Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 540 The News Reaches the Vermillion Throne

The Mu Clan had just dispatched invitation letters to every major sect and clan, including the Imperial Family itself.

These invitations started flooding in, each marked with the unmistakable emblem of the Mu Clan.

Initially, most recipients dismissed them as routine, paying little heed.

After all, the Mu Clan stood as a formidable force, boasting one of the finest alchemy heritages in the Desolate Heaven Empire.

Yet, with numerous other clans also harboring plenty of Grade-6 Alchemists, their status and sway fell short of true dominance.

Such was the reality for many alchemist clans throughout the Desolate Heaven Empire.

In truth, the Desolate Heaven Empire prized raw combat power above all, ordering clans by that measure alone.

At any rate, it amounted to mere celebration invites.

Maybe marking some accomplishment.

Hardly deserving a second glance.

Yet the instant the seals cracked open—

The tide turned completely.

Stunned disbelief!

That alone defined their response.

Gazes locked onto the words inside.

Breaths hitched.

Faces turned rigid.

This spectacle unfolded repeatedly throughout the empire.

For the invitation boldly proclaimed one irrefutable fact.

The Mu Clan had birthed a Grandmaster Alchemist.

And they summoned all to join the festivities.

Those privy to spy reports beforehand felt marginally less rattled.

Just a touch.

Suspicion could never match solid proof.

What lingered before was mere uncertainty.

Now certainty reigned!

Various factions reacted in their own distinct ways to the revelation.

Mu Clan allies erupted in joy upon hearing it, none more than the intimately linked Bai Clan.

Already surging forward at breakneck speed, the Bai Clan now eyed even swifter growth with the Mu Clan's new Grandmaster Alchemist.

Bai Clan elders cheered wildly at the tidings.

Nothing seemed poised to halt the Bai Clan's ascent.

Bai Tianheng especially beamed with delight upon hearing the

He understood full well the constraints facing alchemist clans in the Desolate Heaven Empire and had sought ways to aid the Mu Clan.

Still, securing a Grade-7 recipe proved tougher than claiming a Heavenly Grade cultivation technique.

To acquire one demanded acquaintance with a Grandmaster Alchemist, plus repaying a massive debt—like saving their life—for even a single formula.

But such feats bordered on impossible in the Eastern Region, where the Vermillion Pill Empire monopolized all Grandmaster Alchemists.

Suddenly, Bai Tianheng recalled his recent chat with Bai Zihan. (Did he foresee this?)

He pondered if Bai Zihan's extended stay stemmed from foreknowledge of Mu Tianxuan's impending breakthrough, lingering to witness it.

And that cryptic advice to hold off a few days, hinting at securing the needed pill.

In addition, an extra missive arrived with the invite, warning of potential Vermillion Pill Empire meddling.

Given the Bai Clan's duty to shield the Mu Clan, advance notice of threats proved essential.

Bai Tianheng grasped this and rallied his forces.

Besides, stripped of their alchemy edge, the Vermillion Pill Empire amounted to mere pushovers against the Bai Clan.

Meanwhile, Li-Zhao faction members wore faces twisted like they'd swallowed filth.

"Dammit! Why'd it have to be the Mu Clan?"

Li Jianhong spat out the curse.

Already trailing the Bai Clan badly, now came word that

an alchemist family tightly bound to the Bai Clan

boasted a Grandmaster?

How could fortune sour so harshly for them?

Had it been one of theirs, they'd have skyrocketed under their patronage.

Had it been a neutral or Bai-leaning figure, they'd spare no expense to lure them over.

But no, it landed with the Mu Clan.

Sealed by Mu Yuelan's union with Bai Tianheng, and Bai Zihan poised as their future leader,

that bond stood virtually indissoluble.

Bai Clan adversaries harbored matching frustrations.

Why did the Bai Clan hoard all the blessings?

Why no breakthroughs from their own alchemist partners?

Were the heavens truly biased?

Complaints aside, every group had to honor the summons.

A Grandmaster in the Mu Clan demanded universal respect.

***

Distant lands—

In a majestic palace carved from timeless jade and flames—

The Vermillion Pill Empire!

Tension hung thick and suffocating.

No soul dared utter a word.

At the heart, one figure remained prostrated.

His frame shook without cease.

Sweat soaked his robes.

He'd relayed every scrap: Mu Tianxuan's apparent leap

to Grade-7 Alchemist status.

Every last detail.

From the pill tribulation—

To the invitations.

And then—

Dead silence!

A heavy silence hung oppressively, dragging on endlessly.

Not a single person stirred.

No one dared to draw breath too loudly.

For high above them—

Upon the jade throne—

Sat the sovereign of the Vermillion Pill Empire.

Fury twisted his face into a mask of sheer terror.

BANG!

A faint crack spiderwebbed across the jade throne from his mighty blow.

A fearsome aura erupted outward.

Raw, uncontained fury!

This turn of events blindsided him completely.

A Grandmaster Alchemist emerging beyond their grasp.

"Unacceptable!"

Thoughts churned wildly in his head.

Assessing, scheming feverishly.

Three scenarios took shape.

First—

Treachery! One insider had covertly handed a Grade-7 recipe to the Mu Clan.

Second—

Theft! The Mu Clan had snatched a Grade-7 recipe via some hidden method.

Third—

An outsider from distant lands had intervened to aid them.

None boded well.

Whatever the source, the outcome stayed fixed.

Now another power beyond the Vermillion Pill Empire commanded a Grandmaster Alchemist.

That struck at their supremacy.

Their centuries of unchallenged rule.

Their iron grip on regional alchemy.

Such defiance could never stand.

His eyes turned icy.

A verdict formed in a flash.

"Send out my orders! Summon all the best alchemists of my Empire."

His fingers clenched tighter on the armrest.

"They are to assemble immediately and personally go to the Desolate Heaven Empire."

A wave of shock swept the hall, though none showed it.

The Emperor's gaze chilled further.

"This matter will not be left unresolved."

His voice sank lower.

His voice dropped further, brimming with clear killing intent.

"A newly ascended Grandmaster?"

A cold sneer flickered.

The hall's pressure mounted. "Good! Very good!"

Then—

His voice thundered.

"We will let the entire world witness—"

"What a true Grandmaster looks like."

A heavy pause. Then the final decree crashed down like doom. "Prepare. We will thoroughly humiliate him!"