The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron
Chapter 1396 - Chapter 1396 Chapter 1494 Everyone Turns Their Backs

Chapter 1396: Chapter 1494: Everyone Turns Their Backs Chapter 1396: Chapter 1494: Everyone Turns Their Backs The Upper Three Countries had already been completely engulfed in the flames of war.

And the situation throughout the Nine Countries was far from optimistic.

The Lower Three Kingdoms had ceased to exist, with Meng Kingdom and Yun Country occupied by the forces of the three sects, while Qian Country had been destroyed by the hands of Hidden Kill Hall.

In the Middle Three Kingdoms, only Ling Country and Xuan Country remained; another had fallen to the mighty army of the three sects.

The remaining Ling Country and Xuan Country were also in a dangerous position, especially Xuan Country. Due to Fang Lin’s past rampage in Xuan Country, royal experts had suffered numerous deaths and injuries, and their strength was not what it had been during the time of the Xuan Emperor.

The current emperor of Xuan Country was the former Demon Suppressing King, and although he was barely weaker than the Xuan Emperor and a very capable ruler, Xuan Country itself had too many problems. Facing the onslaught from the three sects, most of its territory had already been lost.

It could be said that this war between the two regions was so fierce that, even if the Nine Countries eventually won, they would still be left in a dire state, and heaven knows how long it would take to return to their former state.

It was even possible that the landscape of the Nine Countries would be forever changed from this point forward.

Of course, for the forces of the three sects to completely take over the Nine Countries seemed currently unlikely; having existed for so many years, the foundation was still very strong. As long as they can hold out until the return of the Qin Emperor and the Yuan Emperor, the situation might turn in favor of the Nine Countries.

But nobody knew when the Qin Emperor and the Yuan Emperor would return, and there were even some pessimistic rumors spreading among the many martial artists of the Nine Countries, suggesting that the Qin Emperor and the Yuan Emperor had already fallen and could not possibly return.

These rumors spread very quickly and had a very noticeable effect, causing many martial artists of the Upper Three Countries to waver and a gloomy mood to pervade.

The upper echelons of the Upper Three Countries immediately took action to suppress these rumors as much as possible, to prevent them from continuing to spread.

But their efforts were not very effective, as it seemed that the people of the three sects were deliberately spreading these rumors, which continued to have a significant impact on the martial artists of the Nine Countries.

At the same time, there were rumors, from an unknown source, that the Pill Alliance and Hidden Kill Hall were colluding behind closed doors.

This news caused a shock comparable to, if not exceeding, that of the rumored deaths of the Qin Emperor and the Yuan Emperor, as the possibility of collusion between the Pill Alliance and Hidden Kill Hall was beyond the imagination of all martial artists in the Nine Countries; they simply couldn’t believe it to be true.

The Pill Alliance also reacted very quickly, stating that someone was trying to smear the Pill Alliance and destabilize the hearts of the people in the Nine Countries.

But what the Pill Alliance did not expect was that many rumors detrimental to the Pill Alliance still spread silently and swiftly.

In addition, some Pill Refiners of the Pill Alliance disappeared without warning, including two or three highly respected figures. Their departure raised many questions about the Pill Alliance seemingly overnight.

Under normal circumstances, the departure of these Pill Refiners might not have caused such a stir, but at this critical juncture, it was exceedingly sensitive.

Naturally, the Pill Alliance had not anticipated that Zhong Wuwei had not been merely evading the pursuit of Hidden Kill Hall and the Pill Alliance in these years; he had also been making clandestine efforts to reveal the truth of the Pill Alliance to the Nine Countries.

And the most sensational news yet was the disassociation of Fang Lin, the Pill Alliance’s top Alchemy Tao prodigy, from the Pill Alliance.

The three great Heaven Kings had originally suppressed the news of Fang Lin’s separation from the Pill Alliance, keeping it from external parties and forces because the blow to the Pill Alliance was quite severe, given that Fang Lin had become the pride of countless Pill Refiners within the Pill Alliance and was regarded as a hero of the Pill Alliance.

On the eve of the outbreak of the war between the two regions, Fang Lin had resisted the Taoist Sect’s Pill Pulsar in Flat Sea City, saving the face of the Pill Alliance that had been lost, and many knew that prior to this, Fang Lin had been detained by the Pill Alliance, even facing punishment.

Yet Fang Lin, regardless of past grievances, traveled thousands of miles with his injuries to fight for the Pill Alliance against the Alchemy Tao of the Taoist Sect.

But this genius who was regarded as a hero by countless within the Pill Alliance suddenly broke with them.

Nobody could have anticipated that a genius like Fang Lin would leave the Pill Alliance, causing not just a huge stir in the Nine Countries but also sending shockwaves throughout the Pill Alliance.

The Pill Alliance faced unprecedented censure, and this time, it wasn’t just from the outside; many Pill Refiners within the Alliance were furious as well.

Some older-generation Pill Refiners who had high hopes for and admired Fang Lin grew disheartened and chose to retire en masse, and although they didn’t completely sever ties with the Pill Alliance, it was almost to that point.

Meanwhile, many younger Pill Refiners were constantly questioning the higher-ups of the Pill Alliance, demanding to know why Fang Lin would leave the Alliance. Could it be true, as rumors from the outside suggested, that the Pill Alliance had colluded with Hidden Kill Hall behind closed doors, leading to Fang Lin’s split with the Alliance?

The upper echelons of the Pill Alliance offered no response, because even they didn’t know how to reply, and were waiting for the guidance of the Elders.

But things were far from simple, and as the Pill Alliance was abuzz with Fang Lin’s departure, Elder Tiankui announced his retirement and would no longer hold the position of Elder.

Following that, Elder Tianjun also chose to retire, citing old age as the reason.

Elder Tianhong announced that he would enter seclusion and would not emerge for ten years.

With that, of the original Eight Great Elders, aside from Elder Tiangang who had been killed, only four remained active.

At this point, even the slowest to react could see that the situation had escalated.

Two Elders retiring and another entering seclusion was a clear statement of their stance. They too were obviously disappointed with the Pill Alliance and had reacted accordingly.

After the retirement announcements of Elder Tiankui and others, the Long Family also made a high-profile announcement:

The Long Family was severing ties with the Pill Alliance!

If Fang Lin’s breakup with the Pill Alliance had already placed the Alliance at the center of controversy, then the Long Family’s sudden demarcation from the Pill Alliance completely pushed it into the abyss.

The three Heaven Kings finally could no longer sit idly by. Others leaving the Alliance wouldn’t do much harm to the Alliance; at worst, it was just a dent in their reputation.

But the Long Family’s withdrawal from and clear separation with the Pill Alliance was truly disastrous.

The establishment of the Pill Alliance can be said to owe much to the Long Family, with many old Pill Refiners admitting that the Long Family was half of the Pill Alliance’s strength, without which the Alliance would not be what it is today.

The withdrawal of the Long Family from the Pill Alliance was not just a major blow to the vitality of the Alliance, but more importantly, it sent a signal to the outside world that even the Long Family could no longer stand by the current state of the Pill Alliance, which is why they left.

The South Zodiac King personally visited the Long Family estate to discuss matters with Dragon Haotian, but in the end, he left unable to do anything.

Others might not have known, but Dragon Haotian’s status within the Pill Alliance was no less than that of the four Heaven Kings. He had long been aware of the Alliance’s underhanded dealings and had set his mind on leaving the Pill Alliance, something the three Heaven Kings could not prevent.

Those of the Long Family who held high positions within the Pill Alliance promptly returned to the Long Family, and thus the number of high-ranking members within the Pill Alliance’s upper echelon was greatly reduced.

ps: Fifth update. Some of you say the updates are slow. But let’s be reasonable, how many authors are there like me nowadays, updating either eight or ten thousand words a day? If my update speed is considered slow, then what about other authors who only update two or three times a day, can they even live? Reading may be fast, but writing requires time and effort. Let’s try to understand each other a bit.

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