Divine Transcendence

Chapter 342 – Set off

Time passed slowly, and Yan Sijing's alchemy session was nearing its end.

She activated a spell, extinguished the fire, and opened the cauldron.

As the lid of the black cauldron lifted, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out. Inside, five crimson elixirs floated, emitting a strong wave of spiritual power far surpassing that of Foundation Establishment stage elixirs.

"Could these be Nascent Soul stage elixirs?" Yuan Ming was astonished.

The value of Nascent Soul stage elixirs was incomparable to those of the Foundation Establishment stage, and the difficulty of refining them was at least ten times greater. Yan Sijing's ability to refine such elixirs was far beyond his expectations.

Yuan Ming felt a surge of joy. Perhaps his soul had grown much stronger; even though he had only comprehended a single process, he had essentially grasped the method of refining these crimson elixirs and memorized the spiritual materials used.

Yuan Ming had a premonition that as long as he could gather those materials, his success rate in refining these crimson elixirs would not be low. If he had the chance to comprehend the process a few more times in the future, his alchemy skills would greatly improve.

The possession ended quickly, and his consciousness returned to his own body.

Yuan Ming did not immediately seek out materials to refine elixirs. The most important task at hand was the escort mission three days later.

He put away the Stealing Heaven Cauldron, released his first split soul, and sent it underground, heading towards the Hundred Elixir Workshop.

Three days later, Yuan Ming arrived at the Hundred Elixir Workshop at the appointed time. Before he even entered, he saw a maid in green waiting at the door.

"Senior Yuan, please follow me. The young lady and the other seniors are already seated upstairs."

Yuan Ming nodded and followed the maid upstairs, casually asking, "How many Daoist friends did your master invite for the escort?"

"Besides you, there are two other seniors who accepted the task. Including our workshop's enshrined and elders, there are five participants in total," the maid replied.

As they spoke, the maid led Yuan Ming to an elegant room on the second floor and opened the door for him. Hearing the noise, the people inside turned to look at the entrance.

Yuan Ming glanced around the room and saw Yan Sijing sitting in the main seat, nodding slightly at him. To her right was a female cultivator in green with a flower hairpin, a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth, and a late Foundation Establishment stage cultivation.

On her left was an unremarkable middle-aged male cultivator in a plain gray robe. Though nothing about him stood out, his cultivation was at the early Nascent Soul stage, and he scrutinized Yuan Ming with a piercing gaze.

Besides these two, there were two other Foundation Establishment cultivators in the room. One was exceptionally short, a full head shorter than Yuan Ming, and the other had a scholarly appearance, holding a folding fan that he gently waved.

They were both at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Seeing this, Yuan Ming was slightly puzzled. The Hundred Elixir Workshop not only offered Elixir Cleansing Liquid as a reward but also invited late Foundation Establishment cultivators and even sent a Nascent Soul elder as the leader. It seemed this mission was far more complicated than Yan Sijing had initially described. However, Yuan Ming had anticipated this and entered the room without hesitation, finding a seat for himself.

Seeing Yuan Ming seated, Yan Sijing smiled and introduced, "Daoist Yuan, you're here. Let me introduce everyone. These two beside me are our workshop's Enshrined Ai and Elder Chai, who will lead this mission. This is Daoist Gan from the Hidden Hill Sect, whose earth-based spells are unmatched in the Foundation Establishment stage. This is Young Master Beiyan, whose Wind Control Technique is extraordinary, once repelling three cultivators of the same stage single-handedly."

Yuan Ming cupped his hands and said politely, "I am Yuan Ming, honored to meet you all."

Enshrined Ai and Young Master Beiyan returned the greeting, while Elder Chai nodded slightly. The short cultivator, Gan, scrutinized Yuan Ming and asked bluntly, "I know many Daoist friends in Purple Window City, but I've never heard of you, Daoist Yuan."

Yuan Ming smiled nonchalantly, "I have been cultivating in another city far from Purple Window City, beyond your reach."

Hearing this, Young Master Beiyan chuckled, while Gan frowned, sensing something off in Yuan Ming's words but unable to pinpoint it. Yan Sijing, sitting at the head, also caught the hidden meaning, realizing Yuan Ming was subtly mocking Gan for being narrow-minded. She smirked but did not expose it, instead changing the topic, "Alright, since everyone is here, let me explain the mission in detail."

Hearing this, everyone, including Yuan Ming, turned their attention to Yan Sijing. She paused briefly before continuing, "The caravan you need to escort is headed to Black Moon City. It will stop for supplies at Thousand Hook City and Oasis City. Besides basic spiritual medicines and materials, it carries a batch of precious elixirs ordered by Sand Dye Valley. These elixirs are crucial to our workshop's reputation and must not be lost. Therefore, we have made special arrangements."

She clapped her hands, and several maids entered, each carrying a tray with a gray storage bag sealed with a restriction, making it impossible to open.

"Only one of these five storage bags contains the order for Sand Dye Valley. The others are decoys. Not even Elder Chai knows which one it is. Each of you will carry one bag and must ensure its safety. As long as you deliver it intact to Black Moon City, you will receive the promised reward, regardless of whether it is the real one."

Hearing this, Yuan Ming and the others put away their storage bags, dismissing any thoughts of investigating further. Young Master Beiyan suddenly asked, "Daoist Yan, was your previous caravan attacked while transporting this batch of goods? Have you identified the bandits?"

Yan Sijing's expression darkened, and she shook her head, "We only know they call themselves the Flying Feather Gang and have a Nascent Soul cultivator among them. Nothing else is known."

Young Master Beiyan closed his folding fan with a sigh, "The Black Wind Desert has never been peaceful, but recently, major events have been frequent. First, Earth River City was mysteriously destroyed, then Returning to Origin Sect's mine was attacked by the Dark Moon God. Now even Nascent Soul cultivators have turned to banditry. Who knows what will happen next?"

"That's the way of the world. There's no place without chaos. The sects in the Northern Wastes are constantly at war, the Western Region and Qin Country are in conflict, a prominent sect in the Southern Border was destroyed a few years ago, and the Eastern Sea is in turmoil with rumors of the Three Immortal Islands. Many cultivators have flocked there, leading to countless disputes daily. Even the seemingly peaceful Central Plains have seen many high-ranking sect members assassinated by unknown forces in recent years," Gan said indifferently.

Young Master Beiyan shook his head, still worried, while Yuan Ming remained expressionless.

Just then, someone reported from outside that the caravan was ready. Yan Sijing stood up, gave a few more instructions, and had Elder Chai and Enshrined Ai lead everyone to the caravan's assembly point to set off.

Several days later, at dusk.

As night fell, the Hundred Elixir Workshop's caravan set up camp to rest after a day's journey.

However, Yuan Ming grew increasingly suspicious.

The journey had been uneventful, with no sign of bandits or suspicious cultivators detected by his soul crows. But the caravan's slow pace was beyond his expectations.

Given the importance of the cargo and the potential threat of bandits, the caravan should have been moving faster, at least faster than the mortal caravan Yuan Ming had joined when he first arrived at the Black Wind Desert. When Yuan Ming voiced his concerns to Enshrined Ai, he received an unexpected answer.

"Please forgive us, Daoist Yuan. Our workshop suffered heavy losses in the last attack, losing several enshrined and many skilled mortals. Even the camels carefully selected for transporting goods were taken. This reorganization was rushed, and many people lack experience, slowing us down," Enshrined Ai explained with a bitter smile.

"Then why not have us take the important elixirs ahead and send the rest of the goods later?" Yuan Ming asked.

Enshrined Ai sighed, "After the last attack, the workshop had to allocate many people to other tasks. Even finding enough people to accompany the caravan was difficult..."

Yuan Ming understood. The Hundred Elixir Workshop was in dire straits, trying to get the most out of their resources by having late Foundation Establishment cultivators handle tasks meant for Qi refining cultivators.

Enshrined Ai gave the same explanation to Young Master Beiyan and Gan, who, though dissatisfied, did not complain further due to the promised reward.

That night, Yuan Ming sat in his tent, meditating and contemplating Enshrined Ai's explanation, feeling something was still off.

Reorganizing a caravan and taking the same route without knowing the bandits' origins was risky, even with late Foundation Establishment cultivators. Moreover, the Hundred Elixir Workshop, with its Nascent Soul cultivators and valuable elixirs, shouldn't be so weakened by a single attack.

As he pondered, the ground beside him shifted, and Hua Zhi emerged, standing before Yuan Ming.

"Master, there are eight cultivators approaching from the northeast, using earth escape techniques."

"What are their cultivation levels?" Yuan Ming raised an eyebrow.

"The leader seems to be a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. I didn't dare get too close," Hua Zhi replied.

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Yuan Ming nodded, stood up, and intended to inform the others in the caravan. But as he stepped out of his tent, he saw Elder Chai in his plain gray robe standing nearby, hands behind his back, gazing at the starry sky.