One Month

Yue Mei's brows shot up. Sand Mandalas were no ordinary commodity among the Snake-People Tribe. They grew only in the scorching depths of the desert and were difficult to harvest; even within the tribe, their reserves were limited.

This human had asked for two the moment he opened his mouth. He certainly had quite an appetite.

As she pondered, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's thunderous voice rose from below. "Heh, snake-person. My master is negotiating with you, which is already giving you face. Don't fail to appreciate the favor."

Yue Mei's expression darkened slightly.

If an ordinary person had dared speak to her like that, she would have taught them a lesson long ago. But the one speaking was the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, an expert on the same level as Her Majesty the Queen. She was merely a Dou King and no match for it at all.

What was more, the black-robed man was watching her like a tiger from the side. If they truly came to blows, she would be the only one to suffer.

Suppressing her displeasure, she said coldly, "Human, if you want Sand Mandalas, what do you intend to trade for them?"

Su Zhao had come prepared. With a lift of his hand, two jade bottles flew out of his storage ring.

He introduced them, "Fourth-tier pills, Snake-Scale Rebirth Pills. Their effects are simple: after swallowing one, a Dou Spirit can directly raise their cultivation by one star. If a snake-type magical beast takes it, the effect will be even greater. Moreover, if one is seriously injured, this pill can also be used for healing. These two Snake-Scale Rebirth Pills should be enough to exchange for two Sand Mandalas, shouldn't they?"

Yue Mei's pupils abruptly contracted. Her gaze fell upon the two jade bottles, and she could no longer look away.

Fourth-tier pills!

And fourth-tier pills specially designed for snake-type constitutions.

Because of their unique constitutions, no alchemists could emerge within the Snake-People Tribe. Human alchemists, meanwhile, were mostly unwilling to trade with them. Naturally, rare items like medicinal pills were extraordinarily precious among the snake-people.

Yet this human had taken out two at once!

Her gaze returned to Su Zhao, now carrying a hint of scrutiny. "You're an alchemist?"

Su Zhao nodded openly. "That's right."

Yue Mei fell silent for a moment.

A moment later, her figure flashed, transforming into a red streak as she swept into the depths of the tribe.

Several breaths later, she reappeared in midair with two Sand Mandalas already in hand. Their leaves were silver-gray, their stems thick, and they glimmered with a faint sandy-gold luster.

She did not immediately hand the herbs to Su Zhao, merely lifting her chin slightly.

Su Zhao was not afraid that she would go back on her word. With a casual toss, the two jade bottles arced toward Yue Mei. She caught them, confirmed that they were genuine, and tossed the two Sand Mandalas in her hand over in return.

Su Zhao raised a hand and caught them. After confirming that they were fresh and intact, he nodded in satisfaction.

Payment in one hand, goods in the other.

Storing the herbs in his storage ring, Su Zhao cupped his hands toward Yue Mei and did not linger. "Then I shall take my leave."

He turned and landed on the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's back. With a beat of its wings, the enormous beast soared from the ground and sped back the way they had come, quickly turning into a tiny purple speck at the edge of the sky.

Yue Mei hovered in the air, watching that figure depart with a thoughtful expression.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King... it was the ruler of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, a sixth-tier magical beast powerful enough to stand on equal footing with Her Majesty the Queen.

Yet it was willingly allowing a human to command it and ride upon its back. That human's identity was certainly far from simple.

Especially that black-robed man. The pressure he gave her was no weaker than when facing the Medusa Queen herself. He was at least a Dou Emperor-level expert.

A young alchemist guarded by a Dou Emperor, along with the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King...

Yue Mei clenched the two warm jade bottles in her hand, her gaze solemn. This matter was important. She had to report it to Her Majesty the Queen immediately.

Her body turned, instantly becoming a streak of light that flew deeper into the desert.

Meanwhile, high in the sky.

Wild winds howled past. Seated on the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's broad back, Su Zhao curled his lips in satisfaction and turned to smile at Little Doctor. "Done. We've got the herbs. Next, we should head back and deliver them to that old man Hai Bo Dong."

Sitting beside him, Little Doctor smiled. "You got them so easily, but Hai Bo Dong couldn't find them even after searching for years."

Su Zhao put the herbs away in his storage ring and looked toward Desert City's outline gradually approaching ahead. His tone was relaxed. "That old man was trapped in Desert City for so many years and couldn't go anywhere, so of course he couldn't find them. We just ran an errand for him this time. Charging him two years of labor afterward isn't a bad deal."

Little Doctor could not help laughing. She reached out and smacked his arm. "He was one of the Jia Ma Empire's former Ten Great Experts, yet you make him sound like hired help."

"Isn't that perfect?"

Su Zhao grinned.

"Having experts work for me—that's what you call style. Still, with my current strength, refining a sixth-tier pill is a little difficult. I'd better wait until I break through to Dou King before refining the Break-Evil Pill. I'll have a better chance then. There are only two sets of ingredients in total, so I can't afford to mess it up."

Once he successfully refined the Break-Evil Pill and Hai Bo Dong recovered his cultivation, it would be time to head for Wutan City.

He did not want to wait too long for the Poison Pill Method!

After returning to Desert City, Su Zhao and the others continued cultivating as usual.

Through dual cultivation with Little Doctor's Calamity Poison Body, the two tempered and improved one another using their Origin Poison. Their cultivation continued to advance at an astonishing pace. Interestingly, Little Doctor's progress became even faster, because as Su Zhao's strength rose, the Origin Poison within his body also grew stronger.

Since Little Doctor cultivated using Su Zhao's Origin Poison, her cultivation speed naturally improved as well.

Su Zhao, meanwhile, devoted most of his energy to breaking through the Dou King barrier. The threshold between Dou Spirit and Dou King seemed like a single step, yet it was a difference as vast as heaven and earth in both quality and quantity.

If he failed to cross that step, he would forever remain a mere mortal, unable to truly touch the threshold of the strong. But with Su Zhao's constitution, that barrier was destined to be unable to stop him.

Time flashed by, and a month passed.

On this day, the weather was calm and peaceful. Desert City was no different from usual: people flowed through the streets, while cries from the marketplace rose and fell without end.

Boom!!

Suddenly, a violent surge of Dou Qi swept across the entire city without warning!

The fluctuation was abrupt and immense, like a boulder crashing into a tranquil lake. The ripples it sent out spread through every corner of Desert City in an instant.

People in the streets stopped in their tracks and looked up at the sky, their faces filled with shock and uncertainty.

Several Dou Masters and Grand Dou Masters in the city changed expression even more drastically, turning their gazes toward the courtyard district in the west of the city. There, a vast aura surged into the sky like a ferocious beast breaking free from its cage!

Within the courtyard, a figure shot into the air.

Crimson flame wings suddenly spread open behind his back. Their broad span looked like congealed lava beneath the sunlight, every feather formed from pure Origin Flame and flickering with blazing radiance.

Su Zhao hovered high in the sky, his robes snapping in the wind. The aura around him rose without end like a surging tide, unleashing a violent gale that swept the sand, dust, and shattered stones below into spiraling flight!