Bargaining

Holding the fragment of the map, he strolled over to the old man in the middle of the shop, who was bent over drawing a map. "Senior, how much are you selling this map fragment for?"

The old man looked up, startled at first when he saw the gleaming alchemist's badge on Su Zhao's chest. Its four lines shimmered with a gentle luster beneath the lamplight.

Such a young fourth-tier alchemist?

A flicker of surprise crossed the old man's eyes, but it vanished in an instant. He lowered his head again and continued drawing the map in his hands, his tone indifferent. "That map isn't for sale. Put it down."

As if he had not heard him, Su Zhao toyed with the map fragment between his fingers. "Unless I'm mistaken, you should have the other half of this fragment, shouldn't you, Senior Hai Bo Dong?"

Crack.

The drawing pen in the old man's hand snapped.

In the next instant, an extreme chill suddenly spread from the old man's body!

The temperature in the air plummeted. A layer of white frost crept across the tabletop, climbed the walls, and covered the floor. In the blink of an eye, the entire shop seemed to have shifted from a small town on the edge of the desert to the frozen plains of the far north.

Every map hanging on the walls became coated in fine ice crystals. Little Doctor shivered instinctively and shrank closer behind Su Zhao.

Su Zhao curled his lips. "So it really is you... Are you already planning to fight?"

In an instant, Su You appeared behind the old man like a ghost, silently placing one hand on his shoulder.

Boom!

Hai Bo Dong's body instantly stiffened.

The moment that hand settled on his shoulder, he felt an oppressive force descend upon him—heavy as a mountain and unfathomable as an abyss. It caused the circulation of Dou Qi throughout his body to stall.

He knew that feeling all too well. It was the pressure unique to a Dou Emperor, and far more profound and condensed than that of an ordinary Dou Emperor.

Killing intent!

"...Dou Emperor."

He forced out the two words through gritted teeth.

Su Zhao leisurely walked around to stand before Hai Bo Dong, folding his arms as he spoke casually. "Senior, can we continue our conversation now?"

Hai Bo Dong's expression darkened. His gaze lingered on Su You for a moment before returning to Su Zhao's face.

Though unwilling, he had no choice but to bow to the circumstances. He was now merely a Dou Spirit; before a Dou Emperor, he did not even have the right to resist.

He could only suppress the turbulent emotions in his heart and say in a low voice, "Kid, if you kill me, you'll never get the other half of the map."

Su Zhao smiled and waved a hand. "You jest, Senior. Why would I kill you? I only wish to make a deal with you."

Hai Bo Dong frowned deeply. "What deal?"

Su Zhao spoke unhurriedly. "Senior was once one of the Jia Ma Empire's Ten Great Experts, a dignified Dou Emperor. Yet you now possess only the cultivation of a Dou Spirit. You must have been struck by some kind of sealing technique, correct?"

Hai Bo Dong's expression shifted slightly. He did not answer, but that subtle reaction was enough to reveal everything.

Su Zhao continued, "I have something here that should serve as a bargaining chip for our deal."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand. A crimson flame rose from his palm.

As the flame danced, countless tiny beastly phantoms tumbled and roared within the firelight. The intense heat instantly dispelled every trace of cold lingering in the shop. The frost on the walls rapidly melted, turning into tiny droplets that fell to the floor.

Hai Bo Dong's pupils abruptly contracted, and he unconsciously straightened in his seat. "This is... a Heavenly Flame!"

Su Zhao nodded, his tone calm. "Ranked twenty-second on the Heavenly Flame List—the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame."

He withdrew the flame and continued, "I know of a medicinal pill called the Break-Evil Pill. Its effect is to break seals and release sealed cultivation. The condition for refining it is that it must be refined by an alchemist who possesses a Heavenly Flame. I imagine this pill should interest you greatly, Senior?"

Hai Bo Dong fell silent.

The Break-Evil Pill—wasn't that precisely what he had been searching for all these years?

The reason he had remained trapped in Desert City, drawing maps and gathering intelligence day after day, was to find an alchemist capable of refining a Break-Evil Pill.

Yet alchemists who possessed Heavenly Flames were exceedingly rare. He had searched for so many years without finding even one.

And now, one had actually come to his door on his own?

He studied Su Zhao for a moment, then took a yellowed paper scroll from his robes and spread it across the table. "Young friend, is the Break-Evil Pill you mentioned this prescription?"

Su Zhao pretended to lean closer and examine it for a few moments. Then he let out an "Oh," his tone carrying just the right amount of surprise. "It seems Senior came prepared. Then I assume you've already gathered all the ingredients?"

As he spoke, he waved a hand behind him. Su You understood at once, removing his hand from Hai Bo Dong's shoulder. He took two steps back and returned behind Su Zhao.

Hai Bo Dong rolled his somewhat stiff shoulder and sat up straight. That brief confrontation had made the situation clear to him.

The unfathomably powerful Dou Emperor behind him clearly took the young man before him as his leader.

Such a young fourth-tier alchemist, possessing a Heavenly Flame and guarded closely by a Dou Emperor... Could he be the young master of some great power outside the Jia Ma Empire?

He did not even consider the powers within the Jia Ma Empire. Did he not know every Dou Emperor in the Jia Ma Empire? There was no such person among them. Even if there were, no Dou Emperor would serve as a guard for a mere Dou Master.

After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, "I have indeed collected quite a few medicinal ingredients. However, there is still one ingredient left—the Sand Mandala. I can no longer collect it personally."

Su Zhao raised a brow. "What do you mean, Senior? Surely you know an alchemist's rules. You provide the ingredients, and the payment is separate."

Naturally, Hai Bo Dong understood. "I know an alchemist's rules. But this particular ingredient is beyond my ability. The Sand Mandala only grows deep within the desert, and I bear the seal of Medusa, queen of the Snake-People. Once I enter the depths of the desert, she will sense my presence. If she learns that I have broken the seal, I fear she will not let the matter rest. Therefore, I can only look at this ingredient and sigh."

He paused, looking at Su Zhao with a glint in his eyes. "So long as you can help me gather this final medicinal ingredient and refine a Break-Evil Pill for me, I can offer you an additional reward. As an alchemist, I imagine you should be quite interested in Heavenly Flames?"

Su Zhao put on an interested expression. "Oh? Senior means... you have information regarding a Heavenly Flame?"

Hai Bo Dong took a neatly folded beast-hide map from his robes and unfolded one corner on the table. "I haven't spent all these years trapped in Desert City for nothing. Based on my years of surveying and investigation, there is a high chance that a Heavenly Flame is hidden deep within the Tagor Desert. I have marked every clue and location I discovered over the years on this map. If you are willing to help this old man collect the Sand Mandala, this map will be yours. What do you say?"

Su Zhao folded his arms, seeming to consider the matter seriously. After a moment, he slowly uttered two words. "Not enough."