21: I want 60%

"Wu Tianxie, Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, requests an audience with Old Ancestor Xu Daoshan!"

Arriving outside the Forbidden Ground of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, Wu Tianxie took out his Pavilion Master identification token. After closing the Restriction of the Forbidden Ground, he stopped before a coffin in the deepest part of the Forbidden Ground and bowed slightly, speaking in a respectful tone.

He looked at the coffin again.

The coffin stood vertically on the ground, its surface covered with runes emitting a faint golden light.

The coffin was no ordinary object either; it was crafted from a single piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Heavenly Spirit Wood, which had the effect of isolating the scrutiny of the Heavenly Dao and hindering the passage of time.

It was precisely because of this that a Great Emperor Expert could achieve a Lifespan far exceeding 30,000 years.

As Wu Tianxie spoke, the coffin vibrated slightly.

"What is it?"

"Reporting to Old Ancestor, I encountered a Peak Great Emperor in the Southern Desolate. He reached a deal with me, exchanging the Immortal-Grade Spiritual Root Shaping Method and a set of resources for shaping an Immortal-Grade Spiritual Root for two favors."

Wu Tianxie hurriedly recounted the deal he had previously made with Gu Jixiao in the Southern Desolate.

Hearing this, there was a long silence inside the coffin before the voice spoke again.

"So, what is your intention?"

"I would like to ask the Old Ancestor to step in and verify whether the other party is truly a Peak Great Emperor."

Wu Tianxie's tone was serious and solemn.

There was another period of silence within the coffin. Just as Wu Tianxie thought the Old Ancestor would not agree, he suddenly sensed something, and his expression changed drastically.

"Not good!"

Wu Tianxie immediately disregarded the Old Ancestor and vanished from the Forbidden Ground in a flash.

When Wu Tianxie reached the outside, he saw Gu Yue protecting Gu Jixiao behind her.

Looking at the Elders of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, every one of them was suppressed by Gu Yue's aura, unable to move.

Seeing the Elders being suppressed, even with Wu Tianxie's excellent Heart-Nature, he could not bear it at this moment.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, what is the meaning of this?"

"It means nothing. The Elders of your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion actually dared to mock me. Therefore, I'm afraid our agreement needs to be modified slightly."

Gu Jixiao spread his hands with a helpless expression, as if this were not his original intention.

Hearing this, Wu Tianxie's expression was extremely ugly. After taking a long breath to calm down, he looked at Gu Jixiao.

"So, Fellow Daoist Gu, what do you mean?"

"From this day forward, your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion shall submit to me. Of course, I don't have too many requirements for your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, nor will I interfere in its management."

"However, I want sixty percent of your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's annual net profit."

Gu Jixiao stated his demand with a calm and composed face.

Wu Tianxie did not hesitate and refused without a second thought.

"Impossible! This condition is far too harsh. My Heavenly Treasure Pavilion will never agree to it!"

The annual profit of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was terrifyingly high; even in a slower year, it could reach 100,000 units of Top-Grade Spiritual Liquid.

Gu Jixiao wanted sixty percent in one breath—how could he possibly accept that?

Even if he could accept it, the Old Ancestors would never agree.

Hearing this, Gu Jixiao gave a cold laugh.

"I am not negotiating with you. If I wanted to, I could wipe you all out at any time and then establish a new Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

"I only kept you around because I find it troublesome to start over."

"Besides, being able to become my vassal is your honor."

Gu Jixiao was not speaking nonsense. Currently, the Ancient Heavenly Dynasty had three Peak Great Emperors presiding over it. Not a single force in the Heavenly Saint Continent possessed three Peak Great Emperors.

Furthermore, with the help of the System, his Ancient Heavenly Dynasty would definitely not remain confined to the tiny Heavenly Saint Continent. The future of the Ancient Heavenly Dynasty would be the sea of stars and the Myriad Heavens and Realms.

Just as Wu Tianxie was about to say something, an ordinary-looking old man wearing a tattered green shirt appeared beside him.

"Little Friend, your conditions are a bit too aggressive, aren't they?"

The newcomer was none other than Xu Daoshan.

After hearing Wu Tianxie's words and seeing his reaction, Xu Daoshan realized that something major must have happened outside.

Therefore, he did not hesitate and broke out of his coffin directly.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

Seeing Xu Daoshan appear, Wu Tianxie immediately found his pillar of support and hurriedly cupped his hands.

Xu Daoshan looked at the suppressed Elders of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and raised his hand, intending to dissolve the pressure weighing them down.

But to his surprise, his Late Stage Great Emperor cultivation was completely unable to break through Gu Yue's pressure at this moment.

At this instant, Xu Daoshan's expression finally changed.

He could be absolutely certain that Gu Yue was definitely a Peak Great Emperor Expert.

"Gu Yue, take him down."

To the side, Gu Jixiao's expression did not change at all upon seeing Xu Daoshan's appearance. He simply waved his hand and signaled.

"Yes, Master."

Receiving the order, Gu Yue instantly charged toward Xu Daoshan.

Seeing this, Xu Daoshan's face changed drastically, and he could only hurriedly defend himself.

Unfortunately, before a Peak Great Emperor, he had no power to resist. Before long, he was suppressed onto the ground, looking extremely wretched.

"How about it? Is it proven now that my servant is a Peak Great Emperor?"

Gu Jixiao looked at Wu Tianxie, who was stunned nearby, his face full of playfulness.

Wu Tianxie's expression shifted repeatedly. After a long while, he finally made up his mind and looked at Gu Jixiao with a plea.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, my Heavenly Treasure Pavilion agrees to this matter. I ask Fellow Daoist Gu to have the Senior release our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's Old Ancestor."

Gu Jixiao did not make things too difficult for Wu Tianxie. He gave Gu Yue a look, and she immediately released Xu Daoshan.

Rising from the ground, Xu Daoshan no longer possessed his previous composure. His eyes were filled with wariness as he looked at Gu Jixiao.

After all, he had just seen that Peak Great Emperor obey Gu Jixiao's every word.

This made him doubt Gu Jixiao's background. Was he really just a minor Void Refining Peak?

Or rather, was he a great figure from above?

The more Xu Daoshan thought about it, the more he didn't dare to imagine. The implications were terrifying.

He simply left the decision-making power to Wu Tianxie. After all, the lives of everyone in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion were now in Gu Jixiao's hands, so they naturally didn't dare to act rashly.

"You have made the right choice. One day, you will feel fortunate for this decision."

Gu Jixiao was not surprised. Faced with life or death, anyone would know how to choose.

If Wu Tianxie had made a different choice, the worst-case scenario was simply building a new Heavenly Treasure Pavilion himself.

"Alright, hand the items over to me, and then we shall disperse."

"By the way, remember not to reveal my existence. If you encounter a problem you cannot solve, then contact me."

He took two storage rings from Wu Tianxie's hand. One of them contained sixty percent of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's earnings for the year, which was approximately 120,000 units of Top-Grade Spiritual Liquid.

The other ring contained the resources for shaping an Immortal-Grade Spiritual Root.

In return, Gu Jixiao gave Wu Tianxie a Transmission Jade Talisman specifically for contacting him.

Having achieved his goal, Gu Jixiao finally left the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion under Gu Yue's lead.