It took Yang Kai some time to pinpoint the location, but fortunately, the place where he'd sensed the Soul Cleansing Divine Water wasn't too far from his current position — otherwise the communication compass wouldn't have reacted at all.
When Yang Kai finally arrived, he was surprised to find that it was a stalactite cave. The entrance was a yawning black void, seemingly shrouded in a layer of mist that made it impossible to see inside with the naked eye. Even extending his Divine Sense proved futile — it couldn't penetrate very far.
The Soul Cleansing Divine Water was in a place like this?
Yang Kai had barely arrived when a group of three approached swiftly from the side.
He glanced over casually, and his expression shifted to one of surprise. Two of the three newcomers were wearing the exact same attire as the martial artist who had fought him over the Emerald Luo Grass. In other words, this trio belonged to the same faction as those two.
Yang Kai paid careful attention and immediately realized which faction they were from.
It was the War Heaven Alliance!
The leader of the three was none other than the ostentatious Qu Changfeng!
The War Heaven Alliance had entered the Flowing Flame Sand Region through a different entrance than Shadow Moon Hall, so when Yang Kai had crossed the Scorching Zone earlier, he hadn't encountered any of their people. But now that he'd entered the Treasures Zone, it seemed everyone was gradually running into each other — after all, the deeper one went into the Flowing Flame Sand Region, the smaller the explorable area became.
Right now, Qu Changfeng's face was brimming with excitement and wild joy. He led his two fellow disciples toward this place with lightning speed, clearly having also received the Divine Sense transmission and eager to investigate without delay.
The Soul Cleansing Divine Water held tremendous appeal for anyone — it wasn't merely beneficial to Holy King Realm martial artists. Even Return Void Realm and Void King Realm cultivators could profit from it. It was just that only Holy King Realm cultivators were permitted to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Region; otherwise, such a treasure would never have been left for Holy King-level cultivators to enjoy.
Preoccupied with the Soul Cleansing Divine Water, Qu Changfeng seemed to have no intention of causing trouble for Yang Kai. He merely spared him a single glance before plunging headfirst into the stalactite cave.
After his figure vanished, two or more martial artists came rushing in from various directions in the distance.
Seeing this, Yang Kai hesitated no longer and followed close behind Qu Changfeng into the cave.
Treasure lay before his eyes — the quick would claim it, the slow would lose it. Yang Kai wasn't about to fall behind.
The upper reaches of the cave hung with countless conical stalactites of a pale pinkish-white hue. The air throughout the cavern was crisp and brimming with dense spiritual energy, as though some kind of spiritual source was concealed deep within.
Taking in the sight, Yang Kai nodded to himself. One of the key conditions for the birth of Soul Cleansing Divine Water was an environment saturated with spiritual energy — this place clearly met that first requirement. The spiritual energy here was dense enough, and this was merely the outer reaches. Deeper inside, it would only grow more concentrated.
The cave was utterly silent. Only the occasional drip of water from above broke the quiet, producing a soft pattering sound.
Yang Kai ventured deeper, and as he pressed forward, the spiritual energy indeed grew denser. After winding through the passages for the time it took an incense stick to burn, he burst into an enormous stone chamber.
He looked around, and his expression froze.
The chamber was already crowded with people — at least two dozen, by his estimate. Qu Changfeng was among them, his gaze fixed greedishly on a certain spot. Beside him, five Holy King Realm martial artists stood in a protective semicircle, clearly fellow members of the War Heaven Alliance.
Apart from those six from the War Heaven Alliance, the remaining dozen or so people had formed four separate groups. Each group consisted of only three to five members.
There was even one individual with chiseled, angular features and a resolute expression who, like Yang Kai, stood alone — appearing isolated and outnumbered.
But the moment Yang Kai laid eyes on this person, an inexplicable sense of danger welled up within him. This man's strength was no trivial matter. He possessed the cultivation of the third level of the Holy King Realm.
Yang Kai had always been one to slay opponents above his own level — he'd killed a few third-level Holy Kings before. An ordinary third-level Holy King wouldn't give him this kind of feeling. The fact that this man radiated danger meant he was far from ordinary.
Even when facing Qu Changfeng and Fang Tianzhong, Yang Kai had never felt this way. Who was this person?
Sure enough, when Qu Changfeng withdrew his greedy gaze and noticed this man, his brow furrowed slightly, and a look of wariness and frustration flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Yang Kai was inwardly startled.
He had already experienced Qu Changfeng's arrogance and dismissiveness firsthand — the man didn't even regard Fang Tianzhong as worth his attention. So just who was this sharp-featured, steel-willed individual to provoke such a reaction from Qu Changfeng?