First Meeting with Hai Bodong

Liu Xi walked along the streets of Stone Desert City, feeling the nakedly heated gazes of the desert women around him, mixed with quite a few resentful snorts from the men.

This made Liu Xi marvel at how passionate and uninhibited the desert women were, though he could hardly blame them for being smitten. At this moment, Liu Xi was tall and straight, dressed in an exquisitely crafted Moon-white long robe. His fair, handsome face bore no smile, making him seem all the more cold and stern.

Amid this desert frontier full of burly roughnecks, he stood out like a flawless jade gem appearing among a pile of bricks and stones.

After walking for a while, Liu Xi sighed and crooked a finger at a hot-bodied beauty nearby who had been staring at him intently.

When she saw Liu Xi's gesture, she froze for a moment before her face blossomed into a smile. Swaying her figure, she walked over with a seductive twist of her hips at every step. Stopping before Liu Xi, she stared at him with blazing eyes, parted her red lips, and said enticingly, "Young Master, why have you called this humble woman over?"

A faint smile curled at Liu Xi's lips as he looked at her. "Miss, could you take me to the largest map shop in Stone Desert City?"

She froze again, obvious disappointment flashing through her beautiful eyes. Still, she smiled and said, "Of course. I'll take you there right away!"

After the two of them strolled along at an unhurried pace for quite some time, a map shop named "Ancient Map" came into Liu Xi's view.

Liu Xi swept his gaze across the outside of the shop and was slightly surprised. Unlike other establishments, it was neither lavish nor ostentatious. Instead, it faintly exuded an antique air. It truly was worthy of being the secluded residence of a Dou Emperor expert.

Liu Xi first smiled and thanked the girl who had led the way, then slowly entered the shop. The girl glared resentfully at his back. She had dropped so many obvious hints along the way, yet Liu Xi had completely ignored her charms. After letting out a coquettish snort, she turned and left.

After entering the shop, Liu Xi saw that its interior was not particularly spacious. However, the faint glow of two Moonlight Stones made it quite bright. He swept his gaze across the shop. There were not many customers buying maps, and the place looked cold and deserted.

Liu Xi then looked toward the counter, his gaze finally settling on the old man behind it who had his head lowered as he carefully drew a map. Though the old man's hair was completely white and he looked quite aged, the withered hand holding the Drawing Pen remained steady and strong.

Liu Xi quietly released his soul power, slowly enveloping the entire shop. Then, within his perception, the old man's aura was like a gigantic Ice Mountain.

Among all the Dou Emperors Liu Xi knew of, this old man's aura was second only to Vice Principal Hu Gan's. However, most of his power seemed to be sealed beneath a layer of ice and could not be used. He was likely Hai Bodong, who had been sealed by Queen Medusa and forced into seclusion.

Just as Liu Xi was about to speak, something carrying a trace of scorching heat suddenly appeared within his soul perception. Delight surfaced in Liu Xi's eyes, and he could not help thinking, Could it really be such a coincidence? I just got here and already found a clue that might lead to a Heavenly Flame.

Liu Xi stopped talking and calmly walked toward the source of that scorching aura. At the same time, he casually picked up one or two maps to examine. The routes on them were clear and accurate, and Liu Xi nodded appreciatively. The craftsmanship truly was impeccable.

At last, he slowly made his way to an ancient wooden rack in a corner of the shop.

This wooden rack was clearly much more dilapidated, covered in cobwebs and holes. Several yellowed maps were casually piled atop it. Judging by the many damaged marks on their surfaces, they seemed to be failed products from the mapmaking process.

Liu Xi reached out and casually flipped through the yellowed maps. A faint musty smell rushed at him. He frowned slightly, picked up a stack of failed works, and gave it a light shake. A damaged fragment no larger than his palm fell directly from the stack.

"That's it!" Liu Xi grabbed the damaged map fragment with blazing eyes. That trace of scorching heat was emanating from it.

Liu Xi quickly held it in his hand, gently brushed away the dust on it, and carefully studied the location marked on the map. He soon frowned. This was not a map of the Snake-people Desert, and he did not recognize where it depicted.

Liu Xi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, constantly recalling everything in his memories related to Hai Bodong. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He slapped his forehead and thought, How could I forget? Besides obtaining the map related to the Green Lotus Core Flame from Hai Bodong, Xiao Yan also got the second Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map. The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking! Hehe, now it's mine.

Holding the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map, Liu Xi walked to the counter with a smile and slowly asked, "Senior, how much are you selling this fragment map for?"

Upon hearing Liu Xi's question, the old man, who had been drawing maps with complete focus, gave an almost imperceptible tremble of his hand. The carefully drawn route immediately shifted slightly.

Frowning a little, the old man finally slowly raised his head. His gaze swept over the damaged map in Liu Xi's hand, and an unfathomable look flashed through his murky old eyes. At the same time, an aged, indifferent voice emerged from his mouth. "That is not for sale. Look at something else."

As Liu Xi looked at the old man's raised face, he saw a terrifying scar running from his left cheek to the corner of his eye. Though the old man's gaze was rather calm, the scar still gave him a faintly visible ferocious air.

But in Liu Xi's perception, the energy the old man could currently mobilize was merely a corner above the ice layer of that Ice Mountain, probably only equivalent to a high-level Dou Ling. Even if they fought, Liu Xi did not fear him.

Liu Xi continued smiling. "Senior, I want this map. Name your price."

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly and said meaningfully, "Junior, have you... seen a fragment of this kind of map before?"

Of course Liu Xi had never seen one before, but he knew the plot and was certain that this was the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map. He slowly replied, "No, but I know I need it very much, while you have no use for it."

The old man waved his hand with an uninterested expression and said indifferently, "Kid, stop setting your sights on my map. I have no use for money. Leave. Also, if you plan to take it by force, don't blame this old man for bullying the young."

Liu Xi said naturally, "It would indeed be difficult to snatch something from Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, one of the former Ten Great Experts of the Jia Ma Empire. But now, who is the stronger and who is the weaker is not necessarily certain! Besides, I never said I wanted to trade money for it."

Hai Bodong stared at Liu Xi, and a faint chill gradually gathered within his murky pupils.

"Who exactly are you?"

The old man lightly tapped a spot on the counter with his hand, and the wide-open door slammed shut with a bang. He then fixed Liu Xi with a sharp gaze as an icy, powerful aura spread from his body.

Liu Xi did not care about Hai Bodong's fierce gaze. His powerful aura could not affect Liu Xi in the slightest, but Liu Xi still introduced himself. "My name is Liu Xi. Perhaps you've never heard of me, but I am a genuine Fifth-grade Alchemist!"

Hai Bodong looked at Liu Xi's young face. He appeared to be no older than twenty, yet he dared to boast that he was a Fifth-grade Alchemist. He said coldly, "Brat, have you ever even seen a Fifth-grade Alchemist? There are only two or three Fifth-grade Alchemists in the entire Jia Ma Empire. How old are you? And you dare call yourself a Fifth-grade Alchemist?"

Liu Xi helplessly shook his head. Why did no one believe him whenever he told the truth? He immediately unleashed the aura of a Dou Wang and slowly said, "When I rub your face into the ground later, don't say I failed to respect my elders."

Hai Bodong stared at Liu Xi, who had unleashed the aura of a Dou Wang, in complete shock. Even his eyelids twitched involuntarily. He cried out in unbelievable horror, "How is that possible? Brat, are you the successor of the Misty Cloud Sect's leader? Or the Young Master of one of those transcendent great clans? Or perhaps a member of the imperial family? No, even they couldn't possibly nurture someone like you!"

Looking at Hai Bodong's utterly horrified expression, Liu Xi could not help feeling smug. After all, this was a Dou Emperor expert. Yet his expression remained unchanged as he slowly said with a smile, "Well? How about we sit down and have a proper talk? That way, neither of us will lose face later."

Hai Bodong was, after all, a Dou Emperor expert of his generation. How could he possibly show weakness before a junior? He immediately said coldly, "In your dreams!"

Hai Bodong then stamped the ground with the tip of his foot and shot forward like lightning. At the same time, his Ice Dou Qi erupted, and the entire shop was instantly shrouded in a layer of white mist.

Mysterious Ice Whirlwind Kill!

With Liu Xi's powerful soul perception, the mist naturally had no effect on him. Crescent-shaped ice blades spun into existence around Hai Bodong, and more and more ice blades continued to appear.

In the end, his body was completely concealed within them. The ice blades connected to one another, forming a small spiral storm made entirely of ice blades.

"Kill!" Hai Bodong roared as he unleashed his strongest high-level Xuan Rank Dou Technique.

Flame Blade! (P.S.: A high-level Xuan Rank Dou Technique obtained through an Inner Court exchange. The palm became a blade, incomparably sharp.)

Liu Xi spoke softly, bringing together the five fingers of his right hand and turning his palm into a blade. Crimson Flame then erupted with a bang, condensing around his right palm into a three-meter-long flaming blade.

Once the blade had taken shape, Liu Xi stepped forward and slashed at the ice-blade storm ahead. The extreme collision of fire and ice unleashed a violent gale that destroyed everything in the shop that could be destroyed.

Though both of them used high-level Xuan Rank Dou Techniques, Liu Xi was clearly superior with his Dou Wang-level Dou Qi and the boost of Crimson Flame. He directly shattered the storm formed of ice blades, and amid the lingering flames, the ice blades completely turned into white mist and drifted through the shop.

Blowing Fire Palm! (P.S.: A high-level Xuan Rank Dou Technique obtained through an Inner Court exchange. It erupted from the palm and grew stronger against stronger opponents.)

After breaking Mysterious Ice Whirlwind Kill, Liu Xi pressed his advantage without mercy. He lightly tapped the ground with his toes and charged fiercely toward Hai Bodong. At the same time, it looked as though Liu Xi were gripping a ball of blazing flame within his right palm.

Condensing Ice Mirror!

Seeing his strongest Dou Technique burned into a cloud of white mist, Hai Bodong was also left stunned. When he saw Liu Xi charging at him, he gritted his teeth and retreated frantically while forming hand seals. Seven or eight ice mirrors instantly appeared before him to block Liu Xi.

The pursuing Liu Xi swung his palm and struck the first mirror. Feeling the strange rebounding force coming from the ice mirror, Liu Xi was rather surprised.

However, it was completely useless. The flames in Liu Xi's palm seemed to sense the resistance and erupted with even greater ferocity. The eight mirrors shattered one after another, beginning with the first. After passing through all eight barriers, the flames erupted to their peak. With a swing of Liu Xi's palm, they struck Hai Bodong in the chest before his disbelieving eyes.

Hai Bodong instantly spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, crashing into the wall behind him and creating cracks like spiderwebs. He then fell heavily onto the ground before finally coming to a stop.

Liu Xi's figure flashed strangely, instantly arriving before Hai Bodong. His hands formed seals once more.

Seal Fire Dharma Seal! (P.S.: A high-level Xuan Rank Dou Technique obtained through an Inner Court exchange. It turned fire into a seal and completely sealed Dou Qi.)

Countless flames transformed into threads, and the threads intertwined to form a Dharma Seal. Once the seal was fully formed, Liu Xi drove it into Hai Bodong's Dantian, completely suppressing it.

Hai Bodong's face was now full of despondency and gloom. He could no longer sense even the slightest trace of Dou Qi within his body.

Liu Xi crouched down and looked at Hai Bodong, who was slumped on the ground before him. Still smiling, he said, "Can we talk now? I came with great sincerity. And one more thing—I really am a Fifth-grade Alchemist!"