Chapter 61: Journey into the Depths of the Desert

Haidong Haibo nodded and said in a deep voice, "Indeed, I have gathered some intelligence regarding Heavenly Flames. However, you surely didn't agree to refine medicinal pills for me solely for such an uncertain prospect. If that were truly the case, I am certain you would have already taken my storage ring; there would be no need for such superfluous questioning."

"Clever. For certain reasons, I will travel to the Capital a little over a year from now to attend the Alchemist Grand Ceremony. Once you recover your cultivation, I would like to request you to act as my bodyguard for a period of time until the grand ceremony concludes. After all, making a friend is always better than making an enemy, wouldn't you agree?" Xiaose smiled and replied calmly.

"A Dou Huang acting as a bodyguard—you certainly have a vivid imagination." Haibo Dong sighed, pondering for a moment. As a strange sense of relaxation washed over him, he smiled bitterly and said, "You win. After all, I no longer have a choice, do I?"

"Then it's a pleasant cooperation. The medicinal pill inside the jade bottle is a peak Tier 3 pill known as the Tendon-Mending Pill. It possesses miraculous efficacy in healing bone fractures and ligament injuries. Consider this my deposit." Smiling casually, Xiaose tossed the medicinal pill toward Haibo Dong.

Upon seeing the pill, Haibo Dong could not help but roll his eyes internally, cursing furiously in his heart, *Whose fault was it that my bones were broken in the first place?*

"This is the map regarding the Heavenly Flames. Three points are marked on it, indicating locations where Heavenly Flames are most likely to exist. As for the one furthest to the west, I strongly advise you not to visit it, as it lies extremely close to Queen Medusa's territory." After ingesting the Tendon-Mending Pill, Haibo Dong recovered a certain degree of mobility, retrieved a map from his storage ring, and handed it to Xiaose.

Xiaose took the map, inspected it, and nodded in satisfaction upon seeing the flame symbols marking the three locations. "In that case, I shall take my leave now."

With those words, Xiaose turned to depart.

"Wait..." Behind Xiaose, Haibo Dong's aged voice sounded once again.

"Is there anything else?" Xiaose turned around and asked with feigned astonishment.

"The seal within my body was cast by Queen Medusa and can only be undone with a Break-Jury Pill. However, it still lacks a crucial medicinal ingredient called the Desert Mandragora, which can only be found deep within the Tagoer Desert. Because of the seal in my body, the moment I step into the Tagoer Desert, Queen Medusa will sense it... Therefore..." By the end of his sentence, even Haibo Dong felt his old face burning with embarrassment.

"You are afraid of Queen Medusa, and yet you think I am not? Traveling deep into the Tagoer Desert on your behalf to harvest the Desert Mandragora—that entails risking my life," Xiaose shrugged, speaking with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Haibo Dong's cheek twitched upon hearing this, and he curled his lips. "Once my cultivation is restored, apart from protecting you until the end of the Alchemist Grand Ceremony, I will owe you an additional personal favor. The favor of a Dou Huang expert should at least be worth this much."

"Hehe, well said, well said..." Xiaose chuckled softly and turned to walk out of the hidden chamber.

Watching Xiaose's receding figure, the corners of Haibo Dong's mouth twitched once more. He spat onto the ground and muttered with unconcealed annoyance, "Bah, what an utterly shrewd fellow who won't scatter the eagles until he sees the rabbit..."

Pondering for a moment, Haibo Dong's expression gradually grew solemn. "Yet, this kid looks to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. Such a remarkably young Tier 2 alchemist, coupled with that mysterious secret technique that suddenly elevated his strength to the Dou Huang realm... Just who on earth is his mysterious master?"

Having obtained the map containing the Heavenly Flames intelligence and the complete remnant map of the Lotus Demonic Flame from Haibo Dong, Xiaose left the ancient map shop in satisfaction and embarked on a new journey.

"Brother, wouldn't it have been simpler to just kill him and take his storage ring right then and there? Why go through all this trouble? That Medusa sounds extremely dangerous," Hong Kui's gentle voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Hehe, of course she's dangerous. She is a peak Dou Huang expert, and among her peers, she is practically unrivaled. It's hard to say how you would fare against her in your present spiritual state," Xiaose replied casually with a smile.

"Then why must Brother take the risk of searching for the Desert Mandragora for him? If it's just to protect Brother, Longkui alone is enough," Hong Kui pouted inside the Demonic Sword, sounding somewhat displeased.

Sensing that Hong Kui was throwing a minor temper tantrum, Xiaose smiled and explained, "Longkui, sometimes brute force isn't the only way to solve a problem. In this world, there is a powerful faction called the Soul Clan. They scour the realms collecting souls to plunder their spiritual origins. If the Soul Clan were to notice Longkui, it would undoubtedly bring immense trouble, and we would be forced to flee everywhere. The reason I sought out Haibo Dong is simply to avoid unnecessary complications. Besides, don't you think having a Dou Huang as a bodyguard is rather impressive?"

"That may be true, but I still don't trust that Haibo Dong. Brother, when you refine the Break-Jury Pill, let me add a little something extra for him," Hong Kui said cautiously.

"Longkui, what do you have in mind?" Xiaose's eyes lit up at these words. Originally, his plan was to incorporate a sliver of the Green Lotus Core Flame's seed flame into the Break-Jury Pill just in case. Since Hong Kui had a method, that would be even better.

"Hehe, back in the Pagoda of the Suppressed Demons, I once killed a Blood Demon and learned a cursed demonic art called the Blood Curse from him. This demonic art poses little threat to most demons within the pagoda, but to humans, it is fatal. Once infected by this art, as long as the master wills it, the victim's entire bloodstream will reverse and rush straight to their head, causing them to bleed to death," Hong Kui explained with a smile.

"That certainly sounds like the handiwork of a demon." Hearing Longkui's words, Xiaose shivered involuntarily. Having all the blood in one's body rush to the head—the manner of death alone was agonizing enough, and he imagined their eyeballs would likely pop right out of their sockets.

Before long, Xiaose arrived at a bustling district in Moco City. He first visited an apothecary to purchase some snake-repellent medicine, then scoured other shops for a vast quantity of supplies until several low-grade storage rings were packed to the brim. Following the directions of a passerby, he finally found an inn and settled down for the night.

This expedition into the Tagoer Desert would not be a brief affair; it could last anywhere from a few months to half a year or more. To find a Heavenly Flame, one had to be fully equipped with adequate fresh water and food. Otherwise, instead of finding a Heavenly Flame, one might simply end up starving or dying of thirst in the desert.

The long night stretched on without sleep. Amidst quiet cultivation, the darkness slowly gave way. The blazing sun once again unleashed its intense heat, shrouding the entire earth in a scorching embrace.

Early in the morning, Xiaose awoke from his slumber, lazily stretched his limbs, roused Hong Kui from within his embrace, put away the Vast Sea Protective Barrier, and stepped out of the inn.

"May everything go smoothly."

Standing at the entrance of the inn, Xiaose let out a sigh of reflection. He thoroughly checked all his belongings, confirming nothing essential had been forgotten, and then tightened the straps of the Demonic Sword on his back.

Amidst the awe-filled gazes of the city guards, he walked out of Moco City. Gazing at the boundless golden desert before him, Xiaose took a deep breath, donned his familiar black robe once again, and commenced his journey into the desert...

[Author's Note: Omitted chapter restored]

[End of Chapter]