Target, Tagor Desert

"What?!"

Mu She knew the strength of his own attack. In order to kill Xiao Yi Xian outright, he had not held back in the slightest. The combined force of blade and spear was something even an ordinary Dou Shi might not be able to withstand.

Yet it had been so easily blocked by a Dou Qi barrier. How could that be possible?

Mu She stared fixedly at the Dou Qi barrier, and at that moment, everyone in the clearing turned their attention toward it.

"Young Master..."

Xiao Yi Xian hurried to Lin Ran's side and said softly, "I'm sorry, Young Master. I delayed you."

"It hardly counts as a delay. I was merely curious that you would waste so much time talking to them."

Crimson-gold Dou Qi rippled slowly before gradually dissipating, revealing Lin Ran.

Everyone in the clearing froze upon seeing Lin Ran's young, handsome face. Even Mu She's expression changed drastically.

How could he be so young?!

He had effortlessly used Dou Qi to block Mu She's attack. His strength was at least at the Dou Shi realm, yet he looked only slightly older than Xiao Yi Xian. He was already a Dou Shi?

"I only..." Xiao Yi Xian lowered her head.

"I know. You wanted to leave directly without causing needless slaughter. Though this place harbors filth and cannot truly be called 'beautiful,' it was still where you had stayed for a time and held many memories."

Lin Ran glanced at Mu She and the others, then shook his head. "Having a kind heart is good, but as my maid, being so softhearted toward enemies who have already revealed their hostility is not a good habit."

"Though it may be difficult for a mayfly to shake a tree, we must understand one principle."

Lin Ran's gaze was indifferent. As he spoke calmly, crimson-gold Dou Qi flickered faintly at his fingertips.

"A thousand-mile dike can collapse because of an ant hole."

Pfft! Pfft!

The instant the ripple spread out, everyone in the clearing—including Mu She and Mr. Yao—shuddered violently.

Then, before Xiao Yi Xian's horrified eyes, they did not even have time to let out a scream before exploding with a bang into pools of bloody gore!

"See? Handle it this way, and there won't be any trouble at all."

"..."

Xiao Yi Xian's lovely face twitched. For a moment, she did not know what to say and could only nod slightly. "Xiao Yi Xian has learned her lesson."

In Xiao Yi Xian's view, Lin Ran might have been somewhat too domineering, but it seemed that such overbearing conduct often produced unexpectedly effective results in this world.

In contrast, her kindness and gentleness always seemed to bring trouble.

"Let's go."

Lin Ran started walking toward the exit of Myriad Medicine Pavilion, and Xiao Yi Xian hurried after him.

She did not truly have anything to cling to in Qingshan Town. The reason she had spent so long arguing with Mr. Yao and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was, first, because she feared Mu She's strength as a Dou Shi, and second, because her own compassion and kindness had gotten in the way.

But Lin Ran had simply crushed them all to death, saving Xiao Yi Xian from having to agonize over it.

"Young Master, where are we going?"

"To capture a magical beast."

"A-a magical beast?"

"Yes, to the Tagor Desert."

Taking Xiao Yi Xian with him had merely been a convenient matter. The Calamity Poison Body was indeed quite valuable; whether he made her one of his own or used her to assist his cultivation, she would be of great help.

But for the current Lin Ran, the most important thing was still the Heavenly Spirit Blood Dragon Pill!

There were simply too few high-level magical beasts in the northwest. Based on the original work, the nearest high-level magical beast to Lin Ran at present was Queen Medusa.

Lin Ran was also quite interested in this second female lead of the original work. It was not that he lusted after her body; rather, aside from being a high-level magical beast herself, Queen Medusa possessed the special bloodline of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. Like Xiao Yi Xian's Calamity Poison Body, it could promote his cultivation.

Moreover, Queen Medusa was crucial to Xiao Yan in the early stages, whether as a female lead or because of the Green Lotus Core Flame. Since he intended to become enemies with Xiao Yan, starting with her was undoubtedly the best choice.

For all these reasons, this trip to the Tagor Desert was inevitable.

"The Tagor Desert... That's quite a long way away."

Xiao Yi Xian hesitated before saying, "Young Master, I have a flying magical beast. How about we fly there?"

The Tagor Desert lay in the eastern part of the Jia Ma Empire. It was the largest desert in the Jia Ma Empire and quite far from the Monster Beast Mountain Range. Traveling on foot would take at least ten days, perhaps even a month or so.

"A flying magical beast?"

Lin Ran was somewhat surprised, but he quickly remembered.

Xiao Yi Xian did indeed have a flying magical beast. It seemed to be a first-tier magical beast called Blue Eagle. In the original work, this Blue Eagle had carried Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan away from Qingshan Town.

"That works. Since you have a flying magical beast, we'll use it."

Seeing Lin Ran agree, Xiao Yi Xian gave a tinkling laugh and took a bamboo whistle from her robe. She gently blew out a stream of sound, and moments later, a giant blue eagle flew swiftly in from the distance, slowly descending from the sky.

As she watched the Blue Eagle draw closer and lower, Dou Qi burst beneath Xiao Yi Xian's feet, and she was about to leap up. But Lin Ran, at her side, wrapped an arm around her slender waist and took a step forward.

Under Xiao Yi Xian's shocked gaze, their figures seemed to pass through space, and in the blink of an eye, they were already atop the Blue Eagle.

"Th-this..."

Although cultivators on the Dou Qi Continent wielded Dou Qi, they were ultimately still human and did not possess the ability to roam freely through heaven and earth. Unless they possessed a special flying Dou Skill like Xiao Yan's Purple Cloud Wings, only experts at the peak Dou Ling realm or above could use their own Dou Qi to form wings and fly through the skies.

Yet Lin Ran had neither formed Dou Qi wings nor taken more than an instant to soar into the air. Such a method left Xiao Yi Xian dumbfounded.

This was simply not something an ordinary person could accomplish!

"There's no need to be so surprised. It's merely a minor technique. Once your strength improves, you can do the same."

Lin Ran smiled faintly as he looked at Xiao Yi Xian's expression.

"I-I can too?" Xiao Yi Xian said softly. "My power..."

"Though the Calamity Poison Body has a poor reputation, in the end, it is merely a special constitution. There is nothing especially extraordinary about it. As long as you cultivate diligently, whatever ordinary people can accomplish, you naturally can as well—and you can even do better than them."

"Of course, you have only just entered the path and know nothing at all about cultivation. You only know how to swallow pills and passively condense Dou Qi. But with me here, it won't be much of a problem."

"T-thank you for the trouble, Young Master..."

"It's a small matter. No need to worry."

The Blue Eagle spread its wings and swept across the skies of the Northwest Continent.

Meanwhile, in a map shop called Gu Tu within Mo City of the Tagor Desert, a black-robed youth gripped a map tightly in his hand as he stepped outside...