Clan Head Huang Ming gathered the Family Elders to discuss how to handle the Zhang Family. After some discussion, they reached a clear decision—the Zhang Family must pay a heavy price. Otherwise, if Righteous Path forces kept secretly assassinating each other's younger generation, it would become a disgrace.
Lin Yan felt a trace of regret. He could not push the Family to directly wipe out the Zhang Family. Then his heart suddenly jolted—since when did he start speaking of massacring entire clans so casually?
He quickly understood. This was the Gu World. Strength ruled everything. Life and death had long lost their original weight.
Still, he knew it was not realistic. The Huang Family was part of the Righteous Path and could not act without restraint. The structure of desert oases also made expansion difficult. Even if one oasis was taken, it would become an isolated territory, hard to defend.
If a single person was left to guard it, they could easily grow independent over time. Because of this, large-scale wars were rare in the Western Desert. Most Gu Masters here preferred negotiation and compromise.
He recalled the two fated great wars that were about to erupt in the original novel, the Four Regions attacking Heavenly Court. Northern Plains and Southern Border shone brightly, while Western Desert and Eastern Sea performed the worst, almost like they were dragged along.
Clan Head Huang Ming slammed the table and immediately sent people to summon the Zhang Family. Whatever compensation was needed, it should satisfy Lin Yan as much as possible.
At the Zhang Family's oasis, several Rank 4 elders were first shocked by the death of their Family Head. Then, after hearing the Huang Family's accusation, their expressions turned uneasy.
They cursed Zhang Bai inwardly. He had tried to kill a junior and ended up dying instead, dragging the whole Family into this mess. Facing the Huang Family's strength, none of them felt confident.
The Second Elder stepped forward to take control and said helplessly, "We've fallen into a trap this time. The Family's survival comes first. Ask them what they want to settle this matter."
Lin Yan, in Sandwell Oasis, received the news and felt a slight surprise. As expected of Western Desert people, they admitted defeat quickly, without dragging things out.
He thought for a moment. What did he need right now? Lin Yan reported to the Family, "First, Relic Gu. Second, a large amount of Gu materials and Gu recipes. Lastly, rare Gu such as Otherworldly Flame Gu. Have them send everything over."
Soon, the two Families began negotiations. The Family Elder representing the Huang Family was experienced and did not reveal his true goal at the start. He first demanded Relic Gu to show sincerity, saying that only then could proper talks begin. The request sounded modest, asking for a Yellow Golden Relic Gu as a starting point.
The Zhang Family felt uncomfortable, but none of them dared to refuse. They quickly agreed and handed over a Rank 4 Yellow Golden Relic Gu, saying that it was the only one left in their reserves.
Lin Yan was stunned when he heard this. If the negotiations continued like this, he would not need to worry about cultivation resources for the next five years.
Then he felt a trace of regret. The Zhang Family's oasis was smaller than the Huang Family's, and its population was only about half. Naturally, the number of Relic Gu formed from the people's will was also limited. Otherwise, he could have gained even more.
This was a unique feature of Western Desert forces. Unless a Gu Immortal appeared, The size of the oasis determined the clan upper limit, as everything depended on the environment.
Three days later, Lin Yan obtained the Yellow Golden Relic Gu and was overjoyed. He refined it without hesitation, pushing his cultivation to Rank 4 Peak in one step.
He could tell the negotiations would continue for some time, so he decided to cultivate while shamelessly requesting resources. After reaching Rank 4, his Gu had not yet been fully refined and advanced.
So he went to the Family's secret vault and borrowed the core Gu recipes of the Flame Path True Inheritance. At his current status, most of the Family's secrets were open to him, especially the key Gu related to the Flame Demon True Body killer move.
The Rank 4 killer move Flame Demon True Body had Fire Heart Gu as its core. This Gu modified the heart, strengthening the body and improving adaptability. It could heal through fire and endure the damage of merging Otherworldly Flame into the killer move.
In this aspect, Lin Yan's modified Fusion Fire Gu was stronger, but Fire Heart Gu had its own advantage. It increased the body's capacity to withstand power. When used together, it could further raise the upper limit of integrating Otherworldly Flame.
He did not plan to exchange for Fire Heart Gu from the Family. Instead, he chose to slowly deduce and refine Gu within his dream realm. This would directly improve his Flame Path attainment. At the same time, he still needed to master a full set of Gu, such as Fire Mark, Fire Aperture, and glass flame bone.
Before that, Lin Yan decided to deal with the Gu related to Zhang Bai that he currently held. Keeping them fed was both troublesome and costly.
One Rank 5 and six Rank 4 transformation path Gu together were worth nearly one million primeval stones.
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