Chapter 242: The Turmoil in Stone Desert City

Not wanting to continue his life as a map vendor in the desert city, after their discussion, early the next morning, Hai Bodong followed Xiao Yan and left the city. He didn’t take any of the items from the small shop where he had stayed for decades. As he said, perhaps one day, when he was tired of the strife, he might return here to live out the rest of his days in peace. Standing on a tall sand dune, Hai Bodong cast one last glance at the sprawling city at the edge of the desert, sighed lightly, his expression tinged with melancholy. Decades of secluded life had even given him, a man of indifferent nature, a certain attachment to this place.

Turning around slowly, Hai Bodong looked at the black-clad youth beside him and asked, “Where are we heading next?”

“I want to go to Stone Desert City first. My two brothers are there,” Xiao Yan said, his gaze directed towards the northwest where Stone Desert City lay. “I left in a hurry last time, leaving some unfinished business. Now that I have more than two months of free time, I want to go and settle things. What about you?”

“Up to you. I don’t have anywhere specific to go these days, so I’ll just tag along with you,” Hai Bodong replied after a moment of thought, smiling.

“Hehe, that’s great then,” Xiao Yan nodded, smiling. Having a free battle master-level fighter by his side, he wouldn’t refuse.

“Let’s go. At our speed, we should be able to reach Stone Desert City in a day,” Hai Bodong said, smiling. A faint mist of cold vapor emanated from his body, condensing into a pair of clear, icy wings behind him.

“Mm.” Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his back trembling slightly, and the purple cloud wings, like a dark tattoo, slowly spread out, transforming into a pair of wings larger than Hai Bodong’s icy wings.

Glancing at the purple cloud wings on Xiao Yan’s back, Hai Bodong, despite having seen them before, couldn’t help but exclaim, “Flying martial skill, such a thing, I’ve only heard of it. I’ve never seen it before. You really are lucky to have gotten it.”

“Hehe, compared to your icy wings, my speed is a notch lower. What’s there to envy?” Xiao Yan shook his head, smiling, and patted the large Heavy Scale on his back. The wings flapped, and his figure shot up into the air.

“Let’s go, let’s set off!” With a light shout, Xiao Yan’s wings vibrated rapidly, and he stepped on the void, his figure turning into a streak of light, shooting towards the distant horizon.

Watching Xiao Yan soar ahead, Hai Bodong smiled and also flapped his Qi wings, quickly chasing after him.

The speed of their flight was far beyond walking or any other means of transportation. A journey that had taken Xiao Yan nearly ten days during his cultivation could now be completed in just one day with the two of them traveling non-stop.

As the sun began to set, the outline of a city smaller than the desert city gradually appeared at the end of their line of sight. Looking at the earthen city standing in the wind and sand, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief and gestured to Hai Bodong behind him. Their speed suddenly increased, and two streaks of light, like meteors in the dark sky, flew directly into the sky above Stone Desert City.

In a tall building within Stone Desert City, two figures suddenly appeared, looking down at the city with a desert charm. Standing on a wall, Xiao Yan lightly brushed the dust off his clothes. Though the journey had been tiring, a faint smile of joy graced his face. After such a long journey, Xiao Yan finally felt the benefits of his evolved cultivation method. If it were before, to fly from the desert city to Stone Desert City, he would have needed to rest frequently and occasionally take qi-restoring pills. But now, after the evolution of Burning Decision, though he was breathing heavily, his inner Qi did not feel depleted. This abundant state filled Xiao Yan with secret joy.

“Mid-grade and low-grade cultivation methods are indeed different levels…” Xiao Yan marveled at the gap between the two cultivation methods, and a new hope arose in his heart for higher-grade methods. If mid-grade is so powerful, what about high-grade? Heavenly grade? Would they truly have the power to destroy the world?

“Hehe, let’s go, Old Man Hai,” Xiao Yan smiled, and with the Heavy Scale on his back, he leaped down from the tall building. Leading Hai Bodong through several streets, they headed towards the corner of the city where the Mole Iron Mercenary Corps was located.

Walking through the city, Xiao Yan scanned the street, which was usually bustling with mercenaries. His brows furrowed slightly; something felt off. The street seemed much quieter, and many of the mercenaries wore the same emblem. Recognizing the emblem of the Sand Mercenary Corps, Xiao Yan murmured, “Something’s wrong… When did the Sand Mercenary Corps become so numerous?”

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and slowly walked through the street, raising his chin to look at the large courtyard at the end of the street—the headquarters of the Mole Iron Mercenary Corps. Previously lively and bustling, the street was now in disarray, with shops closed early, giving off a desolate feeling.

“Something happened?” Xiao Yan gently rubbed his cheek, and his sudden laughter, filled with a chill, made Hai Bodong glance sideways. This was the first time he had seen the youth, who had remained calm even when played by him, show such a demeanor. It seemed that his so-called elder brother held a significant place in his heart.

Xiao Yan gently caressed the Heavy Scale on his back, his expression unchanged as he walked towards the end of the street. Halfway through, he arrived at the entrance of the Mole Iron Mercenary Corps. Glancing at the flag, which once flew high but now lay limply on the ground, Xiao Yan’s eyes stung at the sight of the obvious footprints.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan turned and walked towards the gate. Pushing the gate open, a spear stained with blood suddenly shot out, aiming for Xiao Yan’s throat. The unexpected attack did not faze Xiao Yan. Staring coldly at the rapidly approaching spear, he did not move.

The sharp spear, mere inches from Xiao Yan, began to melt, turning into a pool of hot iron. With a grim expression, Xiao Yan’s right fist erupted in blue flames, smashing into the heavy gate. A small hole the size of a human head quickly spread, and Xiao Yan’s fist reached through, grabbing a figure.

The bloody-faced man, fitting perfectly into the hole, exclaimed, “Young Master Xiao Yan?”

Xiao Yan’s action of smashing the man’s head paused. The murderous intent in his eyes faded, and he asked, frowning, “Are you from the Mole Iron Mercenary Corps?”

“Cough, Young Master Xiao Yan, I’m Fei Li, captain of the eighth squad of the Mole Iron Mercenary Corps. The commander ordered us to investigate the underground caves in the desert last time…” the man coughed, blood flowing from his mouth, grinning painfully.

Xiao Yan’s eyes softened, and he carefully pulled the man from the hole, stuffing a healing pill into his mouth. Eyeing his injuries, Xiao Yan was about to apply medicine but was stopped.

“Young Master Xiao Yan, go to the training ground quickly. I’m afraid the commander and the others can’t hold on much longer. The Sand Mercenary Corps brought too many people,” Fei Li, whose color had improved after taking the medicine, pointed in the direction of the training ground, his voice hoarse.

“The Sand Mercenary Corps? Lu Bu, that bastard, has some nerve!” Xiao Yan, in rage, crushed the healing pill bottle to powder. His voice was cold, brimming with unhidden killing intent.

“Recently, for some reason, the Sand Mercenary Corps began clearing out other mercenary corps in Stone Desert City. Relying on his strength as a Great Fighter, Lu Bu quickly gathered several small mercenary corps. We, the Mole Iron Mercenary Corps, were not afraid of them, for although we didn’t have a Great Fighter, we had more Fighters… But a few days ago, the number of Fighters in the Sand Mercenary Corps suddenly increased by nearly eight, and they even gained another Great Fighter! Their strength surged, and within a few days, the other medium-sized mercenary corps in Stone Desert City were eliminated. Today, they gave us the final ultimatum.”

“Eight more Fighters, another Great Fighter?” Xiao Yan frowned, “The Sand Mercenary Corps shouldn’t have such power!”

“What about Qing Lin? Doesn’t she have a Battle Spirit level pet?” Xiao Yan asked, thinking of the little girl with the green snake triple-pupil.

“Shortly before the Sand Mercenary Corps’ purge, Qing Lin went out and never returned. From some traces, it seems she was captured…” Fei Li said bitterly.

Xiao Yan’s eyes twitched, and he slowly exhaled, surprised at how much had happened in just two or three months. Patting Fei Li’s shoulder, Xiao Yan said softly, “Alright, leave it to me. The Mole Iron Mercenary Corps will be fine with me…”

Fei Li nodded, his confidence in this mysterious youth growing due to the influence of the commanders. Standing up, Xiao Yan pursed his lips, a sinister flash passing over his face…

In the spacious training ground, a crowd of people on both sides glared at each other, their eyes filled with murderous intent. In the middle, two figures fought fiercely, their attacks sharp and lethal. Any slip-up would result in a fatal strike.

One figure was wrapped in lightning, silver arcs jumping across his body. His spear swung, thunder rumbling, but despite the fierce attacks, his opponent easily dodged the silver spear. The yellow figure, clearly of a higher rank, did not rush to end the fight, instead, taunting like a cat playing with a mouse.

Beside the square, a large group of Mole Iron Mercenary Corps members watched the fight, enraged by the yellow figure’s mocking behavior. Among them, Xiao Ding stood, his face emotionless, but his eyes burned with rage.

“Commander, the back door is surrounded. We have no way out,” a haggard mercenary said, his voice low.

“Indeed, they’ve done a thorough job!” Clenching his fists, Xiao Ding took a deep, cold breath, trying to keep his rationality. “If we can’t escape, we’ll fight to the death. To wipe out the Mole Iron Mercenary Corps, they must pay in blood.”

Xiao Ding laughed coldly, “By the way, have you prepared the hidden item I asked for?”

“Yes, it’s ready!”

“Good. Even if the Mole Iron Mercenary Corps is destroyed today, when Xiao Yan arrives, he will find those items and take revenge for us, hehe…” Xiao Ding smiled, his grin mirroring the ruthless expression often seen on Xiao Yan’s face.

“Second Brother is going to lose. Although his lightning attributes are strong, the other is a Great Fighter…”

Looking at the nearing end of the fight, Xiao Ding’s body trembled, his anger slowly eroding his reason.

“Thunder Arc Three-Stage Dance!” In the arena, the silver figure shouted, and his spear, encased in arcs of lightning, lunged at the yellow figure.

“Ha, trash is still trash! Your three-stage dance is useless against absolute strength! Die!” The yellow figure, laughing disdainfully, clenched his massive fist, yellow Qi coalescing, forming an energy glove.

With a powerful punch, the wind and force struck the lightning, and the yellow figure’s fist destroyed the three lightning arcs, continuing to slam into Xiao Li’s chest.

“Ugh!” Hit hard, Xiao Li’s face paled, and he spat blood, his body skidding and crashing into a giant rock at the edge of the training ground.

“Ha, with such weak power, dare to be arrogant?” The middle-aged man, enveloped in yellow Qi, laughed, and his body, like a tank, charged towards the defeated Xiao Li, his fist gathering force, clearly intending to kill.

“Ha, die!” Seeing Xiao Li close, the man’s face twisted with cruelty, and his fist smashed down.

*Clang!*

Just as the large fist neared Xiao Li, a black shadow appeared, a huge black ruler plunging into the ground, blocking the blow. The sound of impact echoed.

The middle-aged man, pushed back by the force, glared at the black ruler. “Who are you?”

The black ruler trembled, and the thin figure of the black-clad youth appeared before everyone. Placing the ruler on his shoulder, Xiao Yan looked indifferently at the middle-aged man, pointing the ruler at him, his voice cold and chilling, echoing in the square.

“Your life, I claim today…”