Hai Bodong's Entrustment

"It is nothing. When this old man said I would refine pills for you, it meant I would heal you. A mere fifth-tier pill is something this old man can produce with a wave of his hand!"

Hearing Hai Bodong refuse to accept it, Old Yao looked at the fifth-tier pill and spoke to him with a look of disdain.

Upon hearing Old Yao's dismissive attitude toward a fifth-tier pill, Hai Bodong felt in his heart that Old Yao must be at least a seventh-tier alchemist to act this way, so he accepted the fifth-tier pill: the Purple Spirit Rejuvenation Pill.

"Many thanks to the senior for the gift of the pill. This humble one will take his leave now; please call for me whenever you have need."

"Mm," Old Yao replied indifferently.

Hai Bodong immediately exited the secret chamber and returned to his room, where he opened the jade box with impatience.

Hai Bodong's body was covered in deep scars left by Medusa's attacks, and his aura was weak and chaotic.

With trembling hands, he took the precious Purple Spirit Rejuvenation Pill out of the jade box.

The pill emitted a faint purple glow and a mesmerizing medicinal fragrance, as if it carried endless vitality and hope.

Hai Bodong struggled to place the pill into his mouth. It melted upon contact, transforming into a warm and powerful force that instantly spread throughout his body.

That force was like a clear spring, flowing through his damaged meridians; wherever it passed, the pain was quickly smoothed away.

Under the magical power of the pill, his previously severed meridians began to reconnect and repair themselves.

At the wounds, the muscles grew and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. The bleeding stopped, and new skin gradually covered the ghastly gashes.

He could feel his weak aura gradually strengthening, and his chaotic Dou Qi began to circulate steadily through his body once more.

After a while, Hai Bodong slowly opened his eyes, a renewed luster shining within them. He tried moving his body, and the previous agonizing pain had vanished without a trace.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling the powerful force surging within him once again, his heart filled with awe at the magical efficacy of the Purple Spirit Rejuvenation Pill and infinite gratitude toward Old Yao.

Meanwhile, in the secret chamber, Old Yao looked at the remaining medicinal materials, preparing to refine a batch of pills to keep on his person.

"It is time to head out," Old Yao said, stretching his back.

Three days passed just like that. During these three days, Old Yao successfully refined a batch of pills from the remaining materials.

Among these pills, the majority were fourth-tier, with a small portion being fifth-tier.

"I will take these pills to an auction house later to trade for some medicinal materials, so I can teach Xiao Yan the art of alchemy."

Old Yao slowly emerged from the secret chamber and saw Hai Bodong practicing his cultivation. After consuming that fifth-tier pill, his strength had improved somewhat; he should be able to break through to a six-star Dou Emperor before long.

"Little Hai, this old man intends to head back into the Tagor Desert alone."

During the previous period of alchemy, Hai Bodong had often helped Old Yao by providing medicinal materials and chatting about daily life, so they had become quite familiar with each other.

"Old Yao, why are you going to the Tagor Desert? Do you need my help?"

Hai Bodong asked Old Yao with a smile.

"Nothing major. I happened to learn that there is a Heavenly Flame in the Tagor Desert, and this old man happens to need one."

Old Yao said it casually, as if a Heavenly Flame were nothing rare.

"A Heavenly Flame? Doesn't Old Yao already possess one? Why do you need another?" Hai Bodong was full of questions upon hearing about a Heavenly Flame.

"As far as I know, ordinary people can only absorb one Heavenly Flame. Even absorbing one carries great risk; if one is not careful, they will be backlashed by the flame. If you absorb another, the two flames will repel each other within your body, and you will likely explode and die!"

Old Yao looked at Hai Bodong's confusion, which was clearly within his expectations, and explained to him with a calm expression.

"Ordinary people indeed cannot possess two Heavenly Flames. However, this old man happened to obtain a cultivation technique that can suppress the conflict between the flames and fuse them together."

Old Yao told Hai Bodong this because they had spent a few days together, and he felt Hai Bodong was relatively reliable. Of course, he was not afraid of Hai Bodong harboring greed, as he now had the system at his side.

"No wonder Old Yao is so formidable; it turns out you practice such a heaven-defying technique! I am truly in awe that you were able to obtain it!"

Listening to Old Yao's account, Hai Bodong's admiration for him deepened further.

Hai Bodong recalled that there were indeed a few places in the desert that seemed to harbor Heavenly Flames, which he had marked down, so he stood up and rummaged through the table for a while.

"Found it!" Hai Bodong shouted happily.

Old Yao was surprised to hear Hai Bodong's shout and asked.

"Little Hai, what did you find? You are so happy."

"I heard you were looking for a Heavenly Flame, and I had previously detected a few places in the desert with exceptionally dense fire-attribute energy, as if there were a Heavenly Flame underground. I hope this can be of help to you."

Seeing that he could be of assistance to Old Yao, Hai Bodong explained excitedly.

"Really? Little Hai, you have truly been a great help to this old man! I searched the desert for several days previously and found nothing. I believe that with your map, I will be able to find the Heavenly Flame much faster."

Hearing that Hai Bodong had a map, Old Yao's face was filled with joy.

"Old Yao, do you really not need me to accompany you to search for the Heavenly Flame?"

Hai Bodong thought that if he could search with Old Yao, he might be able to help along the way, which would be a good chance to deepen Old Yao's favor.

"No need. It is easy for the Snake-People Tribe to sense us if you go with me, and I fear it would cause unnecessary trouble."

Old Yao politely declined Hai Bodong. Firstly, going together would easily attract the Snake-People Tribe; secondly, there were other treasures hidden beneath the Green Lotus Core Flame; and thirdly, he intended to absorb it on the spot once found. One must always be on guard, and he feared Hai Bodong might turn against him, so not bringing him was a safeguard.

He did not voice the latter two points directly.

"Very well, Senior. You must still be careful of the Snake-People Tribe in the desert; they still have several peak Dou Emperor experts. Especially since you wounded Medusa last time, it has triggered their pursuit. I fear that if several peak Dou Emperors join forces, you will find it troublesome."

Hearing that Old Yao would not let him follow, Hai Bodong was extremely dejected, but he still urged Old Yao to be careful.

"It's fine, Little Hai. Even if this old man were to run into them, I wouldn't be afraid in the slightest."

Yao Chen remained indifferent about the matter; after all, with the Flying Thunder God at his disposal, he could simply run if he couldn't win, and there was no way they would be able to catch him.

Hearing this, Hai Bodong realized that Yao Chen would not be taking him along, so he could only urge Yao Chen to be careful.

"In that case, Little Hai, this old man is off to the desert now. I will come back to find you when I have time in the future."

Having said that, Yao Chen utilized the Gale Shadow Step, leaving behind nothing but a lingering afterimage.

Watching the afterimage and hearing Yao Chen's promise to return, Hai Bodong felt quite pleased; after all, there was certainly no harm in befriending such a powerful expert.