Conjugate Brothers

As the wind blew, Xiao Yuan led Qing Lian to the high platform.

This effortless movement went completely unnoticed by the excited mercenaries below.

However, Xiao Yan and Xiao Li below looked at Xiao Yuan as if they sensed something.

The speed that Xiao Yuan just displayed was something that even the two of them were ashamed of.

They exchanged a glance and both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes. Their brother was simply abnormally strong.

However, they quickly turned their attention back to the competition. Xiao Li flipped his hand, and a Tungsten Steel Spear appeared in his palm. At the same time, silver Dou Qi suddenly rose up and finally formed a layer of silver Douqi Gauze Robe on his body.

On the other side, a Dou Qi Douqi Gauze Robe burning with purple flames rose from Xiao Yan's body, which surprised Xiao Yuan slightly.

"Xiao Yuan, who do you think will win, Little Yanzi or Second Brother?"

After being stunned by Xiao Yuan's terrifying speed for a moment, Xiao Ding glanced at Xiao Yan and Xiao Li below and asked with a faint smile.

"It must be Xiao Yan. Although Second Brother is a four- Dou Shi, Xiao Yan seems to have broken through to two stars as well. The gap between them is not big. Moreover, the Black Ruler behind Xiao Yan is a bit strange, but Second Brother doesn't seem to have noticed it."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan snapped out of his reverie, narrowed his eyes, and then smiled and said.

Xiao Ding nodded after hearing this. He also had a lot of confidence in Xiao Yan, but he didn't see things as clearly as Xiao Yuan.

At that moment, Xiao Li and Xiao Yan started almost simultaneously. They stomped their feet on the ground and shot out towards each other.

"I never expected that even the Fourth Regiment Commander would reach the Dou Shi level at such a young age!"

Xue Lan, standing to the side, looked at Xiao Yan's Douqi Gauze Robe and said with some envy.

"Hehe, Xiao Yan has been a genius in the family since childhood. Although he suffered some setbacks, he has now overcome the most difficult time and his cultivation speed has improved even further. It is not surprising that he has broken through to the Dou Shi."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan looked down at Xiao Li, who had already unleashed the Thunder Arc Three-Section Dance, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Second Brother is going to lose."

Upon hearing this, the high-ranking members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group around them looked puzzled. Judging from the current situation, it was clear that Xiao Yan was at a disadvantage!

Look, the weapons have all been knocked away.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ding watched the battle below with great interest. After glancing at the ruler that had been sent flying backward, he turned his gaze to Xiao Yan.

After losing his weapon, Xiao Yan's speed increased dramatically. With a series of smooth combos, he forced Xiao Li to use his life-saving skill, the Electric Silver Shield.

Just when Xiao Li thought he had blocked Xiao Yan's attack, the hidden force of the Eight Extremes Collapse exploded in his body, catching him off guard.

Thus, the outcome was decided.

"The Third Regiment Commander has a truly sharp eye."

Seeing Xiao Li with his spear pointed at his chest, Xue Lan couldn't help but praise him.

"That ruler isn't exactly Xiao Yan's weapon; it's more like a limiter."

Xiao Yuan nodded and said calmly.

Below, Xiao Li, having determined the winner, did not feel uncomfortable at all. Xiao Yan's talent was already stronger than his, and now his combat power had also surpassed his own. Going out to explore the world was now much safer, and he was actually very happy.

Seeing that Xiao Yan was about to pull the Mystic Heavy Ruler out of the ground, he smiled and stepped forward, saying, "Let me try it. Your ruler... seems a bit strange."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan agreed without hesitation, took a step back, and gestured for Xiao Li to do as he pleased.

Then, Xiao Li, with all his might, laboriously lifted it up. Feeling the originally surging lightning Dou Qi within his body suddenly become like a tortoise crawling, he was filled with astonishment and couldn't help but exclaim:

"You little brat, you were fighting me with this thing just now?"

Immediately afterwards, he turned his head to look at the platform and shouted, "Xiao Yuan, why don't you come down and give it a try!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan was taken aback, smiled helplessly, and then jumped off the platform, taking the Mystic Heavy Ruler from Xiao Li's hands.

Feeling the stagnation of his Dou Qi, Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow.

This Mystic Heavy Ruler is basically a sandbag for cultivating Dou Qi! "Tsk, not bad."

He casually waved the heavy ruler in his hand and soon felt a soreness in his wrist, so he returned it to Xiao Yan.

Then he saw Xiao Yan and Xiao Li looking at him with eyes that looked like they'd seen a ghost.

"Don't you feel anything?"

Xiao Li couldn't help but ask.

"Huh? Suppressing Dou Qi qi? That's definitely something I'm not used to."

Xiao Yuan blinked upon hearing this and said seriously.

"You seemed completely at ease just now."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li rolled his eyes at Xiao Yuan speechlessly.

Xiao Yan nodded in agreement.

When he first came into contact with the Mystic Heavy Ruler, he had difficulty walking.

But when Third Brother picked it up, he started waving it around, even using the technique of "draping a sword" to create a foot-long flower shape.

That's outrageous!

"Oh, no, this has nothing to do with suppressing Dou Qi, it's just that I'm strong."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan shook his head and said seriously.

"Hmm, hmm??" Xiao Li and Xiao Yan's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this.

So you didn't even use your Dou Qi to lift that heavy thing just now? What kind of physical abilities do you have? Are you a magical beast? "Sigh, no way, comparisons are odious. Alright, let's go up."

Xiao Li shook his head with a sigh, then stepped forward and leaped into the air, landing on the high platform.

Xiao Yuan shrugged innocently, then jumped onto the platform with Xiao Yan.

"Big brother!"

Xiao Yan walked towards Xiao Ding, his face filled with barely concealed excitement.

"That's right. I was worried that you would suffer because your third brother wasn't by your side to protect you, but it seems I was overthinking it. You're capable of handling things on your own."

Xiao Ding nodded with a smile and patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder.

"If my Third Brother were by my side, this training would probably be as easy as a vacation. I'd better give up!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan shrugged and chuckled, teasingly replying.

"Not necessarily. It's also possible that I'm on vacation while you're putting in the work."

Xiao Yuan smiled and said.

"Hehe, judging from your personalities, you two are more likely to fight over who gets to go first!"

Xiao Li also said with a smile.

The surrounding high-ranking Desert Iron Mercenary Group, seeing the harmonious scene of the four Xiao Clan brothers, were somewhat moved. With these four brothers around, both the Xiao Clan and their Desert Iron Mercenary Group had a promising future! "By the way, the main reason for coming to Shi Mo City this time is that there is something I need the help of my three elder brothers!"

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Xiao Yan looked at his three elder brothers seriously and said...

"Okay, let's talk somewhere else."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ding suppressed his smile and said seriously.

The vast desert is ravaged by yellow sand.

"Miss Qing Lian, are you sure we're here?"

Xiao Yan stared in astonishment at the flat desert in front of him. The terrain here was extremely ordinary, with no features that could attract attention. Flat sandy areas like this were almost countless in the vast desert. Xiao Yan found it hard to imagine that this inconspicuous place could contain traces of "Heavenly Flames".

Behind Xiao Yan were Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. After learning that Xiao Yan was looking for Heavenly Flames, Qing Lian, who was with Xiao Yuan, provided clues.

So they brought dozens of elite members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group here, but right now, the members were all looking at Qing Lian with suspicion.

For those who had lived in Shi Mo City for several years or even more than a decade, this place was utterly ordinary. Some of them had even completed several missions here, yet they had never sensed anything different about it compared to other places...

Feeling uncomfortable under everyone's gaze, Qing Lian stood timidly beside Xiao Yuan Xiao Yuan, tugging at his sleeve with her small hand, and whispered, "Young Master Xiao Yan, in my perception, the location where the anomaly occurred half a year ago was indeed here."

"There is indeed nothing here, but since Qing Lian sensed it here, I think it is probably down below."

Xiao Yuan said with a smile from the side.

"Well, although many powerful individuals can create mirages by using the distortion of air in the desert to deceive people, the degree of air distortion around Shi Mo City is not enough to create such a spectacle, so we can rule out this possibility."

Since there's no mirage to conceal it, and we can't see it with the naked eye, the most likely explanation is that it's underground.

Xiao Ding, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yan lightly stomped his foot on the ground and said with a wry smile, "Even if the secret is underground, we can't just dig randomly, can we?"

"Hehe, of course not. There are some experts in the group who can survey the terrain. Let them do the survey, and they should be able to find the passage into the underground."

Xiao Ding said with a faint smile, and then together with Xiao Li, they began to arrange personnel to carry out the exploration work.

Xiao Yan then pulled Xiao Yuan aside.

"Third Brother, what about Ice Emperor Hai Bodong?"

Xiao Yan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Hehe, don't worry. With Yao Lao here, even if Hai Lao recovers, he won't lose his mind and pull any tricks. A pharmacist who can refine Sixth Grade Pill is not someone he can afford to offend."

Moreover, our talents are right in front of him. Hai Lao comes from the Mittel Family and has exceptional insight. Our potential is undeniable. He is more likely than anyone in the Jia Ma Empire to turn against us. This map should also be genuine."

Xiao Yuan smiled and put his arm around Xiao Yan's shoulder, comforting him. Then, he glanced around and took out two fragments of the map from his Storage Ring, stuffing them into Xiao Yan's arms.

"This is?"

Xiao Yan asked with some confusion.

"This fragment of the map seems to be related to the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. You are an alchemist and need Heavenly Flames. I obtained one copy of this map when I acquired the Heavenly Flames in the Monster Mountain Range, and another copy was obtained from Hai Lao. However, he still has half a copy. Once I find the Sand Mandala, I will naturally get that half copy as well. You can just take it then."

Xiao Yuan spoke earnestly in a deep voice.

"Purifying Lotus Demon Flame?"

"Purifying Lotus Demon Flame!"

Xiao Yan was still somewhat puzzled when Yao Lao's surprised and doubtful voice rang out.

Immediately afterwards, an invisible wave of soul energy spread out, unfolding the fragment of the map in Xiao Yan's hand. In the corner of the larger piece of paper, a blurry thing that resembled a lotus flower immediately attracted Yao Lao's attention.

The lotus flower was black, and a thin layer of black flame seemed to adhere to its surface. Upon closer inspection, the entire lotus flower gave off an eerie feeling.

"This does indeed seem to be the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame!"

The Yao Lao spoke solemnly and in a deep voice.

"The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame ranks third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. It has the special effect of purifying all things. Anything that comes into contact with it will be immediately purified into nothingness. Its power is extremely terrifying. The reason I was able to recognize it is because when I was looking for Heavenly Flames, I happened to see some rudimentary traces of this thing."

"Tsk tsk, could this map be the path to finding the ' Purifying Lotus Demon Flame '?"

The Yao Lao couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"The third-ranked Heavenly Flames!"

Xiao Yan was somewhat excited, but he quickly calmed down. This thing was just a fragment of a map, and he certainly couldn't rely on it in the short term. However, he felt unworthy that his Third Brother had given him such a valuable thing.

"Look at your ambition. It's just a fragment of a map. You accepted it just because I told you to. If you have the chance to collect the complete map in the future and obtain the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, it will be of great help to your alchemy and combat."

"However, Yao Lao, I've been wondering before, why is Xiao Yan's cultivation technique only at the Yellow Tier Low Grade? With your abilities, you shouldn't have allowed your disciple to cultivate such a poor technique, right?"

Seeing the struggle in Xiao Yan's eyes, Xiao Yuan patted his shoulder, offered some words of comfort with a faint smile, and then frowned and asked.

"Third Brother, I'm only telling you this. Actually, my cultivation technique is very special. It requires me to devour Heavenly Flames to evolve, which allows me to have the ability to have many Heavenly Flames coexist within me."

After hearing this, Xiao Yan remained silent for a moment, but finally told Xiao Yuan his biggest secret.

"Huh? Is that so? Then you definitely have to accept this incomplete map!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan blinked in feigned surprise, then pushed the incomplete map into Xiao Yan's arms. Immediately afterwards, he took out a bottle of Amethyst Accompanying Source and handed it to Xiao Yan.

"Third Brother, what's this?"

Xiao Yan shamelessly accepted the incomplete map. Seeing that his Third Brother seemed to have an inexhaustible treasure, he felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help but ask Yao Lao for help in his heart.

"The Amethyst Accompanying Source is a good thing. You can use it to cultivate your Purple Flame."

Xiao Yuan said with a smile.

"?"

Xiao Yan was taken aback upon hearing this, then a strange expression appeared on his face. "Third Brother, so it was you who robbed the Amethyst Winged Lion King?"

"Hehe, it can't really be called looting, I only took a few things."

Xiao Yuan shrugged and said with an innocent look on his face.

"Amethyst Accompanying Source, huh? You're really lucky!"

The Yao Lao floated out, stroking his beard and sighing.

"Teacher, why are you out here?"

Xiao Yan was taken aback, then looked around.

"Hehe, don't worry, if I don't want them to see me, no one can see me!"

The Yao Lao apothecary waved his hand, then looked at Xiao Yuan with increasing satisfaction.

Putting everything else aside, Xiao Yuan's character alone is enough to move him.

"We can't let Xiao Yan keep benefiting from you all the time. Xiao Yuan, you seem to still have Wind Attribute Dou Qi in your body, right? Perfect timing. I have a set of Earth Rank Low Level Wind Attribute cultivation techniques and Dou Technique here, which belong to a close friend of mine. I'll give them to you."

Immediately afterwards, Yao Chen looked at Xiao Yuan and said with a faint smile.

"Wind Attribute?"

Xiao Yan blinked, looking completely bewildered.

"Hehe, thank you for your kindness, Yao Lao. But could you please change this Wind Attribute Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills to an earth or metal-attribute one? Since Xiao Yan has already revealed his secrets, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask Yao Lao."

The Wind Attribute and Ice Attribute Douqi I possess are the result of mutations in the wood and Water Attribute, respectively. In reality, I possess five Dou Qi attributes: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

As he spoke, Xiao Yuan flipped his hand, and five types of Dou Qi rose up in his palm.

???

Seeing this, not to mention Xiao Yan, even the well-informed Yao Lao was stunned and stood there dumbfounded. He couldn't understand it, but he was greatly shocked.

"Five types of Dou Qi attributes?"

Xiao Yan's throat was dry, and he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

The Yao Lao beside him fell into deep thought.

"Yes, five kinds."

Xiao Yuan nodded.

"Third Brother, it turns out you're the real genius in our family!"

Xiao Yan opened his mouth, and after a moment, he said with some helplessness.

"Five types of Dou Qi attributes"

The Yao Lao muttered something under his breath, but his figure slowly floated down. He then reached out and took Xiao Yuan's wrist, checking his pulse and examining the condition of Xiao Yuan's body.

"Without the Dou Qi Cyclone, his physical constitution is extremely strong, and his internal organs are full of Qi and blood."

On the somewhat aged face of the Yao Lao, a strange and complex emotion flickered.

"Although I can't remember where I saw the information, it should be some kind of ancient cultivation method. It is said to have been lost in ancient times. I never expected to see it on you."

The Yao Lao said with emotion.

"However, everyone has their own opportunities. Being able to obtain this cultivation method can be considered your destiny. As for metal-attribute Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills, I only have a set of Profound Rank High Level techniques here. However, I do have a set of Earth Rank Low Level earth-attribute Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills. You are quite lucky."

Upon hearing Yao Lao smiled, then reached out and touched Xiao Yuan's brow, sending a flood of information directly into Xiao Yuan's mind.

After frowning slightly for a moment, Xiao Yuan finally calmed down, sensed the two sets of Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills in his mind, and then bowed to Yao Lao.

"Thank you very much Yao Lao."

Xiao Yuan said with a solemn expression.

"Well, your strength is too weak right now, so it's not advisable to try this yet. You can try it in the future, fusing different proportions of the Dou Qi in your body. For example, you can fuse some Wood Attribute Douqi into fire-attribute Dou Qi. Perhaps then, you might become an alchemist."

The Yao Lao stroked his beard and said with a smile.

Xiao Yan, who was standing to the side, also showed joy upon hearing this. Wouldn't that mean his Third Brother would have to call him senior brother? Xiao Yuan naturally had no idea that Xiao Yan, who usually respected him so much, was already thinking about the matter of Conjugate Brothers. After pondering for a moment, he slid down the sand dune and, using the sand dune as cover, bowed down to Yao Lao.

"Teacher!"

"Hehe, okay, get up now!"

The Yao Lao floated over with a smile, his illusory hand resting on Xiao Yuan's shoulder, and an invisible force lifted Xiao Yuan up.

"Third Brother, call me Senior Brother and let me hear it?"

Xiao Yuan stood up, he heard Xiao Yan say with a hint of mockery and a smile.

"Hehehe, you little brat, looks like you're asking for a beating!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan let out a villainous smile, then flashed into the distance and appeared behind Xiao Yan. He kicked Xiao Yan into the sand and then beat him mercilessly.

"Ptooey, I was wrong, brother, please stop hitting me, please stop hitting me!"

Xiao Yan spat out two mouthfuls of sand and immediately admitted defeat.

In mid-air, Yao Lao looked at the two brothers who didn't even need to use their Dou Qi, yet were fighting like hooligans. He smiled, a look of reminiscence flashing in his eyes.

In the distance, seeing their two younger brothers exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and chuckled.