After entering the shop, the interior was not very spacious, with several moonstones emitting a faint light, making the inside quite bright. Wei Yang scanned the interior of the shop. There were not many people buying maps, giving it a somewhat desolate appearance.
Then Wei Yang looked towards the counter, his gaze finally resting on an old man behind the counter, who was bent over, carefully drawing a map. The old man, though with a full head of white hair and appearing quite aged, had a grip on the drawing pen that was still steady and strong.
If he wasn't mistaken, this old man was likely the Ice Emperor Hai Bodong. It was also Wei Yang's first time seeing a Douhuang [Battle Emperor] powerhouse in person.
He thought briefly and then shook his head, deciding not to interact with Hai Bodong for now. Even a sealed Douhuang was not to be provoked.
So Wei Yang pulled Ye Xian'er along to a nearby bookshelf, casually picking up a map to examine. The routes on the map were clearly marked and accurate with minimal error, and the craftsmanship was indeed very good, as Wei Yang nodded to himself approvingly.
After putting down the map in his hand, he picked up another. As he continued to peruse them, Wei Yang was surprised to find that the shop had a comprehensive collection of maps. There were maps of the Jia Ma Empire, the Tagore Desert, and these two were the most detailed. Even maps of several nearby countries, like the Cloud Empire and the Mulan Empire, were available, though these were relatively less detailed, but still acceptable. There was even a map of the Black-Corner Region.
Wei Yang nodded in satisfaction. With these maps, he wouldn't have to worry about getting lost in the Jia Ma Empire and its surrounding areas. So he took two copies of each map, one for himself and one for Xian'er.
Wei Yang brought these maps to the counter and asked, "How much for these maps?"
In response to Wei Yang's inquiry, the old man continued to concentrate on drawing the map in his hand, without lifting his head, a hoarse and indifferent voice coming out of his mouth: "One map, 100 gold coins."
Wei Yang briefly closed his eyes, quietly releasing his soul power, carefully probing outwards. Early this morning, Wei Yang had discovered a pleasant surprise: after the mysterious black iron scroll had devoured his soul power the previous day, his soul power, upon recovery, seemed to have slightly increased and condensed a bit.
Now facing this seasoned Douhuang powerhouse, Wei Yang couldn't help but feel curious to test his ability. As his soul power gradually extended, it quietly enveloped the old man's body.
Suddenly, in Wei Yang's perception, within the seemingly dried and aged body of the old man, there dwelled a powerful aura, like an iceberg. But this iceberg seemed to be currently bound and sealed by another kind of mysterious, even stronger power.
Wei Yang could vaguely sense that the energy the old man could currently mobilize was merely a fraction of this iceberg, estimated to be at most around the level of a high-level Douling [Battle Spirit]. After confirming this, Wei Yang withdrew his soul power with a smile.
High-level Douling, although formidable, was not enough to scare Wei Yang. If a fight broke out, he could at least flee. Taking out a thousand gold coins from his ring, placing them on the counter, Wei Yang shook the stack of maps in his hand and said, "I'm taking ten maps."
The old man nodded, his attention still focused on the map he was drawing. Wei Yang merely smiled, not minding, and after securing the maps, left the shop with Ye Xian'er in tow.
Only after the pair had completely disappeared from view did the old man's hand, which had been steadily drawing maps, pause slightly and he lifted his head.
This was an aged face, and a terrifying scar stretched from his left cheek to the corner of his eye. Though he appeared dried and aged, with cloudy eyes, the scar added a touch of menace to his demeanor.
The old man gazed towards the shopfront, in the direction where Wei Yang and his companion had left, his murky old eyes squinting slightly, as if a bright gleam flashed within them. "Two frightening young people, so young, yet with such terrifying talent!" the old man muttered softly to himself.
As a seasoned Douhuang powerhouse, even though he was not an alchemist, his soul perception was naturally not weak. If Wei Yang could faintly sense the aura hidden within the old man, naturally, the old man could roughly sense Wei Yang's condition.
"Especially that young man, possessing such powerful soul strength at such a young age...could he be an alchemist?" the old man pondered, his expression showing slight intrigue. He was about to be obsessed!
No matter how talented the young man seemed, he was still unlikely to be a Tier 6 Alchemist, right? Plus, these two young individuals seemed unusual; he dared not contact them rashly.
Hiding in this small city at the desert border for over two decades, he had not dared let anyone know his whereabouts, not even the Mitel family. This showed how cautious he was.
"These two young people…could they be from another empire or region? Coming to this Tagore Desert..." A strange glint flickered in the old man's cloudy eyes as he mumbled to himself a few words, then he stopped thinking about it and continued focusing on drawing maps.
"Heavenly Flame..."
After buying a detailed map of the Tagore Desert, Wei Yang was in a good mood as he ambled back to the inn with Ye Xian'er, planning to study the map carefully and set out to find Heavenly Fire the next day.
Recalling the descriptions in the original work, Wei Yang couldn't help but think of another girl: Qing Lin. A poor little girl with a snake person bloodline, also the holder of the Green Lotus Core Flame, another existence akin to a cheat.
"According to the original description, there's a fourth-tier Two-Headed Flame Spirit Snake in the underground magma lake. And currently, that Two-Headed Flame Spirit Snake hasn't been injured by Medusa, so its strength is probably at the peak of the fourth tier!"
Peak fourth-tier, comparable to peak Douling in terms of human strength. "And having grown up in such a special environment as the underground magma lake, fighting there would be like a home game for the snake, with its combat power comparable to a Dou Wang [Battle King] and its energy quickly replenished, almost inexhaustible," Wei Yang mused.
It's a bit troublesome. In such a unique place like the underground magma lake, Wei Yang found facing that Two-Headed Flame Spirit Snake a bit tricky. He wouldn't dare descend to the magma's depth to search for the Heavenly Flame with that beast unsolved. But he was not without a solution, after all, it was just a beast. He needed to devise a plan to lure it out and eliminate it swiftly.
As for Qing Lin? Wei Yang glanced at the little girl beside him, then smiled and shook his head softly. It still came down to fate. No special effort. His ambitions were vast, encompassing the heights of the realm of Douqi and even harboring some fantasy for the Great Thousand Worlds beyond. Yet, his heart was small, so small it could not hold too many people. Initially, he had planned to choose Qing Lin. However, having Ye Xian'er now, and with the little girl having already occupied the majority of Wei Yang's heart, he felt indifferent towards Qing Lin, adopting a take-it-or-leave-it mentality.
Undeniably, everyone liked beauties. Wei Yang was no exception, especially when the beauty in question wasn't just a mere face but possessed a freakish, straight-to-Dou Sheng constitution. Moreover, this beauty was at her weakest and most helpless stage, the best time to win her over.
But liking did not equate to possession. There were many beauties in the world; must one love them all? Wei Yang was not a philanderer.
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