Ice Emperor Hai Bodong

"Ancient Map Shop, we're here."

Arriving at the corner of Street 303 in Desert City, before the finest map shop in the city, Yan Lin examined the old map shop named "Ancient Map" and thought to himself, So this is where that clear-headed gentleman has gone into seclusion?

Stepping forward, Yan Lin pushed open the door of the Ancient Map Shop, which carried a somewhat antique air.

The shop was rather cramped. The faint glow emitted by two Moonlight Stones was enough to illuminate the not-so-spacious old store.

There was no one in the shop buying maps at the moment. Only an old man stood behind the counter, carefully making a map.

The old man's head was full of white hair, and wrinkles covered his aged face. He looked quite advanced in years.

Yet the withered hand holding the drawing brush was steady and powerful, without the slightest tremor. It did not resemble the hand of a man in his twilight years at all.

When Yan Lin entered, the old man continued focusing on his drawing, though his ears visibly twitched. He had clearly noticed Yan Lin's arrival, but remained outwardly unmoved.

Yan Lin had already guessed that the old man before him was the sealed Ice Emperor Hai Bodong. There was no way Hai Bodong had not noticed his arrival; Yan Lin simply had not caught his attention.

Yan Lin's cultivation was higher than Hai Bodong's, and he had deliberately restrained his aura and concealed his strength. Since Hai Bodong had not examined him closely, he naturally assumed Yan Lin was an ordinary passerby buying maps. He could not be bothered to look at him, much less speak with him.

Buy a map or don't. This old man wasn't short of your petty coins.

That was the Ice Emperor's personality.

As the founder of the Mittel Auction House, he lacked everything except gold coins.

Being rich meant he could do whatever he wanted.

This Ancient Map Shop was merely a fishing ground Hai Bodong used as a disguise.

A dragon trapped in shallow waters only needed the wind to rise before soaring through the nine heavens!

Yan Lin intended to become the east wind the Ice Emperor had been waiting for.

But before that, he had to properly crush the Ice Emperor's arrogance before he could subdue him.

He did not disturb Hai Bodong as he drew. Instead, relying on the memories in his mind, he went to the wooden shelves displaying all kinds of maps and began searching for the incomplete map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.

He needed a pretext if he wanted to pick a fight.

The Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map was Yan Lin's opening.

"Found it."

After searching the ancient wooden shelves for quite a while, Yan Lin finally found the palm-sized Heaven Flame Fragment Map among a pile of failed map drafts. A trace of delight flashed across his face.

At the counter, Hai Bodong appeared to be drawing attentively, but part of his attention remained fixed on Yan Lin.

Especially when Yan Lin found the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map, his attention was no longer on his drawing.

This was the bait Hai Bodong had put out, so naturally he cared about it greatly.

Yan Lin could naturally sense the Ice Emperor's perception, but not only did he ignore it, he deliberately and openly put the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map into his Ring.

With a snap, the brush broke.

Hai Bodong stopped drawing and rose from his seat. With his hands clasped behind his back, he faced Yan Lin. "Junior, do you recognize that map?"

Feeling Hai Bodong's cold, harsh gaze, Yan Lin showed no fear. Leaning against a nearby bookshelf, he stood on one foot with his arms folded and calmly admitted it. "Of course I recognize it. Otherwise, why would I put it away?"

Hai Bodong's aged face changed. "You know what secret that map holds? Is it a treasure map, or the remains of some ancient predecessor?"

He had studied the Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map for over twenty years and gained nothing.

It had made him regret countless times why he had competed with Queen Medusa for that fragmented map.

Even after taking it, he had not known what use it had. His cultivation had been sealed, he had not dared return home, and he had even needed to hide his identity, afraid of being discovered by enemies and old friends alike.

Now that he had finally caught a "fated person" who knew the fragment map's secret, even with the Ice Emperor's composure, he could not suppress his excitement.

More than twenty years!

More than twenty years!

No one knew how he had endured them.

At last, he had waited for Yan Lin. Fortunately, he had not given up.

His years of effort had not gone to waste.

Facing Hai Bodong's eager, knowledge-seeking eyes, Yan Lin merely smirked teasingly. "You guess."

The Ice Emperor's excited expression instantly froze.

Guess your ass!

With a boom, terrifying Dou Qi erupted from Hai Bodong, sending the nearby maps flying and blowing apart the counter.

"Speak! Otherwise... die!"

The Ice Emperor's gaze was cold and obsessive.

An invisible yet powerful Dou Qi pressure followed his will, crashing down upon Yan Lin like a tidal wave.

For a moment, Yan Lin's soul felt as though a tsunami had descended upon him. Yet his expression did not change, while the Dou Qi in his Dantian had already begun surging wildly.

Just as Hai Bodong's icy Dou Qi pressure invaded his body, a barrier of Flame Dou Qi formed around Yan Lin first.

With another boom, the two invisible energies—one cold, one hot—clashed across the distance, stirring up fierce winds and making the Ancient Map Shop shake.

But flame ultimately prevailed. Hai Bodong's energy pressure could not affect Yan Lin in the slightest. Instead, it was Hai Bodong himself who was shocked.

"Peak nine-star Dou Ling?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"How old is he...?"

Hai Bodong's pupils shrank as he stared in disbelief at Yan Lin, whose strength had been exposed. His heart was already roiling like a stormy sea, impossible to calm.

It was not as if Hai Bodong had never seen geniuses before, but it was his first time seeing a monster like Yan Lin.

Yan Lin looked no more than fourteen or fifteen. At Yan Lin's age, even Hai Bodong had only just become a Dou Zhe.

The vast difference in cultivation realms left Hai Bodong utterly astonished.

He had often been called a genius in the past, but only now, upon seeing Yan Lin, did he understand what a true genius was!

It was precisely this overwhelming disparity in strength that made Hai Bodong wary, as though he faced a formidable enemy.

He had thought Yan Lin was some insignificant nobody he could handle however he pleased.

Who knew the other party held the trump card?

Hai Bodong was numb, but since he had already put on this act, he had to keep it up even if it killed him.

Seeing the changes in his expression, Yan Lin curled his lips and said, "You stole something that belongs to my woman, and you still dare threaten me? Old Ice Emperor, you've got some nerve."

Hai Bodong's eyes abruptly widened, and his pupils shook violently.

His expression instantly darkened. Cold light filled his eyes as killing intent swirled within them. "How do you know my identity?"

"Boy, who exactly are you?!"

Facing Hai Bodong's undisguised killing intent, Yan Lin remained calm. "I am the Saint King of the Snake People Clan, Queen Medusa's... husband."

At the mention of Queen Medusa, Hai Bodong trembled as if he had seen a nightmare, then revealed a mocking smile. "If you're Queen Medusa's husband, then this old man is a Dou Di!"

He had never heard that Queen Medusa had a man, nor did he believe any man in this world could conquer that beautiful yet vicious snake woman.

Much less when Yan Lin was human.

The blood feud between the Snake People Clan and humanity had caused both sides to hate each other deeply.

It was already good enough if they did not fight upon meeting, let alone unite.

Although Yan Lin possessed extraordinary talent and would certainly surpass him, the Ice Emperor, in the future, with Yan Lin's current strength, it was simply impossible for him to conquer Queen Medusa.

Even if he gained that ability in the future, given Queen Medusa's pride, the Ice Emperor believed she would not be conquered.

Once bitten by a snake, one feared ropes for ten years!

Ice Emperor Hai Bodong's fear of Queen Medusa had reached an unprecedented level.

Now, merely hearing Queen Medusa's name was enough to make him shudder.

More than twenty years of accumulated nightmares had given the once-glorious Ice Emperor a severe case of snake phobia—the kind that could never be cured in a lifetime.

It hurt. It hurt far too much!