Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Su Baichen casually glanced at the storage ring, and with a slight probe of his soul power, he immediately understood what was inside—it contained rare medicinal herbs, high-level magic cores, and some unique fighting technique scrolls of the snake-people, all of considerable value, clearly indicating that a great deal of money had been spent.

However, these resources, which would be considered treasures by ordinary people, failed to arouse his interest in the slightest. There were no gold coins in them, and the system shop required gold coins to buy them.

He didn't even bother to bend down and pick it up. Instead, he used a wisp of his soul power to gently deliver it to Cai Die, who was looking at her sister and elder with a worried expression.

"Help me carry this. I have too much stuff on me, I can't fit it all in here." Su Baichen said in a calm tone, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Cai Die instinctively caught the storage ring, stood there stunned, blinked her beautiful eyes, looked at the storage ring in her hand, then at her young master, her little face full of astonishment.

Her young master's reason... was too casual, wasn't it? It was just a storage ring, how could he not be able to let it go? She opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't dare to complain. She just obediently replied, "Oh... okay, young master."

Su Baichen took in Cai Die's reaction but didn't notice her slight surprise.

In fact, he was somewhat satisfied with Cai Die's performance just now. When he released his pressure on Medusa and the Grand Elder, although Cai Die looked reluctant and nervously clenched the hem of her clothes, she never uttered a word to stop him or plead for them.

This shows what?

This shows that the little girl knows her place and understands that he is standing up for her and settling scores for the injustices she suffered in the clan.

If she were to step forward to stop it out of momentary pity without distinguishing right from wrong, that would not be kindness, but rather a foolish act of "saintly virtue."

Su Baichen can tolerate kind-hearted and grateful people around him, but he will never tolerate those who are unable to distinguish right from wrong and who might do bad things by indiscriminately showing kindness at crucial moments.

After all, this is a world where the strong prey on the weak and danger lurks everywhere, and a saintly companion is often more deadly than a powerful enemy.

Cai Die's restraint at this moment proved that she was not an unreasonable person, which made him think even more highly of her.

Chapter 27 Searching for the Strange Flame

Seeing that the two were so sensible, Su Baichen dissipated the last trace of his oppressive aura. He casually waved his hand and said in a relaxed tone:

"Alright, let's just put this matter behind us."

He changed the subject, his gaze fixed on the depths of the cave, as if he could see through the stone walls to the vast, boundless desert.

"The reason I came to this Tager Desert is to search for something—a strange fire, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire."

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty, as he began to describe the legendary wonder of heaven and earth:

"This fire is born deep within the earth, tempered by lava, and has burned for a thousand years. It takes ten years to condense a wisp of fire spirit, a hundred years to begin to take shape, and a thousand years to transform into a blue lotus platform. At the heart of the lotus is the original fire of this Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire. When it reaches its full potential, its color is bluish, its power is boundless, and it has the ability to burn mountains and boil seas."

After the detailed explanation, Su Baichen's face revealed a perfectly timed "trouble." He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Queen Medusa and the Grand Elder, his slender fingers lightly tapping his knees, his tone tinged with "helplessness":

"I do have great use for this strange fire. It's a pity that the Tagor Desert is too vast. Even with my soul power, it's difficult to pinpoint its exact location in a short time. Searching for a needle in a haystack in this vast sea of ​​sand is like looking for a needle in a haystack. What should I do?"

After speaking, he stopped tapping his knees and his deep eyes quietly fell on Queen Medusa and the Grand Elder. His gaze was calm, but it carried an invisible pressure. The meaning was self-evident: In this desert, is there any force more familiar with this place and more skilled at finding spiritual treasures than your snake people?

Queen Medusa and the Grand Elder were no ordinary people; they instantly understood the profound meaning in those gazes.

The two looked at each other again. This time, their eyes were no longer filled with the fear and trepidation of before, but with determination and an irrepressible excitement.

This is a chance to serve a senior alchemist of unfathomable strength, an eighth-grade alchemist!

Without any hesitation, Queen Medusa stepped forward and, almost in unison with the Grand Elder, firmly agreed:

"Rest assured, senior. The search for the strange fire is our Snake-People's duty! The Tagor Desert is our ancestral home, and we know its environment intimately. We will do our utmost, mobilizing the entire race, to find the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire for you!"

Seeing this, Su Baichen's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile of satisfaction; his goal had been achieved. He nodded to himself, "Hmm, these two are quite sensible, saving me a lot of trouble."

"Not bad, very sensible." Su Baichen's tone carried a hint of approval. Then, he gently touched his storage ring with his finger, and two jade bottles appeared in his hand.

With a slight thought, his soul power carried the two jade bottles, and they floated lightly to Queen Medusa and the Grand Elder.

“Of course I won’t let you work for nothing. Here are a few pills as an advance payment, which should be of some help to your current cultivation level.”

"After you complete the mission, I can help you break through to the Dou Zong realm!"

Upon hearing this, Queen Medusa and the Grand Elder's gazes fell upon the two jade bottles. When they sensed the immense energy and unique fragrance emanating from the pills inside, their pupils suddenly contracted, and their faces were instantly filled with disbelief and shock!

"This is... a Battle Spirit Pill! And... a Royal Extreme Pill!" The Grand Elder's voice trembled, almost losing its voice.

The Battle Spirit Pill, a top-grade fifth-rank pill, can help a Battle King expert steadily increase their strength by one star!

The Imperial Extreme Pill, a peak sixth-grade pill, has even more terrifying effects, capable of raising a Dou Huang powerhouse's cultivation by one star!

These two kinds of pills are priceless treasures anywhere, enough to cause countless powerful people to fight over them.

For the Snake-People race, whose current high-end combat power is mainly concentrated at the Dou Wang and Dou Huang levels, the value of these pills is immeasurable and enough to raise the overall strength of the race's high-level members by a level!

Moreover, judging from the quantity in the jade bottle, there was more than one of each kind of pill!

"Thank you so much for your generous gift, Senior! The Snake-People will never forget your great kindness! We will do our utmost to find the Strange Flame for you as quickly as possible, and we will never fail to live up to your expectations!"

Queen Medusa was the first to recover from the overwhelming surprise. She suppressed her excitement, bowed deeply, and spoke with utmost solemnity.

At the same time, she keenly noticed that the ecstasy in the elder's eyes did not seem to contain another layer of information—it seemed that only she had heard Su Baichen's last promise about helping him break through to the Dou Zong realm!

What does this mean? It means that this senior values ​​Medusa's personal worth! Breaking through to the Dou Zong realm!

This was the hurdle she had longed for, yet faced with immense difficulty! Compared to this promise, the "treasures" she had just offered and the precious pills before her, though extremely important, were on a completely different level!

The nature of this matter has completely changed. It has transformed from resolving grievances and offering apologies into serving an unimaginably powerful being and receiving unimaginable rewards! The fate of the Serpent People may very well be completely altered as a result!

The Grand Elder also came to his senses at this moment and hurriedly bowed and thanked the Queen, but his body was still trembling slightly uncontrollably due to the successive stimulation (first fear, then ecstasy).

"Oh, right!" Su Baichen added casually, as if remembering something, but his eyes became more serious: "My existence and my identity as an alchemist must not be publicized. If anyone asks, just say that I am just an ordinary mid-level alchemist, understand?"

He was well aware of the immense attention that would be drawn to the Snake-People if news of an eighth-grade alchemist's friendship with them were to spread, inevitably including malicious prying.

It wasn't that he was afraid of trouble, but he didn't want to be targeted by those persistent rats from the "Soul Palace" too early, lest he alert them.

The last team that surrounded him was led by a Dou Zun expert. Who knows what level of monster will come next? He may be fearless, but the Snake-People race will definitely not be able to withstand the aftermath of a conflict of that level, and may very well suffer annihilation.

Now that the snake-people are, after all, the family of my little maid, I reminded them to keep a low profile, lest they become complacent and attract powerful enemies they cannot handle, ultimately playing with fire and getting burned.

Queen Medusa, being quick-witted, immediately understood Su Baichen's concerns and deeper meaning, and solemnly replied, "Yes, Senior! This junior will remember this and will never reveal even a trace of Senior's true information!"

"Okay, go ahead. Just have Cai Die let me know when you get any news." Su Baichen waved his hand, closed his eyes again, and entered that profound state of cultivation once more.

Queen Medusa and the Grand Elder bowed respectfully once more, then carefully put away the jade bottle floating in front of them, suppressing their excitement and shock, and quietly left the cave.

The sunlight outside the cave shone on them, but it was far less intense than the flame of "hope" burning in their hearts.

Chapter 28 Unlucky Hai Bodong

Time slips through our fingers like quicksand; before we know it, a month has quietly passed.

Despite their careful and secretive efforts to search for the Strange Fire deep in the Tagor Desert, the Serpent People's operation ultimately failed to escape the keen senses of the powerful forces entrenched in the Northwest Continent, arousing suspicion from all sides.

The first to lose their composure were two rogue cultivators from the Izumo Empire who became Battle Kings.

Confident in their superior cultivation, they dared to venture deep into the desert, attempting to uncover the true intentions of the snake-people.

However, they underestimated the Serpent People's absolute control over this desert. Soon after entering the heart of the desert, their movements were discovered by patrolling Serpent People warriors.

What awaited them was not the one-on-one battle they had imagined, but a thunderous encirclement and annihilation by three perfectly coordinated Snake-Man Clan Battle Kings.

In the desert, their home ground, facing an enemy several times their size, even escape became a luxury for the two fighting kings, who ultimately perished in the yellow sand.

After losing several batches of elite spies, the Gama Empire, the Izumo Empire, and some reclusive top powers finally pieced together the core of the truth from fragmented information—an alchemist of at least mid-level rank was using an irresistible huge reward to drive the snake people to search for a vital treasure in this boundless sea of ​​sand.

Although the alchemist's exact rank remains a mystery, the significant increase in strength among the high-ranking members of the snake-people during this period has become the most striking clue.

Many Dou Wangs broke through their bottlenecks, and even the auras of Dou Huangs became more profound and powerful.

The ability to provide "Dou Ling Dan" to help Dou Wang break through to the next level, and especially "Huang Ji Dan" to enhance the strength of Dou Huang, is undoubtedly a feat only a sixth-grade alchemist could accomplish!

The value of the object must be considerable to attract an alchemist of at least the sixth rank to search for it in such a grand manner.

It's nothing more than rare and precious natural materials, ancient and magical medicine cauldrons, or... that extraordinary fire from heaven and earth that could drive any alchemist and powerful expert mad!

Driven by self-interest, the long-time rivals, the Gama Empire and the Izumo Empire, along with other top powers, had no choice but to temporarily set aside their past grievances and reach a fragile tacit understanding.

Powerful auras began to rise from the borders of the empire and the secret realms of various sects, prompting them to dispatch powerful figures into the Tagor Desert.

Their goal was clear: they had to find that treasure before the snake people! Since the alchemist wanted the item, whoever found it should receive the favor and reward.

If one could take this opportunity to befriend a sixth-rank or even higher-ranking alchemist, the long-term value would far outweigh the immediate conflict.

…………

"Damn it! Queen Medusa, are you really going to wipe us all out?"

Above the vast sea of ​​sand, the chill was biting, yet it was enveloped by an even more intense killing intent.

Hai Bodong, the "Ice Emperor" wielding an ice crystal spear, looked rather disheveled. His magnificent robes were stained with blood and dust, his breathing was slightly disordered, and his eyes were fixed on the enchanting yet deadly figure in front of him with an extremely solemn expression.

Queen Medusa stood in mid-air, her seven-colored snake tail swaying gently, her body exuding a suffocatingly powerful aura. Her red lips parted slightly, her cold voice carrying undisguised mockery: "Heh, what do you say? Relying on your Dou Huang cultivation, you dare to bully my clan's Dou Wang here. Hai Bodong, you're quite willing to put aside your old face."

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong's lips curled into a bitter smile. He was filled with remorse: 'Damn it! If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have attacked that snake-man Dou Wang so harshly! Who could have imagined that I would lure out this killing god! A five-star Dou Huang against a nine-star Dou Huang—this is simply courting death!'

One day ago, Queen Medusa received an urgent report that one of her trusted subordinates seemed to have found the exact location related to the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, but he was seriously injured and unconscious, and was on the verge of death before he could reveal the specific location.

Seeing the crucial clue so close yet cut off again, Queen Medusa's anger was instantly ignited.

Based on the traces of pure ice-type battle aura remaining on her subordinate, she personally set out and launched a bloody search in the desert like a vengeful goddess.

Every powerful warrior sent into the desert by the two great empires who encountered Queen Medusa suffered a terrible fate.

Some were seriously injured and managed to escape back to their home country in a sorry state, relying on their last resort to save their lives; others remained forever in this golden sea of ​​sand, becoming nourishment for the desert.

Ultimately, thanks to her keen perception of energy fluctuations, Queen Medusa successfully pinpointed the source of this ice-type battle aura—the "Ice Emperor" Hai Bodong, who was hiding somewhere in the desert.

Enemies meeting are bound to be filled with hatred. Without any unnecessary words, the terrifying aura of a nine-star Dou Huang was fully unleashed, and Queen Medusa launched a fatal attack directly on Hai Bodong.

—The timeline returns to the scene of the fierce battle!

Boom! Bang!

A sandstorm raged, scattering ice crystals. In just a few breaths, the two had exchanged dozens of blows. Queen Medusa remained elegant and composed, her seven-colored battle aura flowing like a rainbow, each strike containing the power to shatter mountains and split rocks.

On the other hand, Hai Bodong's ice-type battle aura, which he relied on for fame, was suppressed and retreated step by step. He had several wounds on his body, and even the ice spear had tiny cracks. The blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth showed that he had suffered serious internal injuries.

"Damn it, we can't continue fighting like this!" Alarm bells rang in Hai Bodong's mind as the shadow of death loomed over him: "Her strength is even more terrifying than the rumors say! I must escape immediately, or I will truly perish here today!"

Thinking of this, a resolute glint flashed in Hai Bodong's eyes. He bit his tongue hard, and the intense pain caused all the fighting spirit within him to surge out like a flood bursting its banks!

"Mystic Ice Mirror!"

With a low growl, countless thick ice mirrors instantly condensed, layer upon layer, blocking him and Queen Medusa in an attempt to slow down her pursuit.

At the same time, his figure transformed into a streak of light, sparing no expense to consume his own essence and blood, pushing his speed to the limit, and fleeing desperately towards the edge of the desert!

"Trying to leave? Stay here!"