Chapter 375: Counter-Ambush

Facing the joint assault of the two men, Bao found himself overwhelmed, unable to resist for long. Defeat soon became evident. With no escape route left, he attempted to take his own life, but it was too late—he was captured alive.

Kong Xin's eyes gleamed green like a ravenous wolf as he lunged forward. In Bao’s terrified gaze, Kong Xin sank his teeth into his neck. A grotesque gulping sound echoed as warm blood trickled down from the corners of his mouth, dripping onto the ground in a vivid crimson pool.

The sight was chilling.

Bao’s pupils dilated, gradually losing their luster. His entire essence was drained dry by Kong Xin, leaving behind only a withered corpse.

Seeing Kong Xin crouched over the lifeless body, frenziedly sucking blood, the black-robed man couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He secretly grew wary of his companion.

Kong Xin finally lifted his head, extending a crimson-stained tongue to lick the remaining blood from his lips. His expression carried a lingering hunger, but the murderous gleam in his eyes subsided, and his deathly pale complexion regained a faint flush of life.

With a tap to his forehead, he retracted all traces of demonic qi within him, once again assuming the appearance of a harmless, law-abiding cultivator.

The black-robed man clicked his tongue in admiration. "Daoist Kong, you hid yourself well! I've roamed the Endless Valley for years and only ever heard praise for your impeccable reputation. Among all the guides here, yours is considered the best. If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I’d never have imagined that you cultivated a demonic art that devours the blood and essence of others."

"Hmph! I normally only need the blood of demonic beasts," Kong Xin scoffed, "If not for my severe injuries this time, requiring the essence and blood of a Foundation Building cultivator to heal, do you think I would lower myself to associate with a demon like you?"

The black-robed man chuckled mockingly. "I merely kill people—how can that compare to you drinking a man’s blood alive? If others saw you just now, I doubt anyone would believe I’m the greater demon. Since you're one of us in the demonic path, why don’t we continue working together in the future? We could make a great deal of profit."

"Impossible!"

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Kong Xin flatly refused. "This situation was unique. I was injured and needed blood and essence, and at the same time, I discovered a Cold Gold Ore's vein. It was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, so I took the risk of tarnishing my reputation by luring a few rogue cultivators here as scapegoats. Right now, the chaos in the Endless Valley is just beginning to settle—if accidents happen inside, they’re still plausible. But if I do this too often, no one will believe it’s just a coincidence. Those geezers from the merchant guilds will see through it eventually. This was a one-time deal—never again!"

The black-robed man remained unimpressed. "With your skills, why bother currying favor with those old relics? So what if you're exposed? At worst, you can flee into the Endless Valley with me and become a true demon—wouldn’t that be far more enjoyable?"

"You know nothing!"

Kong Xin sneered in disdain, clearly unwilling to associate with him. He casually kicked Bao’s dried-up corpse, retrieved its Mustard Seed Pouch into his palm, and tossed it to the black-robed man without even looking inside.

Then, he conjured a wisp of spiritual fire and burned all traces of their actions to the ground.

"As per our agreement, the next person's Mustard Seed Pouch is mine," Kong Xin said, glancing around, "Let’s move quickly! We must destroy the Tiger-Winged Eagle’s nest and lure it over before those two Daoists arrive. That woman is alone, so we don’t need to rush with her. But those two Daoists aren’t easy to deal with—if we miss our chance, it’ll be hard to take them down unscathed."

The black-robed man gripped the Mustard Seed Pouch tightly, not storing it away. Instead, he eyed Kong Xin with an amused expression. "I suddenly feel that our previous agreement was a bit hasty."

Kong Xin’s face darkened instantly. "What do you mean?"

"If you weren’t lying, that Daoist Qingfeng’s flying sword is extraordinary. Its value might exceed that of two or three top-grade artifacts."

"Initially, I accepted that everyone’s spoils would be roughly equal, and if I got a bit less, I’d tolerate it.

"But who would have thought a mere rogue cultivator would possess such a treasure?

"I risked my life entering the underground cavern to lure out the evil spirit's leader. Even though it didn’t end up being useful, my efforts shouldn’t go unrecognized.

"If you take the best treasure and the remaining loot is worth far less than that flying sword, yet I still have to split it evenly with you, wouldn’t that be an enormous loss for me?"

The black-robed man reasoned with measured words before delivering his final terms. "The Cold Gold's mother lode—sixty percent still goes to you, but everything else, we split evenly. Otherwise, if I feel wronged, and during a battle I ‘accidentally’ fail to leave you a live sacrifice for your blood-draining, you can’t blame me for it."

Kong Xin glared daggers at him, but the black-robed man met his fury without flinching.

"Fine!"

Kong Xin gritted his teeth. "We’ll do it your way!"

The black-robed man laughed heartily and opened Bao’s Mustard Seed Pouch, pouring out its contents onto the ground. He gestured generously. "Daoist Kong, you pick first!"

With a cold snort, Kong Xin swept his gaze over the items and took the Cold Gold's mother lode along with two artifacts. Then, without another word, he soared away on his evasion light.

The black-robed man showed no displeasure at Kong Xin’s attitude. He collected the remaining loot and followed close behind.

...

The ground was cracked and barren, devoid of any vegetation, exuding an eerie desolation.

Towering stone mountains stood in rows across the wasteland. From deep within the wilderness, a chorus of piercing roars echoed, resembling the cries of tigers, carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.

In the depths of the mountain range, dozens of massive birds circled the peaks. When they spread their wings, each measured over ten zhang in length. Their feathers bore intricate patterns that astonishingly resembled tiger stripes.

Though their cries sounded nothing like those of ordinary birds, these roars undeniably came from them—demonic beasts known as Tiger-Winged Eagles!

Silently, the black-robed man and Kong Xin arrived, their gazes fixed on the Tiger-Winged Eagles’ nest and the towering shadowy mountain beyond it, where the Huanglong Grass grew.

"Good thing I sent them on the longer route. Those two Daoists haven’t arrived yet. Let’s find a place to hide first..."

Kong Xin scanned the surroundings. Seeing no unusual activity near the nest or the mountain, he finally relaxed his tense expression.

However, before he could finish speaking, a voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"Daoist Kong, were you looking for us?"

...

The only ones who could have set up an ambush here were Qin Sang and Wandering Man.

The Endless Valley was a maze of dangers, and the number of trackers lurking in the shadows remained unknown. They could have inadvertently provoked a major faction from the demonic sects. While they had no interest in meddling in such affairs, they were also wary of potential threats against themselves.

After parting ways with Kong Xin, the two had discussed the situation and decided to move ahead and hide near the Tiger-Winged Eagle’s nest.

First, the road ahead was fraught with peril, making it difficult to find another opportunity to rest. They wanted to ensure they were in peak condition before pressing forward.

Second, they chose to wait and observe how things unfolded.

If Kong Xin and his companion were not targeting them, it would be best to avoid unnecessary conflict.

However, if their enemies were after them, there would be no escape. Regardless of their identity or strength, such threats had to be eliminated!

Though collecting Huanglong Grass was not their true objective, the location was close to the second zone of the Endless Valley. Their enemies could easily deduce their intended path.

If their enemies attempted an ambush while they were passing through the ancient barrier, it would be a grave problem.

Thus, as soon as they had left Kong Xin’s sight, Wandering Man had taken out the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat. The two had used it to travel at speeds far beyond Kong Xin’s expectations, reaching the Tiger-Winged Eagle’s nest well ahead of him.