"Senior, you're already an old bag of bones, yet you're still so impulsive. Can't we discuss things calmly? Why resort to fighting?"
Hai Bodong fiercely attacked, but Yan Qingshan remained composed. Even if Hai Bodong were at his peak, not just in his current state, Yan Qingshan would still face him without fear.
Inside the shop, a chilling aura rapidly permeated, and a faint mist swirled within it. From within the white mist, a white shadow surged forth, striking at Yan Qingshan like a bolt of lightning.
"Hai Bodong, I came to find you with full confidence. Can't you even understand that? You only have the strength of a Dou Spirit remaining; don't you realize that fighting exposes your true capabilities? Why insist on fighting?"
Yan Qingshan waved his hand, bringing forth a green glow that blocked Hai Bodong's assault. The aura of a peak Dou King fully erupted, the strong wind dispersing the icy mist, causing Hai Bodong's clothes to flutter.
"Heh heh, kid, to have such strength at this age, it truly surprises this old man. But this old man once roamed Jia Ma; I wasn't just a pushover."
Hai Bodong sneered. His stubborn nature wouldn't let him give up so easily. His withered hands quickly formed a seal and struck out. Dozens of spiral-shaped ice spikes rapidly formed before him, whistling and shooting out like a torrential downpour with a wave of his hand.
Yan Qingshan's palm shot out countless green threads, instantly shredding these ice spikes. Then, countless green threads danced wildly towards Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong opened and closed his palms, condensing countless tiny ice threads. With a flick of his hand, the ice threads soared into the sky, intertwining with Yan Qingshan's green threads.
Green sword-like threads and white ice threads clashed throughout the entire room, the sound of snapping strings incessant. Hai Bodong's ice threads were no match for Yan Qingshan's green sword-like threads.
Hai Bodong's figure rapidly retreated. Upon landing, his expression was solemn. He lightly clenched his withered hands, and the surrounding icy mist rapidly condensed, finally solidifying into a pure white ice spear between his palms.
"Ice Spirit Armor!"
As Hai Bodong's shout fell, the surrounding icy mist surged, forming a thick ice armor that shimmered with a cold luster.
It was as if an ambush had reached its climax; the sound of snapping strings became more frequent. Threads of green light dispelled countless ice threads, driving away most of the cold air in the room. Then, a sky full of green threads engulfed Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong dared not delay further. With a swing of his ice spear, countless sharp ice spikes rapidly condensed above his head, then shot out with bursts of whistling wind.
The countless green threads directly pierced through many ice spikes, pulverizing them into fine powder and evaporating them into white mist. Hai Bodong wildly wielded his ice spear, unleashing hundreds of star-like points, surging forth like a tide to meet the attack.
"Crack!"
The green threads and the elder's attack had just met. The hundred points of starlight immediately dissipated, and the ice spear was compressed into a bowed shape. The next moment, the ice spear shattered with a bang, ice fragments scattering everywhere. Hai Bodong's attempt to salvage the situation was thwarted.
Although this old man's cultivation was sealed, leaving him with only the Dou Qi level equivalent to a Dou Spirit, he was experienced and had many Dou Qi trump cards. If he truly fought, an ordinary Dou King might not necessarily be his match.
But he was now facing Yan Qingshan. Not to mention that he was merely a Dou Spirit, even a Dou King or an ordinary Dou Emperor wouldn't last more than a few moves against him. This was only one frontal clash, and Hai Bodong's weapon and offensive were completely shattered.
"Ice Mirror!!!"
Hai Bodong bent his body, forming an ice mirror in front of him with a wave of his hand. He kicked off the ground, rapidly retreating. As he retreated, his hands rapidly danced, and seven glittering ice mirrors appeared successively along his retreat path, slightly hindering the green threads' pursuit.
"Xuan Ice Spinning Kill!"
Knowing that the ice mirrors alone were useless, Hai Bodong, after landing, moved his hands and unleashed a Dou Skill.
Crescent-shaped ice blades shot out and swirled around him. The ice blades multiplied and linked together, eventually forming an ice vortex storm entirely composed of ice blades.
Countless green threads surged forth.
This ice vortex storm didn't even have time to expand before it was steadily defeated by the might of the green threads. Hai Bodong wanted to escape, but green threads surrounded him on all sides. Ultimately, there was only one outcome: being completely suppressed and engulfed.
"Cough, cough..."
Inside the misty ice room, Hai Bodong was wrapped and suspended by countless green threads. The dignified Ice Emperor had fallen to such a state, being so 'humiliated' by a junior. It truly made him feel utterly ashamed and enraged.
"Kid, even if you capture me, you can forget about getting the other half of that map fragment."
Even though Hai Bodong was captured, he remained unyielding. Part of it was his stubborn nature, and the other was his certainty that Yan Qingshan wouldn't take his life. After all, only he knew the whereabouts of the remaining half of the map fragment.
"Old Man Hai, I recall telling you! My relationship with the Mittel Clan is very good. Why don't you listen to advice?"
Even though Yan Qingshan knew that Hai Bodong was difficult to deal with and understood from the start that this old fellow wasn't easy to handle, he never expected it to be so troublesome. The old man was simply unyielding!
"Kid, you don't need to bring up the Mittel Clan. I don't think the current Mittel Clan can afford to support a powerhouse like you."
Hai Bodong directly closed his eyes. This old man seemed to have deep ties with the Mittel Clan, but in reality, he was a very 'independent' person with extremely high distrust.
After he was sealed, he could have sought out Mittel Tengshan and used the power of the Mittel Clan or even the Imperial Family to help break the seal. But he trusted no one and simply wasted so many years.
Perhaps he felt that the Imperial Family and the Mittel Clan couldn't help him, but with his contributions to Jia Ma at the Strongest Convention back then, his immense prestige and peak strength at the time, the Imperial Family and even the Misty Cloud Sect would certainly be willing to let him owe them a favor.
If he had appeared back then, the peak powers of Jia Ma would definitely have gone all out to help him. After all, he was a hero of the Jia Ma Empire back then. If the entire Jia Ma Empire launched a full-scale effort, at worst, they could all pressure the Tager Desert. Could the seal truly not have been broken?
But it was this old man's personality problem; he was unwilling to expose his secrets and only trusted himself, foolishly hoping to unravel the mystery of the incomplete map. In the end, he gained nothing and delayed the best opportunity.
Many years later, his reputation as the Ice Emperor was no more, and new top ten powerhouses emerged. By this time, Hai Bodong had long lost his former prestige and value. If he were to appear now, no one would help him except the Mittel Clan. So, in essence, he had dug his own grave.
Yan Qingshan tried to persuade him for a while, but the old man remained stubborn and unyielding. This map fragment was already his last resort; even if Yan Qingshan was truly from the Mittel Clan, he would never hand it over.
A Stubborn Senior and a Bold Proposition
Yan Qingshan could only carry the old man out.
Hai Bodong felt utterly humiliated, struggling and grunting. His tone was unpleasant: "If this old man hadn't been ambushed by that monster back then, how could a junior like you possibly humiliate me like this?"
"Qingshan!"
Outside the shop, Ya Fei and the Yao brothers, along with some guards, were waiting. Seeing him emerge carrying an old man, a hint of confusion flashed in Ya Fei's eyes.
"He's Hai..."
Yan Qingshan pulled Ya Fei closer and whispered in her ear. Ya Fei's face first showed surprise, then grew increasingly strange.
"Elder Sir!"
Yan Qingshan unbound Hai Bodong. Ya Fei immediately walked over, bowing respectfully: "Mittel Ya Fei greets the Ice Emperor..."
Ya Fei truly lived up to her reputation as a socialite who could dance with long sleeves. Perhaps Hai Bodong also wanted an excuse to save face; after his identity was confirmed, his attitude towards Ya Fei was quite good.
"Kid, it's not impossible for you to get the other half of the map fragment. As long as you help this old man break the seal on my cultivation, not only will the other map fragment be yours, but I can also make your little lover the head of the Mittel Clan."
After learning some information about Yan Qingshan from Ya Fei, Hai Bodong proposed his conditions. After all these years, he didn't have much desire for the map fragment anymore; he only wanted to regain his strength.
Yan Qingshan's strength and the presence of the three Dou Kings, the Yao brothers, gave him some hope.
"The Breaking Adversity Pill formula, hand it over!"
Yan Qingshan heard his words but showed no annoyance. Instead, he calmly looked at Hai Bodong. He had long known that this old man was the type who wouldn't let go of a rabbit until he had a hawk, not easy to serve.
He had initially thought of discussing things calmly, but who knew this old man would be so violent? He only mentioned Ya Fei and hadn't even had time to confirm it before Hai Bodong directly attacked, almost ruining the entire matter.
"You brat, did you specially investigate this old man? How do you know so much? But this is a Tier 6 medicinal pill, and it must be refined by an alchemist with a Heavenly Flame. Can you even do it?"
Hai Bodong's face was a mixture of shock and suspicion, while the Yao brothers beside him were also somewhat astonished. Heavenly Flame, Alchemist... it seemed their Master could indeed meet both these conditions!
"Han Feng, the 'Medicine Emperor' of the Black Corner Region, is a direct disciple of the Pill Venerable (Yao Zun Zhe) from the Central Plains. He might give me some face. He possesses the Sea Heart Flame, ranked fifteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
Speaking of which, how have you been faring all these years, old man? Aren't you in a hurry at all? The Black Corner Region is practically at your doorstep, and you haven't even gone to check it out."
Yan Qingshan had no intention of revealing that he was an alchemist right now, nor did he think that saying he was an alchemist would convince Hai Bodong. Instead, he used Han Feng as an excuse.
Hearing this, Hai Bodong's old face turned black. He had always dreamed of recovering his cultivation, but after being sealed, he made a series of mistakes, repeatedly harming himself. First, he didn't return to Jia Ma Sacred City to seek help immediately, causing him to miss the best opportunity.
To obtain the Breaking Adversity Pill, the best place to gather materials should have been the Black Corner Region. With his Dou Spirit cultivation and Dou King strength, he could have managed there.
Han Feng, to win people over, had bestowed favors upon many Dou Kings and Dou Emperors over the years, which was why he gathered such a large group of people during the competition for the Heavenly Flame. If Hai Bodong had been willing to seek out Han Feng, he would certainly have helped him break the seal.
But this old man stubbornly refused to visit the Black Corner Region, preferring to nest in this small Mo City for so many years. To this day, he hadn't even fully gathered the materials for the Breaking Adversity Pill. This was indeed him digging his own grave.
Hai Bodong, with a dark old face, handed over the Breaking Adversity Pill formula. "Here, here, take it. Stop talking so much nonsense, kid. Listen carefully: if you don't do this properly, don't even think about getting the item."