation and think deeply, it is not hard to see that many matters are not as clear as those few simple sentences suggest. Reality is tangled, with countless factors intertwining, and even the most senior cultivators sometimes cannot untangle it at a glance. Thus, defining or setting rules for the whole cultivator community based on a handful of seemingly reasonable statements is clearly rash and inaccurate.

Even though Yan Buji's cultivation level is not high, after five hundred years he has not lived in vain; he knows what benefits him and knows how to endure.

Ye Lin, after listening, also thought Yan Buji made sense, looked toward Jianfan, and cautiously asked: "I previously offended the Jianfan Fairy; she won't read too much into it, will she…?"

"I don't know about that, but she's still easy to talk to," Yan Buji laughed.

Seeing Jianfan's demeanor, the task she has is huge; since Ye Lin saw the dying Hong Shu and learned of the great calamity for humanity from his words, it's not hard to guess what Jianfan intends to do.

It must be something that harms humanity with no benefit, but for Yan Buji and Ye Lin, could they possibly stop Jianfan here?

Obviously impossible.

They might even need her to leave this place; if past and present are indistinguishable, then cultivation becomes pointless.

Roar!!

"Those monsters are gathering, Ye Lin; the chance for atonement has arrived."

"Alright… I'll regulate my breath."

"Here's a pill for you."

"Thank you, Hall Master!"

Yan Buji rushed out, beginning to slay the flesh‑and‑blood monsters gathering nearby.

After a few days, once Ye Lin's wounds healed, he also joined Yan Buji to grind the monsters; although the two didn't coordinate much, they took turns and left time to rest and regulate breath, allowing Jianfan to calmly repair the slashing sword.

Days passed, and after three months of continuous killing in the secret realm, the blood‑red starlight in the night sky gradually faded and finally vanished.

Yan Buji and Ye Lin exchanged a weary glance and returned to the altar:

"Jianfan Fairy, are you done?"

"All right." Jianfan turned, sheathing the broken sword.

"You brat, you almost caused my repair to fail!" Jianfan looked at Ye Lin with displeasure.

Ye Lin stammered, bowing: "I… I was unaware of the situation; please forgive me, Fairy."

Yan Buji laughed, explaining for Ye Lin: "Fairy, Ye Lin is also a disciple of the Paolang Sacred Land; upon seeing Hong Shu's entrustment, he naturally came to check the situation. He didn't expect those ox horns to have such power, and indeed they injured you; please accept his apology."

"Hmph! Injured? That old ox's horn can't hurt me, but if I hadn't detected it early… never mind, tell me where you got that ox horn?" Jianfan picked up the ox horn from the ground, looking at Ye Lin.

Ye Lin hurriedly explained the situation.

It turned out that earlier Ye Lin went to Long Qi Cheng to buy pills, and on the way met a street vendor; he eyed an Accumulation Device component and, after some haggling, casually chose the ox horn and bought it together.

He also described the vendor's appearance, and Jianfan suddenly said:

"It's them, no wonder."

"Who are they?" Yan Buji asked curiously.

"Some old members of the demon tribe's royal court in Zhong Tian Zhi Yu; I guess they deliberately gave you this," Jianfan laughed.

Ye Lin was startled: "The demon tribe? But they…"

"They're not as rule‑bound as you think," Jianfan waved a hand, looking at Yan Buji: "Mainly you; their purpose was probably to bring you here as well."

"Me?" Yan Buji asked, puzzled: "You mean they knew Ye Lin is friendly with me, so they assumed Ye Lin would invite me to this secret realm, but why?"

Why target me?

If they only intended to deliver these two ox horns to intervene at the right moment and stop Jianfan's actions, then, in a sense, they have succeeded; given the personnel involved, there's no need to single me out, right?

Just because I know Jianfan?

"Did you forget what you have on you?"

"On me?"

Jianfan raised an eyebrow: "Filthy Blood Pool."

Huh?

Yan Buji was stunned, not understanding Jianfan's meaning.

"Most of the monsters here are the result of cooperation between your Great Sinful Sect and the demon tribe," Jianfan said with a smile.

Boom!

Before Yan Buji could react, a storage pouch on his body suddenly exploded!

Yan Buji startled, hurriedly activated Immortal Essence body protection!

Suddenly, a chilling gust of dark wind whooshed by, making Yan Buji and Ye Lin shiver. Immediately after, a blob of ink‑black shadow exuding a pungent, bloody scent rose from the ground in an extremely bizarre manner! In the blink of an eye, this terrifying blood shadow appeared before the three of them like a specter.

It was tall and twisted, its body enveloped in thick blood plasma as if it had just emerged from a brutal slaughter. The blood shadow's face was indistinct, but its eyes, flashing crimson, resembled hellfire, staring straight at the three before it, radiating endless murderous intent.