Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 689 The Sacred Beast Has Gone on a Hunger Strike! The Situation on Great Qin Star!

Chen Fan remained silent for a moment, his expression still calm, but he felt somewhat embarrassed inside.

Having not traded with Baicaotang for two years, he had indeed forgotten about the sacred beast. That mountain-sized, insatiable white-furred behemoth truly refused to eat anything except the sweet potatoes and radishes he grew in his golden bowl space.

He had been living a carefree life on the grasslands for the past two years, but little did he know how worried the Eighteenth Elder and Baicaotang were about finding food for the sacred beast.

Chen Fan didn't say much, but took out several storage bags from his sleeve and placed them on the table: "These are the stock. Elder Eighteen, see if they are enough."

The eighteenth elder took the storage bag, scanned it with his divine sense, and the worry on his face immediately disappeared, replaced by a look of relief and joy.

He thanked him repeatedly and took out a storage ring from his sleeve, placing it on the table: "These are spirit stones, priced at 30% higher than before. A small token from Elder Chen."

Chen Fan didn't order any tea; he simply put the storage ring into his sleeve and poured a cup of tea for the Eighteenth Elder.

The eighteenth elder took a big gulp this time, and the anxious look on his face finally faded, replaced by his usual composure.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Chen Fan suddenly asked, "Eighteenth Elder, does Baicaotang have any branches on Daqin Star?"

The Eighteenth Elder put down his teacup, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before nodding. "Of course we do. Baicaotang's business spans Tiannan Star, and we also have a branch on Daqin Star, located in Tianxing City, one of the three main cities. However, the branch on Daqin Star is not large and not as prosperous as the one on Tiannan Star. After all, the level of cultivators in the Daqin Empire is much higher than on Tiannan Star, and the competition for pills and spiritual herbs there is extremely fierce. Our Baicaotang can only be considered a second-rate merchant guild in Daqin."

He paused, then looked at Chen Fan: "Is Elder Chen asking this because you're planning to go to the Great Qin?"

Chen Fan didn't hide anything and nodded slightly.

The Eighteenth Elder stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "Since Elder Chen is going to Great Qin Star, there's not much I can do to help. I can only share what I know. The biggest difference between Great Qin Star and Tiannan Star is that the Great Qin Empire is a dictatorship. There is only one power on the entire Great Qin Star, and all sects, families, and merchant guilds, no matter how many millennia they have been passed down, must submit to the Great Qin royal family. Those who did not submit have long been uprooted. The Great Qin Empire not only controls the Great Qin Star itself, but also directly controls four second-level cultivation countries, among which the Zhao Kingdom is a vassal state of Great Qin. Tiannan Star is nominally independent, but in reality, it is also within the sphere of influence of Great Qin."

Chen Fan was somewhat alarmed upon hearing this.

The Eighteenth Elder smiled, his tone becoming even more solemn: "There, the level of power far surpasses that of Tiannan Star. The Great Qin Empire has cultivators at the mid- to late-stage of the Void Refinement realm, and while Nascent Soul cultivators aren't everywhere, they're certainly not rare. With Elder Chen's mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, while he's not considered weak on Great Qin Star, he can't act with impunity. If he encounters a Void Refinement stage expert, he'll need to be extra careful. As for other details, my knowledge is limited. The Hundred Herbs Hall's branch in Great Qin is just an ordinary shop; it has no access to the Great Qin Empire's core secrets."

Chen Fan memorized all this information and bowed to the Eighteenth Elder, saying, "Thank you for informing me, Eighteenth Elder."

The Eighteenth Elder waved his hand and stood up: "I won't bother you any longer. The sacred beast is still waiting for food. Sending this batch of grain back will finally give us some peace and quiet. Chen Gongfeng, be careful on your journey to Da Qin. If you ever need anything from Baicaotang, just go to the Tianxing City branch and find the manager there. I will send a message in advance to arrange things for you."

Chen Fan escorted the Eighteenth Elder to the gate of the mansion, watched his escape light disappear at the end of Zhuque Street, and then turned back to the main hall.

He sat down again at the low table and went over what the eighteenth elder had just said in his mind.

The information he gathered about the Qin Empire's autocratic rule, the presence of late-stage Refinement Void cultivators, and the considerable number of Nascent Soul cultivators, though incomplete, was enough to give him a general outline of the Qin Star he was about to visit.

He tidied up the tea set on the table, sat cross-legged on the futon, and continued to meditate and regulate his breathing.

On the morning of the third day, just as dawn broke, Zhao Yan's carriage was already waiting outside the mansion gate.

When Chen Fan pushed open the door, Zhao Yan, Han Cen, and Ouyang Ye were already waiting by the carriage. All three were dressed in court attire today, their expressions showing a mixture of solemnity and reluctance.

Zhao Yan didn't say much, only nodded to Chen Fan and gestured for him to proceed. The four of them walked in silence, through Vermilion Bird Avenue, across the Hall of Offerings Square, and towards the independent teleportation pavilion at the deepest part of the complex.

The teleportation pavilion was entirely constructed of black iron stone, with a gate three zhang high, engraved with extremely complex spatial array patterns. Two elders of the Hall of Offerings, both at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, stood on either side of the gate. Upon seeing Zhao Yan personally leading the way, they bowed and slowly pushed open the gate.

The octagonal interdimensional teleportation array inside the hall was already slowly operating.

The array platform is over ten zhang in circumference and is built of an unknown dark gold stone. Every array pattern is filled with pale blue spiritual light, and the spatial fluctuations it emits are more than a hundred times stronger than those of ordinary teleportation arrays.

Several array masters were making final adjustments to the array platform. When they saw Zhao Yan and the others enter, they stopped what they were doing, stepped aside, and bowed to await orders.

Han Cen stepped forward, took out a jade bottle from his sleeve, and handed it to Chen Fan. His voice was a little tense: "Lord Chen, these are a few healing pills that I have refined. They are not of high grade, but they are all from my heart. When you arrive in Qin, be careful in everything you do."

Ouyang Ye also stepped forward and placed a jade slip into Chen Fan's hand: "I don't have anything good to give you. This jade slip contains some of my shallow insights into the Dao of Formations, including some methods I learned from your sixth-grade Gu formation. Take care, Venerable Chen."

Chen Fan carefully accepted the gifts from the two men and then solemnly bowed to them.

Zhao Yan stood before the array platform, looking at Chen Fan. After a moment of silence, he spoke, "Lord Chen, the other end of the interdimensional teleportation array is the teleportation hall in the Star City of the Great Qin Empire. The Great Qin Empire has extremely strict control over interdimensional teleportation arrays, but your Golden Token is equally valid in the Great Qin. Once you arrive there, someone will guide you. I have prepared your passage documents and identity token, which will be given to you before you enter the array."

Chen Fan nodded slightly.

The eldest prince nodded, then took out a purple-gold token from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "This is the activation token for the teleportation array. Venerable Chen, I owe you too many favors; a teleportation array is nothing to me. Once you arrive in Qin, if you need anything, just take this token to the Zhao envoy stationed in Qin, and they will do their utmost to help you. I will be waiting for the day you become famous throughout the land in Tiannan."

Chen Fan accepted the token and bowed deeply to Zhao Yan.