The Demonic Beast Mission and a New Alliance

“Essence Pills can loosen meridians, making breakthroughs twice as effective. They are most potent when consumed during the Qi Refinement stage,” the young man named Wang said, taking a sip of tea before continuing.

“The Prince possesses quite a few Essence Pills. He usually uses them to enlist the help of cultivators when faced with difficulties, and if Miss Luo accompanies us, our chances against the demonic beast will be much greater.”

Aiding breakthroughs—this pill was an opportunity Lin Tian naturally didn’t want to miss.

“What kind of demonic beast is it?” Lin Tian asked.

“We’re not entirely sure. We heard the Prince also invited two other individuals. From the sound of it, it must be a demonic beast of rank two or higher, its strength at least equivalent to the early Foundation Establishment stage.”

Lin Tian still had a somewhat vague understanding of the Foundation Establishment stage’s power. However, comparing it to his own strength, it had to be incredibly formidable.

He was merely at the third layer of Qi Refinement, yet his strength was undoubtedly greater than the cultivator he had killed previously. One could only imagine the power he would wield after breaking through beyond the fifteenth layer.

“When do we begin?”

“Haha, Miss Luo is quite eager! Let us depart now…”

****

The three conversed for a while longer, exchanging insights on cultivation. All benefited greatly, and Lin Tian now understood the critical importance of pills and spirit stones. Without such resources, breaking through even a single layer could take ten or even eight years.

The entrance to the Prince’s residence was remarkably quiet, as idlers rarely ventured down this street. Guards stood beside two stone lions, ramrod straight, even when unobserved.

“Halt! Who goes there?!”

As they neared the gates, two guards immediately blocked their path.

“We are the enforcers invited by the Prince. Here is his token.”

The young man named Wang produced a token. Lin Tian glanced at it, realizing it was precisely the kind Qin Jiu had given him.

The guard accepted the token and scrutinized it, his demeanor subtly shifting. “Please wait here for a moment, the three of you. I will go and report.”

With that, the guard turned and entered the grand gate. It was about half a quarter of an hour later when he reemerged.

“Please enter, all three of you.” This time, his tone was significantly more respectful.

Guided by the guard, they strolled towards a serene pavilion. The interior of the residence was lavishly decorated, captivating the two male cultivators.

Lin Tian, however, remained unimpressed. His own family was quite wealthy, and their decor was no less splendid. As for scenery, he had witnessed plenty in his previous life.

In the center of a lotus pond, two figures sat within a small pavilion: a man and a woman. One was indeed Qin Jiu, while the woman emanated the spiritual energy of a cultivator.

Seeing the guard approach with the three newcomers, they rose to greet them.

“You two esteemed cultivators have finally arrived! And Miss Yingkong is here as well! Everyone is accounted for,” Qin Jiu announced.

The cultivator named Wang and Brother Qi exchanged surprised glances, realizing that the “young lady” they had met along the way was indeed also invited by the Prince.

“Without further ado, let me explain the characteristics of the demonic beast to you all,” Qin Jiu said.

The five sat gathered in the pavilion as a maidservant poured several cups of tea before retreating to stand respectfully to the side.

“This demonic beast resides in the western marshland. I’ve sent men there before, but they couldn’t even enter the swamp, and several were overcome by poisonous gas.”

The four cultivators frowned upon hearing this. “Then we have no way to get past it either. Unless one is a Foundation Establishment cultivator capable of sword flight, we cannot achieve that.”

“Do not fret. I possess a magical artifact, a flying shield, that can transport us across. However, it can only carry one person at a time,” the female cultivator interjected.

If it could only carry one person, then they couldn’t all cross at once. After a moment of silence, Qin Jiu proposed, “Immortal, perhaps you could lure the demonic beast out of the swamp, then launch a surprise attack? How does that sound?”

Everyone nodded in agreement. This method was quite ingenious. As long as they prepared some traps on the shore, hunting it would become much easier.

They discussed for a while longer, learning that it was a rank-two demonic beast, similar in appearance to a crocodile.

The Prince only required its inner core, which he intended to present to the Emperor on his birthday. The rest of the carcass would belong to them.

The reward for this task was three Essence Pills each. Each person received one upfront, with the remaining two to be given afterward. Their accommodations were arranged, and they prepared to depart the following day.

The lodging was quiet, and Lin Tian felt a touch of weariness. He sat cross-legged, practicing his Qi Gathering Art.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Miss Yingkong, may I disturb you for a moment?”

It was Qin Jiu’s voice. Lin Tian waved his hand, and the door to his room opened on its own.

“Miss Yingkong, we’ve discovered a few stones that resemble the uranium you were looking for. We collected all of them. Please take a look.”

“You found it?” Lin Tian’s eyes lit up, and he promptly rose to his feet.

Following Qin Jiu to a utility room, he found several bowl-sized stones laid out on the ground. They were asphalt-colored, some with a pale yellow tint.

Lin Tian picked one up and examined it carefully. From his scientific experience, he could tell these were natural uranium ore—pitchblende. Though not abundant, finding any at all was fortunate.

“This is it. Find more of these.”

These uranium ores would require complex purification, and the extracted uranium would need further screening to obtain Uranium-235 and Plutonium.

“These ores are quite plentiful. How much does Miss need?”

“The more, the better. Enough to fill the courtyard would suffice.”

“This…” Qin Jiu’s eyelid twitched. This would require an immense amount of manpower. He slightly regretted agreeing to her request, now realizing how difficult it might be.

“These are your rewards.” Lin Tian noticed his troubled expression. With a flick of his sleeve, all the gold ingots from his storage bag tumbled out.

So many?! What would a cultivator do with so much money? Qin Jiu, who had intended to refuse, swallowed his words.

“Then I shall accept these. I’ll arrange for people to transport the ore immediately.”

“Mm.” Lin Tian nodded in satisfaction. As long as he had the materials, he could create anything.

“May I ask what Miss intends to do with these stones?” Qin Jiu couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

“Forge weapons.”

“Oh?! Miss Yingkong understands weapon forging?” Qin Jiu looked surprised.

“I don’t forge magical artifacts. It’s more like this.” Lin Tian waved his hand, and a handgun appeared. Without hesitation, he loaded it and fired at a distant stone pillar!

The sharp crack startled Qin Jiu, and the bullet embedded itself three-tenths of the way into the stone pillar ten feet away.

Walking over to the pillar, Qin Jiu examined it, his jaw agape in astonishment.

“Miss Yingkong, are you certain this isn’t a magical artifact?” Qin Jiu scrutinized the stone pillar, his voice full of suspicion.

“Of course not. Even mortals can use it. It’s more than enough to kill a defenseless cultivator,” Lin Tian stated openly, clearly making a sales pitch.

Just as expected, upon hearing of the gun’s power, Qin Jiu quickly pressed him. “Miss, could you sell this to me? If you could sell the design blueprints, I’d pay any price.”

If this weapon were equipped to the army, even cultivation sects would be wary. Its value was unimaginable.

“Do I look like someone who needs money?”

Lin Tian’s meaning was clear: he was open to trading for other things. Qin Jiu quickly caught on and eagerly said, “I’ll give you twenty Essence Pills! How does that sound?”

Essence Pills were difficult to refine, requiring skilled alchemists, and their medicinal ingredients were equally rare. Qin Jiu had acquired these pills from various places, befriending many cultivators in the process.

“Twenty pills seems a bit sparse.”

“These pills are hard to come by; I only have thirty in total. Plus, five bottles of Qi Gathering Powder that enhance cultivation. What do you think?”

“Qi Gathering Powder? Hmm… give me twenty of those, and thirty Essence Pills, and I’ll tell you the design method.”

“This…” Qin Jiu hesitated. This was almost all of his pills. If he agreed, he would have nothing left to enlist cultivators with in the future.

Gritting his teeth, Qin Jiu ultimately agreed. He imagined the army equipped with these weapons; it would be an immense contribution. “Deal! I’ll go fetch the pills right away…”

Lin Tian smiled as he watched him leave. He, of course, knew Qin Jiu’s intentions. These guns were not easy to forge, requiring top-tier blacksmiths, and gunpowder materials were even harder to find.

Mass production would require him to open a factory, and crafting a single bullet would take more time than making a pistol. Deploying them militarily would be far too costly; it would be better to simply use arrows. Lin Tian, naturally, wouldn’t reveal these drawbacks. His priority was to secure the pills first.