"Spiritual Recovery Purple Pill?" Hai Bodong's eyes instantly lit up.
Back in the day, his strength had reached the level of a five-star Dou Huang. However, due to his cultivation being sealed for many years, even though the seal was lifted, his power had diminished by a few stars. He had no idea when he would fully recover. Now, a small pill could solve this problem, so how could he not be excited?
"Hehe, rest assured, little brother, from now on, your matters are my matters. Just let me know whenever you need me," Hai Bodong said, pocketing the herb list with a smile, his old face full of flattery.
Seeing the once imposing and cold Hai Bodong instantly change his face, Xiao Se couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth. He turned and headed towards the exit of the chamber, casually saying, "Now that the old gentleman has regained his strength as a Dou Huang, I assume you won't be running this old map shop anymore. Let's head out!"
"Are we going directly to the capital?" Hai Bodong nodded slightly and then asked.
Xiao Se paused, shook his head, and said, "No, there's still a long time before the Alchemist Grand Meeting begins. Let's head back to Wutan City first. I need to handle some personal matters before going to the capital."
On the flying magical beast from Desert City to Black Rock City.
Hai Bodong sat back in a lounge chair with a face full of dissatisfaction, grumbling, "This flying beast is so slow! I don't get it. With your strength, why not just fly there directly? It wouldn't take much time at all."
"You've fought me before, so you should know my true cultivation is only that of a Dou Shi. I can't sustain flight over long distances using Dou Techniques. Although I can temporarily boost my strength to Dou Huang with a secret technique, that technique consumes a lot of soul power. After helping you refine that sixth-grade Breaking Adversity Pill, my soul power is already somewhat depleted. If you don't care about the Spiritual Recovery Purple Pill, we can just fly over instead," Xiao Se shrugged and responded nonchalantly.
"Ugh..." Hai Bodong's mouth twitched. He laughed awkwardly, "In that case, the flying beast is just fine. No need to tire ourselves out."
"Hmm," Xiao Se nodded slightly and closed his eyes, ending the conversation.
After a few hours on the flying beast, a large black figure suddenly streaked across the sky.
Xiao Se immediately opened his eyes, walked to the window, and looked out. A massive flying ship, even larger than most flying magical beast, came into view. Vaguely, he could see a black-robed figure on top of the ship.
"What is that?" A look of surprise flashed in Xiao Se's eyes. He could sense an aura from the black-robed figure no less powerful than Hai Bodong's.
"That's Pill King Gu He's flying ship. Judging by the direction, they seem to be heading toward the Tager Desert. The black-robed figure on top is likely a Dou Huang, with three Dou Wangs and over a dozen Dou Lings in their group. Such a force...what are they up to?" Hai Bodong's voice came from beside him as he looked at the flying ship, lost in thought.
Alchemy King Gu He?
Hearing those words, Xiao Se smiled wryly and softly said, "I think they're heading to the Tager Desert in search of the Heavenly Flame."
"The Heavenly Flame?" Hai Bodong was briefly puzzled but quickly understood. He smirked, "Well, they'll be disappointed. The Heavenly Flame has already been refined by you. It's a wasted trip."
"That's true," Xiao Se nodded without denying it.
If his guess was correct, the black-robed figure on the ship was none other than Yun Yun.
At that moment, Xiao Se felt a sudden bite on his waist, making him take a sharp breath in pain. The next second, Medusa's delicate voice echoed in his mind, "Human, find a way to stop Gu He and his people from entering the Tager Desert. The queen will owe you a favor."
With Gu He making such a grand entrance, how could Medusa not know the reason? She probably suspected that they thought the Heavenly Flame was with the Snake-People Tribe and were coming to retrieve it. Without her in the Snake-People's Holy City, the tribe would be in chaos if Gu He's group showed up.
"I say, Queen, next time just say something. No need for biting. It hurts!" Xiao Se helplessly conveyed through his mind.
"Less talk, get to the work!" Medusa urged angrily.
"Alright, alright. Don't forget, apart from protecting me when my life is in danger, you owe me a favor now too. And no more random biting..." Xiao Se responded, exasperated.
"I will not. If you don't hurry up.!" Medusa cut him off.
Xiao Se grimaced. In his mind, he vowed that when Medusa regained her human form, he would strip her and teach her a lesson.
"Old Hai, I remember you owe me a favor in addition to protecting me, right?" Xiao Se turned, smiling at Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong nodded, then looked at the flying ship disappearing into the distance. His face became confused, "You're not thinking of..."
Xiao Se smiled, shook his head, and said, "Don't worry. I'm not bold enough to make a move on Gu He. The Heavenly Flame has already been refined by me. I just don't want them to waste their time."
"Uh..." Hai Bodong was taken aback. After pondering for a moment, he said reluctantly, "I don't quite understand you. You're not the kind of person who enjoys meddling in other people's business. But oh well, since I owe you, let's go. It's not that big of a deal."
With that, Hai Bodong jumped out of the window, and Xiao Se followed, putting on a half-mask as he went.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them spread their wings, shooting into the sky like two streams of blue and green light, rapidly heading towards Gu He's flying ship.
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On Pill King Gu He's flying ship.
The black-robed figure on the ship's top suddenly opened his eyes, speaking in a cold and indifferent voice, "Two people are following us. One is a Dou Huang, and the other seems to be concealing their strength with some secret technique."
"A Dou Huang?"
Upon hearing these words, Gu He, Lion King Yan Shi, Wind Walker Feng Li, and the over ten Dou Spirit experts in the cabin all looked serious.
"Master Yun, can you tell if they are friend or foe?" Gu He asked the black-robed figure solemnly.
The figure replied indifferently, "I didn't sense any hostility."
Gu He and the others sighed in relief. Being followed by a Dou Huang and an unknown person wasn't something to take lightly.
Before long, Xiao Se and Hai Bodong landed at the bow of the flying ship.
Gu He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I am Gu He, Pill King of the Jia Ma Empire. May I ask what brings you two here?"
At his words, aside from the black-robed figure on top of the ship, Lion King Yan Shi, Wind Walker Feng Li, and the others all bowed in respect.
A Dou Huang-level expert was deserving of such respect.
"Why? Gu He, Feng Li, Yan Shi... You all forgot about me after just a few years?" Hai Bodong laughed heartily.
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