Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Gathering of Forces
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chatting for a while—
"Oh, there’s one more thing," Fa Ma suddenly recalled something. "Gu He has gone missing."
"We originally intended to invite him to join our alliance. After all, he was a Tier 6 alchemist. But unfortunately, we sent people to search every corner of the Jia Ma Empire, and not a single trace of him was found."
"Gu He?" Wei Yang glanced at Fa Ma and replied calmly, "He’s already dead."
"What? Dead? When did that happen?" Fa Ma was stunned.
"The day of the battle atop Yun Lan Mountain."
"But... didn’t he descend the mountain that day?" Fa Ma asked, confused.
Then, his pupils suddenly contracted as something clicked in his mind. He exclaimed, "Don’t tell me... the Hall of Souls?"
Wei Yang nodded and explained, "He fell into the hands of that Protector Mo. You know how it ended—he was annihilated alongside that guy under my attack."
"Sigh..."
Fa Ma let out a long sigh, a complicated look flickering in his eyes.
In a sense, Gu He had once been half a disciple to him. Before Gu He rose to fame, Fa Ma had personally mentored him for a while.
Back then, Fa Ma had seen great potential in this gifted young man and gave him a lot of help. Even after Gu He became a Tier 6 alchemist, he had always shown great respect toward Fa Ma.
And now... he was suddenly gone.
"Gu He had good talent. Not quite at your or Xiao Yan’s level, but far better than someone like me. I had always believed he had a real shot at reaching Tier 7, what a shame." Fa Ma shook his head with a heavy expression.
"There was still a fragment of his soul left," Wei Yang said with a shrug, "But at that point, there was nothing I could do. My Dou Technique had already exploded, and Protector Mo used Gu He’s soul remnant to shield himself. Even if I wanted to hold back, I couldn’t."
Besides, I had no intention of holding back.That last line, Wei Yang kept to himself.
Whether Gu He lived or died had nothing to do with him—what mattered was that Protector Mo died.
During a life-and-death battle like that, Wei Yang had no time or interest in sparing others.
"I understand. I’m not blaming you. It’s just a bit of a pity, that’s all." Fa Ma waved his hand dismissively. Then his face darkened, and he growled, "That damned Hall of Souls!"
Any alchemist who had even the faintest understanding of the Hall of Souls would instinctively loathe them—or even hate them outright.
Because powerful soul bodies were essentially sacred to alchemists.
So, to a group that specialized in hunting down strong souls, hatred was the only natural response.
After chatting for a bit longer, Fa Ma stood up and took his leave. "I won’t bother you any further, I’ll head off now."
"Oh right—you’re not in a rush to leave over the next few days, are you?" Fa Ma paused mid-turn to ask.
"I’ll leave after the Alliance Conference is held," Wei Yang replied.
"Good to hear."
"Oh, and there’s one more thing—my memory is really slipping these days. Didn’t you agree earlier to publicly refine a pill in our Association? A live demonstration for everyone to watch and learn?" Fa Ma smacked his forehead. "I almost forgot about it while chatting with you! Everyone’s been eagerly waiting."
"Ah, that’s right. I nearly forgot myself." Wei Yang paused, then nodded. "Let’s do it tomorrow. I’ll publicly refine a Mighty Huang Pill as a gift to commemorate the formation of the alliance."
"That’s fantastic! I’ll go notify everyone right away and have them get everything ready," Fa Ma beamed and hurried off in excitement.
Over the past few days, he had been getting pestered non-stop about this.
...
A few days later.
In the early morning, as the warm sunlight gradually spread across the imperial capital, the front gates of the Xiao Clan estate, located in the very center of the city, began to welcome representatives from the most powerful factions in the Jia Ma Empire.
The Alchemist Association, the Imperial Family, the Mittel Clan, the Mu Clan...
Many onlookers watched from afar, seeing the faction insignias on the carriages stopped outside the estate, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding:
It seemed something major was about to happen again in the Jia Ma Empire.
The Xiao Clan estate was under exceptionally tight security today.
Anyone not of the Xiao Clan who stepped foot inside immediately became the focus of dozens of hidden eyes.
Should any visitor show even the slightest sign of hostility, they would be swarmed by attacks almost instantly.
At the heart of the Xiao estate stood a grand discussion hall, towering and majestic.
Within a hundred meters around the grand hall, heavily armed guards stood at attention, their cold, watchful gazes sweeping back and forth without rest.
These were the elite powerhouses brought over from the Black-Corner Region. Just the aura of bloodlust and killing intent in their eyes was enough to make many feel a chill run down their spines.
Inside the hall.
The atmosphere was not as heavy or solemn as one might have expected. In fact, it felt rather relaxed.
Only a dozen or so people had the qualifications to sit here—but each and every one of them was the head of a major power within the Jia Ma Empire.
At the head of the room sat two young men, dressed in black silk robes, smiling casually as they occasionally chatted with the others.
Both appeared quite young, their ages seemingly close, and in truth, it was impossible to tell who was older.
These two young men were, without a doubt, the central figures of today.
They were also the future leaders of the newly formed alliance.
Naturally, they were Wei Yang and Xiao Yan.
To Xiao Yan’s left sat Queen Medusa, her face cold and distant, while Zi Yan looked around curiously, unable to sit still.
For various reasons and considerations, Medusa had also been brought into the alliance.
This, by extension, signified that from now on, the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-People Clan would also form a political alliance.
After a while—
Xiao Yan gradually stopped talking, sweeping his gaze across the room.
The murmured conversations throughout the hall quieted down as well. Xiao Yan turned his head to glance at Wei Yang, who sat beside him with eyes gently closed.
Wei Yang gave him a slight nod.
Taking the cue, Xiao Yan slowly stood up.
Wei Yang opened his eyes.
Xiao Yan stood there with a slight smile, his gaze calm as it swept over the attendees.
The hall fell into complete silence.
All eyes were now focused on these two young men.
"Since everyone is here, let’s move on to the main matter," Xiao Yan said.
Hearing this, everyone instantly straightened up, becoming fully attentive.
Xiao Yan exhaled lightly and went straight to the point, his voice deep: "The Yun Lan Sect has been destroyed. Yun Shan’s ambitions have been crushed along with it."
"However, I’m sure everyone here is aware—within the northwestern region of the continent, the Jia Ma Empire holds very little weight."
"Now that the Yun Lan Sect is gone, we’ve removed a major threat, yes—but at the same time, the empire’s influence in the region will fall even further. In the eyes of the surrounding empires, we’re little more than a plump piece of meat—a weakling to be preyed upon."
"As fellow members of the Jia Ma Empire, I’m sure none of you want to see that happen, right?"
The crowd nodded slightly at his words.
But no one spoke.
Their eyes remained focused on Wei Yang and Xiao Yan.
This situation, in truth, had existed for a long time already.
The Jia Ma Empire’s position in the northwest was never strong.
Even those who left the empire often faced bias, disdain, or outright dismissal from those of other nations.
The saying "A weak nation has no diplomacy"—this was precisely what it meant.
Because of this, many of the powerful clans’ businesses and influence had always been restricted within the empire’s borders. They simply couldn’t expand beyond.
Within the empire, they still had the strength and reputation to protect their interests.
But beyond the empire? The surrounding nations didn’t care.
A business deal could be voided on a whim. A contract torn up. Assets seized with a flimsy excuse.
Humiliating? Yes.
But what could they do? That was the reality.
And now, with the fall of the Yun Lan Sect, things were about to get even worse.
No one in the room was a fool.
They all understood what was at stake.
Jia Xingtian and Yao Ye both wore grim expressions.
An empire that lacked the strength to back itself—what "imperial dignity" could it possibly talk about?
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