The Octagonal Pagoda had five levels. Apart from the first level, which was a vast, empty hall, the other four levels respectively housed immense immortal treasures, spirit pills, elixirs, divine abilities, and various precious materials.
Zhang Fan naturally had no shortage of immortal treasures or divine abilities, so he went directly to the third level.
Within the expansive hall, wooden racks were arranged, laden with countless jade bottles and treasure boxes. These bottles and boxes contained various immortal-grade spirit pills and elixirs.
The hall was surrounded by dense formation patterns, with a spirit gathering array in operation to preserve the efficacy of the pills and elixirs to the maximum extent.
Immortal-grade spirit pills, rarely seen in normal circumstances, were found everywhere on these racks.
"Silver Dragon Grass, requires thirteen hundred military merits."
"True Dragon Blood, one drop requires three thousand military merits."
"Three Revolutions Profound Origin Pill, one bottle requires eight thousand military merits?"
...
Zhang Fan browsed casually, observing the dazzling array of spirit pills and immortal herbs on the wooden racks. He couldn't help but think that the Purple Firmament Star Domain was indeed exploitative. Silver Dragon Grass was a very common immortal herb, not particularly precious, yet its price here was almost equivalent to an ordinary immortal treasure.
Despite his thoughts, Zhang Fan understood that in this Star River Battlefield, the rarity of spirit pills and immortal herbs could indeed surpass that of immortal treasures.
After all, spirit pills and immortal herbs were consumables. For cultivators honing their skills in the Star River Battlefield, they prioritized the enhancement of their strength; immortal treasures were sufficient as long as they were functional.
In less than a moment, Zhang Fan found what he needed.
"Nine Bends Yuan Cultivating Grass, thirty stalks."
"Profound Origin Darkwood Root, thirty stalks."
...
With these two immortal herbs as the primary components, Zhang Fan also selected over a hundred other celestial herbs as auxiliary materials for refining the Deity Transformation Yuan Cultivating Pill.
Although the price of high-grade celestial herbs was cheaper, their sheer quantity added up to a terrifying sum. The medicinal ingredients alone cost Zhang Fan over eighty thousand military merits.
After making his selections, Zhang Fan went to the fifth level to choose some auxiliary materials, preparing to refine the Blood Refining Divine Weapon in conjunction with the Flame Swallowing Fire Essence Stone.
Since its creation, the Blood Refining Divine Weapon had been at the level of a supreme-grade celestial treasure. Over the years, accompanying Zhang Fan in countless battles and absorbing the vital blood of many powerful individuals, its might had increased. However, for his current cultivation, it was evidently still somewhat insufficient.
Exiting the Octagonal Pagoda, Zhang Fan held the battle token and noticed the change in his military merits, feeling a pang of heartache. As his strength increased, the resources he consumed became increasingly astronomical.
He had previously possessed two hundred thousand and eight thousand military merits, but in such a short time, nearly half had been spent.
It was worth noting that if these over two hundred thousand military merits were exchanged for immortal treasures, they could have acquired around a hundred ordinary immortal treasures.
Returning to his cultivation chamber, Zhang Fan took out the numerous medicinal ingredients. A rich medicinal fragrance immediately filled the entire chamber, bringing a sense of relaxation to the mind and spirit. After a brief period of focused calm, Zhang Fan quickly entered his state.
As array plates flew from Zhang Fan's palm and scattered around the chamber, his hand seals became intricate. Waves of water-like light screens spread from the surrounding array plates, soon enveloping the entire chamber.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron involved considerable risk. Even within the war base, Zhang Fan had to be cautious, as despite his current strength, he was not considered top-tier in this high-level star domain.
With preparations complete, Zhang Fan then took out the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron from the Astral Space. Its obsidian body was covered with countless beast carvings, each lifelike. Some beasts bore ferocious visages, while others possessed eyes filled with intelligent divine light...
*Boom!*
A scorching flame rose from within the cauldron. Zhang Fan meticulously fed the spirit herbs into it, one by one. Under the precise control of his powerful divine sense, Zhang Fan began to refine the essence from each herb.
The Deity Transformation Yuan Cultivating Pill he was now refining was considered top-tier among immortal-grade spirit pills, intended for his breakthrough to the Deity Transformation realm. Not only was the quantity immense, but the refining process was also extremely complex.
The refining step alone was a lengthy process. With over a hundred types of spirit herbs, totaling more than a thousand stalks, it was dozens of times more complicated than any spirit pill he had refined before.
...
Upon their return to the war base, Nan Zun and Xue Mo Jiao, among others, had also exchanged a considerable amount of spirit pills and immortal herbs within the Octagonal Pagoda. After several months of secluded cultivation, both had seen their strength improve.
At this moment, by the war base's decisive battle arena, the True Immortal Pu Ji was surrounded by numerous cultivators, many of whom wished to join his team.
True Immortal Pu Ji's original strength was already formidable, placing him among the very top of the five-star generals. Now, his rating had been further classified as a six-star general, making it naturally much easier for him to recruit teammates.
After all, accompanying such a captain on expeditions offered a greater opportunity to earn military merits and was also safer.
However, True Immortal Pu Ji's recruitment criteria were naturally much stricter, requiring the weakest member to possess at least the level of a three-star warrior. Even so, once he announced this, the team was fully recruited in less than half a day.
"Not bad, being recognized as a two-star warrior, almost catching up to me half a year ago," Xue Mo Jiao casually slapped the shoulders of the Pang brothers, laughing heartily.
Currently, both he and Nan Zun possessed the level of three-star warriors. While not weak, they were still considered to be towards the rear within the team. Fortunately, with the Pang brothers at the bottom, he didn't feel as embarrassed.
Facing Xue Mo Jiao's merciless mockery, the Pang brothers could only exchange helpless smiles. Although they had worked very hard and expended considerable resources, achieving this much in just half a year was considered excellent. However, the number of powerhouses in the Star River Battlefield was simply too great; Nascent Soul realm cultivators were considered the weakest.
"Captain, our team is now full. When do we plan to go out on an expedition?" a burly four-star general asked, standing beside True Immortal Pu Ji.
"No rush," True Immortal Pu Ji shook his head, his gaze drifting towards the direction of Zhang Fan's cultivation chamber. He said softly, "Fellow Daoist Shi Jue has been in seclusion for nearly half a year. It seems he won't emerge until he breaks through to the Deity Transformation realm. I intended to visit him before venturing out, but it appears that opportunity is lost."
Upon hearing the name True Immortal Shi Jue, a hint of reverence appeared on the faces of all the team members. Although True Immortal Shi Jue had only been at the war base for a short period, less than a year, he was undoubtedly one of the most renowned powerhouses in the war base, surpassing even some veteran Marquis-titled cultivators.
After all, a cultivator who, at the Nascent Soul realm, had mastered the True Meaning of the Great Dao and was bestowed the title of Marquis was extremely rare in the history of this war base.
Given such talent, one could imagine what level of strength he would reach after entering the Deity Transformation realm.
...