The power of the first family in Fengling County

Targeted by Ye Daocang, a terrifying pressure weighed heavily upon him. Those who had initially planned to flee immediately froze in their tracks.

There was no choice. The overwhelming force of a Grandmaster-level expert was too much to bear, and they didn't dare move recklessly.

The head of the Wang family looked at Ye Daocang and said, "Brother Ye, we were at fault before. Please, be merciful. My Wang family is willing to offer half of our family's wealth as an apology, just to quell your thunderous rage!"

At this moment, in order to save his life, the head of the Wang family was willing to sacrifice everything.

However, what he faced was merely a slash of sword energy from Ye Daocang.

Whoosh!

A flash of sword light cut through the air, and the head of the Wang family's voice was abruptly silenced. Despite his cultivation at the eighth level of innate strength, he couldn't muster even a trace of resistance before Ye Daocang.

On the other side, the head of the Yang family trembled upon witnessing this.

Looking at Ye Daocang approaching with his sword, the terror on his face was unmistakable.

"Ye Daocang, Yang Feng of my Yang family has been accepted as a disciple by an inner elder of the Purple Forest Sect. That elder is a late-stage Grandmaster! If you harm my family, Yang Feng will surely not let you go in the future!"

Faced with his threats, Ye Daocang remained unfazed. His sword swept across the sky, severing all before him.

Retrieving his sword, Ye Daocang didn't even glance at the lifeless body of the Yang family head, whose eyes remained wide open in disbelief.

By this point, the battle was nearly over.

Ye Daocang single-handedly slaughtered all the innate-level experts from the three families, while the other innate experts of the Ye family, led by Ye Changliu, charged into the fray without any mercy. In no time, the enemy was utterly routed, left in complete disarray.

Once the battle concluded, Ye Daocang stood alone, gazing at the vast expanse of Fengling County, feeling a surge of emotion in his heart.

From this day forth, Fengling County would be ruled solely by the Ye family.

However, securing the Ye family's newfound position required a lot of work. Ye Daocang did not dare let his guard down.

For the next three days, the Ye family was abuzz with activity. First, they seized the County Governor's mansion and the assets of the Wang and Yang families. Then, they set about eradicating the remnants of these families' forces. Lastly, they hunted down those who had fled. It took a full three days to finish the cleanup.

Other than Ye Daocang, everyone was utterly exhausted.

Three days later, once again in the conference hall, Ye Daocang sat at the head of the table, listening to reports from the others.

In this campaign, the Ye family had acquired all the wealth of the three forces, increasing their resources more than threefold. The Ye family members were all overjoyed.

Ye Changliu, who was slightly chubby and had a round face, stood up with a heavy heart.

"Patriarch, everyone, we cannot afford to lower our guard now. Although we control Fengling County, trouble is sure to follow!"

"First of all, the Wang family is a branch of the Zichuan Wang family, one of the Eight Great Families of the Great Qian Dynasty. Although they are far away, there is still a blood connection. If the Zichuan Wang family comes after us, I'm afraid the Ye family won't be able to withstand them!"

At these words, everyone's hearts sank, and a solemn atmosphere descended.

Ye Changliu continued, "Secondly, it's well-known that the County Governor's sister is married to the commander of the Leino Army in Jun City. Whether or not he will retaliate for this is also uncertain."

"Lastly, there is Yang Feng from the Yang family, who has become a disciple of a late-stage Grandmaster elder in the Purple Forest Sect. I sent people to investigate, and it's true. This will be a difficult challenge for us."

Hearing Ye Changliu's words, the senior members of the Ye family all grew more serious.

Only Ye Daocang smiled approvingly at Ye Changliu.

In the past, the Ye family was managed by Ye Changliu and Lin Cheng. However, after Lin Cheng's exceptional performance, Ye Changliu began to delegate authority, which unfortunately led to nurturing a traitor. Now, it seemed Ye Changliu had once again taken the reins of family management, and everything was running smoothly.

Seeing the grim faces of the others, Ye Daocang spoke up, coughing twice to draw their attention.

"Elder Changliu is not wrong, but these are not unsolvable issues. First, we don't need to worry about the Zichuan Wang family for now. The royal family of Great Qian is in decline, and internal power struggles are rife. Various factions are vying for control. The Wang family has enough of their own problems to deal with and won't bother us until things settle down."

What he said was true. The Great Qian Dynasty was currently in turmoil, and the larger the power, the more precarious their position.

Ye Daocang's words eased some of the tension in the room.

He continued, "Secondly, the County Governor's sister is merely a concubine of the Leino Army commander. It's unlikely he will make a big fuss over this."

"Changliu, send those two Divine Crossbows we confiscated to the Leino Army as a gift, along with another present. We'll also nominate one of our own to be the new County Governor. If he is wise, he won't pursue the matter any further. If not, we'll show him that the Ye family is not to be trifled with!"

Ye Daocang's tone was indifferent. He had no fear of the Leino Army.

The two Divine Crossbows were military-grade forbidden weapons, and it was clear the County Governor had obtained them from the Leino Army. Ye Daocang was willing to offer them as a goodwill gesture, but if the other side refused, he would not hesitate to retaliate.

As far as he knew, the strongest force in Jun City was no more than a Grandmaster, with no Lingqiao-level experts present. The Leino Army commander, at best, was only a late-stage Grandmaster.

Currently, Ye Daocang was at the fifth level of Grandmaster. With the support of his Chaos Dao Body and high-level techniques, he had nothing to fear.

Not to mention, he hadn't yet claimed his recent rewards!

Once he did, his cultivation would advance even further, making him even more formidable.

He then added, "As for the last issue, there's no need to worry too much. That elder from the Purple Forest Sect might not intervene for Yang Feng. After all, he has many disciples. Yang Feng is just one of many and may not be important enough for him to care, unless Yang Feng has something of value to offer him."

Hearing Ye Daocang's words, everyone nodded in agreement.

Seeing their reactions, Ye Daocang smiled.

"Now, let's talk about the future development of the Ye family. Elder Changliu, here are 1,000 perfect-grade Qi Refining Pills. Distribute them based on merit. Right now is the best time for the Ye family to expand, so make sure we don't fall short on resources. As for the rest, I'll handle it."

Hiss!

Hearing Ye Daocang's words, the innate-level elders stared eagerly at the rows of pill bottles, excitement building in their hearts.

With these pills, it was clear that the Ye family's combat strength and overall power would soar to new heights.

"As you command, Patriarch!" Ye Changliu said with a powerful voice.

Watching the elders dividing the pills, Ye Daocang smiled faintly.

He looked around and thought to himself, "This place is starting to feel too small…"

Then, without lingering, he returned to his room.

At that moment, he was quite curious. What would the system reward him with this time?

After settling into his room, Ye Daocang wasted no time. He immediately focused his mind, entering the system's space.

Ding~! Congratulations, host…