"This place is brimming with spiritual energy — why would I want to leave? I don't know what the outside world looks like now, but I doubt the human world has anywhere more suitable for cultivation than this. I intend to cultivate right here until the day I ascend." The moment the Silver-Winged Strigoi mentioned the Life Soul Tablet, the ugly woman's expression shifted and her tone grew even more hostile.
"Friend Gui, you know full well that the seal has already been broken. Cultivating in this mountain is simply impossible, so why put on this tough front? Besides, we share a certain history — shouldn't we be joining forces to weather this hardship together?" The Silver-Winged Strigoi's brows furrowed.
"There is indeed some history between us. You are a human cultivator's physical body that gained spiritual form, while the Lion Beast and I were spirit beasts kept by that same person long ago. We were all sealed together within that Spirit Trapping Formation by those cultivators." The ugly woman surnamed Gui did not deny it. Her expression softened somewhat and she nodded.
"That's precisely why the three of us have a chance to work together. And the Kunwu Hall has restrictions specifically designed to counter beings like us — normally, we cannot even approach it. But now that human cultivators are clearing the path, we simply need to follow stealthily behind them and infiltrate the hall. Once inside, we strike together, and seizing the Life Soul Tablets will be effortless."
"Hmph! Easy for you to say. But the Lion Beast told me both groups of cultivators are quite numerous, and there are Late Stage cultivators leading them. Oh, and that troublesome cultivator you suspect might have a Heaven-Revealing Spirit Treasure — it seems he's joined up with these people as well. When the time comes, if we fail to get the Life Soul Tablets and end up captured instead, it'll be a disaster. I've been imprisoned before and I'd rather not repeat the experience. I'd sooner give up the Life Soul Tablet entirely and just dive deep into the mountain's spirit vein for another thousand years of sleep. Even if they have my Life Soul Tablet, if I never show my face, what can they do to me?" The ugly woman was inwardly tempted but refused to show weakness on the surface.
"Don't forget, Friend Gui — I'm also quite skilled in the Earth Escape technique." The Silver-Winged Strigoi seemed to be growing impatient, his expression darkening.
"What do you mean by that?" The woman's eyes widened and her gaze turned cold as she fixed it on the Silver-Winged Strigoi.
"Simple. If my Life Soul Tablet falls into human hands and they press me for information, I'll have no choice but to reveal everything about you. The core of a Ten-Rank Profound Rock Turtle — do you really think those cultivators would let you go? When that happens, they'll certainly send me after you." The Silver-Winged Strigoi spoke with practiced indifference.
"In that case, why don't you just hide with me?" The ugly woman snorted several times, a flash of anger crossing her face.
"I have no intention of passing up this chance to reclaim my Life Soul Tablet, nor do I intend to be trapped in this mountain forever. Without the Yin Moon Essence from outside, I can never evolve into a Golden Body Moon Corpse." The Silver-Winged Strigoi spoke without any courtesy.
"Hmph — you're threatening me!" The woman suddenly sprang several feet into the air, pointing at the Silver-Winged Strigoi and erupting into a torrent of abuse.
"Heh heh, whether it's a threat or not, Friend Gui can judge for yourself. And don't forget — you still owe me a favor. Back then, those ancient cultivators placed the Blood Rage Curse on us so we'd become mindless beasts. If I hadn't secretly slipped you a Clarity Pill, you'd have become nothing more than a blood-crazed creature long ago. You wouldn't be standing here in your current transformed form." The Silver-Winged Strigoi flicked his silver wings, his voice dropping to a chill.
"I remember that favor, of course." The woman's bluster dimmed considerably at the mention of the Blood Rage Curse.
"But don't forget — besides the three of us, there should have been a fourth being trapped in those formations. We still haven't encountered it. We don't know whether it's a ghost or a demon. If we could get it to join us as well, I'd be willing to reconsider." After a period of silence, the ugly woman finally relented somewhat.
"I've already searched thoroughly. I found no fourth Spirit Trapping Formation, and there's no trace of any other spirit beast or ghost. It's quite possible the fourth one was simply unlucky and perished long ago. After all, it didn't have a Clarity Pill to preserve its mind. A blood-crazed beast surviving for all these years — the odds are slim. And even if it does still exist, we don't have time to go looking for it." The Silver-Winged Strigoi shook his head.
The ugly woman's expression shifted between light and shadow.
After a long while, she finally let out a heavy sigh and spoke through gritted teeth:
"Fine. Since you've brought up the matter of the Clarity Pill, I'll help you one more time. But I'm making this clear — once we obtain the Life Soul Tablets, we leave immediately. I'm done with this wretched mountain. I'll find some uninhabited place out there and go into seclusion forever."
"Now that's more like it. With our level of cultivation, once we have our freedom, where in this world can we not go?" A hint of pleasure appeared on the Silver-Winged Strigoi's face. This woman transformed from a Profound Rock Turtle was actually slightly more powerful than himself — a tremendously useful ally.
"But before we act, we need to plan carefully. Those cultivators already know about the two of you, so we must tread lightly. We can't afford to walk into a human trap." Once the ugly woman agreed, she instantly became remarkably calm and composed.
"Of course!" This time, the Silver-Winged Strigoi nodded in agreement without hesitation.
The Lion Beast beside them also raised its neck and let out a low growl.
The three demons then gathered beneath the giant tree and spoke in hushed voices. After a full quarter-hour of discussion, all three suddenly took to the air and shot swiftly in the direction of the stone steps.
In the blink of an eye, the area beneath the giant tree fell utterly silent, with only the faint whisper of the wind passing through.
No one knew how long had passed when another seemingly ordinary tree near the giant tree suddenly trembled. Then it rapidly shrank from large to small. Bathed in a surge of green light, a section of the tree's surface bulged outward, and two enormous emerald-green eyes abruptly appeared.
The eyes were a striking shade of jade green. They swiveled slowly, then gazed coldly toward the direction in which the Silver-Winged Strigoi and the others had disappeared — utterly devoid of emotion.
This tree was none other than the transformed shape of some unknown demon beast. The Silver-Winged Strigoi and his two companions possessed terrifying powers among their kind, yet none of them had detected this creature hiding right under their noses. It was truly inconceivable.