The Long Journey to Immortality

She and Feng Rubing checked into an inn that was usually used to accommodate Qi Refining cultivators who came to the capital, and their two- or three-day trip to the Western Region capital began.

"Where to go first?" Feng Rubing didn't care where they went, she only cared about playing around in this area with Han Lu.

Han Lu has her own ideas.

She recalled a "three-day trip plan" that she had imagined as a child and repeated many times in front of her biological mother, saying, "Let's go see the tomb of the King of the Western Regions first."

Legend has it that the people living in the Western Regions built an incredibly luxurious mausoleum for the king of the Western Regions, which is considered the most worthwhile place to visit in this royal city.

Upon hearing this, Feng Rubing simply said "Okay".

Starting from their temporary lodging, the seemingly sisters but actually mother and daughter slowly traversed a third of the city at a normal walking pace, arriving at the Western Regions King's Mausoleum, which was already surrounded by the "new city area".

The timing of Han Lu and Feng Rubing's visit to the royal city was an unexpected coincidence.

These past few days have coincided with the day when the newly formed Western Alliance Group held a large-scale sacrificial ceremony for the King of the Western Regions.

In order to unite the clans more closely, in addition to complex rules and military power that surpassed that of other clans, the Western Alliance also brought out the King of the Western Regions.

Using the King of the Western Regions, a historical figure recognized by all clans, as a cultural totem of the Western Regions is undoubtedly a good idea.

To accomplish these things, sacrificial rites are naturally indispensable.

A major festival is held annually, and a minor festival is held every three months.

This time, Han Lu happened to encounter the summer festival of that year.

The sacrifice was very grand, with each of the three major clans even arranging for a Golden Core cultivator to preside over it.

There were quite a few onlookers, 70% of whom were people from the Western Regions, and the other 30% were merchants from the Central Plains who came to the Western Regions capital to do business.

Han Lu noticed that many homeless people dressed in tattered clothes were also among the onlookers.

When it comes to superstition, businessmen are definitely among the most superstitious of all professions.

Even though there are cultivators in this world who are beyond mortals, merchants still have great faith in "totems".

Many merchants who came to the Western Regions to do business regarded the King of the Western Regions as a "God of Wealth" and believed that participating in the sacrifices and donating money and goods in front of the King's tomb would bring them good fortune.

Besides ordinary people, there were also quite a few cultivators like Han Lu and Feng Rubing among the onlookers.

Both from the Western Regions and the Central Plains are represented.

Han Lu even noticed that there were cultivators from the Central Plains wearing the uniforms of the Seven Mountains Alliance in the crowd.

Clearly, these cultivators came to the Western Regions capital in the capacity of the Seven Mountains Alliance officials.

Thinking of this, Han Lu looked towards the top of the altar next to the mausoleum.

Sure enough, there was also a high-level cultivator there wearing the Seven Mountains Alliance uniform, and Han Lu even knew the cultivator's Daoist name.

"This must be the White Fairy of the Seven Mountains Alliance. I saw her in the deep valley."

There aren't many female cultivators in the Central Plains region who have advanced to the Golden Core stage, so Han Lu naturally has a deep impression of the White Fairy of the Seven Mountains Alliance.

The sacrificial ceremony was grand, but not complicated.

The whole process was much simpler than the preparations Feng Rubing made before attending the wedding.

The ceremony lasted for about 45 minutes.

Perhaps it was to make the cultural significance of the sacrificial ceremony more visible and tangible.

The numerous cattle and sheep offered as sacrifices were casually cut up a couple of times by a Golden Core cultivator wielding a butcher's knife, and then divided up by the cook and given to the onlookers.

Seeing the numerous homeless people queuing orderly in front of the "Western Regions Royal Mausoleum" to receive meat, Han Lu was certain that the Western Union's "combination punches" would definitely work.

"These people must be incredibly grateful to the Western Regions King who has been dead for tens of thousands of years..." Han Lu muttered to herself, "At the very least, they'd be shouting 'Long live the Western Alliance' for distributing these beef and mutton to them."

Chapter 400 Man-Made Faith

Soon, Han Lu discovered that it wasn't just the local vagrants in the Western Regions capital who were interested in these foods, which had once been offerings and had been "blessed" by the Western Regions king who had been dead for countless years and whose fate was unknown.

Many merchants from the Central Plains region also joined the line after receiving food from numerous homeless people and the poor.

Slightly wealthier merchants would have their servants queue up for meals on their behalf, so they wouldn't have to compete with the "lower class."

Meanwhile, some merchants with smaller businesses stood at the back of the long queue, looking devout as if they truly had faith in the "King of the Western Regions."

Not many merchants from the Central Plains did this; maybe three out of ten.

The vast majority of merchants from the Central Plains were there to watch the spectacle and hope to gain some wealth from the God of Wealth.

Many people were still discussing their peers in the crowd, talking about their very "superstitious" behavior.

"Hey? Why is Old Jin lining up to get meat this time too? Three months ago, he was so disdainful, saying only a fool would believe the King of the Western Regions and go to eat this rotten meat that only tastes of salt." A Central Plains merchant with a bald head, wearing a headscarf, and dressed with a Western Regions style, stood not far from Han Lu and discussed with his companion.

“Isn’t it because he’s jealous of his cousin’s money?” Another merchant pointed to the front of the line, where a merchant from the Central Plains had joined the queue early. “Last time, his cousin ate two bites of meat from the King of the Western Regions.”

"This time, just the day before yesterday, the goods I brought from the Western Regions found a good seller, and I made several dozen taels of silver more. I made a fortune."

"With such a living example right in front of him, Lao Jin couldn't resist wanting to see if the flesh of this God of Wealth, the King of the Western Regions, could really make him a fortune."

"Is that so?" The businessman, who had just been teasing his friend, was now getting restless.

“Would I lie to you?” the second merchant said, patting his particularly protruding belly. “If I weren’t so used to the meat in the Western Regions, I would have gone and gotten some meat too.”

"Anyway, it doesn't cost any money, it's a risk-free business, so even just for good luck is fine."

Upon hearing this, the first merchant stepped out of the queue without hesitation, casually took out a handkerchief from his pocket, pretended to wipe his sweat, covered half of his face, and joined the end of the queue, wanting to personally test whether the Western Region King, the god of wealth "believed" by the Central Plains merchants, was really that effective.

Will eating the roasted meat blessed by him bring him good fortune and make him a lot of money?

The other businessman touched his belly, clearly still hesitant.

Han Lu observed his expression and guessed that he probably wanted to see the "effects of eating meat" before deciding whether to force himself to eat this cooked meat seasoned only with salt.

The conversation and interaction between the two businessmen made Han Lu chuckle to herself.

Although Feng Bailu was a fan of the Western Region King who punched five Nascent Soul cultivators in the Central Plains when he was a child, Han Lu now does not believe that there is such a strange thing as a God of Wealth in this world.

Even if such a person existed, it certainly wouldn't be the King of the Western Regions.

She whispered to Feng Rubing, "Mom, you see, this King of the Western Regions has really become a god of wealth for merchants."

As a Nascent Soul cultivator, Feng Rubing had a deeper understanding of mysterious things such as "the Great Dao" and "the will of Heaven," and naturally did not believe that there were any other gods in the world besides "the will of Heaven."

She smiled and shook her head. "Ordinary people are easily deceived."

“In some remote places in the Central Plains, aren’t there cultivators whose cultivation level is no more than that of a Daoist boy who impersonate gods and use some very simple Daoist techniques to swindle money?”

"The things here..." Feng Rubing turned her head slightly and looked in one direction, "In terms of technical skill, they're not even as good as the tricks of those little Taoist novices."

"It just means there are more people being scammed."

After hearing Feng Rubing's words, Han Lu looked in the direction Feng Rubing was looking.

Not far away, on the top floor of a building along the street, many people dressed in Western Region costumes were holding paper and pens, watching the line of people waiting to receive meat.

Whenever someone joins the team, they write on paper with a pen, as if they are recording something.

With this action and Feng Rubing's hint, Han Lu instantly understood what was going on.

"Mom, you mean..." Han Lu's voice softened to avoid the secret being overheard and causing trouble, "These people are recording who received the Western Region King's blessing, and then secretly giving them benefits under various pretexts, making those who receive the meals mistakenly believe that the Western Region King has truly appeared to them?"

"More or less." It wasn't a telepathic message; Feng Rubing didn't want to explain this mess too clearly and ruin the Western Alliance's plans.

Han Lu thought to herself, "Sure enough, politicians will do anything for their own purposes."

Not only did they bring out many heroes of the Western Regions, recognized by numerous clans, as cultural totems, but they also secretly used various means to strengthen their faith. It has to be said that the Western Alliance Group went to great lengths to reunite the Western Regions and form a force that could rival the Central Plains.

It is likely that winning over these Central Plains merchants who were willing to "believe" in the Western Regions King was also part of the Western Alliance's plan.

However, Han Lu was not politically astute and did not know the "basic national conditions" of the Western Regions. She could not guess for the time being what substantial benefits this approach would bring to the Western Regions or the Western Alliance.

After the sacrificial ceremony concluded, the slaughtered and cooked meat was distributed.

After everyone dispersed, simple tourists like Han Lu and Feng Rubing were finally able to approach the Western Regions Royal Mausoleum for a visit.

After the little incident of the sacrificial ceremony, for some reason, Han Lu felt that her interest in visiting this place had decreased considerably.

She felt that the heroic figure of the King of the Western Regions had been used and his lofty image in her heart had been tarnished.

But since we're already here, we might as well do some shopping.

The mausoleum of the King of the Western Regions had just undergone renovations under the organization of the Western Alliance Group. In Han Lu's view, this was one of the few good things the Western Alliance Group had done for the King of the Western Regions.

The murals on the walls that recorded "legendary history" have also been renovated.

Many of the previously damaged areas have been skillfully repaired with gold and silver by artisans.

These small techniques have revitalized the murals that had become dull, lifeless, and devoid of spirit due to the passage of time.

The Western Regions king in the mural is even taller and more imposing than the figure in the legends of the Central Plains, and he is even wearing tight pants to show off his strong lower body.

After all, the people of the Western Regions all consider themselves descendants of the King of the Western Regions. With so many offspring, how could they possibly give birth if their lower bodies weren't strong?

After looking around and examining nearly a hundred murals, Han Lu became convinced that the Western Region King in the Western Region version of the legend was far more powerful than the one in the Central Plains story.

In Feng Rubing's words, "If we say that in the stories of the Central Plains, the King of the Western Regions is a cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage."

"In the Western Regions version of the legend, the King of the Western Regions was probably already at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

Chapter 401 Transformation into a Deity

Han Lu had longed for the highest realm of cultivation that could be pursued and attained in this mortal world ever since she was reborn and set her lofty ambition.

At this moment, while visiting the mausoleum of the King of the Western Regions, Han Lu was prompted by Feng Rubing's sudden mention of the Nascent Soul Realm. She couldn't help but bring out the question that had been buried in her heart for many years, wanting to ask her mother, a master who was not far from the Nascent Soul Realm.

"Mother, what exactly is the Nascent Soul Realm?"

This question is a bit vague, so it's not difficult to answer.

Feng Rubing said, "It is a cultivation level that cannot be tolerated in the human realm."

Feng Rubing's words had a hidden meaning, and Han Lu, with her Foundation Establishment cultivator status and the limited perspective of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, could only glean a part of it.

Because she had experienced the ancient cultivation era through the Moon Pearl, Han Lu had witnessed firsthand the prowess of cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage.

In the ancient cultivation era, cultivators could cultivate to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and use this realm to fight for their race for a long time.

Once that cultivator breaks through to the late stage of the Incarnation Realm, the ascension mechanism in the mortal realm will be automatically triggered.

If Heaven senses that your strength is too great and poses a threat to the stability of this world, it will actively suppress and exclude you.