Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 356: 187. Forced conscription, hold for three days_2

After all, it was his first time witnessing a battle of such magnitude, and although his heart fluttered with a hint of unease, excitement dominated his emotions.

During this period, he had interacted quite a bit with Su Li and learned that the Hou Clan could rule a county and was on par with the Divine Sound Sect where he had spent his childhood. Now Yongzhou was the aggressor, and if they could crush Wanyang County in one fell swoop, then they would call the shots hereafter. If the Hou Clan, where his master belonged, also participated, their future status in Wanyang County would surely be lofty. As the waters rise, so does the boat, and with his master's status elevated, his own as a disciple would not remain the same.

Of course, these were just the unseen benefits. More critically, he had just found out that Yun Ye County had been breached by the Yongzhou army two days ago. Ordinarily, the Divine Sound Sect would have been wiped out by the Yongzhou army without any mishaps, but regrettably, the defeated army from Tongling arrived in time to save those disciples of Divine Sound Sect, who were now staying within the city.

Wan Xiaolou's eyes briefly flashed a trace of ferociousness, he, along with Wan XiaoJin and four others, had been abducted into the Divine Sound Sect since childhood to serve as human posts, enduring inhumane tortures that left them deaf. Their hatred for the Divine Sound Sect ran bone-deep, and with the sect's people now in the city, he saw an excellent opportunity for revenge.

"Even Brother Su, who was randomly assigned by my master, has cultivation at the Gang Qi Realm, and there are more than thirty martial artists at the Seventh Level of Body Opening. The Hou Clan's power is definitely stronger than the Divine Sound Sect. If the Yongzhou army can break into the city, I will definitely use my master's help to exterminate every disciple and sect member of the Divine Sound Sect!"

Wan Xiaolou softly chanted in his heart, eyes burning with the flames of hatred.

Seeing the look on Wan Xiaolou's face, Su Li instantly knew what he was thinking. Over time, he had come to understand quite a bit about the affairs of Wan Xiaolou and his siblings and knew of his hatred for the Divine Sound Sect. Growing up in Zhaoyang himself, with a life just as full of hardships as Wan Xiaolou's, he knew how hard it was to extinguish such hatred and naturally did not try to console him.

"Let's head back. We don't know what might happen in the battle within the city, so it's best not to linger outside. It would be trouble if anything happened."

"Alright!"

Just as the two were about to leave, suddenly, a soldier riding a swift horse came galloping from the west of the city, thundering along and shouting:

"The Yongzhou army has invaded our lands, Lu Sword Executor has activated the City-Protecting Sword Array and repelled the enemy. The situation at the western gate is critical. All martial artists of the fifth level of body refinement and above within the city are now compulsorily conscripted to defend the western gate. You must report at the western gate within an hour. Those who fail to appear will be executed without mercy!"

"The Yongzhou army has invaded our lands, Lu Sword Executor has activated the City-Protecting Sword Array and repelled the enemy. The situation at the western gate is critical. All martial artists of the fifth level of body refinement and above within the city are now compulsorily conscripted to defend the western gate. You must report at the western gate within an hour. Those who fail to appear will be executed without mercy!"

"The Yongzhou army has invaded our lands, Lu Sword Executor has activated the City-Protecting Sword Array and repelled the enemy. The situation at the western gate is critical. All martial artists of the fifth level of body refinement and above within the city are now compulsorily conscripted to defend the western gate. You must report at the western gate within an hour. Those who fail to appear will be executed without mercy!"

The soldier's shouting never ceased, resounding all the way until his voice faded. Su Li and Wan Xiaolou exchanged glances, spotting a trace of darkness in each other's eyes.

"Compulsory conscription? Then we must go as well, Brother Su?"

Su Li nodded gravely and said, "In times of war, the Sword Control Bureau has a clear record of how many people are in the city. Those who fail to arrive will be executed without mercy. This means that they will start searching the city within an hour. We have to go, or if we're caught, we'll be dead!"

After speaking, Su Li hurriedly led Wan Xiaolou back to their residence to inform the rest of the Geng Division to rush to the western gate to report.

......

Inside the western gate, within an inconspicuous civilian house, more than ten people gathered together.

Sitting at the head of the table was a handsome middle-aged man in white robes, his face as fine as jade. More than a dozen members of the Wanjian Holy Sect, all with a steady and formidable air, were seated on either side of him. In the middle, two people stood facing the man in white, looking somewhat nervous.

No one spoke, and not just the two who were standing seemed uneasy; the expressions on everyone else's faces were also grim. The silence made the atmosphere in the room tense and foreboding.

In the entire house, only the white-robed middle-aged man seated at the head seemed as composed as ever. After waiting for a dozen breaths, he finally addressed the standing person.

"Lu Guanqing, have they taken over the walls?"

"Reporting to the Sword Chief, the Demon Sect's army was more than fifty thousand strong attacking the city, which was indeed overwhelming. Fortunately, Governor Gan led the brothers in a feint to lure the enemy deep in, and I managed to deploy the Brass Sword Formation just in time, barely keeping them at bay on the city walls without allowing them to advance further into the city!"

Having narrowly escaped with his life from Tongling, Lu Guanqing was still fraught with panic. The blow from Huangfu Xing had left a significant psychological impact on him. Originally, he thought that once back, he would be able to claim credit from Gu Tianyun since it was Gu Tianyun who had instructed him to lead the army into Tongling. Yet he hadn't expected that upon his return to Wanyang County, his task would shift from claiming merit to defending the city.

He could never have imagined that a mere probe would escalate into a two-week long war. When Huangfu Xing tore up the alliance, he indeed panicked for a while, but he soon convinced himself it was just Huangfu Xing posturing. After all, everyone knew Rakshasa Holy Sect was facing opposition on all sides.

Under such pressure, to wage war against Xuzhou? How could that be possible?

But when he led that army of ten thousand survivors back to Wanyang County, particularly after encountering the fleeing civilians from Yunye county, and realizing that Yongzhou's army of one hundred and seventy thousand had indeed come, he was completely dumbfounded...