Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 195 Bloodbath in the Fishing Village

After the servant left, Du Fan immediately took out the restrictive magic tool and activated it. Then he sat cross-legged on the wooden bed and began to think about his next plan.

"There are still more than four months left until the six-month deadline with Vice Alliance Leader Xiao. Even if time allows, it is not realistic to discuss the Earthly Fiend Islands matter. We can only put this matter aside for the time being."

"At worst, I'll ask Vice Alliance Leader Xiao for help once I return to Zhongzhou. I'll see if I can persuade her to do me this favor."

Du Fan sighed. He had made a decision about Yao Ruoxi, but when he thought of Xiao Hu and the Dark Forest, he couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness.

"The Dark Forest... I wonder if the Seven Star Merchant Alliance has any dealings with these high-level demonic cultivators..."

A hint of annoyance appeared in Du Fan's eyes. He had never imagined that this matter would become so complicated, involving two enormous forces outside the Nine Provinces Continent.

"And the ghost woman's request, it seems, isn't as optimistic as I initially thought... Oh well, as I said before, let's do our best and leave the rest to fate."

Du Fan shook his head, planning to stay here for more than three months. If no further news came, he would head back to Zhongzhou. He dared not disobey the Seven Star Merchant Alliance's wishes in the slightest.

Left with no other choice, Du Fan flicked his wrist and took out the bamboo slip containing the "Copper and Iron Arm Forging Technique," and began to study the latter half of it.

Two days later, Du Fan's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and a layer of golden light seemed to appear and disappear in his pupils, like some kind of wild beast, which was really strange.

Suddenly, he raised one arm, and a golden ray of light swept out from his arm and wrapped around it completely.

A moment later, a series of cracking sounds, like bones shattering, came from his arm.

As the golden light and sound continued to intertwine, his arm suddenly grew several times larger at a speed visible to the naked eye, radiating a sharp metallic luster, like an impenetrable wall of copper and iron, giving people a feeling of indestructibility.

A golden light flashed in Du Fan's eyes, and at the same time, he activated a spell in his mind, causing the golden light swirling around his arm to dissipate in a whirl.

After another series of crackling sounds, his arm returned to normal.

"The Copper Iron Forging Arm Technique has been mastered. According to the bamboo slip, once mastered, this technique will not only grant immense strength and make the user indestructible, but it can also be used for defense in critical situations."

Du Fan thought to himself, but since he was currently in the Mortal Inn, he naturally couldn't truly unleash his power.

A moment later, Du Fan patted his storage bag with one hand, putting away the previous bamboo slip and taking out another bamboo slip, which was none other than the bamboo slip containing the "Golden Bell Cover" technique.

He had already grasped about 30% of this technique, so in less than half a week, the complex and difficult-to-understand Dharma Body Fusion Technique in the eyes of other cultivators was completely understood by him.

With a flick of his wrist, Du Fan unleashed a golden light from his storage bag, which he then grabbed. The golden light subsided, revealing the Golden Source Pearl that Du Fan had once purchased at the Seven Stars Alliance auction in Xuan Shui City.

The bead shone with golden light, and as soon as it appeared, it illuminated the entire room in a magnificent golden glow.

Du Fan suddenly raised his arm and cast a spell at the Golden Source Pearl. The pearl then floated in mid-air about a foot away from him and slowly rolled in place.

He took a deep breath and began to cultivate the Golden Bell Cover, a Buddhist and Taoist technique, by using the metal element power of the Golden Source Pearl.

Five days later, Du Fan opened his eyes again. At this time, he had already cultivated the Golden Bell Shield to the Great Perfection stage.

"I never imagined that the Golden Source Pearl was so mysterious; it could actually be used to cultivate metal-attribute spells."

Du Fan's face lit up with joy. He had initially had some doubts about the bead's function, but now it seemed that at least some ordinary metal-attribute spells could be cultivated with its help.

"It's just a bit of a pity that this Golden Source Pearl can only be used to cultivate spells, but not to cultivate cultivation techniques like the Water Drawing Technique, which are used to improve one's cultivation level. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been completely passive during the stabilization period after breaking through my realm."

Du Fan sighed softly, looking somewhat regretful, but he quickly perked up, swung his hand to retrieve the restrictive magical artifact, then got off the wooden bed and left the inn.

……

Half an hour later, Du Fan stepped down from a beast-drawn carriage, tossed a low-grade spirit stone to the driver, and then entered a cultivation shop called Penglai Pavilion.

Inside the hall, there were several rows of sandalwood shelves, on which various items were displayed, including magical tools, talismans, elixirs, and even some that faintly shimmered with precious light, creating a dazzling array of goods.

At this moment, there were about a dozen cultivators in the hall, each looking at something that interested them.

Du Fan scanned them briefly with his divine sense and found that most of these people were at the second or third level of the Qi Refining stage. Comparing them with their ages, he guessed that most of them were rogue cultivators.

As soon as Du Fanfang stood still in the hall, a beautiful young woman in a bright green dress walked towards him.

"Fellow Daoist, is there anything I can help you with?"

The woman had a graceful figure and a beautiful face. She smiled sweetly at him, bowed slightly, and spoke softly.

"Does your esteemed establishment offer any metal-attribute spells for sale during the Qi Refining stage?" Du Fan scanned the other party with his divine sense and discovered that he was a quasi-Qi Refining stage cultivator. He felt relieved and calmly asked.

"Of course I do, please follow me, fellow Daoist." The young woman blushed slightly, smiled, turned around, and led the way with graceful steps.

Du Fan nodded and followed the woman. After wandering around for a while, the two arrived at a row of wooden shelves.

"These are all metal-element cultivation techniques, including offensive and defensive ones, as well as those that enhance cultivation. Of course, there are also some secret techniques. I wonder which one you would like to learn from?" The woman in the long dress said respectfully after she stopped.

Du Fan glanced at the wooden shelves and found that the shelves were divided into many compartments. Each compartment contained cultivation techniques in various forms, including jade slips, bamboo slips, and paper booklets. There were quite a few types, probably forty or fifty.

"Let's look at the offensive ones first," Du Fan said calmly.

"Alright, this technique is 'Golden Life Technique,' which, when unleashed, can create a fist shadow; it's a decent single-target attack. This is 'Golden Spear Technique,' also a single-target attack, but its offensive power surpasses that of the Golden Life Technique. And this one…"

After the woman responded, she began to introduce Du Fan to everyone. Her beautiful face always had a slight smile on it, and she seemed quite patient.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the woman had introduced all twenty-odd offensive metal-type spells in the shop. However, seeing that Du Fan still had an ambiguous expression, she couldn't help but feel a little disheartened.

"There are two more metal-attribute secret techniques in this pavilion, but they are on the second floor. If you are interested, I can take you there to have a look."

The woman sighed inwardly. The second floor was no longer under her jurisdiction. Even if Du Fan eventually bought some things, she would have no financial connection with him. However, she still maintained her professional ethics and smiled at Du Fan, speaking softly.

"I won't use the secret techniques; I'm not interested. Please, young lady, retrieve the jade slip with the 'Mother-Child Sword Technique' inscribed on it for me."

Du Fan naturally saw the woman's expression. He was taken aback at first, but after a moment's thought, he understood what was going on. He couldn't help but find it a little funny, so he coughed lightly and said this.

"Ah? Fellow Daoist wishes to purchase the 'Mother and Child Sword Technique'? No problem, I'll retrieve it for you right away." Upon hearing Du Fan's words, the woman in the long dress perked up and said with a beaming smile.

……

After a meal, Du Fan saw the beautiful young woman off from Penglai Pavilion with a charming smile.

Upon arriving at the wide street, Du Fan immediately tried to flag down a beast-drawn carriage, intending to return to the inn to practice the "Mother-Child Sword Technique".

However, after he casually swept his divine sense across the area, his arm, which had been raised halfway, involuntarily and slowly lowered.

"Brother Zheng, have you heard? All the fishing villages over at Bingyu Mountain were attacked by sea monsters three days ago. Now the land is littered with corpses, and no one has survived. It's truly a tragic sight."

"That's unlikely. Isn't there a sizable cultivation world mine there, with many high masters residing within it?"

Over the years, sea monsters have indeed frequently attacked coastal villages, especially in recent years. However, due to the presence of cultivation masters there, the fishing villages around Bingyu Mountain have never experienced any incidents.

"You don't even know about something this big? Fine, let me tell you. More than ten days ago, for some unknown reason, all the masters in that cultivation mine withdrew overnight."

However, these gurus were not without good intentions. Before leaving, they warned the people in the nearby fishing villages. But these fishermen had lived there for generations; how could they just leave like that? Even if some managed to escape, very few could..."

This was a conversation between two mortals, and Du Fan didn't listen to what they said after that.

At that moment, his face turned deathly pale, his body went cold, and he stood there trembling.

The fishing village that these two mortals mentioned is the place where the Ding family father and daughter who saved Du Fan lived. There is a place called Bingyu Mountain nearby. In addition, there is the matter of the mineral vein in the cultivation world. It is definitely not wrong!

"No, even if they're unlikely to survive, I still have to go there. Otherwise, I won't be able to rest easy!"

After a long while, a fleeting look of grief crossed Du Fan's eyes. He flagged down a beast-drawn carriage and headed straight for the city gate.