Chapter 17: The Deal is Struck

"Xiao... Xiao Han?" Hai Bodong's tone was filled with thick disbelief.

Immediately following this, he looked at Xiao Han with a face full of respect.

"Hmm?" Xiao Han was somewhat bewildered; although he knew Hai Bodong might be very shocked.

But where did this reverence you showed afterward come from?

This was mainly because Xiao Han had underestimated his own influence.

As for Xiao Han's great name, it could be said that it was like thunder to Hai Bodong's ears.

After all, Hai Bodong and Xiao Lin could actually be considered to be of the same generation. In fact, Hai Bodong was even a bit older.

Hai Bodong knew Xiao Han's deeds by heart. And Xiao Han had even returned to the Jia Ma Empire when he was at the Emperor level of strength.

In the minds of Hai Bodong's generation, Xiao Han was everyone's common goal to strive for and also a shadow from their childhood.

In their daily lives, when they were reprimanded by the elders of their clans, they were always compared to Xiao Han. As time passed, the attitude of this generation in the Imperial Capital toward Xiao Han split into two extremes.

One part was extremely hateful and fearful, while the other part, led by Hai Bodong and Xiao Lin, was reverent.

Xiao Lin was reverent because he belonged to the Xiao Clan along with Xiao Han and the two had a good relationship. As for Hai Bodong, it was because he and Xiao Han were both practitioners of Ice Attribute Dou Qi, which brought a sense of natural affinity.

Especially as he cultivated to the Emperor level and found that increasing his realm became increasingly difficult, his admiration for Xiao Han became even more profound.

However, Xiao Han did not know any of this. He was currently having his scalp tingle from Hai Bodong's strange gaze.

If it weren't for the fact that Hai Bodong still had some use, he would have intended to take action himself.

"Hoo—" Letting out a long sigh, Hai Bodong smiled bitterly, suddenly enlightened.

"I finally understand why the senior would help the Xiao Clan."

"Could it be to prevent the senior's enemies from making a move against the Xiao Clan?

That makes sense; enemies that even someone with the senior's profound cultivation cannot resolve naturally require strict precautions.

The Xiao Clan is, after all, too weak." Hai Bodong thought he had found the reason.

To this, Xiao Han merely shook his head, offering no reply.

"Although my strength is strong enough, even enough to dominate the Jia Ma Empire alone, that is not my ambition." Seeing that Hai Bodong had already filled in a "reasonable answer" in his own mind.

Xiao Han followed the thread of the conversation:

"Moreover, the Xiao Clan's influence is still a bit lacking, so I intend to make a deal with you.

You do me this favor, and I will resolve the seal within your body for you, and also give you a Break Sect Pill, how about it?"

Hearing this, Hai Bodong's breathing immediately became heavy. Both of these conditions struck at his vital points.

First was the seal within his body; since his cultivation was sealed by the Medusa Queen several years ago, his strength had dropped to the Dou Ling level.

He had no face to return to his clan and had been unable to break it to this day. He had even prepared to live in seclusion here until he returned to the Emperor level.

And breaking through to the Dou Zong level was not just his obsession, but the obsession of every Emperor-level powerhouse in the entire Jia Ma Empire.

It was precisely because there were no Dou Zong powerhouses that the Jia Ma Empire was often humiliated when facing other countries.

Yunlan Sect Master Yun Shan, in order to break through to the Dou Zong level, had even handed over the sect's affairs and entered seclusion not long after the sect assembly ended.

Now, if he obtained the Break Sect Pill and broke the seal to recover his cultivation, with his talent, he would certainly be able to break through to the Dou Zong level in his lifetime and fulfill the long-cherished wish of everyone in Jia Ma.

Moreover, this request was not a difficult task for the Miter Clan, which was deeply rooted in the Jia Ma Empire. Therefore, there was no doubt.

"Good, I agree." Hai Bodong took a deep breath and replied.

"However, I hope the senior can help me recover my cultivation first."

"No problem."

"Oh, hand this Residual Map over to me," then, without waiting for Hai Bodong to recover his senses, he spoke quickly:

"I'll tell you the truth, this Residual Map is of great use to me, but it is of no use to you at all.

If you are willing to trust me, I can trade an Imperial Extreme Pill and a Dou Ling Pill with you for it."

"No problem, I naturally trust you on this." Hai Bodong had no objections and excitedly agreed to Xiao Han's request for a trade.

Regardless of whether what Xiao Han said was true or not, he was willing to believe it. Not to mention that he had already studied this Residual Map for years and had gained nothing.

He also did not know if he would ever achieve any results in the end. Compared to that illusory future, Hai Bodong was more willing to seize the opportunity at hand.

He had never taken an Imperial Extreme Pill, and the Dou Ling Pill could be given to the clan's Elders to increase their strength. These were opportunities that could tangibly increase combat power.

What's more, from Xiao Han's offer, he could roughly guess that this was not a secret he was qualified to touch. Since he couldn't grasp it, he might as well let it go directly.

This time, he was lucky to have met someone with a mild temper like Xiao Han, but he couldn't hope to meet someone easy to talk to every time.

Not to mention that if he accidentally angered Xiao Han and was killed offhand, it would be a huge loss.

"Then many thanks!" Seeing Hai Bodong was so sensible, Xiao Han was also quite satisfied.

"Then next, I will break the seal for you. Prepare a secret chamber for me."

"Very well, senior, please wait a moment." After saying this, Hai Bodong went out to make arrangements.

In less than half an hour, Hai Bodong returned.

"Senior, the secret chamber is ready, please follow me."

It must be said that under the temptation of breaking the seal, Hai Bodong's efficiency was still very satisfactory.

"Crack!"

Accompanied by the sound of glass shattering, a huge energy vortex gradually formed in the secret chamber with Hai Bodong at the center.

Then, with a wave of Xiao Han's sleeve, he sealed the space here, ensuring the strange phenomenon would not be discovered by others.

At this moment, Hai Bodong's eyes were tightly shut, his face twitched from time to time, and the muscles all over his body trembled unconsciously. Clearly, the pain caused by forcibly breaking the seal was still very intense.

Just as he was focusing on the Dou Qi within his body, constantly strengthening his control over it, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"A reminder: since the Dou Qi within the seal will also remain in your body, after this seal is broken, your cultivation will also have a small increase. Don't be surprised."

Finally, an hour later, the energy vortex slowly dissipated.

"Hmph~" Feeling the sense of power filling his body once again, Hai Bodong let out a comfortable hum.

Who could imagine how painful the feeling of having something and then losing it is? At the very least, he was unwilling to experience that weakness of losing power ever again.

"Medusa, I, Hai Bodong, will return immediately to repay you." Thinking of the culprit who caused him to end up in this state, anger rose in Hai Bodong's heart, and he gritted his teeth fiercely as he spoke.

As for not being able to win? Couldn't he just go after breaking through to the Dou Zong realm? In Hai Bodong's impression, the strongest the Medusa Queen of the Snake-People Tribe could be was at most a peak Dou Huang.

"Oh, I won't stop you from taking your revenge, but remember to leave her alive," Xiao Han instructed.

"Understood."

"May I ask if there is anything else you would like done, Senior? Does the Mittel Clan need to provide some convenience to the Xiao Clan?"

"... Hmm... that is also fine, then I will trouble you." Xiao Han had originally wanted to refuse; after all, his level was too high, and he somewhat looked down on the items in the Mittal Auction House.

But on second thought, the Xiao Clan still had quite a few needs, and this would make things more convenient. He couldn't possibly be expected to provide these low-level resources himself; he wasn't raising a group of ancestors.

"Of course it is no trouble." How could he be unwilling to let the Mittel Clan latch onto such a big shot? It was merely a bit of money, after all.

"Do you need your clansmen to know?" In Hai Bodong's mind, the Xiao Clan likely did not know the news that Xiao Han was alive; otherwise, they wouldn't have run off to the countryside—was the Imperial Capital not better?

"No need, they know about my affairs," Xiao Han said indifferently.

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