Qing Lin

The burly guard at the gate did not dare delay after hearing Xiao Lin's words. He hurriedly summoned the two commanders.

They both knew that the two commanders came from the Xiao Family of Wutan City, and the old man also bore some resemblance to them.

After roughly dozens of breaths, hurried footsteps sounded, and two figures appeared at the gate.

One was a man dressed in white robes, bearing some resemblance to Xiao Yan. His bright eyes held a trace of wisdom and a subtle, hard-to-detect cleverness.

He was Xiao Zhan's eldest son and Xiao Lin's eldest grandson, Xiao Ding.

Beside him stood another man who also looked somewhat like Xiao Yan.

He wore mercenary attire. His tall body was straight and powerful, while his dark eyes carried both laziness and a sinister sharpness. His face was filled with a smile.

Yet beneath that smile lurked the savagery of a wolf. Though the young man appeared amiable, he was clearly the sort who would not provoke others unless provoked—but if someone did provoke him, he would bite back even at the brink of death.

When the two reached the gate and saw the elderly yet tall, upright figure, they both froze for a moment.

However, Xiao Ding, the eldest, reacted swiftly. He directly smacked his younger brother on the back and said delightedly, "Grandfather! We received news from you earlier and were preparing to return, but we never expected you to come here instead."

The young man suddenly understood. The fierce smile hidden on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by an exceedingly rare, brilliant warmth that came from the bottom of his heart.

"Grandfather, you've finally awakened!" Xiao Li's eyes even held a trace of emotion. He vaguely remembered how, as a child, he had often run around at his grandfather's side.

Perhaps influenced by the emotions of this body, Xiao Lin's face also showed a trace of joy and sorrow at their grandfather-grandson reunion.

Besides the brothers Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, a slender, graceful figure had also followed them out.

The woman looked to be around twenty. Her pretty face was quite delicate, but her slightly raised light brows carried a hint of the unruliness of a young leopardess in the desert. From her temperament, one could imagine that although this desert flower was beautiful, she was covered in thorns.

"Grandfather, this is Xue Lan, a squad captain of our Desert Iron Mercenary Group," Xiao Ding introduced.

"Greetings, Grandpa Xiao." Xue Lan hurriedly bowed to Xiao Lin. However, a desert woman attempting to imitate the Empire's etiquette looked rather awkward, making for quite a comical sight.

Only after Xiao Lin led his two grandsons into the courtyard hall did he slowly explain, "Your younger brother has also come to the desert, though he is still training there. I came here ahead of time to take someone away."

"Take someone?" Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged glances. What kind of person could make the old man travel such a long distance himself?

"A mixed-blood girl of the Snake Clan and the human race," Xiao Lin said after some thought.

"Grandpa Xiao, do you mean Qing Lin?"

While Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were still wondering who it could be, Xue Lan interjected with a reminder.

With a creak, Xue Lan led a girl into the hall.

The girl who entered seemed quite young. She wore an elegant pale-green outfit. Though petite, she had developed somewhat maturely in a peculiar way, though she still looked slightly immature.

Her cute, delicate oval face was like a beautiful porcelain doll. Her timid appearance resembled a frightened little rabbit, making one unable to help but feel pity for her.

"Commanders, may I ask why you summoned me...?"

The adorable little girl seemed somewhat nervous. After entering, the first commander, the second commander, and an unfamiliar old man had all been staring at her, making her little face turn slightly pale as she stood at a loss.

Xiao Lin's gaze fell upon the girl's clear, lively eyes. Deep within her pupils were three extremely tiny emerald-green dots.

Moreover, those three emerald dots seemed to carry an alluring sensation that drew one into sinking deeper. However, Xiao Lin was a Dou Emperor with incomparably powerful spiritual strength, so he was not affected.

"Send a letter to the owner of Ancient Map and have him come here. Over the next two days, keep an eye on the desert and search for your younger brother, Xiao Yan."

Having arrived, Xiao Lin immediately began issuing orders. Xiao Li and Xiao Ding smiled helplessly and obediently carried out their grandfather's instructions one after another.

"Your name is Qing Lin, right? Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. I want to ask whether you have ever sensed any kind of bloodline aura?"

Xiao Lin smiled gently as he spoke to the little girl.

Perhaps soothed by Xiao Lin's powerful spiritual strength, Qing Lin answered every question truthfully and pointed out the location on the map.

"I'll be back soon. Wait for the owner of Ancient Map and Yan'er to arrive."

Now that he had a definite location, Xiao Lin directly led Qing Lin out of the hall.

Crystalline Dou Qi Wings emerged, and the two flew into the sky, heading toward the location marked on the map.

"Gasp, Grandpa Xiao is actually a Dou Wang!" Xue Lan only realized this now and drew in a sharp breath.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li watched Xiao Lin vanish beyond the horizon before returning indoors.

With Qing Lin's help, Xiao Lin landed directly in that stretch of desert.

After the little girl had rested for a while and recovered from the fright of flying high into the sky, she continued guiding him.

In the end, Xiao Lin led Qing Lin into a path leading underground. His powerful Dou Huang Dou Qi opened the way as they charged downward.

After passing through the tunnel, the two finally emerged in a vast underground cavern.

Within the enormous cavern, fiery-red magma flowed slowly. From time to time, huge bubbles rose from the magma.

Yet moments later, with a faint sound, they burst with a bang. Scorching magma shot outward, blooming as brilliantly as crimson fireworks.

"Grandpa Xiao, Qing Lin can sense an aura here. Ah, Grandpa Xiao, something is hiding in that magma!"

Qing Lin suddenly said to Xiao Lin.

With a sweep of his spiritual strength, Xiao Lin sensed a figure hidden within the endless magma.

It was a snake-like Magical Beast with an extremely long body, at least four or five zhang in length. Its entire body was fiery red, and from afar, it resembled a piece of flaming jade.

Palm-sized red scales densely covered its body, and this Magical Beast actually had two heads...

At the fork in its long neck, two savage heads stared with enormous diamond-shaped pupils, filled with frenzied, bloodthirsty Killing Intent.

"Get out here!"

As a dignified Dou Emperor, Xiao Lin found it effortless to deal with this little Magical Beast hiding in the magma and attempting to attack him.

Powerful Dou Qi surged forth, directly churning the entire sea of magma. Violent winds arose, and the Magical Beast within was thrown out by the gale.

A red Tornado formed above the magma, trapping the Magical Beast within it so thoroughly that it could not escape.