Walking toward the city gate, the number of people coming and going gradually increased.
Xiao Bai instantly felt as if he had arrived in a foreign land. The passersby, mostly men, were quite muscular, with bronze-colored skin, looking incredibly tough. The women had a wheatish skin tone, reminiscent of Latin American women from his past life.
These women were not as modest and gentle as those within the Jia Ma Empire. They wore bodices and short skirts, tightly wrapping their chests and hips, exposing their toned and slim waists and a pair of long, well-defined legs. As they walked, their bodies swayed like water snakes, with a seductive and captivating charm.
Seeing this, Xiao Bai couldn't help but click his tongue, and a thought immediately popped into his mind—exotic charm, sway above all.
When he reached the city gate, he saw that above the yellowish gate, two large characters were carved — Mo City. The black and red characters gave off a bloody vibe.
The weather was scorching hot, and there were about ten soldiers in armor, holding long spears, impatiently urging the incoming travelers to pay the city entry tax, with some even shouting angrily at the people.
Xiao Bai walked with the crowd toward the city gate. Just as a soldier was about to raise his head and shout at him, he suddenly caught sight of a pair of deep eyes looking at him calmly.
At the sight of those eyes, the soldier's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat immediately poured down his back. He was an old soldier, and had developed an instinctive reaction to life-threatening situations. He instantly swallowed the words he was about to yell.
Seeing that the soldier didn't speak, Xiao Bai placed ten gold coins on the table and slowly entered the city.
When the soldier saw him walk away, he let out a long sigh and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, muttering to himself, "Damn. How could someone this strong calmly wait in line to enter the city? What kind of weird hobby is that?"
The city's city lord was a Dou Wang. Usually, a Dou Wang would never use the city gate, but for those below the Dou Wang realm, they had to obediently line up and pay the tax to enter the city.
Though he was just a Dou Shi, the city guards of Mo City were border troops, and they weren't afraid of anyone below the Dou Wang level. They couldn't fly, and their human wave tactic could easily overwhelm opponents.
The black-clad, white-haired young man just now hadn't revealed any aura, but the pressure felt when facing him was even more intense than when facing the two-star Dou Wang city lord.
Once inside the city, what caught Xiao Bai's attention the most were not the herbal shops, magical cores, or weapon stores, but rather—
Snake Women!
They were chained by shackles, heads lowered, trapped in cages by human traffickers, and treated like pets, being selected by buyers.
This was the first time Xiao Bai had seen snake women. They had the upper bodies of humans, but below the waist, they had long snake tails, resembling the gods from myths in his past life.
It was also the first time he had seen human trafficking like this, and it left him with a strong sense of shock.
Race and strength—these things were vividly revealed at this moment!
For a moment, his mood became a bit complicated. He could kill when necessary, even go to extremes if needed, but he couldn't bring himself to openly buy and sell them like merchandise.
Xiao Bai quickly walked past the street, thinking to himself, out of sight, out of mind.
"What's the matter, Xiao Bai? You sympathize with those snake women?" Yao Lao asked, noticing the unhappy expression on his face.
Xiao Bai shook his head. "In wars between races, life and death are natural, but I don't like this kind of trade. Just kill them outright, why degrade them this way?"
"Ah! Profit moves the heart," Yao Lao seemed to recall something from the past and sighed.
"Heh~" Xiao Bai sneered, "Profit? In the end, it's just because they're not strong enough. If one is strong enough, even if I had something of immense value, who would dare to covet it?"
"Haha~ You, little brat, see things clearly!" Yao Lao laughed.
As they spoke, a shop named "Ancient Maps" came into view. Seeing this somewhat antiquated store, Xiao Bai collected his thoughts, a hint of amusement appearing in his eyes.
The owner of this shop should be the famous "angel investor" of the Dou Qi Continent. Who would have thought that a casual stroll would lead him here? What a stroke of fate!
Since he had already arrived at the doorstep, he thought he might as well go in and see. After all, he was already here, right?
With a hint of anticipation, Xiao Bai slowly walked into the shop. The shop wasn't very spacious, but several Moonlight Stones were hung on the surrounding walls, casting a bright light in the otherwise dim room.
Inside the shop, there were shelves stacked with folded beast skins on one side, and a row of counters displaying unfurled maps on the other.
At this moment, the shop was quiet with no customers, only an old man standing behind a desk in the center of the shop, intently working on a map.
The old man had white hair and appeared quite elderly, but the withered hands holding the brush were steady and strong.
He didn't raise his head, so Xiao Bai couldn't see his face. When Xiao Bai entered, the old man didn't speak or greet him, continuing to focus on his work.
Xiao Bai looked at him with interest, then wandered around the shop by himself, a wicked smile appearing on his lips. The old man was quite the show-off. Once he found the Map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, he'd see if the old man would jump out of his skin!
"Xiao Bai, this old man… he's got some tricks!" Yao Lao said from the ring with interest.
As Xiao Bai was searching for the map, he nodded slightly and replied with a smile, "He's got a bit, but not much!"
Yao Lao rolled his eyes. At first, he had wanted to smack Xiao Bai for his occasional pretentious remarks, but now he simply ignored them. As long as he didn't engage, Xiao Bai couldn't show off in front of him.
"This old man's real strength should be Dou Huang, but it seems like he's being suppressed by some strange power. Right now, he can only exert the strength of a Dou Ling. Kid, your soul power is still injured, so be careful. Don't capsize the boat!"
Yao Lao could tell from Xiao Bai's expression that he was planning something. Although he didn't know exactly what, he still kindly reminded him.
After traveling together for a while, Yao Lao had a better understanding of Xiao Bai's fighting style. For opponents with lower realms, Xiao Bai would use that crimson lightning to crush them. For higher-level ones, he'd first use his soul power to strike, then control them with a wave of soul force, and finally crush them with lightning. He rarely used Dou Techniques.
Admittedly, this method was simple and crude, but it was effective!
With Xiao Bai's soul realm, he could easily overpower anyone below the Dou Huang level. Even high-level Dou Huang experts could be momentarily stunned if caught off guard.
Moreover, soul power was formless and intangible. Those who hadn't cultivated soul techniques wouldn't even know how to use their soul power in combat, even for something as simple as a soul shockwave.
It was like some alchemists who, despite having soul power at the Sixth Tier, only knew how to use it for perception.
"Don't worry, Elder. Even if the boat capsizes, I still have you, don't I?" Xiao Bai replied with a smile.
"Heh~ I only promised to help you when you get the Heavenly Flames, but not in situations like this. The price for me to intervene is very high!" Yao Lao replied mischievously.
He still owed Xiao Bai for something, and it would be best if Xiao Bai asked him for help to repay the debt. Otherwise, who knew what he might have to pay later?
Hearing this, Xiao Bai quickly understood Yao Lao's thoughts and couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Old fox!"
With a smile, he continued searching for the map.