Angel Investor Goes Online

"Wooo—!"

Little Ice Dragon flew up from Hai Bodong's chest, circling around the group as it let out one mournful, piercing cry after another.

Listening to Little Ice Dragon's cries, Huo Yuhao felt somewhat irritated. He waved a hand and grabbed through the air, restraining it. After a brief moment of thought, he withdrew his spiritual imprint from its body.

Little Ice Dragon's aura visibly weakened, yet its originally somewhat illusory body became more solid. Huo Yuhao had severed his connection with it and had assumed it would dissipate immediately. Unexpectedly, a new soul fluctuation emerged within its body and took control of the spell-created body once more.

For some reason, hearing Little Ice Dragon's cries stirred Hai Bodong's will to survive. He struggled to sit up. After hoarsely explaining that he had merely obtained the Demon Flame Fragment Map by chance, he continued, "After obtaining that fragment map in the desert years ago, I used my many years of mapmaking experience to divide it into two pieces. One piece was the one you took earlier. If you kill me, the fragment map will never be complete."

At that, Huo Yuhao took out the fragment map and examined it carefully together with Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan.

"It seems to be real," Xiao Yi Xian said.

"What do we do?" Xiao Yan looked at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao watched the Little Ice Dragon, now free from his control, pounce back to Hai Bodong's side. His brow furrowed tightly as he said coldly, "Soul Search."

With that, Huo Yuhao crouched before Hai Bodong. Deep within his pupils, a chilling flash of blood-red light passed.

Neither Xiao Yan nor Xiao Yi Xian noticed that subtle change. Only Yao Chen, who had been watching Huo Yuhao all along, caught it, so he hurriedly stopped him.

"Yuhao, there's no need for that. Since he brought it up at a time like this, he's clearly planning to use it to bargain for his life. Just talk to him directly."

"What if he's lying?"

"Don't worry. Watch your master's methods." Yao Chen smiled, possessed Xiao Yan's body, and said to Hai Bodong, "If you are willing to hand over the other fragment, I can guarantee that we will spare your life."

"However, we cannot fully trust your words, so please take this pill. Rest assured, once we confirm that the other fragment is genuine, we will give you the antidote." As he spoke, Yao Chen, possessing Xiao Yan's body, took out a pill from his Storage Ring. At the same time, he deliberately summoned the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and traced a fiery pattern across the pill.

"This is... a Heavenly Flame?" The situation was stronger than he was, and with Little Ice Dragon's influence, Hai Bodong could no longer remain defiant. The stern expression he had maintained moments ago revealed a trace of dejection, and he could only swallow the pill.

Feeling a faint stabbing pain from his heart, Hai Bodong gave a bitter smile. "I concede. Follow me."

Huo Yuhao untied the ropes on Hai Bodong's body and also released the Asura Three-Eyed God-Sealing Curse placed on him.

"I offended you earlier, Senior."

"Hmph!" Seeing Huo Yuhao, who had just been full of killing intent, suddenly turn gentle, Hai Bodong had no desire to speak. He merely snorted and led Huo Yuhao's group toward an inconspicuous little house in Desert City.

"Thank you, Senior." Huo Yuhao put away the other fragment map.

"I actually have information about another Heavenly Flame," Hai Bodong said. "You may have heard rumors that a Heavenly Flame is hidden somewhere in the Tagor Desert, correct?"

Seeing the expressions of Huo Yuhao and the other two, Hai Bodong inwardly relaxed slightly and continued.

"I have always been interested in drawing maps. I once obtained some information related to Heavenly Flames within the Tagore Great Desert. I drew the locations and routes from that information into a map. Though I still cannot say for certain where exactly the Heavenly Flame is, I can roughly tell which places are more likely to contain one."

"Senior wants us to help remove your seal?" Huo Yuhao asked.

"Mmm..." Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Hai Bodong hesitated. His gaze drifted toward Little Ice Dragon. Finally, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind. "I want that ice dragon."

"Doesn't Senior already have an ice dragon Dou Technique?" Huo Yuhao was quite puzzled. Then he took out a blank scroll from his Storage Ring. With a movement of his spiritual power, he instantly inscribed the Ice-Sealing Dragon Transformation Art onto it and handed it to Hai Bodong. "Deal."

Hai Bodong: "???"

"Yuhao, Senior Hai Bodong means he wants this one that has already been born, not the technique for creating one." Xiao Yan covered his face.

"Uh." Looking at Little Ice Dragon hanging from Hai Bodong's shoulder, Huo Yuhao said, "It's already yours."

"Thank you." Hai Bodong solemnly expressed his gratitude, then took out a map. "These are the clues to the Heavenly Flame in the Tagor Desert."

Huo Yuhao accepted the map and looked at Hai Bodong, confusion in his eyes.

"Senior Hai Bodong, Yuhao means that this little cabbage has already been claimed by you. Even if he didn't say anything, it would still follow you." Xiao Yan covered his face again.

"Cough, cough!" Huo Yuhao coughed, then flicked a finger and raised a bump on Xiao Yan's head.

"How about this, Senior Hai Bodong? We can be considered acquainted through a fight." Xiao Yan held his head and said to Hai Bodong, "After we find the Heavenly Flame in the Tagor Desert, we'll help remove your seal. How does that sound?"

"This..." Hai Bodong looked at Xiao Yan, truly shocked. He pursed his lips, his voice hesitant. "This... then..."

"Teacher?" Huo Yuhao silently asked in his heart.

"Don't worry. Even if he recovers to the Dou Emperor level, he still won't escape your master's methods."

Hearing Yao Chen's assurance, Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and said, "Senior Hai Bodong, after your seal is removed, could you please protect us for three years?"

Hearing Huo Yuhao's condition, Hai Bodong instead breathed a sigh of relief. His voice became relaxed. "So that's what it is. Then it's settled."

As he spoke, he took a sheepskin scroll from his Storage Ring. "This is a prescription I obtained that can break the seal. It is called the Calamity-Breaking Pill. As long as I take this pill, I can recover my strength. However, refining it requires the aid of a Heavenly Flame."

At this point, Hai Bodong hesitated somewhat. "This pill is a sixth-tier medicinal pill. I don't know whether you can refine it."

"Let me see." Xiao Yan took the prescription. He appeared to be studying it, but was actually secretly asking Yao Chen.

"Master, can you refine it?"

"Heh, are you looking down on me?" Yao Chen sneered. "Forget a mere sixth-tier pill. Even an eighth-tier one would not be difficult for me."

At this moment, Hai Bodong stroked his beard and said somewhat awkwardly, "I know the rules of you alchemists, but because of Queen Medusa, I don't dare venture deep into the Tagor Desert. There is one medicinal ingredient among these that I have been unable to find."

Seeing Hai Bodong's awkward expression, Xiao Yi Xian raised her delicate brows. "You don't mean to ask us to find it for you, do you? Just agreeing to refine the pill for you is already a huge loss for us."

"Uh, haha..." Hai Bodong smiled bitterly.

Xiao Yi Xian and Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance, then proposed their terms. "We can help you find the medicinal ingredient, but you'll have to trade your cultivation technique and Dou Techniques for it."

"Fine, trade, trade!" Seeing a glimmer of hope, Hai Bodong naturally did not want to let it go. How could he still care about such things? He hurriedly agreed.

"Senior Hai Bodong, how about coming with us to Stone Desert City? Before we finish refining the pill, please serve as an honored guest for the Desert Iron Mercenary Corps for a while," Huo Yuhao said.

"There's more? This... fine. Do you have any other conditions? Just state them all at once." Hai Bodong no longer wanted to talk.

"That's all for now. Let's go. It's time to set out," Huo Yuhao said.

"For now?" Hai Bodong smiled bitterly again. Seeing the group turn to prepare to leave the city, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly chased after them. "Hey, you still haven't given me the antidote! The antidote for that pill just now..."