Time flew by, and nearly twenty days had passed.
In the vast desert, with sandstorms raging, a young man in a black robe carrying a peculiar purple long sword trudged through the sandstorm. Behind him, the yellow sand was marked with deep footprints, but they were soon buried by the blowing sand.
"Brother, why don't we rest for a while? We can continue once the sandstorm passes," Hong Kui's gentle voice suddenly echoed from the demon sword.
Xiao Se shook his head and said, "This sandstorm doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon. I don't have the luxury to wait around, and walking through the sandstorm is also a form of training. The priority now is to reach the next location marked on the map."
Since leaving Rock Desert City, Xiao Se had activated his X-ray vision to search according to the map given by Hai Bodong, while also looking for any deep underground caves.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten exactly where the original scene was located, so he had to search one by one.
The harsh environment of the Tager Desert was even more severe than Xiao Se had imagined.
Under the blazing sun, the sand underfoot was as hot as beans freshly fried in a pan.
The scorching sand blowing onto his face made him cover his body with a layer of Dou Qi (Fighting Qi) to avoid disfigurement.
His feet were in agony; every step he took burned so much that Xiao Se's mouth twitched.
Fortunately, as an alchemist, Xiao Se had prepared a special ointment to prevent burns before entering the desert and had applied it beforehand, otherwise, his feet would have been covered in blisters.
Of course, every benefit comes with drawbacks. The harsh environment of the Tager Desert was undeniable, but it was also rich in fire attribute energy, even surpassing the small valley in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, making it very suitable for those practicing fire attribute Dou Qi.
With the assistance of the Amethyst Lion Birth Essence , Xiao Se seemed to be on the verge of reaching the threshold of a three-star Dou Shi.
"Let's rest here for the night!"
Xiao Se looked up at the darkening sky, scanned the surroundings to confirm there was no one around, then activated the Vast Sea Protective Barrier. He laid down a sand-resistant mat, sat down, and lit a campfire.
The greatest benefit of the Vast Sea Protective Barrier was that it allowed him to camp anywhere, blocking sand and concealing his presence and form, so he didn't have to worry about being attacked. It was an essential artifact for traveling.
After a simple meal, Xiao Se was about to focus on recovering the Dou Qi depleted from his journey when a system notification suddenly rang in his mind:
[Ding, the one-month period has ended, and the exchange opportunities have been refreshed. Congratulations, host, you have gained one exchange opportunity.]
Hearing the system prompt, Xiao Se was slightly surprised and murmured, "Has a month already passed?"
He looked around and saw that apart from the yellow sand, there was nothing worth exchanging. The materials, pills, and survival supplies in his storage ring were essential for his survival in the desert, so he wouldn't mess with them.
Suddenly, Xiao Se seemed to have an idea and smiled wickedly. He called out in his mind, "System, exchange that stinky egg I've kept for more than half a year."
He had intentionally forgotten about the egg to avoid letting Hong Kui see something disgusting, but now it seemed it could come in handy. Whether the egg had gone bad was no longer his concern.
[Ding, congratulations, host, you have exchanged for the 'Douluo Continent World' Dugu Bo's Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse .]
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In the Douluo Continent, within a cave in the Sunset Forest.
Dugu Bo was curled up on a rocking chair, his face pale, sweating profusely, and his expression extremely pained and twisted.
"Damn it, when will this suffering end!" Dugu Bo gritted his teeth, enduring the agony, which felt like nothing less than childbirth.
After a long time, the pain finally began to subside. At this moment, Dugu Bo had no strength left and collapsed into the rocking chair, falling into a deep sleep.
He didn't know how long it had been, but he eventually woke up from his stupor and noticed a faint smell of blood in the air. Although it was very weak, he detected it and, feeling wary, followed the scent. His gaze landed on his waist, and his expression suddenly changed.
"What is this..."
Unknowingly, the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse , which could store living creatures, was gone from his waist. In its place was an irregular, tumor-like, bloodied flesh lump firmly attached to his waist.
[Ding, congratulations, host, you have exchanged for the 'Douluo Continent World' Dugu Bo's Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse .]
"Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse ? That's a good item; I remember it can store living creatures. Now I have both of Tang San's storage devices, and this second one was exchanged for with Tang San's most respected teacher's egg. Not a bad deal."
Xiao Se vaguely remembered that in the original story of Douluo Continent, Tang San used it to store many elixirs and the sacrificed Xiao Wu. Later, Xiao Wu regained her human form after mistakenly consuming a crystal blood dragon ginseng from the bag.
With a smirk of mockery, Xiao Se took out the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse and secured it to his waist, then fully immersed himself in his training.
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, Xiao Se slowly opened his eyes, waking from his night of cultivation.
Just as he was about to retract the Vast Sea Protective Barrier, he faintly heard several cold and impatient male voices.
Xiao Se followed the sounds and saw several burly men with knives at their waists, escorting a cart. The cart carried an iron cage covered with coarse cloth, from which faint cries of women could be heard.
"Hehe, Boss, this damned sandstorm has finally stopped. We can finally leave. With these snake women, we're going to make a fortune."
"Hahaha, good, good. Later, I'll take you to the Salt City's Fragrant Pavilion to relax and unwind."
"Thanks, Boss, thank you, Boss."
"By the way, where's Xiao San?"
"He should be coming back soon. We agreed to meet here."
Within the Vast Sea Protective Barrier, Xiao Se observed everything unfolding before him. It was clear that he had encountered human traffickers who had ventured deep into the desert to capture snake women.
Whether in his past life or this one, Xiao Se had a deep loathing for human traffickers. To him, they were even more detestable than murderers, as they would destroy countless families for profit.
"Three four-star Dou Zhes, two five-star Dou Zhes, two six-star Dou Zhes, and one one-star Dou Shi. You're unlucky to run into me. As for that Xiao San, I'll let you live a bit longer."
With a scan of his spiritual energy, Xiao Se easily assessed the strength of the eight individuals.
Although Xiao Se was not a saint, since he had encountered them and had the capability, he would not stand by idly. Whether or not the snake women would be grateful was irrelevant to him. If he wanted to save them, he would act on his whim.
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