BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

To ensure Qing Lin's body could recover properly, Xiao Yan decided to stay in Black Rock City for an extra month. Once she had fully recuperated, he finally made the decision to set off for the Tager Desert—this time, bringing Qing Lin along.

Worried that she might not be able to handle the harsh desert environment, he even specially refined a batch of pills. These pills didn't have any major effects; they simply gave the user a cool sensation—perfect for staying comfortable in the heat.

Over the course of that month, though Xiao Yan had spent much of his time caring for Qing Lin, he never neglected his own cultivation. By his own assessment, the strength of his Dou Qi had already reached the level of a Two-Star Dou Wang.

In the Jia Ma Empire, that was already a remarkable level of strength, enough to qualify for a spot among the so-called "Top Ten Experts." But Xiao Yan wasn't interested in such hollow fame. He understood all too well that those rankings were only for show—one could easily stumble upon a hidden Dou Huang living in seclusion in some remote corner of the continent.

While Dou Wang advancement couldn't match the rapid pace of earlier ranks, Xiao Yan's cultivation speed still allowed him to steadily improve by one or two stars every few months. At this rate, he estimated that within two years, he'd be ready to attempt breaking through to the Dou Huang level.

A twelve- or thirteen-year-old Dou Huang—if news of that got out, it would shake the entire continent. Even in the Central Plains, such a genius would be an absolute rarity. He'd be considered exceptional even among the ancient clans blessed with Dou Di bloodlines.

Of course, if Xiao Yan could find and successfully devour another Heavenly Flame, it would greatly accelerate his progress.

"Heavenly Flames, huh..." Xiao Yan sighed softly. The lower-ranked ones were manageable, but the higher-ranked Heavenly Flames were almost all monopolized by ancient clans. Apart from the mysterious top-ranked flame, only the third-ranked Purifying Lotus Demon Flame and the fifth-ranked Flame of Vitality weren't held by ancient powers.

The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was notoriously difficult to subdue. If not for the luck of gathering the broken map pieces in his past life, he wouldn't have stood a chance at refining it. As for the Flame of Vitality... its whereabouts were completely unknown. He vaguely recalled hearing that Old Man Shennong once possessed it, but after the Yao Clan was wiped out, the flame had vanished as well...

"Forget it. That's a problem for after I reach the Central Plains." Xiao Yan shook his head. Even if he did find one now, he didn't have the strength to tame it. It was better to take things step by step.

Because he was bringing Qing Lin along, he didn't use his Dou Qi Wings to fly directly. Instead, he bought passage on a bird-type flying beast known as the Thick-Winged Bird. Frankly, Xiao Yan disliked using such beasts—their speed was unbearably slow—but he didn't want to startle Qing Lin during the journey, so he obediently boarded the flying mount.

Had he gone to register for an official alchemist rank, he could've ridden a far higher-grade flying magical beast. But a ten-year-old alchemist would draw massive attention in the Jia Ma Empire. Even if he kept his true tier a secret and posed as a Tier 1 Alchemist, it would still cause a stir.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Xiao Yan simply kept things low-key and traveled with Qing Lin via the Thick-Winged Bird. Unlike him, who found the whole ride boring, Qing Lin was thrilled. It was her first time leaving home, and even more exciting, her first time flying.

"Young Master Xiao Yan, where are we going this time?" Qing Lin asked, her eyes fixed on the view outside the window.

"Tager Desert. I'm planning to train there for a while and look for something," Xiao Yan replied with a touch of helplessness.

At first, Qing Lin had called him "My Lord," but he disliked that title, so he had her change it. He'd considered having her call him "big brother," but that brought up memories of Hun Daier from his past life, so he settled on "Young Master Xiao Yan" instead. And thus, Qing Lin became his little maid.

That title stirred some strange emotions in Xiao Yan. He had been a young master of a small clan in both lives, yet he'd never truly experienced the lifestyle of a privileged noble. Surprisingly, this time he was actually getting a taste of it...

Truthfully, Xiao Yan didn't really need a maidservant. After so many years of solitary training, he was used to hardship. He'd only bought Qing Lin because of her Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils, not expecting her to be of much use. But once she began recovering, she insisted on helping with everything, so he let her do as she pleased and take on a few light chores.

Upon hearing the name "Tager Desert," Qing Lin involuntarily trembled. Xiao Yan knew she was thinking about the snake people who lived there. Despite having their bloodline in her veins, her childhood experiences had made her deeply averse to them.

"Don't worry. If we run into any snake people, I'll drive them away for you." Xiao Yan gently ruffled her hair with a smile. With his current strength, unless they encountered Queen Medusa herself, he had nothing to fear. And even if they did, he was confident he could get Qing Lin out safely.

"As long as I'm with you, Young Master Xiao Yan, I'm not afraid of going anywhere." Qing Lin shook her head firmly, her voice resolute.

Hearing those words, Xiao Yan was briefly stunned. Someone else had once said something similar to him long ago... Who was it?

"As long as Teacher is here, even hell doesn't scare me."

That's right... it was that girl who had once bowed to him as her master—someone who had trusted him so deeply... and whom he had personally killed in the end.

"Young Master Xiao Yan!" Qing Lin's voice pulled him from his thoughts. Startled, he returned to the present and gave a bitter smile. 'Looks like that illusion from the Netherworld Poison Flame still affected me... Otherwise, I wouldn't be so emotional now.'

Qing Lin looked up at him worriedly. "Young Master Xiao Yan, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell? Should you take a rest?"

"It's nothing." Xiao Yan shook his head and smiled. "Just remembered something from the past, that's all."

He wasn't keen on continuing that line of thought, so he quickly changed the subject. "I'll be focusing on training for the next while. Food is packed in the bag. If you get bored, you can go out and play a bit—but not too late, okay? Make sure you're back before nightfall."

The more he spoke, the more something felt off.

'Why does this feel like I'm raising a daughter...?'

(End of Chapter)

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