Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 288: 162, A chill in my heart_2

Well, well, just now you were praising the Hou Family for effectively managing Zhaoyang, but the moment I refused your recruitment, you immediately slapped a label on me...

"Hahaha, isn't that laughable? Earlier, when your son Ding Peng entered the city, he closed the gates privately, hoping to trap those thirty thousand Mansion Army soldiers. Tonight, with the Blood Demon causing chaos in the city, instead of thinking about how to kill demons and save the people, Leiyin Temple is taking advantage of the fire, wanting to seize Tongling and endanger the lives of the common folk. I think Leiyin Temple is more fitting for the title than our Rakshasa Holy Sect!"

Hou Yuxiao had not yet spoken; beside him, Fan Longhe couldn't help but snort coldly, clearly looking down on Leiyin Temple, his tone filled with heavy sarcasm.

This statement was quite justifiable, but unfortunately, Ding Buhai still stared at Hou Yuxiao with the same expression, not acting as if he had heard anything, deeming the severely injured Fan Longhe unimportant at this moment.

"I'll ask again, Master of Hou Family, do you truly wish to continue following the Demon Sect?"

Hou Yuxiao raised his head, looked at Ding Buhai's threatening eyes, and did not respond, instead revealing a cold smirk.

Ding Buhai didn't continue to waste words; a strong aura of True Yuan emanated from the Heavenly Gate Acupoint at his brow, his whole presence escalating instantly, his hands clasped together before his body lurched forward, aiming to make a move against the two brothers directly.

The oppressive might of a great grandmaster was nearly overwhelming, letting Hou Yuxiao realize how fortunate he was just now for having killed Ding Dian and also made him aware that the major reason for being able to kill Ding Dian through combined surprise attacks with Hou Yuduan was largely due to Ding Buhai's deliberate indulgence.

However, even faced with Ding Buhai's powerful pressure, Hou Yuxiao's face still showed no sign of fear, merely watching the charging Ding Buhai and lightly clapping twice, producing two crisp sounds.

"Sect Master Ding, we caught a bunch of people on our way here, take a look!"

Ding Buhai's expression faltered, not understanding what Hou Yuxiao meant until a rather gentle voice came from below; only then did he stop his assault on Hou Yuxiao and looked down, his expression turning somewhat ugly.

Below the eastern city, the resistance of three thousand deserters was nearing its end; with nearly a thousand people slaughtered, Peng Ling captured, and more and more dropping their weapons, giving up resistance with ashen faces.

Behind these people, from the direction inside the city, came a teeming crowd of about a thousand people, the individuals in the middle merely clad in thin clothes, tied together, guarded by two to three hundred Hou Family Warriors dressed in black, led by a young man in dark red attire holding a pale-headed young man, who was indeed his son... Ding Peng.

Ding Buhai took a deep breath, not glancing at Hou Yujie who captured his son but focusing his gaze directly on Hou Yuxiao; his eyes gradually darkened.

Seeing this scene, Ding Buhai wasn't particularly surprised; he had already suspected that the Great Luo Sect members might have been compromised when they appeared dressed in Hou fighters' attire at the eastern gate, prompting him to orchestrate Ding Dian's defection in advance, securing Peng Ling's forces as his chess move.

Guessing was one thing, but witnessing his son and those more than a thousand controlled was another, darkening Ding Buhai's face to the extreme.

Now with Peng Ling's forces lost, those of the Great Luo Sect gone, and his son Ding Peng captured, none of these were good news for him and Leiyin Temple.

He had been planted in Tongling for so many years by his sect, and before he could officially begin the takeover, he already found himself with no men left; if he couldn't figure out a remedy, this trip to Leiyin Temple might just end in failure...

After pondering for a long while, Ding Buhai finally set his gaze on Hou Yuxiao. This time he didn't try to persuade or threaten; instead, he asked with a solemn face.

"Master of Hou Family, do you really want to enter these troubled waters?"

Hou Yuxiao, initially smug, also restrained his expression somewhat, clearly understanding what Ding Buhai meant.

The struggle for Tongling had become more than a simple dispute over one city; with the appearance of the Great Confucian and Taoist expert, the emergence of Haoran Holy Sect, Great Yu Holy Dynasty, Bailu Academy, Wanjian Holy Sect, Rakshasa Holy Sect, and five major Holy Lands along with Leiyin Temple, the six mightiest forces under the heavens had all convened here.

For a mere Hou family, even a slight misstep could lead to utter destruction, which is why Ding Buhai posed this question, asking Hou Yuxiao if he really wanted to get involved.

"The little Hou family, what merit or ability do we have? Mr. Hou's actions up to now have all been for guarding the territory for the Holy Church. Sect Master Ding's words, please forgive me... I do not understand."

Watching Hou Yuxiao feign ignorance, Ding Buhai's expression darkened even further. However, seeing his son Ding Peng and those more than a thousand Great Luo Sect members below and being unable to act rashly, he could only calm his emotions and said, "As long as you release these people and take your men out of Tongling, your Hou Family's past actions will be forgotten by our sect. Furthermore, I also promise you that Leiyin Temple will not pursue any charges. These are the best terms I can offer!"

At this point, he paused, and the recently calmed tone took on a hint of threat again, "Master of Hou Family, you'd better think this through. If Tongling is lost, the Demon Sect will be too busy to take care of itself, let alone care for your Hou Family. By then, if Leiyin Temple pursues, divine wrath will descend, and your Hou family will find no way out!"

The carrot and the stick, this rhetoric, truly shook Hou Yuxiao a bit. Thinking of the titles like 'Quasi-Holy Land' for Leiyin Temple and the most formidable grand force, the Zen Holy Land, he indeed felt somewhat unsettled.