In a frigid, icy world, two figures sat cross-legged facing each other. One of them suddenly surged with power.
"You audacious monster, daring to show off your meager skills before an expert!"
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open, his aura fluctuating. It turned out his soul perception, which had probed into Hai Bodong's body, had been forced to retreat by a bite from the colorful snake.
"A mere sealing technique? Watch how I subdue you!"
Lin Feng's hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals. In just a few moments, a seal radiating five-colored divine light appeared in his palm, striking Hai Bodong's body.
Under Lin Feng's extraordinary control, the seal rushed towards Hai Bodong's dantian, reaching the colorful snake in a matter of seconds. The snake seemed to sense something, writhing restlessly, causing Hai Bodong immense pain.
"Elder Hai, hold on!"
After reminding him, Lin Feng controlled the seal, transforming into five ancient, vast figures, pulling the colorful snake into a strange space.
Before the five figures radiating divine aura, the colorful little snake trembled, no longer daring to be presumptuous.
"Now you know fear? Too late! Five Elements Sealing Technique—Exorcise Evil!"
As Lin Feng's voice fell, a five-pointed star formation suddenly appeared around the five elemental beasts, firmly trapping the colorful little snake. In a flash, it began to spin rapidly.
"Roar!"
When the energy of heaven and earth reached a certain point, the five divine figures suddenly roared to the sky, and the five elements formation suddenly began to flash. Then, the five divine beasts charged one after another at the colorful little snake, which was already lying motionless on the formation.
"Buzz!"
After a strange fluctuation, the original spot was empty. Countless battle qi surged from Hai Bodong's dantian, and his aura continuously rose.
What started as a mere Dou Ling realm cultivator rapidly reached the peak of Dou Ling in just a few moments. A sound like a barrier shattering rang out, and the aura of a Dou Wang appeared, but this was not the end.
"One star, three stars, seven stars."
Under Lin Feng's watchful gaze, he swiftly crossed the barrier between Dou Wang and Dou Huang. However, it seemed he had recovered too much at once; his aura was somewhat fatigued, and his speed had decreased. Finally, after reaching the peak of the two-star Dou Huang realm, he came to a complete stop.
"Hahaha, power, my power has returned!"
A middle-aged man's voice rang out, filled with bittersweet emotions and excitement. Lin Feng looked over and saw that Hai Bodong's originally aged face had returned to the appearance of someone close to fifty years old.
After a burst of laughter, Hai Bodong calmed himself down, stood up, and bowed deeply to Lin Feng.
"Master Lin Feng, I will never forget this kindness. If you ever need my help in the future, please feel free to ask!"
"Old Hai is truly trustworthy. I thought that the moment Old Hai regained his power, he was going to use dirty tricks!" Lin Feng looked at Hai Bodong's joyful expression and said with a half-smile. "It seems I misunderstood."
"Haha, Mr. Lin Feng, what are you saying? I come from the Mittel family, and I am known for my integrity. I never lie."
Lin Feng waved his hand and continued, "Elder Hai, I have something I would like to ask for your help with."
"Oh? Mr. Lin Feng, please speak freely. Within this small territory of the Gama Empire, there's no place I, Hai Bodong, dare not go!" Perhaps having just recovered most of his strength, Hai Bodong was in high spirits.
"Is that so? I heard that Elder Hai once sensed the aura of a strange fire in this desert land. I wonder if you could take me down to investigate?"
"Uh..." As if something was stuck in his throat, Hai Bodong's smug expression froze, looking quite embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to tell Lin Feng the truth.
"To be honest, Master Lin Feng, the reason I've been hiding in this godforsaken place for decades is because I offended Queen Medusa deep in this desert back then, and was sealed by her, which is why I can't go home."
Glancing at Lin Feng, seemingly feeling that this was too humiliating, Hai Bodong quickly continued.
"Master Lin Feng, you may not know this, but Queen Medusa was already a high-level Dou Huang many years ago. With her talent, she has most likely reached the peak of Dou Huang. With my current two-star level, even with Master Lin Feng's help, we are still no match!"
Lin Feng had already anticipated Hai Bodong's cowardice. Don't be fooled by his fearlessness in the peak competition; his decades of sealing life had ingrained his fear of Medusa into his very bones.
"Elder Hai, there's no need for that," Lin Feng thought for a moment, but still didn't voice his fear. "Do you remember the others who came with me?"
"Among them are not only many peak Dou Wangs, but the leader is also a peak Dou Huang, plus Elder Hai. Do you think the Snake-People dare to fight us with all their might?"
"Peak Dou Huang?" Hai Bodong's eyes narrowed. If such a powerful figure was present, even if Queen Medusa was crazy, she wouldn't risk the annihilation of the Snake-People to offend them. Thinking of this, Hai Bodong felt a surge of pride.
"Hahaha, since there's such a powerful figure, why not venture into this vast desert?"
Looking at Hai Bodong's drastically different demeanor, Lin Feng's lips twitched slightly, thinking to himself. "Hopefully, when Queen Medusa is present, you won't be hiding behind the vice-dean."
After agreeing on their plan, the two didn't linger. Led by Hai Bodong, they emerged from the maze-like tunnels. It must be said, this old guy's map-making skills were truly exceptional; he could even split a half-emperor's artifact in two.
Even Lin Feng, who had already traversed the maze once, couldn't remember it. Keep in mind, his soul power was approaching the peak of the mortal realm; one more step and he would reach the legendary spirit realm.
Hai Bodong, unaware of Lin Feng's thoughts, led him back to the ancient shop after several turns, where they met the Canaan Academy group.
"Let me introduce you. This is Hai Bodong, one of the top ten powerhouses of the Jia Ma Empire!"
Lin Feng gestured to Hu Qian and Elder Hu, "And these are Hu Qian, the vice dean of Canaan Academy, and Elder Hu, the external support elder."
"So you are the Ice Emperor of the Jia Ma Empire! We have long admired your name!"
Vice dean Hu Qian and Elder Hu bowed respectfully. They had initially disregarded this unremarkable old man who had become a Dou Huang powerhouse, surpassing everyone present except for Vice dean Hu Qian.
"I have also heard much about Canaan Academy. Even the many forces in the lawless Black Corner Region dare not offend Canaan Academy, which shows how powerful it is!"
Upon hearing that the other party was from Canaan Academy, Hai Bodong, who had not underestimated him, narrowed his eyes even more. The strength of Canaan Academy was unmatched even by the entire Jia Ma Empire and the Yunlan Sect.
"Not at all, Ice Emperor, you flatter me."
(End of Chapter)