Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 306: 169, Sub-saint's shattered dream_2

"At the third rank of the Indestructible Realm, one can actually suppress the Confucian and Daoist Righteous Qi. Is this what the wise ones meant when they said 'For every foot of road, there is a foot of demon'? Indeed, it's formidable, Hong'er, you have become smarter, and you have grown stronger..."

Ji Yanzhi, with his head pierced through, moved his lips, creating a somewhat eerie scene. His tone, though complex, was still very solemn.

As his voice faded, his body slowly became ethereal. The wound on his forehead gradually disappeared, and his body moved backward in mid-air about one tael of a meter, just escaping Maiden Hong's sharp tendrils, still standing there unscathed.

"A Great Confucian and Taoist Expert has long seen through everything in The World, avoiding life and death, which is both part of the natural order and instinct. To think you could kill me so easily! It's not that simple!"

Ji Yanzhi seemed to have accepted the situation. He put away the shock on his face, and only solemnity remained. The aura of Confucianism slowly rose around him, quickly forming a hundred li wave of Vast Righteous Qi in the sky.

"That's also true, the methods of Confucianism do have their unique aspects. How could I dare to contest with you here if I had not tapped into the breakthrough of the Indestructible Realm through you?"

By now, Maiden Hong had become quite unrestrained. As her voice fell, clouds tumbled ceaselessly, and a massive wave of Demon Qi dozens of li wide rolled across the sky, within which countless demons and ghosts appeared, as if the underworld had re-emerged. The screams and wails of demons filled the space between heaven and earth, constantly devouring Ji Yanzhi's hundred li wave of Vast Righteous Qi from all directions.

Facing this terrifying wave of Demon Qi, Ji Yanzhi had no power to retaliate. His hundred li wave of Confucian Vast Righteous Qi was swallowed up in an instant, leaving him standing alone in the air, about to be covered by the Demon Qi at any moment.

"Is this... the demon of the Indestructible Realm?"

"A third rank Karmic Position, this is the third rank, a hundred thousand... no, even if twenty thousand troops came, they wouldn't be able to stop this Blood Demon, how are we supposed to fight this? Should we start running now..."

"Run? Can you run more than two hundred li? If the Blood Demon wants to kill us, it probably won't even need a glance, running will only get you killed faster!"

"Not running isn't it also waiting for death here? Even a Great Confucian and Taoist Expert can't stop it, this Blood Demon, I fear only the lord of the Holy Land could handle it."

...

The raging sea of blood was already terrifying just from the sight, not to mention the oppressive aura emanating from it, creating an unparalleled sense of oppression. Many people below, when they spoke, their voices trembled.

At this moment, Hou Yuxiao's eyes were also filled with fear, but unlike the others, he occasionally shifted his gaze to look at the facial expressions of six high masters and some other individuals, as these masters of the Holy Land surely knew more.

Among the six high masters, Master Fanyin and Chief of Yuanfa were the most composed, the other four appeared slightly panicked, while Hou Yuxiao glanced around and suddenly fixed his gaze on Tian Fazheng...

He found that Tian Fazheng's expression was the most composed!

Ji Yanzhi was his teacher, and one would not expect a student to have such an expression when a teacher was in peril, unless he had sufficient confidence...

This thought flashed through Hou Yuxiao's mind, suddenly a chanting voice came from above, and like everyone else, he quickly looked up at the sky, his face showing a trace of surprise.

"I desire fish and also bear's paw. Both cannot be obtained, so one gives up fish for bear's paw. I desire life and also righteousness. Both cannot be obtained, so one gives up life for righteousness.

I desire life, and there are things I desire more than life, so I will not stoop to any means to gain it; I detest death, and there are things I detest more than death, so there are disasters I will not avoid."

If people desired nothing more than life, then why not use any means to preserve it? If people detested nothing more than death, then why not do anything to avoid peril?

Therefore, there are instances of not using means to preserve life, and instances of not doing anything to avoid peril.

Thus, there are things desirables more than life, and evils more detestable than death. Not only the wise have this in mind, but everyone possesses it, and the wise are simply able not to lose it."

After a long recitation by Ji Yanzhi, the Vast Righteous Qi that had been devoured by the Demon Qi suddenly surged out from his body like sparks of fire, and then spread across the sky, even more magnificently and astonishingly than before.

Simultaneously, countless scrolls and books appeared behind him, along with nine ethereal figures in Confucian robes. These figures encircled the tall figure in white clothing in the center like stars around the moon.

The vast aura of Confucianism spread across the sky and settled upon the earth, stirring in everyone's heart an impulse to worship, especially at the sight of the tall figure in the middle, several of the Xuzhou Army soldiers immediately kneeled down, loudly proclaiming, "We pay our respects to the Master."

Master?

Hou Yuxiao's eyes narrowed slightly, and turning his head, he just caught a glimpse of Tian Fazheng, bowing deeply to the figure of the Master behind Ji Yanzhi, performing a standard student's salute.

Not just him, Fifth Brother Hou Yuduan at that time also bowed to the apparition...

The founder of Confucian and Taoist philosophy,

The only Confucian Saint,

The compiler of saintly scriptures, the teacher who enlightens all scholars in The World.

The World's Foremost Confucian Saint

......

There was simply too much information about this master; Hou Yuxiao couldn't count them all. He knew the man held a high position, but he hadn't realized that even Hou Yuduan, who had never been to Bailu Academy, would hold him in such high regard. A trace of confusion suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Hou Yuduan noticed his confusion and stood up to speak immediately.

"I started to open my eight orifices by reading the master's classics, without the master, I could not have walked the path of Confucian cultivation. Now that I have the chance to meet the master, naturally, I must uphold the etiquette of a student."

Hou Yuduan not only resolved Hou Yuxiao's confusion but also made Tian Fazheng beside him show a hint of admiration. He looked up at the sky, a spark of fervor flashing in his eyes as he spoke passionately, "The teacher's essays have drawn the approval of nine sages and the master; the realm of the Sub-saint is now just within reach!"

"I heard that in order to advance further, a great Confucian must gain the approval of the master and the sages, and through one's essays and poems, one showcases one's convictions... As long as it catches the eye of the master and the sages, Ji Yanzhi, it seems, is planning to break through..."

"There's no other way; without breaking through, we can't deal with this Blood Demon!"

"Let's hope he succeeds, otherwise, we might all die."

"Exactly, and besides, we could witness the birth of a Confucian and Taoist Sub-Saint..."

......

The whispered conversations on the ground did not affect the changes in the sky in any way; the Vast Righteous Qi continued to ascend. The master's phantom and the nine Confucian sages seemed to be reviewing the scrolls, directly facing Ji Yanzhi, just watching him, expressionless.

"Do you desire something more than life, detest something more than death?"

"Indeed!"

"Do you wish to forsake life for the sake of righteousness?"

"Indeed!"

"What is your utmost desire, exceeded only by life?"

"The Great Unity of the World, the well-being of the people, the unification of the nine provinces, eternal peace for all generations..."

Three sages stepped forward and posed three probing questions, like a teacher testing a student; these questions originated from the very essays Ji Yanzhi had just written and pointed directly to his heart.

Faced with these three questions, Ji Yanzhi didn't hesitate at all; his face was as serene as ever as he answered, and the sixteen words he spoke last were uttered without a second thought, looking up at the sky, expression filled with devout reverence.

Although the faces of the nine sages and the master in the sky were unclear, everyone could feel that they were pleased with Ji Yanzhi at that moment.

Ji Yanzhi's path to becoming a Sub-Saint seemed to be just within reach.

At that moment, the master, surrounded by stars like the moon, also took a step forward and extended his right hand towards Ji Yanzhi's crown, clearly about to make a definitive statement.

But just then, a voice suddenly came from behind Ji Yanzhi.

"Brother, do you feel any remorse toward me?"

Ji Yanzhi's face showed a trace of calmness, and he turned around to answer the question directly, but with that turn, his expression instantly froze.

Maiden Hong's garb had turned from red to white at some unknown time, and her previously sinister and frenzied expression had also become calm and tranquil.

And as Ji Yanzhi looked her way, her eyes also timely showed a mix of fear and apprehension, as if afraid of something, her eyes even misty with a layer of tears, looking pitiful to the extreme.

Ji Yanzhi closed his eyes, and a surge of repressed blood rose to his throat, his face instantly turning pale, his white hair withering in an instant.

"A failure, after all."

With a light sigh, the vitality in Ji Yanzhi's entire body began to decline.

The moment his expression froze, the master and the nine great sages behind him had already vanished, and as his vitality waned, the Vast Righteous Qi behind him also seemed to abandon him, slowly dissipating into the heavens and earth.