Return to the Dou Huang Realm! Arrival at Wutan City

Su Zhao nodded and handed the warm pill to Hai Bo Dong, his tone calm. "Elder Hai, you should take this Break-Evil Pill first and restore your cultivation before we discuss anything else."

Hai Bo Dong nodded solemnly and carefully tucked the pill into his robes.

However, he did not immediately turn around to enter seclusion. Instead, he took a yellowed fragment map from his storage ring and presented it to Su Zhao with both hands. "Young friend, this is the other half of the fragment map I promised you back then. Today, I shall hand it over to you."

Su Zhao accepted the fragment map, unfolded it, and glanced over it. Its patterns connected seamlessly with the fragment he already possessed, forming a complete whole. They were indeed a pair.

He nodded in satisfaction and stored the fragment map in his storage ring.

Including the one from the Magic Beast Mountain Range, he had now collected half of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map.

If he remembered correctly, one of the remaining two parts was in the Black-Corner Region, while the other was in the Central Plains.

Hai Bo Dong said no more. He turned and casually chose a side room before closing the door.

A moment later, dense fluctuations of Dou Qi began spreading from within the room, accompanied by bursts of faint crackling sounds.

Su Zhao waited quietly.

After roughly the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a terrifying aura suddenly shot into the sky from the side room!

That aura rose steadily, surging upward without pause from the Dou Ling realm. It broke through Dou Ling, broke through Dou Wang, and only barely came to a stop at the level of a two-star Dou Huang!

At the same time, an extreme chill erupted from the room. A thick layer of frost rapidly formed over the window frames, and even the old tree in the corner of the courtyard became draped in strings of crystalline icicles.

Then the door was violently shoved open, and Hai Bo Dong strode out. His white hair flew wildly, his aura surged around him like a tide, and his eyes brimmed with ecstatic delight. His hearty laughter resounded throughout the courtyard. "Hahaha! It's restored! This old man is a Dou Huang once more!"

Su Zhao cupped his hands and smiled. "Congratulations, Elder Hai, on restoring your cultivation and returning to the Dou Huang realm."

Hai Bo Dong hurriedly waved his hand, his smile fading as his expression turned serious. "Without young friend's assistance, I, Hai Bo Dong, would likely have remained trapped in the Dou Ling realm until the end of my life. As agreed, for the next two years, I shall remain by young friend's side and obey all your commands."

"Hahaha, Elder Hai truly keeps his word."

"Then please look after us for the next two years."

Now that Hai Bo Dong had recovered his cultivation and they had obtained both the Demon Flame Fragment Map and the Heavenly Flame, it was time to leave Desert City. First, they needed to get their hands on the Poison Pill Method.

Qing Lin had also reached the ninth stage of Dou Qi. He still needed to refine a Qi-Gathering Powder to help her break through.

The Spirit-Restoring Purple Pill also needed to be put on the agenda. Although Hai Bo Dong had recovered part of his cultivation, he was still some distance from his former peak. That Spirit-Restoring Purple Pill had to be refined as soon as possible.

Su Zhao took out a sheet of parchment, listed the several dozen medicinal ingredients required for the Spirit-Restoring Purple Pill one by one, and handed it to Hai Bo Dong. "Elder Hai, these are the ingredients needed to refine the Spirit-Restoring Purple Pill. Please have the Mittel Family help gather them."

Hai Bo Dong accepted the list, gave it a glance, and carefully put it away. "All right. I'll give the order later and have them gather everything as quickly as possible."

Su Zhao nodded, then rose to his feet and looked around the courtyard where they had lived for so long. "All right. Since Elder Hai has recovered his cultivation, there is no need for us to remain in Desert City any longer. It is time to leave."

Everyone nodded and made their preparations.

Su Zhao took Qing Lin and Little Doctor into the air. With a spread of the crimson wings behind his back, he soared into the sky.

Hai Bo Dong and Su You followed close behind with Qing Shuang. Their group soon passed over Desert City's walls. Once they were outside the city, Su Zhao summoned the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.

The enormous purple lion rose into the air from the desert, startling Hai Bo Dong. "The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King?!"

How could he fail to recognize the ruler of the Magic Beast Mountain Range?

He soon learned from Su Zhao that the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King had already been subdued. He could not help clicking his tongue in amazement. Even the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King had been subdued; thinking of the unfathomably powerful expert beside Su Zhao, Hai Bo Dong felt somewhat relieved.

With Su Zhao's backing, it seemed nothing he did was worth making a fuss over.

After returning to the heartland of the empire, Hai Bo Dong briefly departed. He casually chose a city, found its Mitel Auction House, took out his personal token, and instructed them to deliver it to Mittel Tengshan at headquarters. At the same time, he ordered the family to gather the materials for the Spirit-Restoring Purple Pill as quickly as possible.

After taking care of everything, he returned to Su Zhao's side.

Although Hai Bo Dong had vanished for nearly twenty years, his prestige within the Mittel Family had not diminished in the slightest. After all, no family would wish to lose the support of a Dou Huang.

News of Hai Bo Dong's reappearance would surely stir up a storm within the Mittel Family.

After leaving Desert City, Su Zhao set Wutan City as the destination of this journey.

After two days of travel, the group finally arrived at that familiar yet unfamiliar little city. The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's enormous body swept across the sky above the city, and its shadow, which blotted out the sun, immediately caused an uproar throughout the city.

"Magic beast! What a huge magic beast!"

"Look! There are people standing on that magic beast! Could they be top experts from the empire passing through Wutan City? Riding such a magic beast is far too imposing!"

There were not many places in Wutan City that could accommodate the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's landing. At Hai Bo Dong's suggestion, it landed directly in the square outside the Mitel Auction House.

The gusts kicked up by its enormous body landing scattered sand and stones in every direction. The attendants at the entrance turned pale with fright and staggered several steps back.

Even without releasing the slightest pressure, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's massive size alone was enough to make these lowly Dou practitioners tremble in fear.

A moment later, two figures hurried out of the auction house.

At the front was a charming woman in a long red dress. Her figure was alluring, her face as lovely as a peach blossom, and her phoenix eyes shimmered with light. Every gesture she made carried the mature charm of a graceful woman.

Beside her stood an old man in black robes. His face was lean, his aura steady. He was Gu Ni, the person in charge of Wutan City's Mitel Auction House.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni were no ordinary people. They had seen many grand scenes in the imperial capital, and they could tell at a glance that this group was extraordinary.

The two of them almost simultaneously recognized the identity of the purple lion—the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King! This was the ruler of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, a sixth-tier magic beast, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King!

To have a sixth-tier magic beast as a mount, just how profound must the backing of the person behind them be?

Ya Fei swiftly suppressed the shock in her heart, stepped forward with graceful strides, and gave a courteous bow. "Welcome, esteemed seniors, to the Mitel Auction House. Ya Fei greets you. May I ask what you require?"

Su Zhao gestured toward Hai Bo Dong. The meaning was obvious: since this Mitel Auction House was ultimately under Hai Bo Dong's command, he was the most suitable person to handle this matter.

Hai Bo Dong understood and stepped forward, taking a token from his robes.

It was a silver-white token engraved with ancient patterns, with a clear character for "Supreme" in its center.

The instant Ya Fei's gaze fell upon the token, her pupils shrank slightly. "Supreme Elder? You are...?"

"This old man is Hai Bo Dong."

Ya Fei and Gu Ni exchanged a glance, and both saw astonishment and shock in the other's eyes.

The Supreme Elder had returned!

The Mittel Family's Supreme Elder, who had vanished for nearly twenty years, had actually returned to the Jia Ma Empire without a sound!