The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

Every bounty poster at the "Empty Bones" tavern was marked with Yonivore's black robes.

Speak of the devil, and he appears. The black-robed alchemist, carrying a bag of bloody sand lizard tails, calmly pushed open the door and walked in.

"This is the twelfth order, by the guardian deity..."

The rise in status brought about by tirelessly accepting high-difficulty bounties is obvious.

From uprooting the bloodsucking sand fleas that parasitized the cracks in the city wall like quicksand, to smashing the giant cactus-like sea buckthorn demon, which was five or six meters tall, with a single punch...

This led to the fact that when the seasoned veterans in the tavern saw that man in black robes, they no longer looked wary and fearful. Instead, they would subconsciously move half a bench aside, fearing that this man might smash up the entire tavern if he was unhappy and take a beating at any of them.

"Tsk tsk, there aren't many bounties here for you to take... Black-robed kid," the tavern owner teased as he fiddled with a purple-gold coin at the bar and saw Yunevo approaching him again.

"Would you like something to drink, kid in black? Since you've brought so much foot traffic to my tavern, I'll make sure all your drinks are free from now on... I, Old Jess, guarantee with my reputation that I'm not lying."

"Stop with all that nonsense, just pay me my wages first..." Yunefu stretched out his hand, as if asking for the coins the boss was playing with in his hand.

"No problem, no problem..." The boss tossed the purple-gold coin to Yunevo—worth the same as a platinum coin, but only circulated within Zehrhalan.

Yunevo accepted the purple-gold coin and continued, "I remember you had a bounty posted a few days ago about some sandworm... Didn't you say no one had taken it? Why can't I see it now?"

"You mean that... that bug is incredibly cunning! It loves to burrow under the sand and ambush predators. Some hunters who aren't positioned well can get wiped out in one bite!"

"So... out of necessity, although the benefits this thing brings are high, Zelharan can no longer afford to make any more sacrifices," old Jess sighed.

Coincidentally, what Yunefu fears least now is an ambush... Ever since he dealt with that giant cactus in the wild, he unexpectedly acquired an organ—the gallbladder of the Seabuckthorn Demon.

The type and replaceable parts can naturally be derived from the name of this organ...

But clearly, passive skills are the most important.

[Water Storage]: During organ activation, your water utilization rate is maximized, and a very small amount of intake can sustain high-intensity physical exertion.

【Root of the Desert】: During organ activation, your perception of the entire desert is greatly enhanced. Even in sandstorms or underground environments with extremely low visibility, you still have infallible senses.

These two passive skills are like the roots of the Seabuckthorn Demon, which cover the entire desert and are specialized for storing water and sensing—it doesn't need to fix itself in one place like a plant, but instead follows its root system to hunt for food and replenish water.

"What, you don't think I'm a good candidate?" Eunicevo adopted a highly suspicious persona, as if he was about to flip the table and throw a tantrum at any moment, staring straight at old Joel.

"I wouldn't dare! I definitely wouldn't dare!" Old Joel waved his hand, took out the poorly preserved bounty poster, and respectfully handed it to Eunicevo with both hands.

Recently, the people in Zehrhalan have been saying that this black-robed kid has a temper that's bigger than his skills... and he's also extremely paranoid. If he suspects someone and punches them to death, where can they go to seek justice?

Yunefu nodded in satisfaction, and with the bounty in hand, he was about to walk out of the "Empty Bone" tavern when the contact person, whom he had met a few days earlier and who had been arranged by Lao Liu, quietly called out to him.

Seeing the black-robed alchemist stop and walk towards them, the contact said in a low voice that the two of them could hear clearly, "Your recent activities... have indeed caused quite a stir. Not only the 'Sand King,' but even those white-robed figures have taken notice of you."

"It just so happens...aren't you going to the Dry Sea to hunt desert worms? If you ask me, we should make those two groups hesitate to act rashly, since it's not just ignorant hunters who will die there."

"The two personal guards of the 'Sand King' and the team of 'Purifiers' in white robes all died in the mouth of that worm. Now... everyone is saying that the worm is the last resentment left behind when Zerharan was burned by the sun."

"The Dry Sea is located at a branch of the Golden Trade Route... If you kill this thing, those people will definitely think twice before taking action."

The contact person pulled out a sketch from somewhere, which, when unfolded, revealed the detailed outline of the insect drawn with rough charcoal.

Its enormous and plump body, withered limbs covered in barbs, layered carapace shaped like a shield... and that gaping maw flowing with corrosive acid.

"Thanks for the reminder," Yunevo nodded to the contact, then pulled Iseria away from the tavern.

"Shall we... set off now?" Iseria fiddled with the concealed potion bottles hanging inside her robe. Her face was a little thinner than before she entered the city, but her blue eyes had begun to take on the deepness of Yunevo.

"Of course, let's go now..." Yunevo pulled their hoods down even lower.

This kind of exhilarating combat experience that doesn't require much brainpower... it was something he hadn't felt in a long time, making his heart race.

At midday, Zehrhalan was like a crematorium. Yunefu walked ahead, with the [Seabuckthorn Demon's Gallbladder] constantly providing him with a dazzling array of real-time information.

Even the tiny beetles hiding in the quicksand can be clearly detected, let alone... those big guys that keep churning and sinking, ready to pounce.

"Yonev... that's the noise over there," Iseria gently shook their clasped hands, pointed north with her other hand, and whispered, "The Earth Demon Source over there is crying."

"That's the Desert Plague Worm... It seems it's really messed up the entire earth elemental veins of Zelharan. After all, that huge and unnatural body must need some kind of energy to maintain it."

The two traveled north, passing through fortifications made of huge fossil bones, and overcoming the astonishment, silence, and skepticism of the indigenous people of Zerharan.

The sound of wind and sand gradually took over, while Yunevo and Iseria's steps were extremely steady, each step landing on the most solid part of the quicksand.

Upon reaching the edge of the "dried-up sea"...

The sandstorm has stopped.

All that remained before me was a dry, pale, crystallized sea of ​​sand, with countless giant cacti standing tall, like tombstones erected in mourning.

In the center of this sea of ​​sand lies a giant, funnel-shaped pit...