Upon hearing Hai Bodong's question, Xiao Yan merely smiled beneath his black robe. Gripping the Heavy Xuan Ruler, he slowly descended from the air and landed on the ground before storing the ruler in his storage ring.
His keen Spiritual Strength allowed him to notice that Hai Bodong no longer had any battle intent. Even the circulation of his Dou Qi had slowed down significantly.
The reality was indeed as such. After a round of fierce combat and mutual probing, it became apparent that if Xiao Yan really wanted to escape, Hai Bodong might not even be able to match his flight speed with only the strength of a Dou Spirit.
Moreover, with the suppressive effect of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame against ice attribute Dou Qi, even though Hai Bodong was more proficient with Dou Techniques and had higher-class Dou Qi, he still couldn't prevent Xiao Yan from leaving.
"Old Hai has good eyes. This is indeed a Heavenly Flame," Xiao Yan said without any concealment. The fact that he was able to suppress Hai Bodong's ice attribute Dou Qi made the answer self-evident.
He was actually quite satisfied with the outcome of this battle. To defeat a former Dou Emperor as a 1-star Dou Grandmaster seemed unrealistic no matter how one looked at it.
However, at the very least he now knew that he had the ability to contend against a Dou Spirit. If his opponent was an ordinary low-star Dou Spirit who did not cultivate a High Xuan Class Qi Method and was unfamiliar with Di Class Dou Techniques, he was confident he could even defeat them.
He had gained a better understanding of his own strength.
A hint of dread flashed through Hai Bodong's mind when he heard Xiao Yan's admission. 'Could this kid be from one of those factions?'
As a former Dou Emperor, he had once attempted to leave the Jia Ma Empire and venture to the more central regions of the Dou Qi Continent. There, he had encountered disciples of the continent's top factions.
Di Class Qi Methods were nothing to those top factions. Rumors even said they possessed Tian Class Qi Methods. Elite Dou Ancestors, who were unheard of in the Jia Ma Empire, were not uncommon in those places.
Hai Bodong found it difficult to maintain his composure after being shocked by the terrifying strength of those transcendent factions.
Moreover, Xiao Yan had mentioned from the beginning that he was collecting these map fragments under the orders of an organization.
Of course, Hai Bodong had no way of knowing that Xiao Yan was just trying to intimidate him. But it was precisely this intimidation that made Hai Bodong treat the matter with more caution.
"Sigh, I never expected that after hiding here for over twenty years, I would be reduced to such a sorry state by a Dou Grandmaster. It's quite pathetic." Hai Bodong's voice was tinged with a hint of desolation.
Then his tone suddenly changed as he looked at Xiao Yan and calmly said, "Kid, this map fragment is very important to you, isn't it?"
Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment before nodding.
Hai Bodong smiled smugly and said, "Take a closer look at that map fragment. That's only half of it. After obtaining the map fragment, I spent over a decade before finally managing to split it into two halves. The other half is hidden in a place known to no one but me."
Xiao Yan's heart trembled. He opened his palm and examined the map fragment, only to discover that one of the four edges was much newer, distinctly different from the other three edges. It was evident that this edge had been cut recently, leaving behind such traces.
His expression turned a little unsightly and displeased as he realized this. He had thought he had stumbled upon a treasure, but who would have thought it was only half of one?
"Hehehe, boy, I don't care what faction you come from, how talented you are, or how amazing your Master is. I, Hai Bodong, have no children, no family, no relatives. Now that my Dou Qi has been sealed and I've fallen to the strength of a Dou Spirit, I don't have much time left to live anyway. If I don't want to say it, no one can force it out of me," Hai Bodong sneered with a smug look on his face.
Xiao Yan remained silent for a moment, and instead of making threats, he removed his hood, revealing a youthful, tender face.
With a gentle smile, he shrugged and said, "If Old Hai has something to say, just say it. No matter how precious something is, it should have a price, right? I don't think Old Hai would intentionally say those things just to anger a junior like me."
Xiao Yan was astute. He knew that an old fox like Hai Bodong wouldn't deliberately say things just to provoke him. Moreover, from Hai Bodong's words, he could be certain that Hai Bodong already believed he came from some major faction and had someone backing him.
If he truly believed that Hai Bodong wasn't afraid of death, then he would have lived these past ten-odd years in vain. No one was truly unafraid of death, and it was even less likely that someone would be willing to die over an unknown map fragment.
The reason Hai Bodong said those things had only one purpose—to raise the price by playing hard to get.
Xiao Yan naturally understood the game Hai Bodong was playing, so he didn't beat around the bush either. He simply revealed his true face to the other party.
Hai Bodong was shocked to see Xiao Yan's youthful and tender face. This was just a teenager!
He exclaimed in amazement, "You're truly a monster. Which faction could possibly cultivate such a little monster? I fear that in less than ten years, you will be able to dominate the entire Jia Ma Empire!"
Hai Bodong knew that the strongest expert in the Jia Ma Empire was a peak 9-star Dou Emperor. In other words, he believed Xiao Yan would definitely become a Dou Ancestor within ten years!
Xiao Yan shrugged noncommittally and said calmly, "Old Hai, you are not trying to dig into my background, are you?"
Hai Bodong pondered for a moment before asking with utmost seriousness, "Since you possess a Heavenly Flame, are you an alchemist?"
"Well, although my tier is not high, I can still be considered one," Xiao Yan replied modestly.
"What tier?"
"About the 4th-tier."
Hai Bodong's eyes dimmed slightly upon hearing Xiao Yan's alchemist tier.
Noticing this, Xiao Yan frowned and asked, "Old Hai, you don't expect me to refine a pill to break Queen Medusa's seal, do you?"
Hai Bodong nodded and said, "Well, I've found a pill recipe that can break this kind of seal over the past twenty years."
Xiao Yan's expression turned exasperated. "Old Hai, as far as I know, Queen Medusa's strength is that of a peak Rank 6 magical beast. The seal she used to seal you for twenty years can't possibly be an ordinary one. You would need at least a 6th-tier medicinal pill to break a special seal technique of a Rank 6 magical beast. Wouldn't it be better to seek out Gu He for that?"
"He can't do it. The first requirement of the pill recipe I found is a Heavenly Flame, and I know that Gu He doesn't have one," Hai Bodong sighed. He wouldn't have been sealed for over twenty years if it were that simple.
"You possess a Heavenly Flame, and I was hoping you could ask the faction behind you to help refine it," Hai Bodong said.
Xiao Yan's eyes flickered as he understood Hai Bodong's intention. However, the problem was that he didn't actually have any faction backing him. The Hall of Souls couldn't be considered a real faction. It was more like a company. You worked for them, and they paid you. The Hall of Souls took orders from the Hun Clan, and he was not a member of the Hun Clan.
The Hun Clan and the Yao Clan were examples of true family-based factions.
But!
As it turned out, he actually had a way to break the seal!
Back when Yun Yun was affected by the Amethyst Winged Lion King's seal, he relied on the Nihility Devouring Flame to devour the seal entirely!
Moreover, Mao Wu was much stronger now than back then. Although Queen Medusa was a peak Rank 6 magical beast, Xiao Yan believed that the Nihility Devouring Flame could still devour the seal. It was just a matter of time.
Xiao Yan didn't need to refine any pills at all. He could directly use the Nihility Devouring Flame to help Hai Bodong break the seal.
Hai Bodong could never have imagined that the eighteen-year-old boy in front of him actually possessed the Nihility Devouring Flame, the 2nd-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!
'If this matter is handled properly, it could turn into a lucrative opportunity.' Xiao Yan's merchant-like mind had already started calculating how to squeeze Hai Bodong dry!