Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

The firebird looked at him, seemingly understanding his words (perhaps through fluctuations of divine sense?), and nodded.

"In this world, there is a 'Five-Party Covenant.' I represent the Flaming Mountain. There are four other parties as well. If you abide by the rules, I can introduce you to the members of the covenant."

The Five-Party Alliance? Li Xiaoyao and Xiao Chuhuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

This nascent intermediate demiplane has actually formed some kind of cross-regional alliance of intelligent beings?

Is it dominated by the five most powerful beings (or five groups)?

This is beyond their understanding of the "Primordial Plane".

"The covenant, its contents?"

Li Xiaoyao asked cautiously.

"Non-aggression pact, joint defense against external enemies, knowledge sharing, and protection of the world."

The firebird's thoughts were clear and solemn: "We all love this world. We don't want it to be destroyed."

It looked at Li Xiaoyao, its crimson eyes filled with expectation: "You seem to be different. You understand communication and respect. Perhaps, we can coexist."

Li Xiaoyao remained silent for a long time.

He originally thought it was a simple resource gathering operation, or even a conquest.

But now it seems that the complexity of this dimension far exceeds expectations.

The indigenous people here not only possess high intelligence, but have also formed an order and even have a consensus on protecting the world.

Forced conquest could come at a great cost. Cooperation and coexistence... seem like a more viable path?

He looked at Xiao Chuhuan. The Expeditionary Mission was in Xiao Chuhuan's hands, and the final decision rested with him.

Xiao Chuhuan frowned, clearly weighing his options quickly.

After a long pause, he slowly exhaled and said to Li Xiaoyao, "Brother Xiaoyao, this matter... may be feasible."

"If we can truly reach an agreement with the intelligent beings in this dimension to peacefully expand and acquire resources, it would be far more worthwhile than fighting and competing, and it would also be more in line with the 'orderly expansion' concept advocated by the Immortal Sect."

He paused, then said in a low voice, "Moreover, if we can develop this plane into a stable resource gathering place, or even a partner, it will be a long-term benefit for my Xiao family and for your Li family."

Li Xiaoyao understood his meaning. Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is not as good as a steady, long-term approach.

He looked at the firebird and solemnly said, "We are willing to understand the covenant and try to coexist."

A clear look of delight flashed across the firebird's eyes.

It let out a long cry, the sound echoing through the cave.

"Very good. In three days, the Five-Party Alliance will hold its regular meeting at 'Apocalypse Peak.' I will take you there."

It looked out of the cave at the boundless world.

"Now, let me tell you the name of this world—"

A clear and ancient thought entered the consciousness of Li Xiaoyao and Xiao Chuhuan:

"This place, we call it—"

"Spiritual Soul Realm"

"Spiritual Soul Realm"

The name echoed in Li Xiaoyao's mind, carrying a certain ancient and mysterious rhythm.

The firebird—or perhaps it should be called a phoenix—seems extremely proud of its name.

It spread its wings, and its crimson feathers shimmered in the reflection of the lava pool, making the temperature in the cave seem to rise a few degrees.

"On the night of the full moon three days from now, the five-party alliance will gather at Tianqi Peak."

The message conveyed by the phoenix was clear and solemn.

"At that time, the Thunder Beast King of Raize, the Stone Ancestor of the Mountains, the Snow Queen of the Ice Plains, and the Tree Elder of the Forest will all be present."

"I will introduce you to them and explain why you have come."

Xiao Chuhuan frowned slightly: "Will they...accept us?"

"The old man of the tree is the wisest; perhaps he will understand."

The phoenix's thoughts were tinged with uncertainty.

"The Snow Queen is the most cautious and needs time to observe. The Stone Ancestor is the most stubborn, but respects the strong. The Thunder Beast King... has the most explosive temper and needs to be dealt with carefully."

Good heavens, the five representatives each have their own distinct personalities. Li Xiaoyao thought to himself, this is practically some kind of fantasy council.

What do we need to prepare?

Li Xiaoyao asked.

"Sincerity, and gifts."

Phoenix looked at the pile of "collectibles" in the center of the cave. "Every Covenant member has their own preferences."

The Tree Elder loves ancient seeds and fertile, vibrant soil; the Snow Queen cherishes pure ice crystals and beautiful snowflakes; the Stone Ancestor admires hard ores and treasures deep within the earth; the Thunder Beast King… enjoys powerful opponents and challenges.

It paused, then added, "But the gifts are merely symbolic. The most important thing is that you prove you will not disrupt the balance of the Spirit Realm."

"The Covenant will not allow greedy raiders to remain here."

Xiao Chuhuan and Li Xiaoyao exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

"We understand."

Li Xiaoyao solemnly said, "In the next three days, we will prepare gifts and also restrain our subordinates so that they will not act rashly."

"very good."

Phoenix nodded, "You may stay on the outskirts of Flaming Mountain for the next three days."

"I will have the fire spirit beast guide you to a safe area. Do not venture deep into the mountains—there are many ancient beings sleeping there; do not disturb them."

With a gentle flap of its wings, a rustling sound came from outside the cave.

Several small animals, resembling squirrels but entirely red with flames burning on their tails, cautiously peeked in and eyed the group of "outsiders."

"They will take you to your temporary accommodation."

Phoenix said, "I will come to pick you up at sunrise in three days."

Having said that, it walked to the edge of the lava pool, bent down and drank a mouthful of scalding lava, then spread its wings, slowly sank into the pool, and disappeared.

Li Xiaoyao and Xiao Chuhuan led everyone out of the cave.

The fire squirrels (that's what Li Xiaoyao called them in his mind) hopped and skipped ahead, leading them to a relatively flat plateau on the outskirts of Flaming Mountain.

The temperature here is moderate, the view is wide open, and you can see the boundary of the forest and grassland in the distance.

"Let's set up camp here."

Xiao Chuhuan gave the order.

Two airships landed on the platform. Everyone began to get busy, setting up protective formations and building temporary camps.

Li Xiaoyao gathered with Xiao Chuhuan, Li Tongya, Scarface, and other key members to discuss their next move.

"The next three days will be crucial."

Xiao Chuhuan's expression was serious. "If we can gain the approval of the Five-Party Covenant, our actions in this plane will be much smoother, and we can even establish long-term cooperation."

"But what if the talks break down..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the consequences—either they would have to retreat in disgrace, or they would have to prepare to fight against all the intelligent beings in the entire plane.

The latter is clearly not a wise choice.

"Gifts should be prepared carefully."

Li Tongya said, "That Tree Elder likes ancient seeds... We can bring some mutated grass seeds that are resistant to evil spirits from Bing-749. Although they are not of high quality, they can survive in the turbid evil land, which may arouse its interest."

"After the snow, the ice crystals must be pure."

Scarface interjected, "The batch of 'Frosty Jade Marrow' we exchanged at Chuixing Post Station should be qualified; it's a second-grade high-quality ice-attribute spiritual material."

"Stone Ancestor is easy to deal with."

Xiao Chuhuan said, "The Xiao family brought several pieces of 'earth vein crystals,' which are by-products that can be obtained occasionally when mining spirit mines. They contain pure earth-elemental spiritual energy."

"As for the Thunder Beast King..."

Li Xiaoyao pondered, "It enjoys strong opponents and challenges. We can't exactly send someone to fight it, can we?"

Xiao Chuhuan smiled wryly: "That's not necessary. However, we can prepare some jade slips that record battle footage, such as the process of capturing the Wind Wolf, to demonstrate our fighting style and strength. Perhaps that will satisfy its curiosity."

"This is the only way."

Li Xiaoyao nodded, then looked at Li Chijing.

"Chijing, for the next three days, you will lead those thirty visiting cultivators to keep watch near the camp and observe the ecology of the monsters here. But remember, only observe, do not capture, and certainly do not hunt."

"Yes, Second Uncle."

Li Chijing responded.

"Tongya, study the flow of spiritual energy and the adaptability of the formation in this plane."

Li Xiaoyao continued to give instructions, "Scar Wolf, Iron Bow, you take a few people with experience in animal taming and try to communicate with those fire squirrels to see if you can learn more information."

The group accepted the order and dispersed.