"Boom!"

A massive pressure swept everything, terrifying beyond measure, causing the yellow-brown low-grade Spirit Apes in the cavern to tremble in fear, huddling together, not daring to open their eyes.

Gu Yuan’s expression was also somewhat serious.

"Boom!"

"Swoosh!"

He manipulated the Purple Thunder Drill and the Three Declines Treasure Mirror, continuously launching attacks on the Golden Giant Ape. However, after its transformation, the defense of the Golden Giant Ape significantly increased, its fur like needles, indestructible. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Although its fur was scorched black by the Treasure Mirror’s suppression and thunder strikes, its gaze remained bright, its qi power undiminished.

"Clang!"

The golden giant staff came crashing down, the Cyan Lotus Shield was the first to be unable to withstand, emitting a mournful cry, the cyan lotus phantom shattered, and the artifact became dull, falling back into Gu Yuan’s palm.

Only the Seal of Mount Yin remained unmoving, firmly blocking the blow.

Yet the mountain phantom became dim and constantly trembled, clearly not as easy as imagined.

"Oh oh!"

Seeing this, the Golden Giant Ape was extremely excited, the golden light in its eyes growing even brighter, raising its staff to attack again.

"Clang!"

The Seal of Mount Yin blocked the blow once more, but its spiritual light dimmed to the extreme. If it came again, it would definitely be unable to withstand it.

Having the golden giant staff, the Golden-backed Ape fully exerted the strength of a high-grade Spirit Beast at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, with fearsome qi power at every turn, extremely terrifying.

A top-grade Dharma Artifact can suppress the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, but against the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, it’s still somewhat strenuous.

And Gu Yuan’s Secret Essence Command Arrow at this time had just condensed ninety Dao Patterns.

"Bang!"

The giant staff attacked again, and the Seal of Mount Yin could no longer hold, the mountain phantom shattered, and the artifact fell back into Gu Yuan’s palm.

"Oh oh!"

Seeing both of Gu Yuan’s Protective Dharma Artifacts broken, an excited expression flashed in the eyes of the Golden Giant Ape. It raised the golden giant staff, ready to attack Gu Yuan once more.

Gu Yuan’s mind surged, communicating with the Star Spirit, ready to transform at any time, but he held back.

Instead, he put his hands behind his back, adopting an undefended posture, looking at the White Old Ape.

"I am an Inner Sect Disciple of the Daoist School? Who dares to kill me? Aren’t you afraid of annihilation?"

He spoke coldly, with a high and mighty tone, resembling a villain.

The Golden Giant Ape became even more furious upon hearing this, gripping the giant staff tightly, ready to crush Gu Yuan. But just as the staff was about to fall on Gu Yuan’s head, an old voice stopped it.

"Stop!"

The White Old Ape on the back of the Golden Giant Ape spoke.

Though the voice was strange and unclear, it was unmistakably the language of the Human Race.

"Roar roar roar!"

The Golden Giant Ape clearly obeyed the Old Ape’s words, though unwilling, it grudgingly stopped its hands, glaring at Gu Yuan with resentment and looking at the Old Ape with grievance.

"Stop, do you really want to kill him?"

"Even if you could kill him, then what? Do you really want our tribe to be annihilated?"

The Old Ape sighed helplessly.

It had been observing Gu Yuan, understanding the confidence and cunning of the Human Race before it.

Clearly having trump cards but holding back, instead leveraging the power of the Daoist School to end this probing.

This is a clever person.

The opponent’s mind is like a clear mirror, knowing this was an unfair duel.

After all, this is the Cyan Peak Daoist School, within the mountain gate.

The other party could kill their tribe, but they couldn’t kill the other party.

The positions of both sides were fundamentally unequal.

They were bred Spirit Beasts, while the other party was a carefully nurtured inheritor disciple.

An Inner Sect Disciple killing the Golden-backed Ape tribe would at most be punished, locked in the White Worm Cold Prison for reflection.

But if the Golden-backed Ape tribe killed an Inner Sect Disciple within the mountain gate, their entire tribe would be wiped out in no time, as a warning to others.

A dog biting its owner’s child, how could that be allowed?

Spiritual Crane Island is full of demon beasts with spiritual wisdom, with quite high spiritual intelligence. Even when the Cloud Spider is laying eggs and has irritable moods, it only injures the disciples gathering silk and dares not deliver a fatal blow.

The Human Race in front has always understood this point, thus fearlessly.

"Roar roar roar!"

Upon hearing this, the Golden Giant Ape snorted angrily, nostrils flaring, but unwillingly retracted its giant staff, reducing its size, reverting to its previous state.

"You, old predecessor, see things clearly!"

Hearing this, Gu Yuan temporarily released his connection with the Star Spirit, saying with a smile.

He resorted to bringing up the Daoist School out of helplessness.

The strength of the Golden-backed Ape before him was genuinely formidable. Even if Gu Yuan summoned the Star Spirit, he might not be able to subdue the ape, let alone with an unknown depth Old Ape present.

In that case, let’s divide the spoils, no, negotiate.

"Although you keep mentioning you’re a Daoist School disciple, don’t you just want this Spirit Ore, coveting the assets of the Daoist School?"

The Old Ape looked at Gu Yuan and said blandly.

"Not at all, it’s just to help the Daoist School consolidate assets and subsequently hand it over."

"According to the Daoist Academy Decree, discoverers of a micro mine can take thirty percent, and if they help with mining, they can get fifty to sixty percent."

"How can the Daoist School, with its deep foundation and broad mind, shortchange me?"

Gu Yuan replied with a smile.

The Old Ape hearing this, burst into silent laughter momentarily.

What a greedy boy.

Asking for sixty percent right off the bat.

However, it knew, Gu Yuan wasn’t lying. The Daoist School indeed was magnanimous and wouldn’t encroach on the disciples’ contributions. If Gu Yuan reported this to the Daoist School, getting forty to fifty percent in shares wouldn’t be an issue.

After all, being a micro mine, the Daoist School wouldn’t fret over the minimal output.

Even if Gu Yuan took all the minerals for himself today, as long as nobody reported it and made a fuss, the Daoist School wouldn’t interfere.

Micro mines aren’t within the Daoist School’s exploration scope. Whoever fate brings to it, may they have it.

"I have explored this vein, and it is quite small, at most yielding around three thousand Spirit Stones."

"We, day and night, cautiously mined for a month, and have only gathered about nine hundred so far. If we want to collect all, it would at least take several more months, time-consuming and laborious, quite arduous."

The Old Ape sighed.

But Gu Yuan remained silent, only looking towards the Old Ape, waiting to see what terms it would offer.

Sure enough, the Old Ape spoke again: "However, since you happened upon this, we can’t be stingy, how about a fifty-fifty split?"

A fifty-fifty split would mean fifteen hundred Spirit Stones.

Quite a windfall already.

But this value is not much different from reporting to the sect.

But reporting to the sect is also cumbersome, potentially leading to unforeseen incidents. Gu Yuan still wanted to test the Old Ape’s bottom line.

So he sighed again: "I am a disciple of the Daoist School, deeply grateful for their teachings, how can I go against the decree?"

His meaning was clear enough.

If you want me to act against principles, it’s not impossible, but it’ll cost more.

The Old Ape smiled faintly, seemingly having a plan beforehand, immediately saying: "In that case, why don’t we make a deal?"