Chapter 877: Wonderful Pill Union |
As the second disciple of Meng Zhang, An Moran not only possesses exceptional talent but also reached the mid-stage of Gold Core at an early age. Since taking over Secret Hall, he has achieved significant accomplishments.
During the initial establishment of Secret Hall, An Moran relied on Jue Ying's help and guidance.
After Jue Ying's departure, An Moran managed Secret Hall efficiently on his own.
Compared to his sister, An Xiaoran, An Moran is introverted and taciturn, lacking a strong presence within Taiyi Sect. Among the lower-ranked disciples, he doesn't have much fame.
However, in the upper echelons of Taiyi Sect, especially among the Gold Core Daoist Masters, An Moran's reputation is illustrious.
Under his leadership, Secret Hall has grown stronger with the development of Taiyi Sect, becoming an essential force protecting the sect in the shadows.
Initially, Secret Hall somewhat imitated the Dark Alliance, but now it has developed its own unique path and characteristics.
By a fortunate coincidence, Meng Zhang obtained manuals on training spies and assassins from the Dark Alliance.
After optimizing these manuals through his collaboration with several Guardian Spirit Generals, he handed them over to An Moran.
Over the years, Secret Hall has achieved remarkable success in gathering intelligence and purging the internal factions of the vast sea alliance, earning Meng Zhang's utmost satisfaction.
Meng Zhang had long promised to take care of Changchun Outlook, and he had already arranged Secret Hall's forces to monitor Changchun Outlook's movements.
Before the Chief of Changchun Outlook, Daoist Master Mu Ri, sought help from Meng Zhang, An Moran had already gathered intelligence from various sources and knew that Changchun Outlook might be in a precarious situation.
However, at that time, he didn't rush to report to Meng Zhang. Instead, he mobilized Secret Hall's power to diligently investigate the situation.
When Meng Zhang received the request for assistance from Changchun Outlook and had Secret Hall collect information, An Moran promptly reported the entire situation to Meng Zhang.
Impressed by Secret Hall's efficiency, Meng Zhang commended their efforts.
The crisis encountered by Changchun Outlook this time is not just a simple backlash from surrounding cultivation forces; there are also traces of external influences.
The Wonderful Pill Union, a powerful organization originating from the Dali Dynasty, is involved.
Wonderful Pill Union had long controlled a significant portion of the local medicinal market in the Dali Dynasty.
Upon invading the newly acquired territory of Jiuqu Province, they easily crushed the local alchemy market of Jiuqu League with their formidable strength.
Currently, the majority of medicinal pills circulating in Jiuqu Province come from the Wonderful Pill Union. They also purchased most of the spiritual herbs produced by the major cultivation forces in Jiuqu Province.
Taiyi Sect has also had dealings with the Wonderful Pill Union.The pills originally produced by Taiyi Sect in Jiuqu Province were quite popular. However, with the massive influx of pills from the Wonderful Pill Union, Taiyi Sect couldn't compete unless they were willing to operate at a loss, which was not a viable option.
Meng Zhang wasn't the type of person who insisted on competing at all costs. Since they couldn't compete, they decided to withdraw from the pill market in Jiuqu Province. After all, Taiyi Sect and the internal factions of the vast sea alliance could already digest a significant portion of the pills.
Additionally, Taiyi Sect had surplus spiritual herbs and other items that they could sell to the Wonderful Pill Union. In short, it was better for everyone to cooperate and make money rather than engaging in unnecessary disputes.
Unexpectedly, after controlling the pill market in Jiuqu Province, the Wonderful Pill Union wasn't satisfied and continued to target Changchun Outlook. Changchun Outlook had aligned itself with the forces of the Dali Dynasty and had become a part of it.
Although the Wonderful Pill Union was powerful, they couldn't directly take action against Changchun Outlook. Instead, they instigated cultivation forces that had grievances with Changchun Outlook to act on their behalf while providing support from behind the scenes.
Even within the Dali Dynasty, especially in remote areas like Jiuqu Province, where many independent cultivation forces existed, disputes and conflicts were common. As long as they didn't cross certain boundaries, the official authorities of the Dali Dynasty generally preferred not to intervene.
Changchun Outlook's adversaries didn't directly gather a large army of cultivators to attack them. Instead, they deliberately stirred up trouble and conflicts. They sent people to provoke and insult Changchun Outlook's disciples. If the disciples couldn't endure it and took the initiative to fight back, they would fall right into a trap.
They forcefully engaged in fair competitions with Changchun Outlook's disciples, ultimately resulting in their deaths or injuries.
Some of Changchun Outlook's disciples even disappeared inexplicably, and there was no news of them since then.
The Wonderful Pill Union, with its financial power, found various ways to bribe disciples within Changchun Outlook.
When Changchun True Monarch was in charge, he held absolute authority within Changchun Outlook, and no one dared to have dissenting thoughts.
However, he is currently in a deep slumber, and Daoist Master Mu Ri, regardless of his cultivation base or prestige, is far from being able to suppress the opposing factions within the sect.
Suddenly, Changchun Outlook found itself caught in internal and external troubles.
The Wonderful Pill Union didn't have any grudges against Changchun Outlook, nor did they have a strong desire to annihilate them.
In reality, under the rule of the Dali Dynasty, causing a tragic event like exterminating a sect would be troublesome, and the Wonderful Pill Union wouldn't want to deal with the aftermath.The Dali Dynasty is a place where the law is enforced strictly, and the imperial court imposes various restrictions on major powers.
It is only in remote and impoverished regions like Jiuqu Province that the Wonderful Pill Union behaves so recklessly.
If they were operating within the heartland of the Dali Dynasty, the Wonderful Pill Union would be more restrained in their actions.
The goal of the Wonderful Pill Union this time is to recruit outstanding alchemists from Changchun Outlook while obtaining the sect's medicinal gardens.
As a sect renowned for alchemy, Changchun Outlook places great importance on the supply of spiritual herbs.
The cultivation methods of spiritual herbs within Changchun Outlook even surpass standard alchemy techniques.
Within Changchun Outlook, there are many well-established and well-facilitated medicinal gardens.
These gardens contain a wide variety of spiritual herbs with ancient origins.
At regular intervals, these medicinal gardens supply a substantial amount of spiritual herbs to Changchun Outlook.
After losing the external pill market, Changchun Outlook relies heavily on these medicinal gardens to ensure the continuation of alchemical heritage.
Establishing a good medicinal garden comes with many requirements, such as favorable geographical conditions, skilled cultivators, and substantial investment.
However, the most crucial factor is time.
The growth of spiritual herbs requires a long period.
Especially for high-level spiritual herbs, their growth is measured in thousands of years.
Artificial ripening methods employed later can influence the efficacy of the herbs to some extent.
For instance, using spiritual energy to forcefully ripen them cannot replace the natural growth over an extended period.
Although Taiyi Sect has invested significantly in establishing medicinal gardens, the sect's relatively short history has limited the level of these gardens.
If they hadn't inherited some legacies from extinct sects, Taiyi Sect might not have been able to produce so many spiritual herbs.
The Wonderful Pill Union indeed has a keen eye, quickly targeting the two most important assets of Changchun Outlook.
Thinking back to the reports from disciples a few days ago about the Wonderful Pill Union lowering the purchase prices of spiritual herbs, Meng Zhang had some speculations about their intentions.
This river-crossing dragon's appearance is quite unappealing, wanting to snatch everything into its mouth.
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