Stone Desert City

Seeing Hai Bo Dong's attitude make a complete one-eighty, Xiao Yun had no idea what calculations he was making. He merely assumed the old man was being friendly because he now had hope of breaking the seal.

"I'm Hai Bo Dong. May I know your name, young friend? And what brings you to see me?" Hai Bo Dong brought over a chair, sat across from Xiao Yun, and asked with a broad smile.

"It would have been better if you'd acted like this from the start. Fine, I suppose we can call it friendship born from a fight. Just call me Xiao Yun." Looking at Hai Bo Dong's chrysanthemum-like grin, Xiao Yun sighed helplessly. "You're much older than I am, so I'll call you Elder Hai. I came here solely for information about the Heavenly Flames."

"Just as I thought. Young friend Xiao Yun, your sources are truly well informed. I happen to possess information concerning the Heavenly Flames." Hearing Xiao Yun's words, Hai Bo Dong inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Though he did not know how Xiao Yun had learned that he knew the location of a Heavenly Flame, he had ultimately made the right gamble. He now had a chance to establish ties with this peerless genius.

"I can give you that information, but I need you to help me with something first." Hai Bo Dong pulled out a thin sheet of paper from his robes, waved it before Xiao Yun, and smiled.

"You want me to help you break the seal and restore your original strength, right?"

"That's right. Once you obtain a Heavenly Flame and become a Sixth-Tier Alchemist, I hope you'll refine a pill for me. Over these past decades, I acquired a sixth-tier pill formula. As long as I can refine the pill described on it, I can break the seal and regain my original strength."

"This pill is exceedingly difficult to refine. Not only does it require a Sixth-Tier Alchemist, but that alchemist must also possess a Heavenly Flame for the refinement to succeed. Over the years, in order to break the seal, I secluded myself in the desert to search for a Heavenly Flame. Though I cannot be certain where one definitely exists, I have recorded several locations where they may appear and marked them on a map.

As long as you agree to refine the pill for me in the future, I will offer up the information on the Heavenly Flames with both hands!"

At that, Xiao Yun smiled and nodded. "Give me the pill formula. By an alchemist's rules, you provide the ingredients."

He had come here for two reasons: first, to obtain information on the Heavenly Flames; second, to befriend Hai Bo Dong. Once he acquired a Heavenly Flame, refining a mere Pill of Breaking the Seal would be effortless.

Seeing Xiao Yun agree, Hai Bo Dong finally let out a breath. The smile on his face grew even brighter as he hurriedly took a pill formula from his Storage Ring and handed it to Xiao Yun together with the thin sheet in his hand.

"Hm? Where are the ingredients?" Xiao Yun looked puzzled. Had this old fellow not heard what he said? What was the meaning of giving him only the formula?

"Er, well..." Hai Bo Dong gave an awkward dry laugh, tugging at several strands of his beard. "I have already gathered most of the ingredients needed for the pill. Only one ingredient is still missing."

"This ingredient is called Sand Mandrake. It can only be found in the Tagor Desert, and the higher the temperature, the easier it is to find. But as you know, I cultivate an ice-attributed technique, and I also bear the seal placed upon me by the Medusa Queen. The moment I step into the Tagor Desert, she will sense me, so..."

Seeing Hai Bo Dong's embarrassed expression, Xiao Yun immediately understood. He said helplessly, "So you're expecting me to find it? I'm only a Dou Wang, while the Medusa Queen is a Dou Emperor. If she discovers me, I won't even be able to run."

Hai Bo Dong smiled sheepishly and hesitated. "Actually, I'm not in such a hurry. I've waited so many years already; a few more won't matter. How about you go after breaking through to Dou Emperor?"

"Fine, I'll see if I can trade for one from the Snake-People Tribe when the time comes." Rolling his eyes, Xiao Yun rose to his feet and said helplessly, "Close this shop of yours and come to Stone Desert City with me. I have something to do there. When I go searching for the Heavenly Flames, I'll need you to help look after someone."

"Ah? But Stone Desert City lies within the Tagor Desert. If I enter it, the Medusa Queen will definitely sense me." Hai Bo Dong hesitated upon hearing Xiao Yun's words.

"Oh? Even if you stay inside a city, would she deliberately come over to hunt you down?"

"Not exactly. I'm afraid of running into her on the way to Stone Desert City. With her vicious temperament, she would never spare either of us."

"Is that so?" Xiao Yun stroked his chin. He wanted Hai Bo Dong to accompany him partly so the old man could help look after Qing Lin, and partly because he feared getting lost in the desert again.

After a while, he took a jade bottle from his Storage Ring and said, "There is a Fourth-Tier Pill inside: a Tortoise Breath Pill. After taking it, you can conceal your aura for one day. With our speed, one day should be enough to reach Stone Desert City, right?"

"Yes. If this pill is truly as effective as you say, young friend Xiao Yun, then I have nothing to worry about." Seeing the jade bottle Xiao Yun had produced, Hai Bo Dong, who had still been hesitant, changed his mind and agreed. He had already placed all his hopes on Xiao Yun, and traveling with him might also help deepen their relationship.

At night, a bright moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the golden desert below.

A pair of fiery-red wings beat through the dark sky as Xiao Yun flew at high speed. Beside him, Hai Bo Dong hung in a rather awkward posture, held up in one hand. Fortunately, they were ten thousand meters above the ground, where no one could possibly notice them.

Xiao Yun had originally intended to travel through the desert on foot with Hai Bo Dong. After all, the latter only had the cultivation of a Dou Ling and could not fly. Yet even after taking the Tortoise Breath Pill, the old man remained worried about the Medusa Queen and insisted that Xiao Yun carry him through the air. He claimed that the journey was long and flying would save far more time than walking.

After hearing Hai Bo Dong's reasoning, Xiao Yun found it somewhat sensible. His Dou Qi was immensely abundant anyway, and carrying someone while flying posed no problem. Thus, he simply carried Hai Bo Dong straight toward Stone Desert City.

Time passed bit by bit. As the fiery-red sun gradually rose from the east, the outline of a city somewhat smaller than Desert City finally appeared at the edge of their vision.

"That should be Stone Desert City ahead, right? Once we get there, you won't have to worry about the Medusa Queen anymore, will you?"

Gazing from afar at the yellow-earth city standing amid the wind and sand, Xiao Yun felt slightly relieved and smiled.

"That's right. Stone Desert City is an imperial city. Unless the Snake-People Tribe intends to wage all-out war against the Jia Ma Empire, the Medusa Queen will not come here." Hai Bo Dong replied with a smile, still hanging in an awkward posture. Only after seeing Stone Desert City did he finally relax completely and stop worrying about the Medusa Queen's appearance.

Dou Qi surged as their flying speed suddenly increased by a great margin. Like a shooting star, they sped directly toward Stone Desert City.

When they were still several hundred meters from Stone Desert City, Xiao Yun gradually slowed. His body trembled slightly, and the fiery-red wings transformed into pure Dou Qi and returned to his body. The two of them descended into the yellow sand.

"Let's walk the rest of the way. I'll still need to search for the Heavenly Flames nearby, so there's no need to make too much of a spectacle." Xiao Yun smiled at Hai Bo Dong beside him, changed out of his alchemist robes into a black robe, and slowly headed toward Stone Desert City.

A short while later, inside an inn in Stone Desert City, Xiao Yun and Hai Bo Dong sat at a table, drinking tea and chatting.

"Young friend Xiao Yun, where is the person you need me to look after?"

"No rush, Elder Hai. I haven't found her yet. Later, I'll need you to make a trip to the City Lord's Manor and have them help search for her."

Without the mercenary group established by Xiao Ding and the others in Stone Desert City, Xiao Yun did not know where Qing Lin was. However, the City Lord's Manor surely knew Stone Desert City best, so he could rely on them to find Qing Lin.

"Hmph, you certainly know how to order me around. Fine. Who told me I have need of you?" Hai Bo Dong said helplessly after hearing Xiao Yun's words.