Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 611 - 280, Splitting the Earth to Establish Boundaries, Fame Spreads in All Directions (3)_3

This unusual reaction immediately sparked much speculation among the crowd.

Some thought the Hou Clan was putting on an act, bluffing; others believed the Hou Clan dared not block so many experts from entering the city; and still others guessed the Hou Clan was pretending to be unaware, refraining from any reaction to avoid embarrassment...

In short, there were all kinds of speculations, but no one believed that the Hou Clan had the confidence. Instead, everyone seemed to be waiting to watch the excitement unfold.

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In fact, the attitude of the crowd was very normal. After all, the Hou Clan had only entered the spotlight of Xingnan Prefecture's and the nearby three prefectures' martial artists for about three years.

Specifically, it was only after the Tongling Disturbance that anyone who cared to investigate could easily find out that the Hou Clan had truly risen to prominence in just a short period of four years.

Four years were indeed too short, let alone for a family— it seemed quite insignificant even for an individual martial artist.

Compared to the Xiong Yun Gang, Moling Sect, Pingtian Gate, and Money Gang, four first-class forces with footprints established in a single prefecture and centuries or even a thousand years of inheritance, the impression of the Hou Clan could not even be described as youthful. If it had to be described, it was the difference between an adult and an infant.

Furthermore, it was one thing for Xingnan Prefecture, but for Jianye, Pingjin, and Zhaotong, the truly renowned name in Hexi was the Twin Dragons, not the Hou Clan. If it weren't for Hou Yuxiao and Hou Yuduan both making it onto the Demon Path's New Star Ranking, the three prefectures wouldn't have known about the Hou Clan. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been until now that the Hou Clan was establishing its own prefecture that they would send envoys to visit.

The Twin Dragons were not old, but their strength was formidable. This became the first impression of the Hou Clan when martial artists from the four prefectures discussed it. As for how strong the Hou Clan as a family was, they had no idea. And after learning about the history of the Hou Clan's rise, they took it even less seriously.

How did the Hou Clan develop?

The most widely circulated version in the four prefectures goes like this:

The eldest of the Twin Dragons, who is also the Master Hou, Hou Yuxiao, was a famously handsome face. Originally nothing more than an inconsequential Warrior of the Gang Qi Realm from Zhaoyang County, he was not someone who could hold the stage. However, he had the advantage of good looks.

Four years ago, when Xuzhou made an incursion, the Holy Maiden Sikong Yue passed through Zhaoyang. Seizing the moment, Hou Yuxiao attached himself to the Holy Maiden, safely survived the Zhaoyang Disturbance, got her endorsement, and took the opportunity to cut down his enemy Cheng Yue along with his followers like Ding Dian, making his way into Tongling.

After that, during the Tongling demons' chaos, Master Fanyin came to suppress it and also took a fancy to Hou Yuxiao, keeping him as a male companion. The Hou Clan then successfully evaded the demons' attacks. During the fall of the Great Luo Sect, Hou Yuxiao not only swiftly swallowed up all the significant forces of Tongling, but also beheaded the godly Zhaotong King Ding Dian, soaring in fame.

Then came the battle between two states. As the commander of the Yongzhou forces, Master Fanyin naturally didn't forget about her male companion, Hou Yuxiao. Thus, the Hou Clan seized the opportunity to deploy troops, successfully breaking into Wanyang County of Hexi. It's said that Hou Yuxiao was very "diligent", pleasing Master Fanyin, who first bestowed Wanyang to him and later even handed over Yangping Longxiang.

Later on, things got even more outrageous. Master Fanyin, perhaps bewitched by whatever Soul Ensnaring Soup Hou Yuxiao had served her, agreed to withdraw the Prison Admin Department and county government, allowing the Hou Clan to independently govern the Hexi Four Counties and even granted them the right to establish their own prefecture.

...

The rise of the Hou Clan was enough to make the martial arts world of the four prefectures green with envy, especially with Hou Yuxiao being so young and yet having gained the favor of the Holy Maiden and becoming the male companion to Master Fanyin. Many men expressed disdain outwardly, but inwardly they were seething with jealousy.

And most importantly, Master Fanyin was also the Holy Maiden's aunt...

Of course, while envy was common, some powerful forces inevitably looked down on the Hou Clan, seeing them as merely having relied on women to prosper without any real substance.

Time flew by, and as dawn slightly brightened the sky, the Hou Clan members entered the Shengxin Residence and began their preparations. Although they tried to keep their voices down, considering that all those staying there were powerful martial artists, it was difficult not to wake them up.

As people gradually awoke, the Hou Clan's venue was also nearly prepared. But when the arrangements were complete and the full view of the venue was revealed, everyone was momentarily stunned.

The entire main hall of the Shengxin Residence was transformed into a venue with seating arranged in a circle, accommodating about a thousand people. Unexpectedly, the Hou Clan's seats were not in the middle but were located among the four seats on the east side—seats that any discerning person would recognize were reserved for the leading forces of the four prefectures.

What truly astonished them was the large open space in the center—an arena ten zhang square...

After pausing for a moment to take it in, everyone quickly understood, casting occasional glances at the seats of those four leading forces, a playful expression emerging in their eyes.

It appeared that today, the Hou Clan intended not only to establish a prefecture.

They also sought to establish authority!

In the presence of the four leading forces... to establish authority.