Sudden Enemy

Tagore Desert, Core Lava Lake.

Within the lava lake, a ball of red light flickered. The lava flowed backward, mixing with spiritual energy to form a massive cocoon that throbbed continuously like a heart. The aura within it kept changing and growing stronger.

As time passed, the phenomenon became increasingly magnificent. Fire-attributed spiritual energy surged in from all directions through the underground cavern passages, like clouds and rivers—beautiful and mesmerizing.

Yan Qingshan and Qingling watched the scene before them and could clearly sense the abundant energy within it. Having reached this stage, the Fire Spirit Snake's advancement was practically assured.

"Qingling, the environment here isn't very good. Let's leave first!"

After confirming that the Fire Spirit Snake would not be disturbed during its evolution, Yan Qingshan took Qingling and left the lava lake. Advancing from the fourth tier to the fifth would not take an entire year, but it would still require some time before it truly succeeded.

The underground passage was filled with the smell of sulfur and poisonous white smoke, while the temperature was exceptionally high. It was fine to come here exploring for treasures, but who could endure staying here forever?

Yan Qingshan led Qingling back up to the surface along the rope through the passage they had used to enter. Snake-type magical beasts with formidable auras appeared around them, including two or three third-tier snake kings.

Before the Fire Spirit Snake began its advancement, Yan Qingshan and Qingling had swept through all the magical beasts in the surrounding region alongside it. They had subdued nearly all the snake-type magical beasts nearby and obtained a batch of desert-specific treasures and spiritual herbs, many of which had been used in the Fire Spirit Snake's earlier advancement ritual.

Yan Qingshan and Qingling returned to the sparse woodland near the lake to cultivate and await the Fire Spirit Snake's transformation. The many snake-type magical beasts scattered back to their respective territories, though the snake kings above the second tier remained hidden in the woods to protect Yan Qingshan and Qingling.

Yan Qingshan and Qingling continued their semi-reclusive lives in the woods. Apart from making one trip to Stone Desert City to purchase daily supplies, they had spent nearly two months cultivating and living in the forest as the days passed by.

Autumn and winter in Stone Desert City were not as distinctly different as in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Only some of the vegetation in the woods gradually withered and yellowed, and the usual temperatures dropped slightly. It was not especially noticeable during the day, but the nights had become much colder.

Yan Qingshan and Qingling built a small wooden cabin in that patch of forest. Because it was close to the area where the Green Lotus Core Flame existed, the nighttime temperature in the woods did not fall too low. There was also plenty of firewood, so once they lit the stove, they did not feel cold.

"Shuguang, data analysis!"

Host: Yan Qingshan

Cultivation: Nine-star Dou Practitioner

Cultivation Technique: Profound-tier High-grade Lionheart King's Art (one Lionheart Baptism)

Dou Skills: Profound-tier High-grade Roaring Lion's Roar, Profound-tier Low-grade Phoenix Soaring Steps

Strength: 9.6

Status: Healthy

Agility: 9.0

Mental Power: 35

Primary Attribute: Wood

Secondary Attribute: Lightning (Thunder Eyes)

(Data collection target: One-star Dou Practitioner calculated average, median for all attributes is 1.0)

Yan Qingshan looked at his data and nodded slightly. Though he had only just entered the Nine-star Dou Practitioner realm, his actual figures were more than triple those of ordinary peak Dou Practitioners. His combat strength was even sufficient for him to fight ten opponents of the same rank alone.

A high-grade cultivation technique gave a cultivator more than just cultivation speed. It also improved the quality of Dou Qi and other aspects. The difference became apparent when the data was broken down in detail.

For an ordinary One-star Dou Practitioner cultivating a Yellow-tier Low-grade Cultivation Method, the data would be 1.0. Yellow-tier Mid-grade to High-grade cultivation techniques ranged from 1.1 to 1.4, and could not exceed 1.4.

A Dou Practitioner crossed a minor threshold every three stars, and their strength increased significantly. A peak Nine-star Dou Practitioner needed to cultivate at least a Yellow-tier Mid-grade Cultivation Method in order to break through. Their average data hovered around 3.0, while the strongest Dou Practitioners cultivating Yellow-tier High-grade Cultivation Techniques had figures close to 4.0.

Of course, all these figures accounted only for the explosive output of Dou Qi. The power of Dou Skills had to be calculated separately. If Dou Skills were used, the figures would double again.

A peak Nine-star Dou Practitioner cultivating a Yellow-tier Cultivation Method had comprehensive figures only close to 4.0. Compared with Dou Practitioners of the same rank cultivating higher-grade techniques, the gap was considerable.

If a One-star Dou Practitioner cultivated a Profound-tier Low-grade Cultivation Technique and had sufficient compatibility with it, their figures could reach as high as 2.0. In theory, a Four-star Dou Practitioner cultivating a Profound-tier Low-grade Cultivation Technique could reach 4.0.

Of course, cultivation techniques also depended on compatibility, and the more profound the technique, the greater its requirements. It was difficult to bring out a cultivation technique's full effectiveness, so few people cultivating Profound-tier techniques could reach the figures of an ordinary Nine-star Dou Practitioner with a Yellow-tier Cultivation Method while only at the Four-star Dou Practitioner stage.

However, after undergoing one Lionheart Baptism, Yan Qingshan's compatibility with this cultivation technique had become very high. It was nearly no worse than a highly compatible Profound-tier High-grade Cultivation Technique of the same attribute, so his figures had risen greatly compared to before the baptism.

In theory, a Yellow-tier Low-grade Cultivation Method could be cultivated until one broke through to Dou Master. A Dou Master who broke through this way would have the lowest comprehensive figures among all Dou Masters, only around 5.0. But in reality, most cultivators of Yellow-tier Low-grade techniques could not even break through to become Advanced Dou Practitioners.

Yan Qingshan had encountered quite a few Dou Masters on his journey and collected some relevant data. The lowest-grade cultivation techniques used by Dou Masters were all Yellow-tier High-grade.

Even if one did not begin with a Yellow-tier High-grade Cultivation Technique, it was not difficult to obtain one suited to oneself after breaking through to Dou Master.

What the upper echelons restricted were cultivation techniques above the Profound tier. Yellow-tier techniques were not exactly everywhere across the continent, but there were countless ways to obtain them. Even ordinary people could acquire Yellow-tier High-grade Cultivation Techniques with some effort.

A One-star Dou Master cultivating a Yellow-tier High-grade Cultivation Technique would generally have figures between 6.5 and 7.0 upon breaking through. After fully stabilizing their realm, they could basically reach 7.0.

Yan Qingshan's current figures did not fall short of low-star Dou Masters. He also possessed high-grade Dou Skills and the even more valuable Flying Dou Skill. His mobility and combat strength were greater still; ordinary low-level Dou Masters who had not cultivated Profound-tier techniques or Dou Skills would not be his match at all.

In the sparse woodland outside Stone Desert City, Yan Qingshan sat beneath a desert jujube tree. A faint green glow and jade-like aura coiled around him, streams of it flowing into his body and strengthening his foundation. There was still a small stretch of gradual cultivation required between the Nine-star Dou Practitioner stage and its peak.

In theory, a Nine-star Dou Practitioner could directly attempt to break through to Dou Master, but in practice, no one would do so. Though attempting to cross a major realm after becoming a Dou Practitioner did not carry the risk of cultivation regression upon failure as it had during the Dou Qi stage, a failed attempt to break through to Dou Master could still leave hidden injuries and plant dangers for future cultivation.

Most Nine-star Dou Practitioners would accumulate as much Dou Qi as possible and wait for the right opportunity and feeling to emerge. Only if they failed to find that opportunity for a long time would they use the method of forcibly breaking through. The success rate of such a forced breakthrough depended entirely on the depth of one's Dou Qi, which was why they needed to accumulate as much of it as possible.

Though Yan Qingshan was still some distance from the peak of the Dou Practitioner realm, it was merely a matter of gradual effort. Thus, he had focused on cultivating and accumulating Dou Qi lately.

"Hmm!!!"

Yan Qingshan's ears suddenly twitched as he opened his eyes and looked beyond the woods. Amid the howling Sound of Wind, he vaguely heard someone calling out. It seemed they were calling for him and Qingling, and the voice sounded somewhat familiar. The faint tremors in the ground seemed to come from camel beasts—someone was riding one toward them.

"Qingling!"

At Yan Qingshan's call, a cute, slender, beautiful girl emerged from the nearby wooden cabin and landed beside him. As she let out a series of calls, snake-type magical beasts with powerful auras appeared throughout the forest.

"This voice... sounds familiar!"

The source of the voice drew closer, and a trace of realization crossed Yan Qingshan's puzzled face. He grabbed Qingling's wrist, pulled her into his arms, unfolded his Purple Cloud Wings, and shot into the air toward the edge of the woodland nearest Stone Desert City.

"Qingling! Qingshan! Qing..."

In the desert east of Stone Desert City, a graceful figure rode a camel beast with a face full of anxiety, driving it at full speed toward the southeast while shouting loudly in hopes of drawing the attention of the two people who might be nearby.

"Big Sister Xuelan!"

Just as she could only shout anxiously and leave matters to luck, a familiar, delighted girl's voice suddenly rang out from beyond the sand slope ahead. Xuelan hurriedly drove her camel beast toward it.

"Big Sister Xuelan, how did you find us?"

The two beauties, one older and one younger, Qingling and Xuelan, embraced each other. Their hearts were full of joy at their reunion after such a long separation. After Qingling rubbed her little head against Xuelan's chest, she asked curiously.

"You little girl, are you looking down on me? I was the one who drew you that map back then. How could I not know this place?"

Xuelan tapped Qingling's delicate nose with her slender jade finger. She had always been very protective of this little sister; otherwise, she would not have risked danger to come here alone this time.

"Why did you come?"

Yan Qingshan frowned as he examined Xuelan. The valiant female rider looked somewhat disheveled. Though they had not met in several months, she had successfully broken through to Dou Practitioner and was even a Two-star Dou Practitioner. However, her aura was not very stable, so she had probably only recently advanced to the second star.

Xuelan suddenly said anxiously, "Quick, you need to leave. Someone is coming for you."

"What happened? Explain it clearly!"

Yan Qingshan grasped Xuelan's jade wrist and sent refined Wood Attribute Dou Qi into her body to help her recover from her exhaustion. Wood Attribute Dou Qi was second only to water-attributed Dou Qi in its healing effects and could help other cultivators clear negative conditions.

Xuelan hurriedly said, "People... people are capturing Mixed-blood Snake-people. All the Mixed-blood Snake-people in Stone Desert City have been taken away by the Sand Mercenary Group. I also saw the Sand Mercenary Group's leader, Robb, being extremely respectful toward several strangers. Those people were asking about the whereabouts of other Mixed-blood Snake-people. They have already learned that Qingling left with you..."

"Searching for Mixed-blood Snake-people... Robb... Could it be... the Mo Clan?"

A strange light flashed through Yan Qingshan's eyes. The Sand Mercenary Group's sudden search for Mixed-blood Snake-people was certainly to find some special target among them. Other than the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, Yan Qingshan could think of nothing else.

Moreover, in Battle Through the Heavens, the Mo Clan had once secretly controlled the Sand Mercenary Group and tried to erase all traces by wiping out the Desert Iron Mercenary Group that had sheltered Qingling. This seemed to fit as well.

As for why the Mo Clan's people were not directly abducting Qingling as in the original story but were instead conducting a massive search, the reason was simple. Most Mixed-blood Snake-people died young, and in the original story, Qingling was the only Mixed-blood Snake-person in Stone Desert City over ten years old. A little investigation after arriving in Stone Desert City would have identified her as the most likely target.

Now that Qingling had been taken away by him, the people behind the Sand Mercenary Group could not be certain that Qingling, who had been taken away, was the possessor of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. That was why they were arresting Mixed-blood Snake-people throughout the city.

However, what puzzled him even more was why the Mo Clan of Yancheng had suddenly come to the Tagore Desert with such a clear target in mind!