Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame? Pure Lotus Demon Saint?

Roar!

A small, shadowy serpent of deep cyan burrowed out from atop Hai Bodong's head, then was burned into nothingness by the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

As the thing left his body, Hai Bodong, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, suddenly began to tremble violently.

Fierce Energy Ripples rapidly spread from within his body. Wherever they passed, the surrounding trees, flowers, and grass were blasted apart with crackling sounds!

Buzz—

Hai Bodong's tightly shut eyes abruptly flew open. A sharp gleam shot from them like tangible lightning, while a fierce aura surged from the body that had been deeply suppressed for nearly decades, like a lion awakening.

Ka Cha Ka Cha...

Under this powerful aura, the huge bluestone slabs at the foot of the back mountain began to crack.

"Hahaha! This damned seal has finally gotten lost! This old man has become a Dou Emperor again!"

His feet left the ground, and his long-lost wings of Ice Attribute Battle Qi flapped powerfully. Hai Bodong shot into the sky with unrestrained exhilaration, his face filled with wild joy as he threw back his head and laughed loudly.

At this moment, Hai Bodong felt the urge to shed tears of joy. At the same time, his Heart of a Stronger, which had lain dormant for years, awakened as well.

Dou Zun Ice Venerable?

He could take his place!

"Elder Hai, congratulations on returning to the Dou Emperor realm."

"Congratulations on the Ice Emperor's powerful return!"

"Lord Ice Emperor has vanished from sight for thirty years. From this day onward, the name of the Ice Emperor shall resound throughout Jia Ma once more!"

Xiao Yan and the Xiao Family's upper ranks all voiced their congratulations, their faces also filled with delight.

Hai Bodong's recovery of his strength was a good thing for the Xiao Family as well.

Leaving aside the favor owed by a Dou Emperor, once the Mite'er Family again had a Dou Emperor overseeing it, its commercial territory could expand outward once more.

By then, whether it was selling the Xiao Family's Spiritual Medicine Pills or gathering all kinds of medicinal ingredients through the merchant guild, efficiency would improve significantly!

"Hahaha, everyone, the Xiao Family has given this old man a second life. Why be so polite?"

"This old man also heard that useless Teng Shan say that Young Clan Leader Xiao Yan and my Ya Fei have a deep friendship. We are family, so there is no need to stand on ceremony."

The cold aura surrounding him slowly withdrew into his body. A hint of gentle warmth appeared on Hai Bodong's aged face as he descended from the sky and smiled kindly at Xiao Yan, nodding.

"Uh..."

The sudden remark left Xiao Yan briefly stunned. He then awkwardly rubbed his nose, his gaze passing through the buildings toward a quiet little courtyard, and he could not help feeling somewhat guilty.

That girl would not get jealous, would she?

"Sir, Hai Bodong will never forget today's life-restoring favor. I heard that you are an Alchemist, and I happen to have a map I drew. It records three places in the Tagor Desert that may give birth to Heavenly Flames."

"It is merely a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will not refuse it, sir."

His smile gradually faded, and Hai Bodong's expression turned solemn. He lightly brushed his thumb over his ice-blue Storage Ring, and a thin piece of parchment appeared in his aged palm.

"Heavenly Flames?!"

"Those are the Heavenly Flames that Alchemists dream of obtaining? There are twenty-three Heavenly Flames between Heaven and Earth, yet throughout the vast Jia Ma Empire, no one has ever been heard of possessing one!"

"Even Pill King Gu He of the Misty Cloud Sect has been racking his brains searching for information about Heavenly Flames!"

The Xiao Family was no longer made up of ignorant country bumpkins. Thus, upon hearing Hai Bodong's words, Xiao Zhan and the elders all showed moved expressions.

"I am quite interested in drawing maps. I once wandered through the Tagor Desert and was fortunate enough to obtain some information regarding Heavenly Flames. I investigated the routes and locations mentioned in that information."

"Although I still cannot be certain where the Heavenly Flame is located, I can roughly determine which places have a higher chance of containing one."

When speaking of mapmaking, Hai Bodong revealed a proud expression.

Though he was renowned by the title Ice Emperor, in truth, even if he lost all his Dou Qi cultivation, he could still live quite comfortably with his unparalleled mapmaking skills.

"Elder Hai's attainments in mapmaking are truly unmatched."

Xiao Yan accepted the parchment from Hai Bodong. Not only did it accurately mark the locations of water sources in the desert, it also carefully marked the Snake-Person Tribes scattered throughout it.

The opportunity memories from the Dual-Passage Gate were not from an omniscient perspective. Rather, they were like reading a book. He knew that the Tagor Desert contained the Green Lotus Core Flame, and he also knew that Hai Bodong possessed a map.

But without obtaining the map in Hai Bodong's hands, finding this Heavenly Flame would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.

"It just so happens that my disciple also wishes to study alchemy. This Heavenly Flame map has arrived at precisely the right time."

Old Yao said with a chuckle.

Once Xiao Yan refined a Heavenly Flame, the Fen Jue could evolve. With every Heavenly Flame he refined, Old Yao would come one step closer to resurrection. Though he was not in a hurry, finding a Heavenly Flame sooner would still be excellent.

"Oh, right, sir. I also obtained a fragmentary map. It does not seem ordinary, but my knowledge is limited, and I do not know its origins."

"You are well-traveled and knowledgeable, so I shall give this fragmentary map to you as well."

Hai Bodong rubbed his chin, as if he had suddenly remembered something, then took out two pieces of yellowed parchment from his Storage Ring.

"Ah, this..."

Looking at the Fragmentary Map of Pure Lotus Demonic Flame, which had been perfectly divided into two pieces, the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth Twitched Slightly. For a moment, he did not know what to say.

Was this not proof that Hai Bodong's attainments in mapmaking were unmatched?

One had to know that later on, the Fusion of Exotic Flames in his possession had Devoured four or five Heavenly Flames. Its power was comparable to the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, ranked fourth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, yet it could not even shake the fragmentary map in the slightest.

Yet Hai Bodong, a sealed Dou Emperor whose strength had fallen to merely the Peak Dou Ling, had somehow perfectly divided one quarter of the fragmentary map into two pieces without triggering the backup measure left behind by the Pure Lotus Demon Saint...

It was simply absurd.

At any rate, Xiao Yan could rack his brains and still not understand it.

"Oh? The aura on this map... seems to be from an ancient object. Let this old man take a look."

Soul Power swept up the two map fragments. Sensing the ancient aura left behind by the passage of time, Old Yao's eyes brightened with interest.

"Teacher, this map is related to the Pure Lotus Demon Saint and the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame."

Before Old Yao could speak, Xiao Yan directly said so.

Hai Bodong's character was trustworthy, and everyone else present was his elder. Even if he stated it openly, there was no need to worry about it being leaked.

With Old Yao present, even Ling Ying, the Dou Emperor following at Xun'er's side, could not approach the back mountain, even if he cultivated Dark Attribute Battle Qi, which excelled most at concealment. Eavesdropping was even more out of the question.

"What? The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame? The Pure Lotus Demon Saint?"