Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 209 The First Voyage

"Hmph, it seems you've finally come to some understanding of your situation. Very good. In that case, you can live a little longer." The newcomer was none other than Hall Master Ma. After glancing at Du Fan, his expression had softened somewhat compared to yesterday.

Du Fan put on an expression of being flattered and repeatedly agreed. When he looked up, he saw two other people behind Hall Master Ma.

One of them was a burly man, around thirty years old, wearing a rather loose gray shirt, with thick eyebrows, broad eyes, and a full beard, looking very forthright.

The other person, who was also an acquaintance of Du Fan, was none other than Yuan Li, with whom he had spent a long conversation the day before.

The two men stood behind Master Ma, their heads bowed and their expressions extremely respectful, yet also showing a hint of trepidation and caution.

"Zhao Chong, your group has the fewest members, so this kid will be assigned to your group." Hall Master Ma stood with his hands behind his back and spoke coldly.

"Yes, thank you, Master Ma!" The burly man stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed respectfully.

"This time, you will go to the eastern sea area, with a one-month deadline." After leaving these words lightly, Master Ma disappeared in a flash.

Upon hearing this, both Zhao Chong and Yuan Li's expressions changed drastically, and a hint of fear flashed in their eyes.

"Haha... You must be Brother Du. Yuan Li mentioned you to me yesterday. Since we're in the same group, we're brothers."

I'm different from other leaders. I don't have any airs or ulterior motives. Once you spend time with me, you'll naturally understand what kind of person I am.

In short, the three of us brothers will share both good times and bad times from now on! It wasn't until long after Master Ma left that Zhao Chong's worried expression disappeared. He stepped forward, raised his hand, patted Du Fan on the shoulder, and after a hearty laugh, said this.

"Brother Du, this is the leader of our group. What Brother Zhao just said is absolutely true. Being in our group is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

After taking a deep breath, Yuan Li smiled and walked over to introduce Du Fan.

"So it's Brother Zhao. I'm new here and unfamiliar with everything. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you two to take care of me in the future." Du Fan's mind raced, and his expression immediately softened as he smiled and spoke.

"Of course. By the way, let's talk as we walk. This time, the time is really tight and the task is heavy." Zhao Chong laughed and was about to chat for a while when he suddenly frowned and said this.

Yuan Li naturally had no objections, and although Du Fan had some doubts, he suppressed them and nodded.

……

Two days later, Du Fan and his two companions appeared at a port on the east side of Crescent Island.

On the way, Du Fan gained a preliminary understanding of Zhao Chong, the leader of his group. Like him and Yuan Li, Zhao Chong was a cultivator from the Nine Provinces Continent and had also been brought here by a flying spirit beast.

Zhao Chong was born into a small cultivation sect in the eastern region of Jizhou. Once, when he and his fellow disciples went to the coastal area of ​​the Eastern Edge Sea to hunt a low-level demon beast, an accident occurred. Except for him, all his fellow disciples were killed by that demon beast.

Back then, Zhao Chong was just a cultivator at the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage. However, he was determined and never missed any opportunity to cultivate. In his third year on Crescent Island, he advanced to the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage and became a minor leader under Hall Master Ma.

"Master Sun, please arrange a fishing boat for us." The three arrived at a thatched hut by the sea. Zhao Chong took a deep breath, bowed respectfully outside the hut, and spoke.

"It's you again, you little rascal. It seems your Master Ma is quite dissatisfied with you." A moment later, the door of the thatched hut opened, a flash of blue light appeared, and a gaunt old man emerged.

"Master Sun is joking. These tasks are just random." Zhao Chong's lips twitched involuntarily as he cautiously spoke.

"You little rascal, you know the saying 'trouble comes from the mouth.' That's fine, at least you'll live a little longer. Here, take it."

Master Sun didn't make things too difficult for Zhao Chong. With a flick of his wrist, a beam of emerald light shot out. After the light faded, it transformed into a tiny boat, about an inch in size, which hovered right in front of Zhao Chong.

"Thank you, Hall Master Sun. I will return it immediately after I finish using it." Zhao Chong felt relieved upon seeing this and quickly clasped his hands in thanks.

Sun, the hall master, waved his hand impatiently and returned to the thatched hut in a flash, closing the door behind him. He didn't even glance at Du Fan and Yuan Li once.

"Let's go," Zhao Chong said to the two of them, and then headed towards the nearest beach.

Upon arriving at the beach, Zhao Chong suddenly raised his arm and tossed the mini-boat out, while his other hand swiftly cast a spell that disappeared into the boat.

In the blink of an eye, the miniature boat, enveloped in a layer of fluorescent light, gradually grew larger as it swayed in the wind, until it transformed into a real wooden boat three zhang long. Only then did the light dissipate, and it crashed into the sea, splashing up a spray of water.

Zhao Chong leaped sideways, his figure flashed, and he appeared on the wooden boat with extreme ease.

After exchanging a glance, Du Fan and Yuan Li did not hesitate. The two figures flashed and arrived on the ship one after the other, standing there steadily.

Zhao Chong patted his storage bag with one hand, took out a low-grade spirit stone, and with a flick of his wrist, the spirit stone was embedded in a miniature magic array at the bow of the ship.

The next moment, the magic array shone brightly and emitted a series of low humming sounds.

The wooden boat shuddered immediately, and soon after, under Zhao Chong's control, it sped off into the depths of the sea.

"Brother Zhao, two days ago when Master Ma ordered us to enter the sea from the east side of Crescent Island, I noticed that you two didn't look too good. Could it be related to that matter?"

It wasn't until the wooden boat had traveled more than a hundred miles away from Crescent Island that Du Fan finally spoke tentatively, his eyes flashing.

"Brother Du is right. Crescent Island is one of the islands closest to the East China Sea mist. Now that we are east of Crescent Island, the probability of encountering the mist is quite high." Zhao Chong said with a grim face and deep concern.

"Brother Du, you may not know this, but Brother Zhao is a skilled commander with a strong sense of responsibility. He was once unintentionally praised by a Golden Core protector of this island, who said that if Brother Zhao were in the court of mortals, he would be a great general."

From then on, Master Ma disliked Brother Zhao and targeted him at every turn.

Therefore, for missions that require going to sea, such as slaying demonic beasts and obtaining demon cores, eight or nine out of ten times, the task would be assigned to the East Port area.

Zhao Chong snorted coldly and said angrily.

Du Fan noticed that Yuan Li's words contained a lot of dissatisfaction with Master Ma, but she did not have any complaints about being implicated by Zhao Chong.

A thought struck Du Fan, and he couldn't help but recall Zhao Chong's forthright words when they first met.

At this moment, Du Fan couldn't help but believe Zhao Chong's words to some extent, and he also felt more favorably toward the two of them, but his vigilance remained.

"Never mind, it was all my carelessness that caused Master Ma to harbor resentment. Speaking of which, because of my matter, you were implicated, as well as those brothers who perished at sea..." Zhao Chong sighed heavily, his expression melancholy.

"Brother Zhao, you..."

Yuan Li raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, about to say something, but was stopped by Zhao Chong's large hand.

"Alright, I know what you're going to say. The past is the past, and I won't bring it up again. Brother Du, Brother Yuan, rest assured, if anything happens to anyone in our group again, it definitely won't be you!"

Zhao Chong straightened his expression and said decisively.

……

Five days later, Du Fan and his two companions had already arrived at the sea area tens of thousands of miles east of Crescent Island by boat, and under Zhao Chong's control, the speed of the wooden boat was slowed down.

"That's about it. Brothers, cheer up! If we're lucky, we should be able to find something in the waters around here." Zhao Chong looked around and, after confirming the location of the three of them, spoke loudly.

"Haha, Brother Zhao is right, Brother Du, here you go." Yuan Li laughed, then turned his eyes and handed Du Fan a small green bottle.

"What is this?" Du Fan asked, his eyes filled with confusion.

"It contains a special potion. We are now in the deep sea, and we may encounter some powerful monster. If that happens, Brother Du, apply this potion to your body, and you will have a good chance of escaping this calamity."

Yuan Li casually explained, while simultaneously releasing his divine sense, instantly covering an area.

"I see, thank you, Brother Yuan." After expressing his gratitude, Du Fan put away the small bottle and instantly dispersed his divine sense.

Half a day later, Du Fan's expression changed. In the sea area 500 feet in front of them, there was a low-level demon beast. Judging from the demonic energy fluctuations on its body, this beast was probably around the second level of the Qi Refining stage of a cultivator.

However, he didn't say anything, because according to the direction the wooden boat was heading, Zhao Chong and his companion would find the monster in a short while, so there was no need for him to reveal his strength in advance.

Before long, Zhao Chong's face lit up with joy, and he lowered his voice and said, "Brothers, we are really lucky. There is a demon beast a hundred feet ahead."

"What? We've already discovered a demonic beast in less than half a day! This is truly unexpected. We're sure to complete our mission this time!" Yuan Li exclaimed excitedly.

Seeing this, Du Fan also put on a rather happy expression.

"Brother Zhao, what level is this beast?" Yuan Li asked cautiously, as if remembering something.

"Don't worry, it's a Azure Carp Beast, probably with the cultivation level of the second stage of Qi Refining. We can kill it in just a few moves. Brothers, be careful to conceal your presence. If this beast discovers us and sinks into the sea to escape, we'll be in trouble."

Zhao Chong waved his hand and gave the order, then slowed the wooden boat down a bit more.