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**
A streak of black-red light shot swiftly through the void.
Wei Yang carried Ye Xian'er in his arms, his black wings flapping behind him as he glided through the air.
His speed was noticeably faster than when they had first arrived in the desert.
Three months ago, when they first set foot in the Tagore Desert, one was a one-star Dou Ling, and the other was a one-star Da Dou Shi.
Now, after three months had passed, as they were leaving, one had reached seven-star Dou Ling, while the other had reached nine-star Da Dou Shi.
Of course, these were just the superficial gains—not anything particularly remarkable.
The hidden gains, however, were far more valuable.
Xian'er had evolved from possessing a pure poison attribute to a fire-poison attribute, and she had even acquired a strand of rich, pure wood attribute. After refining a peak Rank 4 Beast Flame, she had even started playing with fire.
Wei Yang, who originally had a fire attribute with a hint of yang, had now also obtained a strand of rich, pure wood attribute. Like Xian'er, he had refined a peak Rank 4 Beast Flame.
Now, both of them had the foundation to become alchemists.
Out of the eleven lotus seeds, only five remained. Needless to say, they were extremely precious and rare treasures.
They had also obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, an unparalleled heaven-and-earth spiritual flame.
Wei Yang's soul power had more than doubled overall.
Oh, and there was also that mysterious black iron scroll he had exchanged from a group of mercenaries.
All of these were more than enough to be considered a great harvest!
Soaring through the sky, Wei Yang felt a wave of satisfaction.
"Brother Yang, aren't we supposed to return to Wu Tan City? Why are we heading to Black Rock City?" Ye Xian'er peeked her small head out, watching the rapidly retreating scenery outside. The terrain was gradually shifting from a desert landscape to rocky hills and plateaus. She asked curiously.
"We lack an alchemist inheritance. This trip to Black Rock City is to… rob—uh, ahem—borrow something from a friend." Wei Yang replied.
There was a Tier 3 alchemist in Black Rock City named Gu Te, who was the brother of Pill King Gu He.
Despite being just a small Tier 3 alchemist, his collection was…
According to the original story, his collection was so rich that any alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire would turn green with envy.
Not only did he possess alchemist inheritances, but he also had numerous pill formulas, rare medicinal herbs, and other valuable treasures.
He even had a special treasure in his hands—Ice Spirit Cold Fountain.
These were all the reasons why Wei Yang was targeting him.
With such an extensive collection, there was no way this guy would disappoint him.
Once this job was done, he would hide back in Wu Tan City and develop quietly for a while. That was his plan.
Ye Xian'er's eyes flickered with understanding. Realizing what Wei Yang truly meant, she couldn't help but giggle.
Robbery? Borrowing?
It didn't matter.
As long as it was something Brother Yang wanted to do, it was definitely the right thing, and she would fully support it.
Three days later.
Wei Yang flew all the way without any mishaps and smoothly arrived at his destination—Black Rock City.
Gradually, he slowed down, gazing at the massive city that had begun to take shape in the distance.
As the distance closed, the enormous city bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun became increasingly clear, its surface reflecting a faint red sheen.
"Black Rock City, we're here." Wei Yang exhaled softly, smiling.
Hearing this, Ye Xian'er curiously poked her head out from his embrace. Staring at the massive city ahead, she exclaimed in surprise, "So this is Black Rock City? It looks much bigger than Wu Tan City and Rock Desert City!"
"Yes, it is indeed a large city." Wei Yang nodded.
Black Rock City was a major city located in the eastern provinces of the Jia Ma Empire.
Its size surpassed Wu Tan City by a significant margin.
In terms of overall strength, this city ranked among the top large cities in the Jia Ma Empire.
As the distance between them shrank, Wei Yang finally got a clear view of the entire city.
To his astonishment, the city's enormous walls were entirely built from neatly arranged blocks of black rock.
This black rock was an extremely tough material.
A city wall constructed purely of such black rock could withstand the full-force attack of a Dou Wang expert without being shaken in the slightest.
This clearly demonstrated just how sturdy this black rock was.
And with the city walls constructed entirely from this material, their defensive capabilities were bound to be astonishing.
As they neared Black Rock City, the road below them grew increasingly crowded with travelers.
The endless stream of people flowed toward the city gate, forming a long, continuous line.
Wei Yang found a secluded forested area nearby and descended.
Only then did the two of them casually walk out of the trees, gradually blending into the crowd on the main road.
In a large city like this, the daily traffic of people was immense, making the city gates a place of constant activity. Yet, the entry process remained orderly.
Before long, Wei Yang and Ye Xian'er arrived at the city gate. After paying the entrance tax, they successfully entered the city.
Walking hand in hand through the dimly lit passageway of the city walls, they were suddenly met with a vast, open view.
A deafening roar of voices flooded their ears, overwhelming them as their heads throbbed slightly from the sudden onslaught of noise.
Feeling a little dizzy, the two stood at the edge of the street, hand in hand, gazing at the dense, bustling crowd that filled every inch of their vision.
After spending so much time in the silent, underground magma world, they found themselves momentarily unable to adjust to such a lively atmosphere.
A few moments later, Wei Yang finally snapped out of his daze and sighed in amazement, "This truly is one of the empire's top-ranked cities."
Ye Xian'er, still somewhat stunned, nodded blankly. "So many people!"
As far as the eye could see, a sea of people stretched to the horizon, making it impossible to count just how many there were.
"Let's go. First, we need to find a place to stay." Wei Yang took Ye Xian'er's hand and led her into the crowd, moving forward.
"Brother Yang, this city is so big, and there are so many people. The friend you're looking to… rob—uh, find—where does he live?" Xian'er stuck close to Wei Yang, lowering her voice as she asked.
"I don't know either. But he's quite famous in Black Rock City. We can just ask around." Wei Yang also replied in a hushed tone.
"Oh… Then what do we do once we find him?" Xian'er asked nervously, her beautiful, clear eyes darting around cautiously.
"First, we do this and that, and then…"
"Mm…"
As they whispered back and forth, they really did look like a pair of thieves plotting a heist.
Well, technically, they were not thieves… but bandits.
Fierce bandits!
Before long, they stopped in front of a grand, luxurious-looking inn with a spacious, well-decorated entrance.
Wei Yang took a moment to examine the establishment before nodding in satisfaction. "This one will do."
With that, he pulled Ye Xian'er inside.
That night, Wei Yang went out for a stroll and effortlessly gathered all the information he needed about Gu Te.
This information was easy to obtain.
After all, Gu Te was quite famous, if not across the entire Jia Ma Empire, then certainly in Black Rock City.
Not only was he Pill King Gu He's biological brother, but he also had a peculiar obsession.
Despite having decent talent in alchemy, he refused to focus on refining pills and instead became infatuated with collecting rare treasures and heavenly materials. Because of this, his alchemy rank had remained at the Tier 3.
His obsession with rare treasures was almost pathological.
If he discovered that someone owned a rare item, he would pester them endlessly until he got it, refusing to give up until he achieved his goal.
He was extremely annoying and gave people terrible headaches.
Unfortunately, not only was he a Tier 3 alchemist, but he was also at the Da Dou Shi level in cultivation. On top of that, he was Pill King Gu He's biological brother, meaning that within Jia Ma Empire, very few people dared to provoke him.
If Gu He weren't protecting him, considering his Da Dou Shi-level strength and his insane collection of treasures, he would have been robbed countless times already.
However, while Gu Te was annoying, his nature wasn't actually bad—he was just stubborn and old-fashioned.
Moreover, the one thing he absolutely hated most was when people mentioned the name "Gu He" in front of him.
Even though he knew full well that his success was largely thanks to his brother's help, he would immediately flip out and kick people out if they brought up Gu He's name.
This was why he had chosen to distance himself from the Yun Lan Sect, preferring to live alone in Black Rock City.
And that… was exactly the opportunity Wei Yang needed.
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