Chapter 317: Establishing Dominance
Chapter 317: Establishing Dominance
News of the turmoil within the Cultivation World had spread like wildfire among the Human Clan cultivators, sparking a great commotion. The primary reason they were summoned to join the battle was that they couldn't simply hide like loose cultivators. They had families and homes within the Cultivation World, and the current internal chaos raised questions about the fate of their forces and clans.
After all, their ultimate goal in fighting against the Demon Clan was to defend the entire Cultivation World. Now, with their own homes potentially raided by Treasure Hunters, what meaning was there in holding the front lines?
Many, including Golden Core cultivators, were deeply troubled, demanding to return to the Cultivation World to restore peace.
However, at this moment, the Western Demon Tribe, like a hornet's nest poked by a stick, was rallying its forces and launching a fierce counterattack.
If they were to retreat now, Boundary Mountain Range would undoubtedly fall, and Western Demon Tribe would flood into the East Zhou Cultivation Realm, rendering all their previous efforts meaningless.
In the end, a Nascent Soul cultivator hidden in a Flying Boat had to step forward to suppress the situation, but the morale had clearly dwindled.
To pacify their spirits, it was decided, after discussions among the Nascent Soul cultivators, to send a Flying Boat back to the Cultivation World to eliminate the rampaging Demon Clan and Treasure Hunters.
During this time, Wang Hong had been diligently cultivating his subordinates using the spoils of this campaign. He allocated the one-tier spirit materials obtained to the members for practicing cultivation techniques, and their skills were rapidly improving.
The items they crafted during their training, such as Magical Weapons, Pills, Talismans, and array plates, were all collected and stored in their inventory. These were then handed over to Luo Zhongjie, who led a caravan of over thirty Foundation Building cultivators to trade with various factions.
Using these products, they exchanged for a substantial amount of raw materials, continuing to support the cultivation practice of their members.Currently, the East Zhou caravan was the only one still active in foreign territories, so they had the upper hand in setting the trade prices.
Even so, many factions were eagerly awaiting the caravan's arrival, hoping to make deals.
Now, the caravan had cultivated over a hundred individuals skilled in various techniques, forming a self-sustaining cycle. Even without Wang Hong's direct support, they could sustain themselves entirely.
As the skills of the team members continued to improve, they were able to make profits on their journeys.
While traveling outside, the East Zhou caravan occasionally encountered groups of Treasure Hunters. These were usually not too formidable and were easily dispatched.
The gains from defeating Treasure Hunters far outweighed the profits from trade, making it a significant source of income.
Of course, not every encounter with Treasure Hunters was as straightforward. Some time ago, they had been targeted by the Fellowship Alliance, a group of over two hundred Treasure Hunters. In a desperate situation, Luo Zhongjie brought out a medium-sized Flying Boat, and with the protection of the Flying Boat, they fought their way out of the encirclement of over two hundred Treasure Hunters.
This incident quickly spread throughout the Cultivation World, causing a significant uproar. The Treasure Hunters finally learned the true identity of the Flying Boat they had been trying to steal. Previously, they had rampaged through Treasure Hunters, leading to the formation of the Fellowship Alliance.
Now that they knew their opponents, these Treasure Hunters were gearing up for a major showdown. While revenge wasn't the main motive, they were certainly envious of the wealth that the East Zhou caravan had accumulated.
At the same time, this news also spread throughout the Cultivation World around Azure Void City, leaving many cultivators in awe of the East Zhou caravan's strength.With just over thirty people, they managed to fight their way out and escape the encirclement of over two hundred Treasure Hunters from the Fellowship Alliance.
The Fellowship Alliance had become a formidable force in the region, known for its power and influence. Besides Azure Void City, no other faction dared to challenge them.
The mere mention of the Fellowship Alliance struck fear into the hearts of everyone, from adults to children, from smaller factions to Treasure Hunters.
After the identity of the Flying Boat was exposed, Luo Zhongjie temporarily refrained from leading the caravan outside. The inventory of supplies could sustain them for quite some time.
Wang Hong exchanged the Foundation Establishment Pills they had confiscated for contribution points, and his Qi Cultivation team members quickly used them up.
During this time, he recruited another twenty Foundation Building cultivators, bringing the total number in the Mountain Valley to sixty.
For the new recruits, Wang Hong provided them with middle-grade Spiritual Weapon Flying Swords.
As for high-grade Spiritual Weapons, they were challenging to control for cultivators at the Foundation Building stage. After their cultivation levels became more stable, he planned to train them alongside Luo Zhongjie and others to enhance their teamwork.
Wang Hong knew that the identity of the Treasure-Stealing Flying Boat would eventually be exposed, so he wasn't surprised. The Fellowship Alliance must have already figured out who had caused them trouble before.
For whatever reason, they would surely come knocking at their door. Now, he could only prepare for that inevitable confrontation.
One day, the Fellowship Alliance announced that they would sweep through the Mountain Valley base of the East Zhou Trading Company in one day. They invited onlookers to witness the spectacle.
The Fellowship Alliance was confident when releasing this news, as dealing with a mere few dozen people from various merchant caravans with their two or three hundred members was a walk in the park.
After a period of internal struggles, Wu Youshou, their leader, had finally managed to subdue the rest of the members. However, his position was still not entirely stable, and he needed to establish dominance, both internally and externally. He needed an adversary and a victory to solidify his position.
The East Zhou Trading Company was the only one that had dared to offend the Fellowship Alliance and was still thriving.
By giving them a one-day head start, the Fellowship Alliance wasn't worried about the East Zhou Trading Company's members escaping. With so many resources in the base, it would take more than a day to relocate everything.
The next day, Wu Youshou led three hundred Treasure Hunters confidently toward the direction of the Mountain Valley.
The Fellowship Alliance previously had over three hundred Foundation Building cultivators, but Wang Hong had secretly eliminated several batches of them, leaving only slightly more than a hundred members. Recently, they had absorbed several small teams of Treasure Hunters, bringing their numbers back up to three hundred.
Many cultivators had lurked on the nearby peaks to watch the battle. Most of them were Treasure Hunters, but there were also a few from other factions.
"Fellowship Alliance is about to make a fortune again!"
A cultivator with a black mole on his face licked his lips and exclaimed.
"Yes! It's because they are the strongest!"
"That East Zhou Trading Company brought this upon themselves. A small caravan with just a few dozen people actually dared to provoke a powerful enemy."
"However, we need to establish better connections with other fellow cultivators. Otherwise, we might be swallowed up by the Fellowship Alliance sooner or later."
Black Mole Cultivator said, and indeed, many Treasure Hunter teams had started joining forces, and there were even teams with a hundred members or more.
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