Jia Ma Empire, Mo City.
"This kid went to the desert so long ago and still hasn't returned. He hasn't run into any trouble, has he? He's still carrying all the things I've collected over the years!"
Hai Bodong sat alone in front of his shop, basking in the sun. It had been quite some time since Yan Qingshan departed for the Tager Desert, and Hai Bodong had been anxiously awaiting news all these days.
Several months had passed since Yan Qingshan left. Although the Mittel Auction House had found him again and was trying to help him in other ways, he still held high hopes for the Breaking Adversity Pill.
But the Breaking Adversity Pill, including its formula, had been taken by Yan Qingshan, and there had been no news for several months. How could he not be anxious inside?
"Old man Hai, you're quite leisurely, aren't you!"
A voice suddenly came from an angle. Hai Bodong, as if struck by lightning, abruptly looked up. First, he was delighted, then startled, "You're back! You found the Sand's Datura... no, your cultivation has broken through!"
Hai Bodong's face was filled with disbelief. Yan Qingshan had actually broken through to become a Dou Emperor! If Hai Bodong hadn't previously been at that realm, and hadn't fought Yan Qingshan before, he wouldn't have been able to detect that subtle change at all.
"Old man Hai, I didn't expect you to have such good insight!"
Yan Qingshan truly hadn't expected Hai Bodong to be able to tell he'd broken through. Although he did have some changes compared to before, they weren't significant, and with his restrained aura, ordinary people wouldn't have been able to perceive his specific cultivation level.
"You, you, you... you actually broke through to Dou Emperor..."
After hearing Yan Qingshan's confirmation, Hai Bodong was truly stunned. He had only been guessing, but actually confirming this news... a Dou Emperor so young! He suddenly felt like he had lived half his life in vain.
"Don't act so surprised. Here, this is the Breaking Adversity Pill you wanted."
Yan Qingshan smiled and tossed out a jade bottle. Hai Bodong hastily took the small bottle; this was his hope for restoring his strength!
Hai Bodong took the jade bottle and sniffed slightly. His withered face immediately changed slightly, and he looked at Yan Qingshan with some astonishment, saying in shock, "You, you... you've been in contact with Queen Medusa, and recently! No, there are also many Snake People, and even Snake Girls..."
As Hai Bodong finished speaking, his gaze suddenly became peculiar. He sensed multiple auras from Yan Qingshan's body; the scents of Queen Medusa and two other Snake Girls were particularly obvious. Don't ask him why he knew they were Snake Girls; old Hai was in the desert, having experienced countless battles.
"You have a dog's nose! So sensitive..."
Yan Qingshan shot him a warning glance, making Hai Bodong swallow the rest of his words. Some things are best left unsaid; speaking them aloud would just be awkward.
"Tsk, tsk, remarkable! To be able to return alive and unscathed from that woman's hands... truly, heroes emerge from the young generation. In this Jia Ma Empire, besides you, little brother, I haven't seen a second person with such ability."
Hai Bodong smacked his lips, eyeing Yan Qingshan playfully with a strange smile.
Yan Qingshan said with a smug look, "Old man Hai, this is just a lack of experience for you. I've been with Medusa day and night for quite some time now. She's my beloved, do you think I'd tell you that!"
"Heh heh, I believe you, kid, if you say you have a Snake-person lover. But Medusa? You really dare to think that? Aren't you afraid she'll slap you to death?"
Hai Bodong stared at Yan Qingshan with disdain, convinced he was just bragging. But this old man truly had limited vision; how could he know that a certain someone had been sleeping alongside the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python every night these past few days? One could say it was like sleeping while embracing the Queen herself.
"Tch! Don't believe it then. By the way, I brought you the item. Where's the map?"
Yan Qingshan looked bored. Bragging quietly without an audience's cheers—that kind of bragging just gave no sense of accomplishment!
"Uh... about that..."
Hai Bodong was startled by his words, chuckled dryly, and rubbed his palms, saying awkwardly, "Well... I haven't tried this Breaking Adversity Pill yet. You have to let me test its effects first, right?
You said you'd help me undo the seal back then, so don't worry! I even gave the Mittel Family's Tribute Token to your little lover; I won't go back on my word. Besides, you're such a strange kid, I wouldn't dare offend you."
"Fine!"
Yan Qingshan stared at Hai Bodong for a moment, then walked over and hooked his arm around his shoulder. "Old man Hai, I can tell you clearly that the Breaking Adversity Pill can indeed undo the seal on you. So, after you take the Breaking Adversity Pill, you'd best not try any tricks on me again."
"Heh heh, I know you're full of tricks, kid. I definitely won't mess around."
Hai Bodong chuckled apologetically as he carefully put the jade bottle into his Storage Ring, then said, "Kid, come with me to the basement. If the seal really breaks in a bit, this basement will keep the aura from leaking out and also avoid some unnecessary trouble."
Yan Qingshan snorted coldly. Hai Bodong could only give an awkward laugh, then quickly led the way with his head down.
Hai Bodong's basement was extremely cold, an underground ice cave. On the ceiling and the thick walls all around the ice cave, there hung pure white ice, and sharp icicles, like keen longswords, hung inverted from the ceiling.
The ice-attribute Qì in this place was greatly enhanced, significantly boosting Hai Bodong's combat strength here. An ordinary Dou King would likely be played to death by him.
A faint cold mist emanated, swirling within the basement, never dispersing throughout the years. Hai Bodong must have spent an immense amount of time and effort on this massive underground chamber with its specially enhanced environment.
Hai Bodong explained, "The Dou Qi cultivation technique I practice leans towards yin and cold, so cultivating in a place like this has better results. This place is a distance from the surface, and the aura is concealed, so it won't be detected by other powerful individuals."
Yan Qingshan sat down on a chair in the basement, then impatiently said, "Old man Hai, hurry up. This environment isn't very comfortable for me."
Hai Bodong smiled and nodded, taking the Breaking Adversity Pill from his Storage Ring and meticulously examining it in his palm. His cautious demeanor almost made Yan Qingshan urge him again.
Hai Bodong confirmed the pill was fine, then flashed onto a sitting platform entirely condensed from ice and sat cross-legged. He put the Breaking Adversity Pill into his mouth, his throat moving as he swallowed it.
In the cold basement, as Hai Bodong gradually entered a state of cultivation, the atmosphere gradually became silent.
The quiet atmosphere lasted for about half an hour, when a circle of fierce energy ripples suddenly erupted, breaking the tranquility.
On the ice platform, the silent Hai Bodong suddenly began to tremble violently. Waves of energy ripples rapidly spread from within him, and his aura was constantly changing.
Hai Bodong's aged face suddenly tensed up. On his forehead, a faint greenish, strange energy rapidly condensed, forming a subtle, eerie green energy snake pattern.
This snake pattern coiled on Hai Bodong's forehead, completely sealing most of the Dou Qi within his body. And accompanying the appearance of the snake pattern, a light purple energy slowly coiled up around Hai Bodong's neck—this was the Breaking Adversity Pill's medicinal power taking effect.
The purplish-crystal medicinal power and the faint green small snake began to make contact. The two fierce energies collided, stirring up ripples between them.
The purple and green energies clashed, constantly stalemating, one above and one below. The faint light released by the two energies divided Hai Bodong's face into two colors, as if he were undergoing a qi deviation, appearing exceptionally bizarre.
The purple energy, after all, had the effect of countering seals. It gradually gained the upper hand and eroded the power of the snake pattern. As the purple energy surged violently, a fierce burst of force actually squeezed that snake pattern out of Hai Bodong's head.
The moment the snake pattern left Hai Bodong's head, it trembled violently, then transformed into a wisp of green smoke. A colorful light flashed on Yan Qingshan's wrist, and this wisp of green smoke actually followed and disappeared into his sleeve.
The instant the snake pattern left his body, Hai Bodong's tightly closed eyes snapped open. A sharp light, like a tangible substance, burst forth, and a fierce aura, like a waking lion, swept out from within his body that had been suppressed for many years.
"Haha! This damned seal is finally gone! This old man has become a Dou Emperor again!"
Hai Bodong's feet pressed against the ice platform, and his body swiftly hovered in mid-air. A pair of ice-blue crystalline wings emerged and unfolded behind him. His face was filled with wild joy as he tilted his head back and laughed uproariously.
The loud laughter carried fierce sound waves, shattering the surrounding cracked ice layers into fragments that splattered everywhere. The long-suppressed Hai Bodong had no intention of controlling himself at this moment.
"That's enough, old man Hai. Where's the item!"
Yan Qingshan spoke calmly, his gaze directly on the hovering Hai Bodong. Their gazes met in mid-air, like a flash of lightning.
"Alright, alright, I can't see through you, kid!"
Hai Bodong sighed with a bitter smile, shook his head, and touched his Storage Ring. A small piece of yellowish parchment, extremely ancient in appearance, appeared in his palm. He stroked this small ancient remnant map with great reluctance, then directly tossed it to Yan Qingshan.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about going back on his word, but firstly, Yan Qingshan had a considerable relationship with the Mittel Family; they could be considered "their own people."
Secondly, during their probing exchange that day, he had been toyed with by Yan Qingshan. Even now that he had recovered his Dou Emperor cultivation, he had no confidence.
Coupled with Yan Qingshan's further breakthrough, such progress and strength truly made him fearful, thus he chose to hand over the remnant map as agreed.
After Hai Bodong handed the remnant map to Yan Qingshan, he spoke again, "I've been making maps for decades. Soon after I got this, I tried to make a copy following this remnant map. However, the map I ultimately drew was extremely strange and completely different from the original.
I tried this several times, but eventually had to give up on the idea. I think perhaps it has something to do with the map being incomplete."
After Yan Qingshan took it, he easily confirmed its authenticity. He didn't bother to answer Hai Bodong, for this remnant map was actually a construct of a Half Step Dou Di remnant soul, not a true map at all. How could one possibly draw a map by following its routes!