Chapter 58: Playing a Peak Match Against Hai Bodong (Part 1)

Chapter 58: Playing a Peak Match with Haibodong (Part 1)

After packing all his belongings and ensuring nothing was left behind, Xiaose hoisted the Demonic Sword onto his back and walked over to the window. With a soft rustle, the Purple Cloud Wings tightly pressed against his back unfolded.

Flapping the Purple Cloud Wings slightly, Xiaose jumped straight out of the window. The fierce whistling of the wind rushed past his ears. With a shake of his wings, purple-cyan Dou Qi covered the surface of his body. He turned and floated in mid-air, gazing at the massive winged flying magical beast slowly drifting across the sky above. Xiaose smiled faintly, paused for a moment, and then surged upward in speed, transforming into a purple-cyan arc of light that vanished into the horizon.

A short while later, Xiaose arrived above the peculiar building he had spotted earlier. Only when he saw the two characters "Ancient Map" inscribed on the plaque did he confirm he had found the right place.

He landed silently not far from the Ancient Map shop. Waves of heat washed over him. Xiaose narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked toward the residence where Haibodong was located, the corners of his mouth curving upward into a slight smile as he muttered to himself, "It takes no effort to find what one is looking for. The remnant map of the Lotus of Pure Demonic Flame, here I come, young master."

With that thought, Xiaose walked straight into the Ancient Map shop.

Strolling at a leisurely pace, Xiaose finally stepped into the antique map store.

Walking slowly into the shop, Xiaose swept his gaze across the interior without leaving a trace. When he saw an elderly man with his head lowered, meticulously drawing a map, he froze for a fraction of a second and thought to himself, "Could this be the Ice Emperor Haibodong? The remnant map of the Lotus of Pure Demonic Flame and the intelligence on the Heart-Burning Green Lotus—what a tremendous stroke of fortune."

He forcefully suppressed his burning impatience to acquire the other half of the Pure Demonic Flame remnant map and the intelligence on the Heavenly Flame directly from the old man.

Just as Xiaose was about to search for the half-remnant map placed on the counter, Long Kui's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, "Elder brother, this old man drawing maps is no ordinary person. Judging by the grading system of this world, he seems to be a Dou Huang powerhouse, but his strength appears to be suppressed down to the Dou Ling level due to some kind of seal within his body."

Her voice was ethereal and melodious, yet carried a hint of a chivalrous heroine's tone. Clearly, this was Red Kui's voice.

"Mm, I know. Don't startle the snake in the grass just yet," Xiaose replied inwardly, nodding slightly.

He then put on a nonchalant expression, letting his gaze sweep casually across the piles of maps on the counter. Picking up map after map, he examined them with feigned interest, turning them over and over. Before long, in a weathered wooden shelf in the corner of the shop, he finally found the half-remnant map placed there by Haibodong.

Blinking his eyes, Xiaose picked up the half of the tattered map with slightly trembling fingers. His breathing grew a bit hurried as he thought, "I've finally found it."

"Elder brother. This half-remnant map seems to come from the exact same one you obtained in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It radiates a very dense soul aura," Long Kui's soft voice echoed in his mind once more.

Xiaose smiled, feeling a mild surge of excitement. Suppressing the urge to toss it straight into his system inventory, he held the half-remnant map and walked slowly toward Haibodong, stopping when he was five meters away.

At that exact moment, Haibodong had just finished the work at hand. Still without raising his head, an aged and calm voice slowly resonated through the shop, asking indifferently, "Are you here to buy maps?"

Hearing Haibodong's words, Xiaose raised an eyebrow. After selecting a suitable map from the side, he nodded with a smile and spoke quite politely, "Old sir, I would like this map of the Tagoer Desert as well as this remnant map. May I ask how much they cost?"

"Remnant map?" Upon hearing Xiaose's question, Haibodong's body stiffened. The exquisite drafting pen in his hand snapped instantly. His gaze shifted slightly, falling upon the remnant map in Xiaose's hand, and a trace of desolation flashed across his aged face.

Just as he was about to refuse the sale, he caught sight of the tier-2 alchemist emblem on Xiaose's chest. A hint of surprise flickered in his murky, aged eyes. As his gaze swept over Xiaose's youthful face, that astonishment was instantly replaced by shock. He took a deep breath and sighed inwardly, "Such a young tier-2 alchemist!"

Following the brief shock, Haibodong quickly returned to his previous expression of undisturbed tranquility, saying indifferently, "Young man, have you ever seen this kind of remnant map before?"

Xiaose smiled calmly and replied, "I haven't seen this exact one before, but I feel a sense of fate connecting us. If the old sir is willing to part with it, I am willing to pay a heavy price to purchase it."

"Not for sale." Hearing this, Haibodong lowered his head once more and resumed drawing his map.

No matter how young a tier-2 alchemist might be, as long as he couldn't help him refine the tier-6 Breaking Spirit Pill, he was nothing more than a piece of trash in Haibodong's eyes.

"Hehe, old sir, you haven't even asked what kind of price I am offering. Perhaps I really can produce something that will make your heart skip a beat," Xiaose had no intention of putting the remnant map down. Instead, he brushed the dust off its surface and said with a beaming smile.

Hearing Xiaose's chuckle, Haibodong knew that the youth was dead set on obtaining this half-remnant map. He waved his hand dismissively and said coldly, "Little fellow, let me give you one final piece of advice: don't harbor any designs on my map. While it is true that your talent is extraordinary for you to have advanced to a tier-2 alchemist at this age, don't entertain any thoughts of seizing it by force. The waters outside are deep, far too deep for a greenhorn like you to navigate."

"Indeed, in front of a former Dou Huang powerhouse, my tiny tier-2 alchemist self is indeed just a greenhorn. However, the old sir is hardly far from being on his deathbed himself," Xiaose slowly exhaled, delivering a remark that could practically kill a person dead on the spot.

"Crack!" Another drafting pen in Haibodong's hand snapped in half. With a heavy slam of his large palm, the wooden desk collapsed into ruins. He suddenly glared at Xiaose, a trace of chilling intent lingering within his murky, aged eyes. The temperature in the entire room seemed to drop by several degrees.

"Just who on earth are you?"

A piercing chill spread outward from beneath Haibodong's feet, and a layer of frost instantly coated the ground.

Just as the frost was about to reach Xiaose, a ball of purple-cyan flame suddenly erupted from within his body, surging outward to lock in a stalemate against the frost formed by Haibodong's chilling intent.

"Purple-cyan flames... Could this be a Heavenly Flame? No, this power is far inferior to a Heavenly Flame; it's more like the beast flame of that magical beast from the Gaima royal family, at best just slightly stronger. Who on earth is this kid?" Witnessing the sudden eruption of purple-cyan flames from Xiaose, Haibodong felt a slight shock in his heart, followed by irrepressible astonishment. "Kid, I wouldn't have guessed that someone as young as you would possess such a peculiar item. Who is your teacher?"

"Hehe, my teacher is used to living like a wild crane drifting through the clouds; he doesn't care for others to know his name." Xiaose shrugged lightly. He wasn't foolish enough to reveal his secrets. He raised the half-remnant map in his hand slightly and smiled, "Old sir, I know that due to certain reasons your cultivation has dropped from Dou Huang down to Dou Ling, so I have no intention of making things difficult for you. I'll repeat my question: are you willing to make this exchange?"

"Not make things difficult for me... Hehe." Hearing Xiaose's words, Haibodong sneered coldly. Since when had he, the Ice Emperor Haibodong, been reduced to accepting pity from others?

With that, chilling qi surged all over his body, and an imposing aura even more formidable than before spread outward from within him. A trace of anger played at the corners of his mouth as he demanded, "So you're saying you've got me completely cornered."