Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 39 Sect Mission

Several hours later, Du Fan returned to the Spirit Garden with a heavy heart, still carrying the bag of spirit stones he had prepared when he left.

"This cannot be done!" He muttered to himself after returning to the house for a long time, as if he had made some important decision.

Several hours earlier, after leaving the Spirit Garden, he went to the general store first, only to find out that they didn't sell any pill formulas there. He had expected this, so he wasn't too disappointed. He then went to the alchemy office, but there were no pill formulas for sale there either. Moreover, the servants there told him that it was forbidden to sell pill formulas privately within the sect.

However, if things had ended there, it wouldn't have been a big deal. Du Fan could have simply found a way to buy it from outside. But just then, Qin Xiaoran's master, Huang Tian, ​​the Foundation Establishment Steward of the Kongsang Sect and also the Alchemy Master of the Alchemy Room, happened to be at the office and encountered Du Fan, who wanted to buy the pill formula.

After meeting Du Fan, Master Huang Tian actually wanted to make a deal with him. The deal was that Du Fan would secretly give him a spiritual flower with medicinal properties that had lasted for thirty years, and in return, the other party would give him the formula for a Qi-refining pill. Du Fan naturally hesitated about this, but Huang Tian did not force Du Fan to agree on the spot. Instead, he told him to go back and think about it.

This put Du Fan in a dilemma. If he agreed, he could easily obtain the pill formula, but he would also be taking a considerable risk. A few more or fewer medicinal herbs under ten years old might not matter, but medicinal herbs with medicinal properties over thirty years old are of extraordinary value. If one of them were missing without reason, it would most likely be discovered by the deacons of the Enforcement Hall.

Using the Five Elements planting method combined with potent fertilizer to cultivate the seedling of the spiritual herb that Huang Tian specifically requested would take about one year and three months to give the herb the medicinal properties of a thirty-year-old plant. This method is clearly not advisable.

But if he refused, the other party was a Foundation Establishment deacon, and he would inevitably offend him. He had heard that in the cultivation world, the higher one's cultivation level, the more eccentric one's temper became. Du Fan was really not sure if refusing the other party would cause him any trouble.

However, after some deliberation, Du Fan decided that he could not make the deal with the other party.

"I hope he won't make things difficult for a junior like me," Du Fan sighed, putting the matter of the pill formula aside for the time being.

Over the next few days, Du Fan collected the newly refined ripening powder and made another batch of potent fertilizer. By now, he had finally applied the potent fertilizer to all the spiritual herbs in the herb garden. From now on, all the spiritual herbs in the herb garden would grow at a rate more than twenty times faster. According to the agreement between Du Fan and Uncle Shen, all the increased production would belong to him. It was foreseeable that Du Fan's future wealth of spirit stones would reach a terrifying level.

Another month passed. During this month, Du Fan did not cultivate. Since the rate of improvement in cultivation through normal cultivation was so slow, he figured he might as well not cultivate at all. However, he was not idle. Instead, he used a simple chemical apparatus and ripening powder as a substitute for a catalyst to extract some commonly used spiritual herbs, producing juice essences. He then carefully stored these juice essences in empty small bottles, intending to use them to make essential oils later when he had the pill formula.

Those small bottles filled with essence naturally contained all the spiritual herbs needed for the Qi Refining Pill. A month ago, he had chemically analyzed the last Qi Refining Pill he possessed, learning its composition. Knowing the exact proportions of each ingredient might be difficult, but simply identifying the spiritual herbs was not too challenging for him. Therefore, once he obtained the formula, he would be able to concoct the Qi Refining Oil in a short time.

"Come out!" A cold snort, though not loud, was clear to Du Fan, as if it came from his mind. It made his vision go black for a moment, and his face showed horror. After regaining his composure, his face turned pale. Without hesitation, he pushed open the door and went out.

"Du Fan greets Uncle Shen." Du Fan bowed respectfully. The person who came was none other than Shen Hong, the true owner of the Spirit Garden.

"I didn't expect you to be so capable of causing trouble." Shen Hong glanced at the scene in the herb garden, his pupils contracted slightly, and he was extremely shocked. He had managed the spirit garden for many years and was naturally an expert in the way of plants. He could see through everything at a glance, but he forced himself to remain calm and did not reveal the slightest bit of his true feelings.

"What does Uncle Shen mean?" Du Fan asked, puzzled, not understanding the meaning behind Uncle Shen's words.

"I misjudged you last time I came. You've actually advanced to the Quasi-Qi Refining stage. Looks like you're not a good person after all!" Shen Hong's eyes flickered, lost in thought. The scene he had just witnessed had left him reeling. When he looked at Du Fan, he saw admiration deep in his pupils. However, he quickly changed the subject, avoiding the topic.

"Huh?" Du Fan was completely bewildered by Shen Hong's two nonsensical sentences.

"I thought you were honest, but I didn't expect you to be secretly doing things to earn spirit stones to buy cultivation techniques. However, I told you beforehand that if you can increase the yield of the herb garden, the benefits will naturally be yours, so you don't need to worry. I have another matter to discuss with you today. In three days, you and several other quasi-Qi Refining stage inner sect servants will complete a sect mission to obtain a treasure from a special location. This mission is a must-do, failure is not an option!" Shen Hong's expression was solemn, and he remained silent, as if to ask if he didn't understand.

"Uncle Shen, the Kongsang Sect has four thousand inner disciples and more than ten thousand outer disciples. I wonder why we, quasi-Qi Refining stage servants, are chosen to complete this task?" Du Fan was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and then asked in confusion.

"This place is not the interface we are in, but a special space called the Land of Dispersion. You don't need to know how it was formed. Since this special space is called the Land of Dispersion, it is very unstable. People with magical power cannot enter it, otherwise the entrance will immediately collapse and disintegrate, and it will be impossible to enter or leave. Therefore, only mortals and cultivators in the quasi-refining stage can safely enter and leave."

There are no disciples at the quasi-Qi Refining stage in the inner sect. As for the outer sect, the quasi-Qi Refining stage disciples will soon be participating in the sect's grand competition and will be unable to leave. This matter has come suddenly and must be carried out in three days, and the treasure must be retrieved within a week. If this mission fails, not only will you suffer losses, but the entire sect will also be affected. As for the selection of participants, mortals will naturally not be allowed to enter. It seems that only you, the quasi-Qi Refining stage inner sect servants, are the most suitable.

"Don't worry, if this mission is successfully completed, the sect will reward you handsomely, and I will make an exception and accept you as a disciple." Shen Hong said slowly, his old face stern.

"It seems we have no choice but to accept this matter. May I ask if Uncle Shen could inform us of the risks involved in this trip?" Du Fan's expression changed several times. After pondering for a while, he sighed and asked cautiously.

"You're quite sensible. Alright, I'll tell you about it. Within my Kongsang Sect, there is a treasure that guards the mountain. This treasure is related to the lifeline of our sect and is hidden in an extremely secret place within the sect. To open this secret place, three tokens are needed, and these three tokens are guarded by the sect leader and two other elders. Just last night, one of the elders' tokens was stolen by the magical beast he raised. This magical beast is not of a high level, only about the first level of the Qi Refining stage, but it is proficient in the Five Elements Escape Technique and has a talent for concealment. It is precisely because of these supernatural abilities that it was able to successfully steal the mysterious token. It is also because of its innate supernatural abilities that it can ignore the restrictions and enter the Dispersed Land."

Therefore, your task is to enter the Land of the Dispersed, find this monster, and retrieve the token. As for this monster, it is, after all, Master Chang's beloved monster. You should try to capture it alive. If you cannot achieve both, you may kill it.

"As for the risks in the Scattered Lands, you don't need to worry too much. Every few years, the sect organizes quasi-Qi Refining stage disciples from the outer sect to go there for trials. After years of sweeping and killing, there are basically no magical beasts left. Even if there are, they will be extremely rare. You should be fine if you are careful. On the contrary, there may be some spiritual herbs and flowers, or even magical treasures and tools, in this place. This time is special because it is not a trial. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to find these things, it will naturally be your good fortune, and the sect will not take them." Seeing that Du Fan was quite sensible, Shen Hong's expression softened, and he explained to him in detail.

"If that's the case, then I'm much more relieved. It seems the key lies only in the magical beast raised by our Elder Master. Since this magical beast possesses so many escape abilities, the sect must have some countermeasures for us." Du Fan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and then asked.

"Hmph, you are quite cautious. That's right, the sect will prepare magical tools to break this beast's concealment technique, as well as specially made talismans to track and trap it. With these things, completing the mission will not be difficult. However, the greatest difficulty for you lies with this beast itself, because it possesses a cultivation level of around the first level of the Qi Refining stage. If you are careless, it can easily kill you. Therefore, you must act according to the strategy tailored for you by the sect. Now come with me, Elder Xu will personally explain this matter to you. Remember, the elders in the sect are all powerful seniors at the Golden Core stage, so don't be rude." Shen Hong snorted lightly, but showed no anger. After explaining briefly, he turned and left without saying another word.

"Golden Core stage?"

Although Du Fan had expected it, hearing it in person still startled him. He immediately followed without hesitation.