Arrival at Stone Desert City! Xiao Yi Xian's Reputation Begins to Rise!

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and Liu Ling was already walking barefoot across the scorching yellow sands.

In the boundless desert, golden sand was the only dominant hue. Gale-force winds carried sand through heaven and earth, their howls endless and unceasing.

The blazing sunlight poured down from the sky, baking the ground beneath his feet until waves of stifling heat continuously rose from it. The rising heat even made one's vision warp and blur slightly.

Ordinarily, no one should have felt exhilarated in such an environment, which could hardly be called pleasant. Yet Liu Ling walked barefoot across this land.

As long as his body touched the yellow sand, Liu Ling could feel the fire-attributed Dou Qi flowing through him becoming far more lively.

After three days of diligent cultivation, Liu Ling had now reached the realm of a seven-star Da Dou Shi. (I wrote too quickly yesterday and mistakenly wrote Da Dou Shi as Dou Master. My apologies.)

At that moment, Liu Ling stood bare-chested atop a sand dune, frowning tightly as he stared at the map in his hand.

It had been more than half a month since he entered the Tagor Desert.

After traveling on foot for over half a month, Liu Ling had finally approached the area marked as Stone Desert City on the map.

As Liu Ling looked ahead, the vague outline of a massive city located on the eastern outskirts of the Tagor Desert gradually came into view.

Gazing at Stone Desert City in the distance, Liu Ling let out a long breath, and the smile on his face deepened.

More than half a month of arduous cultivation and travel through the desert had left him mentally exhausted. Now that he finally had a place to rest, he naturally felt somewhat excited.

Nodding slightly, Liu Ling took out a white robe from his Storage Ring and put it on.

An ancient-looking medicinal cauldron was embroidered on the white robe, with three silver ripples meticulously imprinted upon it.

Patting the exquisite alchemist's robe, which was as fine as a work of art, Liu Ling strode slowly toward the yellow earthen city that was no longer far away.

As he drew closer to the city, more people began appearing around him. Most of the men were bare-chested, their skin darkened by the sun, and at a glance, they seemed quite bold and forthright.

The occasional women passing by also had slightly dark skin, though theirs was a sexy bronze shade. Tight leather clothing barely covered their breasts and the area beneath them, while their slender waists were boldly exposed. Their long, supple legs were covered only by short skirts or shorts. As they walked, their snake-like waists swayed with a uniquely captivating charm and allure.

Along the way, Liu Ling had quite the feast for his eyes. Smacking his lips, he raised his head to look at the yellow city, whose scale was now clearly visible. Above its gates, three huge pale-red characters had been carved into the city wall. Even from afar, they seemed to carry a faint scent of blood.

"Stone Desert City..." Liu Ling murmured softly. Smiling, he slowly walked toward the city gate.

At the city gate, more than a dozen armored soldiers gripped long spears and shouted at passersby entering the city to pay the entrance tax. Seeing that these soldiers remained fully armed despite the heat, Liu Ling was slightly surprised. Why was the security here even stricter than in some large cities?

Perhaps because of the scorching weather, the soldiers stationed here had become rather irritable. One rude shout after another urged the travelers at the gate onward.

Walking toward the gate and listening to the soldiers' curses, Liu Ling frowned slightly, shook his head, and headed straight into the city.

In the Jia Ma Empire, alchemists enjoyed treatment nearly equivalent to that of nobles. The empire also exempted them from city entrance fees. Although no alchemist would care about such a small sum, the privilege itself truly pleased all alchemists.

"Hey, brat, why aren't you paying before entering—" Seeing Liu Ling ignore everyone and walk directly toward the city, a soldier immediately glared. However, before he could finish cursing, his gaze fell upon Liu Ling's exquisitely crafted alchemist's robe. The curse at his lips was forcibly swallowed, and his anger changed into a fawning smile. "My lord, are you entering the city?"

"Mm." Without stopping, Liu Ling walked toward the soldier, glanced at him indifferently, then brushed past the man, whose heels were trembling slightly, and continued into the city.

"Gulp..." Seeing that Liu Ling did not pursue his earlier offense, the soldier's face showed relief. Swallowing hard, he hurriedly turned around and respectfully called out, "My lord, the snake people in the Tagor Desert have been a little restless lately. If you leave the city, please be careful."

His pace slowed slightly. Having received this unexpected information, Liu Ling nodded faintly, then gradually disappeared into the darkness of the passage through the city wall.

"Damn it, that was close. If the higher-ups found out I'd offended a Third-grade Alchemist, they'd throw me out to feed the dogs." Watching Liu Ling's retreating figure disappear, the soldier finally let out a full breath and wiped away his cold sweat. He returned to his post, and perhaps because of the fright he had just received, he restrained his temper considerably and no longer dared to curse at travelers entering the city without cause.

Slowly emerging from the somewhat dim passage through the city wall, Liu Ling's vision brightened slightly. A cityscape with distinct desert characteristics appeared before him.

Compared to the cities within the empire, cities in the desert possessed a little more simplicity and weight. Perhaps because it stood near the Tagor Desert, its defenses were also much stricter than those within the empire. Fully armed soldiers could be seen patrolling everywhere in the city.

"Make way! Make way!"

Just then, a rebuke sounded from the city gate passage, accompanied by a burst of hurried hoofbeats.

Hearing the commotion, Liu Ling could not help stopping to watch.

The next moment, a carriage drawn by two Horned Kylin Horses entered from outside the city gates. The carriage moved at great speed, yielding to no pedestrians as it kicked up a cloud of dust.

A flag fluttered in the wind from the carriage, bearing the words Desert Iron Mercenary Group. It faintly exuded an aura of iron-blooded toughness.

Behind the carriage, several burly men sat upright atop Horned Kylin Horses with weapons in hand. Their sharp gazes swept repeatedly over the passersby outside the gate. From the faint bloody aura emanating from their bodies, it was clear that they were true iron-blooded men who had rolled through life on the edge of a blade, not rookies who thought themselves mercenaries just because they wore a weapon at their waists.

"So it's the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. No wonder they're so overbearing!"

"In Stone Desert City, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group ranks among the top three in strength. Only the Sand Mercenary Group surpasses them. I heard their leader is a Da Dou Shi, so the Sand Mercenary Group's position is unshakable. Aside from the Sand Mercenary Group, only the Storm Mercenary Group can barely contend with the Desert Iron Mercenary Group in all of Stone Desert City."

"Yeah, I heard the Desert Iron Mercenary Group was founded by two brothers. They aren't even that old, much younger than the leaders of the other two major mercenary groups."

After the carriage passed, the surrounding people began discussing the Desert Iron Mercenary Group that had just gone by.

From their words, Liu Ling also learned some information about Stone Desert City.

"The Desert Iron Mercenary Group, huh?"

Thinking of the domineering carriage that had just passed, a glint of excitement and determination appeared in Liu Ling's eyes.

The task his teacher had assigned him was to establish the strongest mercenary group in Stone Desert City, one that would stand above all other mercenary groups.

Yet from what he had heard, the strongest person in Stone Desert City was merely a low-level Da Dou Shi.

With his current strength, establishing a mercenary group and gradually turning it into the largest mercenary group in Stone Desert City would not be difficult at all.

As a neighboring nation of the Jia Ma Empire, the Cloud Mist Empire was no smaller in territory. In some respects, it was even far more vast than the Jia Ma Empire. However, compared with the Jia Ma Empire, this empire was undoubtedly much more chaotic.

Poison Masters, a profession despised by almost everyone in the Jia Ma Empire, flourished exceptionally in the Cloud Mist Empire. In nearly every city, one could see people dressed in Poison Master robes everywhere. The Cloud Mist Empire also had something rarely seen in the Jia Ma Empire: the sale of poisons.

Every city in this empire had shops specializing in the sale of poisons. Anything related to poison could be purchased in such places, and the more toxic an item was, the more expensive it became.

At that moment, within Black Mist City of the Cloud Mist Empire, a figure dressed in a loose black robe and wearing a veil was purchasing poisonous insects and Poisonous Herbs from a shop.

"Shopkeeper, how much do all these items cost in total?"

"Do you want all of these items?"

Inside the shop, the luxuriously dressed shopkeeper asked the Black Robe before him excitedly.

The Black Robe was practically buying every high-quality poison in the shop in one go.

If this deal went through, it would nearly exceed the shop's earnings for an entire quarter.

"Yes, I want all of them. Hurry up and bring them out," the Black Robe said with certainty.

"Alright. Please rest here for a while, and I'll go prepare them."

After saying that, the shopkeeper turned and headed toward a room in the back.

Once the shopkeeper had left, the Black Robe murmured inwardly, Yes, I'm one step closer to completing the task Teacher assigned me!

This Black Robe was none other than Xiao Yi Xian, whom Liu Yun had sent to the Cloud Mist Empire for training.

In less than a month since arriving in the Cloud Mist Empire, Xiao Yi Xian's cultivation had already broken through to the level of a three-star Dou Ling. She was now very close to the Dou Wang realm Gu He had required.

As for collecting poisonous insects and Poisonous Herbs, Xiao Yi Xian found it even easier.

Nearly every time she arrived in a city, she would obtain a large batch of poisonous insects and Poisonous Herbs.

As for the final task—breaking through to become a Fifth-Grade Alchemist—it was not difficult for Xiao Yi Xian either.

Just as Xiao Yi Xian was looking forward to completing her tasks early and returning, several unwelcome guests arrived outside the shop.

"Are you sure she's here?" A young man dressed in luxurious red robes asked the attendant beside him.

"Yes. I saw her enter with my own eyes. That figure is exactly the same as the one we saw on Hundred Poisons Mountain before." The attendant pointed at the shop entrance and replied with certainty.

"Qin Bo!"

"I'll be relying on you later!"

The red-robed youth turned and spoke to a middle-aged man in yellow robes standing behind him.

"Rest assured, Young Master Wan Hai!"

The yellow-robed elder called Qin Bo replied respectfully.

Then, this group of people surged into the shop menacingly.

When the other customers in the shop saw the red-robed youth and the people following behind him, they all hurriedly stepped aside. Soon, they had made way for the group.

By coincidence, at the end of that path sat Xiao Yi Xian, the very person the red-robed youth had come to find.

Beneath her black veil, Xiao Yi Xian raised her brows upon seeing the red-robed youth. She immediately urged the shopkeeper behind the counter, "Shopkeeper, are the things I ordered ready yet?"

"They're ready, they're ready! Just wait another three minutes!"

Hearing Xiao Yi Xian's urging, the shopkeeper hurriedly ran out from the back to answer.

After speaking, the shopkeeper finally noticed the red-robed youth at the door. Though somewhat flustered inside, he still smiled and said, "Young Master Hai, your visit truly brings honor to my humble shop."

"Cut the nonsense. I'm telling you, you're not allowed to sell her a single thing today!" Seeing the shopkeeper bowing and scraping, Wan Hai said with extreme disdain.

"Ah, Young Master Hai, this customer's business is worth nearly three months of my shop's profits." The shopkeeper looked troubled.

"You bastard, can't you understand what I'm saying? Do you believe I can make both you and your shop disappear today?" Wan Hai pointed at the shopkeeper and shouted furiously.

"Alas!"

Seeing Wan Hai vent his anger on the shopkeeper, Xiao Yi Xian let out a heavy sigh.

"You're called Wan Hai, right?"

"If there's anything you want, come to me. There's no need to make things difficult for others!"

Hearing Xiao Yi Xian respond, Wan Hai wore a teasing smile as he said, "Is that so? Today, I want to see what kind of face lies beneath the veil of the Little Poison Girl who killed more than a dozen people on Black Mountain."

The instant his words fell, Qin Bo, who stood behind him, suddenly rushed toward Xiao Yi Xian.

A vast surge of Dou Qi energy erupted from his body. When he was roughly ten meters away from Xiao Yi Xian, his fist suddenly launched a yellow beam the size of a bowl.

Dou Qi taking form and being released outward!

That was something only a Da Dou Shi could accomplish at the very least!

Upon seeing the yellow beam shoot toward her, the shopkeeper's pupils widened immensely, and his legs went limp to the point that he could not move.

The onlookers were likewise filled with shock.

"I never expected the playboy of the Wan Family to have an attendant with the cultivation of a Da Dou Shi."

"That person in black has terrible luck. Offending a young master of the Wan Family in Black Mist City means there's only one road ahead: death."

At that moment, everyone considered Xiao Yi Xian practically doomed.

Yet what happened the next moment made everyone's eyes nearly pop out.

Only when the powerful yellow beam was less than half a meter away did Xiao Yi Xian slowly extend her hand.

A thin layer of purple light emerged over her fair palm, and she directly grabbed the entire yellow beam in her hand.

After a muffled sound, Xiao Yi Xian appeared before everyone completely unharmed.

"An eight-star Da Dou Shi, that's all. Who gave you the courage to attack me?"

With a cold shout, Xiao Yi Xian's figure arrived before Qin Bo's horrified eyes. A flash of cold light passed by, and Qin Bo clutched his throat in disbelief as he slowly fell backward.

Pfft!

Qin Bo's sudden collapse without any warning terrified Wan Hai, who stood not far behind him. The arrogance he had displayed upon entering was gone, and his feet unconsciously backed away.

"Now it's your turn!"

After eliminating the only Da Dou Shi present, Xiao Yi Xian turned her gaze toward Wan Hai.

Wan Hai was merely an eight-star Dou Master. For Xiao Yi Xian, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

"Little Poison Girl, don't act impulsively. We can talk this out!"

"I already gave you a chance last time. You were the one who failed to treasure it!"

A trace of coldness appeared in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes.

In the Cloud Mist Empire, she had witnessed far too much slaughter and had also been forced to take part in many killings. Thus, Xiao Yi Xian no longer felt much resistance toward killing people.