Battle Through the Heavens: Even without the Burning Flame Technique, I, Xiao Yan, still became an e

On the final leg of his journey through the Monster Mountain Range, Xiao Yan finally arrived at the edge of the Tagor Desert.

The temperature here is extremely high all year round, and the world is filled with a large amount of fire and earth elemental spiritual energy, making it a paradise for fire and earth elemental cultivators.

The Tagor Desert is the territory of the Snake People, and its vastness even surpasses the territory of the Gama Empire.

It is said that the ruler of their snake-people dynasty was a snake-people queen named Medusa.

Her strength is incredibly powerful; it is rumored that she has already reached the peak of the Dou Huang realm.

If there hadn't been only one such transcendent being among the snake people, the warlike snake people would probably have already launched attacks on the surrounding empires.

Even so, the battle between snake people and humans in this desert has never really stopped.

"I'm so thirsty, I really want ice cream, I really want to drink iced soda..."

However, the daytime heat here was unbearable, and even Xiao Yan, who possessed a strange fire, found it unbearable after traveling for a long time.

This restlessness doesn't originate from the body, but rather from a spiritual yearning—a longing for the pleasure of a hearty drinking session.

Compared to the Monster Mountain Range, this desert appears much more desolate.

After walking for dozens of miles, they didn't even see many magical beasts. If they weren't so resilient, many of them would probably go crazy from loneliness.

Finally, after wandering aimlessly through the Tagor Desert for two hours, Xiao Yan finally found a city on the border of the Jia Ma Empire—Mo City—by following the traces left by some caravans.

This city is heavily guarded, even more so than Blackrock City.

A team of warriors with the strength of fighters is stationed at the city gate. Each time someone enters the city, they need to pay a certain amount of gold coins.

After all, the chances of surviving an overnight stay in the desert are much lower than during the day.

Cities that could maintain public order, guard against external enemies, and provide accommodation, food, and water naturally became a guarantee of survival.

Prices here are undoubtedly much higher than in those bustling cities, and the fees paid to enter the city are naturally one of the main sources of income for the city lord's mansion.

"Hey you over there, don't even think about sneaking in. Get over here and pay up right now."

As Xiao Yan surveyed the city built from the yellow sand, the guard at the gate shouted impatiently.

Are you calling me?

Xiao Yan turned around and met the other person's gaze. When the other person saw the alchemist's emblem on Xiao Yan's body, their face immediately turned pale.

Even in this desert city, it is still under the rule of the Gama Empire. Alchemists do not need to pay any fees to enter or leave any city.

The captain of the guard was only a seven-star Dou Zhe. When he saw Xiao Yan's identity as an alchemist, he immediately realized that he had messed with someone he shouldn't have.

If the city lord's mansion finds out that he has offended an alchemist, then he can forget about staying in this desert city.

"Excuse me, Alchemist, I didn't recognize you just now. You may enter freely. You lot, hurry up and let me through!"

Xiao Yan only glanced at the guard captain and didn't waste any time on him before going inside.

It has to be said that the identity of an alchemist is quite useful; one enjoys privileges wherever one goes, saving oneself a lot of trouble.

In the desert city, most people are dressed lightly. Apart from the fully armed guards in armor, most men are shirtless or wearing only a short shirt.

Many women here are not as shy and reserved as those in the mainland; they often wear only a leather jacket and short skirt that just covers their chest and lower body.

She displayed her waist and thighs without reservation, which gave Xiao Yan a real treat for his eyes.

Of course, Xiao Yan didn't pay much attention to these passersby. He went straight to the water station to replenish his water supply.

Even if you're a Dou Ling now, you can't completely abstain from grains. You still need to replenish your water and food.

This post station had the most people coming and going, and since water was an essential commodity for every traveler, the price was unusually high.

A kettle that can only hold enough water for three days costs three hundred gold coins!

If the city lord's mansion hadn't set a maximum value for the water source, the price would certainly have been much higher.

Even so, there were always long queues of people waiting to buy.

"There are so many people behind here."

Seeing that there were at least fifty or sixty people ahead of him, Xiao Yan decided to change to another inn to replenish his water supply.

However, regardless of which one it is, there are basically long queues everywhere, and even in places with fewer people, the queues are still quite long.

"What bad luck."

Xiao Yan was a relatively well-mannered person. Although he could have used force to disperse all these people, he did not do so. Instead, he obediently followed the line.

However, his identity as an alchemist was too conspicuous. After all, such a gorgeous robe was out of place in this hot city, and the innkeeper spotted him at a glance.

If word got out that an alchemist was queuing up in front of his shop, people would think he was some kind of big shot.

The shopkeeper strode up to Xiao Yan and asked, "May I ask if you are a master alchemist?"

"good."

Xiao Yan nodded. There was no need to hide such a positive identity from the outside world.

"Oh my, what a skilled alchemist! Please come in. We can't let you wait in line. How much water would you like? I'll have someone fetch it for you right away."

The shopkeeper's enthusiasm made Xiao Yan somewhat uncomfortable: "Oh, give me ten days' worth of water."

Xiao Yan was traveling alone, and ten days' worth of water would be enough for him to travel from one desert city to another.

"Please wait a moment, it will be right there."

The boss immediately instructed his staff to fill water for Xiao Yan, and a few minutes later he personally delivered it, without accepting any gold coins from Xiao Yan.

Even though he knew that alchemists had great privileges, he never expected that he could make people from all walks of life smile at him.

However, Xiao Yan still paid for the water in the end, as he didn't want to renege on his debt over such a small matter.

As for food supplies, that was much simpler. There were vendors selling a local specialty baked flatbread everywhere in Mo City, and Xiao Yan bought a ten-day supply to eat as he traveled.

However, this was his first time in the Tagor Desert, and he was very unfamiliar with the environment, so a desert map was crucial.

Soon, Xiao Yan crossed a street and found a map shop that looked very old.

The map displayed outside the door was exquisitely crafted and detailed, immediately attracting Xiao Yan's attention.

Compared to the hydration station, this map shop is incredibly deserted; you can go for long periods without seeing a single person.

In the entire shop, only one elderly man sat at the counter by the door, intently drawing a map in his hand.

Even though his arms were withered and aged, the strokes of his pen were very powerful, making it hard to imagine that they came from the hand of an old man.

"Excuse me, do you have a detailed map of the Tagor Desert here?"

Xiao Yan asked the old man at the door, but the old man remained unmoved, only saying softly, "If you want a map, find it on the counter yourself, don't bother me."

The old man's attitude was indifferent, showing no trace of a businessman.

Xiao Yan simply ignored the other party and began searching for a map of the Tagor Desert.

The maps on these counters are all very detailed and exquisite, but they are mostly maps of partial areas, and there's no kidding about the desert maps.

Xiao Yan searched around and finally came to an old cabinet in the corner. The maps on it were all piled up in a mess, and there was even a lot of dust on them.

Xiao Yan casually picked up one of the stacks and flipped through it, and unintentionally, several maps sandwiched in the middle fell to the ground.

Xiao Yan bent down to pick it up, but while picking it up, he found that among these maps was a map that was different from the others, and its material seemed somewhat familiar.