I, Hai Bodong, Would Dare Do Anything in This Life—Except Betray Humanity!

"Yan Lin, are you sure there's a Heavenly Flame here?"

In the eastern part of Desert City, Hai Bodong and Yan Lin stood atop a soft, scorching sand dune. He gazed out over the flat desert surrounding them but found nothing unusual.

There was still some time before Queen Medusa took the Heavenly Flame, and Hai Bodong had not sensed any sign of the Green Lotus Core Flame emerging.

Yan Lin only knew the general direction of the Green Lotus Core Flame because of his memories as a seer.

But there were countless stretches of flat desert like this throughout the Tagor Desert. Knowing only the rough location, finding traces of the Heavenly Flame would not be easy.

That was why Yan Lin needed Hai Bodong's help.

"There's no mistake. But I'll need Old Hai's help to pinpoint the exact location." Yan Lin's tone was firm.

"So you called this old man here just to use me as labor?" Hai Bodong complained to Yan Lin.

Yan Lin did not mind, instead teasing, "Old Hai, a bodyguard needs to have a bodyguard's awareness. You need professional dedication."

"I remember a bodyguard's duty being to protect people, nothing more," the Ice Emperor said seriously.

"Ah, don't fuss over such details."

"Why do I feel like I've been tricked by you, brat?"

"Old Hai, you can't just throw accusations around. Everyone knows I, Yan Lin, am an honest and dependable young man. I've always respected the elderly and cared for the young. Careful, or I'll sue you for slander."

Hai Bodong's old face was plainly saying, "Like hell I believe you." He grumbled inwardly: You little fox. If you respected the elderly and cared for the young, you wouldn't have tried to hack me to death back in Desert City...

It was no wonder Hai Bodong still held a grudge. Losing to a junior like Yan Lin was one thing, but the key was that this brat had shown absolutely no mercy back then, yet he still had the nerve to talk about respecting the elderly and caring for the young.

This brat really could lie through his teeth.

Still, although the two kept tearing each other down, neither showed much real emotion.

The old man was "making a fuss," while the young man laughed. They were simply joking around.

Yan Lin's agreement with Hai Bodong had never been for him to serve as a bodyguard, but to do things for Yan Lin.

Yan Lin had not violated their agreement, and Hai Bodong understood that perfectly well. The reason he was "making trouble" was merely to tell Yan Lin not to call on him for trivial matters in the future.

He, the Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, only took on top-tier challenges!

"Go on, then."

After their banter, Hai Bodong still showed great respect for their agreement. His hands quickly formed seals, gathering his icy Dou Qi into a group of small ice dragons.

Under Hai Bodong's control, the ice dragons burrowed into the sand and spread out in all directions to search.

Ice and fire naturally opposed each other. With that inherent attribute, it would be easier to sense signs of a Heavenly Flame.

"Since Medusa could sense the Heavenly Flame's fluctuations here, why didn't she come search for it herself? With your relationship, if you wanted the Heavenly Flame, she shouldn't have refused."

After sending the ice dragons out to search, Hai Bodong took the initiative to chat with Yan Lin again.

Perhaps because of more than twenty years spent living in seclusion, Old Hai had become much more talkative now that he had finally met someone he could speak with.

"I was the one who told her not to come." Yan Lin lied without even blushing. Hai Bodong pressed on, "Why?"

"Taming a Heavenly Flame is dangerous. I don't want her getting hurt."

Yan Lin said it naturally, without the slightest concern for how much those words hurt the old man's feelings.

"You don't want her to get hurt, so you let me do it?" Hai Bodong asked in disbelief.

A barely noticeable, mischievous smile flickered in Yan Lin's eyes. He draped an arm over Old Hai's shoulder and said with utmost seriousness, "Old Hai, we're both men with balls. What's a little injury to us?"

Yan Lin looked completely righteous and manly, without an ounce of embarrassment.

That grandiose display of valuing women over friends angered Hai Bodong so badly that he nearly exploded on the spot.

Just listen to that! Was that something a human being could say?

Queen Medusa's cultivation was far stronger than his, Hai Bodong's. Yan Lin could not bear to let his own woman take action, so he had Hai Bodong do this dangerous work instead. He was treating him like he was not even human!

Yan Lin's woman was touched, Yan Lin himself got what he wanted, and only Hai Bodong ended up hurt. What a world.

All one could say was that the difference between love and no love was truly obvious!

"You brat, you had your eye on me from the very beginning, didn't you?"

Hai Bodong irritably pushed away Yan Lin's hand from his shoulder.

He finally understood why Yan Lin had wanted him to stay by his side for a year. It was probably all for this Heavenly Flame.

This fellow had been plotting against him from the start. Naturally, the Ice Emperor was dissatisfied.

Yan Lin also knew when to stop. Smiling tactfully, he said, "Nothing can be hidden from Old Hai. That's right. I took a liking to your ice attribute, your special ability to sense Heavenly Flames, and your ability to restrain them, so I came looking for you."

The truth was mixed with lies, but Hai Bodong did not doubt him, nor was he truly angry.

After all, without Yan Lin, who knew when he would have lived to see the day his seal was broken?

Since the agreement had been made, Hai Bodong would naturally fulfill it to the end. He simply disliked being schemed against, so he muttered resentfully, "Cunning little fox!"

Now, he suddenly felt that Medusa and Yan Lin really were well matched. A perfect match, made for each other!

About half an hour later, Hai Bodong, who was seated cross-legged atop a mound of sand, suddenly opened his tightly shut eyes. A sharp glint flashed through his cloudy gaze as he looked toward a spot a thousand meters directly east of them. There, an ice dragon had emerged from the sand and hovered half a meter above the ground.

"Found it!"

The moment he heard that, Yan Lin, who had been waiting quietly at the side for some time, immediately rushed over and anxiously asked where it was.

Hai Bodong said nothing. He simply grabbed Yan Lin's hand and flew directly to the patch of desert where the ice dragon hovered.

"It's here."

Pointing to a slightly sunken patch of ground on the sandy mound, Hai Bodong said, "My ice dragon discovered an underground passage beneath this place."

"The passage seems very deep, and the fire-attributed energy inside is abnormally dense. This should be where the Heavenly Flame you're looking for is."

Yan Lin was overjoyed at those words.

What Hai Bodong described was very similar to the passage leading to the underground magma world where the Green Lotus Core Flame lay in his memories. Yan Lin was certain that this was the place he had been searching for.

At once, delight appeared on his fair, handsome face. Yan Lin happily praised Hai Bodong with a smile, "Not bad, Old Hai. Just as expected of you."

"Your efficiency is incredible. I knew I hadn't picked the wrong person. How about I bring you into the Snake People Clan? I can at least get you a position as a guest elder."

"No!"

Hai Bodong immediately waved his hand in refusal. "I, Hai Bodong, would dare do anything in this life—except betray humanity."

Seeing his loyal, righteous expression, as though he would rather be crushed to pieces than tarnish his honor, Yan Lin grinned and said meaningfully, "You'll be willing to do it someday."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Hai Bodong was resolute as iron. Yan Lin said nothing, only thinking, The more absolute your words are, the harder they'll slap you in the face later.