At this moment, Hai Bodong had completely recovered his Five-Star Dou Huang cultivation!
Xiao Li's calamity breaking pill was genuine, without any deceit.
He also didn't need to rely on the calamity breaking pill to control Hai Bodong; after all, with the soul suppressing banner, it was more effective than any other flashy methods.
"Congratulations, it seems you have successfully recovered your cultivation. The title of Ice Emperor Hai Bodong can once again appear in the Jia Ma Empire," Xiao Li said with a smile.
Hai Bodong's expression was somewhat gloomy.
After recovering his cultivation, his first attempt was to remove the soul mark, but he failed.
The soul mark left by the soul suppressing banner was not so easily removed.
Therefore, even though Hai Bodong had recovered his cultivation, facing Xiao Li, a Dou Ling, even if he wanted to make a move, he couldn't.
Otherwise, Xiao Li could press him down before he even made a move!
"I know you're not convinced right now, but you won't lose out by following me," Xiao Li patted Hai Bodong's shoulder and said earnestly.
"Let's go, pack up your things and come with me to the next place."
"Where to?"
"First to Stone Desert City, then prepare to head to the Snake-People Tribe."
"You're going to the Snake-People Tribe?" Hai Bodong only focused on what he said next.
"Hmm, since you've already recovered your cultivation, how can you not go to the Snake-People Tribe and show off?" Xiao Li said with a smile.
Hai Bodong's face was strange, unable to fathom Xiao Li's thoughts.
But now he had no say; wherever Xiao Li told him to go, he could only follow… Stone Desert City.
As the largest city closest to the Tagor Desert, its liveliness was unmatched by several surrounding cities.
There were all kinds of local customs, and in addition to local residents, many outsiders also chose to settle here.
"This Stone Desert City is much livelier than your Mo City. Since you wanted to collect materials for the calamity breaking pill back then, why didn't you come here?" It was his first time in Stone Desert City, and Xiao Li looked around, finding it very novel.
Especially the exotic beauties around him, dressed in cool clothing with healthy, wheat-colored skin, possessed a unique kind of beauty and looked very alluring.
"This place is closest to the desert, and the Snake-People Tribe often appears here. This old man didn't want to deal with the Snake-People Tribe, so I didn't stay here," Hai Bodong said.
"You were afraid of being discovered by the Snake-People Tribe and then mocked, weren't you?" Xiao Li mercilessly exposed Hai Bodong's pretense.
This made the latter grit his teeth in anger, but he dared not speak.
Soon, the two arrived in front of a mercenary group's manor in Stone Desert City — the Mo Tie Mercenary Group!
"What are you doing here?"
Hai Bodong had no interest in such mercenary groups.
Among the three major mercenary groups in Stone Desert City, the strongest one only had a Great Dou Shi guarding it.
As a Dou Huang, Hai Bodong naturally looked down on them.
Moreover, in his opinion, Xiao Li was already a Dou Ling, considered a strong person even in the Jia Ma Empire, so he probably wouldn't look down on such a mercenary group, right?
"I'm here to visit relatives. This mercenary group was established by my brothers," Xiao Li explained, striding towards the mercenary group.
Hai Bodong followed in confusion… "Hello, who are you looking for?" A sexy woman in a red dress saw them enter and immediately stepped forward to ask.
"Is your leader Xiao Ding in? I'm looking for him."
"Who are you? I'll go in and report." Xue Lan was a little unsure of Xiao Li's identity.
If she let anyone who came looking for their leader in, it would be her dereliction of duty.
"Second Brother?"
Before Xiao Li could speak, a surprised voice came from the courtyard, and then a black-robed youth walked quickly towards them.
Xiao Yan!
This kid had also come here; his progress was much faster than Xiao Li had imagined.
"It really is you! I thought I was mistaken," Xiao Yan walked over, his face full of excitement.
Xue Lan heard his words and quickly understood Xiao Li's identity, quickly apologizing,
"So it's the leader's younger brother. Xue Lan was rash; please forgive me, Second Young Master."
"It's fine."
Xiao Li waved his hand, telling her to leave first.
"Little Yanzi, long time no see. Your cultivation has grown quite a bit."
Xiao Li patted Xiao Yan's shoulder.
After more than half a year, Xiao Yan's cultivation had also improved significantly, reaching One-Star Dou Shi.
It seemed that letting him come to the Tagor Desert early was indeed a wise choice; with Yao Lao's help, he certainly wouldn't have to worry about his cultivation.
"Compared to Second Brother, my cultivation is nothing," Xiao Yan said with a grin.
Soon, Xiao Ding also arrived upon hearing the commotion.
"Second Brother, why did you suddenly come without saying anything beforehand?"
"I just happened to be passing by and came to visit, to give you a surprise," Xiao Li said with a smile.
The three brothers hadn't seen each other in a long time, and their laughter and chatter infected many people around them.
"Oh, by the way, Second Brother, who is this senior?" Xiao Yan noticed Hai Bodong at the side.
Mainly, Yao Lao had mentioned to him that Hai Bodong was not simple, which was why he paid attention.
"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, one of the top ten powerhouses of the previous generation in the Jia Ma Empire."
"Hai Bodong, these two are my eldest brother and my third brother, respectively," Xiao Li introduced.
"Ice Emperor Hai Bodong?" Xiao Ding was greatly surprised.
Having stayed in Stone Desert City for so many years, he had naturally heard of this name.
"It is said that in the past, the Ice Emperor once fought against Queen Medusa of the Snake-People Tribe alone, brave and mighty, earning admiration."
"Just a rumor, it's not that exaggerated," Hai Bodong was clearly a bit self-conscious about this past.
After all, he had been beaten quite badly by Queen Medusa back then.
"Alright, we three brothers haven't seen each other in so long, let's catch up first."
Leaving Hai Bodong to wait casually, Xiao Li went in with them to catch up… The entire Mo Tie Mercenary Group became lively.
In the hall, the three Xiao brothers also had a rare gathering.
"Second Brother, you said you just happened to be passing by to see us, so what are you doing here? You can't just be shopping, can you?" Xiao Ding said,
"If you ask me, you should stay. The three of us brothers together, we'll grow bigger and stronger and create new glory."
Xiao Li smiled and said, "No, I really have something to do this time. I need to go to the Snake-People Tribe. Do you want to come with me?"
As soon as he said this, Xiao Yan and Xiao Ding were both shocked.
"The Snake-People Tribe? What are you going to do there?" Xiao Ding was shocked, "Queen Medusa of the Snake-People Tribe is not to be trifled with. Even if you have the Ice Emperor by your side, it's still very dangerous."
"I have my own business to do there, so you don't need to worry. I'll be fine," Xiao Li reassured.
"Is Second Brother going to the Snake-People Tribe because of the Heavenly Flame?" Xiao Yan suddenly asked from the side.
"Hmm, you also know about the Heavenly Flame?" Xiao Li nodded.
Actually, he wasn't going purely for the Heavenly Flame.
But he couldn't very well say he was going for Queen Medusa, could he?
...