The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 1528: Chapter 1626: The Plight of the Dugu Family

The prolonged war between the two regions, which lasted for seven to eight years, brought heavy devastation to the Nine Countries.

Xuan Country, one of the Middle Three Kingdoms, was no exception.

Xuan Country had already gone through significant royal turbulence after Fang Lin wreaked havoc in Xuan City, and only after the Demon Suppressing King returned to the capital from the border’s Demon Suppressing City and took the throne of Xuan Emperor with his bold and powerful measures, did calm return both inside and outside the country.

But such tranquility was after all only superficial. In the end, the Zhou Royal Family was still deeply wounded: many of its masters had died, and its power did not match the time when the Xuan Emperor was alive.

Moreover, within the boundaries of Xuan Country, there were several martial sects and powerhouses not much weaker than the royal family. These forces were outwardly polite to the royal house but secretly, each was eyeing the throne, waiting for the chance to overturn it and establish their own rule in Xuan City as the new Zhou Royal Family.

After ascending to the throne, the Demon Suppressing King also wished to suppress these martial sect powerhouses, but unable to muster the necessary strength, he could only maintain a mutual wariness with these sects, with neither side daring to act rashly.

It wasn’t until the outbreak of the war between the two regions that this new Xuan Emperor, the Demon Suppressing King, found a great opportunity.

As Xuan Country was invaded by the experts from the three sects, such as the Five Elements Sect, Heavenly Fragrance Valley, Shenxiao Sect, Dugu Family, and other significant sects, they too suffered great impact and drastically reduced in strength, no longer as formidable as they once were.

The royal family also suffered greatly, but with the deliberate preservation by the Demon Suppressing King, they now outmatched those major sects within the territory of Xuan Country.

The move taken by the Demon Suppressing King was risky. Had the Zhou Royal Family been completely broken through during the war between the two regions, it would have all been over.

Fortunately, the war between the two regions did not last as long as anticipated. The Zhou Royal Family held onto Xuan City. All forces were greatly weakened by the conflict, with some, like the Shenxiao Sect, suffering severe losses; more than eighty percent of its sect members died or were injured, and the Sect Master along with many elders perished.

It can be said that from being one of the top forces in Xuan Country, Shenxiao Sect has now weakened to the point of being a second-rate force, and whether it can survive the bloody suppression from the Zhou Royal Family is still uncertain.

The Dugu Family was no exception, having also suffered heavy losses during the war between the two regions, though they fared better than the Shenxiao Sect.

Perhaps because Dugu Nian had been taken away by a high-level expert of the three sects in the past, and the East Pole Heaven King felt guilty, so some Pill Alliance experts were sent to protect the Dugu Family. As a result, the Dugu Family suffered less impact during the war between the two regions.

Now that the war between the two regions has ended, the Dugu Family has retracted their family influence. Although the war is over, the Xuan royal household would surely want to kick them while they are down, so in the days following the end of the war between the two regions, the Dugu Family has been constantly on edge, continuously showing goodwill to the Zhou Royal Family while also secretly making other plans, just in case the Zhou Royal Family is determined to suppress all the forces within Xuan Country, in which case the Dugu Family would have to reluctantly move their entire clan, fleeing Xuan Country to take root in another nation.

To be honest, the elders of the Dugu Family certainly do not wish for such a day to come. Relocating the entire clan is the last resort, for it would be extremely difficult to survive and establish themselves in another country.

After all, if an entire large family moves to another country, the indigenous powers of that country would naturally feel threatened by the Dugu Family.

It’s a joke: with the territory of a country being so limited, having the Dugu Family come would mean competing with these native forces for land, wouldn’t it?

Thus, the situation the Dugu Family faces now is a difficult one, caught between a rock and a hard place. They can only hope that the Xuan royal household will be lenient with them, allowing the Dugu Family to continue to survive in Xuan Country.

However, it seems that the Demon Suppressing King has no intention of showing mercy to the Dugu Family or the other major forces. The Five Elements Sect and Heavenly Fragrance Valley have been the first to be oppressed, being pushed to the point of great hardship, barely able to make any move.

While the Dugu Family has not yet been suppressed by the Xuan royal household, they too are in a state of anxiety, unsure of when the Zhou Royal Family will take action against them.

···

Xuan City, within the Imperial Palace.

The Demon Suppressing King, grand and imposing, clad in black armor, sat atop the resplendent dragon throne.

With little change from seven years ago, his gaze was now more worldly and shrewd. When he was in Demon Suppressing City, the Demon Suppressing King was like a fierce tiger. Whoever saw him would fear him and dare not meet his eyes.

Now that he was the emperor, the Demon Suppressing King had lost a bit of his edge and gained some depth and restraint.

But nature is hard to change; the Demon Suppressing King was still the Demon Suppressing King. Perhaps he wasn’t cut out to be an emperor, but he was the most fitting person to quell the chaos of a nation in turbulent times.

“Your Majesty, the Dugu Family sent another grand gift a few days ago. Should we, as usual, keep the gift but give no response?” Below the Golden Palace, a white-robed scholar bowed and spoke.

The Demon Suppressing King thought for a moment before asking, “What do you think is best?”

This white-robed scholar followed the Demon Suppressing King from Demon Suppressing City to Xuan City and, though his cultivation was unremarkable, he excelled in tactics and strategy. The swift stabilization of Xuan Country under the Demon Suppressing King was largely attributed to his efforts.

“Your Majesty, a new batch of elite soldiers from Demon Suppressing City arrived in Xuan City yesterday,” the scholar stated this simple fact.

The Demon Suppressing King understood the implication of his words. Despite being well-mannered and delicate in appearance, the Demon Suppressing King knew this man was cunning and ruthlessly sharp; he would either not act at all, or once he acted, he would go all the way, leaving no chances for future troubles.

“In that case, detain the messengers from the Dugu Family and have Dugu Fengyun himself come to Xuan City to retrieve them,” said the Demon Suppressing King.

The white-robed scholar showed a pleased expression and said, “Your Majesty is wise.”

Although the Zhou Royal Family of today’s Xuan Country hadn’t fully recovered its vitality, the Demon Suppressing King was different from the former Xuan Emperor.

The Xuan Emperor had only the royal power, while the Demon Suppressing King now not only controlled the royal power but also had Demon Suppressing City as a trump card.

After all, the Demon Suppressing King had emerged from Demon Suppressing City, his true stronghold. Rows of highly skilled warriors were cultivated, all loyal to the Demon Suppressing King and more reliable and accommodating than members of the royal family.

It was for this reason that he, the Demon Suppressing King, had the strength to confront the major sects within the territories of Xuan Country.

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The Ancestral Mansion of the Dugu Family was situated at the foot of a mountain known as Green Mountain. The entire mansion was built against the mountainside, covering a radius of thousands of miles, reflecting the grand and vast aura of the Dugu Family.

As the Flying Boat descended from the sky, the Dugu Family treated it as a major threat. A group of members from the Dugu Family rushed out and surrounded the Flying Boat, all with tense expressions, believing they were under attack.

ps: This is the third update, continuing to write. Many people have the New Year’s Day holiday off, but I don’t, waiting until the fourth update before eating.

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