Hai Bodong's Little Scheme, Heading to Desert Iron

"Hehe, Elder Hai, you really know how to recognize the times!"

Watching Hai Bodong clutch the two tiny jade bottles as though he were hugging mountains of gold and silver, the muscles on his face twitching from how broadly he smiled, Xiao Yao wore the smile of a hunter watching prey step into a trap.

He was fishing for a big fish named the Ice Emperor.

"Young Master Xiao is truly generous!"

An Imperial Pill that could drive even Dou Emperors mad!

Two Dou Spirit Pills that could forcibly raise the cultivation of two Dou Wang experts!

Such generosity had already surpassed the limits of his expectations!

Ignoring his shock, Xiao Yao strolled leisurely over and said slowly, "Elder Hai, you were trapped by Queen Medusa's seal for several decades. Over those decades, the sealing power constantly eroded your meridians and corroded your Dou Qi vortex. Although I have now removed the seal for you, you have not yet returned to your peak strength, have you?"

"If I'm not mistaken," Xiao Yao said, his gaze seeming able to pierce straight into one's heart, "your current strength is at most at the level of a two-star Dou Emperor, correct?"

"Moreover, with your current ruined body, returning to your peak will require decades of painstaking effort. As for Dou Zong... hehe, I'm afraid there is no hope for that in this lifetime."

Every word Xiao Yao spoke was like a merciless heavy hammer, ruthlessly striking Hai Bodong's heart, which had only just grown heated from regaining his strength.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, yet he could not utter a single word.

Because everything Xiao Yao said was true!

He nodded and let out a long sigh. "Sigh... Young Master, your insight is truly piercing. This old man is indeed no longer as valiant as he was in his prime. Returning to my peak is already a distant dream, and as for Dou Zong..."

"Have you still not understood what I mean?"

Just as Hai Bodong fell into despair, Xiao Yao's faintly smiling voice sounded gently beside his ear like a demon's whisper.

He looked at Hai Bodong and softly spoke four words.

"Spirit Revival Purple Pill."

"Boom!!!"

Those four words were like a divine bolt of lightning striking deep into Hai Bodong's soul!

His old eyes, which had already dimmed, suddenly widened larger than bronze bells! A brilliant gleam burst forth from them.

Spirit Revival Purple Pill!

Spirit Revival Purple Pill!!!

That was a genuine Sixth-grade Pill! A miraculous medicine specifically meant for experts like him, whose strength had regressed due to seals or grave injuries!

Its effects were such that a single pill could cleanse away the chronic ailments that had accumulated in his body over decades, allowing him to return to his peak in an extremely short time! It could even let him use the medicinal power of destruction followed by rebirth to rise another step beyond his former limits!

"Young Master Xiao, you... you..." Hai Bodong's voice trembled so much with excitement that it became incoherent.

He clenched his teeth and stared fixedly at Xiao Yao's young face, which still bore that faint smile.

In the end, all his emotions turned into a bitter laugh filled with boundless helplessness and complete resignation.

"Hehe... Young Master Xiao intends to tie me, Hai Bodong, along with the entire Mite'er Family behind me, firmly to your side!"

He muttered to himself, as though persuading himself, or perhaps finding an excuse to accept it.

"But... faced with such temptation... who could possibly refuse it..."

That was right, he could not refuse. Nor did he want to refuse at all!

After personally witnessing Xiao Yao easily suppress him and remove Queen Medusa's seal with a flick of his hand, he did not doubt in the slightest that the other party could produce a pill of the Spirit Revival Purple Pill's grade.

Thinking of the mysterious backing implied by Xiao Yao's unfathomable strength, the final trace of struggle in Hai Bodong's heart completely vanished.

Those who understood the times were wise.

Hai Bodong had cultivated to the peak of the Dou Emperor realm not merely through talent, but through this very ability to read the situation!

He let out a long breath, as if laying down all his burdens. At that moment, his entire mindset completely changed.

Once again, he cupped his fists toward Xiao Yao in salute.

"I should call you... Young Master Xiao!"

Xiao Yao smiled in satisfaction as well and replied teasingly, "Naturally. Elder Hai, work hard from now on, and you will not lack benefits."

The two exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter at the same time. Within that laughter, one was willing, while the other had everything firmly under control.

After making all the arrangements, Xiao Yao did not linger. A flash of golden light passed, and he vanished from the shop, leaving behind only a faint afterimage.

Looking in the direction Xiao Yao had departed, Hai Bodong's face was filled with endless shock, emotion, and... excitement!

At such a young age, he is already a Dou Zong expert! He can even casually hand out Sixth-grade Pills as rewards! What kind of terrifying force stands behind him? This is no longer merely a thigh to cling to—this is a colossal pillar reaching the heavens!

Suddenly, a crafty, lecherous smile like that of an old fox flashed through his eyes.

I remember that little girl from the family, Ya Fei. She is now at the age when she is young, beautiful, and utterly charming... If she could serve at the side of this mysterious young master...

Hehehe... Hai Bodong's heart instantly grew blazing hot. With that girl Ya Fei's charm, along with the Mite'er Family's full support, if she can whisper in his ear from her pillow... wouldn't our Mite'er Family soar into the heavens and become an existence no one in the Jia Ma Empire would dare provoke?

At the thought of that beautiful future, Hai Bodong trembled with excitement all over, wishing he could immediately fly back to the family and properly arrange this plan.

After leaving Desert City, Xiao Yao did not head directly into the depths of the desert.

He hovered above the desert's outskirts, quietly sensing the incomparably dense and violent fire-attributed energy within this land. Thoughtful light flickered in his eyes.

A moment later, he once again activated the Lesser Heavenly Secret Technique.

"Stone Desert City first? Found it!"

Xiao Yao abruptly opened his eyes, and a sharp gleam shot forth! Locking onto a direction, his body transformed into a streak of light once more and vanished in an instant!

When he appeared again, he was already above a city standing amid the desert, a city steeped in the atmosphere of mercenaries.

Stone Desert City.

At that moment, outside a spacious courtyard in the southern part of the city, the atmosphere was taut and explosive!

Two groups of well-equipped mercenaries, their bodies carrying a heavy stench of blood, were gripping sharp weapons as they faced off tensely in battle!

Xiao Yao's gaze swept casually across the scene before landing on the leader of one side.

He was a tall young man with resolute features and an aura of hardened military bloodshed around him, possessing the strength of a Da Dou Shi.

With a sweep of his divine sense, he found a bronze-skinned man in a secret chamber inside, breaking through to the Da Dou Shi realm as arcs of lightning burst around him.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, huh? They somehow ended up in this godforsaken Stone Desert City and even formed some Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

Opposite them flew the banner of the Sand Mercenary Group. One mercenary after another charged madly at the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.