Out of the Wolf's Den, into the Tiger's Lair

Although he had been in Mo City that day, he had clearly sensed the soul-shuddering aura erupting from the depths of the desert.

As well as the rainbow radiance and heavenly tribulation that shot into the sky afterward.

Those were signs of a successful evolution.

In his view, facing a Dou Zong, there was no chance Shen Wen and the other two could have survived.

He had even despairingly believed that his final hope of breaking the seal had been utterly extinguished along with Shen Wen's death.

For the rest of his life, he could only cling to existence in this tiny Map Shop until he died of old age.

Yet he had never expected

that Shen Wen was not only alive, but was standing side by side with the infamous Queen Medusa, their relationship looking utterly bizarre!

Seeing Hai Bodong's expression as though he had seen a ghost, Shen Wen said casually, "Why couldn't I be alive?

"Not only am I alive, I also happened to subdue the Snake People Clan.

"Medusa is my subordinate now. Is there a problem with that?"

"Sub... subdue the Snake People Clan?!" Hai Bodong sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

Instinctively, he looked toward Medusa, hoping to find some sign of rebuttal or coercion on her face.

However, Medusa merely cast him a languid glance.

Though those Light Purple Eyes remained cold, they held no killing intent. Instead, there was a kind of... acceptance?

Hai Bodong's heart shook violently. Looking again at Shen Wen's calm demeanor, as well as the unsurprised expressions of Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and the little girl he had never met before, he had no choice but to believe this absurd reality.

The Pill Pagoda's people truly possessed unfathomable methods!

That was the only explanation he could give himself.

Shen Wen could not be bothered to explain further. With a flick of his finger, a Jade Bottle flew precisely toward Hai Bodong.

"Here, the Po E Pill. Our deal is complete."

Hai Bodong caught the Jade Bottle in a fluster, his hands trembling slightly with excitement.

He impatiently pulled out the stopper, and a strange Medicinal Fragrance immediately spread through the air, refreshing his mind.

After confirming that it was genuine, he gave Shen Wen a deep look. Without further hesitation, he tilted back his head and swallowed the Po E Pill.

The pill entered his stomach.

In an instant, it transformed into a torrent of scorching, pure Medicinal power that surged toward the Yin Cold seal in his Qi Sea, the seal that had plagued him for decades.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—"

Like snow meeting the blazing sun, the sturdy seal rapidly began to melt under the Po E Pill's Medicinal power, which specifically countered it.

Hai Bodong's previously sluggish Dou Qi began to surge and race like floodwaters released from a dam!

His aura instantly soared from Dou Ling to the level of a one-star Dou Emperor.

"Hahaha—!!!"

"I feel incredible!"

Feeling the vast power that had once again filled his entire body, Hai Bodong could not help throwing back his head and letting out a long howl. The sound waves made the maps inside the shop rustle violently.

Decades of pent-up frustration

were vented completely in that howl. He felt utterly refreshed, as though he had been reborn!

However, before his laughter had fully died away, an oppressive force countless times more terrifying than his newly restored Dou Emperor realm descended with a crash like a towering mountain range, pressing precisely down upon him!

"Thud!"

Hai Bodong, who had just been brimming with vigor, was forced to one knee without any ability to resist.

His knee even smashed cracks into the stone floor.

The ecstatic smile on his face instantly froze and turned into horror. With great difficulty, he raised his head and looked toward the source of that pressure.

Queen Medusa was coldly looking down at him.

"Medusa! You...!"

Hai Bodong was both shocked and furious. The Dou Qi he had just recovered circulated madly within him as he tried to resist.

But beneath the absolute pressure of a Dou Zong, his struggle was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

He abruptly turned his gaze toward Shen Wen, his eyes filled with confusion and a plea for help. "Lord... Lord Shen Wen! What is the meaning of this? Our deal..."

Shen Wen spread his hands, his face full of helplessness. "A deal?"

"That's right. I helped you refine the Po E Pill and lift your seal.

Now that you've taken the pill and the seal has been broken, the transaction is naturally over."

He paused, his tone growing even more indifferent. "As for what Medusa wants to do... that's her own business. What does it have to do with me?"

The moment Hai Bodong heard that, his heart sank halfway.

The transaction was over, so Shen Wen was washing his hands of the matter?

He had only just recovered part of his strength—was he going to die at Medusa's hands immediately?

He hurriedly cried out, "But she... isn't she your subordinate now?!"

Instead, Shen Wen laughed. "Exactly. Since she's my subordinate, she wants to do something she wants to do.

As her master, am I supposed to stop her? That would be far too heartless."

Hearing Shen Wen's words, Medusa curled her lips into a cold smile, and the look she gave Hai Bodong became even icier.

That immense pressure intensified again, bending Hai Bodong's back. Veins bulged across his forehead as sweat streamed down his face.

Hai Bodong groaned inwardly.

Now, he was truly panicking.

He had just escaped the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's lair. Shen Wen was clearly planning to watch the show!

Only after watching Hai Bodong sweat profusely and cut a miserable figure beneath Medusa's pressure did Shen Wen finally speak again at an unhurried pace.

"Alright, Medusa. Ease up for now." Shen Wen waved a hand casually.

Medusa snorted coldly. The mountain-like pressure instantly receded like a withdrawing tide.

Hai Bodong immediately felt his entire body loosen, and he gasped for breath. Yet he did not dare relax in the slightest, watching Shen Wen and Medusa warily.

Shen Wen strolled over to the counter and lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingers, his gaze settling on Hai Bodong. "Hai Bodong, there's something I'm rather curious about.

That fragment of a map you gave me earlier.

I studied it carefully. The broken edges were quite unusual. It didn't look like it had been torn apart by force; rather, it seemed to have been precisely divided by some special method.

Tell me, do you have the other piece as well?"

Hai Bodong's expression changed slightly. He had not expected Shen Wen's observations to be so meticulous.

He instinctively glanced at Medusa beside him, his throat bobbing.

Circumstances were stronger than he was. Having only just regained his strength, he absolutely did not want to provoke this fiend again, much less her unfathomable master.

"Yes... I have it."

Left with no choice, Hai Bodong obediently took out another fragmentary map identical to the previous one from the depths of his Storage Ring and handed it over.

"Lord Shen Wen has truly sharp eyes. This was indeed originally a complete map."

Shen Wen accepted the map fragment and placed the two pieces together. Sure enough, the broken edges fit together perfectly.

He toyed with the reassembled map and asked with interest, "I'm curious—what method did you use to split it apart? This material is far from ordinary."

Hai Bodong did not dare hide anything and hurriedly replied, "It was Gute, that fellow who treasures valuables like his life.

He has a peculiar metal sheet, thin as a cicada's wing yet incomparably sharp. I only barely managed to divide this map after trying it with that metal sheet."

"Gute? Special metal?"

Shen Wen raised a brow, thoughtful.

The Dou Qi Continent had once been exceptionally glorious, with countless schools of thought contending for supremacy.

Artifact forging, runes, mechanisms, and other unconventional disciplines had once flourished as well, so it was hardly strange that some bizarre items had been left behind.

Now, however, only alchemy remained. Shen Wen did not dwell on the matter.

"I'll take this."

Shen Wen waved his hand, signaling Medusa to completely release Hai Bodong from her suppression.

Hai Bodong felt as though he had been granted a reprieve and immediately bowed deeply to Shen Wen. "Thank you for your generosity, Lord Shen Wen!

If there are no further orders, this old man... I shall take my leave first!"

He did not want to remain here for another moment, especially not in Medusa's presence.

As he spoke, Dou Qi surged around his body, and he was about to form Dou Qi Wings to flee.

"What's the rush?" Shen Wen's calm voice rang out again, freezing Hai Bodong's movements halfway.