Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 298 Green Ephemeral Fruit

"Gold!" Zi Yan uttered through gritted teeth after calming herself down.

Upon hearing this, Du Fan suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. The Golden Source Pearl was an acquired item, and its value was far less than that of the Innate Earth Source Pearl. Even if this woman forcibly kept it, he wouldn't feel too heartbroken.

Moreover, this Golden Source Pearl is only an acquired item. Given Zi Yan's status as a Golden Core Protector, the probability of it being returned intact after she finishes using it is not low.

Thinking of this, Du Fan no longer hesitated. He immediately patted the storage bag with one hand, and at the same time, a wisp of divine sense penetrated into it, instantly affecting the blue Qiankun Ring. In the blink of an eye, a golden light shot out and went straight for Zi Yan.

With a flick of her sleeve, Zi Yan grabbed the glittering Golden Source Pearl in her hand. After examining the pearl for a moment, her expression softened, and she said with a hint of joy, "Very good, it really is the Golden Source Pearl. Thank you."

"Senior, you're too kind. It's my honor that you would like my things." Du Fan smiled shyly and said something extremely hypocritical.

Zi Yan was in a great mood and didn't make things too difficult for Du Fan. Instead, she played with the Golden Source Pearl for a while, looking very fond of it. After about half a cup of tea's time, she finally put the Golden Source Pearl away with a flick of her hand.

"I will now use the power of this pearl to cultivate a metal-attribute spell. This spell is not too complicated. For me, it will take at most half a month to complete the cultivation. The timing is just right for the start of the Alliance Island Grand Competition."

"Don't worry, I keep my word. Once I've mastered that spell, I'll naturally return the Golden Source Pearl to you as it is." Zi Yan slowly exhaled and whispered to Du Fan.

"Senior Ziyan, please feel free to use it. This junior has no problem with it." Du Fan bowed slightly to the woman.

Just as Du Fan was about to say goodbye, Zi Yan appeared before him, her figure flashing as she stood at the door of the room. She turned back with a faint smile and said, "I'm going to the cultivation room for seclusion. You can use this room."

"Senior Ziyan, may I freely enter and exit this attic?" Du Fan was somewhat taken aback upon seeing this, but after a quick thought, he hurriedly asked.

"random."

After leaving behind a casual remark, the woman vanished in an instant, leaving Du Fan alone in the large room, standing there dumbfounded with a bitter smile on his face.

"Should I take this opportunity to consolidate my seventh level of Qi Refining?" After a wry smile, Du Fan suddenly had this thought.

"Forget it. It's only half a month at most. Even if I do reach the initial stage of the seventh level, it won't increase my strength much. There's no need to take the risk. I might as well try my luck in a cultivation market."

"As one of the three main islands of the Earthly Fiends Archipelago, Fallen Leaf Island shouldn't disappoint me too much." After a moment's thought, Du Fan made his decision. With a flash of his eyes, he stepped out of the pavilion where Zi Yan lived.

To his relief, no one came to stop him until he appeared outside the gate of the villa. He breathed a sigh of relief and followed his memory, heading towards a cultivation market he had passed on his way there.

……

Two hours later, Du Fan found himself in a market town. He was walking out of a fairly ordinary cultivation shop, his brows furrowed, and he sighed, looking quite depressed.

"This is the third shop already, and none of them have what I need. I never imagined that gathering the materials for the Lesser Five Elements Demon Extermination Array, the Tendon Cleansing Pill, and the Bone Strengthening Pill would be so difficult." Du Fan shook his head and headed straight for the next shop.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you need? My shop may be small, but it has a full range of items. Perhaps I can satisfy your needs." As soon as Du Fan stepped into the shop, a tall, thin old man dressed as the shopkeeper came to greet him with a smile.

Du Fan did not use the Concealing Spirit Technique to lower his cultivation level at this moment. As a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining, he was still considered a "big customer" in such an ordinary small shop. Therefore, the owner of almost every ordinary shop would personally serve him.

"I have a list here with everything needed. Please take a look, shopkeeper." Du Fan didn't waste any words. He immediately took out a piece of yellow paper, flicked his wrist, and handed it to the other party.

"Alright, fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. Let me take a look first." The tall, thin old man carefully took the yellow paper and immediately began to examine it closely.

After a long pause, the old man's expression turned somewhat grim. He scanned the items listed on the paper again before returning the yellow paper to Du Fan, giving a wry smile, and saying:

"The items on the list are not particularly precious, but they are almost all rare and hard to find in the world. They are very obscure, and I have never even heard of most of them. I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you this time. The only thing you need in my shop is Green Ephemeral Plum."

"Hmm? There's another one!" Du Fan's eyes suddenly lit up.

Du Fan hadn't held out much hope, so when he heard the first half of the old man's sentence, he was already preparing to take his leave. But he didn't expect the old man to take a long breath and finish a bunch of nonsense before finally getting to the point.

"How much does this green plum cost?" Although Du Fan was asking the question, he had already made up his mind that he was determined to get this item, no matter the price.

"Thirty spirit stones per plant." The tall, thin old man had been running this shop for many years, and his ability to read people was naturally exceptional. He had taken in all of Du Fan's changes in expression just now, so after a slight smile, he naturally quoted a higher price.

"How many spirit stones?" Du Fan was taken aback when he heard this. He thought he had misheard, or that the old man had misspoke.

"Um, one green plum tree costs thirty spirit stones."

"However, fellow Daoist, you look unfamiliar. This must be your first time visiting my humble shop. How about this, I'll give you a 10% discount, making it twenty-seven spirit stones?" Upon seeing this, the tall, thin old man naturally misunderstood and, after a moment's thought, quickly corrected himself by adding, "How about this?"

This time, Du Fan was truly certain. It seemed that this medicinal herb called Green Ephemeral Plum was not particularly valuable; it was merely rare, much like the spring water of Crescent Island.

Du Fan nodded calmly, glanced at the other party indifferently, and asked, "How many of these do you have in your shop?"

"There are still more than ten plants left. How many would you like to buy, fellow Daoist?" Upon hearing this, the old man felt relieved and said with a smile.

"More than ten plants... Does this plant have seeds?" Du Fan frowned slightly, clearly not satisfied with the quantity.

"We also have some Green Ephemeral Fruit seeds, each priced at eight spirit stones. Are you interested in these seeds, fellow Daoist?" The tall, thin old man was somewhat surprised, after all, cultivating spiritual herbs is not something just anyone can do.

"Let's go with the price you just mentioned, shopkeeper. I'll take all the green plums and seeds," Du Fan said with a smile to the old man.

"You want them all? There are seventy or eighty green plum seeds in my shop." The old man was surprised and exclaimed.

"Shopkeeper, just take it out. Are you worried that I can't afford the spirit stones? I have other things to take care of and can't stay here for too long." Du Fan's face darkened slightly, and his voice turned cold as he spoke.

"Oh dear, that's not what I meant. Alright, fellow Daoist, please wait a moment, I'll be right back." The tall, thin old man's heart skipped a beat, and without further hesitation, he turned and walked towards a side door.

Before long, the old man came out carrying a bulging cloth bag, and handed it to Du Fan as he approached.

Du Fan took the cloth bag and scanned it with his divine sense. Only then did a look of satisfaction appear on his face. He turned his gaze to the old man and said with a smile, "No problem, these are spirit stones, please keep them, shopkeeper."

As Du Fan put the cloth bag into his storage bag, he suddenly flipped his hand and took out a palm-sized leather bag, which he then tossed to the tall, thin old man in front of him.

After a brief examination, the tall, thin old man's face immediately broke into a wide smile. Just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

At this moment, he no longer cared about Du Fan. Instead, he ran to the shop entrance, a fawning expression on his face, and bowed and scraped, saying, "I didn't know you gentlemen were here. I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly..."

Du Fan frowned subconsciously and immediately turned around. However, when he saw the clothes and attire of the people at the door, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched tightly involuntarily.

At the entrance of the shop stood three men dressed in black. They all wore black cloth hats and black veils, making it impossible to see their faces or tell if they were male or female. Only their dark, gleaming eyes shone with a deep and terrifying light.

These three individuals exuded an extremely strong killing intent. Although their cultivation levels were all at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining stage, among all Qi Refining cultivators, there were probably very few who could remain unmoved in front of these three.

If it were just that, Du Fan wouldn't care too much. But it was this murderous aura, this outfit, and that indescribable eerie feeling that reminded him of someone in his memory, a woman in black who seemed to be an assassin.

The woman in black who assassinated him a year ago was practically identical to these three.