Tagore Desert, Where Golden Sands Meet the Horizon
The rising sun cast a radiant glow across the endless expanse of dunes.
At the edge of the Tagore Desert, where patches of green mingled with the yellow sands, two figures—one tall, one small—stood gazing at the scene before them.
"The Tagore Desert… we're finally here!"
Xiao Bai surveyed the familiar landscape, memories of events from two years ago vivid as if they had happened yesterday.
"Yep, finally here!"
A crisp, youthful voice echoed beside him.
Xiao Bai's lips twitched. He glanced at the small figure mimicking his stance, hands clasped behind her back, sighing with an air of worldly wisdom like a tiny adult.
Rolling his eyes, he grumbled, "You've never even been here. What's with the dramatic sigh?"
"Pfft!"
Zi Yan's facade shattered instantly. Sticking out her tongue, she flashed a cheeky grin, stretched her little arms, and chirped, "I'm just excited! That old geezer finally let me out to play. No more boring Inner Academy!"
"If the Great Elder hadn't relented, you'd have probably plucked his beard clean!"
Xiao Bai shook his head, picturing the Great Elder's weathered face, utterly defeated by this pint-sized terror.
She's not a granddaughter—he adopted an ancestor!
After receiving word that Xiao Bai was safe, Su Qian had visited Purple Sky City, with Zi Yan tagging along. When she heard Xiao Bai was heading to the Jia Ma Empire, her curiosity was piqued, bombarding him with questions about whether it was fun.
Seeing the longing in her clear eyes and recalling her lonely past—either wandering wild mountains or confined to the Inner Academy—Xiao Bai's heart softened. He shared a few amusing stories about the empire, then jokingly asked if she wanted to come along.
To his surprise, her eyes lit up, her head nodding so fast it nearly blurred. After confirming he was serious, she let out a whoop and turned her charm on Su Qian, pestering him relentlessly.
Worn down, Su Qian figured Xiao Bai's strength made him a reliable escort for a trip to the Jia Ma Empire. He relented.
"Hey, Xiao Bai, where to next?"
Zi Yan bounced with energy, her curiosity insatiable as she eyed the sprawling desert ahead, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Calling me 'Brother Xiao' when you need pills, but plain 'Xiao Bai' when you don't? What a little ungrateful wolf!"
"Psh, don't sweat the small stuff! Let's go, let's go!"
"Heh… next time I refine your pills, I'll toss in some Bitter Lotus!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
Their banter faded into the wind as their figures dwindled into the desert, swallowed by the shifting sands.
___
Deep Within the Tagore Desert
A black-robed figure stood atop a dune, lips cracked from the relentless heat. Ignoring the blazing sun overhead, he spoke gravely, "Teacher, I'm ready. Let's begin the final attempt."
Yao Lao sighed. "Little one, are you sure? When you fused the Green Lotus Core Flame with the Purple Flame, that explosion would've flattened you if I hadn't shielded you!"
"Teacher, the three-year agreement is almost here!"
Xiao Yan's eyes flickered, recalling the fearsome figure from Yan City's Mo Clan that even Yao Lao had wary of. Gritting his teeth, he said, "When I face Yun Lan Sect, I need every trump card I can get. If something goes wrong, I can't just hide behind you and Brother Bai, watching helplessly while you shield me!"
"Very well!"
Yao Lao nodded, pleased by Xiao Yan's stubborn resolve. Cultivation demanded this fearless spirit—cowering at challenges led nowhere.
While he didn't mind Xiao Yan borrowing his strength against formidable foes, seeing his disciple strive to stand on his own was far more gratifying.
"I'm curious myself to see how much havoc two Heavenly Flames can wreak when fused!"
Yao Lao's tone grew serious.
A single Heavenly Flame held terrifying power. Combining two was uncharted territory, even for his centuries of experience.
"I'll fully assist you in controlling the Bone Chilling Flame. With your current strength, fusing Heavenly Flames on your own is impossible."
"Got it!" Xiao Yan licked his parched lips, a mix of nerves and anticipation swirling within him.
The memory of fusing a Heavenly Flame with a beast flame still sent shivers down his spine.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he extended both hands before him.
With a thought, his left hand erupted in a surge of cyan flames, their scorching heat warping the air around them.
His right hand clenched briefly before a ghostly white flame materialized, its chilling aura clashing with the heat, unleashing a potent wave of energy.
"Here we go!"
Xiao Yan stared at the contrasting flames, gritted his teeth, and slowly brought his hands together.
"Human, have you lost your mind?"
A sudden voice startled him, nearly making him fling the flames away.
"Heh, Commander Yue Mei, perfect timing! Stick around for the fireworks!"
Xiao Yan sneered, itching with irritation at this elusive woman's interruption.
"Fireworks? As if!"
Yue Mei's eyes flashed with deep wariness as she studied the flames in his hands.
Initially, his disturbances were mere Dou Shi or Da Dou Shi-level nuisances—annoying but ignorable. But the past few days, the disturbances had escalated.
The last explosion, sensed from afar, had sent a chill through her. Its energy fluctuations were enough to make a Dou Wang like her feel threatened.
That kind of power… even a Dou Wang caught in it would be gravely injured or worse.
She couldn't fathom how a puny Dou Shi could unleash such force.
Boom!
As the flames made contact, a muffled thunderclap erupted from Xiao Yan's hands. The destructive energy tore his palms open, blood seeping out.
Without his Dou Qi shield, his hands would've been obliterated.
"Madman!"
Yue Mei sensed the terrifying energy radiating from the flames, a primal sense of danger surging within her. Cursing, she turned and fled.
"Heh…"
Xiao Yan caught her retreating figure from the corner of his eye, a crazed grin spreading across his face.
Ignoring the blood evaporating under the flames' heat, he pressed his hands closer, compressing the cyan and white flames.
"If this succeeds, it'll be my creation—a one-of-a-kind Dou Technique, unmatched in all the world!"
His trembling hands fixed on the intertwining flames, his voice a fervent murmur.
Moments later, despite the searing pain of the flames' backlash, Xiao Yan poured all his focus into circulating the Flame Mantra, recalling every detail of his recent fusion attempts.
"Just a little more… so close!"
The two flames coiled around each other, but no matter how he compressed them, they refused to merge further.
He had reached a critical threshold, yet he was at a loss, frustration mounting.
___
Meanwhile, Zi Yan was equally restless.
Crunch!
Her small boot crushed a venomous scorpion hiding in the sand, her face scrunching in disgust as she stomped again. Trudging through the desert, she whined, "Xiao Bai, how much farther do we have to go?"
The initial thrill of the desert had worn off, replaced by boredom. The endless sun, sand, and pesky minor magical beasts were all she found.
"Didn't you insist on walking to 'see the sights' instead of flying?" Xiao Bai teased, glancing at the deep pit her stomp had left in the sand.
"I didn't know the desert was so empty! I thought there'd be treasures to find!"
"Treasures? If there were any, do you think they'd be waiting for you?"
"Hmph, don't underestimate me! My nose is sharp—I can sniff out treasures from miles away!"
Zi Yan puffed up proudly, wiping her nose with her thumb and tilting her head high.
"Oh, really? I don't believe you!" Xiao Bai chuckled at her adorable bravado.
"Just wait! When I find a huge treasure, don't be jealous!"
Her nose twitched, sniffing the air.
"Hey, that's not how you find treasures!"
Xiao Bai laughed helplessly as she started sniffing toward his sleeve, where Little Gold Dragon resided.
"Hehe, my bad!" Zi Yan spotted the golden glint in his sleeve and backpedaled, grinning sheepishly. "But it does smell kinda nice!"
"Hm? Such strong energy!" Her nose twitched again, and she pointed excitedly. "Over there!"
"There might actually be a treasure! Xiao Bai, come on, let's check it out!"
Xiao Bai paused. He had already sensed the energy fluctuations in that direction, and the aura was familiar. But it was opposite the path to the Snake-People's royal city, making him hesitate.
"Come on, let's go see!" Zi Yan tugged at his sleeve, mistaking his pause for doubt in her skills.
"Alright," Xiao Bai relented with a nod.
"Yay!" Zi Yan's face lit up, and she darted toward the source of the energy.
___
Dozens of Li Away
Xiao Yan's hands danced like butterflies, his fingers swiftly weaving through the flame cluster before him.
His Flame Mantra Dou Qi poured out like a breached dam, channeling into the flames with each precise motion.
Over time, the chaotic two-colored flame mass began to stabilize, its wild energy subsiding.
A palm-sized cyan-white lotus platform slowly took shape.
The moment it formed, Xiao Yan felt his Dou Qi and soul force drain rapidly into it, his face growing deathly pale.
"Little Yan Zi, throw it now!" Yao Lao's weakened voice snapped him out of his daze, urgent and unprecedentedly sharp. "Run! Run as far as you can!"
Reacting instinctively, Xiao Yan hurled the spinning fire lotus in a random direction and bolted the opposite way.
"What's that? A big treasure?"
As he ran, Xiao Yan swore his soul force depletion was causing hallucinations. A childish voice seemed to carry on the wind.
"No treasure, just run!"
He shook his head, thinking he was hearing things again—this time, Brother Bai's voice.
"Damn it, Little Yan Zi, you're in for it! Throwing a fire lotus at your Brother Bai's head?!"
A chill shot from Xiao Yan's feet to his scalp, snapping him awake.
It's really Brother Bai!
"Teacher, why didn't you warn me?" He glanced back in panic.
The cyan-white fire lotus sailed silently through the air, not even stirring the wind.
Ahead of it, a black-robed figure, surrounded by faint five-colored light, held a small girl, speeding away.
"My soul force was tied up controlling the flames, and I was focused on the lotus. I didn't notice Xiao Bai nearby!"
"Do something, Teacher!" Xiao Yan's heart raced as the lotus grew increasingly unstable.
"No worries. That thing's powerful, but it won't kill that kid," Yao Lao said calmly, though his eyes flickered with uncertainty as he watched the figure.
"That's a relief!" Xiao Yan exhaled, his panic easing slightly.
"Relief?" Yao Lao chuckled mockingly. "Get ready for a beating, Little Yan Zi!"
"You could've thrown it anywhere, but you aimed right at Xiao Bai's head!"
"I—I…" Xiao Yan stammered, his face twisting bitterly. His mind had been foggy from exhaustion, and he hadn't realized anyone else was nearby besides Yue Mei.
A giant Danger! sign seemed to loom over his head.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked the desert.
A cyan-white mushroom cloud surged skyward, its destructive energy rippling through the air like ocean waves, spreading rapidly.
Sandstorms raged, flattening nearby dunes under the shockwave.
Yue Mei, caught in the blast's ripples, was flung back dozens of meters. Stabilizing herself, she coughed, staring at the explosion's epicenter, her mouth agape in an "O."
Such power… even from this distance, the impact is staggering.
That figure chased by the fire lotus… are they dead?
A thousand li away, in the Snake-People's royal city, Queen Medusa, engrossed in paperwork, snapped her head up, gazing into the void toward the unseen source.
"This fluctuation… a Heavenly Flame? Why is it so intense?"
"Yue Mei's tribe… is it that old man?"
As the cyan-white firestorm subsided and dust settled, Xiao Yan ignored the scorching heat, rushing toward the blast site.
Cough, cough.
Xiao Bai shook off the sand clinging to him, then set Zi Yan down, checking her over.
Her face was pale, her eyes complex as she looked at him.
"Scared, huh?"
Xiao Bai ruffled her hair. She had been running ahead, with him trailing leisurely behind, when Xiao Yan's fire lotus had formed and hurtled toward them.
"Brother Bai… you okay?" Xiao Yan rushed over, pale and visibly anxious.
"Jerk!" Zi Yan's eyes blazed at the sight of him. With an angry stomp, she shot forward like a cannonball.
Xiao Yan initially dismissed the small girl, but as her fist closed in, its fierce gust and his screaming instincts sent his soul reeling.
Oh no! My life is over!
____
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