After Yang Kai successively produced a fire radiance crystal marrow the size of a human head and a fire crystal stone as large as a millstone, the four members of the Battle Heaven Alliance could no longer keep their composure. Setting aside whether the fire crystal stone was genuine or not, that piece of fire radiance crystal marrow was undoubtedly authentic. Greed surged through all four of them, and they had already written Yang Kai off as a dead man in their hearts.
He had so casually produced two priceless treasures—who knew what else his spatial ring contained?
Perhaps he really did have Flowing Flame Flying Fire!
Kill him. They had to kill him, then snatch his ring and examine it thoroughly. As long as they could seize this warrior's ring, they would never need to worry about their cultivation again for the rest of their lives.
"What else do you have?" The pale, clean-shaven middle-aged man's eyelids twitched repeatedly. Though his heart burned with the same desire and covetousness, he was far better at hiding it than the other three, whose thoughts were plastered all over their faces. At the very least he appeared composed—only the trembling of his voice betrayed his excitement.
"There are also a dozen or so stalks of Jade Gauze Grass, an Ancient Mysterious Vine, three Crimson Blood Fruits..." Yang Kai withdrew items from his spatial ring one by one, and with each item he produced, the gazes of the four men across from him grew a shade more intense.
While these spiritual herbs and medicines weren't as valuable as the previous two items, they were still worth a considerable fortune. Those dozen or so stalks of Jade Gauze Grass in particular were herbs that every sect coveted, and the Battle Heaven Alliance was no exception. Bringing those back would earn them a massive number of Contribution Points, enough to approach several elders with a reasonable request.
"Oh, right—there are also nine Flowing Flame Flying Fires. But those aren't convenient to take out. Even if I did, you wouldn't be able to see them." Yang Kai chuckled, laying bare everything he had collected after entering the Flowing Flame Desert.
With the exception of the colorless crystal that the Warm Spirit Lotus had absorbed, he held nothing back.
"You really have Flowing Flame Flying Fire?" the sharp-faced, monkey-like man exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course. What reason would I have to lie to you? Didn't you just see it for yourselves?" Yang Kai grinned.
The expressions on the four men's faces gradually became extremely peculiar.
Each of them wore a look of embarrassment. The four of them had been traveling together in the Flowing Flame Desert for three full months, searching everywhere for treasures. They had initially believed their haul was quite impressive, brimming with excitement—yet now, compared to Yang Kai's collection, the difference was like heaven and earth. They hadn't even gathered one percent of what he had.
This made it hard for them to keep their composure, and their gazes upon Yang Kai grew ever more heated.
"You're lying!" The thin, small man's eyes suddenly darted about, and he let out a cold shout. "Boy, you've got some nerve, daring to deceive us four brothers. Hand over your ring for inspection and I'll let you go!"
With that, he exchanged a glance with the sharp-faced, monkey-like warrior beside him, and the two intuitively flanked Yang Kai, charging at him from either side.
With so many treasures before them, they no longer wished to waste words on Yang Kai. Any excuse would do—they meant to seize his goods by force. Though these two were arrogant and domineering, often bullying the weak, they were elite warriors of the Battle Heaven Alliance, and even when facing a mere first-stage Saint King like Yang Kai, they showed no carelessness or negligence.
Over the past three months in the Flowing Flame Desert, the four of them had committed numerous murders and robberies. They understood well that some people looked unremarkable on the surface yet possessed hidden skills. Even a lion went all out when hunting a rabbit—so how much more so when the person in question, Yang Kai, had seemed somewhat unusual from the very beginning, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor throughout.
They vaguely sensed that Yang Kai must have some trump card, so the instant they moved, they condensed their Sacred Yuan to shield their bodies, keeping their killing techniques hidden and at the ready. They were on high alert, wary that Yang Kai might launch a desperate counterattack on the verge of death and cause them some loss.
The pale, clean-shaven middle-aged man and the other, heavyset warrior remained standing where they were. Though both felt something was off—secretly suspecting that Yang Kai was deliberately provoking their companions into attacking—the treasures were right before their eyes, and even with their doubts, they did nothing to stop their fellows.
Anyone who saw this many treasures would take the risk. These were treasures worth dying for.
A mere first-stage Saint King. No matter how capable he was, could he possibly surpass Qu Changfeng?
Even if Qu Changfeng were here, he couldn't handle all four of them alone. So they watched Yang Kai's movements while ready to intervene at any moment, in case the youth truly had some earth-shattering technique.
The thin, slight warrior and the sharp-faced one moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, they had closed to within three zhang of Yang Kai. Yang Kai, meanwhile, looked utterly startled—as though he had only just realized they were charging at him. He hurriedly stuffed all the treasures back into his spatial ring in a flustered, clumsy display that greatly reduced the two warriors' wariness. Without a moment's hesitation, they pushed their speed to the absolute limit.
But in the very next instant, they saw a faint, ambiguous smile appear on Yang Kai's lips.
The moment they spotted that smile, both realized something was terribly wrong. It was the smile of someone whose scheme had succeeded—as if he had laid some trap here long ago, just waiting for someone to walk right into it.
Even the look in his eyes as he gazed at them was filled with contempt and mockery, with not a trace of the earlier fluster to be found.
In the very next moment, their bodies—hurtling toward Yang Kai at full speed—seemed to slam into an invisible wall, halting abruptly in place. Two muffled groans sounded simultaneously as the third-stage Saint King bodies of both warriors suddenly sagged. Both felt as though a great mountain was pressing down on them, their breathing grew labored, their flesh spasmed and writhed, and the crackling, popping sounds of bones being dislocated echoed through the air.