BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: If You Don’t Pay, It’s Not Buying



The journey by air proceeded without incident. After all, they were flying at altitudes above a thousand meters—if anything went wrong and the beast crashed, everyone would perish together. So regardless of how arrogant or unruly a passenger was, they behaved themselves throughout the flight. After all, there weren't many like Xiao Yan—someone who could already fly with Dou Qi Wings yet still chose this kind of transportation.

The moment they set foot in the Tager Desert, a wave of scorching heat swept over Xiao Yan. The intense heat and dryness made many passengers grumble the moment they disembarked from the flying beast. But Xiao Yan was different. He breathed in the burning air with a faint sense of exhilaration.

The air in the Tager Desert was rich in fire-attribute energy. For someone like him, who cultivated fire-type Dou Qi, it was like a fish in water. If paired with special medicinal solutions like the Burning Blood Elixir, training here would definitely accelerate his progress immensely.

'I wonder if there's any Ice Spirit Cold Spring in this place…' Xiao Yan suddenly recalled the three auxiliary items Yao Lao once mentioned that could assist in refining a Heavenly Flame. At his current strength, he could refine some of the lower-ranked Heavenly Flames on his own. The other two items, aside from the Spirit Swallowing Seed, weren't absolutely necessary. Still, having them would increase his chances—a precaution worth taking.

He already had all the ingredients for the Blood Lotus Pill and was capable of refining this Tier 5 pill. All that remained was finding the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

Usually, such springs only appeared in extremely cold places. However, as the saying goes, extremes give rise to their opposites. In rare cases, they could appear in scorching environments as well. Xiao Yan didn't have time to go looking in frozen regions, but taking a chance in the desert? That was doable.

What surprised him, however, was Qing Lin. He had assumed her weak body would struggle with the desert climate, so he'd prepared special pills to help her endure it. But Qing Lin didn't even need them. She moved around under the blazing sun as if nothing were wrong, unlike the other travelers who were drenched in sweat. Her expression remained calm and natural.

Keep in mind, many of those travelers at least had some Dou Qi. Qing Lin, on the other hand, hadn't even begun cultivating, and she'd only recently recovered from a serious illness. For her to walk under the burning sun without issue was truly strange.

With a flicker of thought, Xiao Yan extended a strand of his soul power to scan Qing Lin. He quickly discovered a trace of cold energy flowing within her. It was this energy that protected her from the desert heat.

'So it's because of the Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils…' Xiao Yan frowned slightly. He hadn't expected that particular constitution to have such a feature. But that brought a new issue: cold energy was inherently incompatible with the destructive flame of his Annihilation Flame Eyes. If he tried to transplant the Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils, rather than enhancing the technique, it might actually weaken it.

'Well… never mind. I'll just keep nurturing her for now. Worst-case scenario, she'll become a top-tier combat force on her own.' Xiao Yan wasn't too disappointed that his earlier idea wouldn't work. The plan to amplify his Annihilation Flame Eyes with her eye technique had been a whim to begin with. He knew the strength of his own creation well—without any enhancement, it was already terrifying enough.

After paying the entry fee for two people at the city gates, Xiao Yan led Qing Lin into a city named "Desert City." Qing Lin was quickly mesmerized by the exotic buildings and bustling crowds. The architectural style and clothing here were vastly different from Black Rock City, and as someone who had never traveled far before, she was full of wide-eyed curiosity.

Once inside, Xiao Yan found a high-end inn and settled Qing Lin in. Only then did he head out again. He had already stocked up on desert essentials back in Black Rock City. This time, his goal was to find the former Ice Emperor. Just in case, he had placed a soul mark on Qing Lin, so that he'd be alerted if anything happened to her while he was away.

After searching through the city for a while, he finally located the shop named "Gu Tu." He let out a slow breath and stepped inside. The interior was nearly identical to what he remembered from his past life. Clearly, Hai Bodong hadn't changed a thing—not surprising, considering how lazy the old man was. In Xiao Yan's previous life, it had taken him ten more years to discover this place.

"Take your time. Look around yourself." The owner, a white-haired old man, sat behind the counter focused on drawing maps. His outward appearance gave no hint that he was once a mighty Dou Huang. But Xiao Yan's soul perception easily detected the concealed power within him—the kind that only someone at the Dou Huang level could possess, albeit mostly sealed.

"Do I need to pay?" Xiao Yan asked casually, pretending to leaf through some maps. Then, without fail, he plucked a small fragment of a damaged map from a pile of failures. This broken piece was only half the size of the one Xiao Yan had obtained in the Magical Beast Mountain Range—clearly, Hai Bodong had split it again, just like before.

"If you want a map, pay for it. I don't joke around," Hai Bodong said with a frown, not even looking up from his work.

"How much for this one, old sir?" Xiao Yan lifted the fragment and smiled.

"Not for sale," Hai Bodong replied sharply. He'd nearly lost his life in the desert for that fragment—there was no way he'd just sell it off.

"But you just said I could buy a map if I paid for it. What's this? Changing your mind already?" Xiao Yan asked with feigned surprise.

"Don't play word games with me, kid. I said it's not for sale, and that's final." Hai Bodong waved dismissively.

"Really not for sale?"

"Not for sale."

"Well then." Xiao Yan sighed, then casually flicked his wrist, storing the map back into his ring. "If you're not selling… I guess I'll just have to take it by force."

(End of Chapter)

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