As the scent of the elixirs wafted to his nose, Shaluo couldn't wait to reach for the jade bottles, thinking to himself, "A major power is truly generous; they hand out several bottles of third-tier elixirs without hesitation."
Chen Mo did not stop him but reminded, "These third-tier elixirs aren't all for you. You need to give each of your subordinates one pill. The rest are yours."
"No problem." There were nearly a hundred pills in those bottles, and even after distributing them, Shaluo would still have a significant amount left.
The middle-aged men standing nearby couldn't help but think, "This new boss is much more generous than our old leader."
Seeing the red dot on the system map representing Stone Desert City grow larger, Chen Mo coughed and said, "Alright, now it's time to discuss business."
Shaluo had no objections; after all, getting paid for doing a job was the way things worked.
Outside Stone Desert City.
On the vast expanse of yellow sand, the newly recruited members of Lingyan Pavilion were divided into several small teams, using shovels to dig through the sand.
After several hours of digging, one of the teams finally discovered traces of a hidden passage.
The team's captain reported their findings to Chen Mo.
Following the captain, Chen Mo arrived at the site where the passage was discovered.
After confirming it, Chen Mo smiled and tossed out a few third-tier elixirs. "Good job. These are your rewards."
"Thank you, Pavilion Master," the captain and his team members quickly expressed their gratitude.
The other teams looked on enviously.
"Keep up the good work, and you'll have your chance too," Chen Mo said, then turned to Nalan Yanran and added, "Senior Sister, you stay here and keep watch. I'll go down and take a look."
Nalan Yanran nodded.
Meanwhile...
Xiao Yan, under Xuelan's guidance, entered the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.
As the brothers reminisced over drinks about their childhood, a man rushed in and reported, "Captain, our men spotted people from the Sand Mercenary Group digging outside the city. It seems they're searching for something, and their leader Shaluo is with them."
"The Sand Mercenary Group?" Xiao Ding muttered before dismissing it. "Don't worry about them."
"Come on, Xiao Yan, let's keep drinking."
"Big Brother, is the Sand Mercenary Group difficult to deal with?" Xiao Yan asked, noticing a trace of concern in Xiao Ding's eyes.
"A bit. The Sand Mercenary Group is the strongest force in the city besides the City Lord's Mansion. Their leader, Shaluo, is a Battle Grandmaster."
"A Battle Grandmaster?" Xiao Yan's curiosity was piqued. "Big Brother, let's go take a look. We might learn something valuable."
...
Back to Chen Mo.
Hovering over a magma lake...
Chen Mo crushed the [Battle Ancestor Experience Card].
"Come on, beast!"
Suspended in mid-air above the magma lake, Chen Mo looked down at the serpent-like shadow beneath the surface and roared.
The serpent seemed to sense the overwhelming aura that terrified it and stayed hidden within the magma, only manipulating a few pillars of molten lava to attack Chen Mo.
"Fine, if you won't come out, I'll come to you." With only half an hour of the [Battle Ancestor Experience Card]'s effect remaining, Chen Mo wasn't going to waste time.
He enveloped himself in Thunder Fire and dove straight into the magma.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Minutes passed...
[You have slain a fourth-rank magical beast, the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent. You have earned 4,600 Luck Points.]
Immediately, Chen Mo exclaimed, "Wow, I've hit the jackpot!"
Previously, the Luck Points he earned were only in the dozens or hundreds, but now he had suddenly gained over 4,000 points.
It felt like a windfall, and he couldn't help but wonder how many points he would have earned if he had used the [Battle Ancestor Experience Card] to slay the Lion King in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
After calming his excitement, Chen Mo began searching for the lotus seat of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
As the [Battle Ancestor Experience Card]'s effect had about ten minutes left, Chen Mo finally found the lotus seat of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
Without hesitation, he spent a few Luck Points to store it in the system.
With his newfound wealth, it was no big deal.
Outside...
Xiao Yan and his group hurriedly arrived at the desert area that the Sand Mercenary Group had sealed off.
From behind a dune, Xiao Yan saw a beautiful woman standing by, gazing at the sand below with an aloof expression. His body froze as if struck by lightning.
His fingers clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms, causing sharp pain.
A surge of uncontrollable anger welled up in Xiao Yan's heart.
At that moment, a young man suddenly emerged from the sand below, and Nalan Yanran intimately pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Xiao Yan's rage exploded, and he charged out from behind the dune, trembling with fury.
There's a saying, "Enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred."
And now, Xiao Yan was facing not one but two of his enemies.
His rage doubled.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li tried to hold him back, but it was futile.
"Chen Mo, Nalan Yanran!" Xiao Yan roared their names in a fury, his anger blinding him to the warnings of Yao Lao, who urged him to pay attention to the young man's condition.
"Xiao... Xiao Yan." Hearing the commotion, Nalan Yanran turned and was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected to see him here.
But the Three-Year Agreement had only passed two years—what was he planning?
It also seemed like he knew her Junior Brother.
"Pavilion Master, they're from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group," Shaluo said.
"I know," Chen Mo replied with a faint smile. "What a coincidence to catch me at my peak. Tough luck for you."
Chen Mo wasted no time. He immediately formed a seal for the [Thousand Thunder Technique] and launched it at Xiao Yan.
The gap between a Battle Master and a Battle Ancestor was immense, and so was the difference in power between the techniques of those levels.
A massive lightning column, infused with Thunder Fire, descended from the sky at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, enveloping Xiao Yan.
Its speed and power far surpassed the version Chen Mo had previously used.
"Damn, relax your body; let me take control," Yao Lao's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind.
Although Xiao Yan was furious, he hadn't lost all reason and realized he couldn't withstand this attack.
In an instant, Yao Lao took over.
"Flame Splitting Tsunami!"
A loud, thunderous explosion echoed across the desert as a wave of heat rippled through the sands, emanating from the impact zone.
A massive red beam burst from Xiao Yan's black ruler, colliding head-on with the descending lightning column.
Boom!
The impact created a massive explosion that shook the entire desert, causing the ground beneath them to collapse into a deep crater from which molten lava spewed forth.
Chen Mo quickly moved to protect the members of Lingyan Pavilion, ensuring they weren't swallowed by the lava.
"Xiao Yan" on the other side tried to do the same, but Chen Mo didn't give him the chance. He struck again with another massive lightning column.
As "Xiao Yan" was forced to defend, Chen Mo activated [Dragon Serpent Steps], moving like a blur across the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of "Xiao Yan."
Chen Mo channeled all his energy, the force of four giant elephants, into his fist and aimed it directly at "Xiao Yan's" head.