Chapter 789: After the Great Battle

## Volume 5: Renowned in the Region

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume 5: Renowned in the Region

Congratulations to YY Book Bar on the successful overall upgrade of its website! Your support is our greatest motivation.

Han Li watched as Long Han released a sound-insulating barrier, then took out several small flags to form a misty wall, isolating them from the outside. He fell silent, lost in thought.

There weren't many cultivators present; besides the few old monsters still trapped within the blood barrier, there were only about twenty people. These individuals naturally represented most of the participating forces.

“Fellow Daoist Long, what exactly happened? The Mulan people suddenly don't want to fight anymore,” Reverend Zhiyang inquired.

“It is quite strange. We've already fought to this point. Are they still deluding themselves into thinking they can negotiate peace?” Wei Wuya also grew suspicious.

“They are not deluding themselves. It's more that if we refuse to negotiate peace, I'm afraid we won't be able to proceed,” Long Han said with a bitter smile.

“What’s going on? Have other forces truly intervened?” Old Devil Hehuan asked, frowning in surprise.

“Indeed. The Tutu people have made their move. And it is said they have even allied with several sects from the Jin Dynasty, jointly attacking the Mulan people. The largest Mulan clan, stationed to guard their rear, was completely annihilated a month ago. However, the Tutu people sealed off the news effectively, so other Mulan tribes are unaware of this. It seems the Tutu people are playing the long game, hoping to benefit from our conflict, and have also taken an interest in our Tiannan region,” Long Han said gravely.

Upon hearing this, the other cultivators' hearts sank. The scene fell silent for a moment. Han Li, too, frowned deeply, sensing the gravity of the situation. This was a case of a tiger entering through the front door and a wolf coming in through the back!

“Hmph! Is this news true or false? The Tutu people are quite far from our Tiannan. Are the Mulan people just bluffing?” Reverend Soulbreaker asked, sounding somewhat disbelieving.

“Probably not. Old Monster Tianhen’s team, who entered Tiantian City, failed. It is said that Tutu spies, who were infiltrating the Mulan people and had similar intentions to us, also sent a team to infiltrate Tiantian City to raid the Mulan warehouses. They coincidentally ran into Fellow Daoist Tianhen’s group. Both sides were unexpectedly exposed. After that battle, everyone must have seen clearly: the Mulan people, while perhaps slightly weaker than us in terms of overall strength, are fighting with a death-defying resolve. If it weren't for Fellow Daoist Han’s impressive display of power at the critical moment, breaking through those copper-armored refined corpses and the Mulan sacred beast one after another, a major defeat for us was quite possible. While our Tiannan forces have all moved out, it’s not accurate to say we’ve gone all out. Every sect has kept nearly half of its disciples behind to guard their mountain gates. If we were to continue fighting, even if we could ultimately annihilate the Mulan cultivators, who would have no retreat, we would undoubtedly suffer immense losses. If the Tutu people were to attack us immediately afterward, we definitely wouldn't be able to resist,” Long Han explained helplessly.

Upon hearing that Han Li had destroyed the refined corpses and the demonic bird, the cultivators who were unaware of this until now couldn't help but glance at Han Li, their faces filled with surprise. Han Li's expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of surprise or reaction.

“Hmph! The Mulan people want our territory. How can we negotiate peace? Are we really going to give them half of our land?” Wei Wuya seemed displeased, stating coldly.

“Giving them half is naturally out of the question. However, we could draw out two states near the Mulan Grassland border and hand them over to the Mulan for residence. This way, the Tutu people's offensive would still be met by the Mulan. Their two tribes are sworn enemies, so a defection is impossible. Of course, given the Tutu people's current strength, we will still need to ally with the Mulan.”

Just moments ago, their relationship was one of mortal enmity, but in the blink of an eye, Long Han spoke of them as potential allies. Yet, none of the cultivators showed any surprise. They were all old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years, having witnessed countless turnarounds and reversals. As long as it served their interests, they naturally wouldn't let emotions sway them.

“Areas near the border? Wouldn’t that mean handing over territory from our Alliance of Nine Nations to them?” Wei Wuya's expression was not pleased.

“There’s no other way; only your alliance’s territory borders the Mulan Grassland directly. Of course, your alliance shouldn't bear this loss entirely. We will discuss whether we can offer some appropriate compensation,” Long Han explained.

“Let's discuss this later. First, let's see what the Mulan people think. It won't be too late to discuss this matter then.” Wei Wuya was clearly dissatisfied and dismissed the topic lightly. Han Li heard this and quickly glanced at Reverend Zhiyang and Old Devil Hehuan. Although both of them seemed to be pondering the issue, Han Li detected a hint of interest in their eyes. They were merely hesitant to agree immediately out of consideration for Wei Wuya’s feelings. Han Li sighed. It seemed that as soon as their individual interests were involved, the various factions immediately resorted to scheming against each other.

Long Han showed no surprise upon hearing Wei Wuya’s words. Instead, he smiled and agreed: “These are merely my initial thoughts. How exactly to handle this matter will require us to discuss it thoroughly. Of course, we must also immediately send people to the Mulan Grassland to verify the truth of this information. Only then can we negotiate with the Mulan people. If the matter is confirmed, we can no longer continue fighting them. We will all need to concede half a step. Otherwise, we will all suffer, and the Tutu people will benefit.”

Long Han's words satisfied the cultivators present. Wei Wuya's expression also softened slightly. Everyone immediately began discussing the details.

During this time, Han Li remained silent, offering no advice or participating in the discussion. For him, as long as it didn't concern him personally or the Luoyun Sect, he saw no reason to trouble himself. And with Long Han present, he figured the Heavenly Dao Alliance wouldn't suffer any significant losses.

Before long, these old monsters had decided on their strategy and contingency plans. Only then did they lift the restriction and disperse the misty barrier. On the opposing side, the Mulan cultivators' camp, the three Dharma Priests and some others also held an urgent discussion, which they concluded. Consequently, each side sent a representative, and after a brief communication, a temporary ceasefire agreement was reached. Other matters would naturally be subject to formal negotiations on a later day. However, the High Masters in the Mulan cultivator camp all wore grim expressions. With their retreat cut off, they were truly rootless, feeling that their future was bleak. Compared to their morale before the war, it had plummeted to an all-time low.

After witnessing the Mulan cultivators' army withdraw, Han Li and the other cultivators slowly departed from the area, heading towards Tianyi City. The great border war, involving over a hundred thousand cultivators, thus came to an end.

Elsewhere, a streak of azure light shot forward with lightning speed. Within the azure escape light, a figure was faintly hidden. This person, dressed in a scholar's robe of azure, had an ordinary appearance but a calm and unperturbed expression. It was Han Li, returning to the Luoyun Sect.

By this time, several months had passed since the border war. After receiving the shocking news that the Tutu people sought to profit from their conflict, the Mulan people and the various Tiannan forces, though somewhat reluctant, had no choice but to halt hostilities. After Old Monster Tianhen, who had escaped back to Tianyi City, confirmed that other forces were indeed eyeing the Mulan people, the major powers immediately dispatched several waves of cultivators to scout the Mulan Grassland. They indeed discovered that Mulan mortals had been driven to the border near the grassland, and traces of the Tutu people began appearing in the Mulan's original dwelling places.

At this point, the key figures in Tiannan no longer procrastinated. They immediately commenced extremely intense negotiations with the Mulan people. Initially, the Mulan people brazenly demanded one-third of Tiannan’s territory, threatening to continue the war with Tiannan, even at the risk of their own annihilation. For a time, the two sides found it impossible to reach an agreement. However, as large numbers of Mulan mortals gathered at the grassland border and the Tutu people openly began hunting down Mulan cultivators, the managing Divine Masters of the Tiannan Alliance gradually had to make concessions. After all, compared to the Tiannan cultivators potentially being isolated and outnumbered in the future, the Mulan faced immediate annihilation. The Mulan and Tutu people were blood enemies of tens of thousands of years, so there was no talk of compromise or surrender.

After several rounds of concessions, it was finally agreed that the two states they had occupied would be used to settle the Mulan people. On the Tiannan side, the mortals from these states were all relocated to other countries. The three major powers each designated certain areas to compensate the Alliance of Nine Nations for its losses and to resettle the cultivators and sects from those states.

In return, the Mulan people, in accepting Tiannan's goodwill, would have to resist the Tutu invasion with all their might. The various Tiannan forces would assist them, with both sides joining hands to oppose the enemy. Thus, while the Mulan tribe gained a place to recuperate, they also took on the same responsibility as the Alliance of Nine Nations previously, needing to constantly guard against Tutu attacks. And because they were confined to only two states, the various Tiannan forces didn't have to worry about the Mulan growing too strong and turning against them in the future. After all, the extent of a force's development is limited by the amount of cultivation resources it possesses. Although the Mulan tribe was confined to two states, they ultimately averted the crisis of annihilation. Furthermore, they would no longer fight alone against the Tutu people, having Tiannan as a powerful ally. For the time being, both sides were relatively satisfied with this outcome.

However, there were also a few other matters concerning Han Li that occurred during this time. One was naturally Han Li's killing of the Yinluo Sect Master's companion. This Jin Dynasty devil cultivator refused to let the matter rest, sending several letters demanding a one-on-one duel with Han Li. However, upon receiving the challenge, Han Li merely rolled his eyes and immediately turned the jade slip into ash, showing no intention of replying or agreeing. A late Nascent Soul cultivator challenging an early Nascent Soul cultivator like him—it was truly bold of the opponent to even conceive of it. Han Li was no hot-blooded youth, so he naturally scoffed at it and paid no attention. Later, after the Mulan and Tiannan successfully negotiated peace, the Yinluo Sect Master, having somehow discussed things with the Mulan Divine Masters, immediately left with his subordinates. It was said he returned to the Jin Dynasty. This finally allowed Han Li, who had been somewhat on edge, to breathe a sigh of relief.

The other matter concerned the ancient lamp Han Li had seized, the Mulan tribe's inherited treasure, the 'Yuanming Lamp'. After the peace talks, several Mulan Divine Masters stated that the lamp was a generational heirloom of their people and could not possibly fall into the hands of an outsider. They immediately sought to reclaim it from Han Li. Han Li wasn't entirely unyielding; he immediately made an exorbitant demand, asking for a large quantity of Geng essence in exchange. Unfortunately, the Mulan people didn't possess much Geng essence and couldn't gather such a large amount, having only a small piece. Reluctantly, Han Li could only allow them to substitute with other rare materials, and he then returned the ancient lamp. He had no real intention of keeping the lamp. While the ancient lamp was indeed mysterious and wonderful, it was also a hot potato. Keeping it for a day meant being targeted by numerous Mulan cultivators for another day. If this continued, trouble would surely arise sooner or later. It was better to get rid of it quickly.