Chapter 784: The Unexpected Appearance of True Dragon's Blood

His throat suddenly felt parched. He couldn't believe he had so easily obtained a second Immeasurable Ring! At the bottom of the cliff of that snow mountain, he had discovered an identical Immeasurable Ring in the Nascent Soul cultivator's cave dwelling. It possessed the miraculous ability to manipulate gravity.

Back then, when he was still in the Foundation Establishment realm, facing Leng Gu, who was at the ninth level of Core Formation, he had barely survived and relied on the ring's residual energy to strike down Leng Gu. Half a year had passed, and now he had seen another one! For only a thousand merit points! It felt just like a dream.

However, the Immeasurable Ring's energy was difficult to restore once depleted. Jiang Fan had exhausted his spiritual energy, only managing to make its color slightly change. Consequently, he had once neglected the Immeasurable Ring, leaving it unused.

"Steward, what is the origin of this Immeasurable Ring?" Jiang Fan was curious. Why was one at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and the other at the bottom of a cliff? Was there some connection between the two rings?

The steward stroked his beard and said, "The Immeasurable Ring is a mid-grade spirit artifact. It was obtained decades ago from a corpse found on the tenth underground level. When it was found, it was already badly damaged. According to records, this ring was the life-bound magical artifact of a pair of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators a hundred years ago. It consists of two rings, Yin and Yang. Separately, they are mid-grade spirit artifacts, but when activated together, their power is among the top tier of mid-grade spirit artifacts. Back then, that pair of cultivators, relying on the two Immeasurable Rings, were virtually invincible and gained widespread fame for a time."

"Later, for unknown reasons, the two went their separate ways. One of them entered the tenth underground level of our Heavenly Secret Pavilion for exploration. By the time she was discovered again, decades had passed. Not only had she perished, but the Immeasurable Ring in her hand was also shattered by an unknown force."

Jiang Fan nodded to himself. The timing was consistent. That cave dwelling also dated back a century. Suppressing his inner excitement, he said, "Thank you for the information, Senior. This junior will take his leave." He couldn't wait to go back and try to see whether he could channel the energy from the damaged ring into the empty Immeasurable Ring. If successful, he would have another trump card.

Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly noticed a cluster of crystal display cases nearby, emitting flickering blood-red light. He moved closer to look. Several seals were affixed to the crystal cases. Furthermore, a separate formation had been set up around them. Then he looked at the price tag beside it. Jiang Fan nearly bit off his tongue: "One hundred thousand merit points? Is there a fairy inside?" He had worked so hard this time and only accumulated eight thousand merit points. Even if he were lucky enough to encounter two hidden spaces every month from now on, he still wouldn't be able to gather that many merit points in an entire year. Who could possibly obtain this?

The steward also gave a wry smile. "Indeed. One hundred thousand merit points was an astronomical sum, even during the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's peak period. Now, it's difficult to reach even if one accumulates points for an entire lifetime. However, the item inside is actually worth more than one hundred thousand merit points."

Jiang Fan was extremely curious. One hundred thousand merit points, and that still underestimated its value? "What's inside?" He peered through the crystal case and vaguely saw a dark, black jade bottle. It was only palm-sized, and he had no idea what it contained.

"True Spirit Blood."

"What?" Jiang Fan trembled all over, as if an electric current surged from head to toe. His pupils dilated, and his breathing became rapid. Lu Jiulin, who had created the 'Sacred True Spirit Art' back then, couldn't even gather all four types of True Spirit Blood. Its rarity was hard to imagine. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion actually had a bottle hidden away? With the True Spirit Blood of the rebel, Jiang Fan would be able to cultivate the Divine Elephant, becoming invincible below the Nascent Soul realm. And according to the cultivation method, cultivating the second form would achieve the Golden Body. The implication was that his physical body would be comparable to a Nascent Soul realm cultivator! If he truly possessed such a physique, what would he fear from a Demon Emperor?

He finally understood why the steward said that one hundred thousand merit points underestimated its value. If Lu Jiulin, who had never collected all four types of True Spirit Blood in his lifetime, knew that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion allowed it to be exchanged for only one hundred thousand merit points, he would probably be so frustrated he'd spit blood. What he desperately searched for and couldn't find was available here for just one hundred thousand merit points!

But when he recovered his senses, Jiang Fan also showed a hint of bitterness. In the current underground world, one hundred thousand merit points was truly no easy feat. But at least he had found hope. He gazed at the True Spirit Blood one last time with reluctance before leaving.

Soon after, he led Team Zero to the Mission Hall. Behind him, the angry shouts of Wu Ji and Yuan Zheng erupted one after another. "That bastard took the Moon Realm!" "Damn it, the Radiant Brocade Robe is gone too!" The former was one thing, but the latter had a rule that made Team Wu Ji furious: the Radiant Brocade Robe could only be exchanged by one team. Even if there were five left, Wu Ji couldn't exchange them. They would have to wait until Team Zero's usage period expired after a full year before Wu Ji would be eligible. The precondition was that Wu Ji's merit points would have to surpass Team Zero's by then. "Jiang Fan!" Li Shangqiu was extremely annoyed.

As for Jiang Fan, they appeared in the Mission Hall. The hall was unusually lively. Many disciples were taking on missions, their expressions exceptionally serious. Jiang Fan looked puzzled. Suddenly, noticing Ren Guhong, he called out to him, "Senior Brother Ren. Has something happened?"

Ren Guhong's eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Fan. He said, "Junior Brother Jiang, the Pavilion Master has suddenly issued a super-hazardous mission. It's restricted to disciples at Core Formation seventh level and above. The mission is to search for traces of the Hellish Desolate Beast, with a reward of ten thousand merit points. If found alone, one gets the full ten thousand merit points. If found by multiple people, the ten thousand merit points will be distributed among them. Wu Manyue and I are forming a team; would Junior Brother Jiang like to join us?"

Although Jiang Fan was only at the sixth level of Core Formation, his methods and cunning would definitely be more effective in such a mission than a ninth-level Core Formation companion! Moreover, this mission was truly too dangerous. If a teammate wasn't reliable, they could easily implicate themselves. Therefore, he sincerely invited Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan frowned. Of course, he preferred to act with Team Zero. But after a moment of calm reflection, he abandoned the idea. How dangerous was it to scout for the Hellish Desolate Beast? It was a being that required the combined efforts of both human and demon races—one Nascent Soul cultivator and five Demon Emperors—to deal with. Without the ability to escape, it was extremely perilous. Jiang Fan himself might not be able to protect himself, let alone look after others. More importantly, this was a reward to be shared. If Jiang Fan completed it alone, it would be the same amount of merit points. Going with the team would still yield the same amount of merit points. Ren Guhong not bringing his own team likely stemmed from the same consideration.

Therefore, after a brief thought, he said, "Alright. When do we depart?"

Ren Guhong was delighted and said, "We can depart as soon as we accept the mission. However, for such a dangerous undertaking, Wu Manyue and I both need a day to prepare." Sharpening the axe doesn't delay chopping wood. The Hellish Desolate Beast had rampaged for so long without being tracked, so an extra day wouldn't make a difference. Preparing more life-saving measures was the right approach. A glint flashed in Jiang Fan's eyes. He said, "Alright! We'll gather in front of the Mission Hall at this time tomorrow."

He bid farewell to Liu Qingxian and the others. He immediately accepted the mission. Then, holding his identity token, he swiftly arrived at a valley thirty li outside the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master had undergone his tribulation here back then, and even now, the immortal tribulation aura still echoed in the valley.

In the valley, within a lightning pool where electric arcs crackled, Demon Emperor Yizhu was bathing naked, a hint of pain on her face. She quietly endured the tempering of the tribulation lightning on her body. Looking at Demon Emperor Jiumeng, who refused to descend, she couldn't help but chide, "Aren't you coming down yet?"

Demon Emperor Jiumeng clutched her collar, looking around worriedly. "The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master said disciples might come here at any time. What if someone sees us naked in the lightning pool like this? I can't afford to be so embarrassed."

Demon Emperor Yizhu rolled her eyes. "Then come to the lightning pool with your clothes on; no amount of clothes will withstand the lightning arcs. Besides, which junior is so powerful that they could sneak close to this place without us noticing? If someone comes, we'll just hide in the clouds in the sky. I really don't know what you're so afraid of."

Demon Emperor Jiumeng hesitated for a long time but was eventually persuaded. With a slight press of her red lips, she shed her clothes, revealing her youthful and proud physique.