Ice Emperor Hai Bodong!

"Ice Emperor? Never heard of him." Xiao Zi shook his head.

As the overlord of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he knew very few humans, let alone a former powerhouse who had kept his identity hidden for decades.

The two then slowly entered the shop. It wasn't spacious inside, but it had a deep sense of history. The place was quiet and deserted.

Behind the counter sat an old man making maps. If you didn't look closely, it would be hard to connect him with one of the Ten Great Experts of the Jia Ma Empire in his heyday.

But since Xiao Ze had come, there was no way he would let Ice Emperor continue to waste away.

He was counting on the man to lead the Mittel Family back to glory.

Before long, the two picked out a map of the route to the Tagor Desert and found a palm-sized fragment of a map tucked in one corner.

Without a doubt, it was a fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map. Combined with the one he had collected in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he now had two.

"Old sir, name your price for this map and that fragment." Xiao Ze placed the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map fragment on the counter and looked at the old man.

"Little fellow, I only sell maps. Nothing else is for sale." As he spoke, the old man reached for the fragment.

But now that it was in Xiao Ze's hands, how could he possibly let go so easily?

"Hey, don't be so quick to dismiss me. Why not hear what this junior is willing to offer?" Xiao Ze snatched the fragment and slipped it into his pocket, then smiled.

His hand came up empty. The old man clearly hadn't expected him to do that.

Still, he stood his ground. "If I say it's not for sale, then it's not for sale. Are you planning to rob me?"

As he spoke, the open door swung shut. A cold, formidable aura burst from the old man. If the other party dared to say yes, he wouldn't hesitate to paint the desert with their blood.

Things like this happened all the time in the desert. Plenty of people had made their fortunes by killing and plundering, but he'd kept his shop safe day after day for decades. It wasn't by running his mouth.

"How audacious! If my master wants something, he can take it by force. What can you do about it?"

Before Xiao Ze could answer, Xiao Zi had already lost his patience.

A mere Dou Ling dared to boast so brazenly? He was practically begging for death!

You should be counting your blessings that we came to buy your things. Why all the nonsense?

"D-Dou Huang expert!"

The old man's expression tightened, his eyes filled with shock.

He knew that aura all too well. Only a Dou Huang expert could possess it. After all, he had once been a Dou Huang expert himself and knew that aura inside out.

What he hadn't expected was that the purple-haired young man before him was a Dou Huang expert!

In this Tagor Desert, there was now a second Dou Huang expert besides Queen Medusa.

And judging by the way the man spoke, he wasn't even the one in charge. Just how powerful was the person who could command a Dou Huang expert?

"Xiao Zi, don't scare the old man. We're here to make a deal, not to rob him."

Xiao Ze quickly stopped Xiao Zi.

"Old sir, we mean you no harm. We're here to make a deal with you. What do you say?" Xiao Ze's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried clearly to the old man's ears.

The old man gave a wry smile. Could he really refuse?

He believed that if he dared to say no, he would never make it out of that door alive.

And what Dou Huang expert was ever a kind soul?

"If you want that map fragment, take it. I don't know where it came from anyway. Since it seems fate brought it to you, consider it a token of our meeting."

The old man lowered his voice, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.

He had acquired the fragment by chance. Even with years of experience making maps, he still hadn't managed to decipher it.

Keeping it would only bring trouble. Better to do them a favor and hand it over.

At this, Xiao Ze smiled. "Old sir, one day you'll be glad you did this."

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Xiao Ze, from the Xiao Clan in Wutan City, and I'm close with Ya Fei of the Mittel Family."

"I came here today for two reasons: first, for that map fragment; second, to help you recover your Dou Huang cultivation."

Xiao Ze's words left the old man rooted to the spot.

"Recover my Dou Huang cultivation? You... know who I am?"

"Of course. One of the Ten Great Experts of the Jia Ma Empire in his day—Icе Emperor Hai Bodong!"

Xiao Ze smiled faintly.

The words "Ice Emperor Hai Bodong" rang through the cramped shop like a bolt of thunder.

Hai Bodong's once-cloudy eyes sharpened like an eagle's. He stared at Xiao Ze, who looked young but radiated an imposing presence.

"Haha, after more than twenty years in seclusion, I never thought anyone would still recognize me." A note of desolation crept into the old man's voice.

More than twenty years... Did you know what my life had been like all these years?

"Elder Hai, I know you're excited, but try to calm down."

"Am I excited?"

The old man could no longer control his emotions. His voice trembled, and he could only force himself to appear calm.

He hadn't been this excited in a long time. The last time might have been when he advanced to Dou Huang.

For twenty years, day after day, he had carried on. He never imagined that, even now, someone would still remember him, Hai Bodong.

What a sorrow. What a stroke of fortune.

"Why do you want to help me recover my cultivation? I doubt the value of one map fragment is nearly enough."

Once he had calmed down, Hai Bodong looked at the young man before him and voiced his doubts.

"Elder Hai is as sharp-minded as ever. The map fragment is only one reason. I want to restore your cultivation because I'd like you to help me with something."

"What is it?" Hai Bodong asked.

"Before long, I'll be heading to the Misty Cloud Sect. When the time comes, I hope you'll stand with us." Xiao Ze spoke unhurriedly.

"Head to the Misty Cloud Sect?" Hai Bodong stared blankly for a moment, then looked at the young man as if he were a fool. "You mean you're going to war with the Misty Cloud Sect?"

Xiao Ze nodded.

Hiss—

Hearing the confirmation, Hai Bodong could no longer contain his shock.

He was stunned by the other man's sheer audacity.

The Misty Cloud Sect was the foremost power in the Jia Ma Empire. Even the Imperial Family had to give them leeway. Yet this young man before him actually dreamed of going to war with them.

Wasn't that just asking for death?

"Old man, what's with that look? You think my master can't do it? Let me tell you, the mere Misty Cloud Sect could be wiped out with a wave of my master's hand. He's asking for your help as a courtesy, so don't be ungrateful."

Seeing Hai Bodong's utterly clueless expression, Xiao Zi gave him a thorough scolding.

His master was a Dou Zong expert. In the Jia Ma Empire, if his master came second, who would dare claim first place?

Hai Bodong: "..."

How the hell could he be so arrogant?

Even more arrogant than I was in my prime... Hai Bodong howled inwardly.

"Forgot to mention, I'm a Dou Zong expert. Even if Yun Shan, the Misty Cloud Sect's former sect master, shows up, I'm not afraid of him."

Xiao Ze's words left him completely speechless.

Dou Zong—a rank both unfamiliar and familiar. In the Jia Ma Empire, at least in his day, no one had ever managed to enter the ranks of Dou Zong.