Golden Transformation Master and his two companions' expressions darkened upon hearing the words, realizing that Jin Chao, standing beside Gu Xuanyang, had the same thoughts.

"Golden Transformation Daoist, what he said makes sense too. The treasures inside the Fire Essence Palace are no fewer than those outside. As they say, to gain something, one must let go of another. Handing over those treasures doesn't constitute much of a loss, plus, once the door opens, we might be able to retrieve them," Lei He secretly transmitted his thoughts.

"The logic is sound, but who are Jin Chao and Gu Xuanyang? For now, the items are still in our hands. If we hand them over, and they turn against us once the door is open, how could we possibly overpower them?" Yan Xiang seemed to distrust Jin Chao and Gu Xuanyang greatly, transmitting back.

"Alas, Fellow Daoist Yan Xiang's worries are not unfounded. The two of them have aligned interests and both covet those three treasures. The three of us might stand a chance against Gu Xuanyang alone, but with the addition of a Jin Chao clone, how could we possibly compete? In essence, their current inaction is merely to conserve Mana," Golden Transformation Master stroked his beard.

"Indeed, in my view, it might be better to do this..." Lei He suddenly came up with an idea.

Meanwhile, Gu Xuanyang, seeing that Golden Transformation Master and his group were hesitating to make a decision, instantly became annoyed, "The three of you, have you reached an agreement yet, or do I really need to fetch them myself?"

"Fellow Daoist Gu jests. With fortune before us, how could we cling to mere external objects? It's just that certain things need to be clarified in advance, otherwise we would truly be uneasy," Golden Transformation Master said with a smile.

Gu Xuanyang's brows furrowed, as if he was about to lose his temper, while Jin Chao Clone, who was beside him, suddenly spoke up, "What conditions are they? Let's hear them."

"Thank you, Senior Jin, for your understanding. Since we've come here, the gate must indeed be opened. Yet the road here was fraught with dangers, and the Fire Essence Palace is surely even more perilous. Our strengths are not formidable; hence, we wish to trade these three treasures for two promises from you and Fellow Daoist Gu," Golden Transformation Master replied.

"What promises?" Gu Xuanyang asked, frowning.

"Should we encounter danger within, we will naturally exert our full strength. However, both of you need to swear by your Heart Demons that you will not turn against us. Secondly, the treasures obtained within the Fire Essence Palace must be distributed proportionally, and no one should overpower others to seize them! Of course, those who discover treasures first or contribute the most should have priority in choosing," Golden Transformation Master said, looking towards Gu Xuanyang and Jin Chao Clone as he bowed his hands.

Gu Xuanyang sneered at this, "There's such a promise in this world? Restricting just us two while you can act freely?"

"With your strengths, how could we dare to oppose you? If anyone is foolish enough, you can naturally retaliate," Lei He quickly said.

"If that's the case, we can agree to the first promise; how is the ratio for the second promise calculated?" Jin Chao Clone inquired.

"Senior Jin and Fellow Daoist Gu each take thirty percent, and the remaining forty percent would be divided equally among the three of us," Lei He said.

"Impossible, you think you can take the larger share with just your capabilities?" Gu Xuanyang said with a sneer.

"Why would you say that, Fellow Daoist Gu? You and Senior Jin would each take thirty percent, while the three of us would only divide forty percent. Besides, opening the door requires five Magic Treasures, and we are providing three. If the share is any less, it won't be enough to go around, so it might as well end here," Golden Transformation Master shook his head, his tone firm.

"Well put, then let it be forty percent. I agree," Jin Chao Clone consented.

Gu Xuanyang's expression darkened, feeling reluctant in his heart, but he was also wary of Jin Chao Clone, and now that the others agreed, if he continued to object, it could easily make him the target of everyone's arrows - after a moment's consideration, he had to let it go.

In just a few words, the anticipated benefits were properly distributed among them, and no one paid any attention to Yuan Ming, Long Chong, Daoist Qian Bao, and Golden Cloud Fairy, as Core Formation Stage cultivators had no say in this matter.

Yuan Ming was not upset either; standing with Long Chong to one side, he silently observed the dialogue and expressions of Gu Xuanyang and the others, remaining silent.

Seeing that an agreement had been reached, Golden Transformation Master and his companions were instantly relieved; they each took out their treasures and moved forward, placing them in the slots in sequence.

When Yan Xiang placed the last treasure into the slot, everyone suddenly heard a "hum" sound, and small Arrays appeared around the five slots on the door, temporarily sealing the treasures inside.

Under everyone's gaze, the treasures sealed in the slots suddenly lit up with an orange spirit light, shooting strands of spiritual light from the slots, which interconnected and formed an even larger Array.

The moment the Array appeared, the wall-like door gradually virtualized and faded. After a few breaths, both the door and the Array disappeared, and the five treasures embedded in the slots were suspended in midair. They paused momentarily then fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Jin Chao Clone suddenly raised his hand and swept up the red Flying Shuttle into his palm.

Golden Transformation Master and his companions, seeing that Jin Chao Clone had no intention of seizing more treasures, were also pleased and immediately stepped forward to pick up their respective treasures.

Meanwhile, Gu Xuanyang, watching this scene, rubbed his fingers hidden behind his back, but ultimately did not attempt to seize anything and merely retrieved the Red Cloud Gourd.

With the disappearance of the door, the scenery behind the walls was fully revealed.

The first thing that caught everyone's eyes seemed to be a courtyard with several red-stone paths crisscrossing it into various sections; each area grew all sorts of golden and red flowers and grasses. While none were precious spiritual materials, their fragrance and appearance were unforgettable.

However, what was most eye-catching in the courtyard was the fiery-red peach tree situated in the center of the flowerbed.

The peach tree was about as thick as five people hugging it together and appeared to be the same species as those in the peach forest below the mountain. Only, its bark was rough and ancient, seemingly much older than those in the peach forest. The spiritual power within was reserved and profound, not showing off, but the flourishing vitality hidden within the trunk commanded respect.

The treetop that the people had seen over the wall originated from it.

The group approached the peach tree and looked up to find it had five fist-sized Big Red Immortal Peaches hanging from it, each containing an extremely rich concentration of spiritual power, brightening Golden Transformation Master and his companions' eyes.

Yuan Ming activated his Divine Sense to investigate. These Big Red Immortal Peaches had purple stripes on their surfaces and contained peach kernels, which were a pale yellow.

"Purple Striped Core, these are Yaochi Peaches!" Gu Xuanyang exclaimed with joy.

"Yaochi Peaches? Are they the legendary peaches that can extend one's life by a thousand years and greatly benefit one's cultivation?" Yan Xiang asked, thrilled.

"It's unmistakable. I've seen pictures of Yaochi Peach trees in classics, and this one is exactly the same!" Gu Xuanyang said, very sure.

Lei He, Golden Transformation Master, and others, upon hearing this, were also delighted, except Jin Chao's Clone who remained impassive.

"There are exactly five immortal peaches. Why don't we each take one?" Yan Xiang suggested immediately.

"Heh, how come I remember that according to the allocation ratio you mentioned earlier, it shouldn't be calculated like this?" Gu Xuanyang sneered.

Yan Xiang's expression stiffened, while the Golden Transformation Master shook his head and stepped forward to explain for him, "Fellow Daoist Yan Xiang merely feels that since there are exactly five precious peaches, there's no need to further divide them, especially since dividing these five immortal peaches in half, as per the previous distribution method, would waste so much of the peaches' Spiritual Power."

Hearing that this involved Jin Chao's interest, Gu Xuanyang furrowed his brows, about to argue, but was interrupted by Jin Chao's Clone.

"What the Golden Transformation Daoist said makes sense. Let's distribute them as Yan Xiang suggested," Jin Chao's Clone said, and with a gesture, plucked a peach using Mana from the tree. Without looking, he casually handed it to Jin Yun Fairy next to him.

Seeing this, Gu Xuanyang reluctantly swallowed his words of objection and silently plucked a peach, storing it in his Storage Ring.

The Golden Transformation Master and the others quickly stepped forward and each picked a peach, delightedly storing them in their Storage Rings.

Yuan Ming's gaze flickered, but he said nothing.

Everyone then passed by the peach tree and continued onward, soon crossing the courtyard and arriving in front of a surrounding wall.

Here was the highest point of Immortal Mountain. The sun, which had once hung high, was no longer far away, and everyone could even feel the surging heat waves and terrifying heat coming from it.

By this point, even Yuan Ming, wearing a straw hat, also felt a slight warmth, but it was still within a tolerable range, and he did not need to deploy any protective methods.

The wall in front of everyone was different from the outer one. The entrance had no door, only an empty doorway that revealed the scenery behind the wall.

Inside was a very spacious grand square, the floor paved with red jade bricks, as fiery in color as they were pure in form, without a single flaw.

The square also housed several grand halls, but merely through the doorway, the details of the halls were unclear. They too were constructed from red jade, matching the square's bricks, resembling the inner walls of a Pill Furnace during the refinement of elixirs, surrounded by intense flames from all directions.

Just as everyone was about to cross the doorway, Jin Chao's Clone suddenly stood at the forefront.

"Wait first," he said, looking at the square, without turning back.

Gu Xuanyang was a bit surprised and immediately asked, "Senior Jin, have you noticed something wrong?"

"Just wait," Jin Chao's Clone said, shaking his head without explaining.

Gu Xuanyang frowned and said no more, standing quietly to the side.

Seeing this, the Golden Transformation Master and the others dared not ask further, only conversing quietly among themselves through transmitted messages, guessing the purpose of Jin Chao's Clone's action.

Time trickled by; shortly, as the seventh sun rose in the sky, everyone felt the surrounding heat intensify, leaving them with no mood to discuss their plans, each reinforcing their Protective Body techniques against the heat.

Yuan Ming, still wearing his straw hat, though feeling the heat, remained calm and composed. Jin Chao's Clone and Jin Yun Fairy also appeared similar, seemingly not using any methods to stave off the heat.

Indistinctly, Yuan Ming noticed Jin Yun Fairy glancing at him, her expression carrying a slight surprise.

"It's time," Jin Chao's Clone suddenly said, stepping forward, crossing the second surrounding wall, entering the square. Seeing this, everyone hurriedly followed.

As soon as they stepped into the square, before they could even look around, everyone suddenly felt the temperature around them soar. The Protective Body techniques they had applied proved almost useless, as the heat waves relentlessly seared their skin. All present showed pained expressions, and Core Formation Stage cultivators like Long Chong and Daoist Qian Bao were nearly suffocating.

Even Yuan Ming felt the extreme heat unbearable, his body no longer cool, as his bodily fluids rapidly evaporated, fearing he would soon be dried out.

Facing such conditions, Yan Xiang and the others couldn't help but consider retreating. Under such sustained high temperatures, even Nascent Soul cultivators found it hard to endure.

Although they were eager to find treasures and return fully rewarded, if they were to lose their lives, no treasure would be of any use. Those present, having reached this stage, naturally understood the logic of "it's better to keep the green hills under you than to burn out."

Just then, everyone suddenly heard a "boom" sound as a tightly closed door dropped heavily behind them, completely sealing everyone inside the square.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.