Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

New Yu Era 1325, March 20

Zhongzhou Jingji Path, Divine Capital

Stretching three hundred miles in all directions, the towering city walls had gates that soared a hundred zhang high. Such magnificent gates, if not operated by special mechanical devices, could not be opened by mere human strength; not to say Master Realm Martial Artists, even Yuan Dan Realm Martial Artists would find it a fool's dream to attempt opening these gates by their own power.

This city, into which the entirety of Great Yu's wealth and energy were poured over more than three thousand years, from the zenith of the Divine Dynasty to the subsequent Holy Dynasty, and which always bore the title of the foremost city in the World, its grandeur and greatness are difficult to describe in words. Just witnessing the remnants of a grand unprecedented war could give one a glimpse of its original splendor.

The city walls still bore numerous mottled black bloodstains. The city gates were open at the moment, yet there were few pedestrians, mostly soldiers clad in golden armor, their expressions solemn as they meticulously scrutinized each passerby.

Those pedestrians who had been checked, often looked back at the Jinjia soldiers with faces inevitably bearing a hint of resentment.

"How much longer must we capture these former dynasty rebels?"

"It's been two months already, and they're still at it."

"Haven't the Great Yu royal family been slaughtered almost to extinction? The nobles and senior ministers of the former dynasty who deserved death have been killed, the rest are either locked in Heavenly Prison or have become scorned rats in the streets. Yet, they still seal the imperial city, not sure for what reason."

"This Great Jin really doesn't know when to stop, truly a rebel origin with not a speck of imperial dignity, huh!"

"Be careful with your words."

...

Unlike people elsewhere, the citizens living under the shadow of the Divine Capital, having seen and experienced much, dared to openly criticize Great Jin, even though they lacked any cultivation; let alone those who possessed martial skills, even knowing there were powerful individuals at the city gates who could overhear them, they spoke without any restraint, utterly fearless.

Whether or not Great Jin had any elegance was evident from the reaction of these proficient soldiers at the city gates. Hearing the surrounding people's discussions, most of them appeared indifferent. Even facing some harsh words or absurd criticisms against Great Jin, they would at most cast a warning glance, then show a trace of disdain, clearly too disdainful to argue with these folk.

"Clear the way for the carriage of Marquis of Pingyang, irrelevant persons, step aside immediately!"

Suddenly, a rush of carriage and horse hooves sounded. As the people turned to look back, about a hundred-person convoy galloped down the Official Road. They hurriedly stepped aside, watching the carriage pass by, and just as they were about to make some mocking remarks, another five commands were heard sequentially.

"Clear the way for the carriage of Marquis of Moon Spring, irrelevant persons, step aside immediately!"

"Clear the way for the carriage of Marquis of Kangding, irrelevant persons, step aside immediately!"

"Clear the way for the carriage of Marquis of Divine Might, irrelevant persons, step aside immediately!"

"Clear the way for the carriage of Marquis of Zhaotian, irrelevant persons, step aside immediately!"

"Clear the way for the carriage of Marquis of Cloud Roc, irrelevant persons, step aside immediately!"

The simultaneous arrival of six Marquis' carriages into the capital, not just the onlooking public, even the diligent Jin soldiers sensed something unusual in the air and tightened their expressions, not daring to whisper among themselves anymore.

Only after the carriages had disappeared into the city gates did people start discussing.

"Aren't there only twenty-eight marquises in Great Jin in total? Now six have arrived at once, what's happening, us the Emperor of Jin planning some major move?"

"That doesn't sound right, the Emperor of Jin had promised the Eight Great Sacred Lands before that within ten years he'd eliminate the three great demons, time is running short, would he still dare incite a major war in the north before the demons are dealt with?"

"Probably not, although Great Jin is strong, those three great demons aren't pushovers either. If there's another war with other Sacred Lands at this time, the demons won't just sit and wait to be eradicated by Great Jin, they might strike first, and then Great Jin would truly be in trouble."

...

Divine Capital, the splendid Yu Divine Palace

Six Marquises cloaked in brocade robes approached the palace gates, their expressions utterly solemn, their demeanors suddenly humble; they walked almost bowing into the palace after being signaled they could enter.

Although completely alone inside the grand hall, none of the six relaxed their posture. They stepped into the center of the hall and, facing the purple throne above, their expressions were extremely respectful as they immediately knelt down.

"Reporting to the Great Emperor, we have searched throughout the north and have found no trace of the siblings Jiang Yuli and Jiang Yuyun. We also cannot sense their presence with the Divine Dynasty seal. I dare speculate that the siblings must have died on the day the city fell, otherwise, we surely would have found them."

After Marquis of Pingyang, Wanyan Liang finished speaking, the empty grand hall remained silent for a long time, and hence, the six did not dare to speak further but simply continued to kneel with heads bowed.

After a long while, an elderly voice finally echoed in the hall.

"The Holy Yuan Nirvana Sutra of the Jiang Family can rejuvenate and transform the world. I have divined the heavens but could not determine their whereabouts. It's normal that you couldn't find them; those siblings must have escaped to the south, alas!"

Upon hearing this elderly voice, the six slowly rose, their expressions slightly relaxed. Wanyan Liang was the first to look up towards the right front of the purple throne; seeing a white-haired elderly man in a Confucian robe standing there, he quickly bowed and said, "State Preceptor, could you divine where exactly in the south these two remnants are? If there's a definite location, we will depart immediately to execute them and relieve the Great Emperor's concern."

There is only one State Preceptor in Great Jin, and he is one of the current three sages of Confucianism, the only living disciple of the Master, Zhuge Yuan.