Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Demon Path New Star Ranking 28th: Thousand-Faced Handsome Man, Hou Yuxiao

Age: 27

Origin: Yongzhou Xingnan Prefecture, third-rate Hou Clan family

Cultivation: Master Third Energy Realm

Record of battles: In December of New Yu Era 1321, defeated Guixin Sword Tian Linong, Sect Master of the Mountain Sword Sect in Zhaoyang; in February of 1322, slew Divine Illumination Law King Ding Dian's disciple Cheng Yue in Tongling County; in July of 1322, on the night of the Rakshasa Festival, joined forces with his fifth brother Hou Yuduan to behead Divine Illumination Law King Ding Dian; in October of 1322, in Guangling Prefecture City, killed Master Yuan Kong from Lei Yin Temple's senior disciple, Earth Level Great Grandmaster Ding Buhai.

...

Righteous Path Great Demon Extermination List 392nd: Thousand-Faced Handsome Man, Hou Yuxiao

Age: 27

Origin: Yongzhou Xingnan Prefecture, third-rate Hou Clan family

Cultivation: Master Third Energy Realm

Bounty: 500,000 taels

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Qinjian Villa Weapon Catalog: Spiritual Artifact Ranking

298th: Canglong Staff

Owner: Thousand-Faced Handsome Man, Hou Yuxiao

...

Guangling Prefecture City indeed belongs to the territory of Xuzhou, where April was the early spring season. The warm sun was just starting to shine, and the climate was quite pleasant. It would seem Hou Yuxiao should be in a good mood, yet stationed outside the city in the Demon Sect's military camp, he looked at the three lists on the table with a particularly grave expression.

Hou Yuduan, who had brought the lists, also wore a somber expression. Seeing that Hou Yuxiao had finished browsing the lists, he spoke in a low voice, "The three lists of the Demon Path are all compiled by the Great Jin Fengyun Pavilion, it is evident that recently, eldest brother and second brother have highly offended Great Jin in the Hedong region, and it is likely that some people can't stand it anymore;"

"The Great Demon Extermination List is compiled by Bailu Academy. Previously, Ding Dian was ranked 432nd. Eldest brother and I joined forces and killed him. Adding to that the merit of killing Ding Buhai, rising to the 392nd place is not too exaggerated;"

"As for the Spiritual Artifact Ranking, the Weapon Catalog is compiled by Qinjian Villa. How they came to know that the Canglong Staff in eldest brother's hands is a spiritual artifact, there is only one possibility, that is people from Hedong are also with them, surely hidden within the ranks of the Demon Sect or Great Jin's army, and the likelihood is that they hold positions of both power and status, otherwise, it would not be so easy to recognize!"

Hou Yuxiao's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and Hou Yuduan's speculations were mostly correct.

The hostility from Great Jin and Bailu Academy, he had not really taken to heart, for to both of these entities, his strength was too insignificant.

Just as Hou Yuduan had guessed, in recent times, he and Hou Yucheng had made quite a few enemies among the generals of Great Jin in the Hedong region. It was possible that idle gossip in Fengyun Pavilion, with ill intentions, had inflated his ranking to attract attention.

The ranking of 392nd place on Bailu Academy's Great Demon Extermination List was generally based on Ding Dian's strength, so the issue was not too significant.

Qinjian Villa alone was hard for Hou Yuxiao to overlook.

"Old Fifth, do you think there could be..."

"Eldest brother is overthinking it. For someone like Zhao Ponu, the premier successor of a holy land, neither the current strength of the Hou Clan nor our cultivations are worthy of his concern. Right now, he is leading the army to attack Zhongzhou Dongyuan Path, collaborating with Great Jin to destroy Great Yu. We are insignificant to the likes of the Holy Dynasty. The concerns of Hedong's petty squabbles are beneath them. This ranking, I guess, is likely just a coincidence!"

Having heard these words, Hou Yuxiao felt considerably more settled.

In the recent half year, with an increasing number of encounters with the experts of Great Jin and the Demon Sect's army, his understanding of the term "Holy Land" had deepened.

Indeed, he had almost no defeats against Grandmaster-level martial artists, but one must realize that these experts merely represented the tip of the iceberg of the holy lands. The twenty thousand Brahman World Purifying Army was just a small part casually dispatched from the Rakshasa Holy Sect's Yongdu Main Altar, and the Wolf Slaughter Guard and Huben Guard were merely third-rate military forces under the Holy Jin Dynasty. The fringe elements of these holy lands alone were enough to make him, the Head of the Hou Clan, prepare vigilantly. If the Hou Clan truly caught the attention of the holy lands, it would be a disaster.

Zhao Ponu and Tian Fazheng, unlike the previously mentioned Gu Chenfeng, were of a different caliber. Zhao Ponu was the legitimate heir of the Zhao Clan's lineage at Qinjian Villa, holding a status equal to Sikong Yue. If the Hou Clan truly posed a threat to him, it would not be merely a matter of being listed on the Spiritual Artifact Ranking. With the strength of Qinjian Villa, they could easily dispatch a few men to eradicate the entire Hou Clan!

Although he had accepted Hou Yuduan's explanation, the thought of his clan being so easily wiped out by Qinjian Villa filled Hou Yuxiao with intense bitterness.

"The three lists, I'm nearly at the fore in each. I must have brought quite some trouble to the clan as well, right?" Hou Yuxiao adjusted his mindset slightly and looked up to ask.

Hou Yuduan shook his head with a wry expression, "It's more than just trouble. Ever since the latest lists were published in February, Wanyang County has been getting busier by the day. Scions of Earth Level and even Heaven Level major forces have been eagerly seeking to challenge eldest brother. This has also resulted in our third sister, myself, and our fourth brother being singled out. I could only hide if possible, and for those impossible to avoid, to save trouble and give face, I deliberately exposed a flaw and then admitted defeat. Those seeking a name realized this, and didn't mind, but those seeking battle wanted to continue fighting, causing me endless annoyance."

Those who roamed the martial world all sought a reputation. Hou Yuduan spoke lightly, but Hou Yuxiao could roughly estimate the circumstances. Fortunately, Old Fifth was sufficiently calm and handled these matters with ease. If it were like Second Elder, pushing everyone towards him, it's likely he would not have had a moment's rest these past two months.

"It can't be all downsides, right? There must also be benefits!"

Upon hearing this, Hou Yuduan nodded and finally showed a hint of a smile.