The Long Journey to Immortality

"Moreover, the red-robed cultivator was even more determined. Although his cultivation was inferior to his opponent's, he dared to fight and was not afraid of getting hurt or sacrificing himself."

"It's reasonable that they ultimately won."

Hearing this, Han Lu also felt that there was some truth to it. "Mother is right. If I were to participate in such a dangerous group battle while I was in the Qi Refining stage, I wouldn't have the courage to face the spells and magic weapons of several cultivators head-on."

As the saying goes, "the onlooker sees most of the game," and Han Lu and Feng Rubing were able to understand the reasons behind this victory or defeat.

The battlefield was cleaned up. The fighting was fierce, but in the end, both sides only lost four lives.

Both sides breathed a sigh of relief at the result.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators from both sides moved slightly closer to facilitate communication and ensure that the conditions agreed upon before the duel could be successfully fulfilled.

"When did the clan wars in the Western Regions become so disciplined?" Han Lu looked at the Western Region cultivators and their behavior, which was not much different from that of the Central Plains cultivators except for their attire, and was full of doubts.

Feng Rubing had the same question.

"Did something happen in the last two years? Let's ask about it later."

Relying on her superior strength, Feng Rubing made no attempt to communicate with cultivators from the Western Regions, only concerned with satisfying her own curiosity.

Han Lu nodded slightly, a vague sense of foreboding creeping over her as a cultivator from the Central Plains.

Although relations between the Central Plains and the Western Regions have eased considerably due to the Seven Mountains Alliance's initiative to extend goodwill, they are ultimately not friends on the same path.

The Western Regions have become more civilized and friendly, with less internal strife and fighting among them, which is definitely not a good thing for cultivators in the Central Plains.

Thinking of this, Han Lu moved closer to Feng Rubing and continued to rely on Feng Rubing's minor supernatural power to eavesdrop on the conversation between the Foundation Establishment cultivators below by amplifying her divine sense several times over.

After a fierce battle, the eight Foundation Establishment cultivators were barely able to exchange a few words with each other in a peaceful manner.

The victors, dressed in red, remained restrained, exchanging polite words to ease the tense atmosphere.

The defeated Black Clan, on the other hand, couldn't wait for the matter to end so they could avoid being humiliated.

"Friends of the Blackrock Clan, by sheer luck, by sheer luck, we have won this battle."

The red-robed cultivator who had been standing on the flying magical artifact, holding a scepter and remotely controlling it, bowed in a gesture of victory.

The black-clad cultivator from the Blackrock Clan coldly replied, "Friends from the Blood Moon Clan, there's no need for formalities. We are not the kind of people who can't accept defeat."

“A bet is a bet. According to the previously agreed terms and rules, the iron ore mine five miles away will belong to you in three days.”

It turns out that the Blackrock Clan and the Bloodmoon Clan had their eyes on a mine controlled by the other.

That's why they agreed to a duel in this wilderness to decide the victor.

Upon hearing this, the Blood Moon Clan cultivators were delighted. "I've long heard that Fellow Daoist Tiger Mountain of the Black Rock Clan is a man of his word, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

"I will certainly not go back on my word."

"As a bonus, three hundred spirit stones will naturally be sent to the nobleman three days later after we take control of the wasteland iron mine."

"If I am fortunate enough to meet you, I will certainly treat you to three cups of wine to resolve the small grudge between us."

The two resource points used as bargaining chips have different values, so the Blood Moon Clan specially put up 300 spirit stones to invite the Black Rock Clan to join the battle.

Although we have won the battle, we still cannot renege on our debt of three hundred spirit stones; we must count them and offer them up voluntarily.

The Blood Moon Clan's sincerity brought some relief to the Black Rock Clan cultivators who had just lost the battle.

"Fellow Daoist seems to be a worthy person to befriend. In three days, I will prepare tea, pastries and wine to welcome you and your companions."

After exchanging a few more polite words and introducing themselves, they parted ways.

It was no easy task to completely withdraw from a fairly rich mine in three days. Many mortals from the Blackrock Clan who worked at the Wasteland Iron Mine needed to move to another location and, together with the cultivators, pay the price for the defeat in this duel.

Seeing the cultivators from the two small clans in the Western Regions talking so amicably and keeping their agreement deepened Han Lu's doubts.

"What on earth happened? Is this still the Western Regions I know? It's even more Central Plains than the Central Plains!"

Han Lu felt that her stereotypes about cultivators and culture in the Western Regions had been completely shattered.

Just as she was about to speak and instruct Feng Rubing to control the clouds and go to inquire with someone, Feng Rubing had already taken action, leading Han Lu towards the red-robed cultivator's direction.

In comparison, it is slightly easier to seek information and ask questions from the victors than from the losers.

Riding on clouds, Han Lu and Feng Rubing suddenly appeared before the triumphant Red Moon Clan cultivators, blinding one of them.

Feng Rubing casually unleashed several streams of spiritual energy, which landed on the many injured Qi Refining cultivators in the Red Moon Clan's group. In just a moment, the injured cultivators were almost completely healed.

By remaining silent, Feng Rubing's actions made it clear that she was not there to cause trouble.

Upon seeing this, and noticing that Feng Rubing had arrived on a cloud using the methods of a Golden Core cultivator, the Red Moon Clan cultivator who was still holding a scepter quickly stepped forward to bow and express his gratitude.

"Thank you for your help, senior. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

The other party's tactful manner saved Han Lu and Feng Rubing a lot of trouble.

Feng Rubing asked two questions first, and Han Lu then added to them.

The two wanted to find out what had happened in the past few years that had taught so many Western Region cultivators to be "civilized and polite".

Chapter 397 Western Regions Clan Alliance

The issue of Han Lu and Feng Rubing was not complicated, nor was it anything secret or unspeakable, but it was precisely because of this that the Red Moon Clan cultivator became suspicious of Han Lu and Feng Rubing's identities.

"Are you two seniors not from our Western Regions?" The Red Moon Clan cultivators became wary.

It is common knowledge that the Western Regions are xenophobic, and clearly, this ingrained mentality has not been completely changed in the past few years.

Feng Rubing did not intend to reveal her true identity to the other party.

She dispersed the clouds that were now clinging to the ground beneath her feet, soared through the air, and looked down at the other person from above. "Of course, otherwise why would the two of us ask such a basic question?"

In such situations, telling the other party about their cultivation level is more likely to get these Western Region cultivators to open up than telling them about their origins.

As expected, after Feng Rubing showed off his cultivation level, which far surpassed that of the other Western Region cultivators, and recalling the goodwill she had just expressed, the Red Moon Clan cultivator no longer dared to have any reservations and obediently answered the questions raised by Han Lu and Feng Rubing.

"I am Zhuo Lian of the Red Moon Clan. I will now answer the questions of the two seniors." Zhuo Lian bowed again and told Han Lu and Feng Rubing everything he knew.

Zhuo Lian said, "About four years ago, the three largest clans in our Western Regions took the lead in establishing a novel thing called the Western Regions Clan Union. They said they wanted to regulate the conflicts between the clans by establishing new rules within the Western Regions, reduce internal friction, and benefit all clans."

"Because our Red Moon Clan and other smaller clans combined were no match for those three large clans, we had no choice but to sign the agreement and join this organization known as the 'Western Union', whether we liked it or not."

"The organization had just been established when it formulated a number of rules, clearly defining the areas controlled by each clan four years ago, but did not set out a series of rules for future inter-clan conflicts."

Zhuo Lian gave an example: "Like just now, our fight with the Black Rock Clan was conducted according to the rules of the Western Alliance."

Han Lu asked curiously, "What regulations? Tell me the details."

Zhuo Lian quickly took out a booklet of about fifty pages from his storage bag, flipped through a few pages, and then replied, "Senior, there are many rules. I'll just pick a few to tell you."

Han Lu nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the booklet in Zhuo Lian's hand, her curiosity about this organization called "Western Union Group" growing stronger.

With Han Lu's permission, Zhuo Lian pointed to the booklet and spoke about the key points.

“Territorial disputes between clans must be reported to the Western Union first, and can only proceed after obtaining permission from the Western Union.”

"Conflicts must be conducted through agreed-upon battles."

……

"No cultivator above the Qi Refining Realm may participate in a single duel, and the maximum number of participants in a single duel is one hundred."

"The side that initiates the challenge must have three fewer participating cultivators than the other side."

"Both sides need to agree on a wager in advance through a contract approved by the Western Union."

……

"When the battle is scheduled, both sides need to have Foundation Establishment cultivators present to help treat the wounded after the battle."

……

"For resource disputes involving more than two thousand spirit stones, a challenge must be arranged under the refereeing of the Western Alliance Commissioner."

……

"If the above terms are violated, the three major clans will represent the Western Union in punishing the clan, and the clan's assets will be divided among the other members of the organization."

"We hope that members of all organizations will supervise each other, actively report any violations, and work together to create a better future for the Western Regions."

There are many rules, they are complex, but they are also comprehensive.

Basically, restrictions and regulations are imposed solely for one purpose.

The Western Union aims to minimize the impact of disputes between clans and to conduct them at a level that can be monitored and controlled.

Clearly, the three clans that created the Western Alliance had grand ambitions, seemingly intending to mold the loosely connected geography and cultural concepts of the Western Regions into a cohesive whole, organizing the various clans into a unified force.

Considering that this organization was founded four years ago, Han Lu was certain that it was not created for the calamity mentioned by Senior Wang Han, but for other purposes.

It couldn't have been built to deal with the barbarians who were far stronger than themselves.

Thinking of this, Han Lu felt a chill run down her spine, and felt that in the future, perhaps ten years from now, a war between cultivators would break out between the Western Regions and the Central Plains.

However, this thought lingered in Han Lu's mind for a moment before she temporarily put it aside.

Regardless of whether she will still be settled in the Central Plains in ten or twenty years, even if she is, such a major matter is not something she can decide or influence; others should worry about it.

Feng Rubing listened attentively, finding it to be a very interesting topic.

She looked at the other Foundation Establishment cultivators and asked with a smile, "Before these regulations were in place, how did you fight for territory?"

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators bowed and each replied with a sentence.

"In response to your question, senior, the attack is usually a sneak attack. In a fight, at least a thousand mortals and a dozen or so Qi Refining cultivators will die on both sides."

"I led a few disciples and did assassination work."

“There are also challenges like the one we just had, but there are nearly a thousand participants, and even many ordinary people will don armor and go into battle.”

Hearing this, Feng Rubing sincerely praised, "It seems that the Western Alliance Group is really good, they really care about you."

“That’s right, that’s right,” Zhuo Lian also sang praises for the Western Alliance. “Although our Blood Moon Clan’s territory is still about the same as before after joining the Western Alliance, we have suffered far fewer losses in the struggles with other clans.”

“Those ordinary people who do not cultivate the Tao can also live in peace and contentment, without worrying about losing their lives for no reason in a fight.”

"So, everyone is hoping that the Western Union will continue to exist."

"Initially, those medium and large clans that were clamoring to leave the Western Union also shut their mouths and obediently followed the rules of the Western Union, dealing with small clans like us."

Zhuo Lian spoke sincerely, and the joy on his face, which was already evident from the challenge, intensified even further.

Feng Rubing nodded slightly, clearly satisfied with Zhuo Lian's answer.