The Second Remnant Map: A Clash with Hai Bodong

Xiao Yan gazed toward the Tagor Desert, his eyes bright with anticipation.

Dou Qi surged behind him, and a pair of purple wings spread wide. With the Chicken Talisman's power of levitation added to them, he rose straight into the air and streaked out of the Magical Beast Mountain Range like a flash of light.

"Well, kid, that speed of yours has already surpassed the Dou Qi Transformation Wings of an ordinary Dou Wang!" Yao Lao exclaimed from within the ring.

"Just the basics. No need to cheer!" Xiao Yan said smugly, then flew on at full speed.

With the talisman's power, Xiao Yan could remain airborne for long stretches.

Now and then, he landed to rest, find something to eat, relieve himself, or refine a few batches of pills. Yao Lao kept him company along the way, and the master and disciple traded enough barbs that the journey never grew dull.

Several days later, Xiao Yan finally reached the Tagor Desert.

Rolling yellow sand filled his vision as far as he could see.

The moment he entered the region, a scorching wave of heat struck him.

"The fire-attributed energy here is exceptionally dense. It's perfect for your training right now," Yao Lao said.

Xiao Yan nodded, took out a map to get his bearings, and continued onward.

Before long, an old map shop appeared amid the vast sea of sand.

"Well, would you look at that? Someone actually opened a map shop in this desolate desert," Yao Lao remarked from the ring.

Xiao Yan smiled. "Yes, and there's a Dou Huang expert sitting inside it, too."

"There really is... His Dou Qi seems to have been sealed." Yao Lao swept the shop with his Soul Perception, surprise entering his voice.

"Come on. Let's meet this Ice Emperor." Xiao Yan landed before the Ancient Map Shop and pushed open the door.

A wave of cold air met him as soon as he stepped inside.

The chill within stood in stark contrast to the heat outside.

Behind the counter, an old man in blue robes bent over his work, intent on drawing a map.

Xiao Yan's arrival did not interrupt him in the slightest.

Xiao Yan paid him no mind. He went straight to the counter and searched through it with a clear purpose.

Soon, he pulled a second remnant of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map from between the layers of another map.

"Teacher, look what I found." Xiao Yan held up the remnant, which had been split in two, and sent his words to Yao Lao.

Yao Lao took a closer look. It was indeed a Demonic Flame Remnant Map. "Incredible! The second remnant was hidden here! But... its other half seems to be missing."

"His Lordship the Ice Emperor hid that half." Holding the fragment, Xiao Yan turned toward Hai Bodong, who was still drawing at the counter with painstaking care.

He walked up to the counter with the fragment in hand. "Sir, how much for this map? Name your price."

"Not for sale." Hai Bodong did not look up. His voice was flat, and his pen continued tracing steady lines.

Xiao Yan did not take offense. Smiling, he said slowly, "Who would have thought that Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, once famous throughout the Jia Ma Empire, would end up selling maps in a place like this? What a shame."

Hai Bodong's pen paused. Cold air churned around him, slipping faintly beyond his control, and the shop door slammed shut.

He slowly raised his head and fixed his deep-set eyes on Xiao Yan. "You know who I am?"

"Not only that. I know how to undo the seal inside you," Xiao Yan said, tempting him.

"You?" Hai Bodong looked the boy up and down, disbelief written across his face.

He did not know what method the boy had used to conceal his Dou Qi cultivation, but Xiao Yan looked far too young—sixteen at most.

What could such a greenhorn possibly do? Undoing a seal personally placed by a Dou Huang expert was beyond belief.

Hai Bodong did not believe a word of it. "What interests me more is how you learned who I am," he said coldly.

"Tell me the truth, or you won't leave here today."

Xiao Yan shook his head.

He knew his appearance alone was hardly convincing.

Besides, since breaking through to Da Dou Shi, he had yet to fight a powerful human opponent.

Hai Bodong, with his cultivation sealed, was an ideal match.

The air in the shop turned frigid.

Xiao Yan struck first. He unleashed the full power of his Da Dou Shi cultivation and drove a punch at Hai Bodong.

Hai Bodong was ready and raised an arm to block.

Boom!

Fist met arm. The shock wave overturned the counter and sent maps flying everywhere.

Xiao Yan had put everything into that punch. With the Ox Talisman's boost and a body now tough enough to rival a Fourth-Order Magical Beast, the force he unleashed could threaten even a Dou Ling.

Sure enough, Hai Bodong had badly underestimated Xiao Yan and had not used his full strength to block.

Xiao Yan's punch sent him flying into the wall behind him, ruining his entire left arm on the spot.

Hai Bodong stared down at his limp arm, shock filling his face.

Before he could catch his breath, Xiao Yan's second attack was upon him.

Hai Bodong hastily channeled his Ice Dou Qi, forming several sharp icicles that shot toward Xiao Yan in an attempt to break his rhythm.

Xiao Yan breathed out a wisp of Purple Flame and caught it in his palm. He clenched his fist, and the raging fire burst outward, melting every incoming icicle in an instant.

Hai Bodong seized the opening to wrap his ruined arm in a layer of solid ice, shaping it into a makeshift ice arm so he could keep fighting.

Xiao Yan had brushed aside the attack and pressed in once more.

Having caught his breath, Hai Bodong gritted his teeth. He closed his left hand around an Ice Dragon Spear that formed out of thin air and charged to meet him.

A few breaths later.

Boom!

A deafening crash erupted from the Ancient Map Shop. Hai Bodong smashed through the wall and flew out, tumbling several meters before he barely managed to stop.

"What kind of monster is this kid? How can his strength and body be so formidable?" Blood trickled from Hai Bodong's mouth as he panted and cursed through gritted teeth.

Before the dust had settled, a black Giant Ruler shot through the air straight at Hai Bodong's face.

Hai Bodong thrust up his Ice Dragon Spear. Drawing on years of life-and-death combat, he used a deft twist to knock the Giant Ruler aside.

But just as he breathed a sigh of relief, the Giant Ruler made an uncanny turn in midair and slammed into his back.

"Aah!" Hai Bodong screamed as the blow struck him from behind.

On top of his earlier injuries, it was more than he could bear. He spat another mouthful of blood and passed out on the spot.

Xiao Yan walked slowly out of the Ancient Map Shop. At a beckoning gesture, the Giant Ruler flew obediently back into his hand, and he strapped it across his back again.

With a wave of his hand, he used the Chicken Talisman's Telekinesis to lift Hai Bodong bodily. Only after confirming that the man was truly unconscious did he relax.

Hai Bodong had lost because he knew nothing about Xiao Yan, while Xiao Yan knew him inside out.

Had they known equally much about each other, Xiao Yan could never have won so quickly. Hai Bodong would have held on at least a little longer—though it would be another matter if he regained his cultivation.

"You little brat, you certainly didn't hesitate," Yao Lao said with a sigh.

From within the Storage Ring, he had watched the entire fight. Xiao Yan's attacks had been crisp and decisive, and he had kept firm control of the battle's rhythm from beginning to end.

"Just got lucky," Xiao Yan said, smug as ever.

Yao Lao had long since grown used to Xiao Yan's daily claim of "luck."

Xiao Yan then dragged Hai Bodong back into the Ancient Map Shop and woke him.

After Xiao Yan's rather "friendly" efforts, Hai Bodong finally stirred.

The moment he opened his eyes, his head hurt, his back hurt, his backside hurt—there was not a part of him that did not ache.

"Hiss... Where am I?" Hai Bodong forced his eyelids open and found himself looking straight at Xiao Yan's innocent smile.