Bio-engineered Dinosaur in the immortal world-Chapter 112: Big Sect

The Autumn Dragon Sect was too damn big.

Wei Long and Zou Fang had known this when he first arrived, but knowing something and experiencing it firsthand were two completely different things.

The night air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of burning incense and damp earth. The towering stone pathways stretched endlessly before him, illuminated only by the dim glow of spirit lanterns hanging from intricately carved wooden posts. The walls of the sect shimmered with faint traces of spiritual formations, humming with latent energy.

But none of that mattered right now.

Because he was lost.

And worse—he was being dragged around by Wei Long's ridiculous demands.

"Zou Fang, find the library."

That was the command. Simple, right? But as it turned out, finding a single library in a sect as enormous as this was like trying to find a needle in a haystack the size of a mountain.

At first, Zou Fang had tried the direct approach.

He had stopped a passing senior disciple, respectfully cupped his fists, and asked, "Senior, do you know where the library is?"

The disciple had given him a considering look, then pointed down a long corridor of winding stone steps. "Go straight, turn left after the spirit well, and you'll see a jade bridge. Cross that, and you'll find the library past the bamboo grove."

Zou Fang thanked him and immediately followed the instructions.

Half an hour later, he was nowhere near a library.

Instead, he had ended up in some herb storage room where a grumpy old sect worker had chased him away with a broom.

Fine. Maybe that senior disciple wasn't reliable.

So he tried again. He found a different outer sect disciple, one who seemed a little more bookish, and asked again.

"Oh, the library?" the disciple said, adjusting his sleeves. "Yes, yes, just go down this road, past the training grounds, and you'll see a pavilion with a golden roof. The library should be behind that."

That sounded promising.

Zou Fang followed the directions exactly and, an hour later, found himself standing in front of the alchemy furnace rooms.

"…This is definitely not a library," he muttered.

Inside his spiritual sea, Wei Long's voice grumbled.

"What kind of nonsense is this? How can a sect this big not have a clear path to its library?"

Zou Fang rubbed his temples. "Maybe we're just asking the wrong people."

So he asked again.

And again.

And again.

Each time, he was sent in a different direction. Sometimes he found himself in a courtyard full of meditating disciples. Other times, he ended up at training grounds, where disciples were busy shouting martial arts techniques and accidentally launching energy waves at him. At one point, he even wandered into a sect beast stable, where a three-horned ox glared at him for stepping too close to its hay pile.

It was insanity.

It was maddening.

It was like the library didn't even exist.

Two hours later, Zou Fang dragged himself to a random stone bench, defeated. His legs were sore, his back ached, and his patience was fraying like an old rope.

Inside his mind, Wei Long was fuming.

"What kind of idiotic system is this?! Why is there no sign?! No clear path?! What kind of sect operates like this?!"

Zou Fang let out a slow breath. "I think we should just—"

And that's when it happened.

A scent.

A divine, rich, mouthwatering scent.

Zou Fang's head snapped up. His stomach growled loudly before he even realized what was happening.

Inside his spiritual sea, Wei Long froze.

And then—

"ZOU FANG, FOLLOW THAT SMELL."

Zou Fang barely had time to process before his feet started moving on their own.

It was heavenly.

The scent was warm, savory, with a slight tinge of spice. It carried the deep aroma of slow-cooked meat, infused with spiritual energy, as if the essence of some high-grade beast had been captured within the dish itself. It wasn't just food—this was a masterpiece of cultivation cuisine.

And Wei Long was losing his mind.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Wei Long practically roared. "If we don't eat that, I will never forgive you!"

Zou Fang hurried. He followed the scent down the twisting sect roads, past rows of wooden stalls that were still open despite the late hour.

Finally, he found it.

A humble food stall, nestled between two larger sect buildings. It was manned by an elderly vendor, whose face was lined with the wisdom of years spent perfecting his craft. The stall itself was nothing fancy—just a simple wooden counter, a few steaming pots, and an array of neatly arranged ingredients.

But the food—oh, the food.

It shimmered with spiritual energy. The broth inside the pots bubbled with rich umami depth, and the roasted meat skewers dripped with golden glaze.

Zou Fang stepped forward without hesitation. "One of those, please."

The vendor gave him a knowing smile and passed him a steaming bowl of spiritual beef stew.

Zou Fang took his first bite.

And froze.

Inside his mind, Wei Long also froze.

There was a long silence.

Then—

"…What the hell is this?" Wei Long's voice was deeply offended.

Zou Fang chewed slowly, swallowing the bite. "I… I don't know."

It wasn't bad. It was well-cooked, well-seasoned, and full of nourishing spiritual energy.

But compared to the food from earlier that day?

It was bland.

Disappointing.

Mediocre.

Wei Long let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Zou Fang, I am deeply, personally offended."

Zou Fang stared at his bowl, suddenly feeling a little hollow. He had hyped himself up too much. He had expected another mind-shattering experience, but instead, it was just… food.

"Guess that means we have to keep searching for better food," Zou Fang muttered.

Wei Long grunted. "Yes. Keep moving. We must seek greater flavors."

And just like that, the library was completely forgotten.

Zou Fang spent the next hour and a half wandering through the night markets of the sect, sampling food after food, trying to find something that lived up to that first meal.

Nothing did.

Not the grilled spirit fish.

Not the golden-fried dumplings.

Not even the flame-seared beast ribs, which should have been a surefire hit.

And by the time Zou Fang realized he was completely out of money, it was already past midnight.

"…Well, this is awkward," he muttered.

Wei Long was silent.

Finally, with a heavy heart and an empty purse, Zou Fang dragged himself back to his cave abode, utterly defeated.

—

In the early morning, as the sun's golden rays barely touched the towering spires of the Autumn Dragon Sect, Zou Fang trudged his way back to the main hall.

His steps were heavy, not because of exhaustion but because of the lingering humiliation of last night's aimless wandering.

He had spent hours trying to find the library, only to return empty-handed and broke. But today was a new day. Today, he had a plan.

As soon as he entered the hall, he marched straight to the counter. The same old lady from before sat behind it, her wrinkled hands casually flipping through what seemed like a list of missions.

Zou Fang cleared his throat. "Senior, can you tell me where the Food Hall is?"

The old lady didn't even glance up. With a casual motion, she slid a map across the counter toward him.

Zou Fang picked it up and… froze.

His eyes twitched.

The Food Hall and the Library were—

Right. Next. To. Each. Other.

They weren't just near each other. They were practically neighbors. A mere five-minute walk apart.

He could feel a storm brewing inside him. His hand trembled as he turned his gaze back to the old lady. "Senior… why didn't you give me this yesterday?"

The old lady finally looked up, an innocent expression on her face. "Well, you didn't ask."

You didn't ask.

YOU DIDN'T ASK.

Zou Fang felt something inside him snap.

Yesterday, he had wandered for hours like a lost dog, asking disciple after disciple for directions, only to end up in every wrong place imaginable.

And the whole time, the solution was sitting right here, behind this very counter, in the form of a single damned map.

He wanted to scream.

But he didn't.

Because at that very moment, he heard another crisp, deadpan voice in his spiritual sea.

"Zou Fang."

Wei Long sounded… exhausted.

Zou Fang sighed. "Yeah?"

"I want you to know that I am holding back an unspeakable amount of rage right now."

"…Same."

The two of them just stood there, simmering in silent fury.

Finally, Zou Fang exhaled sharply. "Fine, whatever. At least we know now—"

Before he could even finish, the old lady suddenly spoke again.

"Oh, by the way." She tilted her head. "You should hurry to the Food Hall, or you'll be late."

Zou Fang blinked. "…Late? Late for what?"

"The breeder registration."

Zou Fang's mind blanked.

Wait. That meant—

He didn't even have time to go to the library today?!

Yesterday, he had searched for it for hours. Today, he finally knew where it was—

And now he had no time to go?!

He wanted to fall to his knees and scream at the heavens.

But there was no time for that.

Without another word, Zou Fang turned on his heels and stormed out, gripping the map like it had personally offended him.

Wei Long, still inside his spiritual sea, let out a long, exhausted sigh. "This sect… is hell."

---

The Food Hall was—

Massive.

Zou Fang had expected something big, but this was on an entirely different level.

The moment he stepped through the entrance, he was assaulted by an overwhelming wave of aromas so thick and potent it nearly made him stumble.

There were countless stalls, stretching as far as the eye could see, each one producing rivers of fragrant steam.

Some dishes radiated the rich, earthy scent of slow-roasted beast meats, while others carried the piercing spice of flame-seared spirit herbs. There were golden dumplings glistening with spiritual essence, stews bubbling with rich, umami broth, and platters of grilled fish so fresh that faint traces of their aura still lingered.

And this wasn't just for humans.

Beasts—thousands of them—were gathered here.

Giant crimson lions sat in orderly rows, their flaming manes flickering as they lapped at massive stone bowls filled with scorching hot stew.

A herd of six-legged silver deer quietly grazed on crystalline fruits, their antlers faintly glowing as they absorbed spiritual energy from their meal.

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Even a mountain-sized tortoise, old and ancient, had its own separate corner, where dozens of outer disciples were shoveling piles of energy-infused moss into its enormous mouth.

The sheer variety was insane.

The noise was deafening.

The energy was chaotic.

Zou Fang barely had time to take it all in before a voice called out—

"Oi! You here to apply as a breeder?"

Zou Fang turned to see a muscular young man wearing a brown uniform with the Autumn Dragon Sect's metallic emblem pinned to his chest. He had a rough but friendly face, with strong hands that looked like they had spent years handling all kinds of creatures.

"Yes," Zou Fang answered.

The man nodded approvingly. "Good. Follow me."

As they walked, the man casually introduced himself.

"Name's Bao Lin. Been working here for about five years. It's tough, but it's a good job."

Zou Fang nodded politely.

Bao Lin then gestured toward different sections of the hall. "That over there is the Special Foods Section. Only high-ranking sect beasts get meals from there."

Zou Fang followed his gaze and saw a row of elaborate stalls, each one exuding an aura of extreme rarity. The ingredients here weren't just food—they were treasures.

Bao Lin continued, "That's the Common Foods Section—where most outer sect disciples get their beast feed. Pretty basic, but good quality."

Then, with a knowing smirk, Bao Lin pointed toward the farthest section, where a dozen elders were gathered around a gargantuan cauldron, carefully measuring rare herbs and spirit beast meats.

"And that… is the Rare Foods Section."

Zou Fang could practically feel the heatwaves of spiritual energy radiating from that place.

"That's where they prepare meals for Grand Elders' mounts, guardian beasts, and top disciples' personal creatures. If you ever get assigned to that section, consider yourself lucky."

Zou Fang listened intently.

Food was obviously important in this sect. And if Wei Long wanted the best meals, this Rare Foods Section was where they needed to be.

Finally, they arrived at a registration table, where a stern-looking elder sat behind a desk, organizing stacks of jade slips.

Bao Lin gave Zou Fang a pat on the back. "Alright. Just show him your breeder's token, and you'll be set."

Zou Fang blinked. "...What token?"

Bao Lin turned to him, confused. "Your breeder's token. The one you got when you signed up."

Zou Fang stared. "I never got one."

Silence.

Bao Lin slowly narrowed his eyes.

Zou Fang slowly realized—

Something had gone horribly wrong.