"There will be some discomfort, do not resist!"
Kuáng Xiǎng hadn't expected her to start so soon. He immediately relaxed his entire body, allowing her to scan his spiritual sense! It was actually very uncomfortable, feeling as if he were naked in front of others! His Sea of Consciousness and demon core were laid bare. If she had ill intentions, she could have crippled his physical body on the spot.
Jin Bǎo'er was fast. After looking, she frowned, her expression turning somewhat grim.
This expression immediately made Kuáng Xiǎng's heart pound. Although he had harbored thoughts of giving up before, he genuinely wanted to pull himself together now. However, there was no one among the demon beasts who knew this! And he truly didn't trust outside cultivators...
If Jin Bǎo'er was unable to help, he could only resign himself to fate!
"If it's impossible, I..." he admitted!
He truly couldn't say those words! Having finally found the will to fight, he didn't want to give up so easily.
Hearing his words, Jin Bǎo'er looked at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"What did you say? What's impossible?"
At those simple words, Kuáng Xiǎng suddenly realized he had been overthinking! What followed was sheer joy; he was saved!
"Is there... any difficulty?"
Though he was proud, he had been through a lot. Now that he needed Jin Bǎo'er's help, it was okay to speak with a little caution.
Jin Bǎo'er frowned and nodded at his words.
"It does require some rare materials. I happen to have some here, but we'll also need beast cores, preferably from high-level demon beasts with the same attribute as yours! And... I can't guarantee complete success. This method is similar to repairing a cultivator's Golden Core, so there's a failure rate."
She had to clarify beforehand. If he wasn't accepting of failure, she wouldn't be responsible!
In the cultivation world, Mù Líng Huā had once repaired the inner core of a cultivator from Yù Jǐng City. Although a cultivator's inner core and a demon beast's beast core were different, both were proof of their cultivation. Repairing them should be feasible!
The only crucial factor was that the man before her was a Beast King, a cultivator of the Heavenly Dao Emperor realm, a top expert from the upper realms! Younger Mù Líng Huā would definitely not suffice, nor would a small quantity. High-level beast cores were even more important. She didn't have many left; she had used several from the pile Dragon Lí Xīng gave her, and occasionally fed some to Fěn Bèi...
Frankly, she felt she was quite poor.
Kuáng Xiǎng nodded. He had already considered the possibility of failure! If Jin Bǎo'er had claimed she could guarantee success, he would have been suspicious!
"I have high-level beast cores!"
Jin Bǎo'er looked at him, her expression skeptical.
"They need to be at least late-stage Heavenly Dao Emperor realm! Nothing else will do..."
He hadn't returned for hundreds of years, his cultivation had dropped to this point, and he could still obtain beast cores from demon beasts of the same attribute at the Heavenly Dao Emperor realm?
Kuáng Xiǎng paused, surprised by the high requirement... He tightened his lips slightly, then said sternly.
"How many do you roughly need?"
Seeing this, Jin Bǎo'er had an idea. She thought for a moment, then held up one finger...
At least ten, right?
Seeing the single finger she held up, Kuáng Xiǎng's expression drastically changed, his face full of shock! He blurted out.
"A hundred?!"
Let alone how many late-stage Heavenly Dao Emperor beasts existed in the entire demon beast forest, even during the ancient times when demon beasts were rampant, there were no more than a thousand late-stage Heavenly Dao Emperor beasts.
His expression grew solemn as he pondered if his personal stash could cover it, and with an uncertain success rate...
After hearing his exclamation, Jin Bǎo'er's usually calm face showed a hint of exasperation. She withdrew her finger and was about to explain when she met Kuáng Xiǎng's thoughtful gaze... Her lips parted slightly, and she swallowed her words.
He has some, doesn't he? Otherwise, why would he be hesitating?
After a moment's thought, she decided to remain silent. Even if she used ten and it failed, she'd have to try again! And it wasn't unreasonable for her to ask for some compensation for the years of effort she would invest from her own pocket!
After all, in any transaction, reciprocity was key!
Thus, she said nothing. The man on the stone bed finally raised his head.
"Wait here, I'll go up and check."
Jin Bǎo'er didn't stop him. If he could be discovered and captured on her own territory, then she wouldn't bother trying to save the Beast King.
She sat cross-legged and cultivated, not wasting a single moment! The power of the Great Dao surged within her. Since obtaining the power of the Great Dao, her cultivation had become increasingly effortless.
As night fell, Kuáng Xiǎng returned, his expression a mixture of pain and excitement...
He had never imagined that in the hundreds of years he was gone, the Lion Clan had a new patriarch... and had even taken in his wife!! And then had another child!
Seeing his dazed expression, Jin Bǎo'er knew without asking that the Lion Clan must have had problems. She remained silent, allowing Kuáng Xiǎng to lose himself in thought.
An hour later, he finally stirred, his eyes full of grief and suppressed rage, appearing to have regained some semblance of reason. He waved his hand to the side, and a large pile of beast cores of various colors rolled out, exuding a potent spiritual energy!
By the looks of it, there were at least two to three hundred, most of them late-stage Heavenly Dao Emperor realm beast cores! Even Jin Bǎo'er couldn't help but be surprised, and she blurted out.
"Did you bring the entire demon beast tribe here?"
As expected of someone who had been a Beast King. This wealth was beyond ordinary people.
Hearing her words, Kuáng Xiǎng snapped back to attention. His face had returned to a calm mask, but the suppressed emotion in his eyes remained. His fists were clenched by his side. He transmitted his voice, his tone tinged with hoarseness.
"Take a look, are these enough?"
He said no more! Jin Bǎo'er wasn't that gossipy. After sifting through the pile of beast cores, she began to sort and organize them...
She had roughly gauged Kuáng Xiǎng's attribute as wind from his aura. The beast cores for this attribute were a translucent light green. There were seventy-eight of them, enough for about seven uses!
As she was organizing, the small seashell on her wrist stirred slightly, as if it had sniffed something delicious. It opened its mouth, its tiny tongue stealthily sticking out. While Jin Bǎo'er wasn't paying attention, it gulped down a fire-attributed beast core and began to pull it back.
Just as the beast core was about to be swallowed by Fěn Bèi, a hand directly grasped the beast core, its eyes gleaming as they fell upon Fěn Bèi.
The little seashell was caught red-handed and immediately retracted its tongue, then played dead! Acting as if it were sleepwalking and couldn't control itself.
Jin Bǎo'er chuckled, but she also knew the principle that taking without permission was stealing. She didn't want her little companion to become such a treasure! So, she put on a serious expression and said.
"I know you like things with power, but this beast core belongs to someone else. You shouldn't do this without earning it."
Hearing her stern tone, Fěn Bèi, being reprimanded by its owner for the first time in so long, felt wronged. The little seashell also turned away.
Jin Bǎo'er sighed at this, her voice softening.