Green Fire Life-Death Talisman

The flame talisman before him was only three fingers wide, etched with azure runes and emanating a mysterious aura.

This was the Green Fire Life-Death Talisman!

It was a masterpiece created after Xiao Yan's fire-control techniques had reached an extremely profound level.

Of course, advanced fire-control techniques alone were not enough to create the Green Fire Life-Death Talisman. One also needed the Myriad Flame Emperor Physique.

Thus, throughout the entire Battle Qi Continent, only Xiao Yan could create such a mysterious Green Fire Life-Death Talisman.

Xiao Yan immediately took a step out of the Portable Space and arrived at the Sand Mercenary Group's headquarters.

At that moment, the Sand Mercenary Group's headquarters was filled with the grim aftermath of battle.

Qing Lin rode atop the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, hovering in the air as she looked down at the heavily wounded Luo Bu.

Behind Qing Lin, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li led the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's elites in surrounding Luo Bu from all sides.

"Luo Bu, join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group or die. Make your choice."

Xiao Ding looked at his old rival, the badly injured Luo Bu, and spoke coldly.

Luo Bu let out a heavy breath. Looking at the girl seated atop that terrifying magical beast, his expression was unreadable.

He knew this girl. She had been a maid in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. He had heard that she was the descendant of a Snake Person and a human, unwelcome among both humans and Snake People.

He had never expected this girl to possess such terrifying beast-taming abilities, capable of commanding a Dou Ling-level magical beast.

And there was also that white-haired old man who had remained still ever since appearing. His strength was unfathomable as well.

"I can join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, but I want to be the third commander."

After careful consideration, Luo Bu's eyes shifted as he spoke coldly.

"You cannot be the third commander. You can be the fourth."

At that moment, Xiao Yan's figure appeared out of thin air in midair, his calm voice ringing out.

"Young Master Xiao Yan."

"Little Yan." X2.

Everyone wore different expressions as they looked at the suddenly appearing Xiao Yan.

Qing Lin was delighted, while Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged smiles.

Hai Bodong revealed a shocked expression. Even he had not sensed how Xiao Yan had appeared.

"You are Commander Xiao's powerful younger brother?"

Luo Bu's eyes were filled with apprehension. He had long known that Xiao Ding had a younger brother even stronger than them.

When Xiao Yan had searched for the underground passage leading to the Green Lotus Core Flame in the desert, Luo Bu had not dared appear and cause trouble because he feared Xiao Yan's strength.

However, according to information from his spies, Xiao Yan had already left Shimo City.

He had not expected him to appear again now.

It seemed that today, he had to surrender first. Preserving his life was what mattered most.

"That is right. I am Xiao Yan, and I am the third commander of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, so you can only be the fourth commander."

Xiao Yan smiled softly.

"Heh heh, fourth commander is fine too."

Luo Bu gave a dry laugh.

"Commander Luo, those who understand the times are wise. You made a smart choice."

Xiao Yan spoke indifferently. Then an azure flame talisman appeared on his fingertip. With a flick of his finger, the talisman turned into a streak of azure light and shot into Luo Bu's body.

Luo Bu's expression darkened. As he examined himself internally, he saw a talisman emitting faint azure fire energy above the Qi Vortex in his dantian. That faint fire energy entered the Qi Vortex, causing its rotation speed to increase slightly.

"What did you do to me?"

Luo Bu's face was grim. A flame talisman had inexplicably appeared inside his Qi Vortex. Anyone would find that suspicious.

"Commander Luo, this is my personal secret technique, the Green Fire Life-Death Talisman. Normally, it brings great benefits to your cultivation. But if you harbor disloyal thoughts, all I need to do is activate this fire, and the Green Fire Life-Death Talisman will turn into raging flames. Using your battle qi as fuel, it will burn every meridian in your body until all your battle qi is exhausted."

An azure flame appeared in Xiao Yan's palm as he smiled at Luo Bu.

But to Luo Bu, that smile was like a devil's.

Luo Bu sat cross-legged and mobilized the battle qi within his body, trying to expel the flame talisman. Yet at that moment, the flame talisman vanished.

However, Luo Bu could still sense the faint fire energy emitted by the talisman. It had not disappeared; it had merely hidden itself.

Luo Bu's face instantly turned ashen.

He had only pretended to surrender. In the future, he might have been able to pull off a resurrection through another's body within the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and seize control of Desert Iron in turn.

"Xiao Yan, I don't believe in this so-called Green Fire Life-Death Talisman of yours!"

"I have already agreed to join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Why are you still pushing me so hard? Aren't you afraid I'll fight to the death?"

Luo Bu gritted his teeth as a battle qi armor emerged over his body.

Xiao Yan sneered and poured battle qi into the azure flame in his hand.

Luo Bu discovered in horror that the hidden flame talisman in his dantian reappeared. Then a flame fell into his Qi Vortex and ignited his liquid battle qi.

The Qi Vortex began rotating automatically, flinging the burning liquid battle qi out of the vortex. The liquid battle qi entered his meridians and flowed through them to every part of his body.

Luo Bu let out a scream and rolled across the ground in agony as azure flames burned over his body.

Before long, his clothes were burned away. Qing Lin hurriedly turned her head aside and directed the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake to move farther away.

"M-Milord... spare my life!"

Luo Bu frantically slapped at the flames covering his body and begged loudly for mercy.

Xiao Yan stopped supplying battle qi, and the flames all over Luo Bu's body surged back into his dantian like a receding tide. They gathered once more into a flame talisman above the Qi Vortex before vanishing from sight.

On the ground, Luo Bu's face was pale. That feeling of suffering, as though he could die at any moment, had made even his soul tremble.

And in less than a minute, half of the liquid battle qi within his Qi Vortex had been burned away.

Only then did everyone come back to their senses. The scene was deathly silent, and they looked at Xiao Yan as if he were a devil.

Even Hai Bodong was shocked by Xiao Yan's miraculous secret technique.

A wisp separated from the azure flame in Xiao Yan's hand and drifted toward Xiao Ding.

"Big Brother, this is a sub-flame that can control the Green Fire Life-Death Talisman. Absorb it into your dantian."

Xiao Ding nodded. Trusting that Little Yan would not harm him, he let the azure flame touch his palm. It entered his body, traveled through his meridians, and entered his dantian, where it hovered above his Qi Vortex and burned quietly.

With Luo Bu dealt with, the Sand Mercenary Group was incorporated into Desert Iron without any further obstacles. Xiao Li handled the follow-up arrangements.

Five days later, to welcome the Sand Mercenary Group into Desert Iron, Xiao Li held a banquet and invited every cook in the city to prepare the feast at Desert Iron's headquarters.

Even Shimo City's lord attended, and the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's status and strength received official recognition.

At the banquet, Xiao Yan sat with Qing Lin. The little girl was especially happy today and drank quite a lot of fruit wine.

"Miss Qing Lin, a toast to you—and an apology for everything I did in the past."

A middle-aged man walked over carrying a cup of strong liquor. He bent slightly as he raised his cup to Qing Lin.

"Uncle Zhiping."

Qing Lin hurriedly lifted her fruit wine, a happy smile blooming across her little face.

She knew this uncle. He was Uncle Zhiping, who loved dragon sunflower sauce. One of his friends had died at the hands of the Snake People during a mission, so he had deeply despised Qing Lin for having half Snake Person blood. Every time they met, he had treated her with cold words and colder looks.

Receiving Uncle Zhiping's respect made Qing Lin incredibly happy.

And that night, many mercenary group members who had once despised her came to toast her, so the little girl drank too much.

Her little face was flushed red.

She wrapped both arms around Xiao Yan's neck and hung her entire body from him.

"Young Master, Qing Lin is so happy."

The girl closed her eyes and leaned against her young master's safe chest, murmuring softly.

A tear slid down from the corner of her eye.

Xiao Yan reached out and gently wiped away the tear on the girl's fair little face, knowing that it was a tear of joy.

He picked the girl up and carried her back to her room. He gently laid her on the bed and covered her with a soft blanket.

Even in her sleep, the girl still refused to release the arm she was holding.

Xiao Yan simply let her hold his arm against her chest. He sat by the bedside like that and stayed the entire night.

The next day, when he woke up, Qing Lin had already disappeared.

Rubbing his somewhat numb arm, Xiao Yan went to find his eldest brother.

"Big Brother, my Green Fire Life-Death Talisman cannot be removed by anyone below the Dou Wang level. Once Luo Bu seeks someone to remove it, you will sense it. You need not hold back—just activate it directly."

The Green Fire Life-Death Talisman Xiao Yan created could only be removed by someone two major realms above him.

As his strength increased, he would be able to create even stronger Life-Death Talismans.

"Luo Bu has seen the power of your Life-Death Talisman. He surely will not harbor any more disloyal thoughts. Besides, with your pills, your second brother and I are advancing by leaps and bounds. Once we become Da Dou Shi, we will no longer have to worry about Luo Bu at all."

Xiao Ding patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder and spoke excitedly.

"Big Brother, go purchase some medicinal ingredients in the city over the next few days. I will refine another batch of pills, which you can use to reward the loyal members of the group."

Xiao Yan said.

If the Desert Iron Mercenary Group wanted to grow, it could not do without a good reward system, and precious pills were the greatest tool for winning people's hearts.