Chapter 171: The Alchemist Grand Meeting
Staring intently at the white jade box in front of him, excitement surfaced on Xiao Yan’s face. His hand trembled slightly as he reached forward, intending to hold that small jade bottle in his hand.
Looking at Xiao Yan’s action, a mocking glint flashed across the muddy eyes of Gu Te who was seated opposite him.
Just as Xiao Yan touched the small jade bottle, his heart abruptly tightened. He found that the spot on his hand that came into contact with felt a coldness that pierced his bone. In the blink of an eye, his palm was covered with a layer of thin ice. In addition, the ice swiftly spread up Xiao Yan’s arm.
The unexpected change caused Xiao Yan’s expression to change slightly. An idea struck him and threads of purple colored Dou Qi in his body quickly passed through a few QI Paths and finally flowed to his arm. Instantly, a faint purple colored flame rose from Xiao Yan’s arm and came to a brief stalemate with the icy air before gradually melting it.
His arm shook slightly and threw off the water stains on it. Xiao Yan’s hand was covered in a pale purple colored flame as he once again grabbed the small jade bottle. This time round, he lifted it up without any change in his expression.
Beside him, Gu Te watched the Purple Flame that burnt and soared on Xiao Yan’s hand. A surprised expression flashed across his face as he cried out involuntarily, “‘Heavenly Flame’? No…” After feeling the strength of the Purple Flame, Gu Te shook his head slightly. He looked intently at the young man in front of him and softly said in his heart, “What a guy. I was actually mistaken. This guy is not someone simple.”
Ignoring Gu Te’s gaze, Xiao Yan focused on carefully studying the small jade bottle in his hand that was continuously releasing icy cold air. He carefully opened the bottle cap and revealed half a bottle of cream white liquid. On top of the liquid, one could faintly see some ice-like things. Xiao Yan gently inhaled a breath of cold air from the bottle. Instantly, his body violently shivered. The Purple Flame Dou Qi in his body circulated for a moment before it forced the thread of icy air out from his head.
Xiao Yan extended his hand and touched the top of his head. He was stunned to find that a thin layer of ice crystals had formed on it. He immediately smacked his lips together. This ‘Ice Spirit Cold Fountain’ was indeed a rare unique treasure. No wonder one must have its help when swallowing a ‘Heavenly Flame’. From the trend of his thoughts, Xiao Yan could also vaguely feel just how frightening the strength of a ‘Heavenly Flame’ was… it actually required a few different types of unique things to work together in order to raise the success rate by a little… The inception of this chapter’s publication is linked to N0v3l.B1n.
Xiao Yan cautiously studied the ‘Ice Spirit Cold Fountain’ for a long while. Only when Yao Lao confirmed it in his heart did Xiao Yan hurriedly place it back into the white jade box.
“You have already obtained what you want. Leave if you having nothing else…” Painfully watching the ‘Ice Spirit Cold Fountain’ being stored by Xiao Yan in his storage ring, Gu Te’s face twitched as he waved his hand in an attempt to chase him out.
Having obtained what he needed most, Xiao Yan sighed with relief in his heart. He cupped his hands together and shook it at Gu Te. With a smile, he said, “Grandmaster, thank you for your help. If I have any opportunity in the future, I will definitely come here to exchange with you.”
“Hmm hmm. Come find me when you are able to take out some ingredients. Otherwise, the old me will not see anyone.” Smacking his mouth, Gu Te rudely said.
“Of course. If I am not able to take something out, I will not dare to come and disturb you.” Xiao Yan smiled and nodded before glancing all around the room. He randomly asked, “Grandmaster Gu Te. Do you happen to have a rank three monster core with you? If you have…”
“Rank three monster core?” Rolling his eyes, Gu Te purposefully said with disdain, “Do you think that I would keep something of that grade?”
“…” Seeing the unhappy Gu Te, Xiao Yan was speechless.
“Boy, you need a monster core? I don’t have a rank three one but I have one rank five monster core in my collection. Do you want it? Hehe, all you need is to take out another bottle, no, half a bottle of the ‘Amethyst Lion Birth Essence’ and I will exchange it with you!” Gu Te rubbed his hands together. His face suddenly became less hostile and the smile of his was like a cunning wolf.
“Haha… Grandmaster Gu Te really likes to joke. That bottle of Amethyst Essence is really all that I have. I won’t be able to take out any more of it.” Xiao Yan smiled dryly and shook his head. Although a rank five monster core was valuable, that was something that could be obtained if one had the strength. However, the ‘Amethyst Lion Birth Essence’ was a rare item that relied on one’s luck and could not be easily obtained. Moreover, even if Xiao Yan obtained a rank five monster core, he had no use for it and would only attract envy if he kept it with him.
“Since Grandmaster Gu Te doesn’t have a rank three monster core, then I will stop by at the auction house. Heh, goodbye.” Smiling at Gu Te, Xiao Yan gradually turned his body, opened the door and walked out under Gu Te’s unhappy gaze.
“Little Bastard, I don’t believe you…” Gu Te sat down on the chair and was at a slight loss as he frowned, “Xiao Yan? I seem to have heard this name somewhere. Where…”
In the middle of the room, the old man in drab scratched his hair as he thought deeply.
——
The sound of footsteps caused Ao Tuo to turn around as he saw Xiao Yan, whose face was full of smiles. He could not help but ask in a stunned voice, “Have you gotten it?”
“Heh. Yes.”
Nodding his head with a smile, Xiao Yan cupped his hands together and expressed his thanks, “If it were not for Grandmaster Ao Tuo’s help today, I’m afraid that I would really have to run all around the world in search of this ‘Ice Spirit Cold Fountain’.”
“It wasn’t much. These things will only be decorations if placed with that old man. With his ability, he would be unable to use them. By giving them the chance to end up in the hands of someone who needs them, it can be considered that I have done a good deed.” Ao Tuo smiled and shook his head. His gaze swept across the young man in front of him and could not help but be amazed in his heart. After having known Gu Te for so many years, he naturally knew that the old man would not give in without some incentive. Originally, he did not hold much hope when he led Xiao Yan over. After all, what kind of rare and unique items can an alchemist who had just reached tier two take out?
However, the smiling young man in front of him had personally informed him that the item had been secured. This was something that made Ao Tuo very curious. He was curious as to what kind of thing would be able to move that stingy monster.
Although the curiosity was a little intense, Ao Tuo did not ask the question. He was not a novice who had just left his home. After muddling along for so many years, he naturally knew some of the rules of an exchange. Hence, even if his heart was as curious as a cat’s paw, he wisely chose to avoid this question.
Since Ao Tuo did not ask, Xiao Yan naturally would not reply. In this way, both of them understood each other as they chatted with smiles while they walked out of this messy and strange building.
“You still need a rank three monster core?” After leaving the room, Ao Tuo heard the information that Xiao Yan unintentionally revealed. He tilted his head and posed the question.
“Yes.” Xiao Yan smiled and nodded before saying softly, “I will be leaving Black Rock City today and head to the Empire’s eastern border. Thus I need to prepare everything I will need, here.”
“Head to the border of the empire?” Hearing this, Ao Tuo momentarily stilled. He quickly smiled and nodded as he voiced his thoughts, “Why don’t we do this. You will first accompany me to the Alchemist Association to wait. As for that rank three monster core, I will send someone to help you obtain one from the steward of the auction house. This way, you can save the time you would have needed to go to the auction house.”
Hearing these words, Xiao Yan felt a desire to accept it. He did not pretend otherwise as he nodded with a smile. “Then I’ll trouble Grandmaster Ao Tuo.”
“Heh, since you have registered at our Black Rock City’s Alchemist Association, you can be considered one of us. This little bit of trouble is nothing…” Ao Tuo shook his head and carelessly replied.
Ao Tuo’s words clearly had faint signs of trying to butter up to Xiao Yan. Regarding this, Xiao Yan only hesitated a little before nodding his head. In the Jia Ma Empire, the Alchemist Association was undoubtedly a huge organization that would not lose to the Misty Cloud Sect. Becoming one with them would not be detrimental to him in any way. Moreover, if he needed to refine medicine in the future, he would need some rare and strange things. When that time comes, the exchange system of the Alchemist Association was extremely accesssible. Thus, Xiao Yan was not too resistant to this matter.
Of course, the main reason for Xiao Yan to agree without too much hesitation was that there was not too many restrictions in the Alchemist Association. During ordinary days, everyone worked on their own things and did not bother one another. On occasion when the Alchemist Association needed help, they may distribute invitations to get some alchemist to help. The help given was naturally not free. Once it was properly completed, the Association would give a good amount of compensation.
Soon after the two of them returned to the Alchemist Association, Ao Tuo gave the order for someone to help Xiao Yan purchase a rank three monster core before inviting Xiao Yan into the living room to wait there quietly.
In the spacious living room, Ao Tuo carried a cup of tea and placed it in front of Xiao Yan. He thought quietly for a while before suddenly asking, “Xiao Yan, how long are you planning to spend in your trip to the empire’s border?”
“Maybe around half a year.”
“Half a year…” Tapping his finger gently on the table, Ao Tuo smiled and said, “Half a year later, will you go to the capital of Jia Ma Empire?”
“Capital?” Hearing this, Xiao Yan momentarily stilled. He pressed his lips tightly together and nodded. In his heart, he coldly said, “Of course I will go. The Misty Cloud Sect is just outside the capital. How can I not go?”
“Heh.” Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, the smile on Ao Tuo’s face became a little more obvious. The gaze he gave Xiao Yan was also gentler.
“Grandmaster Ao Tuo… is something the matter?” Seeing Ao Tuo’s manner, Xiao Yet felt unnatural as he asked.
“There is indeed something.”
Nodding his head with a smile, Ao Tuo gently said, “Half a year later, the upcoming Alchemist Grand Meeting will occur in the capital. I think that if you have the spare time then, you can take part in it. It would be very beneficial to you.”
“The Alchemist Grand Meeting?” Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s face was clearly at a loss.
“During the Alchemist Grand Meeting, not only will there be many alchemists from the Jia Ma Empire participating, there will also be some alchemists from other empires in the Dou Qi continent who will come and join. This is a great event in the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist scene. It would be a pity to miss it.”
“Oh?”
“If you wish to join when that time comes, you can come to the capital’s Alchemist Association Headquarters to find Frank or me. By then, we will all be there.” Seeing some interest from Xiao Yan’s face, Ao Tuo said with a smile.
“Haha, alright. If I’m free then, I will definitely go and take a look.” Xiao Yan smiled and nodded; it could be considered that he accepted Ao Tuo’s invitation.
Seeing that Xiao Yan had nodded his head in agreement, Ao Tuo smiled and nodded too. Then he told Xiao Yan some important things regarding the Alchemist Grand Meeting that the latter needed to take note.
During the time the two of them were talking, the person who had went to the auction house to purchase the rank three Monster Core had also rushed back. He respectfully handed it to Xiao Yan.
The value of a rank three Monster Core would not be lower than two hundred thousand. However, this money was rejected by a smiling Ao Tuo. With the wealth from the Alchemist Association, spending this bit of money was really like a drop in the ocean.
When faced with this rank three Monster Core that he obtained for free, Xiao Yan could only helplessly accept it. The two of them chatted for a while longer before Xiao Yan finally got up and bid his farewell. Today, he would leave Black Rock City.
With a smile, Ao Tuo saw Xiao Yan out of the Alchemist Association. He watched Xiao Yan’s back as it slowly disappeared to nothing before he smiled and whispered, “Xiao Yan, I will be waiting at the Alchemist Grand Meeting for you. I hope you can display your talent at that scene…”
Chapter 172: During the Flight
After walking out from the Alchemist Association, Xiao Yan glanced around before striding toward the middle of the city where the Flying Transportation Company was located.
After passing a few unfamiliar streets and asking for directions along the way, Xiao Yan finally found the Flying Transportation Company situated in the middle of a wide open space after ten minutes.
There were over ten large bird monsters parked in the vast plaza. This kind of bird monster was known as the Thick Winged Bird. They did not belong to the Magic Beast classification and were instead just birds. They had very gentle tempers and were easily trained by humans. However, due to their small numbers, it would usually require the strength of an empire in order to create this kind of Flying Transportation Fleet.
This kind of Thick Winged Bird may not be comparable to a Flying type Magic Beast in terms of speed, they still had extremely great endurance. As long as one of them had a full meal, it could fly at a steady speed for up to four or five days. Its ability to carry a load was also outstanding. A fully grown Thick Winged Bird could easily carry loads up to five or six times its weight and still fly for a long period of time.
These Thick Winged Birds would be forcefully taken back by the empire’s military during times of war. It would only be returned to the public when the war was over. Thus, among the creatures, there were many who had experienced battle. As Xiao Yan entered the plaza, the cries released were filled with power as they forcefully poured into his ear, causing Xiao Yan’s ears to ring when he could not react in time.
Xiao Yan shook his head violently before lifting it and looked around the crowded plaza. Beside each Thick Winged Bird, there was a long queue. On the wooden stairs beside the Thick Winged Bird, Xiao Yan could even see a person in uniform collecting the boarding tickets.
After being stunned for awhile upon seeing this sight, Xiao Yan laughed bitterly and shook his head. He stopped a passerbyer and inquired about where he could purchase the tickets before heading for the south-eastern part of the plaza where the Ticket Counter was.
Currently, there was a very long queue in front of the Ticket Counter and Xiao Yan could only helplessly queue quietly as he waited for his turn.
During his wait, the noisiness by his ear never ceased. Xiao Yan rubbed his temple as he was suddenly envious of the Fairy Doctor. Now he finally knew that owning a flying steed was far too important.With just a bamboo whistle, the vast Dou Qi continent was hers to roam…
“Dammit, I will get a flying pet in the future…” Clenching his teeth, Xiao Yan viciously said in his heart.
“Mister, where do you wish to travel to?” While Xiao Yan was thinking by himself, a lady’s voice sounded from his front.
“Uh.”
Xiao Yan’s mind had momentarily blanked. He lifted his head and realized that the queue had already cleared in front of him. Behind the counter, there was a gorgeous lady in a uniform who was using her occupational smile as she asked him. However, Xiao Yan could see that there seemed to be an impatientness behind the smile.
“The eastern border of the empire. The city closest to Tager Desert.” Xiao Yan glanced at the fairly beautiful lady in front of him as he said blandly.
Hearing this, the lady skimmed her lips together and muttered softly to herself. After which, she pulled out a ticket that was made of the special fur of a Magic Beast. However, when she was about to hand the ticket over to Xiao Yan, her impatient gaze that was roaming around suddenly paused on the Alchemist badge in front of Xiao Yan’s chest. Instantly, her extended hand suddenly stiffened. With a careful voice and smile, she inquired, “Sir, are you an alchemist?”
“Yes… is there a problem?” Xiao Yan frowned as he asked.
“Not at all, not at all. It is just that according to the empire’s regulations, an Alchemist can enjoy the service of the Flying Transportation Company for free. Therefore, please follow me. We have a flying steed that is specially prepared for alchemists.” Seeing Xiao Yan nod his head, the lady hurriedly shook her head and respectfully said with a smile.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan once again stilled. A moment later, he could not help but sigh emotionally. The identity as an alchemist was really grand to the point where one would be astounded. Even when it came to these small things, the empire had given orders to benefit alchemists. No wonder many people would adopt a respectful face when they saw an alchemist. The rarity and nobility of this occupation far outstripped Xiao Yan’s previous expectations.
Under the envious and respectful gazes that surrounded him, Xiao Yan gently patted the Heavy Xuan Ruler on his back before following the lady who had exited the counter.
On the way, the slightly beautiful lady who was walking in front of him had intentionally or unintentionally repeatedly shook her full and narrow waist, forming a sexy and fiery curve. Although her face was not superb, it was still sufficient to prompt some heat in a person’s lower abdomen when combined with her tight uniform dress.
Walking behind, Xiao Yan faintly took a glance before withdrawing it. He was not ruled by his spunk, so he was not interested in getting involved with this lady who was acting in a slightly debauched manner. L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on N0vel-B1n.
After walking through a walkway, an extremely huge Bird Beast that was as large as a Thick Winged Bird appeared in Xiao Yan’s sight.
Sweeping his gaze at this somewhat fierce looking huge Bird Beast, Xiao Yan was a little shocked to realize that this was actually a flying Magic Beast.
From its aura, the beast appeared to have been at rank one but Xiao Yan could feel a flowing wind type energy surrounding its body. Clearly, this was a wind type flying Magic Beast; the flying speed of this kind of Magic Beast was extremely fast.
On the back of the flying Magic Beast, there was a small house that was firmly built on it using a special wood. This type of wood was extremely agile yet firm. There was, however, very little of it available.
The interior of the house was further divided into a few small rooms. Xiao Yan glanced at the house and found that two of the rooms were already occupied. From the robes on their bodies, they were obviously all alchemists.
“Sir, this is the Flying Beast that will head to the eastern border city, Desert City, of the Jia Ma Empire. That city is the closest to the Tager Desert.” Stopping in front of the flying Magic Beast, that lady in uniform respectfully said.
“Yes.” Nodding his head slightly, Xiao Yan gently stepped on the ground, prompting his body to drift up onto the spacious back of the huge bird. Under the resentful gaze from behind him, he entered one of the empty rooms.
Taking this kind of Flying Beast for the first time, Xiao Yan naturally did not know that as a grand Alchemist, he was qualified to enjoy high standard personal service. As for what it meant by personal service, any man would understand… The reason for the action of the lady along the way was because she hoped Xiao Yan would choose her to be the female servant accompanying him during the journey. Unfortunately, Xiao Yan was not interested in such things, so her ‘affection’ was naturally ignored.
Not long after Xiao Yan boarded the Flying Beast, another alchemist also boarded it. After waiting for a little longer, Xiao Yan finally felt the huge Flying Beast slowly flapped its wings. Threads of wind type energy also began to shroud the underside of the beast and lifted its huge body into the sky.
Following a sharp cry, the Flying Beast, under the control of a Beast Trainer, suddenly shot to the sky and began swiftly flying toward the eastern regions of the Jia Ma Empire.
Seated by the window in the room, Xiao Yan watched the faint fog of clouds fly past him. From the deep recess of his memory, a somewhat distant word of ‘airplane’ suddenly appeared in his mind. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, throwing the thought out of his mind. Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the chair and gradually entered training mode.
There was quite a distance from Black Rock City to the edge of the empire’s body. Even with the speed of this flying Magic Beast, it would at least require three days of flight before they could reach the border. Thus, Xiao Yan was unwilling to waste so much time.
The bright sky slowly became dark when Xiao Yan, who was training, was suddenly woken by numerous strange sounds.
Slowly opening his eyes, Xiao Yan saw that the Moonlight Rock within his room was already beginning to release a faint light, expelling the darkness of the night from the room.
Xiao Yan gently released a feculent air from his mouth and helplessly watched the room to his left. From within it, the panting sound of a man and the seductive groan of a woman was unceasingly pouring into his mind like a devil’s sound.
“Damnit…” Xiao Yan softly scolded. He suddenly understood why the lady today had repeatedly swayed in front of him. There was actually such a service.
Shaking his head helplessly, Xiao Yan did not dare continue training in such a situation. He let out a sigh and took out the ‘Blood Lotus Essence’, ‘Ice Spirit Blazing Grass’ and the rank three Monster Core from his storage ring. He carefully and gently placed them on the table before tapping the pitch-black ring. Instantly, Yao Lao unsteadily floated out from it.
“Why? Do you want to refine the ‘Blood Lotus Pill’ now?” Yao Lao said with a smile as he glanced at the three types of ingredients on the table.
“Yes, let’s prepare it earlier. After all, didn’t Teacher say back then that if my luck was good, I may suddenly find a ‘Heavenly Flame’ at any time.” Xiao Yan nodded his head while smiling. Hearing this, Yao Lao also smiled but he did not refuse, He floated to the front of the table and nodded his head. With a smile, he said, “It’s just as well. This ‘Blood Lotus Pill’ is a high tier medicinal pill that can be considered to have entered tier five. The time needed to refine it would be around two days. Since we are free now, let’s make the most of this time.”
“Tier five medicinal pill?” Hearing this, Xiao Yan was slightly shocked. He did not expect that this ‘Blood Lotus Pill’ had actually reached this tier. Tier five medicine. In the entirety of the Jia Ma Empire, it was likely that only Pill-King Gu He could refine it.
“Observe it carefully. Seeing how a high tier medicinal pill is being refined will be of much benefit to you.” After reminding Xiao Yan, Yao Lao slowly extended his hand. Instantly, a thick white flame curled upwards from his palm.
Seeing that cluster of thick white flame, Xiao Yan could not help but lick his lips. This one of the ‘Heavenly Flame’s that he had spent days and nights coveting.
Yao Lao stared blankly at the thick white flame on his hand. He waited for it to gradually rise before releasing a mouthful of air. After which, he threw the ranked three monster core into it. The refining process of the ‘Blood Lotus Pill’ officially began high up in the sky.
Chapter 173: The Murder Caused by the Tier Five Medicinal Pill
Xiao Yan spent the three day flying journey on the flying bird in his own rom. Although there were two stops during the journey to rest, he did not step out. Instead, he continued to remain in his room, meticulously absorbing all the steps Yao Lao took when refining the medicinal pill into his mind.
This time around, Yao Lao took two and a half days in order to refine the medicine. This result was only achieved under the precondition of Yao Lao having the help of a ‘Heavenly Flame’. From this, it can be seen that if an ordinary Alchemist intended to successfully refine this ‘Blood Lotus Pill’, it would be impossible without a time period of over ten days.
After observing the entire process of Yao Lao refining the tier five medicinal pill, Xiao Yan felt that he had gained quite a lot. At the same time, he had also realized that his ability to control the flames and other alchemy related things that he was proud of were nothing in front of a true Alchemist Grandmaster. Take for example the process of refining a ‘Blood Lotus Pill’. Although there were only three ingredients, the complex process involved caused Xiao Yan to suck his tongue in shock. Xiao Yan had thought about it in his heart. If it was him, he might have turned the medicinal ingredient into a pile of ashes when refining the first ingredient.
From within the small room, the clouds outside flew past with great speed.
After two long days of being calcined by the ‘Heavenly Flame’. a blood red colored round medicinal pill the size of a dragon’s eye was rolling around as it rotated quickly a couple of inches above Yao Lao’s palm. From the luster of its surface, it had clearly reached the final stage of congregating and solidifying into a pill.
Licking his lips, Xiao Yan massaged his numb legs. His gaze randomly drifted out of the window and felt that the air had suddenly become much warmer.
“Are we arriving?” Xiao Yan rubbed his black panda eyes as he mumbled to himself. He rubbed his neck before shifting his gaze once more toward Yao Lao who was on the table. Although he had spent two days without any rest, Yao Lao’s expression still remained as calm as before. It was as though this long time of squandering his energy did not wear him down.
“The medicinal pill is about to be formed…” Just as Xiao Yan was admiring in his heart, Yao Lao suddenly said in a faint voice.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan hurriedly took out a high-grade rouge jade bottle. After which, he carefully placed it on the table and took a few steps back.
Glancing at the jade bottle on the table, Yao Lao nodded his head. His palm trembled slightly and a dense thick white flame rose, completely surrounding the blood colored medicinal pill.
The thick white flame hurriedly writhed a couple of times as an ferocious energy fluctuation suddenly undulated from within the flame. An instant later, it scattered out from the small house like a ripple.
When this energy ripple spread, the flying type Magic Beast which was in the midst of flying was shocked by it. Instantly, its huge body trembled and shook a few times as it’s terrifyed eagle cry sounded in midair.
Feeling this sudden energy ripple and the change in the flying type magic beast, Xiao Yan’s face changed slightly. At the same time, the blood colored medical pill that was being formed abruptly released an extremely dense medicinal scent. The medicinal scent also carried a faint red color as it exited the room and finally shrouded the small house.
“This is the phenomenon that will occur when a medicinal pill tier four and above is formed. Guard the door. Give me a few minutes to quietly complete the pill.” Yao Lao gravely said as he stared at the flame in his palm without changing expression: “Be careful of the alchemists traveling with us.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yan nodded his head seriously. At the moment when the strange scent was emitted, he had already discovered that there was some commotion in the few other rooms on this huge bird beast. A medicinal pill that was tier four and above possessed a fatal attraction to many people. Some were even willing to risk their lives in order to obtain it.
With his palm tightly holding the Heavy Xuan Ruler on his back, Xiao Yan turned around and opened the door. He then went out with an expressionless face. At the same time, he violently pulled the door closed with one hand.
Not long after he stood at the door, four human figures from the four other rooms rushed out without being properly dressed. Their gazes swept across the corridor and finally landed on Xiao Yan who was wearing an indifferent looking face.
The four gazes first swept across the tier two alchemist badge on Xiao Yan’s chest before shock flashed in their eyes. They exchanged glances hidden with meaning.
As the four men were weighing Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan also roughly glanced at all four of them. Among the four, there was an old man and three middle aged men who were in their thirties. On the chest of the old man was a tier three alchemist badge. Two others were tier two alchemists, the same tier as Xiao Yan. The last one was a tier one alchemist.
“Ke ke, young friend, I am Ha Lang.” The old man stared at the threads of pink scent that were flowing out of the room behind Xiao Yan. His eyes narrowed and greed surfaced. After he coughed twice, he slowly approached Xiao Yan and said in a friendly voice.
Glancing at this old man called Ha Lang with an emotionless gaze, Xiao Yan did not reply but the palm holding onto the Heavy Xuan Ruler tightened further.
“Ke ke, young friend. Did the energy ripple that has suddenly appeared just now originate from here? We don’t have any other intention. All we want to do is inquire. Ke ke, after all, all of us are a thousand meters in the sky. If anything were to happen, all of us would be killed.” Ignoring Xiao Yan’s cold attitude, the old man continued to smile as he said.
“That’s right. Little brother, all of us can be said to be on the same boat. Please do not create something a little dangerous. Otherwise, hehe… it does not benefit all of us here.” A tier two alchemist also gave a superficial smile as he came over. His gaze obscurely swept over the small room as his Adam’s apple noticeably trembled a little.
Seeing that these two had said such words, the other two middle aged men also moved forward, unwilling to be left out. Their collective voices echoed each other. As they repeated what had been said, they even made a suggestion of entering the room to conduct a check.
“My teacher is inside refining a medicinal pill. All of you are sensible people so there is no need to pretend to be foolish in front of me. We will not affect the flight of the flying bird. Please give me some face and return to your rooms. Don’t randomly disturb. Otherwise…” Xiao Yan said in a thick voice as he glanced at the four in front of him who clearly had ill intentions.
“Ke ke, young friend really knows how to joke. We do not have such intention. As you know, all of us cannot afford the consequences if something were to happen a thousand meters up in the air. Moreover, since you and your teacher have chosen to take the flying bird beast, it is natural that you have not achieved the stage where your Dou Qi can transform into wings. If anything were to happen….” That old man called Ha Lang said with a face full of smiles. His smile might have been calm but it could not hide his greed and ruthlessness.
Although he clearly understood that the mysterious alchemist in there would not be a lower tier than him, the other party was obviously in the process of refining medicine. During this time, diverting one’s attention was taboo. If one was not at his best, ruining the medicinal pill was a small and easy matter. In the case of a backlash, it might result in the refiner becoming a cripple. This was the reason why Ha Lang had such courage…
“Little brother, we only want to go in and confirm for ourselves. We will not create any trouble. Please move aside.” The tier two middle-aged man also knew that now was the best opportunity so he did not dare to drag the matter. He took a step forward, hid his Dou Qi in his palm and pushed at Xiao Yan.
“Get lost!”
Seeing this person’s bold action, Xiao Yan’s expression became cold. His palm sudden tightened and a purple colored flame instantly soared. Carrying a fierce force, his hand punched at the middle aged man before the latter could defend.
“Bang!” A muffled noise sounded. Xiao Yan hurriedly stepped back until he tightly glued himself on the room’s door before he steadied his body. Xiao Yan’s current strength was merely an ordinary Dou Shi while the large man had long entered the level of a three star Dou Shi. Although Xiao Yan managed to gain the upper hand by relying on his Purple Flame Dou Qi, obtaining a victory was not easy.
“Ah…” After receiving Xiao Yan’s attack, that tier two alchemist also took a few quick steps back. However, he suddenly grabbed his fist and let out a painful cry. The other three glanced over and were surprised to discover that the person’s fist had actually become totally red. There was also the faint sign of blood seeping out. It was extremely terrifying.
“‘Heavenly Flame’? No. This brat’s a little strange. Attack! Ta Gu! The medicinal pill inside is about to be completely refined!” Seeing the ascending Purple Flame on Xiao Yan’s fist, that old man’s expression changed. He then turned around and ordered the other tier two alchemist. From the looks of it, the old man seemed to be acquainted with that tier two alchemist.
Hearing the old man’s shout, that middle aged man whose strength was clearly greater than the tier two alchemist earlier nodded his head. He took a step forward and threw a flying kick at Xiao Yan with his right leg. On his feet, there was a dense dark yellow colored Dou Qi and the accompanying oppressing sound of the wind. Xiao Yan’s face became grave.
“Dammit!” Scolding angrily in his heart, Xiao Yan suddenly drew the Heavy Xuan Ruler from his back. He rotated his palm and stored it into the storage ring. At the same time, his feet violently stepped on the ground as he bent his body. Finally, he abruptly shot toward the middle aged man.
“Octane Blast!”
Xiao Yan suddenly shouted coldly in his heart. His right fist tightened and was thrown heavily forward. The frightening strength actually created numerous sound waves.
“Bang!”
The fist and foot heavily knocked against one another. Under Xiao Yan’s full attack strength, the middle aged man, who was not looking down on Xiao Yan despite his low level, was ruthlessly sent flying by the frightening force contained in Xiao Yan’s fist.
“Bang!” The origin of this chapter’s debut can be traced to N0v3l-B1n.
The middle aged man violently smashed into one of the rooms. Immediately, sawdust was scattered and the small room wrecked. At the back of the room the blue sky and pale clouds outside were revealed.
Seeing the ashen face of the middle aged man who had stopped at the corner of the back of the flying bird, a ghastly glint flashed across Xiao Yan’s eyes. He was about to launch another swift attack to throw that guy off the back of the bird when a triumphant, cold, laughter sounded from behind him, causing his heart to be alarmed.
He abruptly turned his head around and found that chilly faced old man had already appeared in front of the door. The latter tilted his head and grinned at Xiao Yan gloatingly as he said in a ghastly manner, “Brat. Once I finish off the one inside, I will throw you down!”
After he said those words, the old man threw a punch at the wooden door. Instantly, fragments of wood shot out in all directions while the room’s door burst under the old man’s laughter.
The old man’s face was filled with smiles as he carelessly pushed aside some of the wood fragments that shot at him. He had just stepped into the room when a specter like shadow strangely appeared in his front like a ghost. A very old arm extended out like lightning and grabbed the old man’s neck.
“You wish to finish me off?”
A faint voice sounded by the side of the old man’s ear, causing the eyes of the old man who was at a loss to suddenly shrink.
Chapter 174: Arrival
Hearing the old voice sounding from within the room, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief.
The old man who had just rushed into the room slowly retreated out. At the moment, one could see a somewhat old looking palm on his neck. Like an eagle claw, it was tightly locked onto his throat.
Ha Lang’s expression was somewhat aghast as he stared at the indifferent old man in front of him. Part of the reason for him being caught was because he was unprepared. However, when the palm of the man locked onto his throat, Ha Lang came to a terrifying realization that the originally quick flowing Dou Qi in his body appeared to have been bound and had changed to a flow with a tortoise like speed. Regardless of how much effort he put in order to hasten it, the Dou Qi remained mild, without any strength.
At this point in time, regardless of how stupid Ha Lang was, he was also able to understand that the old man in front of him was not someone who was only slightly stronger than him as he had thought…
From the terrifying hand of the other party, this strength at the very least exceed Ha Lang by over two classes.
“God, this old man’s strength has obviously reached the stage where his Dou Qi can transform into Wings. Why did he still take this kind of flying beast whose speed was much slower?” Ha Lang sadly wailed in his heart. With great difficulty, he tried to move his throat and said with a hoarse voice “Sir… we did not mean to offend you. It is just that we wish to ensure our safety…”
Yao Lao glanced at him indifferently. His right hand waved and a rouge jade bottle appeared in his hand. From within that translucent bottle, one could see a blood red medicinal pill the size of a dragon eye rolling around.
“You want it, right?” Waving the jade bottle in his hand, Yao Lao smiled and said blandly.
Looking at Ha Lang who was easily subdued by Yao Lao without any ability to retaliate, the other three middle aged men’s expressions were filled with fear. They took a few terrified steps back and their hearts began to feel uneasy. After greed had slowly retreated from their minds, they finally realized just how foolish their actions were.
“Ke… ke ke, sir, you must be joking. We would not dare take things from you. Had we not been afraid that the energy ripple from before would impede our flight, we would definitely not bother you.” Ha Lang laughed dryly as his eyes rotated and he swallowed his saliva.
“This was not what you said just now…” Xiao Yan came to the side of the room’s door and leaned against the wooden wall. He thickly glanced at He Lang as he mocked.
“Ke ke… before, before I was just joking.” He Lang laughed dryly. He lowered his head slightly and a pernatious glint flashed in his eyes. He lowered his sleeves a little and a small bag of black colored powder rolled from his sleeves into his palm.
“Originally, I did not wish to kill. But since you seek death, then I’ll forget about it…” Just as the powder in He Lang’s hand was about to be scattered, Yao Lao sighed and shook his head. The corner of his mouth curled up in a cold smile. A thick white flame suddenly appeared on the palm that was grabbing He Lang’s neck.
“Ah!”
Just as the dense white flame touched He Lang’s skin, a terrible pain caused him to suddenly widen his eyes. His body tightened like it was a spring. Following a blood curling shrill, his entire body was completely swallowed up by the thick white flame in a matter of seconds.
“Hiss…”
Seeing that He Lang was turned into a pile of black ashes in the blink of an eye, everyone present, including Xiao Yan could not help but inhale a breath of cold air.
“Is this the strength of a ‘Heavenly Flame’?”
Feeling a little shock as he watched the scene, Xiao Yan’s heart was in a terrible turmoil. Yao Lao had used the ‘Heavenly Flame’ to kill a person back in Wu Tan Cit, but the strength of Liu Xi at that time was only that of a Dou Zhe. Thus, Xiao Yan could not feel its extreme profoundness. However, the one in front of him who had withstood the ‘Heavenly Flame’ for a few seconds was a true Da Dou Shi!
“‘Heavenly Flame’… no wonder so many people were willing to risk their lives to obtain it. This kind of strength… tsk tsk, it is indeed attractive.” Xiao Yan sighed and shook his head. He had to admit that after experiencing the strength of a ‘Heavenly Flame’, his hope to obtain it grew far denser.
After glancing at the ashes on the ground, Yao Lao waved his sleeve. A gentle wind blew passed and scraped the floor clean. He threw the jade bottle to Xiao Yan before gently patting his hands.
Xiao Yan carefully received that jade bottle which contained the ‘Blood Lotus Pill’ and stored it into his storage ring. He sighed in relief and lifted his head. Glancing at the three pale-faced middle-aged men with ill intentions, he smiled and asked, “Teacher, how do we deal with them?”
“Since they have the determination to rob medicine and kill people, it is only natural that they know what kind of price they have to pay should they fail.” Yao Lao blandly said. He lifted his eyes and glanced at the three of them. Flipping his hand, a thick white flame once again rose. “Do you want to jump down yourself?”
Hearing Yao Lao’s indifferent words, the three men stilled their bodies. Their faces were filled with fear as they lowered their hands and glance at the ground which was over a thousand meters away. Their heels did not stop shivering.
Xiao Yan folded his arms and coldly watched the three men who had descended into terror and hopelessness. His heart did not hold any pity. He knew that if their roles were reversed, these people would definitely not show any mercy and kill the both of them. Since the other side did not intend to show any mercy, Xiao Yan could also temporarily silence these feelings of his and face them.
Without raising his head to see the fearful expressions of the three of them, Yao Lao’s finger slowly flicked. Numerous threads of pale white flame continued to rise from his palm and scattered…
The depressing atmosphere continued for a moment. That middle-aged man who was only a tier one alchemist finally could not withstand the pressure of this atmosphere. Following an oppressive roar, his Dou Qi covered his body. Then he revealed his fierceness as he charged at Xiao Yan, intending to kill. It appeared that he had not completely lost his reasoning as he still knew how to choose the softer target to strike.
After this middle-aged man retaliated by attacking, one of the other tier two alchemists also suddenly took out a longsword from his storage ring. After which, he let out a cry that was filled with strength as he too charged at Xiao Yan ferociously. In his heart he knew that as long as he could catch Xiao Yan alive and take him as a hostage, he would be able to keep his life today.
Ignoring the two men who were pouncing forth, Yao Lao was momentarily quiet before he flicked his finger. A thread of white colored flame shot from his palm and like an arrow, shot through that tier one alchemist body in a lightning like manner. Instantly, it incinerated the latter into ashes.
After killing a tier one alchemist like killing a chicken, Yao Lao’s finger once again flicked at that tier two alchemist who was pouncing forward. However, a soft muffled sound caused his finger to suddenly pause. His old eyebrow twitched as he raised his head with interest.
“Puff…”
At the moment, the body of the tier two alchemist who was rushing toward Xiao Yan suddenly froze on the spot. He violently vomited a mouthful of bright red fresh blood. Slowly lowering his head, he saw a cold blade that was contaminated by the glaring fresh blood had penetrated his chest.
“You…” Turning around with difficulty, that tier two alchemist stared intently at his companion who had suddenly attacked him. He cursed in a hoarse voice, “You… will also die here. Definitely… cannot escape. He will not let you off.”
Hearing this, that tier two alchemist whose expression was a little mad, once again thrust the longsword in his hand deeper. After which, he suddenly pulled it out. Fresh blood spluttered out and covered his entire body.
Seeing his companion whose body was gradually falling, the tier two alchemist fiercely took in a deep breath. He suddenly turned around and shouted to Yao Lao, “Sir, I am willing to follow you! All I ask is for you to let me live!”
Xiao Yan quietly watched the somewhat brutal scene of killing of one’s companion that occurred in front of him. A long while later, he let out a gentle breath. The original appearance of this chapter can be found at N0v3l–Biin.
“This is the extremity of human personality. Should you face a hopeless situation in the future, don’t show your back to those that you cannot trust. Because you never know if a sword that you did not expect would stab into your chest…” Ignoring that fawning face of the tier two alchemist who was trying to get into his good books, Yao Lao tilted his head, stared at Xiao Yan and said blandly.
Tightening his fist, Xiao Yan nodded his head. The scene that had played live in front of him had caused him to be a lot more cautious.
“This person, you can do what you want. I don’t need this kind of follower.” Slowly turning around, Yao Lao walked into the room. All that he left Xiao Yan were vague words.
Nodding his head, Xiao Yan inhaled a breath. A somewhat icy smile surfaced on his face.
A short while after entering the room, Yao Lao heard a deep muffled sound from outside. He nodded his head and flicked his finger. The rising pale white flame on the tip of his finger gradually disappeared.
“Creak.”
Xiao Yan pushed open the door and entered. At that moment, his body had a little scent of blood. Seeing Yao Lao looking over, Xiao Yan shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “If I left that kind of person by my side, it would be difficult to say when he would change colors. So, I kicked him down.”
“Ah.” Randomly nodding his head, Yao Lao’s sight passed through the window and observed the distant land where it was covered with a gold yellow color. He smiled and said, “We are reaching the Tager Desert. Let’s go… we will fly ourselves for the remaining distance. Otherwise, there might be some unnecessary disturbance due to the four missing alchemists when this flying bird descends, delaying our arrival.”
After saying those words, Yao Lao’s body swayed, transforming into a cluster of light and poured into the ring on Xiao Yan’s finger. At the same time, the Purple Cloud Wings that were tightly stuck to Xiao Yan’s back also extended out with a ‘swish’ sound.
Slightly flapping the Purple Cloud Wings on his back. Xiao Yan opened the window and leapt down.
An intense sound of wind swept past his ears as Xiao Yan’s pair of wings flapped and a purple colored Dou Qi gradually covered his body. Lifting his head, he watched the Flying Bird Magic Beast that was flapping its huge feathered wings a short distance away. He smiled faintly. After being stationary for a moment, his flying speed suddenly increased as he transformed into a purple colored light and speedily overtook that Flying Bird Magic Beast…
In the distant sky, a purple colored stream of light instantly slid across the horizon as though it was chasing the stars and the moon. He faced the yellow soiled city that stood in the golden yellow desert and flew quickly towards it.
The rigid city grew increasingly near. Numerous whiffs of heat waves came toward him. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the golden yellow region where the borders could not be seen. Xiao Yan let out a gentle sigh, “The final training place, Tager Desert. I’ve finally arrived!”
Chapter 175: The Mysterious Map Fragment?
Upon reaching a place around a few hundred meters from the city, Xiao Yan’s flying speed gradually decreased. His body trembled slightly and the Purple Cloud Wings on his back released waves of pale purple colored light before gradually shrinking. After which, they transformed into a tattoo and stuck to Xiao Yan’s back.
Xiao Yan rolled his body in midair before his feet steadily landed on the ground. After gently patting off some of the dust from his clothes, he lifted his head and looked at the huge yellow colored city that was in the distance. He let out a relieved sigh as he smiled.
Perhaps because the place was located close to the desert, but the air was extremely dry and hot. Blazing sunlight shined down from the sky and grilled the vast ground, causing it to emit hot air that cooked people. That wave of hot air slowly rose, causing some distortions in the surrounding areas.
According to common sense, this could not be considered to be a good environment and there should not be people who could have a carefree feeling in this environment. However, Xiao Yan was a little stunned to discover that ever since his feet stepped on this plot of land, the flowing Purple Flame Dou Qi in his body actually became a lot more joyous.
After being slightly amazed for a moment, Xiao Yan extended his hand and caught some air from the space in front of him. He pursed his lips together. A long while later, he suddenly whispered, “No wonder. Around eighty percent of the air here belongs to the Ground and Fire type Dou Qi energy…”
“Ah. Due to this reason, the Tager Desert is most suited for those practicing Fire and Ground type Qi Methods. Additionally, the Purple Flame in your body belongs to a special flame that has a close relationship to the sun. Naturally, you are a little more sensitive compared to others.” Yao Lao’s faint laughter emitted from within the ring.
“And this is also the reason for me to ask you to come to this desert to train. The conditions here are very tough. If one wanted to train, there would be no better place.”
Xiao Yan nodded his head and let out a breath of air. He patted the exquisite alchemist long robe that was almost like a piece of art before opening his stride and slowly headed toward Yellow Soil City.
As he gradually walked closer to the city, the number of surrounding pedestrians also increased. Among these pedestrians, the men largely revealed their upper body to show that their skin was dark and strong. When one looked at it, they appeared forthright. As for the occasional women that passed by, their skin was also slightly dark but it was more of a bronze color. The women here were not as shy and reserved as those in the interior of the empire. The tight skin blouse they wore only covered their chest area and some areas a little lower. Their narrow waists were boldly exposed. A short skirt or shorts covered their long and tight thighs. When they walked, their snake like waists shook, showing unique, seductive charm and loveliness.
During his walk, Xiao Yan feasted with his eyes. He smacked his lips together and lifted his head to see the specific size of the yellow colored city. At the area where the city gate was, two huge pale red words were carved onto the city wall. Looking from a distance, it had a faint bloody feeling.
“Desert City…” Xiao Yan read softly as he smiled and slowly walked toward the city’s entrance.
At the city’s entrance, over ten soldiers wearing armor were carrying long spears as they shouted to those people entering the city to pay the entrance tax. Seeing that these soldiers ignored the heat and wore full armor, Xiao Yan felt a little shocked in his heart. Why was the defence here even tighter than that of big cities like the Black Rock City?
Perhaps it was because the weather was very hot but the soldiers who were standing guard at this place had become a little irritated. Numerous rude, loud abuses continued to hasten the pedestrians entering the city.
Walking toward the city’s entrance and hearing the loud abuses that escaped the soldiers mouth, Xiao Yan frowned slightly. He shook his head and walked directly into the city. Within the Jia Ma Empire, an alchemist was an occupation that enjoyed a treatment that was almost like royalty. These entrance taxes collected at the city’s’ entrances were also waived by the empire. Although an alchemist would not be bothered about this little bit of money, this status that they were given was something that all the alchemists enjoyed.
“Hey, brat. Didn’t you see what’s written here…” Seeing Xiao Yan directly walked into the city as though there was no one, a soldier’s eyes stared at him for a moment. Before his abuses could be completely said, his gaze drifted to the exquisite alchemist long robe on Xiao Yan’s body. Instantly, the scolding from his lips was swallowed. The angry face had also transformed into a fawning smile, “Sir, are you planning to enter the city?”
“Yes.” Without pausing his footsteps, Xiao Yan slowly walked towards the soldier. He glanced indifferently at the soldier. After which, his heels trembled a little as his shoulder brushed passed the guard and headed into the interior of the city as he pleased.
“Cluck…” Seeing that Xiao Yan had ignored the offense from earlier, joy surfaced on the soldier’s face. He swallowed his saliva and hurriedly turned around and called out respectfully, “Sir, recently there have been some snake people in the Tager Desert who are finding trouble. If you intend to leave the city, you need to be more careful.”
Slowing his footsteps, Xiao Yan nodded his head as he obtained this unexpected news. Then his back figure slowly disappeared into the darkness of the city wall’s tunnel.
“Dammit, I was almost done for. If my supervisor were to learn that I had offended a tier two alchemist, it would be strange if he didn’t serve me to the dogs.” Watching Xiao Yan’s figure disappear, the soldier finally and completely let out a sigh of relief. He wiped away his cold sweat and once again returned to his station. It might have been because of the scare from earlier, but the current him had reeled in on his temper, not daring to randomly scold those entering the city.
After slowly exiting the somewhat dark city wall’s tunnel, Xiao Yan’s vision brightened. Buildings that had the desert characteristics appeared in his sight. These numerous strange looking houses and buildings were an eye opener for Xiao Yan.
Walking on the street, Xiao Yan’s gaze swept across the people walking on the street. A moment later, a dazed Xiao Yan asked in his heart, “Teacher. Where do we go now? Do we go directly into the Tager Desert?” The original appearance of this chapter can be found at N0v3l–Biin.
“If you randomly bash about in the desert like you intend to, even if you don’t get lost in the desert, you would sooner or later die from a lack of water source.” Yao Lao’s helpless voice was emitted from the ring.
Giving an embarrassed smile, Xiao Yan dryly laughed, “This is my first time encountering a desert… then what should we do next?”
“Go and purchase the most detailed map of the Tager Desert. In this city, there should be shops that specialize in selling maps. This is very important! Additionally, prepare sufficient water. And one more thing. Go to the medicinal shop here and buy some medicine to repel snakes. The Snake People in the Tager Desert are most proficient in ordering poisonous snakes to attack. It is correct to be a little more careful.” Yao Lao mused out loud.
“After preparing all these things, we should not have any time left today to enter the Tager Desert. Therefore, we will rest the night in the city. Oh, right, your ‘Energy Recovery Pills’ have been exhausted. This is something that is essential to prepare for training. Luckily, you have gathered sufficient medicinal ingredients from the small valley in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Tonight, I will find the time to help you refine a batch. Once we have completed all of these tasks, we will enter the Tager Desert tomorrow morning.”
Hearing the numerous instructions from Yao Lao’s mouth, Xiao Yan could only helplessly nod his head. He sighed and offhandedly stopped a passerby to inquire about the shops that sold maps of the Tager Desert.
The passerby that Xiao Yan had stopped had an impatient expression initially. However, when he noticed the alchemist badge on Xiao Yan’s chest, he hurriedly withdrew his expression and was extremely polite in pointing the direction of the shop. Even after Xiao Yan voiced his thanks, this person still passionately told him about the approximate prices of the maps.
After saying his thanks to the passerby, Xiao Yan rubbed the alchemist badge on his chest with his palm. He sighed and shook his head. It must be said that this identity was just too convenient to use.
Sighing again in his heart, Xiao Yan swiftly passed through the corner of the street and headed in the direction of the best map shop in the Desert City that the passerby had pointed out.
Walking for a while at a neither fast nor slow pace, the map’s shop that was named ‘Ancient Map’ appeared in Xiao Yan’s sight. His gaze swept across this shop and was slightly surprised. This shop was not as magnificent or publicized as the others. Looking at it, there was a faint rustic atmosphere.
With some surprise in his heart, Xiao Yan gradually walked into the shop. The interior of the shop was not very spacious. Two Moonlight Stones were emitting a faint light that lit the entire shop so much that it was quite bright. Xiao Yan’s gaze swept across the interior of the shop; there were not many people here buying maps. The desolated manner caused Xiao Yan to suspect if he had come to the right place.
Slowly walking into the shop, Xiao Yan’s gaze drifted and finally stopped on an old man behind a counter who had lowered his head and was creating a map. The old man was obviously quite old. Despite his head being filled with white hair, the dry hand that he used to hold the black pen used for drawing the map was still strong.
Without making any noise to disturb the old man, Xiao Yan’s gaze swept across the large number of maps on the counter. He curiously lifted it in his hand and flipped it over and over to take a look. The clear routes on the map caused him to nod his head in satisfaction.
After observing the map for awhile, Xiao Yan saw that the old man still had no intention of stopping. He pressed his lips closely together and with slow footsteps, arrived at a corner of the shop beside an ancient looking wooden shelf.
This shelf was obviously very old and was filled with rotten holes. Some yellowing maps were carelessly piled on top of it. From the looks of the broken traces on the maps’ surfaces, it appeared that they were failed products when producing maps.
Xiao Yan’s hand randomly flipped through the yellowing maps and a whiff of musty smell came at him. Frowning slightly, Xiao Yan lifted one pile of failed product. His hand trembled slightly and a fragment map piece the size of a palm suddenly fell from this pile of failed product.
Without being too concerned about the fallen fragmented map piece, Xiao Yan flipped through the failed products in his hand. He then boringly placed it back. When he did, his gaze drifted toward that small fragment map piece. He blinked his eyes first… then the hand which was moving suddenly froze.
“This…” Xiao Yan’s palm trembled slightly as he carefully picked up the fragmented map piece with two fingers. He could feel that his heart was violently beating. Forcefully swallowing his saliva, he placed the fragmented ancient map piece on his hand. His gaze was filled with uncontrolled joy as he meticulously scanned the somewhat familiar mysterious lines on the map.
A long while later, Xiao Yan slowly squinted. He took in a deep breath and quivered as he mumbled, “It really is that…”
Chapter 176: Mysterious Old Man
Xiao Yan’s hand trembled a little as he held the fragmented map piece that appeared as though it would turn to dust with just a touch. There was an unrestrained joy that could not be hidden within his eyes. He did not expect that he would find one of the mysterious fragmented pieces under such coincidental circumstances.
Xiao Yan could not understand the meaning behind the routes as he viewed the mysterious routes on this yellowing map piece. However, the outline of these routes were faintly familiar. This was because he had seen this type of mysterious map piece when he and the Fairy Doctor were searching for treasure in a cave within the Magic Beast Mountain Range…
This fragment of a mysterious map could lead one to find the legendary ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’ that was ranked third on the ‘Heavenly Flame’ ranking. Even Yao Lao also gave a very high evaluation to this kind of ‘Heavenly Flame’. When Yao Lao talked about the ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’, Xiao Yan did not have difficulty in sensing the amazement in his voice.
By being able to be repeatedly praised by Yao Lao, who once stood at the top of the Dou Qi continent, it could be seen just how strong the ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’ was. Using the phrase ‘Destroyer of everything’ to describe it was no exaggeration.
“Tsk tsk, what a lucky guy. To actually be able to find a map piece randomly in such a place like this. Looks like you and the ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’ are fated to meet.” Yao Lao said with shock and disbelief evident from Xiao Yan’s heart. Clearly, he did not expect that Xiao Yan would be able to find two fragment map pieces within one short year.
Xiao Yan smiled. His smile was a little agitated. Carefully holding the mysterious fragment map piece, he forcefully suppressed the impulse to take out the other map piece in his storage ring to compare. Taking in a deep breath, he calmed the fluctuations in his heart caused by this extremely unexpected gain.
At this moment, the old man within the shop finally completed the work that had occupied his hand. However, he still did not raise his head. An old voice evenly reverberated throughout the room.
“You are here to buy a map for the Tager Desert, aren’t you.”
Hearing the old man’s question, Xiao Yan turned around and slowly walked to the front of the counter. He smiled and nodded as he asked with a polite voice, “Old sir, can you give me the most accurate and detailed map of the desert?”
“The maps are on the counter. Pick them yourself.” The old man didn’t have any intention of standing up or introducing himself. He answered without any interest, making him seem not like a businessman.
Seeing the unique attitude of the old man, Xiao Yan was a little stunned. However, he currently needed the old man’s help so he could only nod his head helplessly. He carelessly choose a piece of map that seemed quite detailed from the counter. After which, he carefully pulled open the old map piece in his hand and questioned softly, “Old sir, I wonder if you have anymore such map pieces here?”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s question, the hand of the old man who was originally focused on creating a map paused unnoticeably. The meticulously created line appeared slightly crooked. The old man frowned and then lifted his head. After sweeping his gaze over Xiao Yan’s hand, an inexplicable feeling flashed in his muddy eyes.
Seeing the old face which was lifted, Xiao Yan could not help but still slightly. From the left cheek to the corner of his eye was a frightening scar. Although the gaze of the old man was calm, this scar added a little fierceness to him.
“You… have you seen these kinds of fragment map piece in the past?” The old man’s gaze swept across the badge representing his identity as an alchemist on Xiao Yan’s chest. His old voice carried some astonishment.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. He smiled, shook his head and said, “I think that I have seen this kind of fragment map piece once at an auction house. That time, I randomly bid for it but eventually gave up due to the high price the other party offered. Today, I suddenly found this map piece fragment in this place. This is somewhat similar to what I saw so I want to inquire about it.”
The ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’ was not an ordinary thing. This kind of ‘Heavenly Flame’ that was ranked third in the ‘Heavenly Flame’ ranking would cause even a hermit who held himself aloof from the world to become greedy. Thus, Xiao Yan would not be foolish enough to say that he had one of the fragment map pieces.
“Oh.”
Sweeping his gaze on Xiao Yan’s face, the old man appeared to have believed Xiao Yan’s words. He said faintly, “There isn’t any other. This was something that I found by coincidence. With all my years of experience making maps, this appears to be a fragment of a map.”
“Can old sir tell me where you got ahold of it?” Xiao Yan frowned as he continued to ask.
“I dug it out from the desert.” The old man’s calm voice did not have the slightest ripple.
When faced with this irresponsible answer, Xiao Yan could only bitterly smile. He held the fragment map piece and asked, “Old sir, can you sell this map piece to me? I’m willing to pay a high price.”
“I’m not selling.” The old man lowered his head slowly as he once again returned his attention to the unfinished map. His tone might have been dull but it had an irrevocable solemnity to it.
Seeing that he was rejected immediately, Xiao Yan stilled for a moment. His eyes gradually narrowed. No matter what happened, he had to get the fragment. Even if the other party wasn’t an old man who appeared physically weak, and was a really strong person, he still would think of ways to obtain it. After all, the attraction of the ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’ to Xiao Yan was far too great. If he wanted to evolve the ‘Flame Mantra’ Qi Method to the Tian Rank, this ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’ which was ranked third on the ‘Heavenly Flame’ ranking would play an important role. The original appearance of this chapter can be found at N0v3l–Biin.
Just as thoughts were being rolled around in Xiao Yan’s heart, Yao Lao’s faint voice suddenly sounded, “Be careful. This old man is not an ordinary person.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan heart suddenly turned cold as he hurriedly said in his heart: “Teacher, is there something strange with this old man?”
“Yes, from my observation, this old man’s true strength should be at the Dou Huang level. However, he seemed to have some strange energies suppressing his power. His body’s current strength is merely around that of a Dou Ling. But even if it is like this, it would be easy for him to kill you.” Yao Lao said with some interest.
“Dou Huang?” Xiao Yan’s heart trembled as he cried out involuntarily in his heart, “How can it be? Among the ten strongest in the Jia Ma Empire, there are only three Dou Huangs. Where did this person with a Dou Huang’s strength come from?”
“How would I know… but the strong people whom you mentioned are all those on the surface. The Jia Ma Empire can be considered a big empire; there would definitely be quite a number of strong people who do not like revealing themselves. Some of these strong people have strange personalities and running to this desert border to sell maps isn’t an extremely strange habit.” Yao Lao randomly said.
“…” Xiao Yan was speechless. A long while later, he smiled bitterly, “Why does it have to be someone like him?”
“Maybe you are lucky.” Yao Lao gloated laughingly.
“Kid, stop having any intention on the map. I am not interested in money. Take your things and leave and you shouldn’t have any intention of forcefully stealing it. That won’t do you any good.” The old man waved his hand and blandly said. He did not appear to be afraid that Xiao Yan would take the map piece and run.
Gradually letting out a sigh, Xiao Yan shook his head and said, “Indeed, in front of someone who was once a Dou Huang, I really cannot forcefully take it.”
“Crack!” The ink pen in the old man’s hand that was slowly moving suddenly stilled and was broken following a clear sound.
The gaze of the old man stared intently at the large black ink patch that was dripping on the map. A long while later, he raised his head. He watched Xiao Yan with turbid eyes; a faint coldness gradually hovered in them.
“Who exactly are you?”
The old man’s palm gently tapped at a spot on the table and the large open door suddenly banged shut. His sharp gaze stared at Xiao Yan as an icy strong force began to spread from his body.
Just as the icy oppression headed toward Xiao Yan, Yao Lao’s Spiritual Perception surrounded Xiao Yan, allowing him to eliminate the oppressive force from the other party.
“Old sir, please do not misunderstand. I do not know you. It is just that my innate Spiritual Perception is a little odd. It is very sensitive and can feel the surrounding energies. Just now, I had incidentally sensed the majestic energy in old sir’s body, thus…” Seeing the intense reaction of the old man, Xiao Yan waved his hand, took two steps back and said with a smile “Old sir, I have no other intention. It’s just that I really wanted to obtain that fragment map piece. It is very important to me. Can you please accomodate me. Naturally, you can ask for the things you want in exchange. As long as I can take it out, I will not reject you.”
“Boy, I did not expect you to be so special.” Seeing that Xiao Yan was unaffected under his imposing force, the old man could not help but speak in a surprised voice.
“Haha.” Xiao Yan laughed. Naturally, he was not foolish enough to reveal Yao Lao. He merely nodded without agreeing or disagreeing. He smiled as he waved the fragment map piece in his hand, he said, “Old sir, what do you think?”
“I have already told you, I will not sell it to anyone. If you really intend to forcefully steal it, don’t blame the old me for bullying the weak.” After saying in a bland voice, a gush of white wind began to activate behind the old man’s back. An icy Dou Qi surrounded his body.
Being directly rejected by the old man, Xiao Yan pressed his eyebrows together. He did not expect this old man to be so stubborn. From his attitude and manner, it was obvious that the old man did not know the map was leading to the ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’. Yet, he still refused to sell it. This caused Xiao Yan to feel a little frustrated in his heart.
“Old sir, I must get hold of this thing today. Even if you refuse, I will forcefully take it away!” The smile on Xiao Yan’s face gradually disappeared as he helplessly said.
“You? The old me may have lived in isolation for the last few decades due to some reasons, but this is not your place as a tier two alchemist to speak to me in such a manner!” Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, a mocking smile appeared on the old face of the old man as he coldly said.
Skimming his lips together, Xiao Yan did not continue to exchange nonsensical words with the old man. The tip of his toe stepped out and his body swiftly retreated to the door of the room.
“You are seeking death!”
Seeing Xiao Yan’s action, the old man’s face was filled with anger, making the sinister looking scar look much fiercer. His feet stepped off the ground and his body shot toward Xiao Yan like lightning.
As the old man flashed passed, icy air quickly spread throughout the interior of the shop. A faint fog completely blocked Xiao Yan’s sight.
With his gaze being covered by the surrounding icy fog, Xiao Yan’s expression changed. He knew that this time around he was in some real trouble.
Chapter 177: Fight
With the Dou Qi cloak covering his body, Xiao Yan could clearly feel that his body’s condition had improved a lot. He immediately grabbed the Heavy Xuan Ruler on his back tightly and pulled at it forcefully. Following a soft sound, the Heavy Xuan Ruler pierced the ground and created a deep imprint.
With his hand tightly holding the heavy ruler, Xiao Yan’s gaze cautiously swept across the surrounding fog that had pervaded the room.
When the purple colored Dou Qi cloak that emitted the Purple Flame appeared on Xiao Yan’s body, a soft shocked gasp was clearly emitted from the surrounding white colored fog.
Evidently, that mysterious old man had not expected Xiao Yan to be able to summon a Dou Qi cloak that was accompanied by a Dou Qi flame.
“Old sir, I have no ill intentions nor do I want to disturb old sir’s isolation. It is just that this map fragment is extremely important to me. I implore old sir to accommodate me!” As his gaze swept across the surroundings, Xiao Yan shouted.
“Hmph. Back then I spent a lot of effort in order to obtain this thing. Although I still do not exactly know what it is for despite studying it for over a decade, I do at least know that the secret it holds is not something small. You want me to hand it over to you for no reason? In your dreams!” From within the penetrating icy fog, the old man coldly laughed.
Xiao Yan frowned. He was about to open his mouth again when his heart abruptly trembled. The heavy ruler in his hand was swiftly placed at his front before his body hurriedly hid behind it.
“Puff…” Following the gentle sound of breaking wind, a few white colored icicles shot out from the fog. They finally emitted a clanging sound as they knocked against the Heavy Xuan Ruler in front of Xiao Yan.
After the icicles hit the Heavy Xuan Ruler, they suddenly turned into a pool of icy water and layered over the body of the ruler. At the same time, the hand which Xiao Yan used to hold the Heavy Xuan Ruler felt an icy cold feeling that continued to flow toward his body.
Xiao Yan’s expression changed slightly. He gently flicked his finger and a purple colored flame rose from his palm. After which, it swiftly swept across the surface of the ruler and melted away all the icy frost and cold air on it.
“What? Purple colored flame? How unexpected that you actually possess so many different unique things at such a young age. No wonder you are so bold.” Seeing Xiao Yan’s action, the old man hiding in the fog once again said with surprise.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and did not reply. His gaze was locked tightly on the surrounding fog. His footsteps followed the route he had remembered in his mind and retreated.
“Although my strength cannot be compared to the past after being harmed by that thing which deserves to die, it is not difficult to handle a small fly like you!” Perceiving Xiao Yan’s stealthy actions, the old man laughed coldly from within the fog. A white figure suddenly shot out from the fog and closed the gap between it and Xiao Yan at lightning like speed.
The old man’s sudden charge caused a shocked expression to appear on Xiao Yan’s face. His palm tightly held the heavy ruler and smashed violently toward the human figure in front of him.
Seeing the huge ruler that was nearing with the sound of oppressive wind, the old man’s hands swiftly formed a seal as he softly called out, “Congeal Ice Mirror!”
Following the seal being formed by the old man’s hand, the white colored Dou Qi in front of him suddenly began to change. An instant later, an ice mirror around half a meter in both width and height suddenly coagulated and was formed in front of him.
“Bang!” The heavy ruler ferociously hacked downwards and finally smashed heavily on the ice mirror. Instantly, Xiao Yan’s expression changed. He realized through his senses that at the moment when the heavy ruler hacked on the ice mirror, a strong reverse force strangely shot upwards. Finally, it threw the unprepared Xiao Yan backwards.
Watching the pale faced Xiao Yan being thrown backwards, the old man once again laughed coldly. He waved his hand and tens of spiral shaped icicles quickly formed in front of him. When the old man waved his hand again, they howled as they explosively shot toward Xiao Yan from all directions.
After dragging his feet on the ground for some distance, Xiao Yan lifted his head and watched the large number of ice pricks that were coming at him and the icy energy mixed between them. He knitted his eyebrows together and his feet suddenly stepped on the ground. Following an explosion, he body shot violently upwards.
Having dodged the icicle attacks while his body was in mid air, Xiao Yan suddenly rotated his body. The Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand used the spinning force as it left Xiao Yan’s hand and violently and angrily shot toward the old man.
The heavy ruler shot out and under it’s own great weight, it flew forward as if it had broken the air. There was a faint purple arc that appeared on its surface and left a afterimage line behind it.
Seeing the Heavy Xuan Ruler explosively shooting at him, the old man’s eyebrows twitched with surprise. The young man in front of him was giving him too many surprises.
However, surprises remained only surprises. The old man did not show any mercy when he attacked. With an open and close of his palms, he created numerous tiny ice threads. He tossed his hands and the ice threads shot upwards before they headed for the heavy ruler from all direction and harassed it. In only a moment, it binded the heavy ruler in a thick layer of white colored ice threads.
Under the harassment caused by the ice threads from all directions, the ferocious force that the heavy ruler carried was swiftly removed. When it was around half a meter from the old man’s head, it finally came to a stop.
Carelessly glancing at the heavy ruler that was tightly covered by ice threads above his head, the old man laughed coldly. He swung his palm and the ruler hissed as it spun around in midair and under the influence of the ice threads, the ruler violently shot angrily at Xiao Yan who was in mid air and had no support to borrow force from.
Under the control of the old man, the force carried by the heavy ruler was not much weaker than the attack previously done by Xiao Yan with all his strength. If the ruler smashed unrestrained, Xiao Yan would be unable to escape the fate of being seriously injured.
Watching the approaching heavy ruler, Xiao Yan helplessly shook his head. His back shook slightly and his pair of Purple Cloud Wings extended out. The wings flapped, prompting his figure to quickly climb higher. Finally, he dodged the heavy ruler that was shot at him.
“What? Dou Qi Wings?” Seeing the pair of wings that shot out from Xiao Yan’s back, the old man’s eyes shrunk as he said with astonishment. A moment later, he shook his head. With a frown, he said, “It doesn’t look like Dou Qi Wings. Don’t tell me… it is a flying Dou Technique?”
“Great. Why is it that this kid is filled with treasures?” The old man slowly shook his head as he said in a stunned voice.
Ignoring how much shock the appearance of the Purple Cloud Wings gave the old man, Xiao Yan took advantage of him being distracted and pounced forward ferociously. The purple colored flame on his hand writhed as he flicked his finger so that a strand of Purple Flame shot out. The strand quickly found the main ice thread connected to the heavy ruler and burned it.
Losing the drive from the ice thread, the Heavy Xuan Ruler quickly fell. Xiao Yan flapped his pair of wings and swiftly charged forward. When his ten fingers flicked, the Purple Flame on his hand formed numerous tiny flames that completely burned away all the ice threads on the Heavy Xuan Ruler. The debut release happened at N0v3lBiin.
After completely removing the ice threads, Xiao Yan finally dared to once again hold the Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand. Holding the Heavy Xuan Ruler, his wings quickly flapped once more and Xiao Yan’s body suddenly shot into the air.
Standing on the ground, the old man watched Xiao Yan who intended to break through the roof to escape. His face could not help but form a ridiculing and joking expression.
The speed of Xiao Yan’s rising grew increasingly faster. However, after the Purple Cloud Wings flapped twice, he felt that there was a dense cold air being emitted a short distance from the top of his head.
Feeling this icy air, Xiao Yan felt his heart tighten. The Heavy Xuan Ruler suddenly stabbed angrily above his head.
“Clang!”
The heavy ruler that stabbed upwards seemed to have clashed against something, emitting a clear sound. At the same time, a few tiny pieces of ice slowly fell and dropped on Xiao Yan’s face. The icy feeling caused his heart to sink. He did not expect that the old man would be able to turn the room into a hard igloo in such a short period of time.
Giving up his intention on forcefully breaking a hole, Xiao Yan gradually flapped his wings. His body descended as he coldly stared at the old man standing in the fog.
“Tsk tsk, a rare flying Dou Technique, unique purple colored flame, strange agility Dou Techniques, you have far surpassed the strength of an average Dou Shi. Boy, are you the disciple of the Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect? Or are you the young master of some extremely big clan? Maybe you are a member of the royalty?” Raising his head, the old man asked with great interest as he watched Xiao Yan, who was flapping his Purplish-black colored wing in mid air.
Xiao Yan licked his lips as he stared cautiously at the old man and did not reply.
“Even if you possess the identities that I have stated, however, you will not be able to take the fragment map piece and leave here today.” Touching the scar on his old face with his hand, the old man said with a voice that was gradually turning colder.
“Although you possess many different techniques, you are but a Dou Shi. My current strength may have been greatly reduced but it is not difficult for me to finish you off.” The old voice said blandy, “Hand over the fragment and I will let you leave. I also don’t want others to ruin the years of my secluded lifestyle.”
Eyeing this stubborn old man, Xiao Yan helplessly sighed. He laughed bitterly in his heart, “Teacher, it seems that you have to act. I am indeed no match for him. Even though his strength is incomparable to the past, it is as he had said: Finishing me off is nothing difficult.”
“Ke ke, it is indeed not difficult. After all, the difference in your strength is over two entire classes. Moreover, the Dou Techniques that guy possesses are not weaker than yours. The exchange earlier was only meant to test your strength. If he really became serious, you would not be able hold out for more than five exchanges.” Yao Lao’s voice sounded in Xiao Yan’s heart.
Xiao Yan smiled bitterly and nodded. After having a brief exchange with that old man, he naturally knew the other’s strength. If it was not for the fact that the old man could not transform his Dou Qi into wings, Xiao Yan might have been captured long ago.
“Ah… leave it to me, I will temporarily control your body.”
Regarding this, Yao Lao did not refuse. He knew that even if he wanted to use real battles to train Xiao Yan, there was also a limit. With Xiao Yan’s strength which was had just achieved the level of a Dou Shi, it would be undoubtedly be a joke if he went to challenge someone who’s fighting ability was once that of a Dou Huang’s.
“Old sir, I have told you that this piece of map fragment is something I must obtain!” Xiao Yan first nodded his head before he shrugged his shoulders at the old man. In an abrupt manner, he gradually closed his eyes.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s strange action, the old man felt a little stunned. He frowned and a moment later, his expression suddenly changed. He noticed a ferocious force that was not inferior to his own suddenly explode from the young man’s body in midair.
“How is this possible?” Feeling the steady climb of the strength of Xiao Yan’s pressure, the old man’s insipid face finally revealed a shocked expression.
Chapter 178: Yao Lao Taking Action
Within the environment of the permeating icy fog, it was as though one had walked into a space filled with cold air. The surrounding white fog was widespread and one could not see an end to it.
In the midst of the white fog, the old man raised his head as he watched the young man in midair with an astonished face. A moment later, his expression gradually turned grave as he growled in a low voice, “Boy, what is this Secret Technique?”
It was not at all strange that the old man would feel so shocked. Although on this Dou Qi continent, there was no shortage of some Secret Techniques that could swiftly raise one’s strength, the rank of these Secret Techniques were at least of the Di Rank. On this Dou Qi continent, the people or forces that could take out such a Secret Technique were only a few ultimate forces or extremely strong people that could be counted with one’s fingers. In the eyes of these ultimately strong forces or people, the strong people in the Jia Ma Empire were undoubtedly just like fireflies who were competing with the bright moon on their brightness.
“Don’t tell me this brat originates from one of those forces?” A shocking thought flashed across the old man’s heart. Under the shock of the frightening and aloof strength of those forces, he found it difficult to keep his heart calm.
“No way! Although this brat has many different unique treasures on him, the Qi Method that he trained with seemed to be weaker than Xuan Class. This definitely doesn’t look like the style of those forces!” The old man was a little shocked in his heart but a moment later, he began to slowly suppress this feeling as he comforted himself.
The old man gradually recovered his calm. His expression was grave as his dry pair of hands grasped each other. The surrounding icy, cold fog swiftly congelated and finally formed a snow white ice lance in between his hands. Despite having used his Dou Qi to solidify into an ice lance, the old man still felt insecure. He used one hand to quickly form a seal before softly calling out, “Ice Spirit Armor!”
Following his call, the surrounding permeating icy fog immediately formed into a thick ice vest with a twinkling ice cold luster.
The weapon on the old man’s hand and the ice armor on his body were entirely formed from the coagulation of his Dou Qi. At the very least, it required the strength of a Dou Ling in order to barely accomplish this.
On the Dou Qi continent, most people, upon reaching Da Dou Shi, would be able to emit Dou Qi out of their body. For example, they could use their Dou Qi to cover their weapons and greatly increase their offensive strength. When they reached the Dou Ling level, they would be able to condense and form weapons and armors made completely of Dou Qi, just like the old man just did. These kinds of weapons and protections were naturally something that an ordinary weapon or armor could not compare to.
By being able to cause the old man to use his full strength and be serious, it could be seen just what kind of level Xiao Yan’s improved strength strength had risen to within the old man’s heart. n(0)vel(b)(j)(n)served as the original host for this chapter’s release on N0v3l-B1n.
Xiao Yan ignored the completely armed appearance of the old man below. In midair, the pressure that was emitted from within Xiao Yan’s body grew increasingly rich. At some point, he suddenly gave a long howl toward the sky. The long howl contained a turbulent Dou Qi that blew the permeating fog under him and scattered nearly half of it.
Seeing that Xiao Yan merely used a long howl to break the thick fog, the old man’s expression once again changed. He did not dare slight Xiao Yan. Waving the ice lance in his hand, an uncountable number of extremely sharp icicles swiftly formed in the air above his head. After which, they carried the sound of piercing wind as they shot toward Xiao Yan.
In midair, the howling gradually stopped. Xiao Yan flapped his pair of wings and his body was like a large rock as it quickly swooped down. He indifferently eyed the icicles that were headed for him from all directions before facing his palms at each other and gently clapping them together.
Following the clap, a shapeless energy was scattered from his hands in a lightning like manner. After which, the icicles that were coming at him from all directions emitted a cracking sound… presenting a spectacular sight as they turned into cold white powder in midair…
“This is… Spiritual Strength?” Seeing his fast spinning icicles being turned into powder without the slightest foreboding, the white haired old man stilled slightly before crying out involuntarily,
Ignoring the shock of the old man, Xiao Yan flapped his wings and directly flashed toward the space above the old man. His hands tightly gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler and suddenly hacked downwards.
The waving of the Heavy Xuan Sword this time around almost completely sheared the air into two. The space where the heavy ruler passed was actually left with a faint black scar..
Although the attack this time around did not have the forceful sound it had before, the old man’s face became much more serious when the heavy ruler was swung. His heart clearly knew that despite this attack being quiet, the damaging ability that it possessed was something that the earlier attack could not compare to…
Carefully taking a step back, the old man tightened his fist. Instantly, the ice lance shot out while carrying a bone chilling cold force.
Seeing that the old man actually chose to take the attack head on, a faint mocking glint flashed across Xiao Yan’s eyes. The heavy ruler suddenly sped up before finally clashing with the ice lance attack.
As the heavy ruler and the ice lance knocked against each other, a ferocious energy ripple was immediately scattered from the point of contact and shook the ground of the room until numerous spider web like crack lines appeared.
“Break!” Just as the contact occurred, the ice lance was compressed into a bow like shape. When Xiao Yan coldly shouted, the ice lance suddenly broke with a cracking sound and ice shavings shot out in all directions.
For the old man’s weapon to be easily broken by the opponent in just one round, the old man’s expression quickly turned ugly. He did not expect that the young man would change into an entirely different person in just a few short minutes. The strength he displayed currently was entirely incomparable to what he displayed before!
If Xiao Yan was just a Dou Shi before, the current him had at least reached the Dou Wang level. This horrifying gap caused the old man to be a little aghast in his heart.
TL: Dou Shi -> Da Dou Shi -> Dou Ling -> Dou Wang
“What exactly did this guy do?” A thought swiftly flashed through his heart. The old man tipped his toe and his figure hurriedly retreated. As he retreated, his hand swiftly moved about. Following which, seven flickering cold ice mirrors were quickly coagulated and formed, completely blocking the path that Xiao Yan had to use while chasing him.
Before the old man could relax after fixing up the seven ice mirrors, he heard repeated clear sounds. Raising his eyes, he was shocked to discover that Xiao Yan, who was carrying the heavy ruler in his hand, swerved about recklessly as he charged forward. The ice mirrors along the way were burnt into nothingness by the purple colored flame on his body before they could even make contact.
“Damn brat, I don’t believe that after having lived in isolation for over twenty years, I would actually have no strength to retaliate against a young brat like you!” Being repeatedly and swiftly attacked by Xiao Yan, the old man was gradually becoming angry. His eyebrows shot up as his feet slammed on the ground. The ice Dou Qi chilled the surrounding few meters of ground so much that a thick layer of ice was formed.
“Xuan Ice Killing Vortex!”
The old man’s hands swiftly formed seals in front of him before his throat suddenly let out a low roar. Instantly, numerous crescent shaped blades appeared and rotated beside him.
The ice blades continued to increase in numbers. At the end, they totally covered the old man’s body within them. Then, the ice blades connected with one another, forming a small spiral storm that was completely formed from the integration of ice blades.
“Go!” From within the storm, a low shout was emitted. The ice blade storm suddenly spun toward Xiao Yan with the intention to kill. Along the way, the ground of the room was devastated with many ditches appearing. Some of the water crystal counters even exploded when the ice blades slashed passed. The fragments of crystals that appeared were as smooth as mirrors.
With cold eyes, Xiao Yan watched the old man who was charging at him using that ferocious attack. His footsteps unexpectedly came to a sudden stop while the purple colored flame and the ferocious force that was shrouding his body were completely withdrawn into his body.
The current Xiao Yan did not have any defences on his body. Even the Heavy Xuan Ruler was abandoned and stuck at his side.
“Brat, you are seeking death!” Seeing Xiao Yan’s action, the somewhat angry cry of the old man was emitted from within the ice blade vortex. Clearly, the old man was extremely angry at this action of Xiao Yan’s which implied that he was looking down on his opponent. Originally, with the old man’s position, it was somewhat inappropriate for him to strike someone of a younger generation. He had now used all of his strength but under these circumstances, his opponent actually chose to give up on defense. This undoubtedly gave a blow to the old man’s pride as someone strong.
Ignoring the anger of the old man, Xiao Yan felt the oppressive feeling that was emitted from the space in front of him. He gently sighed as he slowly extended his hand. After which, it gently shook and a thick white flame suddenly soared.
After the thick white flame appeared, Xiao Yan’s feet suddenly stomped on the ground. Following the sound of an explosion, his body became like an arrow released from a bow, turning into a trail of light as he shot toward that small scale ice blade storm that was spinning toward him in a lightning like manner.
“Since you seek death, don’t blame me!”
Seeing Xiao Yan who actually decided to meet his attack head on, the old man within the storm coldly yelled. Although his current strength was much weaker than before, there were not many people who would choose to meet his attack directly when he displayed this High Xuan level ‘Mysterious Ice Killing Vortex’. Xiao Yan’s current actions had undoubtedly made the old man feel that the former was seeking death.
Ignoring the angry cry, Xiao Yan directly rushed into the storm. His arm was almost entirely covered by the thick white flame as his arm was suddenly inserted into the storm.
When his arm was inserted into the storm, a terrifying energy ripple suddenly scattered within the interior of the room and lifted the floor up to a height of nearly half a meter.
“Ka cha…”
Xiao Yan maintained his posture with his hand being inserted into the storm. A momentary standstill occurred before the ice wind storm which was originally swiftly rotating suddenly began to slow. Under the cracking sound, the ice wind storm was actually completely frozen into a huge snow white ice pillar.
Indifferently eyeing the ice pillar in front of him, Xiao Yan slowly pulled his hand out from within and gently tapped on the ice pillar with his finger.
“Bang!” With a muffled sound, the ice pillar suddenly burst forcefully and turned into icy cold white powder that was sprinkled from midair onto the ground.
The bursting of the ice pillar revealed the old man inside who was covered by a faint layer of thin ice.
Xiao Yan’s eyes squinted as he watched that old man. A moment later, he once again opened them. At the moment, the indifference and life experience within those dark black eyes had completely disappeared. Replacing it was the vigor that a young man ought to have.
“Old sir, you have lost. I’m sorry but this thing belongs to me.” Clapping his hand, Xiao Yan smiled at the old man as he spoke.
Chapter 179: The One Who Was Once Among the Top Ten. Ice Emperor!
Eyeing the old man in front of him who was covered in a layer of demonic and mysterious white ice, Xiao Yan heaved a sigh of relief. He waved his hand apologetically at the old man before turning around and leaving.
“Boy, I really underestimated you.” Just as Xiao Yan was turning his body, the tired voice of the old man was released from the layer of ice.
Pausing his footsteps, Xiao Yan tilted his head and watched the old man in the layer of ice slowly open his eyes. However, Xiao Yan didn’t feel any panic in his heart. This was because he knew that with the strength the old man currently had, it was impossible for him to break out of the barrier that Yao Lao had placed.
Sighing, Xiao Yan bitterly smiled, “Old sir, I have already said that I do not have any intention of becoming enemies with you. It is just that this thing is really important to me, therefore…”
“Ha ha, it is really unexpected that after living in isolation here for over twenty years, I would actually be thrown into such a dire state by a kid today. It really is somewhat sad.” The old man’s voice was a little desolated. A moment later, however, his tone suddenly changed. His gaze passed through the demonic and mysterious layer of ice and stared at Xiao Yan outside. He said blandly, “Boy, is this map fragment very important to you?”
Xiao Yan was briefly silent before nodding his head.
“Haha.” Seeing his action, the old man let out a laugh. His smile was somewhat strange. The debut release occurred at N-ov3l-Bin.
Frowning, Xiao Yan ignored him as he turned around and walked toward the exit.
“Back then, after I spent all my effort in the desert to obtain this map fragment, I used all my years of experience in making maps to perfectly split it into two. One of them has just been taken by you, the other piece… hee hee.” The old man coldly laughed.
Xiao Yan’s footsteps paused. With his back facing the old man, his finger tapped on the storage ring. The fragment map piece from before quickly appeared in his palm. After Xiao Yan placed it in front of his eyes to take a look, he realized that the size of this fragment map piece was approximately half the size of the one he found in the cave on the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
Holding the map fragment in his hand, Xiao Yan’s expression became a little ugly. He was a little frustrated that after putting in so much effort, he had only obtained half of a map fragment.
Letting out his breath, Xiao Yan carefully stored the map fragment into the storage ring and slowly turned around. He coldly eyed the old man and said, “You could have chosen to not reveal this secret and that I would not take your life. But now, you’ve said it… you, are you forcing me to kill you?”
“Hehe. Boy, don’t use death to threaten me. Having lived most of my life, what kind of difficulties have I not faced. When I was dominating within the Jia Ma Empire, you had yet to be born! Do you think that I would be afraid of this little threat? Moreover, if I die, even if you have some great ability, you would not be able to find the other small map fragment. Hehe, when that time comes, with one small map fragment missing, you would not be able to find the treasure the map leads to even if you can complete the map.” The old man said with disdain as he faced Xiao Yan’s cold voice that was filled with killing intent.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes as a cold glint flashed across it. He gently took in a breath, tightened his fist and blandly said, “Say. What do you want to do? Since you are willing to reveal this secret, you cannot be so foolish as to merely use it to anger me, can you?”
“You really have quite a good mind. I’m really curious just which abnormal old guy is your teacher. I dare not say anything now but I am certain that you will be standing at the peak of the Jia Ma Empire ten years later.” Seeing Xiao Yan’s calm manner, the old man could not help but praise.
Without accepting or denying this high praise by the old man, Xiao Yan glanced at him and said with a frown, “Say it. What do you want before you are willing to hand over that other small map fragment.”
“Can you release me from this layer of ice? Of course, that is if you aren’t afraid that I will retaliate.” The old man said with a smile.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes as he stared at the old man. A moment later, he gradually closed his eyes before opening it. Slowly walking forward, his palm gently touched the layer of ice and shook slightly. A thread of thick white flames was inserted into the ice, swiftly melting away the demonic and mysterious layer of ice.
“If I can lock you up once, I will be able to do it a second time. So, don’t try any tricks. Otherwise, it will be your blood that will become ice the next time around.” With the wave of his hand, Xiao Yan broke away this demonic and mysterious layer of ice that even a Dou Ling could do nothing about. His pair of dark black eyes suddenly became profound and experienced once again.
After breaking the ice layer, Xiao Yan’s head moved slightly back. The profoundness swiftly disappeared from his eyes. Gradually lowering his head and watching the old man who was repeatedly shivering after breaking out of the ice, he said, “Say it.”
“What a frightening icy cold flame. If I guess correctly, the flame that you had just used should be one of the magical ‘Heavenly Flame’s, right?” The old man said in a horrified voice as his pale face continued to shiver.
Xiao Yan lifted his eyes but was did not comment.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s manner, an obvious joy appeared in the old man’s eyes. However, a moment later, the joy was swiftly suppressed. Voicing his thought, he said, “You already know that my original strength was that of a Dou Huang, right?”
“Yes.” Xiao Yan nodded his head.
“Then do you know my identity?” The old man once again asked.
“I don’t.”
Seeing Xiao Yan shake his head, the old man also helplessly did the same. However, his face swarmed with pride as he said, “My name is Hai Bodong. You may not have heard of this name but I think you should have heard of my other name.”
“Ice Emperor!”
When he heard the two words ‘Ice Emperor’, Xiao Yan first stilled. Quickly following that, his face clearly changed. His gaze carried a bizarre expression as he observed the old man who had been continuously suppressed by him. Although Xiao Yan had always been staying at Wu Tan City in the past, he was not unfamiliar with this strong person who was once extremely well known within the Jia Ma Empire.
Ice Emperor, a member of the previous generation of the Top Ten in the Jia Ma Empire. He was both prideful and introverted while being extremely good at using Ice type Dou Qi. Once, in anger, he had sealed an entire city in ice. Back then, he was one of the few Dou Huangs among the Ten Strong. Later on, he had a huge fight at the peak of the Misty Cloud Mountain with the previous leader of the Misty Cloud Sect. Although he was finally defeated, his opponent had a very difficult victory. During the last time Jia Ma Empire and Chu Yun Empire held a convention for the strong, he single handedly fought a Dou Huang and a Dou Wang from the other side and was not defeated, shocking all present.
After the last convention for the strong, Ice Emperor gradually disappeared from the sight of many people. Now, the name Ice Emperor only existed personally in the memories of the older generation. The current generation of the top ten had already replaced their fame and glory.
Xiao Yan had never expected that this old man, who did not have a very pleasing appearance, would actually be the Ice Emperor who had once caused the upper echelons of the Dou Zhes in the Chu Yun Empire to have a headache. This kind of drama like result made him feel a little stunned.
“Heh, luckily my old name has not vanished with time. You actually have heard of it…” Seeing Xiao Yan’s stunned expression, Hai Bodong laughed in a somewhat pleased manner.
Gradually inhaling a breath, Xiao Yan sighed, “Indeed it is an answer that shocked me. I did not expect that the Dou Huang whose name had reverberated throughout the Jia Ma Empire would actually be living in isolation in the desert area as a shop owner selling maps.”
“Why did you end up like that? The strength that you displayed earlier seemed to be only that of a Dou Ling, right?” Xiao Yan curiously asked.
Hearing this, Hai Bodong bitterly nodded his head and sighed, “Back then, after attending the convention between the empires, I came to the Tager Desert. By accident, I obtained the map fragment but I attracted the emperor of the Snake People, Queen Medusa who chased me with the intention to kill. You should know that the strength of Queen Medusa can be ranked among the peak among the Dou Huangs. Was it not for the Snake People having only this one strong person, they might have long ago tried to attack the human empires.”
“In that battle, I was defeated by her hands without question. Although I found a chance to escape in the end, I was struck by her Curse of the Snakes Seal. Not only did my body quickly become old, even my strength was sealed to the level of a Dou Ling.” Hai Bodong sighed, “In all these years, I have been hiding here, studying the secret of the map fragment and hoping to obtain something that could undo my seal. However, this map fragment is merely a small part of the map. No matter how experienced I am, I cannot crack it.”
“You aren’t think of getting me to break the seal for you, are you?” Xiao Yan said as he narrowed his eyes and twitched his eyebrow.
“Yes.”
“Uh… you really think too highly of me. I don’t have that ability.” Shaking his head, Xiao Yan laughed dryly. He did not dare bear such a heavy responsibility.
“Over the last few decades, I have obtained a medicinal formula that can break the seal. As long as you refine the medicinal pill on it, I will be able to regain my strength.” Hai Bodong said gravely.
“… I think you should go and find Pill-King Gu He. In the entire Jia Ma Empire there should not be many people who can beat him in refining medicine. I am merely a tier two alchemist.” Xiao Yan shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly.
“He won’t do.” Hai Bodong shook his head and said with a bitter smile, “The key requirement for refining this kind of medicinal pill is that the alchemist must possess a ‘Heavenly Flame’… Pill-King Gu He, doesn’t appear to have that.”
“Oh?” Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt a little shocked in his heart. What kind of medicinal pill would have such a stringent requirement?
“Originally, I would not tell you about the news on the other small map fragment, However… the thick white flame that you displayed in the end led me to change my mind.”
“As long as you can refine the medicinal pill that I need, I will hand over that small map fragment to you. At the same time, I, Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, would also owe you a favor. You ought to know… how much a favor from a Dou Huang is worth…” Hai Bodong said seriously.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s heart was slightly interested. He softly inquired, “What is the tier of the medicinal pill you need?”
“Tier six.” Hai Bodong licked his lips and said with a smile.
Rolling his eyes, Xiao Yan helplessly waved his hand. “Tier six… even if I possess a ‘Heavenly Flame’, I am but a tier two alchemist. How could I possibly refine a medicinal pill of that grade?”
“I believe that your strength is not the little bit that you display on the surface…” When faced with Xiao Yan’s helplessness, Hai Bodong cunningly smiled as he said.
Xiao Yan sighed and became quiet. In his heart, he softly asked, “Teacher, what do you think?”
“Regardless of what happens, that map fragment that is related to the ‘Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’ is something we must obtain. It will play an extremely crucial role in evolving your Qi Method in the future!” Yao Lao mused and said.
“You mean… we say yes?”
“Yes, promise him first. In any case, a favor from a Dou Huang is worth this price.”
“But I am worried that once this old man regains his strength, then…” Xiao Yan rotated his eyes and cautiously said.
“Keke, relax. With me around, even if he recovered his strength, he would not be able to snatch the map fragment back. Moreover… when refining the medicinal pill, can we not make some preparations for the unexpected?” Yao Lao smiled faintly and said.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan heaved a sigh of relief. He raised his head to watch Hai Bodong whose face was filled with anticipation. Nodding his head, he smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll agree.”
Chapter 180: Journey Through The Desert
Seeing Xiao Yan nod his head, Hai Bodong finally sighed in relief. The smile on his old face grew a little wider.
“Give me the medicinal formula… Oh, yes, you know the rule when hiring an alchemist to refine medicine, don’t you?” Xiao Yan smiled at Hai Bodong. “Prepare the ingredients yourself!”
Hai Bodong nodded with a bitter smile. He naturally knew the rule, but all the same his dry palm grabbed threads of hair that could be counted as a beard as he said with some embarrassment, “I have gathered most of the medicinal ingredients required by the medicinal formula. However, I am still missing one of them.”
“This medicinal ingredient’s name is Sand’s Datura, can only be found in the Tager Desert and is easiest to find in places where the temperature is higher…. You should know that I train using an ice type Qi Technique. Additionally, my body also has the seal Queen Medusa left behind. If I step into the inner regions of the Tager Desert, she will discover my presence… so…”
Seeing Hai Bodong’s embarrassed expression, Xiao Yan rolled his eyes and curled his lips as he said, “You aren’t asking me to search for it, are you? I am already losing out just by helping you refine the medicine, now you want me to help you look for medicinal ingredients in the vast desert… Isn’t your small map fragment a little too valuable?”
Hearing this, Hai Bodong gave an awkward smile. He hesitated for a while before he helplessly said, “Alright, I might be able to give you information on something you might be interested in.”
“What information?” Xiao Yan asked in surprise.
“It is related to a ‘Heavenly Flame’…” Hai Bodong waved his hand and asked with a smile “Is this information enough to motivate you to help me look for the Sand’s Datura?” Once he heard the two words ‘Heavenly Flame’, Xiao Yan’s heart beat violently. His throat rolled slightly as his heated gaze stared at Hai Bodong in front of him.
“You might have heard some news about a ‘Heavenly Flame’ in the Tager Desert?” Seeing Xiao Yan’s expression, Hai Bodong let out a relieved sigh in his heart as he said with a smile.
“Yes.” Nodding his head slightly, Xiao Yan anxiously asked, “Do you know exactly where the ‘Heavenly Flame’ is located within the Tager Desert?”
“As a map maker, I had once roamed around the Tager Desert. By luck, I obtained some information about a ‘Heavenly Flame’. I surveyed some of the locations and routes from this information. Although I still cannot be certain where exactly the ‘Heavenly Flame’ is located, I can roughly guess which areas have the highest chance of possessing the ‘Heavenly Flame’.” Hai Bodong said with an extremely pleased smile.
“If you do not have my guidance, even if you spent an entire year roaming the Tager Desert, it would be near impossible for you to find the ‘Heavenly Flame’.”
“What do you think? As long as you agree to help me obtain the Sand’s Datura, I will give you all the information from my research on the location of the ‘Heavenly Flame’.” Hai Bodong said with a smile.
“Deal!”
Xiao Yan immediately agreed without the slightest hesitation. The attraction a ‘Heavenly Flame’ posed to him was far too great. In order to obtain it, Xiao Yan was willing to pay a huge price.
Seeing that Xiao Yan had agreed, Hai Bodong nodded his head with a smile. His palm gently searched his breast pocket before finally taking out a thin goatskin parchment and handing it to Xiao Yan. He said, “After surveying a couple places, I have concluded that there are three places which are most likely to possess a ‘Heavenly Flame’ within the Tager Desert.”
Receiving the goatskin parchment, Xiao Yan carefully opened it and realized that it was an extremely detailed map of the vast Tager Desert. This map was not something that the other maps on the counter could compare with. On it, not only were there clear indications of the water sources present in the desert, it even marked in great detail the locations of the Snake People tribes that were scattered in the desert.
“Can you see the three flame symbols on the map?” Hai Bodong smiled and reminded.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s gaze swept across the map and found that in three directions: east, west, and north, there were very eye catching flame symbols.
“In the Tager Desert, these three places have the highest possibility of a ‘Heavenly Flame’ being present .” Pointing his finger at the three flame symbols, Hai Bodong smiled and said, “Of course these are places that I have reasoned out after surveying much of the desert. The accuracy cannot be a hundred percent, but it is much better than you randomly searching for it.”
Xiao Yan nodded his head. Even though he had Yao Lao’s help, it would be extremely difficult to search for the location of the ‘Heavenly Flame’ in the Tager Desert due to it being far too vast. This detailed map of Hai Bodong’s would undoubtedly help him save a lot of time and effort.
“You should remember that it would be best to head for the eastern and northern places with the flame symbol first. As for the western one… it would be best to avoid going there if possible.” Hai Bodong gravely reminded as his finger stopped at the flame symbol on the western side.
“Why?”
“Because that area is close to the inner regions of the Tager Desert. Queen Medusa can feel any human’s breath after they enter her territory. Although you possess many different unique treasures, I don’t think you have much of a chance of escaping alive if you meet that terrifying Queen Medusa.” Hai Bodong sighed with lingering fear in his heart.
“Okay… I will try my best.”
Xiao Yan nodded his head. However, he knew in his heart that if he could not find any trace of a ‘Heavenly Flame’ in the other two places, there was a good chance that he would head for the western flame symbol. Even if that place was filled with danger, he would not hesitate entering it. This was because a ‘Heavenly Flame’ possessed just too much of an attraction to him… N0vel_Biin hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
“This is all the help that I can give you. I hope that you will be able to successfully obtain the ‘Heavenly Flame’ and return with the Sand’s Datura.” Seeing Xiao Yan carefully put away the map, Hai Bodong said with a smile, “As for the medicinal formula and the map fragment, please allow me to keep it safe for this period of time. When you return, I will hand everything back over to you.”
“Okay.” Nodding his head, Xiao Yan faced Hai Bodong, cupped his hands together and said, “Since it is like that, then I bid you farewell. I am really sorry for creating a mess in old sir’s place.”
Sweeping his gaze over the messy room, Hai Bodong shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Forget it. I have used up all my patience living here in isolation. Even if you didn’t smash this place, I don’t think I would have continued for much longer anyway.”
With a smile, Xiao Yan once again apologized. After which, he waved his hand at Hai Bodong as he turned around and walked out of the door.
Seeing Xiao Yan opening the door and slowly disappear, Hai Bodong narrowed his eyes and was quiet for a moment. After which, he began to clean up the messy place.
Outside the ancient looking shop’s door, Xiao Yan raised his head and allowed the hot sunlight to spill onto his face like boiling water. A long while later, he gently sighed. The experience in these two short hours had given him a dream like feeling. He had only just arrived at Desert City and randomly entered a shop. Yet, he had already met a strong person living in isolation. This kind of plot that existed only in stories had actually occurred in reality in front of him. He could not help but sigh emotionally.
“Ugh, I am able to meet someone who was once a Dou Huang by just randomly entering somewhere… Am I lucky or unlucky?” Letting out a short, bitter laugh, Xiao Yan released a breath of air and strode down the street. Gently touching the ring, he suddenly asked casually in his heart, “Teacher, do you think that he can be trusted?”
“It is indeed true that he had received a seal. But you are asking whether there is a problem with the map he gave us right? Keke, we have to follow the route on it and if he had any ill intentions, we might really get into some trouble.” Yao Lao laughed before he voiced his thoughts, “But this map will indeed provide us quite a lot of help. The three areas with the flame symbol are places that I did not visit back then. Therefore, I cannot say for certain if it is real or fake…”
“Although we cannot determine if he has any ill intentions, we should always take some precautions… Once we enter the Tager Desert, try to be a little more careful. We do not need to walk completely as the map dictates. Back then, I had roamed around this place for some time so I do have some knowledge and will help you to not lose your way.” Yao Lao said a little cautiously.
“Ah…” Nodding his head, Xiao Yan said with a smile, “Since it’s like this, then I will go and prepare the rest of the items first before resting in the city for the night. We will enter the Tager Desert tomorrow morning.”
“Yes.” Yao Lao nodded his head and then became silent.
Gently patting his clothes with his hand, Xiao Yan smiled, lifted his legs and headed for the medicinal shop a short distance away. The gains that he had obtained today had far exceeded his expectations. Not only had he found a fragmented map piece, he even managed to obtain some information on a ‘Heavenly Flame’. This could not help but cause Xiao Yan’s heart to be excited.
Walking along the street for a distance, Xiao Yan turned into a medicinal shop. Within it, he bought some medicinal plants that repelled snakes. When he was purchasing the medicinal plants, he took care to observe the old man selling the medicine in great detail to the point of making the old man feel a little uneasy. Only then did Xiao Yan embarrassingly pick up his things and leave the medicinal shop. It appeared that after the event just now, Xiao Yan’s mind was a little over sensitive. He really thought that strong people who lived in isolation like Hai Bodong, were all over the streets…
After preparing the medicinal ingredients needed to repel snakes, Xiao Yan subsequently bought enough water to fill his storage ring at a shop selling clean water before he was satisfied with his preparations and decided to head for a high class inn that a passerby had pointed to: a place where he would stay the night.
As the dark night slowly passed by, the hot sun once again covered the desert in a great heat.
Walking out of the inn, Xiao Yan stretched his lazy waist. He then gently tapped on the storage ring on his finger. In there were fifty ‘Energy Recovery Pills’ that Yao Lao had spent the night rushing to refine. These things were essential for him to train in the desert.
Standing on the street near the city’s entrance, Xiao Yan once again checked to see if he had all the things he needed. Only after that did he place the Black Xuan Ruler on his back – which was almost as tall him– took a deep breath and began his journey through the desert.
“This time around, I must find a ‘Heavenly Flame’.”
Under the gazes of the foot soldiers guarding the city that were filled with reverence, Xiao Yan walked out of the city. He eyed the endless golden colored desert that appeared in his sight while silently steeling his heart.
💖 Support My Work, Please Donate Here👇
![AN UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE [Original Version]](https://i1.wp.com/ethiclearners.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Add-a-heading-1.png?resize=85,105 "AN UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE [Original Version]")
