After strolling leisurely for a while, Xiao Jue saw a map shop called "Gutu."
He entered the shop, which wasn't particularly spacious, but the faint glow of two moonstones illuminated it quite brightly.
He scanned the interior, finding it quiet and deserted, with only a few customers buying maps .
Slowly entering, Xiao Jue's gaze shifted, finally stopping at an elderly man behind the counter, his head bowed, meticulously working on a map.
The man was clearly quite old, but despite his graying hair, his withered hand, gripping the black drawing pen, remained steady and powerful.
Xiao Jue's gaze swept over the numerous maps on the counter, then he slowly made his way to an antique wooden shelf in the corner of the shop.
The wooden frame was clearly quite old, riddled with holes and rot. Atop it lay a few yellowed maps, their surface showing signs of wear and tear, suggesting they were failed attempts at creation.
Xiao Jue casually flipped through the yellowed maps, a faint musty smell hitting him. Frowning slightly, he lifted a stack of failed projects. His hand trembled slightly, and a palm-sized, tattered map suddenly fell from the pile. With a trembling hand, he
held the tattered map, which looked as if it would crumble to dust at the slightest touch. As he gazed at the mysterious routes on the yellowed map, Xiao Jue's lips curled slightly.
He had no intention of devouring the Pure Lotus Demon Fire himself in the future. It was too dangerous. A single misstep could lead to death, even if the remnant spirit of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint could erase the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's consciousness.
By collecting the complete map of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, and in exchange for the remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint within, Xiao Jue could obtain all of Xiao Yan's exotic fires, including the Pure Lotus Demon Fire he had successfully devoured.
Even in the future, if Xiao Yan inherited Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy and reached Dou Di, Xiao Jue could allow the Yin-Yang flames within him to devour the Emperor Flame's sub-flames, transforming into exotic fires as powerful as the Void Devouring Flame and the Pure Lotus Demon Fire.
Meanwhile, the white-haired elder in the shop had finally finished his work, but he still didn't look up. His aged voice echoed calmly through the room.
"Are you looking for a map of the Tagor Desert?"
"Absolutely," Xiao Jue nodded, looking at him and smiling. "Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, do you wish to unlock the Dou Qi sealed by Queen Medusa?"
"Snap!" The slowly moving ink pen in his hand suddenly snapped with a resounding sound.
The old man stared intently at the large black mark on the map. After a moment, he raised his head and stared at Xiao Jue. A hint of coldness gradually lingered in his cloudy eyes.
"Who are you?"
The old man tapped a spot on the table, and the open door suddenly slammed shut. The old man stared at Xiao Jue fiercely, and a cold, domineering aura emanated from him.
"I have a good relationship with the Mitel family," Xiao Jue chuckled. "I even refined a Douling Pill for Mitel Tengshan, so we're not enemies."
Xiao Jue shook the incomplete map of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire in his hand and said, "I have a secret method that can break the seal, but as a condition, I want the other half of the incomplete map in your hand, as well as the map you drew to find the strange fire."
"Do you know that loser Tengshan?" Hai Bodong frowned slightly and said, "But that's not enough for me to trust you."
"This is a low-level Earth-grade secret method that can break most seals. I can even refine a fifth-grade elixir, the Fu Zi Ling Dan, for you to restore your pre-sealed strength."
Xiao Jue held a scroll in his hand and threw it directly at Hai Bodong, not worrying that Hai Bodong would attack him after taking it.
Xiao Jue had recently learned two secret techniques left by the Yin-Yang Sage, both of which were low-level Earth-level techniques. Combined with the intermediate Earth-level fighting skill Void Annihilation, it was enough for him to fight against the Dou Huang.
"Unsealed a hundred times!"
Hai Bodong caught the scroll that Xiao Jue threw to him, his eyes lit up, and he asked in a deep voice: "How did you know that I had two pieces of that incomplete map in my hand? You... have seen fragments of this kind of map before? How did you know that I was looking for the strange fire?"
"These are not part of the transaction." Xiao Jue smiled: "After all, all you want is to restore your former cultivation."
"If this fighting skill is real, I owe you a favor." Hai Bodong nodded slowly, "After I remove the seal in my body, I can give you the remaining incomplete map and the map that records the possible location of the strange fire."
"It's just that the Fu Zi Ling Dan you mentioned..."
"A fifth-grade elixir, after taking it, it can completely restore some of the strength that has declined due to seals or internal injuries."
"Are you a fifth-grade alchemist?" Hai Bodong raised his eyebrows and said: "You look so young, you don't look like you can refine a fifth-grade elixir."
"Is this enough?" Xiao Jue took out the badge of the sixth-grade alchemist of Danta and said, "But I won't refine the Fu Zi Ling Dan for you now. I will go to the imperial capital in half a year. When I arrive at the Mitel family, I will refine the Fu Zi Ling Dan for you."
Hai Bodong nodded slowly, "I want to verify the authenticity of this secret method. If it is a real earth-level secret method, I can give you what you want."
Xiao Jue nodded and said, "Feel free to read it, but you must return the scroll to me."
Hai Bodong took the scroll and read the words on it with his soul power. After a moment, joy appeared on his face and he said, "Little brother, may I know your name?"
"Xiao Jue."
"Xiao Jue, your secret method is fine," Hai Bodong nodded excitedly. "It's enough to help me break the seal left by Queen Medusa. Here's the location of the strange fire you need."
After returning the scroll to Xiao Jue, Hai Bodong gently searched within his chest, finally pulling out a thin sheet of parchment. He handed it to Xiao
Jue and said with a smile, "According to my research, there are three locations in the Tagor Desert that are most likely to harbor strange fire." Xiao Jue carefully unfolded the parchment, revealing a remarkably detailed map of the Tagor Desert, a map that was incomparable to the maps previously on the counter.
Not only did it precisely mark the locations of water sources within the desert, but it also meticulously highlighted the scattered snake tribes.
"Do you see the three flame symbols on the map?" Hai Bodong reminded him with a smile.
Xiao Jue scanned the map and, as expected, discovered a cluster of conspicuous flames in the east, west, and north directions.
(End of this chapter)