Both men had prepared for a sneak attack—one creeping about furtively, the other pretending not to notice. As they drew closer and closer, Lan Hao somehow produced a Water Dividing Spike and concealed it beneath his rain cape as he quietly approached.
Because of the rippling water, no one could see clearly, but they could vaguely make out Yue Qianchou beneath the surface, looking around in bewilderment. Most people had no idea what lay behind that brief calm. Only Ning Zixun and Xu Youchang understood the danger lurking within it. They knew their senior brother was relying on his rain cape to remain invisible and was surely creeping closer for a sneak attack. Their hearts rose to their throats, and both hoped their senior brother would succeed in a single blow.
When the distance between the two men underwater was less than two hundred meters, Yue Qianchou sensed that Lan Hao was slowly revealing his weapon, clearly preparing to strike. He cursed inwardly. He had wanted to wait until the other man came closer, then use him to test whether he could unleash the Star Absorbing Great Method underwater. That would have given him better odds of victory.
Yet Lan Hao feared Yue Qianchou's cultivation was too high and did not dare approach too closely. He quietly stopped and was just about to launch his sneak attack when he suddenly heard several muffled popping sounds from below. Before he could investigate, purple light flashed through the curtain of water before his eyes. At the same time, Lan Hao caught sight of the sinister smile at Yue Qianchou's lips. He was instantly horrified. His reaction was swift enough that he immediately realized he had fallen into a trap. Caring about nothing else, he desperately teleported away.
A dark red cloud of