Recruiting the Ice Emperor, and the Entire Mite'er Family Along with Him!

The instant Xiao Yao activated his immortal arts, he clearly sensed the strange Serpentine Sealing Curse clinging to Hai Bodong's Dou Qi vortex like a bone-eating parasite!

"Break!"

With a low shout from him, golden Immortal Family Mana surged forth like an indestructible sword, instantly shattering the Serpentine Sealing Curse!

"Hiss—!"

Two snake-shaped energies filled with resentment and unwillingness emerged above Hai Bodong's head, letting out shrieks like dying wails. Their piercing sound waves reverberated through the room! The lifelike, bizarre serpent patterns formed from pale violet and dark cyan energy flashed above his head before cracking apart inch by inch, turning into a wisp of green smoke and vanishing!

The seal was broken!

"Boom—!!!"

A terrifying aura belonging to a Peak Dou Emperor, capable of freezing heaven and earth, erupted violently from Hai Bodong's body like an ancient lion awakening!

The entire shop was instantly covered in thick ice crystals once more!

Hai Bodong suddenly opened his eyes! Brilliant light burst from his clouded old eyes as though it were tangible! Feeling the long-lost, surging torrent of vast Dou Qi within him, he froze for a moment before being overwhelmed by sudden, unparalleled ecstasy!

"Haha, this damned seal is finally gone! This old man is a Dou Emperor again!"

But when his gaze fell once more upon the calm, absurdly young figure before him, all his joy instantly turned into profound shock and reverence!

With a mere flick of a finger, Xiao Yao had broken the vicious sealing curse that had plagued him for decades, one even Pill King Gu He had been helpless against!

This... was unheard of!

A calm voice carrying a hint of dangerous amusement sounded, like a cold wind from the depths of the netherworld, instantly scattering all his excitement.

"Oh? Our Lord Ice Emperor has recovered his strength, and his courage has grown with it?"

"Are you so eager to spar with me again and loosen up those bones?"

Xiao Yao narrowed his eyes and looked at him with a half-smile.

"Buzz!"

Hai Bodong felt a chill shoot from his tailbone straight to the top of his head! His mind, which had been delirious with joy over recovering his strength, instantly cooled down!

He remembered the golden fire dragon that had nearly burned him into nothingness!

A sense of mortal danger even stronger than when Queen Medusa had sealed him instantly engulfed his entire body!

"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare!"

Cold sweat instantly soaked Hai Bodong's back! He hurriedly withdrew all the Dou Qi he had released and cupped his fists toward Xiao Yao.

"The grace of breaking my seal is a rebirth-level favor that Hai Bodong will never forget! How could I be some ungrateful beast who repays kindness with hatred!"

His voice was full of sincerity and gratitude, as though the person who had wanted to kill Xiao Yao just moments ago had not been him at all.

Xiao Yao merely smiled noncommittally.

"Please wait a moment, Young Master! I'll fetch that map!"

Having said that, Hai Bodong did not dare delay in the slightest. He hurriedly turned and entered the inner room of the shop. A moment later, he emerged carefully carrying a box made of cold jade.

Xiao Yao took the box and opened it. Inside lay a yellowed fragment of a map, identical in material to the one he had obtained earlier.

He took out both map fragments and slowly pieced them together.

"Buzz!"

The instant the two fragments came into contact, they fit together seamlessly, and the red route became several degrees clearer.

Xiao Yao secretly activated the Lesser Heavenly Secret Technique, and a trace of mysterious light flashed through his eyes.

That's right. It's genuine.

Having confirmed the authenticity of the map fragment, Xiao Yao nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. The deal is settled."

He stored the map fragment in his Storage Ring, turned around, and prepared to leave.

Watching the mysterious great expert's departing back, the heart Hai Bodong had held in his throat finally began to settle. He let out a long breath.

At last... I've sent this young lord away!

But at that moment, the foot that had already stepped out of the shop suddenly withdrew.

Xiao Yao turned around again.

Hai Bodong's heart shot back into his throat!

"May... may I ask what else you require, Young Master?" His voice became stammering once more, and he forced out a smile uglier than a grimace. "If... if there is anything you need of me, I will certainly do my utmost to repay your kindness!"

Xiao Yao sized Hai Bodong up with great interest. That gaze made Hai Bodong's scalp tingle.

"I am Xiao Yao." Xiao Yao slowly uttered a sentence that left Hai Bodong completely baffled.

Then, in a confident tone that allowed no doubt, he said, "You, Hai Bodong, are to return to the Jia Ma Empire and become a guest elder of the Xiao Family in Wutan City. Tell them it is my order."

"Keep watch over the Xiao Family's patriarch, Xiao Zhan. And if his son, Xiao Yan, returns to the Xiao Family, observe and record whether he displays any strange behavior or changes."

"Huh?" The smile on Hai Bodong's face completely froze.

He was being sent to become a guest elder in some obscure, remote little city? And to do the work of spying on people?

He was Hai Bodong, the Ice Emperor! Once one of the Jia Ma Empire's Ten Great Experts! The supreme elder of the Mite'er Family!

Though his strength had been sealed for decades, now that the seal had been lifted, all he wanted was to return to the Mite'er Family and restore his former glory!

But now...

He looked at Xiao Yao's half-smiling face, then at his own suppressed Dou Qi and the seal that had been lifted. Words of refusal rose to his lips, yet he could not bring himself to say them.

In the end, he could only force out an incomparably reluctant smile and nod with difficulty. "This old man accepts."

Xiao Yao chuckled. "I know you want to return to your Mite'er Family."

Then his tone shifted, becoming even more domineering.

"Fine. Bring the entire Mite'er Family over with you and have them serve me as well!"

Hai Bodong's expression instantly became spectacular!

This brat did not just want him—he wanted the entire Mite'er Family thrown in as well?!

That appetite was far too big!

Seeing his constipated expression, Xiao Yao stopped teasing him. Threats alone were not enough. He had to offer some sweetness too.

With a wave of his hand, two crystal-clear jade bottles appeared out of thin air before Hai Bodong.

Pointing at one of the jade bottles, Xiao Yao said calmly, "Serve me, Xiao Yao, for one year. This Imperial Pill will be yours."

He then pointed at the other jade bottle, which contained two pills.

"These two are Dou Spirit Pills. Consider them the Mite'er Family's compensation."

"Im... Imperial Pill?! Dou Spirit Pills?!"

The moment Hai Bodong heard the names of those pills, his old eyes widened round, and his breathing instantly grew incredibly rapid!

These were pills perfectly suited for experts at their level! Priceless and unavailable on the market! Any single one of them would spark a frenzy at the empire's most prestigious auctions!

Yet Xiao Yao had casually taken them out as though he were tossing out candy!

That powerful Golden Flame! He was an Alchemist—absolutely a high-ranking Alchemist!

All his reluctance was replaced by wild joy and excitement in that instant!

What supreme elder of the Mite'er Family? What Ice Emperor's dignity?

With such generous compensation, let alone becoming a guest elder, he would accept even serving as a guard for ten years!

"Done! I'll take the job!"

Unable to suppress his excitement any longer, Hai Bodong snatched up the two jade bottles and hugged them tightly to his chest, repeatedly agreeing as though afraid Xiao Yao would change his mind!