Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 236: 143. Qinglong Association (11)

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"Kill..."

"Where did all these demons come from?"

"There are at least a few thousand demons; we can't fight them, Commander, we must retreat."

"Shut your mouth. Everyone, close ranks! Each of the three Great Commanders is to lead their troops in slaying demons, and all military overseers must make sure nobody retreats—anyone who dares to take a single step back shall be punished for treason!"

"Second Battalion, following orders."

"Third Battalion, following orders."

...

The last group of martial artists at Shili Slope was frantically fleeing westward.

This group had originally been waiting to take advantage of any opportunities, numbering over twenty, most with Dan Embracing Phase cultivation. However, now facing thousands of ferocious demons covering the heavens and earth, they could only flee for their lives.

As they left the outskirts of Shili Slope, a tumultuous noise approached, and they all stopped. Looking forward, they discovered an army of about forty thousand soldiers fiercely battling the demons.

"That's Leader Gui, the Mansion Army—it's the Mansion Army!"

"Should we go help?"

"Saving our own lives is what's important. Haven't you seen that ragtag army retreating? If we don't run now, it'll be too late!"

...

These people had come quickly and were leaving just as fast, with no intention of helping the Mansion Army resist the demons. Instead, they circled around the army, running toward Prefectural City.

At the front of the army, Gui Yutang slew a serpent demon with his sword. Hearing the noises around him, he turned to look back at the Mansion Army's rear and his face became extremely grave.

Xingnan Mansion Army was divided into three battalions. He commanded one battalion, while Fan Zhendong and Peng Ling led the other two, each battalion consisting of ten thousand soldiers, totaling only thirty thousand. The other tens of thousands were from the nine influential clans within the prefecture, summoned to face this disaster by Fan Longhe and Ding Dian. Now, in the absence of Fan Longhe, they naturally fell under his command.

At this moment, tens of thousands of demons charged. His thirty thousand Xingnan Mansion Army soldiers were fighting for their lives, yet those ten thousand others were all crouching at the back. Not only were they at the back, but he also saw some of them scattering and running away.

Witnessing this, Gui Yutang's pupils contracted, and fury overwhelmed his heart.

Tens of thousands of demons charging together was indeed formidable, but battlefield confrontation was different from personal combat. Most of these demons were not of any particular grade, with only about a dozen equivalent to Dan Embracing Phase martial artists as Ninth Grade Demons.

Demons that hadn't reached a grade lacked intelligence, relying only on simple instinctual means to injure others. If all the soldiers held the formation together, they would not be powerless to stop them. As for the dozen Ninth Grade Demons, he and the other two Great Commanders, along with some experts in the army, could hold them off for a while.

He did want to retreat to Prefectural City, but with Fan Longhe, Ding Dian, and Master Fanyin still at Shili Slope and not yet across, it was impossible for him to rashly lead a retreat. He could only continue with the deployment, and everything was originally going according to his plan.

But now, the evasive and withdrawing actions of those over ten thousand people from the nine influential clans, whether out of fear or self-preservation, would lead to the collapse of his plan.

The most taboo thing in battle formations is scattering and fleeing.

One person scattering isn't a problem, but the issue is that it can easily trigger a chain reaction. With tens of thousands of demons already overwhelming, even he felt some trepidation, let alone the soldiers at the body-opening level. If a large-scale panic-induced retreat were to happen, the complete annihilation of the entire army was not out of the question.

He had to find a way to stop them, or the consequences would be dire...

"Fan Zhendong, take command for me. I must go back and stop those fools!"

Leaving these words behind, Gui Yutang rode his tall horse quickly to the rear. Seeing that there were still people retreating and running away, a fierce look flashed in his eyes. Drawing the longsword at his waist, his Core Essence Qi surged forth. With a fierce swipe, a more than ten meters long crimson Sword Qi suddenly shot out, cutting directly toward the crowd that was clustering together to flee.

Pfft...

With this sword strike, it was like slicing through vegetables—over a dozen people running for their lives were instantly bisected, and their blood sprayed all over the ground.

This bloody scene clearly, for the moment, curbed the fear in everyone's hearts.

Suddenly, the entire rear fell silent. Everyone, looking at Gui Yutang's frosty face, felt significantly calmer in their hearts.

The over ten thousand troops were clearly divided into nine formations, with Da Luo Sect Forces being the most numerous, accounting for about half. The other eight clans were not far behind, each with roughly eight hundred soldiers.

Gui Yutang's gaze swept over the nine formations, and he spoke in a stern voice.

"With the enemy before us, anyone who dares to retreat will be punished for treason. I will not forgive them. Ding Peng, Liu Jianghe, Nie Xinliu, Tu Ling, Bai Dongning, Hou Yucheng, Yu Guixuan, Li Shiji, Zhang Nanhe, keep a close watch on your own people. If there is any more incitement to revolt, after this matter is resolved, I will report to the County Magistrate and the Master and have you punished for your crimes!"

The nine individuals he called out, the leaders of the nine influential clan forces in the county, aside from Tu Ling, who was the Vice Sect Leader of Lonely Moon Sect, and Li Shiji, the sole heir of Sect Leader Li Sanyun of Medicine Dust Sect, all possessed Gathering Evil Phase cultivation.

The nine, hearing the threat in Gui Yutang's voice, had their expressions slightly shift. Only Ding Peng showed an abnormal look on his face.

"Liu Jianghe of West Cloud Escort Agency, following orders!"

"Nie Xinliu of Hongdao Gang, following orders."

"Bai Dongning of Bai Clan, following orders."

"Li Shiji of Medicine Dust Sect, following orders."

One after the other, four leaders nodded in response. Gui Yutang's expression finally eased somewhat. Yet, looking at Da Luo Sect's Ding Peng and Hou Clan's Hou Yucheng, who were still silent, his face immediately darkened again.

Tu Ling of Lonely Moon Sect, Yu Guixuan of Qijue Gate, Zhang Nanhe of Ling Cheng Escort Agency—these three were men of Ding Dian. Their lack of cooperation or a slower response was somewhat understandable. However, something was amiss with Da Luo Sect and Hou Clan.

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