Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. In the past, he had relied on his Cosmic art and the dual support of his domain and lockbreaking tool to lockbreak. Meanwhile, a true Lockbreaker instead relied on their perception of star energy, which meant that Lu Yin was much worse off in the current situation.

In the same realm, he held an incomparable advantage, and his speed was very fast as well. However, once his external advantages were mitigated, his lackluster abilities would be exposed.

Casanova used his tyrannical strength, powerful star energy awareness, lockbreaking tool, and his incomparable lockbreaking experience to cancel out Lu Yin’s advantages. Compared to Casanova, Lu Yin’s base skills were still lacking.

However, Casanova was wrong about one point; Lu Yin actually could succeed in unlocking this sourcebox, but it would take him way too long.

The tree-shaped sourcebox’s danger zone spread out a thousand meters around itself, and its energy waves absorbed vitality from any life forms that approached it. If someone could avoid all of these dangers, then they could attempt to unlock this sourcebox, even if they were a Lockbreaker without any contributions. Of course, it was virtually impossible for a normal Lockbreaker to succeed since the sealed energy was just too vast. It was so vast that even Lu Yin was nearly incapable of withstanding the sensory overload.

As Casanova began to unlock the sourcebox, the energy waves in the surrounding area gradually surged outwards, and he was forced to continue weaving and bobbing as he continued his lockbreaking attempt.

Lu Yin watched the attempt with bright eyes. Casanova had his own methods for lockbreaking, and Lu Yin could not really understand his moves.

Casanova then said, “Alright now, stop staring. No two sourceboxes are identical in this universe, so you need to figure out your own lockbreaking technique. For now, help me reduce the danger in the immediate area, and I promise that I’ll give you the biggest reward after this sourcebox is unlocked.”

Lu Yin’s gaze flickered. “I don’t want any reward.”

Casanova’s brows jumped, and he stared intensely at Lu Yin. “I couldn’t tell earlier, but your appetite’s pretty big. Alright, help me reduce the surrounding danger, and the moment I finish my lockbreaking attempt, you can compete for the contents—if you’re capable, that is. But just a word of warning: if you choose this option, there’ll be no compensation from me.”

“Then let’s go with that,” Lu Yin barked as he waved his hand, causing the waves to quickly surge towards him.

“Seventh Bro, don’t be foolish! That person’s an expert who’s in the top portion of the Top Hundred Rankings! How do you expect to steal anything from him?” the Ghost Monkey shrieked.

Lu Yin replied quietly, “We won’t know if we don’t try. This is a Perceptive Intermediate sourcebox, and it’s even tree-shaped. The sealed items definitely won’t be simple, and it might even provide me with a chance to quickly advance my strength.”

“You still want to speed up your growth? Let me tell you something—a sourcebox that looks like a lifeform may have once held something good, but countless years have passed by since it was first sealed. The chances that whatever was in this sourcebox has already disintegrated is extremely high! Even if it hasn’t disappeared, its potency still would have dropped, so it’ll be useless even if you do get it. If this weren’t the case, then do you really think that the Lockbreaker Society would be nice enough to leave something like that for you all? They would have unlocked this thing a long time ago!”

Lu Yin understood the monkey’s words, but he was gambling that the objects inside had not completely vanished. As long as there was still something in there, he could use his die’s Enhance function to upgrade it until the item regained its luster.

He was looking forward to gaining a treasure from the ancient times that warranted being sealed away.

One hour, two hours… Five hours passed as everyone focused on Casanova. The tangled energy on the sealed surface of the tree-shaped sourcebox was reduced by a single layer, but no one knew how many layers remained.

Casanova had a very serious look, completely different from his usual demeanor. He seemed to have completely changed.

Nearby, Xi Qi and Dao Bo were still evading the energy waves. They had not retreated yet.

Lu Yin was diligently drawing the energy waves away, preventing them from obstructing Casanova’s lockbreaking.

Up in the sky, Master Jun marveled at the youths. He was more focused on Lu Yin than Casanova, since Lu Yin knew the Secret Sidestep and was truly gifted. It was a pity that he was also very focused on his cultivation. In his opinion, Lu Yin’s future would be much brighter if he focused purely on the path of lockbreaking.

Master Jun was already considering taking Lu Yin as an apprentice.

Another few hours passed, and Casanova’s forehead was now covered in beads of sweat. At this point, the tree-shaped sourcebox was obviously much smaller than before, and it was not far from being completely unlocked.

Lu Yin could also sense that the surrounding energy waves were dwindling in power. It had reached the point where Dao Bo and Xi Qi did not even need to distract the energy waves anymore.

“Watch carefully and get ready to snatch what comes out at any moment!” the fish spoke excitedly.

Xi Qi felt helpless. “No, that’s something that someone else unlocked.”

“Fool! Such a fool! This sort of thing will belong to whoever manages to grab it. Relax, with Lord Fish’s help, you’ll definitely be able to get it.” The fish’s fins swung about nonstop, and it seemed very excited.

“I really can’t do that.”

The fish was furious. “Such a foolish, feminine two-legged beast! You’re infuriating! I’m so mad that I’m about to become a dried fish!”

Lu Yin’s expression twitched, and he looked at the fish on top of Xi Qi’s head again. Dried fish? An intriguing thought suddenly occurred to him; he should bring a cat along with him the next time he met this fish.

“Hey, masculine two-legged beast, what are you looking at? Have you not seen such a brilliant and majestic Lord Fish before?” it hollered as it pointed at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin did not bother responding, as he could not bring himself to trade insults with a fish.

“Seventh Bro, let me out! I’m going to stomp that thing to pieces!” the monkey shouted.

More time passed, and when the skies darkened once again, the tree-shaped sourcebox began to emit a faint, golden radiance. It seemed that Casanova was about to finish unlocking it.

No one noticed it, but as the tree-shaped sourcebox’s lockbreaking neared completion, multiple minute cracks spread out on the ground. Dirt and pebbles fell into those cracks, as if there was a vast space underneath the ground.

Behind Nine Peaks Mountain, a fissure endlessly snaked across the ground.

This scene should have been noticed and called out a long time ago, but since all of the Lockbreakers were at Nine Peaks Mountain, the observing cultivators assumed that the cracks were merely a result of the lockbreaking attempt. They duly ignored them, which meant that none of the cultivators near the sourcebox were aware of the current circumstances.

The tree-shaped sourcebox’s radiance intensified.

Countless onlookers nervously watched on with bated breath. The radiance meant that there was something inside the sourcebox, but who knew what would appear from within it.

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered as he approached the sourcebox.

Casanova’s lips rose. “Brother Lu, it’s almost done. Are you ready?”

Lu Yin clenched his fists tightly. “Yes.”

“Don’t say that I didn’t give you an opportunity. Count backwards from five. Start now!”

Lu Yin’s hand trembled. Five, four, three, two, one. When the countdown finished, the tree-shaped sourcebox’s tangled energy completely dissipated as a strange tree appeared before everyone’s eyes. There was a single round fruit atop the small tree that gave off a soft, white light. That fruit was the most valuable object in the sourcebox.

The moment the tree-shaped sourcebox was successfully unlocked, Lu Yin’s left index finger flicked, and a golden radiance rose from the ground as he forcefully flicked a fruit into the air. The faint golden radiance was blinding in the night sky, and since the fruit had appeared from beneath the sourcebox, it immediately grabbed everyone’s attention.

Gold was also naturally more eye-grabbing than white.

Casanova originally intended to go straight for the white fruit, but he instinctively changed his mind the moment he saw the golden glow. Meanwhile, Lu Yin went straight for the white fruit.

That golden fruit was a strengthening fruit that he had upgraded with his die’s Enhance function, and he had buried it beneath the ground the moment he had decided to compete with Casanova for the sourcebox’s contents. Since he was already gambling on this sourcebox, he decided to go big. By tossing a strengthening fruit out, the golden glow would hopefully divert Casanova’s attention long enough for him to snag the sourcebox’s contents at a decisive moment.

Lu Yin’s plan unfolded as planned, and he indeed managed to touch the white fruit before Casanova. However, Casanova was in the top thirty of the Top Hundred Rankings, and his power was something that Lu Yin could not even imagine. His speed greatly surpassed Lu Yin’s, and as soon as he realized that the strengthening fruit was a distraction, he switched targets and touched the white fruit at almost the same time as Lu Yin.

Thump!

Lu Yin and Casanova both grabbed the fruit, and neither was willing to give up. The fruit couldn’t withstand the opposing forces and was split in two. The two youths instinctively attacked each other; Lu Yin struck out with Thirty Stacks while Casanova slapped out, using his lockbreaking techniques to dissolve Lu Yin’s star energy.

There was a boom, and the ground rumbled. The shockwave created by Lu Yin’s palm blasted the ground to pieces, and the small tree disappeared while both Lu Yin and Casanova fell underground.

They each had grabbed half of the white fruit. After separating, Lu Yin raised his head to look in front of himself.

Casanova had already stored both the strengthening fruit and the white fruit within his cosmic ring and was currently charging towards Lu Yin. “Do you really think that you can escape? Hand over the fruit!”

Lu Yin also stored his piece of fruit away, and he planned to use the monkey’s innate gift of shadows to escape.

But then, suddenly, an angry roar from deep underground shook the world as a terrifying and majestic aura covered the sky, sending both Lu Yin and Casanova scrambling into the atmosphere. It wasn’t just the two of them—Dao Bo, Xi Qi, Yue Xianzi, and the rest of the spectating cultivators were all sent flying into the sky by the indescribable force.

Master Jun’s face changed. “Not good! An existence with a power level over 100,000! Everyone, RUN!” He then charged below ground.

Lu Yin stabilized himself in midair and stared at the hole in the ground in disbelief. He remembered that Ming Yan had told him that a savage ape with a power level over 100,000 units existed on this planet, but it should have long since been exterminated by the Vastdearth Sect. This creature lurking beneath the ground definitely exceeded a power level of 100,000, and Lu Yin was left looking at the old position of the tree-shaped sourcebox. Could the sourcebox have been left there on purpose? Or did the tree-shaped sourcebox cause a savage ape to mutate?

No matter what, he had to flee.

“Hand over the fruit!” Casanova charged at Lu Yin and tried to grab him.

Lu Yin immediately dodged aside. “Now’s not the time to fight! Let’s discuss this after escaping from Savage Ape Planet.”

Casanova helplessly glared ruthlessly at Lu Yin. “You really are capable—you actually stole half the fruit. Tell me, what’s the golden fruit?”

“Casanova, I didn’t take half the fruit without paying. That golden fruit is a strengthening fruit that has existed for over 50,000 years. It shouldn’t be worth any less than the white fruit. Moreover, no one knows what function the white fruit may have, but its effect must have been greatly reduced by now.” Even as he spoke, Lu Yin sped away towards Yue Xianzi and Zhao Ran, intent on taking them away.

Casanova was about to pursue Lu Yin, but the roars from underground intensified as a terrifying aura seeped out, frightening him to his core. This creature definitely had a power level over 100,000, and Casanova did not want to lose his life for no reason. “Lu Yin, consider yourself lucky. I’ll definitely make you pay the next time we meet!”

Yue Xianzi brought Zhao Ran into the sky to escape from the terrifying aura emanating from underground. Lu Yin grabbed both of them and flew in the direction that they had originally come from. He had a feeling that the underground aura was abnormal, and its power was a bit too terrifying.

With a boom, Nine Peaks Mountain collapsed, and a giant crack appeared beneath it. Master Jun and a few other powerhouses emerged, but they were all in sorry states with pale faces.

The next moment, two giant white claws emerged from the ground as an enormous savage ape appeared before them all. Shockingly, it had nine heads.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. Nine Peaks and now nine heads? This was impossible—he had specially researched this place to the point where it could not have been investigated any further! Since the savage apes did not even have a semblance of a civilization and this Nine Peaks Mountain had held its moniker for an unknown number of years, this nine-headed savage ape must have lived in this place for a very long time.