On the edge of the Tagore Desert, near a massive rocky mountain, Xiao Se stood holding the Demon Sword, his body surrounded by a blue flame cloak. Gazing at the towering rocky mountain ahead, he took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly flashing with brilliance.
Dragging the sword along the ground, he charged forward, stomping on the ground and leaping high. The Demon Sword in his hand suddenly became covered with a 40-meter-long flame blade.
"Crimson Flame Sword—Breaking through The Extremes!"
As Xiao Se shouted in his heart, he slashed the enormous sword vertically. The flame blade, carrying intense heat that twisted the space around it, shot out, transforming into a massive crescent-shaped blade of energy. It sliced through the rocky mountain ahead.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Se spread his Eagle Wings and swiftly retreated from his original position.
The next second, the crescent-shaped energy collided with the mountain. To Xiao Se's surprise, the energy seemed to pass through the mountain effortlessly. It carved a trench several meters deep and over a hundred meters long into the ground before dissipating.
As for the rocky mountain, the moment the crescent-shaped energy vanished, there was a loud explosion. The mountain split in half, the cut smooth and mirror-like, then it began to crumble into countless pieces.
Hovering in the air with his Eagle Wings, Xiao Se looked down, stunned, and couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air. "Damn! The Crimson Flame Sword powered by the Green Lotus Core Flame is this powerful? It actually split a mountain! The residual heat even evaporated all the moisture inside, causing it to crumble. This is comparable to a mid-tier Earth-grade dou technique. Amazing!"
"Brother, it seems that you've become much stronger after swallowing the Heavenly Flame," a familiar soft voice of Long Kui echoed in Xiao Se's ears.
"Yes, it's been hard on all of you during this time." Xiao Se smiled. By "all of you," he meant both Hong Kui and her true form, Long Kui. If he had just mentioned "you," it would have seemed unfair to Hong Kui, who had silently supported him throughout.
Long Kui understood Xiao Se's meaning and smiled gently. "Brother, I'm sure Hong Kui will be very happy to hear that."
"Then I'll tell her myself next time," Xiao Se chuckled, flapping his wings and making a quick circle in the air before heading toward the ancient map shop.
Upon reaching Rock Desert City, he slowly landed in front of the ancient map shop. As always, the shop was deserted. Xiao Se walked to the door and kicked it open, shouting, "Old Hai, time to take care of a customer!"
At that moment, the atmosphere in the room suddenly grew tense. Hai Bodong was holding a pen, seemingly drawing a map as usual, but next to him was a seductive woman in a red dress, kneeling on the floor, tears glistening in her eyes. From Xiao Se's angle, the scene looked incredibly odd.
Both the old man and the young woman stared at the intruding Xiao Se in shock.
"Uh… Did I interrupt something? Wow, Hai old man, I never expected that at your age, you'd still enjoy this sort of thing. I'll come back later." Xiao Se awkwardly smiled and was about to leave.
Hai Bodong's face flushed red, and he quickly shouted, "Wait!"
Xiao Se stopped, leaned against the doorframe, and looked at Hai Bodong with a teasing gaze.
Having known Hai Bodong from the original novel, Xiao Se knew that the old man wouldn't force the red-dressed woman into anything. Most likely, she had come to him with a request.
Seeing Xiao Se's teasing expression, Hai Bodong's face twitched. He casually threw a scroll at the woman and coldly said, "Take this mid-tier yellow-grade dou technique and leave. I won't take you as my disciple. Also, tell your father exactly what I said."
After handing over the scroll, Hai Bodong ignored the woman and walked over to Xiao Se, inspecting him from head to toe.
With just one glance, Hai Bodong was taken aback. Compared to a few months ago, Xiao Se had undergone a complete transformation. He could vaguely sense something terrifying emanating from Xiao Se. He was sure it wasn't due to the secret technique but most likely the Heavenly Flame.
"Did he really find a Heavenly Flame? My God!" The thought flashed through Hai Bodong's mind, and he looked at Xiao Se again, his old eyes filled with complicated emotions.
A Heavenly Flame, combined with the secret technique that could instantly boost one's power to the Dou Huang level—Hai Bodong realized he would never be able to avenge the beating he had received.
"My young friend, you've really made me wait. Did you manage to find the herbs I asked for?" Hai Bodong smiled awkwardly, quickly dismissing his thoughts of revenge.
"Here it is, the Sand Mandrake you wanted. I went through a lot of trouble, sneaking into Queen Medusa's temple to get it." Xiao Se casually took out the Sand Mandrake from his spatial ring. It was something he had picked up on Medusa's island.
With the medicinal herbs he had also gathered from the Magic Beast Mountain Range, he had even collected materials for the Dou Ling Pill—he only lacked a magic core!
"Young friend, you are incredible! To steal the Sand Mandrake right under Queen Medusa's nose, you're definitely one of the most outstanding young figures in the Northwest Continent." Hai Bodong's face lit up with joy as he received the herb.
"Alright, enough flattery. Do you want the pill refined or not? If not, I'll be leaving." Xiao Se waved impatiently.
After all, with Medusa now by his side and the ancient map in his possession, Xiao Se wasn't too concerned. The only reason he was bothering with this task was to have an additional layer of security in the Jia Ma Empire in the future.
"Hehe, of course, I want it refined. Please, follow me, young friend." Hai Bodong gestured for Xiao Se to enter. He then coldly glared at the red-dressed woman, who was still standing in shock. "Why are you still here? If you don't leave, I'll throw you into the TagerDesert!"
"Thank you, Ice Master. I'll leave right away!" The red-dressed woman quickly bowed, clutched the scroll, and rushed out of the shop.
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