Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

The county was twenty li away, the prefectural city fifty li, the provincial city a hundred li, and the state city two hundred li. These city-level regulations were all left behind by the Great Yu Dynasty.

Even today, aside from a few specially built cities, the thirteen states of the world still mostly adhere to these rules.

Zhaoyang County was no exception. At twenty li square, although it was the smallest level of regulation, it was complete in every aspect. No matter the layout of the city, just the height of the city gates alone, which stood at ten meters and were forged from thousand-refined fine iron, could not be breached by an ordinary Warrior of the Gang Qi Realm.

At the beginning of the Hai hour, the entire Zhaoyang County had already awakened from slumber. One lamp after another lit up, and quite a few strong warriors rushed toward the East City Gate, eager to investigate the situation.

Let's rewind to the early Hai hour.

Zhaoyang County Town, East City Gate

"Sir, the county government's main doors are sealed. After we forced our way in, we could not find the County Magistrate Ren Feng, nor did we find the County Magistrate's Seal you mentioned. It must be carried on Ren Feng's person."

Despite the doors being sealed below, Cheng Yue's complexion was still ugly to the extreme.

At that moment, a subordinate who had hurriedly arrived whispered something into Cheng Yue's ear, causing a flush of crimson to surge up his cheeks, turning his entire face beet red in an instant.

"I just said this afternoon to be cautious of trouble, and by evening he's gone missing and even took the County Magistrate's Seal with him, fool fool fool, I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill him..."

Bang!

In a fit of rage, Cheng Yue punched directly onto the city wall. A large section of bricks and stones did not just shatter, but actually burst into powder.

Cheng Yue turned his head, his gaze hardening as he looked toward the outside of the cast iron gate.

Outside the ten-meter-tall iron gate, nearly a thousand martial artists in white robes, eyeing the city keenly.

All of them wore gold mountain-patterned emblems on their sleeves and held sharp blades, their cultivation all above the Three Levels of Body Unsealing. If only those were of concern to Cheng Yue, then the hundred or so people at the very front, none with cultivation lower than the Six Levels of Body Unsealing, filled Cheng Yue's eyes with actual fear.

Looking toward the very front of the dense crowd, a square-faced middle-aged man in white robes, wielding a three-foot Qing blade—Cheng Yue's pupils dilated with fear.

If even Cheng Yue felt this way, needless to mention the other warriors who had just arrived at the gate.

"Golden mountain-range, are they sect members of the Mountain Sword Sect?"

"So many people, they've mobilized the entire sect..."

"How dare they travel on the Official Road and enter Yongzhou privately!"

"That person in the front, is he Guixin Sword Tian Linong?"

...…

The whispered voices by his ear caused Cheng Yue's anxiety to grow, making him want to shout at those people to shut up. However, he immediately realized that he might still need their help to defend the city, so he forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart and turned to look at Tian Linong outside the gate.

A thousand thoughts raced through Cheng Yue's mind, and just as he was about to speak, Tian Linong spoke first.

"Yong Rong scum, daring to abduct my daughter, do you think the Righteous Path has no one left? Everyone in the Demon Path of Zhaoyang deserves death. Members of the Mountain Sword Sect, heed my command, break through the gates of Zhaoyang City and slaughter these Demonic Path robbers without mercy!"

Tian Linong's square face and the tone of his voice carried a righteousness fortified by Gang Qi. When broadcast, anyone would feel he was forced into igniting this war.

Cheng Yue's expression dramatically changed as he heard Tian Linong's words. The only thoughts in his mind being "Break through the gates of Zhaoyang City." He couldn't even care if the people inside could hear or not, and immediately harnessed his Gang Qi, issuing a startled cry.

"Attacking Zhaoyang City, Tian Linong, have you lost your mind? Dare you break the peace accord between two states?"

Beneath the city gate, Tian Linong raised his longsword towards the gate, his righteous aura profound.

"A peace treaty personally signed by the Holy Sect, how could Mister Tian dare to break it recklessly? However, your Demon Path in Yongzhou has pushed me too far by abducting my beloved daughter, which is intolerable! Even if the Holy Sect blames me, I am ready to face the consequences.

Enough talk, take this!"

As his words fell, a mountainous sword momentum suddenly awakened from within Tian Linong. With his longsword thrusting forward, the Dan Gang within him tinted the blade, unleashing a dazzling sword Qi over ten meters high, not aimed at Cheng Yue but rather directed at the East City Gate.

Cheng Yue's expression abruptly changed, and the Gang Sha within him surged as he leaped down from the city gate, confronting Tian Linong head-on.

With the city gate between them, although he couldn't stop Tian Linong, at least the disciples of the Mountain Sword Sect could be held off for a moment. But if the gate were broken and it was wide open for these people to enter, Zhaoyang would be in danger.

Without wielding any weapons, Cheng Yue leaped down from the city wall, facing Tian Linong's dazzling sword light without a trace of fear, his face instead showing a fierce determination. As his body swelled, an enduring and overwhelmingly powerful Gang Sha enveloped him, instantly raising his momentum by several levels.

If Gang is strength, then Sha is the edge. Although Cheng Yue was using his fists, it felt as though he was wielding double swords, combined with that unceasing Gang Sha Qi, he momentarily did not fall short against Tian Linong in the slightest.

Clang...

Their fists and sword collided violently, sending out a cacophony of metallic clangs outside the East City Gate.

The terrifying force of the clash kicked up dust and sand into the air, and in the black of night, neither the people inside Zhaoyang City nor the sect members of the Mountain Sword Sect could see the situation clearly.

But as the dust settled, there was a moment of shock.

Against Tian Linong's sword light, Cheng Yue had only retreated three steps.

He actually blocked... Guixin Sword Tian Linong!

"How is this possible!"

"That's the tiger-ranked 496th master, Guixin Sword Tian Linong."

"Am I seeing things..."

...

The Demon Path has the New Stars, Demon Heads, and Giants Rankings while the Righteous Path, apart from various Demon Extermination Lists, also has the Heaven, Dragon, and Tiger Rankings.

The New Star Ranking includes a hundred warriors under fifty years of age from the Gang Qi Realm, whereas the Tiger List is different, this list includes the top five hundred strongest warriors from the Gang Qi Realm across the seven states of the Righteous Path.

The difference between the two is obvious, between the most potential warriors of the Gang Qi Realm and the strongest warriors of the Gang Qi Realm.

A single example illustrates the gap between them, the top 500 experts on the Tiger List, all are warriors at the peak of the Three Realms of Gang Qi Embracing Elixir phase, whereas on the New Star Ranking, there are many like Cheng Yue who only possess the cultivation of the Gang Qi Second Realm Gathering Evil Phase.

Although people in the martial world always compare warriors from the two rankings, everyone knows that there is a vast difference in their weight.

With over ten billion people in Shenzhou and warriors as numerous as the stars and as vast as the sea of smoke, even someone like Tian Linong, ranked at 496, barely making it onto the list, should not be underestimated for his strength.

Even if we take a step back, Cheng Yue hasn't yet made it to the Demon Path New Star Ranking, but Tian Linong is an authentic master ranked on the Tiger List!

.........

"As expected of King Ding's top disciple, your Righteous Gang Qi is truly impressive. There should indeed be a place for you on the Demon Path New Star Ranking!"

Not just others, even Tian Linong's expression changed as he looked at Cheng Yue.

He was at the peak cultivation of the Embrace the Pill Realm. Although the Sword Qi he just unleashed was not his strongest means, it was far beyond what a normal warrior in the Gathering Evil Phase could compare to, yet Cheng Yue managed to block it.

Having been active in the martial world for many years, he immediately recognized the root of the Gang Qi in Cheng Yue's body to be the supreme technique of Ding Dian, the Religious Protector King of Tongling County, the Righteous Gang Qi.

This Illuminating Gang Qi was not a mental method, but a purely first-class martial art that nurtured ceaseless evil energy, forging the body into a weapon, far surpassing ordinary armaments. Not to mention Cheng Yue's fists turning into swords just now, at higher levels of this martial art, one's whole body could transform into a weapon.

Favored with praise from Tian Linong, Cheng Yue felt not a hint of joy in his heart, but was instead filled with solemnity and unease. He had nearly exerted his full strength with that move, and yet the other party was not even serious yet...

How could he continue this fight?

"Sect Master Tian..."

"No need to say more, if you, Cheng Yue, can block me, then I might as well not enter Zhaoyang City today!"

Cheng Yue was just about to argue, but Tian Linong didn't even give him a chance.

Tian Linong, holding a longsword, pointed it in the air, instantly creating a bright spot. In an instant, his inner core infused into the blade. With a leap, he crafted a sword force as heavy as mountains, instantly enveloping the whole area.

The bright spot he had just created instantly transformed into dozens of sword energies in the air, assembling into a silvery mountain range. Then, the mountain crumbled, suddenly concentrating together and sweeping over, heading straight for Cheng Yue's chest.

The name of the sword in Tian Linong's hand was not the Guixin Sword, but the Three-feet Edge.

The Guixin Sword refers to his famous sword technique!

Second-rate martial arts, Mountain Heart Returning Sword Art...

The Sword Qi reflected in Cheng Yue's pupils, and although a look of fear appeared on his face, there was more of a blend of madness and ruthlessness...

"The Holy Maiden is here, how can I let you be so presumptuous? Even if you are a master of the Tiger List, I will fight you with all I've got today!"

Cheng Yue roared lowly, unceasingly generating Righteous Gang Qi from within his body. Using both fists and palms, the ceaseless Illuminating Gang Qi enveloped his entire body, becoming a sharp blade, advancing undeterred to meet the sword light...

.............

In Nanling Mountain, at the Green Wolf Gang's mine,

Ren Feng looked down at the County Magistrate's Seal he was holding, it was emitting a dazzling red light. He occasionally looked towards the direction of the city. His aged face was already covered in panic.

"I haven't left Zhaoyang City for over twenty years, how could it be that something happens the moment I step out, I've been duped by that damn kid, duped..."

He had thought his reverse psychology had worked, that Hou Yuxiao would indeed come to the gold mine tonight. So, after parting with Cheng Yue in the afternoon, he came to the mine.

Who would have guessed that from the You Hour he'd wait all the way to the early Hai Hour without a glimpse of Hou Yuxiao.

When he noticed the red light emanating from the County Magistrate's Seal, it was already the early Hai Hour.

An important reason why the thirteen states generally do not meddle with each other is that each place's County Magistrate's Seal, Prefectural Magistrate's Order, and Prefectural Governor's Order can monitor local personnel movements at any time.

Although minor individual movements can be observed everywhere, as long as there aren't any major issues, no one bothers about it.

But now, as his County Magistrate's Seal from Zhaoyang was emitting such dazzling red light, it could mean only one thing...

A large group of people from the Righteous Path had crossed the official road and burst in.

Taking into account his current perception of the situation in Zhaoyang City, as well as that dazzling sword light, Ren Feng could no longer be oblivious...

"The little bastard has colluded with the Righteous Path. I need to go back and report to the Prefectural Magistrate, report to the Holy Church. It's all his fault... all his fault!"

Ren Feng said so, but the fear in his eyes did not diminish at all. He knew that being the County Magistrate and having not noticed the changes in Xu State in time was a grave mistake, let alone now when the Righteous Path was storming the city, and he wasn't even in the county...

This County Magistrate's Seal is the key to activating the settlement barrier for defending the city!

"What to do, even if I go back now, whether or not the city has been breached, those from the Righteous Path won't spare me. It's too late to make amends for neglecting my duty, if the Holy Church assigns blame, I'm also on a path to death. What to do, what to do..."

As Ren Feng's mind whirled with thoughts and his face displayed extreme panic, he was nearly driven to the point of spitting blood from the anxiety.

"Junior, junior, junior, Hou Yuxiao you damned brat, you've trapped me in this dire situation, I will exterminate your whole family in the future, tear you to pieces, ah ah ah ah!!"

"Dad, I'm back…"

Just as he was pacing anxiously on the spot, a voice suddenly came through, it was his son Ren Hu, whom he had sent out to scout the situation.

Instantly, a glimmer of hope appeared on Ren Feng's face, as he watched his son approaching through the night, hoping he would bring some good news.