The Ice Emperor in His Twilight Years

A day later, at the eastern border of the Jia Ma Empire, on the edge of the Tagor Desert.

Looking down at the yellow city below, whose scale was now clearly visible, they saw two enormous pale-red characters carved above the city gate. From afar, they even gave off a faintly bloody aura.

Desert City!

This time, unlike before, Lin Qing flew together with the others and did not stop until they reached above the city gate.

At the city gate, more than a dozen fully armed soldiers ignored the scorching weather as they held spears and shouted at passing travelers to pay the entry tax.

Perhaps because of the unbearable heat, the Guards had also become irritable from the oppressive weather. Their rude shouts constantly urged on the travelers at the gate.

Sure enough, the defenses here were even stricter than those of a large city like Black Rock City, due to the need to guard against the Snake-People Tribe. There were even Dou Wang experts within the city.

"Those are... Dou Wang experts? No, some of them haven't formed Dou Qi Wings!"

"Heavens, there's even a Magical Beast!"

"Is war with the Snake-People Tribe about to break out?"

Lin Qing and the others instantly drew the attention of the pedestrians and soldiers at the entrance.

Over the years, the Snake-People Empire had constantly clashed with the surrounding empires. They had fought thousands of wars, large and small, and the ones who determined each war's outcome had always been experts at the Dou Ling rank or above.

Desert City lay at the border, so the sudden appearance of several experts at the Dou Wang rank or above naturally aroused suspicion.

"My lords! Are you entering the city?"

Seeing Lin Qing and the others descend from the sky, especially the leader, a great figure wearing an Alchemist Badge, the lead soldier wore a fawning smile.

"Do you know where the map shop called Gu Tu is in Desert City?"

Lin Qing glanced at the soldier and asked.

"Yes, sir. This lowly one used to patrol near that shop."

The soldier immediately bowed.

Lin Qing nodded.

"Lead the way!"

"Yes!"

The soldier no longer attended to the affairs at the city gate and respectfully led them into the city.

Following the soldier, they passed through the somewhat dim passage within the city walls and crossed several streets.

After a while, a shop named Gu Tu Map Shop appeared in their sight.

Lin Qing swept his gaze over the exterior. Unlike other shops, it was neither luxurious nor ostentatious. Instead, it seemed to exude a faintly antique air.

"My lords, this is the place!"

Lin Qing gave a slight nod, then took a Jade Bottle containing a second-grade healing pill from his Storage Ring and tossed it to the soldier.

"This is your reward!"

The soldier hurriedly caught the Jade Bottle, looked around, and tucked it into his clothes.

"Thank you, my lord!"

After the soldier left, Ling Qingzhu slightly raised her lovely head. Beneath her thin veil, the corners of her lips curled upward. She blinked her crystal-clear eyes and stared at Lin Qing as though she wanted to see through every one of his secrets.

"You really are a gentleman. But why do I feel like you always have a clear objective every time?"

"Because I know some secrets."

With that, Lin Qing slowly walked toward the shop.

Secrets?

Ling Qingzhu murmured softly to herself, then followed the others toward the shop without further hesitation.

The group and the Magical Beast slowly entered the shop. Its interior was not particularly spacious, but the faint glow of two Moonlight Stones illuminated it quite brightly. Lin Qing swept his gaze across the room. Its poor business was evidently real; the place was utterly deserted, with no other customers inside.

His gaze settled on the elderly man behind the counter, who was lowering his head as he made a map. The old man was clearly advanced in years. Though his head was full of white hair, the withered hand holding the black drawing pen remained steady and strong.

Through his soul perception, Lin Qing sensed that the powerful ice-attributed Dou Qi within the old man's body had been partially suppressed, leaving only a fraction usable.

Lin Qing knew that this man was the former Ice Emperor, Hai Bodong. Although his strength had fallen to only the Dou Ling rank, dealing with ordinary Dou Lings would still not be a problem for him.

Four words summed him up: the Ice Emperor in his twilight years.

Hai Bodong remained unmoved by their arrival and continued drawing his map. Lin Qing narrowed his eyes and began searching the shop for the map Hai Bodong used as bait.

Lin Qi and the others did not dare make a sound to disturb Lin Qing. They all obediently stood to one side, waiting for his next move.

Finally, aided by his memories and soul perception, Lin Qing walked over to an antique wooden shelf in the corner of the shop.

The shelf was obviously very old and worn, covered in wormholes. Several yellowed maps had been casually piled on it. Judging by the damaged marks on their surfaces, they seemed to be failed products from the mapmaking process.

He casually flipped through the maps and pulled out a damaged piece no larger than his palm. After confirming it, Lin Qing held the Tattered Map and walked toward the counter.

At that moment, Hai Bodong seemed to sense something. He set down his pen, raised his head, and looked at Lin Qing approaching him with the Tattered Map in hand.

Lin Qing also clearly saw Hai Bodong's face. On his aged face was a horrifying scar stretching from his left cheek to the corner of his eye. Though his gaze was rather calm, the scar still gave him a faintly visible vicious air.

Hai Bodong's gaze swept over Lin Qing. When he saw the robe and Emblem signifying a Fifth-Grade Alchemist, an indescribable look appeared in his eyes.

When had the Jia Ma Empire produced such a young Fifth-Grade Alchemist? Or had this fellow come from the Central Plains?

"Kid, have you seen this kind of Tattered Map?"

"I have. This map leads to a powerful Heavenly Flame. It was once divided into four pieces, and your Tattered Map is only one-eighth of it. You have another one-eighth in your possession too, don't you? Even ordinary Dou Venerables can't destroy this map! How did a Dou Emperor whose cultivation has been sealed, leaving him with only Dou Ling strength, manage that?"

Lin Qing put away the Tattered Map and looked curiously at Hai Bodong.

Hearing Lin Qing's words and facing such impolite scar-picking, Hai Bodong's eyes turned cold as he said in a deep voice:

"Who exactly are you people?"

Lin Qi and the Lion were about to step forward and seize this arrogant man, but Lin Qing stopped them with a hand. "What? Is the legendary Ice Emperor afraid?"

"Heh heh!"

Hai Bodong sneered and lightly tapped a spot on the tabletop. With a boom, the open door slammed shut. He stared sharply at Lin Qing as a cold, tyrannical aura spread from his body.

"Speak! Who exactly are you people? And hand over that map!"

Facing Hai Bodong's threats and the pressure of his aura, Lin Qi and the others stepped forward and surrounded him. Any one of them could easily kill Hai Bodong, whose strength had greatly declined. Now, they only awaited Lin Qing's command.

Hai Bodong warily looked at the four people surrounding him, filled with regret. He had not noticed before that any one of the people around this youth was an expert at the Dou Emperor rank or above.

"Even if you kill me, you won't learn any information!"

Yet Lin Qing showed no intention of making a move. Instead, he burst into wild laughter. "Heh heh heh! Hai Bodong, it seems you still haven't understood the situation!"