While in Battle Through the Heavens, one can pre-appoint oneself as an emperor.

Map shop.

Having regained his former glory, Hai Bodong and Chen Xiao, having completed their mission, had no intention of lingering outside the city, so they returned with Teng Shan.

"When does Elder Hai plan to leave Desert City?"

Hearing Chen Xiao address him, Hai Bodong smiled with satisfaction.

This kid used to always call me Ice Emperor, never this affectionate.

"I'll stay for another three to five days at most. The city lord of Mo City had already suspected my identity before. With the commotion I've caused today, plus Teng Shan's comings and goings these past few days, he can tell that I'm not a simple person if he thinks about it carefully. If I stay any longer, I won't be able to have any peace and quiet."

Hai Bodong replied with a smile.

He abandoned the idea of ​​taking on apprentices and instead focused on becoming friends with them, and suddenly he felt no more conflicted.

Chen Xiao nodded slightly. In the original timeline, Hai Bodong's identity was never exposed, and people often came to curry favor with him. Now that his identity is gradually becoming clear, if he continues to stay, the scene will only become more exaggerated.

"Boy, just say what you have to say. Although I was just released from my seal today, I have recovered about 70-80% of my strength. What you are struggling with is probably just a piece of cake for me."

Strength brings confidence. Hai Bodong is no longer just an ordinary old man who runs a map shop. His demeanor and speech now truly exude the aura of the Ice Emperor.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao no longer hesitated.

"There are indeed two small matters that require Elder Hai's help."

Tell me about it.

"First, I'd like to ask Elder Hai to make a trip to the place where Queen Medusa took the Azure Lotus Core Flame. The Azure Lotus Core Flame takes a hundred years to form and a thousand years to mature into a lotus, with the flame originating from the lotus's heart. Queen Medusa doesn't know much about strange flames, so I doubt she would take the Core Flame Lotus. The Core Flame Lotus seeds inside are valuable. If Elder Hai can obtain them, how about we split them fifty-fifty?"

With Chen Xiao's current strength, it is absolutely impossible for him to penetrate deep into the underground magma.

Therefore, the only way to verify this matter is through Hai Bodong, the laborer.

Given their friendship over the past few days, and considering that he would never have obtained it without Hai Bodong, it is only right that they share the spoils equally.

"Is that so? You kid, you're clearly an ice-attribute cultivator, yet you know so much about strange fire. I'll remember that and go take a look tonight. With my sensitivity to that woman's aura and the right direction, finding where she entered the underground shouldn't be difficult."

This is a good thing, and Hai Bodong has no reason to refuse.

Even if Chen Xiao hadn't offered to split the spoils equally, given how much Chen Xiao valued him now, he wouldn't have refused if Chen Xiao had just asked.

"Call me when Ebi takes action."

There's also a two-headed fire spirit serpent deep underground.

Now that Qinglin has also begun cultivation, if he can use the Fire Spirit Serpent to activate the Azure Serpent's Three-Flower Pupil and subdue it, the benefits will be considerable. He will also gain a bodyguard with considerable strength, giving him more confidence when traveling.

It's a win-win situation, so why not do it?

"No problem," Hai Bodong nodded in agreement.

"Another thing, that incomplete map by Hai Lao."

As he spoke, Chen Xiao glanced at a corner.

Tengshan Yu Haibo Dong is not an outsider, so Chen Xiao has no need to deliberately hide it.

"You're really after it, aren't you? Did that woman tell you about it?"

Hai Bodong was greatly surprised; he hadn't forgotten the day he first met Chen Xiao.

At the time, Chen Xiao was strolling around the store, and Hai Bodong was keeping an eye on his every move out of the corner of his eye.

But after seeing the incomplete painting, Chen Xiao behaved no differently than a normal person, so much so that he never suspected anything.

Now that I hear it, it seems that's not the case.

"To be honest, I do know a little about this fragment of map. It should be one-eighth of the complete map. The things recorded on it are also a kind of strange fire, and it is ranked very high. It is definitely not something that people at the Dou Huang or even Dou Zong level can covet. I am not particularly interested in strange fires, but if I can collect all the fragments of the map, it will be a very heavy bargaining chip."

As long as Hai Bodong reveals his thoughts on the incomplete chart, it's not hard to guess that he knows some information.

Therefore, Chen Xiao didn't need to act mysterious; revealing a little bit would be harmless.

"Hehe, you're too naive, kid. I won't lie to you. This fragment of the map is the reason for my struggle with Queen Medusa more than ten years ago. After I obtained it, I studied it diligently for so many years without any results, and I haven't been able to find out any news about the other fragments. To increase the chances, I even split it in two and deliberately took out one to attract interested people. But over the years, only you have shown interest in it. What kind of luck would it take to collect them all?"

That's true.

For ordinary people, collecting all the remaining fragments of the map is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

If it weren't for a protagonist like Xiao Yan, finding even two copies in a lifetime would be extremely difficult, let alone collecting them all.

"Take it if you want it. I'm almost sick of seeing it. I could draw it exactly the same with my eyes closed. If you're lucky enough to collect them all and reveal the mystery, just let me satisfy my curiosity."

As he spoke, Hai Bodong flipped his hand and took out the other half of the incomplete map, casually tossing it onto the table in front of Chen Xiao.

The reason he could be so decisive is, as I just mentioned.

Collecting all the remaining fragments of the map is too difficult; there seems to be no hope.

Furthermore, he does remember it very clearly.

In addition, she didn't want to ruin her image in Chen Xiao's mind.

Chen Xiao bowed slightly in thanks, but instead of immediately putting away the half-finished map on the table, he got up and went to the corner to retrieve the other half.

Picking up the two fragments of the map, Chen Xiao examined them with great curiosity, occasionally tugging at them and letting out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"Don't bother. The material of this fragment is very special. I've never seen it before. I've tried many methods, such as cutting with a knife, heating with fire, freezing in water, etc., but none of them can destroy it. Only this black stone ore can break it apart."

With a "thud," a palm-sized piece of obsidian-like mineral landed on the table.

"What kind of mineral is this? I don't recognize it at all!"

Tengshan, who hadn't said a word, became curious and picked it up to examine it for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

Who is Teng Shan? He owns the Mittel family, the wealthiest family in the Gama Empire. Even he doesn't recognize this black mine, which shows how rare it is.

"I don't know. I found it by chance when I went out of the city. I saw that it was very sharp, so I brought it back to try it out. I didn't expect it could actually cut through the map fragments," Hai Bodong said, shaking his head.

After Tengshan finished playing with it, Chen Xiao took it from him.

Although I can't recognize it, I'm certain that this black ore is very unusual.

After all, Xiao Yan couldn't even damage the fragment of the map by burning it with a different kind of fire, yet Hai Bodong was able to divide it up, which was already an absurd thing.

Now that he knows the reason, Chen Xiao can barely understand it.

After fiddling with it for a while, Chen Xiao put down the incomplete map and scratched the black stone ore.

In an instant, the two fragments, each one-eighth the size of the original image, split into four, becoming one-sixteenth the size.

Suppressing the urge to strike again, Chen Xiao picked up the four small pictures, a hint of wickedness in his smile.

Having accomplished the two tasks that were coming to an end, Chen Xiao was eager to return and study the advance in his mind, so he immediately got up.

"Qinglin is probably waiting for me again, Elder Hai, Chief Tengshan. I'll take my leave now. See you tonight!"