Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Further back, there were three hundred Hou Clan military leaders clad in crimson-gold battle armor. The Hou Clan now commands a force of twenty million soldiers, their generals as numerous as the stars, and today those qualified to attend are mid- to high-level leaders who hold authority over towns with populations of over a hundred thousand, with the weakest in cultivation still at the Yinyang Boundary.

Besides these core figures, the Upper Hou Gate, Lower Hou Sect, White Feather Guards, Black Feather Guards, Qinglong Association, Zhaoyang Escort Agency, Mi Yao, Xuanting, Qian Cheng, and the Prefecture Treasury's Four Departments stood in serried rank behind them. The vast majority of them possess cultivation at the Yuan Dan Realm, and even among those in the Grandmaster Realm, most are Great Grandmasters of the Fourth Realm and at heavenly levels.

"Hiss... Does the Hou Clan have this many masters?"

"There must be three or four thousand people here, right?"

"And there are five million troops spread across the five counties within the prefecture; when did Jianye Prefecture City ever have such a spectacle?"

"What are these three or four thousand people downstairs? Look at the front; behind Second Master are more than twenty people, all Sub-Saints of Martial Dao, and there's Fifth Master. Wasn't there news last time that he's already... broken through to Saint?"

"One really thinks anyone can establish a Holy Dynasty? If the Hou Clan didn't have the foundation of a Holy Land, how could they dare to grandly establish a Holy Dynasty and ascend to the throne here?"

...

The Hou Clan's elite moved with full might, not just ordinary citizens or scattered martial artists among them, but even some within the Hou Clan couldn't help but widen their eyes involuntarily at this moment.

Each department within the Hou Clan operates independently, and aside from department heads and the clan's top figures, others have only a half-understanding of the status of various institutions; they mostly know their peers horizontally but not so much about others.

Gathering today made them realize unknowingly what kind of spectacle the Hou Clan had already achieved before their eyes.

Not to mention the twenty million Sacred Army elite of the Hou Clan, just the column of over three thousand martial artists above the Great Grandmaster of the Fourth Realm was enough to shake the world.

Before the New Moon Cult's restructuring, martial artists above the Grandmaster Realm numbered fewer than three thousand. Even including those from Leiyin Temple, they weren't necessarily this numerous at or above the Fourth Realm Great Grandmaster level, yet today across the world, the New Moon Cult ranks as one of the top three in Holy Land status.

Has the Hou Clan, too, secured a top-three Holy Land ranking?

This question appeared in everyone's minds, whether Hou Clan members or ordinary martial artists from Jianye Prefecture, or even common folk, a sense of pride unknowingly arose in their hearts.

There's no need to mention the pride of the Hou Clan's martial artists; the ordinary common folks felt it more profoundly, stemming from generations of living in Jianye Prefecture City, allowing them to fully benefit from the convenience a powerful Hou Clan brings.

From today onwards, they are citizens of the Holy Dynasty...

...

As anticipation gripped the masses, the Demon Incinerating Elder, Ying Tianyu, was the first to emerge from the crowd. Before stepping out, he exchanged a glance with Hou Yuduan at the very front, as if receiving some signal. Only after nodding lightly did he slowly move to the front of the crowd.

His expression solemn, he gently raised his hand, tracing a line in the air. A golden scroll suddenly appeared before him, without any apparent movement from him as it began to slowly unfurl.

As the scroll fully unfurled, the citizens below seemed to realize something, falling silent and gazing up at him, holding their breath, their faces showing anticipation.

Ying Tianyu surveyed the surroundings, then spoke gravely:

"The fall of Great Yu, the misery across the four seas, the collapse of royal order, the disorder in five ways, the simultaneous appearance of auspicious signs, deliberating on Su Shu? A thought of the ancient path is that the cycle of heaven's mandate is ending in this era, tenderness with indications and divine intentions compared, announcing to the world the ultimate extinction of Yu lineage, the seal of command received by the Hou Clan. On behalf of Yu's charge, the divine artifact shall be entrusted to the servants, following the example of illustrious Yao, assuming the throne for Yuxiao.

Yuxiao reverently fears the divine command, whether blessed or unblessed. All officials, ministers of six affairs, extending to generals and chiefs among barbarian tribes, unanimously declare: 'The divine command cannot be declined, the divine artifact cannot remain idle for long, the officials cannot be without a leader, myriad affairs cannot be without governance.'

Yuxiao only inherits the imperial legacy, dare not disobey. Divining the safeguard, a significant theme emerges; divining trigrams an innovation symbol appears; cautiously select a prime day, rise with officials onto the altar to receive an imperial seal, proclaiming to the great deity; may you convey eternal prosperity, the expectation of the multitude, bestow abundant blessings across generations."

The proclamation of succession is elaborate, with its most crucial element being rightful legitimacy. In today's world, there is only one Great Jin Holy Dynasty, and Great Jin claimed its succession from Great Yu. Today, Hou Clan's Great Declaration follows suit.

The proclamation was verbose, but much of it was redundant; the most significant, of course, is the mention of Hou Yuxiao, conveying essentially one idea: the mandate of Great Yu has ended, and Great Declaration inherits the nation's order.

With the proclamation recited, Ying Tianyu swiftly turned to look behind:

"Please, Family Head, ascend the altar and accept the imperial seal to assume the throne!"

Once Ying Tianyu's words fell, the thousands outside the palace immediately joined in:

"Please, Family Head, ascend the altar and accept the imperial seal to assume the throne!"

Followed by the Red Flame Army stationed throughout the city:

"Please, Family Head, ascend the altar and accept the imperial seal to assume the throne!"

Subsequently, all citizens in the city spontaneously followed suit:

"Please, Family Head, ascend the altar and accept the imperial seal to assume the throne!"

...

With nine consecutive shouts, amid the attention of the masses, the gates of Zhaoyang Palace opened slowly from within, a gentle footfall echoing from inside, coming closer and closer until the figure in a golden dragon robe came into everyone's view.

The one who emerged, of course, was Hou Yuxiao.

Clad in a golden dragon robe, his countenance was composed and confident, a trace of domineering arrogance between his brows, surveying the thousands of Hou Clan masters standing upright outside the palace gates, feeling the 15 million troops in the city, he took a shallow breath, his expression gradually solemn.