Remembering that he hadn't seen Zi Yan and Qing Lin for two days, Xiao Ling slightly released a part of his soul perception and found that there were no figures of the two around the map shop. He asked curiously: "Mr. Hai, where are my two companions?"
Hearing Xiao Ling's question, Hai Bodong said with some amusement: "Those two girls are not quiet people. After you entered the secret room to refine the pill, they left my map shop and are probably shopping in the city now. The little girl named Zi Yan even had a fight with the residents in the city yesterday. It seems that someone wanted to do something bad to them."
Hearing this, Xiao Ling couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and said in surprise: "I didn't expect that there are still people who dare to provoke that little devil Zi Yan. Do you really think that she looks like a child and is easy to bully? But it's good to know their whereabouts. As long as they don't run too far, no one in Black Rock City can hurt them."
After the two chatted for a few more words, Hai Bodong took Xiao Ling to his training room.
Although the corridor was not big, its twists and turns were somewhat unexpected. Following Hai Bodong all the way through the corridor and turning several corners, the monotonous environment around made people feel a little tired. Fortunately, Xiao Ling had good self-control, so he didn't feel it was unbearable, but just a little depressed in his heart.
The light in the corridor was not strong. There was a lamp emitting faint light every ten meters or so. In this dim environment, the two remained silent. Only the slight sound of footsteps echoed slowly in the long corridor for a long time, and it sounded faintly creepy.
Although the corridor was straight, Xiao Ling could feel that they seemed to be walking downhill. After walking in this boring way for about twenty minutes, Hai Bodong in front suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled at Xiao Ling: "Master Xiao Ling, we're here."
Xiao Ling's eyes passed over Hai Bodong and swept ahead. He saw a thick iron door appear at the end of his sight under the dim light. The iron door was deep and dark, exuding a sense of solidity.
Looking at the iron gate, Hai Bodong's pace became noticeably faster. After a moment, he came to the door and turned a black iron lion head in front of the door with his hand. Suddenly, with a click, the iron gate opened automatically and slowly, and a bright light shone through it.
"Master Xiao Ling, please come in." Hai Bodong waved his hand at Xiao Ling and walked in first with a smile.
Standing at the door and observing the surroundings, Xiao Ling glanced around the gate and then stepped into the basement.
After entering the basement, the temperature around him suddenly dropped a lot, and a faint chill lingered around him. Xiao Ling looked around and was surprised to find that this basement was actually an underground ice cave. The ceiling of the ice cave and the thick walls around it were all covered with snow-white ice. Above his head, sharp icicles hung upside down on the ceiling like sharp swords.
A faint cold mist emanated and lingered in the basement for years. No one knew how much time and energy Hai Bodong had spent on building this slightly large basement.
"Haha, the fighting skills I practice tend to be cold, so practicing in a place like this will be more effective. Besides, this place is some distance away from the ground. The ice and soil can cover up the aura here so that it will not be detected by other strong people." As if he knew the doubts in Xiao Ling's heart, Hai Bodong in front of him explained with a smile.
"Yes." Xiao Ling nodded slightly, and sat down on a chair in the middle of the basement without hesitation. He looked up at Hai Bodong and said with a smile: "Mr. Hai, start taking the Breaking Adversity Pill. If anything goes wrong, I, the alchemist, will be responsible for you."
"Haha, okay, but there are risks in taking pills. Master Xiao Ling, please let me check it out. My apologies." Nodding with a smile, Hai Bodong took out the Breaking Adversity Pill from the ring, held it in the palm of his hand and looked at it carefully. His cautious look made Xiao Ling, who was sitting next to him, speechless.
After checking for a while, Hai Bodong breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing unusual. At this time, he was smarter and knew that his previous actions would definitely make Xiao Ling very dissatisfied, so he simply didn't turn his head to look at Xiao Ling's ugly face. He tapped his toes on the ground, and his body flashed onto a platform made entirely of ice. He sat cross-legged, then stuffed the Breaking Adversity Pill in his hand into his mouth, rolled his throat slightly, and swallowed it into his stomach.
Regarding this situation, Xiao Ling did not think that Hai Bodong had done anything wrong. The two of them were not related and had not known each other for long. As a former Dou Huang powerhouse, he still had to be vigilant.
Sitting on the chair, Xiao Ling looked intently at the changes in Hai Bodong's body. Xiao Ling was also somewhat interested in the Seal of Medusa.
In the cold basement, as Hai Bodong gradually entered the state of cultivation, the atmosphere gradually became quiet. Xiao Ling sat on the chair and stared at the direction of Hai Bodong, using his soul perception to check the situation inside his body.
At this moment, under the detection of Xiao Ling's soul perception, two auras of different attributes walked into Hai Bodong's map shop. It was obvious that the two little girls Zi Yan and Qing Lin had returned.
Xiao Ling did not hide his aura, and Zi Yan easily found Xiao Ling's location. Without planning to take this winding passage, Zi Yan directly tore open a small space crack, grabbed Qing Lin's little hand, and quickly got in.
Sensing the spatial fluctuations coming from the surroundings, Xiao Ling was surprised to find that Zi Yan and Qing Lin jumped out from a dark spatial crack.
After using his soul power to set up a barrier to block the sound, Xiao Ling first greeted Qing Lin, then looked at Zi Yan as if she were a monster, and asked curiously, "How did you do it? Teleporting through space is something that only ordinary Dou Zun can do."
Sticking her tongue out at Xiao Ling, Zi Yan said with some pride, "This is an ability that can only be used recently, and the distance cannot be too far, only a short distance, and if I don't get out quickly, I will be forcibly expelled from the space. As my strength improves, this feeling of rejection will continue to decrease, until I can fully master the ability to travel through space. By then, it won't matter even if I sleep in the cracks of space."
Xiao Ling replied with some sigh: "Your spatial talent is really terrifying." But he muttered in his heart: "As expected of you, you are the royal bloodline of the Taixu Ancient Dragon. You are really the darling of space."
When Qing Lin heard Xiao Ling's praise for Zi Yan, she remembered Zi Yan's strong strength and talent, and couldn't help but murmur in her heart: "Young Master and Sister Zi Yan are so outstanding, can I stay with them forever?"
Seeing the hint of loss in Qing Lin's eyes, Xiao Ling didn't quite understand what was going on, but after thinking about it for a while, he roughly guessed what Qing Lin was thinking.
Walking forward and touching Qing Lin's little head, Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Qing Lin, I want to tell you a good news. I had some suspicions when I first saw you in the Desert Metal Mercenary Group. After observing you for the past few days, I found that you have awakened the legendary Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils ."
Tilting her head, Qing Lin asked curiously, "Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils? Young Master, why haven't I heard of it before? Is it a very powerful ability?"
Nodding, Xiao Ling replied softly, "The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupil is a strange pupil that almost only appears in the offspring of humans and snake people. The reason is that the hybrid of snake people and humans accidentally activated the bloodline of the snake people's ancestor, the Heavenly Snake Emperor. The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupil can make people hallucinate, and can easily control most snake-shaped monsters. It can also open up space in the pupil and take monsters or people into the space. The strength of the monsters or people taken into the space will be slowly absorbed by the user, but the swallowing speed is very slow and there is a strength limit."
Zi Yan, who was standing by, was very surprised when she heard this. She didn't expect that this newly recognized sister was so extraordinary.
Qing Lin was very happy when she heard Xiao Ling's description, and said, "I didn't expect Qing Lin to be so lucky to have this physique. When Qing Lin becomes stronger in the future, she will be able to help the young master."
Hearing that Qing Lin actually thought of helping him first, Xiao Ling felt a little guilty and asked Qing Lin, "Qing Lin, don't you blame me for taking you away from the Desert Metal Mercenary Group because I saw your talent?"
"Qing Lin will be very happy as long as I can help the young master. It is the young master who makes Qing Lin feel cared for. Moreover, Qing Lin does not sense any malice towards Qing Lin from the young master's eyes. Instead, he feels pity for her. So no matter what, Qing Lin wants to stay with the young master." Hearing Xiao Ling's question, Qing Lin spoke without thinking.
Looking at Qing Lin's innocent eyes, Xiao Ling was deeply touched. He reached out and touched Qing Lin's little head, and said seriously: "Don't worry, as long as Qing Lin is willing to stay with me, no one can take you away from me."
Feeling the warm touch coming from the top of his head and listening to Xiao Ling's serious words, Qing Lin felt full of security, as if no matter what difficulties or dangers she encountered, there would always be someone to protect her.
Seeing this, Zi Yan narrowed her eyes, interrupted the conversation between the two, and changed the subject: "Xiao Ling, Xiao Ling, what is Old Hai doing? Why is he sitting there motionless?"
Hearing Zi Yan's question, Xiao Ling withdrew his hand from Qing Lin's head. Qing Lin, who was originally enjoying Xiao Ling's touch, suddenly felt the hand on her head disappear. She glanced in Zi Yan's direction with some resentment.
Xiao Ling said to Zi Yan, "Mr. Hai is now refining the Breaking Adversity Pill. Once the pill takes effect, he will be able to recover to his former Dou Huang level. However, because he has been sealed for decades, it is highly likely that he will not be able to recover to his previous peak state."
After a slight pause, Xiao Ling turned his gaze in the direction of Hai Bodong and said meaningfully: "You must watch Hai Bodong carefully later. After his strength is restored, his appearance will instantly become several dozen years younger. This situation is very rare. If you miss this opportunity, you may never see it again in the future."
After hearing what Xiao Ling said was so magical, Zi Yan and Qing Lin also became interested and turned their eyes to Hai Bodong who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the room.
...
The quiet atmosphere lasted for about ten minutes, but was broken by a circle of violent energy ripples.
On the ice platform, Hai Bodong, who had been silent, suddenly began to tremble violently. Fierce energy ripples spread rapidly from his body. Wherever the energy ripples passed, the surrounding tables and icicles were shattered.
Xiao Ling narrowed his eyes and looked at the rapidly approaching energy ripples. His heart moved as he wished. The Golden Emperor's Burning Sky Flame in his body quickly appeared in front of Xiao Ling and protected the three of them. The blazing golden flames burned all the spreading energy ripples into nothingness.
Hai Bodong on the ice platform seemed unaware of the damage he had caused. His body trembled violently for a while, and his old face suddenly tensed up. A strange dark green energy rapidly condensed on his forehead. After a moment, it formed a tiny dark green energy serpentine pattern... The serpentine pattern coiled on Hai Bodong's forehead, sealing the surging Dou Qi in his body.
At the moment the snake pattern appeared, lavender energy slowly swirled up from Hai Bodong's neck. In just a blink of an eye, it began to come into contact with the small dark green snake.
The contact between the two fierce energies caused the previous waves of energy ripples.
The purple energy and the dark green snake pattern were in a stalemate on Hai Bodong's forehead, moving up and down. The faint light released by the two energies made Hai Bodong's face look quite strange. In addition, the intense pain caused by the competition between the two energies in such an important position in the brain also made Hai Bodong's face slightly distorted. He looked ferocious.
With his fingers crossed in front of him, Xiao Ling raised his head and stared closely at Hai Bodong, whose face was emitting two colors of light. He was a little curious in his heart whether this so-called Breaking Adversity Pill had the power to break the seal set by Queen Medusa.
The purple and green energies were stuck in a stalemate on Hai Bodong's face, but after nearly half an hour, the dark green snake pattern finally dimmed a little. Obviously, this so-called Breaking Adversity Pill seemed to have the miraculous effect of restraining this seal.
"Tsk tsk, this Breaking Adversity Pill is really good... If I get the chance in the future, I must prepare some for myself, otherwise, if I get sealed by someone one day, I'd better have some foundation." Looking at the snake pattern that was getting dimmer and dimmer in the purple light, Xiao Ling's eyes lit up and he chuckled.
Seeing this, Zi Yan said with some regret, "If we let Sister Medusa remove the seal on Old Man Hai, we can save the ingredients for a set of sixth-grade pills. It will be enough for me to eat for half a day."
After patting Zi Yan's little head, Xiao Ling said with some amusement: "I don't have such a big face in front of your sister Medusa."
Thinking of Medusa, Zi Yan said curiously, "I wonder if Sister Medusa can successfully break through to Dou Zong after taking that Breaking Sect Pill."
Qing Lin, who was standing by, heard Xiao Ling and Zi Yan discussing Medusa, and asked curiously, "Young Master and Sister Zi Yan, do you know the queen of the snake people, Medusa?"
Nodding slightly, Zi Yan replied, "I met her not long ago. At that time, Xiao Ling went to the snake tribe to exchange a sand datura in order to refine the pill for Old Man Hai. I also met Sister Medusa at that time. Sister Medusa was very kind and gave me several medicinal herbs..."
Qing Lin and Zi Yan started chatting on the side, while Xiao Ling continued to focus his attention on Hai Bodong and observed the changes in his body.
With the help of its restraining effect, the purple energy slowly expelled the territory occupied by the snake pattern. When it was gradually driving the latter from the top of Hai Bodong's forehead, the purple energy suddenly surged up with a fierce force, and actually squeezed the snake pattern out of Hai Bodong's head.
As soon as the snake pattern left Hai Bodong's head, it trembled violently, then turned into a puff of green smoke and dissipated.
The moment the snake pattern left the body, Hai Bodong's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and a gleam of light shot out from his eyes as if it were real. A fierce aura, like an awakening lion, burst out from his body that had been deeply suppressed for nearly decades.
Under this powerful momentum, the ice crystal layers deep underground actually began to expand.
Hai Bodong was sitting cross-legged, with a white light emanating from his body, spreading throughout his entire body, like shattered ice crystals.
The face of the elderly man turned into that of a handsome middle-aged man with white hair.
His white beard and eyebrows fluttered slightly in the wind, making him look indescribably cool and confident.
"Haha, this damn seal is finally gone! I am the Dou Huang again!" Hai Bodong stepped on the ice platform, and his body was suspended in the air like lightning. His face was filled with ecstasy, and he raised his head and laughed wildly. "I have never felt so refreshed!"
The violent sound waves, carried by the fighting spirit, caused the surrounding cracked ice to explode with a loud bang.
After laughing wildly for a long while, Hai Bodong in mid-air stopped laughing and cast his gleaming eyes towards Xiao Ling and the other two who were sitting on the chairs below.
Xiao Ling also stood up and nodded towards Hai Bodong with a smile, but his soul perception was locked on Hai Bodong. If Hai Bodong wanted to take action, Xiao Ling was confident that he could take him down instantly with his strength just recovered to the second star of Dou Huang.
After flying in the sky for a while, Hai Bodong slowly landed in front of Xiao Ling and the other two, and said cheerfully: "Thank you Master Xiao Ling for refining the Breaking Adversity Pill for me. This has restored my cultivation to Dou Huang 2nd Star."
Hai Bodong obviously had no intention of having any bad intentions towards Xiao Ling. Now that he knew the approximate origin of the incomplete map fragment and had an idea of its approximate value, it would be more cost-effective to make friends with Xiao Ling, a young sixth-rank alchemist, than to go to great lengths to snatch away a incomplete map fragment. Moreover, with his four-star Dou Wang and the combat power of the Heavenly Flame, and the help of the little girl at the peak of the Dou Wang level, he might not be able to subdue the two of them with his newly recovered two-star Dou Huang cultivation, let alone snatch the incomplete Heavenly Flame map fragment from them.
Xiao Ling responded: "Congratulations, Mr. Hai, on regaining your Dou Huang cultivation. From now on, I will call you the "Ice Emperor."
Waving his hands, Hai Bodong said with a smile: "I am not worthy of the title of Master Xiao Ling. Please call me Old Hai from now on."
The two chatted for a while, and Xiao Ling asked first: "Now that Old Hai has recovered his Dou Huang cultivation, he will also leave this Black Rock City, right?"
"I stayed here originally mainly to study the Incomplete map fragment and find a way to break the seal. Now that the seal has been broken, there is naturally no reason to stay here any longer." Hai Bodong nodded, glanced at the smiling Xiao Ling, and couldn't help but say: "Master Xiao Ling, do you need my help? As long as it is within my ability, I, Hai Bodong, will do my best to help you."
Shaking his head slightly, Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Nothing else, but I have to stay in the Tager Desert for a while. When Hai Lao returns to the imperial capital, please take care of my family for me. We have just moved back to the imperial capital, so there will definitely be many inconveniences. My Xiao family doesn't have any strong people in charge now, so I'm afraid some short-sighted people will have some crooked thoughts."
Patting his chest, Hai Bodong answered seriously: "I promised to take care of your family in the imperial capital before. I, Hai Bodong, have not forgotten this. Don't worry, in the Jia Ma Empire, no one dares to underestimate the importance of a Dou Huang strongman."
After hearing what Hai Bodong said, Xiao Ling nodded in satisfaction and said, "With Old Hai's promise, I feel relieved. I'm sure that when Old Hai returns to the imperial capital, it will definitely surprise many people."
With a Dou Huang powerhouse like Hai Bodong taking care of the Xiao family, even if the Soul Palace guardians wanted to have the Yunlan Sect's people attack the Xiao family, they would have to consider the consequences.
Shaking his head, Xiao Ling thought helplessly: "As long as the Soul Clan remains standing, the Xiao family will never be safe. But this is all I can do now. Let's talk about the future later."
Since he didn't want to continue staying in Black Rock City as a map vendor, after the discussion, Hai Bodong left the city alone early the next morning and flew towards the imperial capital.
Hai Bodong did not take away anything from the small shop where he had stayed for decades. As he said, perhaps one day in the future, tired of disputes, he might come back here again and spend the rest of his life in complete peace.