Resting up and leaving

Xiao Yan had arrived in Stone Desert City a month early, giving Luo Yang, who had been enjoying his comfortable life, a slight sense of crisis, but that was all. With Tushan Rongrong as his strategist, he certainly would not fall short of Xiao Third Brother with his Yao Lao.

Besides, he now had a new "bodyguard."

For Qing Lin's sake, Tushan Rongrong did not choose to leave Stone Desert City immediately. Instead, she stayed in the city for a while longer to nurse the malnourished, extremely withdrawn, and self-abasing Qing Lin back to the condition of an ordinary person.

With a Dou Wang expert and a Dou Huang expert watching over her, no one dared bully Qing Lin when she appeared on the streets of Stone Desert City, not even showing the slightest hint of distaste.

This time, Tushan Rongrong did not need to act. Luo Yang went up first with the Qinggang Sword to cut people down.

Losing an arm or a leg counted as getting off lightly. Sometimes, Luo Yang failed to rein in his strength and sent them straight to meet King Yama.

For a time, Luo Yang's fearsome reputation spread throughout Stone Desert City.

Xiao Yan noticed them too, recognizing the young man and the fox-eared woman leading the group as the two he had encountered in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

He had witnessed a Dou Wang expert and a Dou Huang expert battling the Amethyst Winged Lion King with his own eyes, a scene that had dealt his young heart an immense shock.

So now, when Yao Lao said that the white-haired middle-aged man accompanying that person was also a Dou Huang expert, he was not quite so shocked.

Xiao Yan was simply very curious about what sort of background the young man, who was about his own age, had behind him. He could actually have a Dou Wang expert and a Dou Huang expert serve as his maid and guard.

Xiao Yan had recognized Luo Yang, and Luo Yang had naturally been keeping an eye on Xiao Yan all along.

He had secretly arranged for people to watch the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's every move, especially Xiao Yan's.

Whether Xiao Yan went shopping to hunt for overlooked bargains or headed out on mercenary missions with his second brother, Xiao Li, it all fell under Luo Yang's surveillance.

His purpose in monitoring Xiao Yan was merely to know whether he had left Stone Desert City. If Xiao Yan left early, Luo Yang would have to leave as well. He could not let Xiao Yan get ahead of him.

Xiao Yan had Yao Lao, that old grandpa in his ring. If he let him seize the initiative, Luo Yang would suffer a huge loss.

Only after spending seven days in Stone Desert City did Luo Yang, Tushan Rongrong, Qing Lin, and Hai Bodong set out to leave.

Those seven days had mainly been spent nursing Qing Lin's body. Her life over the past dozen or so years had subjected the little girl to endless suffering and oppression. Although seven days could not restore her completely, she was already much better than her previously emaciated self.

The day after Luo Yang left Stone Desert City, Xiao Yan left too, his destination unknown.

"Qing Lin, are you sure this is the place you sensed?"

Somewhere in the desert east of Stone Desert City, Luo Yang held a hand above his brows to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight as he gazed at the flat stretch of desert before him.

Qing Lin had Snake-People blood in her veins, and with the close connection between the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and snake-type magical beasts, she could clearly sense the traces Queen Medusa had left behind.

Although more than five months had passed and Queen Medusa's traces had grown extremely faint, it did not affect anything.

"Yes, yes, Qing Lin is sure it's here." Qing Lin quickly nodded her little head, her earnest expression utterly adorable.

Luo Yang reached out to ruffle Qing Lin's hair while speaking to Hai Bodong.

"Elder Hai, it's your turn to perform."

Hai Bodong said nothing at that and stepped forward.

Originally, he had only agreed to go to the Snake-People Tribe and lend his presence, but over the past few days, Tushan Rongrong had dangled another grand promise before him, agreeing to give him a yellow chicken egg-an Emperor's Extreme Pill-and a granny's mane egg-a Sect Breaking Pill-if she had the opportunity in the future.

A gentleman would not bend his waist for five pecks of rice-unless the pay was increased.

Faced with such an enormous temptation, even someone as powerful as Hai Bodong had no choice but to sell out his principles.

Before Hai Bodong began, Luo Yang, Tushan Rongrong, and Qing Lin swiftly hid somewhere safe.

The Ice Emperor had once frozen an entire city in a fit of rage. They did not want to get caught in the crossfire.

"Ice Plain Earth!!!"

Dou Qi enveloped Hai Bodong's body, his beard and hair floating upward against gravity. His pupils turned a deep ice blue, and after concentrating all his Ice Dou Qi into his hands, he plunged them into the sand.

The scorching yellow sand froze instantly, and the temperature of the dry, hot air dropped by dozens of degrees.

With Hai Bodong at its center, ice rapidly spread outward until it had frozen every stretch of desert within sight.

That was only the surface. In fact, the region hundreds of meters beneath the ice had frozen as well.

"Elder Hai, you're every bit as mighty as you were back then~"

At that moment, Luo Yang came sliding over with Tushan Rongrong and Qing Lin on an ice sled prepared in advance, offering Hai Bodong a compliment.

"I've still gotten old. Back in the day, I could have frozen it twice more without even getting winded." Hai Bodong very much enjoyed Luo Yang's flattery.

The section near the surface of the passage Queen Medusa had opened nearly half a year ago had already been buried again by yellow sand. Finding the section below was no less difficult than digging an entirely new passage.

Through ice, Hai Bodong's perception was stronger and more precise than that of many alchemists, allowing him to locate the passage accurately.

Besides, sand was solid, but under external force, it flowed like a liquid. Freezing the sand could also prevent it from collapsing and burying the passage again.

"The passage Queen Medusa opened is right below. The upper part has been buried by collapsing sand. I'll take you down."

Through the ice, Hai Bodong knew this stretch of desert like the back of his hand, and he pointed Luo Yang and the others in a certain direction.

"Sorry for the trouble, Elder Hai."

"You're too polite..."

With that, Hai Bodong closed his hand around empty air. Ice Dou Qi condensed into a translucent spear of ice, and he leaped into the air before charging down toward the frozen yellow sand.

In an instant, a huge fissure tore open wherever Hai Bodong's spear touched, and as he advanced, the fissure continued extending downward.

"Let's go too."

"Mm."

Looking into the bottomless fissure, Luo Yang picked Qing Lin up with one arm. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he leaped down as well, with Tushan Rongrong following close behind.

He thrust the Qinggang Sword into the layer of frozen sand beside the fissure to control his descent.

Luo Yang was still only a Dou Shi and could not fly, so this was his only option.

After descending some distance, Hai Bodong stopped his charge. He had arrived.

Luo Yang arrived shortly afterward.

Looking at the dozens of winding passages before him, which looked as though enormous loaches had burrowed through them, Luo Yang set Qing Lin down and asked.

"Qing Lin, do you know which one it is?"

"Mm." Nodding lightly, Qing Lin held Luo Yang's hand in her small one and blinked her eyes slightly. Three tiny green dots silently emerged around her jade-green pupils.

Before long, Qing Lin pointed toward a passage below.

"Young master, it should be that one. Although some lingering traces remain in the other passages too, this passage has the strongest of them all. It looks like Queen Medusa stayed here the longest half a year ago!..."

Qing Lin's clear, light voice reached Luo Yang's ears, and he happily ruffled her hair.

"Qing Lin, well done."

"Mm." Receiving his praise, Qing Lin gently covered her mouth and smiled, enjoying Luo Yang's head pats.