Stone Desert City, Qing Lin

Xiao Yi Xian's clothes had been made slightly stuffy by the scorching heat, a thin layer of sweat beading along her neck. Even the air she breathed carried a searing heat.

Little Blue beneath her was not faring much better. Its feathers had been baked dry by the heat waves, and it occasionally let out a cry, its wingbeats noticeably weaker.

Seeing the young girl's face flushed red by the sun, Xuan Qing produced a lustrous white Summer-Repelling Pill in his palm. A faint cool fragrance slowly spread out, suppressing the surrounding heat.

"The desert is always this unbearably hot during the day."

He handed the pill to Xiao Yi Xian, his tone gentle:

"Take this Summer-Repelling Pill. Its medicinal power will form a cool barrier over your body, and you will no longer suffer from the heat waves."

Xiao Yi Xian quickly nodded, tilted back her head, and swallowed the pill.

The pill melted as soon as it entered her mouth. A bone-chilling coolness flowed from her throat through her limbs and bones, instantly dispelling the heat throughout her body.

The blazing heat wave that had just scorched her skin seemed to have been shut out by an invisible barrier, even though she still stood beneath the blazing sun.

Only a refreshing coolness remained around her, and the beads of sweat at her temples gradually vanished.

"So comfortable!" Xiao Yi Xian let out a long breath, her brows relaxing.

Xuan Qing took out another pill and fed it to Little Blue beneath them.

Nourished by the cool medicinal power, Little Blue's restless cries ceased. It perked up again, spreading its wings with renewed strength.

Carrying the two of them, it continued speeding toward the vast, boundless Tagor.

As far as the eye could see, yellow sand stretched endlessly beneath the high-hanging blazing sun, while the boundless desert spread between heaven and earth.

Three days later,

A massive city built upon the yellow sands appeared in the sight of the two people and one bird.

They had arrived at Stone Desert City.

He did not restrain the immense aura of a Dou Emperor.

Seated upon Little Blue's broad back, he let Little Blue beat its wings, cry out, and fly directly into the city.

As they swept through the low sky, a powerful pressure instantly engulfed the streets below.

The passing mercenaries and merchants on the streets all felt their hearts tighten. They instinctively looked upward, expressions of shock appearing on their faces.

"What a powerful pressure!"

"They actually rode a magical beast straight into Stone Desert City. Just what great figure is that?"

Countless gazes closely followed the figure passing over the city. Many people within the city had also been alerted by the fluctuation of Dou Qi and stepped out of their buildings to look toward the sky.

Xuan Qing's immense soul power silently swept out, covering the entirety of Stone Desert City.

Very quickly, he found his target in a secluded alley.

"Little Blue, stop."

Xuan Qing ordered.

Little Blue suddenly drew in its wings, its body hovering above the alley.

At his side, Xiao Yi Xian wore a pale purple dress. Seeing Xuan Qing looking down at the alley below, she could not help asking curiously.

"Master, what is it?"

"I found the person I was looking for. Xian'er, do you want to come down with me, or wait here?"

Xiao Yi Xian followed Xuan Qing's gaze toward the alley below.

She lightly gathered her pale purple skirt, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

"I'll go down with Master."

As soon as the words fell,

Dou Qi surged around Xuan Qing as he leaped directly from Little Blue's back. His robes fluttered wildly as he descended toward the bottom of the alley.

Beside him, pale purple Dou Qi burst forth from Xiao Yi Xian's body, and a pair of Purple Cloud Wings wreathed in flowing light unfolded behind her.

Her wings trembled lightly, carrying her graceful figure as she followed Xuan Qing down into the alley.

A crowd had already gathered within the alley, their noisy clamor mixed with endless shouts and curses.

"You little bastard, how dare you come to a human city?"

"You half-breed snake person! Get out!"

"You're filthy all over."

Their foul words were unbearable to hear.

At the center of the crowd stood a thin, frail young girl.

She hunched her shoulders and wrapped both arms around her head. Her body shook uncontrollably as she did not dare resist, her frail frame trembling without pause.

Xiao Yi Xian landed behind Xuan Qing and immediately saw the small figure trapped in the middle of the crowd. A trace of pity rose in her heart.

As Xuan Qing descended from the sky,

The gathered mercenaries and commoners who had come to watch the commotion abruptly changed expression and hurriedly scattered to either side.

Only a few men who were still worked up and continuously berating and beating Qing Lin remained rooted where they stood. They had not yet reacted and still held out their hands as they shouted at her.

Xuan Qing's gaze turned icy as his heavy eyes settled on those men.

He did not waste any words. He merely uttered one word indifferently.

"Scram."

As that word fell, the vast Dou Emperor Dou Qi erupted with the sound waves.

The legs of those mercenaries suddenly went weak, and their knees slammed uncontrollably into the sandy ground as they fell to their knees with a thud.

Yet one of them still failed to recognize the danger. His mind had not caught up, and he craned his neck as he shouted harshly:

"Who the fuck are you to meddle in my business? Do you know who my boss—"

Before he could finish.

An invisible, colorless streak of Dou Qi flashed past. Before the mercenary could even let out half a scream, his body turned directly into specks of ash that scattered with the wind.

Xuan Qing's expression remained indifferent as his thin lips parted. "Noisy."

Xiao Yi Xian, standing beside him, contracted her pupils. This was the first time she had seen her normally gentle master so enraged.

The remaining onlookers around them were frightened out of their wits. How could they dare stay any longer? Terror filled every face.

They scattered and fled in panic, and the entire alley instantly became empty, without a single person left to watch the commotion.

Only Xuan Qing, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin, curled up in the corner, remained.

The alley was so quiet that only the little girl's suppressed sobs remained, her faint whimpers echoing through the alley.

The young girl slowly raised her head. Her emerald-green pupils were filled with terror as she looked timidly at the man before her, her body still trembling uncontrollably.

She had witnessed the scene of that man turning to ash in full.

She shrank her thin body farther back, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz and trembling uncontrollably:

"Please... don't hit me..."

Her long lashes trembled incessantly as crystalline tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the gravel-covered ground beneath her feet.

Seeing this, the Dou Emperor pressure around Xuan Qing gradually faded, and the tense, oppressive atmosphere around them eased with it.

He slowed his steps, afraid of frightening this suffering young girl again.

Xuan Qing's gaze fell upon Qing Lin's faded, wind-creased clothes, and then slowly moved downward.

Mottled bruises covered the young girl's slender exposed skin. Old and fresh wounds crisscrossed one another, a horrifying sight.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you."

Xiao Yi Xian beside him also gently echoed his words. Her brows and eyes were soft as she tried to convey a reassuring presence.

"That's right. My master and I are both good people."

Qing Lin parted her lips, then hesitantly closed them again. She wanted to say something, but the countless beatings and scoldings she had endured in the past

still kept her from lowering her guard. She merely bit her lower lip lightly, silently hugging her head as she stared at the ground, not daring to look at either of them.