As Zhang Yang saw that one Golden Three-Eyed Beast, a hand had already slipped into his canvas bag, fumbling for a fruit. If there was only one chance left now, that chance rested entirely on the fruit inside the canvas bag!

The High Mountain Cloud Fruit! This miraculous fruit, gifted by the sacred beast Azure Eagle from the Spirit Beast Sect within the gorge-grotto of Mount Zijin on the outskirts of Changjing, had been resting quietly in Zhang Yang’s canvas bag all this time.

This fruit possessed the magical ability to directly replenish a cultivator’s expended inner energy after they were completely drained. This meant that if Zhang Yang consumed it, the spiritual energy contained within would instantly transform into inner energy, refilling his now desolate Dantian, essentially granting him the opportunity for a counterattack.

In truth, when Zhang Yang set out for the place where the Ten-Thousand-Year Peach grows, he brought every treasure he could carry. Artifacts like the High Mountain Cloud Fruit and the Eight Trigram Staff were naturally not left behind.

However, the next action of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast caused Zhang Yang to halt his intention of retrieving the High Mountain Cloud Fruit. Wuying and Shandian exchanged a glance, ceased their attack on the three-eyed spirit beast, and retreated back to Zhang Yang’s side, chirping and squeaking.

Through Wuying and Shandian, Zhang Yang finally understood that the true guardian of the Ten-Thousand-Year Peach was the golden three-eyed beast before them. This allowed it to perfectly conceal all its aura within the vicinity of the peach, rendering it undetectable to anyone.

And for the moment, this Golden Three-Eyed Beast had no immediate intention of harming them. “Human, that fruit—do you dare eat it?” After gazing intently for a sufficient time, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast turned its head toward Zhang Yang, channeling a beam of energy directly from its third eye.

This energy felt profoundly peaceful, and the voice that resonated in Zhang Yang's mind was surprisingly light and gentle. This Golden Three-Eyed Beast, it turned out, was a female.

Zhang Yang was suddenly startled. Although the power of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast before him had diminished to roughly the early stage of the Fourth Layer, it was still formidable.

Before he could even draw the High Mountain Cloud Fruit from his bag, the beast had seen through his action and clearly discerned the fruit within his bag, naturally grasping his intent. “Roar…” Behind the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, the miserable-looking Three-Eyed Beast let out a few low growls, sounding rather unwilling.

However, the Golden One shook its head, and the other beast could only reluctantly lower its head, seizing the time to rest. “The High Mountain Cloud Fruit, while possessing the miraculous efficacy of helping inner energy cultivators replenish depleted reserves, also comes with restrictions.” The Golden Three-Eyed Beast communicated this to Zhang Yang via energy, its third eye on its forehead slightly closing, as if feeling weariness.

Wuying and Shandian positioned themselves in front of Zhang Yang, barking aggressively at the beast. The Golden Three-Eyed Beast glanced at Wuying and Shandian again, then continued through energy: “For cultivators below the Fourth Layer, its effect is unparalleled.

But for those at the Fourth Layer of Inner Energy, it offers only half its potency. Moreover, if a practitioner at the Great Perfection level were to ingest it, the replenished inner energy would clash with their own, leading to a backlash.

Even if it resolves the immediate issue, the consequence of the backlash will manifest later—at best, a regression in strength; at worst, a complete loss of inner energy. Seeing as the Ten-Thousand-Year Peach is still a considerable time from ripening, even if you consume that fruit now, it is unlikely to sustain you until the peach is ready.” Clearly, this Golden Three-Eyed Beast possessed a far deeper understanding of the High Mountain Cloud Fruit.

Zhang Yang frowned. The ancient texts recorded by his ancestors offered only sparse descriptions of the fruit's magical effects, never mentioning these side effects.

But it wasn't entirely surprising. The High Mountain Cloud Fruit was exceptionally rare, its harvesting conditions brutally harsh.

Few people ever obtained one, and how many true experts at the Fourth Layer or those at the Great Perfection level would ever get the chance to use it? “Do not doubt my words.

Regarding this sort of natural treasure, I understand it better than you do.” The Golden Three-Eyed Beast fixed its gaze on Zhang Yang. If it did not understand these heavenly materials and earthly treasures, how could it have discovered this unripened Ten-Thousand-Year Peach centuries before others and excavated this magnificent underground plaza for its own cultivation?

Regardless, Zhang Yang was relieved that neither of the two three-eyed beasts showed any intent to continue the assault, yet his hand remained inside his canvas bag. This way, whether the beast had ulterior motives or not, he could swiftly draw out the High Mountain Cloud Fruit and consume it to fight back.

The Golden Three-Eyed Beast scrutinized Zhang Yang. The reason it treated him so gently was to buy time for the other three-eyed beast behind it, allowing it to rapidly recover its strength.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang was also observing the Golden One. It was undoubtedly a spirit beast at the late stage of the Fourth Layer, so why was its current strength only that of the early Fourth Layer?

Among spirit beasts, the gap between the early and late stages of the Fourth Layer was immense; such a sudden decline would not occur without a specific reason. Furthermore, this Golden Beast’s spiritual aura appeared inexhaustibly abundant; it did not look weakened by injury in the slightest.

Zhang Yang’s gaze drifted downward to the beast’s abdomen, where he suddenly noticed it was unusually distended. Moreover, it moved with extreme caution each time it shifted its body.

Most crucially, there was a faint trace of life stirring within the beast’s belly. Zhang Yang suddenly clenched his fist.

Now he finally understood why the Golden Beast had only appeared at the last possible moment and, upon arrival, merely pushed back Wuying and Shandian without escalating the fight. It wasn't that it didn't want to fight; it was that its current condition absolutely forbade it.

In other words, this Golden Three-Eyed Beast was pregnant with a cub! Zhang Yang averted his eyes from the Golden Beast and shifted them to the ashen-white beast behind it.

It appeared to be the Golden One’s mate, and thus the father of the unborn cub! Zhang Yang swallowed hard.

Three-Eyed Beasts were undeniably extremely rare spirit beasts—one could even call them critically endangered. Yet here he was, encountering three of them at once.

If this news were to spread, leaving aside ordinary cultivators, at least the Great Perfection masters from the Li Family, Hua Family, Wudang, and Shaolin would never sit still. After all, the only way to reach the Fifth Layer of Inner Energy by external means was through the acquisition of the 'Three Pills and One Water' formula, and the third eye of a Three-Eyed Beast was the primary catalyst for the Three-Eyed Pill—the most difficult component to obtain among the three pills.

“Roar…” Behind the Golden Beast, the ashen-white one growled again, seemingly trying to stop its companion from conversing further with Zhang Yang. The Golden Beast shook its head slightly and let out a few low growls in response.

“Roar!” The already pitiful Ashen-White Three-Eyed Beast suddenly amplified its roar, sounding impatient. It raised its head and stood up, and the whites of its eyes, which had recently returned to normal, were now gradually reddening, its violent temperament resurfacing.

“Hoo…” Seeing the Ashen-White Beast in this state, the Golden Beast grew anxious. It roared several times, effectively drowning out the other’s sound.

Unexpectedly, once its voice was suppressed, the Ashen-White Beast lowered its head again, slumping back down by the lakeside. The slight red tinge gathering in its three eyes slowly receded, and the surge of aggression vanished with it.

Seizing this moment, Wuying and Shandian squeaked softly into Zhang Yang’s ear. “Chirp chirp chirp!” “Squeak squeak squeak!” These two little ones could actually comprehend the exchanges between the other two beasts and were now relaying the translation to Zhang Yang.

The two small beasts confirmed that the other two three-eyed creatures were indeed a mated pair. Wuying and Shandian provided a rough summary of the fragmented conversation between the two beasts, allowing Zhang Yang to grasp some of the recent events concerning them, causing him to frown in deep thought.

It seemed that just before their arrival, several powerful spirit beasts, tracking the aura of the Ten-Thousand-Year Peach, had found this location. Upon arrival, these beasts had immediately moved to seize the peach, showing no regard for whether it was ripe or not.

Since the Golden Three-Eyed Beast was pregnant, it was inherently unable to fight at full strength. Its current power was only at the early Fourth Layer, but if a fight had broken out, its actual combat strength might need recalculation.

Those powerful spirit beasts likely took advantage of the Golden One’s pregnancy and their superior numbers, using several members to pin down the Ashen-White Beast, which was not yet at the Great Perfection level, while others took the opportunity to pluck the Ten-Thousand-Year Peach. These two Three-Eyed Beasts guarded the area specifically to wait for the peach to mature; they would never allow it to be ruined by those other spirit beasts.

Zhang Yang’s gaze returned to the Golden Beast, and he performed a diagnostic 'observation' on it. Although he couldn't be certain, Zhang Yang clearly sensed that the life within the Golden Beast’s abdomen seemed to have been affected.

This undoubtedly indicated that the Golden Beast had been forced to engage in combat with the spirit beasts trying to steal the peach, and that it, along with the Ashen-White Beast, had driven them away. But engaging in battle had naturally impacted its unborn cub, preventing a smooth delivery.

This suggested that the Ashen-White Beast’s sudden breakthrough to the Great Perfection level and its ensuing violent rage were also linked to this struggle. It was simply a matter of terrible timing for Zhang Yang, Wuying, and Shandian’s arrival.

Even though the Three-Eyed Beasts knew they were not affiliated with the attacking spirit beasts, they couldn't suppress their violent temperaments and attacked Zhang Yang fully, even willing to perish alongside him. Zhang Yang suddenly recalled the Fourth Layer spirit monkey he had encountered shortly after entering the forest.

This implied that the assailants who had attacked the two beasts over the Ten-Thousand-Year Peach must have been those spirit monkeys. It appeared that in addition to human cultivators coveting the peach, a significant number of powerful spirit beasts near Mount Kunlun shared the same desire.

Zhang Yang shook his head at Wuying and Shandian, then looked at the two Three-Eyed Beasts. He had initially intended to kill the Ashen-White Beast and take its third eye to concoct the Three-Eyed Pill, but upon seeing the pregnant Golden Beast, he abandoned that thought, choosing not to strike while they were vulnerable.

The Ashen-White Beast was rapidly recuperating its strength, while the pregnant Golden Beast was unable to attack. Consequently, both beasts watched Zhang Yang watchfully, making no move.

Having not consumed the High Mountain Cloud Fruit, Zhang Yang was also in a weakened state. Coupled with his decision to forgo the optimal moment for Wuying and Shandian to attack, the two sides were locked in a stalemate.

At this moment, a rare tranquility settled in the underground area housing the Ten-Thousand-Year Peach. Zhang Yang observed the two beasts opposite him.

The Ashen-White Beast had already advanced to the Great Perfection level, absorbing the world’s energy and local spiritual essence far faster than Zhang Yang. It was evident that once this beast fully recovered its strength, Zhang Yang and his companions would face a dire outcome.

Three-Eyed Beasts, unlike humans, have inherently low reproductive rates. If a pregnant female is adversely affected, she cannot deliver successfully without the absolute pinnacle of rare treasures.

In essence, the only thing capable of helping the Golden Beast deliver safely now was the fully ripened Ten-Thousand-Year Peach. Even as a successor of the Medical Sage Zhang family, Zhang Yang was helpless in this matter, as no other natural treasure could surpass the Ten-Thousand-Year Peach.

After a brief consideration, Zhang Yang gave up the idea of helping the Golden Beast. Every second now felt agonizingly long.

Above ground, in the forest, Zhuifeng, eager to reach Zhang Yang and offer aid, let out a long neigh. He had no time to pay attention to the monkeys; he simply warned them one last time to clear the path.

These sudden spirit monkeys chattered several times, seemingly understanding that Zhuifeng intended to charge through the dense woods. They exchanged glances and abruptly began to move, actively carving a passable path for Zhuifeng.

Zhuifeng looked at the spirit monkeys in confusion, unable to fathom why they were helping him. However, reaching Zhang Yang quickly was paramount, so since they were willing to assist, he didn't overthink it.

Rumble… After all, many hands make light work. In just a moment, these spirit monkeys cleared a passage through the dense forest.

Zhuifeng ignored the monkeys and galloped forward immediately, following the residual scents of Wuying and Shandian. The spirit monkeys watched Zhuifeng’s retreating form, their faces displaying cunning smiles before they quietly tailed him.

Not long after, Zhuifeng located the sinkhole opening in the clearing and rushed in. Upon entering the underground plaza, he finally saw Wuying, Shandian, and Zhang Yang.

Detecting Zhuifeng’s entry, the Ashen-White Three-Eyed Beast suddenly straightened up, its three eyes flashing red, its violent aura surging skyward. This time, no matter how the Golden Beast roared, it paid no heed.

Zhang Yang snapped his head around. Only then did he realize that behind Zhuifeng, several powerful spirit monkeys had appeared at some point.