I Can Control Resources

Treasure.

An absolute treasure trove.

Gao Neng had no doubt. The contents of this place were at least several times more plentiful than what was outside. There might even be some unexpected treasures.

If he could gather all of these things...

How terrifying would that be?

"Master, are there elemental raw materials in here?" After a moment’s thought, Gao Neng asked a question to which he already knew the answer.

"Yes. If I’m not mistaken, this is likely a new ’Demon Abyss.’ We’ve already harvested much of the Demon Abyss in Restricted Area No. 2, but this one should be untouched!" Li Tiannan replied quickly.

"So that’s how it is." Gao Neng understood.

The chasm in Restricted Area No. 2 was larger than this one.

However, that chasm had been discovered some years ago, so any materials near the entrance must have been almost completely harvested.

But this place was different.

This was a newly discovered ’Demon Abyss’.

In the areas nearby, not only were there materials, but there were a lot of them.

Gao Neng had only seen about five thousand meters ahead, yet he had already found no less than a thousand stalks of elemental raw materials and several piles of Magnetic Crystal Ore.

There were just too many.

Of course, there was also danger.

Gao Neng had already spotted at least twenty high-rank Dark Creatures.

And most importantly...

...he had discovered something terrifying.

These Dark Creatures were also staring in the direction of the ’Golden Tree Heart’. Although they didn’t get close, the greed in their eyes was hard to conceal.

’Looks like these Dark Creatures want a power-up too!’ This wasn’t hard to figure out. When the Golden Tree Heart was still the Dark Ghost Vine, these Dark Creatures definitely wouldn’t have dared to touch it.

But now, the Dark Ghost Vine was reduced to a single Golden Tree Heart.

How could these Dark Creatures possibly miss such an opportunity?

If nothing unexpected happened, these Dark Creatures would surely try to intercept the Golden Tree Heart. After all, whoever obtained the Golden Tree Heart could achieve the next stage of evolution.

A new Ninth-Rank might even emerge!

Very dangerous.

With more than twenty high-rank Dark Creatures staring at the frantically fleeing Golden Tree Heart, it would clearly be difficult for Gao Neng to seize it on his own.

However, this was also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Setting aside the Golden Tree Heart for a moment.

The elemental raw materials in this new Demon Abyss alone were a massive resource.

If he missed this chance, it would likely be difficult to find so many materials again in the future. After all, the Alliance would never leave all these materials for them to gather.

If nothing went wrong, as soon as Li Tiannan and Sword Elder left, the Alliance would immediately send people to take control of this place.

Just like the Demon Abyss in Restricted Area No. 2, it would be guarded by people like Sword Elder, and very few would actually know about it.

Gao Neng’s mind raced, calculating his options.

He quickly made a decision.

The high-rank Dark Creatures were certainly dangerous.

But with two of the Strongest like Li Tiannan and Sword Elder with him, this opportunity was too rare to pass up. It was like having two bodyguards for free.

’Alright, let’s risk it all!’

’Fortune favors the bold!’

As the old saying goes: take a gamble, and your bike might just become a motorbike.

In this world, where could you find a benefit without any risk? Especially a benefit so enormous it made your heart tremble.

If they succeeded, they’d get at least a thousand stalks of elemental raw materials.

"Fang Tangtang, nine o’clock, Electromagnetic Cannon!" Gao Neng no longer hesitated, immediately shouting at Fang Tangtang, who was following behind him.

"Huh?!" Fang Tangtang was stunned for a moment.

’Aren’t we chasing the Golden Tree Heart?’

’What does he mean, ’fire’?’

’Could it be that Gao Neng can’t catch up and is planning to destroy the Golden Tree Heart?’

She didn’t quite understand.

But understanding or not, Fang Tangtang subconsciously raised the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon. This was an act born of deep-seated trust.

BOOM!

A shot blasted out.

The sound of falling rubble echoed through the Demon Abyss.

The cliff walls of this Demon Abyss were also composed of hard ore. Even an Electromagnetic Cannon couldn’t cause too much damage here.

But the sound was definitely enough to attract the attention of the Dark Creatures.

Most importantly, Fang Tangtang’s shot had landed directly in the Golden Tree Heart’s escape path, about five meters ahead of it.

A blue light illuminated the Demon Abyss.

It also drew the attention of all the Dark Creatures, both hidden and in plain sight.

"SKREE!"

The Golden Tree Heart let out an enraged cry.

It decisively veered away from the spot Fang Tangtang’s shot had hit.

But because of this, the Dark Creatures that had only been watching the Golden Tree Heart started to move. One by one, they swarmed rapidly along the cliff walls, surrounding the Golden Tree Heart.

’It’s just as I thought!’ Gao Neng’s eyes lit up.

He had suspected as much. These Dark Creatures possessed a certain level of intelligence, but fundamentally, it wasn’t very high.

Much of the time, they acted on instinct.

The Golden Tree Heart was the core of the Dark Ghost Vine, so it naturally carried the Dark Ghost Vine’s aura.

Although these Dark Creatures all wanted to devour the Golden Tree Heart, they still held an instinctive fear of the Dark Ghost Vine.

So, they were mostly just watching from the sidelines.

But Fang Tangtang’s shot...

...dispelled their reservations.

The No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon was powerful, but it was still very difficult to kill a high-rank Dark Creature with a single shot.

But what about now?

The Golden Tree Heart had been forced to evade it.

What did that prove?

It proved that the Golden Tree Heart was currently very weak.

So what else was there for them to worry about?

ROAR!

AWOOO!!!

GRRRR!

The Dark Creatures let out a series of bestial roars.

They didn’t wait any longer, frantically surging toward the Golden Tree Heart.

"SKREEE!!"

The Golden Tree Heart was furious once again.

It tried to intimidate the high-rank Dark Creatures with its cries.

But just then, Gao Neng spoke again.

"Fang Tangtang, seven o’clock!"

BOOM!

Another shot landed directly in front of the Golden Tree Heart.

The Golden Tree Heart had no choice but to swerve again.

"ROAR!!"

"..."

The Dark Creatures went into a frenzy.

Not a single one hesitated any longer. No matter what kind of angry cries the Golden Tree Heart made, they rushed toward it without a second thought.

"Gao Neng, what are you doing?" Sword Elder asked at this moment.

"Flushing out the snakes. Since this is a Demon Abyss, I guessed there must be powerful Dark Creatures lurking. So, instead of waiting for them to ambush us from the shadows, I thought it’d be better to lure them out directly!" Gao Neng had his answer ready.

"Er... your logic isn’t wrong, but now they seem to have discovered the Golden Tree Heart," Sword Elder said, pausing for a second.

"But aren’t you and Master here? A few high-rank creatures... you can handle them, right?"

"You brat, are you using us as your muscle?"

"I’m just afraid of dying... I’m afraid of being ambushed and killed by the Dark Creatures. It’s better to lure them all here so you and Master can take them out in one go. Then we can focus all our efforts on catching the Golden Tree Heart."

"What if the Golden Tree Heart gets swallowed?"

"If it gets swallowed, we’ll just cut the creature open. It can’t absorb it that quickly, right? And taking a step back, even if it evolves into a Ninth-Rank, the two of you wouldn’t be afraid of it!" Gao Neng retorted.

"Er... that actually makes a lot of sense!" Sword Elder was momentarily unable to refute him.

"Makes sense my ass! This brat obviously wants to lure all the high-rank Dark Creatures guarding the elemental raw materials into one place so he can take the opportunity to harvest them!" As the saying goes, no one knows a disciple better than his master. Li Tiannan saw through Gao Neng’s little scheme in a single glance.

Because, if it were him entering with another one of the Strongest...

...he would do the same thing.

"Master, you can’t frame an innocent man! I’m not that kind of person!" Gao Neng immediately cried foul. ’There’s no way I can admit to this, not even if they beat me to death.’

"I know damn well what kind of person you are. Now get lost. Elder Jian and I will go clean up these Dark Creatures. Shen Ning’Er and Fang Tangtang, you two go with Gao Neng to harvest. But remember, do not go below eight thousand meters! Understood?" Li Tiannan couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on Gao Neng.

"Thank you, Master!" Gao Neng was overjoyed.

"No need to thank me. I’ll take a thirty percent cut of all the materials!" Li Tiannan didn’t hold back with Gao Neng.

"Mm, I’ll take thirty percent too!" Sword Elder was just as blunt.

"..." Gao Neng was speechless.

’Sure enough, old ginger is the spiciest.’

’These two old coots are rotten to the core.’

However, he didn’t have time to haggle with Li Tiannan and Sword Elder right now. He had to take this opportunity to gather the materials first.

As for this thirty percent or that...

’When all is said and done, I’ll be the one deciding the numbers.’

’If I harvest a thousand stalks, I’ll just report a hundred. How would you ever find out?’

As for the Golden Tree Heart...

It wasn’t that he didn’t want it.

He really did want it. Gao Xiaomeng had even said it was a great tonic. The problem was, with two old foxes like Li Tiannan and Sword Elder around, would he even get a turn?

A person should know their own limits.

Gao Neng felt it was more practical to get the elemental raw materials first.

The Golden Tree Heart...

His only chance was to see if it could escape from Li Tiannan and Sword Elder’s grasp.

But that chance wasn’t very high.

He could only leave it to fate.

"Don’t go deeper than eight thousand meters! Ning’Er, Tangtang, let’s go!" Gao Neng spread out his Spiritual Power to observe the movements of the Golden Tree Heart and the Dark Creatures, all while diving downward at high speed.

Meanwhile, the Golden Tree Heart let out another enraged cry.

Because it had been cornered.

Five Dark Creatures blocked its path.

Dozens more were in the distance, rapidly charging toward it.

There was no way forward.

And behind it were its two pursuers, Li Tiannan and Sword Elder.

"SKREEE!!!" The Golden Tree Heart cried out, unwilling to accept its fate.

"Meow! The Xiaomeng Queen’s great tonic!" Gao Xiaomeng was also feeling indignant. Her thoughts were transmitted to Gao Neng’s mind through their connection.

"It’s a better deal to pick up what’s readily available. Worst case, I’ll go back and refine a few dozen pills for you to eat like candy!" Gao Neng naturally sensed Gao Xiaomeng’s emotions and casually replied.

’Really?’ Gao Xiaomeng’s thought came through again.

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"Meow..."