Chapter 46: Establishing the Rules

"What? You want us to kneel and kowtow to Yang Zhan from now on? To perform the grand imperial salute? What kind of rule is this?"

More than a dozen elders were shocked upon hearing this.

They were all elders, uncles to Yang Zhan, some even his ancestors, and some even higher. They usually practiced in seclusion, high above others. If they followed the imperial rules, they would all become subjects, having to show utmost respect to Yang Zhan, kowtowing to him, and even the power of life and death would be in his hands. How could they bear it?

"Rules? These are the rules I have established. Those who do not comply will have their martial arts abolished!" Yang Qi said coldly, "This is for the great benefit of the family. In the past, we were like a scattered group, fighting each other, and sooner or later, the family would be destroyed."

Now he knew that when facing these old fossils, he had to be firm.

Otherwise, today would not end well.

These people could not be killed if they were dissatisfied. But he could not let them reveal today's secrets. Otherwise, as Yang Xu said, if some major sects found out, he would inevitably face a great hunt. Moreover, he had a murder case on his hands, the disciples of the Spring and Autumn Sect.

Once they found out, it would even implicate his father.

Furthermore, the Shadow Poison Sect was a great threat.

If he did not completely subdue this group, they would become internal pests, even a source of disaster.

This time, he displayed absolute strength, far surpassing everyone in the Yang family. With this series of words, Yang Zhan nodded repeatedly, "Qing Luo! Did you see that? Your son has finally grown strong, matured. Perhaps he is still insignificant to your demon race, but his potential is boundless. He has not even reached twenty and can already defeat any Qi Master. In the future, he will surely find you."

"Yang Qi, you have completely turned into a monster, a demon's offspring." Yang Shi cursed angrily, "If you have the ability, kill everyone in the Yang family. Otherwise, no one will listen to you, this demon. Just wait, all the people in our Yang family, as long as they have a breath left, will invite others to slay demons and eliminate evil."

He could not swallow this.

"Since that's the case, I'll fulfill your wish!"

Yang Qi could see that Yang Shi was deeply resentful. Even if he let him go, he would definitely cause trouble. He immediately made up his mind and forcefully inputted true energy.

Crack! Crack!

Yang Shi's voice suddenly stopped, and the sound of explosions echoed. His internal meridians all burst, his dantian qi sea boiled, and finally, the cold true energy in his body went berserk, forming thick layers of ice on his body. He was frozen into a zombie in the ice, completely dead.

"Yang Shi is dead? Completely killed."

"Yang Qi made his true energy backfire, freezing him into an ice man."

"How ruthless... Now he is unstoppable."

"What should we do? If we resist, we will probably be killed. His cultivation is no longer something the elders can contend with." Many people whispered to each other.

Suddenly, a young member of the Yang family stepped forward and kowtowed to Yang Zhan, "Patriarch, I am willing to follow the new family rules."

This young man was also a talented youth, having reached the fifth level of Qi Gong, in his twenties, named Yang Yang.

"Good, good." Yang Qi nodded when he saw the first one to submit, "Yang Yang, this is a good intention, to revitalize our Yang family. Your heart is in the right place. You are at the fifth level of Qi Gong, almost reaching the Burst Qi stage. Very well, I will help you improve your cultivation. From now on, we will work together to revitalize the family, and you will be able to hold your head high."

As he spoke, Yang Qi exhaled and struck Yang Yang's head with a palm. Immediately, Yang Yang's whole body trembled, as if flames were burning on his body. The excess fat and impurities in his body were cleansed by Yang Qi. His flesh and meridians were like steel slag, incredibly solid.

At the same time, a part of Yang Qi's true energy directly entered his dantian qi sea, making his true energy surge, almost instantly increasing by the equivalent of two to three decades of hard cultivation.

When Yang Qi's palm left his head, Yang Yang jumped up, pointed his finger, and a sword qi condensed at his fingertip. With a flick, a deep trench was cut into the ground.

"Ha ha ha, I have advanced to the sixth level of Qi Gong, Condensing Qi into a Weapon!" Yang Yang was overjoyed, "This has saved me so many years of hard work."

Everyone who saw this scene looked at Yang Qi as if he were a ghost.

Directly expending true energy to help others with the灌顶 (crown initiation) was akin to suicide, but Yang Qi did it effortlessly, without even breaking a sweat, as if it were as simple as spitting.

"I am willing to follow the new family rules."

"I am also willing to follow."

Immediately, a large number of talented youths knelt down and kowtowed to Yang Zhan, showing respect and treating him with imperial etiquette.

This was a tangible benefit.

Now, Yang Qi was a threat, and they were unwilling and angry, but if he could help them improve their cultivation, they were eager to follow the rules and receive the crown initiation to enhance their cultivation.

In this world, benefits move the heart. Qi Gong cultivation accompanies one's entire life, and all glory and status can be earned through Qi Gong cultivation. People can kill for wealth and betray everything, and for Qi Gong cultivation, they can abandon everything.

"Very good."

Yang Qi then performed the crown initiation for the remaining talented youths.

There were a few at the fourth level of Qi Gong, the "Cultivating Qi" stage, who had been unable to break through to the fifth level, the "Burst Qi" stage. But with Yang Qi's crown initiation, they all broke through this crucial step, beginning to burst qi, releasing true energy externally, and injuring people from a distance.

Everyone was amazed.

Some of Yang Qi's uncles could no longer hold back and finally knelt down, beginning to kowtow.

However, Yang Qi did not perform the crown initiation for them. He only cultivated the talented youths and his brothers. Those old people were all worldly and smooth, not worth wasting true energy on.

With one carrot and one stick, he instantly won over a large number of people.

Now, only the elder council remained unmoved.

They looked at each other.

Yang Xingshi and "Lady Yan" had extremely ugly expressions. Making them kowtow to Yang Zhan was more painful than death.

"Alright, the elders do not need to kowtow to me, just a bow will do." Yang Zhan spoke, not wanting to make things too rigid.

Finally, this sentence eased the tension. Yang Zhougong nodded and was the first to bow to Yang Zhan, "I am willing to follow the new rules of the Yang family."

As he spoke, he glanced at the frozen Yang Shi. Yang Shi's Qi Gong was actually on par with his, but he had died an unnatural death, killed by Yang Qi like a chicken. He could not help but feel a sense of sorrow.

With his lead, some of the elders began to follow the rules.

Yang Qi felt a surge of pride. This was the sense of conquest brought by power, something no other thing could bring. Wealth, status, and power were all secondary to power. In this world, only by mastering power could one be invincible and have the ultimate security.

Finally, only Yang Xingshi and Lady Yan remained silent, the two Qi Masters had their own dignity and were unwilling to bow to Yang Zhan.

"Is that so? Yang Xingshi, Lady Yan, are you unwilling to respect the rules that can revitalize the family? Are you unwilling to set an example for everyone?" Yang Qi spoke, his tone icy.

He used to call Yang Xingshi "Ancestor," but now he showed no courtesy, knowing that courtesy was useless. Only by firmly suppressing them could he subdue them.

To maintain his father's authority, Yang Qi even had the heart to kill.

"You..." Yang Xingshi was almost choked by Yang Qi's words but could not refute them. He clearly saw the cold killing intent in Yang Qi's eyes.

"This child is too terrifying. Now he is at the eighth level of Qi Gong and can sweep through Qi Masters. If he advances to the ninth level, he will be able to contend with the Invincible Realm?" Finally, under Yang Qi's fierce gaze, Yang Xingshi bowed to Yang Zhan.

"This old man, Yang Xingshi, greets the Patriarch."

He bowed for the first time.

"Lady Yan, what about you?" Yang Qi's tone became even more indifferent, but everyone could see that if Lady Yan did not agree, he would immediately strike with a thunderous blow.

His authority was established with every move.

"This old woman also respects the rules." Lady Yan reluctantly bowed, truly fearing Yang Qi. She had been caught directly and had no ability to resist, showing that she could not even escape from Yang Qi.

"That's good." Yang Qi clapped his hands, a smile appearing on his face, and the tense atmosphere changed, "Isn't this good? The old habits of the family have been completely renewed. From now on, our Yang family will be reborn, sweeping away the decadent wind, and establishing the Patriarch's authority. Centralized power can accomplish great things. Also, Yang Xingshi, Lady Yan, do not be dissatisfied. I will cultivate to the Qi Master stage, and then you will know how powerful I am. If I give you a few pointers, you may also have a chance to reach the Invincible Realm."

These words instantly woke up the dreamers.

Lady Yan and Yang Xingshi's expressions gradually eased. No amount of words or dignity could compare to the wonder of the Invincible Realm. Their lifespans were nearing their end, and they could live at most another twenty to thirty years before their qi and blood dried up and they died.

If they could "seize life from heaven," they would be willing to kowtow ten thousand times and call anyone father. Dignity was too insignificant in the face of life and power.

Yang Zhan watched all of Yang Qi's actions and felt immense comfort. As a father, he felt the greatest joy in seeing his son succeed.

"Father, the autumn hunt will resume. Please give the orders."

Yang Qi's words reminded Yang Zhan.

"Good! Good! The family autumn hunt begins immediately." Yang Zhan waved his hand, and the Patriarch's authority was established.