The moment he moved, Yang Kai naturally moved as well. Right now, Junior Brother Ye's entire attention was captivated by the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew, making it the perfect opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
He would never have dreamed that Yang Kai could pinpoint his location, let alone have the audacity to ambush him.
A look of greed shimmered on Junior Brother Ye's face as he moved with the lithe grace of a cat, utterly silent, creeping closer to the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew inch by inch.
The distance shrank — twenty zhang, ten zhang, nine zhang…
The Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew remained in place, ceaselessly drawing in the yin energy of heaven and earth from the valley, whipping the surroundings into gusts of chilling wind.
When the gap between Junior Brother Ye and the treasure closed to just five zhang, his restrained Yuan Qi erupted violently. His crouched body sprang forward like a hunting leopard, eyes blazing with fervor, hand reaching out to seize the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew.
Yang Kai moved at the same instant. His gaze locked onto Junior Brother Ye, wind surging beneath his feet, the longsword he had looted moments ago gripped in his hand. With the enemy completely off guard, he prepared to strike from the flank with everything he had.
Just as Junior Brother Ye believed his prize was within grasp, the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew suddenly stopped absorbing yin energy. From its core, a blast of incredibly dense, frigid yin force surged outward, slamming directly at Junior Brother Ye.
The sudden change came too fast — far too fast for Junior Brother Ye to halt his charge.
Horror flashed across Junior Brother Ye's face! He had observed it for a long while and, although he had confirmed it was a heavenly treasure, he had no idea it possessed spiritual awareness and could fight back when threatened.
Terror seized Junior Brother Ye's very soul. Feeling the wave of freezing air rushing at him, panic flooded his heart. He cycled his Yuan Qi at full force, desperately trying to brace against the incoming danger.
He had barely prepared himself for the impact when the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew wavered once and, in the blink of an eye, vanished without a trace.
The instant it disappeared, the surrounding light plunged into darkness.
The abrupt shift in illumination severely hampered Junior Brother Ye's vision — he couldn't make out any of the changes around him. And it was in that very moment that Yang Kai struck.
Though Yang Kai's own vision was affected, he could still roughly confirm the enemy's position. This thrust, even if it didn't kill, would make certain the man wouldn't enjoy it.
Junior Brother Ye had devoted every shred of his attention to the frigid blast bearing down on him. How could he possibly detect the killing intent slicing in from the side?
The next instant, Junior Brother Ye's body shuddered as the freezing energy struck him head-on. His entire body felt like it had plunged into an ice cellar, his Yuan Qi seizing up, and he couldn't stop himself from trembling violently. Before he could even catch his breath, a searing agony suddenly erupted from his waist, as though something sharp had pierced clean through.
Junior Brother Ye was, after all, no stranger to combat. Being a Separation-Union Realm expert, even with his vision impaired, instinct drove him to swing a kick toward Yang Kai's direction.
A muffled grunt rang out. Yang Kai caught the blow on his shoulder blade and was sent flying.
Heavy breathing from both fighters echoed through the darkness at the same time. From this moment on, there was no longer any need for Yang Kai to conceal himself.
As vision gradually returned, Junior Brother Ye cast a venomous glare toward Yang Kai, his body shuddering uncontrollably. He clutched at his side, staggering on unsteady legs.
Protruding from his waist was a longsword, driven clean through. Yang Kai had put nearly all of his strength into that strike, and with Junior Brother Ye expending his energy to resist the cold, how could he have possibly defended against it?
"You!" The moment he made out Yang Kai's face, Junior Brother Ye's expression grew complicated in the extreme. He had considered several possibilities — that Yuan Lang or Junior Brother Wu had stabbed him in the back, since profit was on the line and turning on one's own wasn't unheard of; that the woman wanted him dead; or, however unlikely, that there was another group of people in this valley.