The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 1544: Chapter 1642: Dilemma

Indeed, Liang Zhiyin had no choice; her age was too great, yet she was unable to break through her current realm. If no accidents occurred, she would inevitably die within a year.

And Liang Zhiyin understood that once she fell, Heavenly Fragrance Valley would also fall into a crisis.

Because Heavenly Fragrance Valley only accepted female disciples, it was naturally coveted by many powerful forces. The Upper Three Countries did not know how many forces desired to make the female disciples of Heavenly Fragrance Valley their concubines. Even considering her advanced age, Liang Zhiyin still resembled a youthful maiden in appearance, and many powerful figures from the Upper Three Countries took interest in her, a fact that Liang Zhiyin was well aware of.

In the past, Heavenly Fragrance Valley would marry off female disciples, using marriage alliances to bind themselves closely with the various factions of Xuan Country. In this way, even if those powerful forces from the Upper Three Countries had thoughts of targeting Heavenly Fragrance Valley, they would have concerns and show restraint.

However, Xuan Country is now in chaos and after suffering through such a fierce war between two lands, each faction within Xuan Country could only think of preserving themselves; who would bother to meddle in the affairs of others?

Heavenly Fragrance Valley also sustained heavy losses in the war between the two lands. Of the Heavenly Fragrance Five Beauties, once lead by Mei Yingxue, only two remain, with the other three perished in battle.

Furthermore, the number of female disciples in Heavenly Fragrance Valley had decreased by nearly forty percent compared to the past.

Added to the fact that Liang Zhiyin’s life was drawing to a close, Heavenly Fragrance Valley could be said to be at the weakest state in its history.

Once Liang Zhiyin passed away, without its linchpin, and coupled with isolation and lack of support, the outcome of Heavenly Fragrance Valley was foreseeable.

Otherwise submerged in the tumultuous times, it could be directly taken over by the great forces of the Upper Three Countries, with all Heavenly Fragrance female disciples becoming mere tools for the pleasure-seeking of powerful figures.

Liang Zhiyin refused to let such events unfold, so she had to designate the successor for the next Valley Master and find a sufficiently influential ally for Heavenly Fragrance Valley before she died.

As long as these two matters were settled, then even if Liang Zhiyin passed away, Heavenly Fragrance Valley would not face significant troubles. Once they overcame the most difficult period, Heavenly Fragrance Valley could gradually recover.

Originally, Liang Zhiyin had planned to make a trip to Tang Country soon, and seek protection for Heavenly Fragrance Valley from a sect with considerable strength in Tang Country.

After all, there is currently a Pills crisis in Qing Nation, and considering that Qing Nation has always had strict control over the sects within its borders, it is not suitable for Heavenly Fragrance Valley to seek protection from the sects of Qing Nation.

And there is no need to mention Yuan Country; the Demon Beast race has already invaded directly from the northern grasslands. Yuan Country’s various factions have basically all been affected by the grand war against the Demon Beast race.

In contrast, only Tang Country remains relatively stable at present, and moreover, Heavenly Fragrance Valley had some interactions with various factions in Tang Country in the past. Furthermore, one of Heavenly Fragrance Valley’s female disciples married into the royal family of Tang Country. Thus, seeking protection from Tang Country’s factions was the best option for Heavenly Fragrance Valley at the moment.

However, today, by chance, Fang Lin and Dugu Nian came to Heavenly Fragrance Valley for a visit, and Liang Zhiyin made a spontaneous decision. No matter what, she would have them both become Guest Elders of Heavenly Fragrance Valley.

In recent years, Fang Lin’s name has been well-recognized outside, as the number one Alchemy Tao prodigy of the Pill Alliance, the youngest Master of Pill in the history of the Pill Alliance, the one talented in both Alchemy and Martial Arts. These titles were all extremely prestigious.

Added to the fact that Liang Zhiyin had just made a move to test him; though somewhat abrupt, she was a person with not much time left and did not concern herself with these matters anymore.

After the brief test earlier, Liang Zhiyin was extremely shocked by Fang Lin’s strength. Despite being an expert at the peak of the Spirit Bone realm herself, when she struck with full force, Fang Lin did nothing and took the hit with his physical body, completely unaffected.

Such strength made Liang Zhiyin unable to see through him, but without thinking much, she also knew that Fang Lin’s cultivation must be at least above the fifth level of Spirit Source.

As for Dugu Nian, Liang Zhiyin was completely unable to penetrate her level, and even when she tried to use the Heavenly Fragrance Secret Skill to peer into her strength, she could feel an extremely terrifying aura emanating from Dugu Nian.

Liang Zhiyin could assert that the strength of both Fang Lin and Dugu Nian had reached unimaginable levels.

If it were possible to recruit these two into Heavenly Fragrance Valley to become Guest Elders, then on the one hand, Heavenly Fragrance Valley would have the backing of a major sect from Tang Country, and on the other hand, they would have these two unfathomable Guest Elders as powerful allies, which would be extremely beneficial for Heavenly Fragrance Valley’s survival.

As for the possibility of inviting wolves into the fold, Liang Zhiyin had indeed considered it, but she trusted Fang Lin and Dugu Nian quite a bit, aside from the sect from Tang Country that acted as a backer.

As a woman, Dugu Nian naturally would not have any designs on the female disciples of Heavenly Fragrance Valley, and with her cultivation far above Liang Zhiyin’s, it was unlikely that she would covet the martial arts heritage of Heavenly Fragrance Valley.

Although Fang Lin is a man, whether it’s his reputation from seven years ago or Mei Yingxue’s opinion of Fang Lin, both believe that he is an upright and honorable person, and certainly not the kind to be immersed in female beauty.

Besides, among the many female disciples within Heavenly Fragrance Valley, there are indeed very few who could match Dugu Nian in appearance and charm.

Therefore, Liang Zhiyin decided to boldly make an offer, requesting Fang Lin and Dugu Nian to become Guest Elders of Heavenly Fragrance Valley in exchange for the exclusive secret skills of Heavenly Fragrance Valley.

“Valley Master Liang, I’m afraid the two of us cannot agree to this proposition,” Fang Lin said calmly.

Hearing this, Liang Zhiyin’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly: “Why not? If you become Guest Elders of Heavenly Fragrance Valley, both of you can freely enjoy the Pills within the valley, and even if you wish to peruse the martial arts secrets of Heavenly Fragrance Valley, it is not impossible.”

Fang Lin shook his head: “If we’re talking about Pills, Valley Master Liang should know that what I lack the least are Pills, and even martial arts secrets do not concern us much.”

Liang Zhiyin smiled wryly. That’s true, indeed—using Pills and martial arts secrets to entice these two was quite like talking to the wrong audience.

The youngest ever Master of Pill in all of history, would Fang Lin lack Pills? It’s likely that none of the Pills in Heavenly Fragrance Valley would even catch his eye.

“Heavenly Fragrance Valley is just a sect in the Middle Three Kingdoms, it’s incomparable to the great sects of the Upper Three Countries. Whether I live or die doesn’t really matter, but I simply cannot rest easy regarding these female disciples under me; the world is dangerous, and I’m worried they might be bullied by others in the future,” Liang Zhiyin said with a tone tinged with sorrow.

This left Fang Lin somewhat helpless. He also understood why Liang Zhiyin wanted to have them become Guest Elders of Heavenly Fragrance Valley so much; after all, Heavenly Fragrance Valley had so many female disciples, and it was inevitable that they would attract covetous eyes.

“Valley Master Liang, the two of us are just temporarily staying in Xuan Country, and will soon depart. Even if we agreed to your offer, if Heavenly Fragrance Valley encounters trouble in the future, I’m afraid it would be beyond our reach to assist,” Fang Lin said.

Hearing this, Liang Zhiyin sighed in her heart and did not insist, smiling, “Since that’s the case, I shall not press the issue. If the two of you are interested, you may stay a little longer at Heavenly Fragrance Valley, and allow me, Liang, to show you the hospitality of a host.”

ps: The third update is here; I continue to write, and I would like to recommend “Sword Emperor Divine Emperor”, you may be interested and add it to your collection.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!