Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

"At the end of July, Shen Gufan took over Yinling County, and has since brought the Shen family of Yunxiang County back into the fold. Now Jinling, Yinling, and Yunxiang counties all belong to the Shen family."

By the end of October, the martial artists under the Shen family numbered 290,000 in total, with 150,000 above the five levels of body refinement, all of which were now incorporated into the Shen Family Army.

There were 50,000 elite troops from the Shen family, each equipped with fine war horses and superior weapons, and they had also cultivated a military code passed down directly from the Shen family, the Golden Sword Chant. These 50,000 elites, personally commanded by the Family Head Shen Gufan, were invincible except by powerful beings at the shattered realm!"

...

290,000 martial artists, 150,000 troops, and 50,000 elites capable of contending with shattered realm powerhouses, and the Shen family is a second-rate power?

After listening, the expressions of Hou Yucheng and his three companions instantly turned to shock.

What surprised them even more was yet to come.

As soon as Shen Guyun finished speaking, Wan Xingyun continued.

"In early July, as soon as Wan Renjue returned, Xiong Yun Gang immediately mobilized troops and took over Yuzhao and Jiujun counties. Adding the prefectural city to the two counties, the number of martial artists under their command is over 400,000, with 180,000 above the five levels of body refinement. Under the pretense of protecting Xingnan Prefecture, Wan Renjue established the Xingnan Army, with 30,000 equipped with war horses and superior weapons. Now, the entire army is stationed west of Xingnan Prefecture City, and its target should be the Shen family."

180,000 troops!

"Some time ago when the Holy Church attacked Hedong, the combined forces of the four prefectures only amounted to 600,000, not counting the elites. Just these two houses in Xingnan Prefecture are nearly catching up to that number, really good at keeping a low profile!"

Upon hearing Hou Yucheng's words, Hou Yujie shook his head and said, "It's understandable for Xiong Yun Gang to swallow two counties, but this Shen family, without showing the slightest sign, actually has 150,000 troops, and even 50,000 elites who have cultivated the heavenly army code. They are much stronger than Xiong Yun Gang!"

Hou Yuxiao's expression grew more serious, and he said solemnly, "Don't underestimate others. In the chaos up north recently, many took advantage of accepting refugees to grow stronger, not just us. Wan Renjue and Shen Gufan are both not to be trifled with."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions became more serious, realizing that they had perhaps been underestimating the surrounding powers due to the smooth development and continual growth of the Baiye Camp.

In this world, those who know to hide their abilities and strengths aren't limited to just the Hou family, nor only the Shen family and Xiong Yun Gang. If they overlooked others carelessly, they would eventually suffer a great loss.

Seeing the reflective expressions on their faces, Hou Yuxiao nodded satisfactorily, then looked down at Shen Guyun and continued to inquire.

"What are the current movements of the Shen Family Army?"

"Shen Gufan is stationed in Chi Shui County of Yinling County with 30,000 elites, his son Shen Feitian is with 100,000 troops, and I am with 20,000 elites, stationed in Puning County of Jinling County. I could not find an opportunity to come to Hexi Prefectural City and was thinking of sending a message. Unexpectedly, Shen Feitian wanted to monopolize military power and, together with the family's three elders, marginalized me. I took the opportunity of going to Chi Shui County to seek justice from Shen Gufan in order to meet His Majesty."

The four of them felt a bit bemused at first upon hearing Shen Guyun's words, but then, as they looked at his earnest expression, they began to feel uneasy.

Shen Guyun was Shen Gufan's own brother, certainly one of the most trusted and a core member of the Shen family, as evidenced by the vital 20,000 elite troops entrusted to him.

But when Shen Guyun had earlier sent a message to his brother, whether speaking of his elder brother Shen Gufan or his nephew Shen Feitian, there wasn't the slightest hint of emotion on his face, as if he was speaking of two strangers.

This method of control was admittedly quite frightening...

"Puning County is only forty miles from Hexi Prefectural City, and those 120,000 troops are clearly meant to deal with Xiong Yun Gang. Shen Gufan himself leading 30,000 elites and stationing them in Chi Shui County is just on our western border; could it be he wants to wage war on two fronts, so audacious?"

Of the five, Hou Yucheng, who was most familiar with the terrain of Xiayuan and the distribution of counties in the prefectures, spoke out the military positioning of the two families and then turned to look at Hou Yuxiao, excitement visible on his face.

"Not likely; the Shen family's strength is indeed great, but waging war on two fronts would be too much for them. 100,000 troops plus 20,000 elites against Xiong Yun Gang's 180,000 ordinary troops wouldn't be an overwhelming victory, but with proper command, the odds of winning are high. Those 30,000 elites in Chi Shui County are probably to guard against us, the Hou family. If a war breaks out on the western front with Xiong Yun Gang and we take the opportunity to attack Yinling, it will be dangerous if Shen Gufan can't manage both ends."

Hou Yuduan paused for a moment and then sighed, "Such meticulous planning from Shen Gufan; since he dares to split 30,000 elites to guard against us, he must already be confident about the Shen family's upcoming conflict with Xiong Yun Gang."

Hou Yuxiao nodded slightly, recalling Shen Gufan four months earlier during the establishment of Hexi Prefecture. Although they had met only once, by observing Shen Gufan's words and actions, it was clear he was not to be underestimated. The Shen family's hidden strength and their willingness to act modestly as a second-rate power in Jinling County for hundreds of years was even more proof of the Shen family's extraordinary nature.

With this thought, a sense of vigilance arose in his heart.

"Big brother, if Xiong Yun Gang is wiped out, the area outside Xingnan Prefecture City plus the five counties will all fall into the hands of Shen family. At that time, their strength will greatly increase, and it's hard to guarantee they won't turn around and attack us in Hexi right away. We cannot sit by and watch Xiong Yun Gang be destroyed!"

Hou Yucheng's tone was unusually calm this time. He was belligerent, true, but he wasn't brainless. Out of the six counties in Xingnan Prefecture, only Tongling suffered heavy damage from demons. The other five counties have been peaceful for the last three or four years; both the martial artists and the common people are more populous than in Tongling. If all counties were to be taken by the Shen family, then it would be much harder for the Hou Clan to expand westward in the future.

But, it would only increase the difficulty a bit more than before!

Not only Hou Yucheng but also the other three people including Hou Yuxiao had this thought.

After all, the foundation of the Hou Clan was much thicker than these two families.

"Of course we cannot just watch Xiong Yun Gang be destroyed. Even if we want to destroy them, it should be the Hou Clan doing it, not the Shen family!"

Hou Yuxiao's tone contained a hint of dominance. But after speaking, his brow furrowed again, and he looked up at Shen Guyun, asking softly, "Shen family, have you had any contact with the Holy Land people?"

Shen Guyun lowered his head and pondered for a moment before shaking his head, "Shen Gufan has been very low-key in Jinling for many years, cautious to an extreme. Even his son and I don't know all of his affairs. For instance, the fact that the Shen family in Yunxiang County are our kin, he only informed us of that two years ago; those 50,000 elites trained in the heavenly army manuals, I only learned of last month; and his cultivation level is still a mystery to this day!"

Not even telling his own son and brother, his caution was terrifying...

The more careful such a person is, the more careful we must be when dealing with them.

"With just the Shen family alone, Shen Gufan definitely wouldn't be so arrogant to position his forces to attack the Prefectural City so early. The Rakshasa Holy Sect's focus is in Bingzhou, temporarily giving up on Xiayuan, they must have confirmed the involvement of a Holy Land in Xiayuan. These two things combined, it's highly likely the Shen family has the support of a Holy Land behind them."

Of course, we cannot sit idly by and watch the Shen family grow powerful, or let other Holy Lands take over Xiayuan.

The problem is, the Hou Clan currently doesn't have the power to stand up to a Holy Land...

Hou Yuduan's words immediately poured cold water on the other three, bringing them to the realization that while the Hou Clan might be able to handle the Shen family or Xiong Yun Gang, they're still not a match for a Holy Land.

"Third mother, what's the specific situation on the Hedong side?"

"Guangling Prefecture City has held out for more than a year and has not been breached by Hou Jing!"

"Did the Wanjian Holy Sect and Bailu Academy send reinforcements?"

Hou Yuling nodded and answered, "Gu Tianyun does have some tricks, relying on 200,000 elites and more than 300,000 soldiers, he has tenaciously resisted for nearly a year. Guangling Prefecture City wasn't breached until Hou Jing of the Wuwei King attacked himself in July, but last month there was news that Jing Tianyu led 500,000 Jinjia Army to their aid at the critical moment, and together with Zou Ziqu, the Mountain Chief of Yangzhou Academy, they managed to push back the Tianwei Army who had entered the city!"

The great powers had personally taken action...

Thinking back to the chaos in Tongling, and remembering Jing Tianyu's earth-shattering "Heavenly Intent Four Symbols Sword Art", and Huangfu Xing's "Kara Destroyer Palm" that could split heaven and earth, Hou Yuxiao felt an intense urgency.

If these great powers started getting directly involved, it meant that the various Holy Lands and extraordinary individuals were starting to speed up their expansion. The Hou Clan, at present, let alone compare with the Holy Lands, might not even match up to ordinary heaven-level forces.

This won't do, we must accelerate our expansion. Otherwise, the Hou Clan's fate will be to be overthrown and swallowed up by others, possibly leading to the extinction of our clan.

"Prepare the ships; I need to make a trip to Hedong!"

Upon hearing Hou Yuxiao's words, the other four looked startled.

"Big brother, why go to Hedong at this time?"

"To propose marriage, to find a new backing for our family."

......