The Life-and-Death Duel proposed by the Sand Tribe shaman was formally known as the Heavenly Mandate Life-and-Death Duel.
It was a very ancient tradition among the Sand People.
The Sand Tribe, entrenched in the Great Western Desert, had never truly been unified since ancient times. The major tribes occupied different oases, creating a situation of regional separatism.
On the surface, these tribes all obeyed the Hidden Gold Palace of Shabak City, but in truth, they obeyed orders without answering summons.
The different tribes also formed alliances with one another, and wars frequently erupted over resources.
Countless Sand People had stained the yellow sands with their blood.
Hatred could be inherited and perpetuated. Unless one side was completely wiped out, it was like strong liquor sealed away in a cellar—the longer it aged, the thicker and richer it became, until it could no longer be dissolved.
The brutal wars between tribes had left the Sand People bleeding without cease.
They stood on the brink of extinction!
Under such circumstances, the Hidden Gold Palace took the lead, while the Western Regions Buddhist sect stepped forward to gather over a hundred tribal chiefs.
Together, they established the Sand Tribe Covenant in Shabak City, putting an end to the endless vendettas that had lasted for a thousand years.
From then on, conflicts between Sand People tribes were settled through Heavenly Mandate Life-and-Death Duels.
Each tribe sent one or more representatives to fight in a designated arena, and they would not stop until death!
After the Sand Tribe came into direct conflict with the West Sea Sect, the former could bleed itself dry without breaching Sand Suppression City. They could only rely on hunter cultivators to sneak into Daying City and stir up trouble, salvaging a little face in the process.
The other option was