Chapter 471: You Are All Evil Spirits
The Yan Family's backyard, Liuzhou.
Former Sect Leader Yan Hanqing sat in front of a carriage, puffing on his tobacco pipe. He wasn't actually that old, not yet sixty, but he had already stepped down and passed the position of Sect Leader to Yan Shihai.
His brow was deeply furrowed, a frown line etched into the character "river".
He had once been dashing and suave, graceful and elegant, but now he wore coarse linen clothes, dressed up like an ordinary cart driver.
The tobacco in his pipe had long gone out, but he seemed oblivious, still puffing away as if lost in thought.
His brow was deeply furrowed, a frown line etched into a "river" character.
Yan Shaoxuan nodded silently.
"I don't care whether the Yan Family rises again or not. As long as you and your little brother are safe and sound, that's enough."
Yan Shihai smiled and patted her head. "Take good care of yourself. Find a good family to marry into. Don't think about revenge. This has nothing to do with you."
Yan Shaoxuan couldn't help but feel a sting in her nose. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she choked out, "Sect Leader, is there really no room for recovery?"
Yan Shihai shook his head. "There's no room for recovery. The Yan Family has two foundations: the accumulation of more than ten thousand years in the Upper Realm, and the layout of more than six thousand years in the underworld. In the past, many tried to shake the Thirteen Great Clans, but they all ended up battered and bleeding. Now, with both the Upper Realm and the underworld destroyed, the Yan Family only has this bit of power left in the mortal world."
Yan Shaoxuan said, "But there are other clans..."
Yan Shihai cut her off, his face stern, and barked, "Don't go to the other clans. Those clans won't send you coal in the snow; they'll only drop rocks on you when you're down and swallow the Yan Family whole! If you go to the other clans, you'll give them the chance to eat us alive!"
Yan Shaoxuan fell silent, trembling with fear.
Yan Shihai took a breath, his expression calming. "The three generations of Chen Shi's family are wolves with wild ambitions. After they destroy the Yan Family, they won't stop at wiping out the other clans. No matter which clan you go to, it won't be safe."
He crouched down, picked up the little boy at Yan Shaoxuan's feet, and tickled the child's cheek with his stubble. The little boy giggled uncontrollably and said in a childish voice, "Dad, that tickles!"
Yan Shihai set him down, his expression turning serious. "Zhenxiu, what's your surname?"
"Yan!" the little boy said crisply.
"Your surname isn't Yan. Your surname is Fang!" Yan Shihai said.
Then he asked again, "Zhenxiu, what's your surname?"
The little boy hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yan..."
"Slap!"
Yan Shihai slapped him across the face and shouted, "Say it again. What's your surname?"
The little boy burst into tears but was intimidated by Yan Shihai's aura and dared not cry anymore. Yan Shihai roared, "Say it with me. Your surname is Fang!"
The little boy was both sad and terrified, his body trembling.
Yan Shihai's hair stood on end. "Say it!"
The little boy sobbed as he said, "My surname is Fang..."
"What's your name?" Yan Shihai pressed.
The little boy's tears fell like rain. "My name is Fang Zhenxiu..."
Yan Shihai broke into a smile, crouched down, looked into the little boy's face, and laughed, "Good child. What a good child. From today on, you are Fang Zhenxiu. Your father is Fang Qing, your mother is Du Yue'e, and your sister is Fang Shaoxuan. Got it?"
Fang Zhenxiu nodded.
Yan Shihai hugged him tightly and choked out, "If we get through this, Dad will definitely find you. He will..."
Yan Hanqing coughed. "Shihai, it's time to go."
Yan Shihai wiped away his tears, picked up Fang Zhenxiu, placed him in the carriage, and nodded at Yan Shaoxuan.
Yan Hanqing, dressed as a cart driver, cracked his whip, and the carriage rolled out of the backyard, heading out of Liuzhou.
"Dad, aren't you coming?" Fang Zhenxiu stuck his head out of the carriage and shouted.
Yan Shihai shook his head and waved them off.
"As the Sect Leader, I have to take responsibility. I'm staying, to live and die with the Yan Family!"
He returned to the Yan Mansion and sat down in the front hall, waiting quietly. Chaos surrounded him—many Yan family servants and retainers were running around, packing their bags and valuables in a panic.
Yan Shihai had already issued an order of dismissal, letting go of the main household's servants, maids, and retainers.
After a moment, the Yan Family's oldest ancestor, Yan Wuji, and Grand Ancestor Yan Sisi also came to the front hall. — The Yan Family originally had four oldest ancestors, but during the great cataclysm, two of them were too old to survive.
Yan Sisi said, "The Sect Leader's main lineage and branch lines in the city have all been dismissed. Let them flee on their own."
Besides the main household, half of Liuzhou's city was made up of Yan family residences. Now, after the merger of the Yin and Yang realms, apart from servants, slaves, and officials, there were few people of other surnames in the city.
What Yan Sisi meant by "dismissed" was letting the Yan family members from other branches flee for their lives.
"Shihai, is there really no chance?"
Yan Sisi said, "Our Yan Family still has plenty of official power across the provinces, controlling the prefectural troops and border troops. Out of the fifty provinces of the Western Ox New Continent, we have people everywhere. The Chen tyrant is just three generations of a family. His power in the underworld is indeed strong, but in the mortal world, he has no foundation to fight the great clans! This battle, we might not lose!"
Yan Shihai shook his head. "Grand Ancestor, the Yan Family has no chance left. The three generations of the Chen family are wolves with wild ambitions, scheming for a long time. In every county and township, the Red Mountain Hall's power is immense—dozens in some places, hundreds in others. These talisman masters are skilled in battle, having fought ghosts and evil spirits during the cataclysm, and they shelter under the protection of rural deities. With one word from Chen Shi, the Red Mountain Hall branches across the land will strike at the Yan Family's power. The Yan Family's destruction is only a matter of time."
The two ancestors felt a chill in their hearts.
Yan Shihai took out a Thousand-li Communication Talisman. This talisman was originally created by Chen Yindu; it didn't exist before. Chen Yindu pioneered it, and it spread widely. The powerful clans often used such talismans to communicate with their branches across the land.
Yan Shihai activated the talisman, and balls of fire flew out from it, floating around them, dazzling the eye.
"Sect Leader! Xinxiang and Lei County are under attack by Red Mountain Hall! Please send troops to help!"
"Qingzhou's Fu County is under attack by Red Mountain Hall! Requesting troops from Qingzhou!"
"Sect Leader! Meizhou's Red Mountain Hall has rebelled! They've stormed the prefectural yamen!"
...
The two ancestors looked on as cries for help came from over two thousand counties across the fifty provinces. The Red Mountain Hall talisman masters had launched attacks on the Yan Family's forces in these counties almost simultaneously.
The Yan Family had officials everywhere. Especially after this great calamity, where ordinary people suffered heavy casualties—seven out of ten dead—only the Thirteen Great Clans had their main forces preserved, with at most two or three out of ten lost.
This shift made the Thirteen Great Clans even stronger than before the cataclysm. Without the Red Mountain Hall Talisman Master Association, the Thirteen Great Clans' ruling position would have been even more solid!
But Red Mountain Hall had grown strong too. This talisman master association had spread across the land, becoming more powerful by the day!
This siege of the Yan Family's forces across the provinces was just a drill by the Red Mountain Hall Talisman Master Association.
Just a drill.
Hearing these cries for help, the two ancestors' hearts sank.
The Yan Family was truly finished.
"Even if we don't die at Chen Shi's hands, the other clans will take the opportunity to swallow our wealth and power, carving us up clean."
Yan Shihai's expression was calm, his voice flat. "This so-called 'Thirteen Great Clans united in spirit' is just a slogan. Given the chance to swallow our wealth, they won't show any mercy."
The two ancestors fell silent, waiting quietly.
Behind the front hall, five Return to Emptiness realm experts from the Yan Family stood ready, and behind them were thousands of Yan Family experts at the Spirit Refining, Body Unification, Emptiness Refining, Divine Descent, and Spirit Transformation realms.
Their auras were linked, their wills united, sharing a hatred for a common enemy. A spirit of fearless sacrifice dwelled in their hearts, and a heroic passion to die for the family surged in their chests.
Behind them were the Yan Family's women, children, and elderly. Some women wore white mourning clothes and white hats, while some old ladies wore burial shrouds, supported by the Yan Family's female members, standing still and silent.
Their faces showed no fear or hesitation—only the appearance of being unafraid of life or death.
All through the Yan Mansion, the servants and maids had finally fled completely, and the surroundings became utterly quiet.
Liuzhou City also became extremely quiet, so much so that the sound of a needle dropping could be heard clearly.
After who knows how long, a big black dog walked into Liuzhou City.
This black dog was dressed in human clothes, walking on two legs like a person. Seeing the Yan Family cultivators on both sides of the street, it pushed up its spectacles and nodded at them with a smile.
Under everyone's gaze, it walked all the way to the Yan Mansion, raised a front paw, and knocked on the door.
After a moment, the creaking sound of the door opening came, and from behind it, a Yan Family disciple bravely asked, "Who are you looking for... Oh, you're delivering a visiting card... Good, good. I'll pass it on to the Sect Leader."
The black dog turned around and strolled back the way it came.
The Yan Family disciple hurried to the front hall and bowed. "Sect Leader, that senior just now said he was ordered to present the True King's visiting card."
Yan Shihai took the visiting card and opened it. On the vermilion-red card, written with a brush, was: "Chen Shi of Xinxiang respectfully submits this letter before the Yan Mansion: Long admired your noble character, have not dared to visit lightly. Now, with utmost sincerity, I presumptuously come to your door, hoping for your favor, and ask you not to reject my humble self. Shi, bows twice."
Yan Shihai said, "The Top Scholar comes to kill, but he's so literary about it."
Yan Wuji sneered, "Pretentious! Hypocritical!"
Just then, a sound of footsteps came from outside Liuzhou City, gradually approaching the Yan Mansion.
The footsteps were light, but oddly, they could be heard clearly in everyone's ears, as if walking on their hearts.
The footsteps grew closer and finally arrived at the Yan Mansion's gate. A voice rang out: "Chen Shi of Xinxiang, presumptuously comes to visit the Yan Family."
Yan Shihai rose and walked to the door, where a young man of seventeen or eighteen stood alone, bowing in waiting, his demeanor very respectful.
Yan Shihai sized up Chen Shi. He had heard of him—the Child Prodigy who shook the world sixteen years ago, the Top Scholar Chen who shook the Western Capital five years ago. He had also seen many portraits of Chen Shi, but he had never met him face to face.
This youth was tall and well-proportioned, dressed simply in a red Confucian scholar's robe, very clean, but washed to the point of fading, with the cuffs and elbows somewhat whitened.
He wore a golden crown, binding his hair into a bun, with a simple hairpin stuck in the middle.
His features strongly resembled Chen Yindu's, but he was much younger.
"Top Scholar Chen, please." Yan Shihai raised his hand.
Chen Shi smiled and inclined his head. "Please."
The two walked one after the other into the Yan Mansion and headed for the front hall. Chen Shi looked around and said politely, "I just saw many of the Yan Family's dependents and servants leaving the city in a hurry outside. It seems something major has happened in the Yan Family, so I came to presumptuously disturb you. Please forgive me, Uncle."
Yan Shihai walked into the front hall, where the two ancestors sat motionless, just raising their eyelids slightly to glance at Chen Shi.
Yan Shihai invited Chen Shi to sit and said, "Our Yan Family has encountered a great disaster. Afraid of involving them, we dismissed them."
Chen Shi smiled and said, "I thought there might be many Yan Family members mixed in among them. So, I mobilized the Red Mountain Hall talisman masters near Liuzhou to guard every road and pass tightly, checking everyone's background."
Yan Shihai's heart shook violently. He looked deeply at Chen Shi and said, "Does Top Scholar Chen want to wipe us out completely?"
Chen Shi shook his head. "Why would Uncle say that? I did issue an order to kill without mercy, but if the Yan Family had treated the people well, there would naturally be those who defy my will and leave a path of life. Uncle Yan doesn't think the Yan Family has never done any good deeds, does he?"
Yan Shihai burst into harsh laughter. "My Yan Family's ancestors worked diligently for the True King's court, worried for the people of the world, fought desperately against evil spirits and demonic calamities for peace, and endured great hardships through toil! Do you say the Yan Family hasn't done good deeds?"
Chen Shi's expression turned solemn. "I truly admire your ancestors' deeds from that time, looking up to them as if to a high mountain. Not to mention the distant past, your ancestor's feat of preserving his life and opposing Despair Slope fills me with admiration and longing!"
Yan Shihai's murderous intent flared as he roared, "Then why do you want to destroy the Yan Family?"
Chen Shi's expression grew even more serious. "Uncle, if the Yan Family had not later grown arrogant from favor, had not seized control of the court, had not encroached on good farmland, had not monopolized mines, had not imposed excessive taxes, had not forced good people into prostitution, had not indiscriminately killed innocents, had not practiced nepotism, and had not committed countless evils, then the Yan Family would be like the descendants of ancient sages. We would only revere them, without the slightest offense."
Behind the two ancestors, arcs of light appeared from the Realm of Emptiness they projected, their faces dark and grim.
"But you did all of that. Not for a year or two, but for over six thousand years."
Chen Shi said, "I am a talisman master. Since I was a child, my grandfather taught me that as a talisman master, cutting down evil spirits is my duty. The greatest evil spirits between heaven and earth are the Thirteen Great Clans."
His gaze shifted from Yan Shihai's face to the faces of the two ancestors.
"You are an evil spirit, and you are all evil spirits."
With a crash, the front hall suddenly exploded, splitting into pieces. Other buildings in the Yan Mansion shattered and disintegrated, revealing all the Yan Family members.
"All of you are evil spirits," Chen Shi said.
This was the logic of a talisman master.
"Kill him!"
A Yan Family cultivator shouted, summoned his Primordial Spirit, and charged at Chen Shi.
Chen Shi smiled, grasped the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, and his killing intent surged.
Since they were evil spirits, sucking the people's flesh and blood, they were worthy of execution!