Meeting Hai Bodong Again

Instead, he took out a Jade Dagger from his Na Ring and, with a swift motion, slashed at the part of the lotus seat that connected to the root.

Instantly, the perfect Green Lotus, like a work of art, fell off.

Since the Green Lotus detached from its rootstock, the surrounding blue light has been gradually diminishing.

Seeing the Green Lotus fall, Xiao Ming quickly reached out and drew it in, then made it float in front of him and slowly rotate. His gaze swept over it, his face full of amazement.

"This Green Lotus is indeed a treasure; the Green Lotus Core Flame within it has none of the violent nature of Heavenly Flames."

"This Green Lotus Core Flame has absorbed energy underground for so long, and the energy it contains is enough for me to break through to the Dou Emperor. I wonder how many stars I can advance in the Dou Emperor after that."

Let out a soft breath, suppressing the joy in his heart. Xiao Ming, holding Green Lotus, waved to the Fire Spirit Snake Serpent in the distance, then followed behind it, hurrying back along the route they had come from.

"Young Master and the others are coming out soon!" At the entrance of the passage, Qing Lin looked at the calm lava lake with a joyful expression.

"Splash..." Before Qing Lin's voice had even faded, the sound of water breaking echoed throughout the cave.

The three quickly turned their attention to the lava, and saw Xiao Ming's figure, enveloped in flames, slowly appear in their sight.

With a flash, Xiao Ming stood out among the three, holding Green Lotus in his hand.

"Young Master, you're back!"

"Is this the Heavenly Flames?"

Zi Yan and the others were all drawn to the Green Lotus in Xiao Ming's hand, especially Xiao Yi Xian, whose constitution required three different types of Heavenly Flames as one of the solutions.

This condition was originally extremely demanding, but now it seems to no longer be a problem.

The only missing material is a Seventh-Tier Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's Magic Core.

"This Heavenly Flames is inside the Green Lotus. It's the Azure Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. With it, I should be able to break through to the Dou Emperor," Xiao Ming said with a smile.

"Congratulations, young master." Qing Lin quickly offered his congratulations upon hearing this.

Zi Yan, standing next to her, was somewhat helpless. Back when they first met, Xiao Ming was shorter than her, and his cultivation level was much lower.

Unexpectedly, in just a few years, Xiao Ming grew very tall. Not only was he tall, but his strength also surpassed hers, and he was about to break through to the Dou Emperor level that she had been longing for.

Breaking through to the Dou Emperor will take a lot of time. This time, while Xiao Ming is absorbing the Heavenly Flames to break through, I might be able to go out and find some medicinal herbs. Then all the herbs will be mine, hehehe.

Thinking about the wonderful things that would happen if she went out alone, Zi Yan smiled.

Glancing at Zi Yan, who seemed lost in thought, Xiao Ming shook his head and spoke to Xiao Yi Xian and the others.

"Alright, we've successfully found the Heavenly Flames this time. It's incredibly Dry Heat here, let's go out first, pack up, and then we'll head to Desert City."

After saying that, Xiao Ming carried Green Lotus and walked into the passage.

Watching Xiao Ming turn and leave, Zi Yan came to her senses and chased after him, taking his hand in Xiao Ming.

Qing Lin quickly whistled towards the lava lake. Instantly, the blue light on the forehead of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake in the lake suddenly intensified. A moment later, its huge body rapidly shrank and then turned into a wisp of blue light, shooting into Qing Lin's sleeve.

Patting her sleeve, Qing Lin smiled slightly and said softly, "Don't cause trouble anymore, or Young Master will get angry and I'll throw you away."

"Hiss..." A faint hissing sound carried a hint of dissatisfaction, presumably because the Fire Spirit Snake was unhappy with its master's discrimination.

"Hehe." Covering her mouth, Qing Lin chuckled softly, then put her hands behind her back and skipped after Xiao Ming and the other two with Xiao Yi Xian. The four of them gradually disappeared into the darkness of the passage.

Desert City.

Inside the shop, a Moonlight Stone emitted a faint glow, its gentle and non-glaring light illuminating the interior quite brightly.

The layout remained the same as before. The damage caused by the battle had been perfectly repaired. Behind the counter piled with maps, the old man was carefully working on the maps in his hands.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps outside the door drew Hai Bodong's attention.

Squeak!

The door opened, and several figures walked in.

The people who arrived were Xiao Ming and his group.

"It's you guys! How did it go? Did you find the medicinal herbs I needed?" Hai Bodong was overjoyed to see the newcomers.

Hai Bodong's gaze swept over Xiao Ming and the others, finally settling on Green Lotus beside Xiao Ming.

"This... could it be Heavenly Flames?"

A thought flashed through Hai Bodong's mind, causing a look of shock to appear on his face. When he looked at Xiao Ming again, his gaze revealed an indescribable emotion.

"Here, this is the Sand Mandara you needed. For this, I sealed away a Dou Emperor from the enemy, incurring a considerable enmity with the Snake People Race." With a flick of his finger, a pale yellow plant appeared in Xiao Ming's Na Ring.

This plant has a rather strange appearance, winding and twisting like a coiled yellow snake. At the top of the plant is the snake's head, which is raised high. On the snake's head, there is a fist-sized bump that protrudes slightly. This bump is the most concentrated essence of the entire plant.

"Your Ice Emperor, I have brought back the items for you. Shouldn't you give me that Fragment Map now?"

Did they seal away one of the opponent's Dou Emperor?

Hai Bodong smiled somewhat awkwardly upon hearing this. He didn't think the other party was lying, but he felt that Xiao Ming's words sounded like a warning to him.

After thinking for a moment, Hai Bodong walked towards a side door, and then returned to his original spot a moment later.

He was also holding a Fragment Map in his hand.

"Master Xiao Ming, this is the map you needed. I wonder about that elixir... hehe." Hai Bodong rubbed his fingers together and chuckled awkwardly.

After taking the map from Hai Bodong and glancing at it to confirm that it was correct, Xiao Ming was satisfied and put it into his storage Na Ring.

"Since I've already promised to refine the pills for you, I naturally won't go back on my word. However, this matter needs to be postponed for a while."

Hai Bodong's face stiffened upon hearing this.

Looking at Hai Bodong's stiff face, Xiao Ming gestured to Green Lotus beside him, "I need to absorb this Heavenly Flames before I can help you refine it."

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong's expression stiffened even more. He could understand Alchemist devouring Heavenly Flames, but didn't Xiao Ming already possess a Heavenly Flames? Why was he devouring it now?

Although he wasn't Alchemist, Hai Bodong still knew that Alchemist couldn't absorb two different kinds of Heavenly Flames!

"Master Xiao Ming, it could be dangerous for you to absorb two different kinds of Heavenly Flames."

"That's someone else." Xiao Ming shook his head, offering no further explanation.

"Don't worry about me exploding and dying so I can't refine pills for you. I haven't lived enough yet."

Having his thoughts exposed by Xiao Ming, Hai Bodong gave an awkward smile.

"Master Xiao Ming is joking. Since you wish to absorb the Heavenly Flames first, then please follow me." After saying this, Hai Bodong walked towards the side door.

Xiao Ming gave Zi Yan and the others a few instructions. Since this secluded cultivation to absorb the Heavenly Flames might take a very long time, Xiao Ming had already made arrangements for Zi Yan and the others. He was just repeating a few points.

Seeing that Zi Yan and the others were alright, Xiao Ming took Green Lotus and followed behind Hai Bodong.

Entering through the side door, a corridor appeared. The corridor was slightly dimly lit. After walking a distance with Hai Bodong, they stopped outside a stone chamber at the very end of the corridor.

Pushing open the door to the secret chamber, a soft light shone out. The chamber, perhaps due to regular cleaning, looked quite tidy, making it perfectly suitable as a place to absorb Heavenly Flames.

"Young man, is this place alright?" Hai Bodong asked with a smile. After seeing Xiao Ming nod, he continued, "In that case, please seclude yourself here for cultivation. During this time, you will find the quiet environment you need, and no one will disturb you."

"Hmm." Xiao Ming smiled and nodded, watching Hai Bodong leave. He gently closed the door to the secret room with both hands, then scanned the room with his Soul Power to make sure there was no danger before helping Green Lotus to the central futon to sit down.