Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

"I'll trust you this once," Xiao Yan said, putting away the parchment. He looked up and pursed his lips. "However, I'll first check these places for any strange flames, so it might take a while..."

“No problem,” Hai Bodong nodded decisively without the slightest hesitation. “I have been waiting for decades, so a year or two won’t make a difference. However, I still hope you will be careful. That location in the west is already deep in the Tagor Desert. In that location, Queen Medusa can already sense the presence of all humans.”

“Without someone protecting you, I don’t think you could escape from Queen Medusa… or even from the leaders of those snake-people tribes under her command,” Hai Bodong sighed with lingering fear.

"Well, I'll try my best," Xiao Yan said with a shrug and a smile.

Judging from Xiao Yan's expression, Hai Bodong knew that his advice had been completely ignored. However, in his view, even if Xiao Yan, with his high-level alchemist teacher behind him, stood before Queen Medusa, she wouldn't dare to actually attack him. After all, everyone on the continent knew one thing—

Alchemists, especially high-level alchemists, are the people you absolutely cannot afford to offend.

"Found some money? Why are you smiling so happily?"

Even when he met up with Fairy Doctor, Xiao Yan still had an uncontrollable smile on his face, which made Fairy Doctor a little strange.

"I just find it a bit amusing that I accidentally made you work for nothing," Xiao Yan said with a smile, showing the map in his hand to Little Fairy Doctor. "Look, the locations of all the desert oases are marked, so we shouldn't lack water resources along the way."

?

After carefully examining the map Xiao Yan handed her, Little Fairy Doctor looked incredulous. "How did you get your hands on this map? Normally, this kind of thing is exclusive information and would never be sold to outsiders, right?"

Little Fairy Doctor had made similar maps, but they only recorded the locations where special medicinal herbs grew on the outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range. No one except herself had ever seen the maps she made!

“You have to believe in the allure of elixirs,” Xiao Yan said cheerfully. “Let’s go, rent a magical beast, and head towards Stone Desert City!”

Stone Desert City, located on the eastern outskirts of the Tagor Desert, is the city in the Gama Empire closest to the Snake-People tribe. It is a heavily guarded city and also the city where the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, established by Xiao Yan's two elder brothers, is stationed.

Most importantly, the mark of the Eastern Flame on Haibodong's map is very close to Stone Desert City, or even right next to it!

Riding on the magical beast rented from the Mo City Merchant Guild, gazing at the boundless golden desert outside Mo City, Xiao Yan's lips gradually curled into a smile.

*

Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor rode their magical beasts, moving forward silently. The golden sand dunes around them were like an endless sea, and the wind carried sand and gravel, sweeping across the vast天地 (heaven and earth).

The journey between Desert City and Stone Desert City takes about ten days, but the two riding the magical beasts that are abundant in the desert only took about five days to reach the vicinity of Stone Desert City.

When she finally saw the outline of Stone Desert City in the distance, Little Fairy Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was no longer the frail little girl she had been a few months ago, riding through the vast desert was still a test of her willpower.

Not to mention the incredibly scorching sun over the Tagor Desert, which relentlessly bakes the earth during its duration.

"You can't even handle this?" Xiao Yan turned around and glanced at Little Fairy Doctor. "The Chuyun Empire is much more dangerous than the Tagor Desert!"

“But I won’t be exposed to the sun all the time there!” Little Fairy Doctor grinned, expressing her dissatisfaction. “Besides, you’ve never been to the Izumo Empire, how do you know it’s more dangerous there?”

“I’m talking about the poisonous swamp of the Izumo Empire,” Xiao Yan blinked. “Don’t you plan to go and see the poisonous swamp of Izumo?”

"What's the point of seeing that?" Little Fairy Doctor rolled her eyes in annoyance. "To see my future fate?"

As a poison manual, the Seven-Colored Poison Manual is incredibly useful. It not only provides Little Fairy Doctor with cultivation techniques suitable for those with the Calamity Poison Body, but also thoughtfully introduces the fates of many Calamity Poison Bodies throughout history. It even notes that the largest poisonous swamp in the Northwest Continent seems to be the place where a Calamity Poison Body died.

Amidst the commotion, the mount beneath him had already surged into Stone Desert City with the flow of people.

"There are quite a lot of people."

After returning the magical beast to the Desert City Merchant Guild's resident employee in Stone Desert City, Little Fairy Doctor looked at the mercenary groups with swords and fierce expressions on the street and the merchants coming and going, and whispered in surprise.

“After all, it’s the city closest to the Snake-Man Tribe,” Xiao Yan, who had stopped a passerby to ask about the location of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group, overheard Little Fairy Doctor’s exclamation. “This is the place where opportunity and danger coexist.”

"Did you find out the location?"

“Yes, just head south.” Xiao Yan nodded.

Heading south, before long, a courtyard that was almost as large as the Xiao family compound in Wutan City came into view.

Above the courtyard, a flag fluttered in the wind, bearing the words "Mo Tie Mercenary Group," subtly revealing an aura of iron-blooded toughness.

Looking at the familiar courtyard, a slight smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face.

"Halt! This is..." A somewhat unfamiliar mercenary stopped Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor.

"Idiot, this is the Third Regiment Commander!" Another burly man guarding the gate twitched his lips and slapped down his companion's arm that was blocking Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor. "Third Regiment Commander, please come in!" he shouted loudly, seemingly worried that his companion would be punished.

"Alright, alright, you're all my brothers' brothers, no need for such formalities!" Xiao Yan patted the big man's shoulder irritably. "But... Danzi, you've been slacking off this past year, haven't you? How come you haven't become a Dou Shi yet?"

"Third Commander, please stop teasing me," the burly man known as Danzai said with a wry smile. "You know my talent. If it weren't for the commander giving me a hand, I might not have become a Fighter yet!"

"Is that so?" Xiao Yan blinked innocently. "Never mind, never mind, I'm not joking anymore. Here, this is a reward for you." He casually took out a jade bottle and tossed it to Danzi.

"There are two in total, one for each of you. If a fighter takes one, it will raise their level by one star."

As Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor entered the courtyard, Xiao Yan left a message: "These two are for you two alone, don't tell my older brother!"

"Come on, everyone gets some, just don't tell my older brother!"

Seeing the familiar faces in the courtyard, Xiao Yan's joy deepened, and he took out pills to enhance his strength from his Awakening Flame Ring as if they were free.

"Little Yan is really something..." In a pavilion in the courtyard, a white-robed man who looked somewhat similar to Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yan shouting loudly in the courtyard and sighed helplessly.

However, this helpless expression couldn't completely hide the smile at the corner of his mouth.

"It's alright. Xiao Yanzi already told these guys before he left that he'd bring them some good stuff next time he comes," the young man in mercenary gear next to the white-robed man said casually with a smile. "They can practice a bit after they get the stuff. Even if there really is an undercover agent..."

The young man's smile was extremely bright, but his eyes swept mercilessly over some of the group members who had a somewhat improper demeanor. "I'll let them know that Xiao Yanzi's gifts aren't something they can just take!"

"Little Yanzi brought a girl with him this time, so you should tone down your temper!" the white-robed man said irritably.

"Yes, yes, why are you being as long-winded as Dad?" The young man rolled his eyes. "Do I look like the kind of person who doesn't pay attention to the occasion?"

"I think they look quite similar!"

"Uh..." The young man didn't know how to answer for a moment. "By the way, Xiao Yanzi brought girls with him this time. What about Qing Lin?" He decisively changed the subject.

"Become a maid, what else can you do?" The white-robed man rolled his eyes. "Only you keep nagging about making Qinglin a child bride for Xiaoyanzi. Now look what you've done!"

"I did say that, but you didn't object..." the young man muttered under his breath, "I see everyone else has received theirs, so I'll go down and find Xiao Yanzi first!"

Seeing the white-robed man's expression suddenly change, the young man decisively slipped away.

"Really, how old is he?" Watching the young man slip away, the man in white shook his head helplessly, but the smile on his lips only grew wider.

"Hey, Little Yanzi, it's been a year! What's your cultivation level now?"

After handing the last bottle of pills to an unfamiliar mercenary, Xiao Yan heard a voice that was all too familiar to him.

"When you came last year, you said you'd bring some good stuff for my brothers, you haven't forgotten, have you?" Turning around, I saw a young man in mercenary uniform leaning lazily against the door frame.

"I haven't forgotten, I'll show you all at the banquet tonight!" Xiao Yan grinned brightly. "Second Brother, you've gotten even stronger in the past year!"

"Strong? What's so strong about you? If we're talking about handsome, do you understand? If we're talking about handsome!" Xiao Li, Xiao Yan's second brother, walked up to Xiao Yan and glared at him angrily. "Alright, did you all hear that? Your three leaders have gifts for you at the banquet tonight. Now you know what to do, right?" He clapped his hands, drawing all the mercenaries' attention to himself.

"Prepare for tonight's banquet!" someone shouted.

"Since you know that, why aren't you preparing food?" Xiao Li glared at the mercenary who had shouted from the crowd. "Are you planning to starve tonight and eat sand?"

After the mercenaries had squeezed out of the courtyard in a chaotic manner to go shopping, Xiao Li looked at Xiao Yan again, casually placing his right hand on Xiao Yan's shoulder. "By the way, and this lady, isn't she your sister-in-law?"

After nodding to Little Fairy Doctor, Xiao Li put his arm around Xiao Yan's neck.

"Friends, just friends!" Xiao Yan struggled symbolically for a moment, then said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, we're all friends!" Xiao Li pushed with his right arm. "Let's go, your older brother is waiting for you!"

Chapter 154 Stone Desert City

Night falls earlier in the desert than usual...

Of course, perhaps it was because he hadn't seen his two older brothers for too long. Xiao Yan felt that it was getting dark before he had talked for very long. Although he hadn't had enough fun, there was still a banquet to come, and there would be plenty of time in the future. So Xiao Yan and his two older brothers went to the banquet venue together.

"Is that the genius younger brother of the two commanders that you've been talking about all this time?"

The mercenary who stopped Xiao Yan in the afternoon looked at Xiao Yan with some curiosity as he clinked glasses with Xiao Li and Xiao Ding.

"Yeah, what, do you think the Third Regiment Commander is less capable than you?"

"No, I was just thinking... the Third Regiment Commander is actually an alchemist, it really feels like a dream."

"Alright, alright, if you were really dreaming, the Second Regiment Commander would have kicked you awake already!" Danzi draped his right arm over the big man's shoulder. "Let me tell you, the Third Regiment Commander is only sixteen years old this year!"

"Sixteen years old? You're not kidding me, are you?!" The mercenary's eyes widened.

"Why would I lie to you? Besides, everyone knows this except for you guys who were just hired this year, right?" Danzi was clearly a little drunk and shouted loudly.

"The leaders of these groups all come from prominent families. Only after they have gone through their coming-of-age ceremony at the age of sixteen can they go out to train... Of course, I've only heard that!"

"When the Third Regiment Commander came last year, he was only at the Battle Qi stage. He said he suffered some kind of injury when he was a child, so he had never been able to cultivate normally..."

"But they're all advanced fighters this year, right? I saw the third squad leader is even wearing an alchemist's badge; that's not something you can just get easily..."

……

The atmosphere at the banquet gradually became more lively, and the mercenaries' discussions grew louder and louder, all revolving around only one topic—

"Little Yanzi, look, everyone's talking about you. It feels like my brother and I are being ignored by them." After finishing another jar of wine, Xiao Li chuckled and nudged Xiao Yan's right arm.

"After all, my eldest and second brothers have always been by our side. I only come back to see them once every year or so." After pouring Xiao Li a bowl of wine, Xiao Yan replied with a smile.

“That’s true—” Xiao Li nodded and continued drinking.

“However, Xiao Yanzi, your current strength…” Thinking of the seven-star Great Dou Master cultivation level that Xiao Yan mentioned during their chat that afternoon, Xiao Ding couldn’t help but shake his head. “Your cultivation speed is even faster than when you were at your peak as a child, isn’t it?”

"If I could, I wouldn't want to cultivate so quickly," Xiao Yan shrugged helplessly. "There's only half of the three-year deadline left, but that woman might not even have become a Dou Shi yet..."

A three-year term?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were taken aback. Then, the smile on Xiao Li's face gradually faded, and he coughed lightly, "Not a Dou Shi yet? Where did you get this information?" He lowered his voice, afraid that the mercenaries who were chatting enthusiastically over there would hear him.

"Not long ago, while I was cultivating in the Monster Mountain Range, I met her teacher," Xiao Yan shrugged, "and then I learned that she was only a Dou Zhe at that time..."

"A Dou Zhe?" Xiao Ding looked somewhat confused. "When she came to break off the engagement a year and a half ago, she was already a three-star Dou Zhe, right?"

"There aren't actually many pills that can be taken during the Dou Zhe stage," Xiao Yan said in a low voice after pouring three bowls of wine. "No matter how big and powerful her Yunlan Sect is, she can only cultivate on her own during the Dou Zhe stage. But once she reaches the Dou Shi stage, she can take many more pills. Maybe she can even become a Dou Ling in a year and a half."

"Fighting spirits..." Xiao Li clicked his tongue, "Never mind, anyway, your second brother believes you will definitely win, right?" Unable to say anything encouraging, Xiao Li patted Xiao Yan's shoulder.

"If I lose, I'll really let my teacher down," Xiao Yan said with a smile, then waved to the three women who had just come out of the pavilion, "Little Fairy Doctor, over here!"

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's greeting, Little Fairy Doctor looked up in this direction, then turned around and said something to the two people behind her. Soon, the three of them walked over together.

"The woman behind your female companion is the most beautiful girl in our Desert Iron Mercenary Group," Xiao Li, who had also seen the three, nudged Xiao Yan's arm. "How about it, interested? Want me to introduce you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting now?" Xiao Ding put down his wine bowl and tapped Xiao Li's head in annoyance. "First it was Qing Lin, and now it's Xue Lan. What, are you that eager for Xiao Yanzi to get married?"

"Can a child bride and a blind date be the same?" Xiao Liyi said righteously.

"A child bride..." Xiao Yan looked at his beloved second brother with disgust. "Second brother, you really are my brother!"