"Haha, there's no need to thank me. Even if I hadn't told you about this, someone else would've disclosed this information to you. Perhaps I'll be requiring your assistance for some trivial matters in the future as well, Fellow Daoist," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said with a smile.
"You're far too kind, Daoist Myriad Bone. If there's anything I can assist you with, please feel free to tell me," Han Li replied with a smile.
The rest of their conversation progressed in a very smooth and harmonious manner. After discussing some cultivation experiences and insights, Daoist Master Myriad Bone summoned a group of beautiful female disciples to perform an extremely captivating dance, and only then did he accompany Han Li to the teleportation formation.
As Han Li vanished amid a flash of spiritual light, Daoist Master Myriad Bone's smile immediately faded, and a slightly dark expression appeared on his face.
Right at this moment, spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted beside him, and a lithe and graceful figure emerged.
"What do you think, Brother Myriad Bone? Can he be recruited by us? Make sure our efforts aren't just going to waste."
The woman was extremely beautiful and wore a white veil dress. Not only did her attire match that of the adored concubine whom Daoist Master Myriad Bone had held in his arms earlier, even their appearances were quite similar.
However, the slight differences between the two immediately set the two women apart as two completely different people.
This woman's eyes were filled with a seductive light, and she possessed far more allure than Daoist Master Myriad Bone's concubine, enough to make any man go wild.
Daoist Master Myriad Bone wasn't surprised at all to hear this woman's voice, and he turned toward her as he replied, "It's still too early to tell. That man is definitely no ordinary cultivator to have reached the Body Integration Stage at such a young age. However, one thing is for sure; we definitely won't be able to recruit him unless we expend some more thought and effort. On top of that, he possesses a lot of latent potential, so perhaps he may even make another breakthrough in the next few centuries. Recruiting him will certainly be a lot better than recruiting those unreliable wily old foxes."
"You think he could progress to the mid-Body Integration Stage in the next few centuries? Surely you're thinking far too highly of him. He may have reached the Body Integration Stage in such a short time, but every successive breakthrough beyond this point will be far more difficult than anything he has experienced in the past. Otherwise, how could the two of us have been stuck at the pinnacle of the early-Body Integration Stage for tens of thousands of years? Many other Body Integration Stage beings among our human and demon races are also stuck in the same situation, and only a minority have managed to reach the mid-Body Integration Stage, with even less going on to reach the late-Body Integration Stage.
"Regardless of how astonishing his aptitude is, surely it'll have to be several thousand years at least before he can make a breakthrough. Otherwise, if he's able to reach the mid-Body Integration Stage prior to the arrival of the devilish tribulation and is willing to protect me, I wouldn't be opposed to giving myself to him," the seductive woman sighed.
Daoist Master Myriad Bone's expression changed slightly at the mention of the words "devilish tribulation", and a hint of fear flashed through his eyes.
However, he quickly managed to regain his composure, and said in a cold voice, "You and I have both endured the last devilish tribulation, and nothing needs to be said about how fearsome the Elder Devil Race is. Among the vagrant Body Integration cultivators of the human and demon races, most of them perished during that tribulation, and only around four or five of them managed to survive the ordeal in total. In contrast, far more of the Body Integration cultivators who pledged their allegiance to major powers managed to survive. The root cause behind this is that vagrant cultivators like us will eventually be divided and conquered by the high-grade beings of the Elder Devil Race. Hence, prior to the arrival of the devilish tribulation, we have to do everything in our power to forge an alliance with as many vagrant Body Integration cultivators as possible. I'm sure that our chances of survival would be increased significantly if we were to band together."
"That is indeed true, but I'm still not sure whether expending so much effort to recruit vagrant cultivators will actually be effective. How about you disband your White Bone Sect and pledge your allegiance to one of the three sovereigns, and I'll also find a way to join one of the seven demon monarchs? They all have established forces, after all, and it'll be much safer for us to join them," the woman said as she pursed her lips.
"Hmph, quit daydreaming! You and I have both grown accustomed to lives of freedom; how could we possibly subject to someone else and allow ourselves to be restricted by others? If our personalities had been different, you wouldn't have left the Heavenly Fox Race, and I wouldn't have turned down the invitations from the three sovereigns. Besides, we haven't done anything for those major powers, and they'll definitely accept us with open arms now, but in the future, they'll most likely use us as cannon fodder. If perilous tasks arise, the new cultivators to join them like us will definitely be pushed to the front lines. As opposed to that, I would rather be alone and do as I please, even if it means having to fight for myself as well.
"On top of that, it's not like the territories of the three sovereigns and seven monarchs are going to be absolutely safe, either. During the last devilish tribulation, three demon monarchs and two human sovereigns perished, so there's no absolute safe harbor. All we can do is recruit as many fellow Daoists as possible. If they join us, then all of us will have a greater chance of survival. In any case, I would much rather place my trust in myself than put my life in the hands of others," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said in a solemn manner.
The woman seemed to have been convinced by Daoist Master Myriad Bone, and after a brief pause, she nodded, and said, "In that case, this Myriad Treasure Convention will be a fantastic opportunity for us to contact other vagrant cultivators. There really are very few situations where so many human and demon Body Integration cultivators will be gathering in one place. I'll leave the human cultivators to you while I contact the demon cultivators. I'm sure these vagrant cultivators have all heard about the imminent devilish tribulation, but they definitely won't know as much about it as we do, including the fact that it's going to take place within the next 1,000 years. By the way, I discussed this matter with that black wolf prior to coming here, and he seemed to be quite interested. However, we'll have to speak to him about this matter in further depth if we want to convince him."
"That would be great. Fellow Daoist Tian Kun has once competed with Wolf Monarch Tian Ben for the position of demon monarch, and he was only defeated after a grueling battle that spanned a day and a night, so he's definitely going to be far more powerful than the average vagrant Body Integration cultivator. I'm not sure how many human cultivators I'll be able to recruit, but I have some ties with Patriarch Heavenly Yin of Heavenly Yin Mountain, and he'll be attending this Myriad Treasure Convention as well, so it shouldn't be too difficult to convince him," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said in an elated manner.
"If we really can recruit those two, then our safety will most likely be assured even if we can't convince anyone else," the woman said with a smile, and her captivating features immediately lit up, making her significantly more seductive than she already was.
Even a vastly powerful cultivator like Daoist Master Myriad Bone couldn't help but be struck by a moment of disorientation at the sight of her seductive display.
The woman's seductive smile widened even further at the sight of Daoist Master Myriad Bone's slightly slack-jawed expression. "Oh? Do you want to try dual cultivating with me, Brother Myriad Bone? If so, I certainly wouldn't mind giving it a try!"
It was as if she really were willing to offer her body to Daoist Master Myriad Bone if he so pleased, but he immediately shuddered upon hearing this before hurriedly waving his hands with a wry smile. "Surely you jest, Fellow Daoist! You possess the Heavenly Fox Body; that's not something I can lay my hands on. I'm no longer a young man, and I still want to live for a few more years."
"That's a real pity; I was truly looking forward to dual cultivating with you. It's unfortunate that you have the heart but not the will to see things through," the woman giggled, further accentuating her seductive qualities as she did so.
Daoist Master Myriad Bone didn't even dare to look directly at her anymore, and he hurriedly shifted his gaze away as he changed the subject. "By the way, your Myriad Illusion Technique really has been honed to an extraordinary extent. When you posed as my concubine, even I would've been fooled had I not been aware of our arrangement; I'm sure that Fellow Daoist Han wouldn't have been able to see anything amiss, either. As expected of a Heavenly Fox being; your aptitude in concealment and disguise truly is astonishing."
As opposed to being flattered by these words of praise, the woman's smile suddenly faded, and she said in a cold voice, "Hmph, do you really think he was fooled, Fellow Daoist Myriad Bone?"
"What do you mean by that?" Daoist Master Myriad Bone was taken aback by her sudden shift in demeanor.
"It's no surprise that you didn't detect anything. When I was posing as your concubine earlier, Fellow Daoist Han had directed a wisp of his spiritual sense solely toward me. If it weren't for the fact that I had unleashed a detection secret technique and was paying extra attention to him, I would've failed to detect this as well. This Fellow Daoist Han possesses the most powerful spiritual sense I've ever seen. If I had to compare it to someone else, I'd say that it's most likely not inferior to the spiritual senses of the three sovereigns and seven monarchs," the woman replied in a grim voice.
"Is that so?" Daoist Master Myriad Bone drew a sharp breath as his expression darkened even further.
"Rest assured, Brother Myriad Bone, it's no surprise that this Fellow Daoist Han possesses incredible aptitude, considering he was able to reach the Body Integration Stage at such a young age. He was able to see through my disguise, but I had already used a Heavenly Fox Race secret technique to completely seal away my magic power for a short time, so no matter how powerful he is, there's no way he would've been able to identify the fact that I'm a Body Integration cultivator. On top of that, I'm sure that he's determined that we bear no ill will toward him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have conversed with you for so long before departing."
Daoist Master Myriad Bone's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and he said, "That is indeed true. If he asks me about this next time, I'll just have to make up an excuse to placate him."
"In all honesty, it doesn't really matter even if he learns my true identity. Am I that unsightly that I can't be presented before others?" the woman asked as she adopted her seductive smile again.
Daoist Master Myriad Bone's eyelids twitched upon seeing this, and he could only remain silent with a wry smile on his face.
