"Do you want to see what I look like? No." Xiao Yan immediately shook his head.
Taking off the mask was out of the question.
If he took it off, he would definitely be recognized.
Being recognized now would bring him no benefit and might even cause some trouble.
"Do you have anything else to say? If not, leave. Don't disturb me." A trace of impatience entered Xiao Yan's voice.
Regret flashed through Nalan Yanran's eyes. Not daring to force Xiao Yan to answer, she could only say, "Yes, Master Yan. During the Alchemist Conference, I will certainly wait for your arrival at the Nalan Clan."
After saying that, Nalan Yanran left alone.
For some reason, Xiao Yan had an inexplicable premonition.
Something would happen when Nalan Yanran left this time!
But a premonition was only a premonition, and Xiao Yan did not take it seriously.
Once Nalan Yanran's figure vanished from sight, he set off to look for the map shop from the original story called Ancient Map.
"Excuse me, where is the best map shop in this city?" Xiao Yan stopped a passing young woman and asked softly.
His voice was magnetic. The moment he spoke, it was like an electric current passing through the young woman's body.
The young woman instantly squeezed her legs together, finding the faint medicinal fragrance coming from Xiao Yan incredibly pleasant.
"O-over there~" Her body went limp as she pointed in a direction.
"Thank you." Xiao Yan nodded in thanks, then swiftly left.
He felt as though some indescribable change had occurred within him.
Now, he seemed exceptionally likely to win men's favor and women's affection.
Thinking it over, it seemed to have begun after the transformation when his physical strength advanced to Fifth Rank.
At the time, he had merely assumed it was a simple improvement in his appearance and had not paid it much attention.
But now that he looked at it.
It seemed it was not so simple after all.
I suppose it's because I only came into contact with Xiao Yi Xian and Yun Yun back then. Otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed the changes in myself only now, Xiao Yan thought.
After walking for a while.
Xiao Yan stopped in front of the map shop named Ancient Map.
He then directly took out the black robe symbolizing a Sixth-Rank Alchemist's status from his Storage Ring.
The robes of high-ranking Alchemists were made from exceptional materials. They were impervious to water and fire and possessed decent defensive power as well.
The robe was black as its base color, decorated with golden patterns. It looked noble, elegant, and perfectly fitting.
Once Xiao Yan put it on, his frame filled it out, making his bearing appear even more steady and mysterious.
After glancing at the shop's name once more, he stepped inside.
Tagor Desert.
This was the Snake-People Tribe's main territory, with humanity occupying only a portion of the region.
Under normal circumstances, nothing would happen while traveling through areas occupied by humans.
But nothing was absolute. There would always be unlucky people who ran into unlucky events.
Nalan Yanran hugged her knees, feeling that her luck was truly awful.
After leaving Desert City, she had intended to stroll around the outskirts of the Tagor Desert and encounter some desert magical beasts to broaden her horizons.
After all, it was only the outskirts. With her Dou Master cultivation, nothing should have happened.
Yet when bad luck came, there was simply no stopping it.
She had actually run into a Third Rank snake-person leading a group of Second Rank snake-people in pursuit of a mercenary group.
She had merely happened to pass by, yet those mercenaries directly used her as a shield.
She remembered that as several mercenaries passed by her, they had shouted, "Why are you here? Run! You're an important person in the mercenary group. You absolutely can't be captured!"
As a result, that Third Rank snake-person set its sights on her. After a battle in which she was defeated, she was captured and thrown into a cage.
"I already told you, I'm not a mercenary from that Sand Mercenary Group! I'm a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect. Let me go!" Nalan Yanran gripped the bars and shouted at the several snake-people guarding her.
The snake-people scratched their heads and discussed it. "Misty Cloud Sect? That sounds familiar. It seems to be a very powerful sect in the human empire."
"A very powerful sect? In that case, the person we captured is even more valuable than those mercenaries."
"Who would have thought that pursuing someone from the central region all the way to the outskirts just to rescue a tribesman would bring such an unexpected gain?"
"Guard her carefully. Do not let her escape." The leading Third Rank snake-person spoke sternly.
"Yes!"
The several Second Rank snake-people replied.
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran felt her vision go dark.
It was over. Completely over.
Desert City.
Inside the map shop.
Xiao Yan was warmly invited by Hai Bodong to sit down.
"So, Senior is Hai Bodong, the Ice Emperor who once shook the Jia Ma Empire? Because you were afflicted by Queen Medusa's seal, your cultivation fell to the Dou Ling level?" Xiao Yan repeated what Hai Bodong had said shortly before.
Hai Bodong sighed softly. "That's right. If not for this seal, why would I hide away in this tiny Desert City?"
"It is precisely because it is better for this old bag of bones to remain missing, so people still fear me somewhat. If they learned that I had regressed to a Dou Ling, then my family would face real trouble."
Xiao Yan nodded, concealing his doubts as he understood why Hai Bodong would rather live alone in seclusion in Desert City than return to the Mittel Family.
After sighing, Hai Bodong looked at the map fragment Xiao Yan was tightly holding and said, "I obtained this fragment by chance. What it records should be quite valuable, but it is only half a map, and I have not managed to gather the complete one after all these years."
"The moment you entered, you noticed this map fragment. I presume you know something about it."
"This old man will not hide it from you. The fragment in your hand is only half of the map fragments I possess."
"You may take this half with you. However, if you want the other half, you must refine a Tier 6 Medicinal Pill for me."
"Of course, I will provide the medicinal ingredients and the pill formula myself. There is only one ingredient that will require your effort: the Sand Mandala that grows deep within the desert. I... sigh... in short, you need only bring one back."
Listening to Hai Bodong's string of remarks, Xiao Yan could not help comparing himself to the Xiao Yan from the original story.
The original Xiao Yan had fought Hai Bodong over this map fragment and spent no small amount of effort talking before he finally obtained it.
But for him.
Wearing a Sixth-Rank Alchemist's robe, he had merely held the map fragment and shown some interest, and Hai Bodong had eagerly invited him to sit down and laid everything bare.
"Senior, since we have spoken this far, this junior accepts the deal." Xiao Yan smiled.
Hai Bodong immediately beamed with delight. "Ah, this is truly wonderful! With the help of a Sixth-Rank Alchemist like you, this old man's seal finally has hope of being removed."
Xiao Yan's gaze swept over the maps spread out before him as he guided the conversation to his second purpose for coming here.
"Senior, you have lived in seclusion in Desert City for many years. Surely you have gathered some information regarding Heavenly Flames as well?"
"Heavenly Flames? This old man has indeed collected some information..."
Not long afterward, Xiao Yan left the map shop with Hai Bodong's map recording possible locations of Heavenly Flames, as well as that Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Map Fragment.
He had not spent a single coin on this trip. With only a few promises, he had obtained nearly everything he wanted. It was truly like getting something for nothing.
Fortunately, he had no intention of breaking his promise. Otherwise, Hai Bodong would have suffered a terrible loss.
Raising his head to look at the sky, Xiao Yan realized it was still early and decided not to stay overnight in Desert City.
He dearly missed his two older brothers in Stone Desert City.
At his current speed, if he departed from Desert City now, he could likely reach his destination before nightfall.
Thinking this, he immediately acted on it.
After changing out of the Alchemist's robe and leaving Desert City, he swiftly spread the Purple Cloud Wings on his back and flew at full speed toward Stone Desert City.
The heat waves swept across his cheeks, and Xiao Yan only found them pleasant.
To others, this desert region where fire-attributed energy was highly concentrated was unbearably scorching. To him, however, it was like a fish returning to water, like a tiger gaining wings. It was wonderful indeed.
After traveling for an unknown length of time, Xiao Yan flew over the area from high above and vaguely saw a group of snake-people below, along with several humans locked in cages.
He quickly stopped, flew back some distance, and slowly descended.
Before you continue