"I'm also very disappointed. I should be the happiest person when the Ancestor comes out of seclusion, but the moment he appears, he tries to kill me. I..."

Before anyone knew it, Cao Lun's eyes reddened.

He endured immense pressure, gritting his teeth and persevering.

His face was flushed red, and veins were throbbing on his forehead.

Clearly, he was nearing his limit.

Her breathing became weaker.

Seeing that he was about to be trapped in a desperate situation, he seemed to have thought of something, and his expression changed subtly. Then he slowly said, "I wonder if the ancestor still remembers my second uncle Cao Lin, who raised me since I was a child."

The moment Cao Lun uttered the name Cao Lin, he suddenly felt the pressure on his body lessen.

It seems that this matter did indeed have an effect.

Cao Lun continued his efforts.

He continued, "At that time, my second uncle was the most promising to break through to the Saint realm. If he had succeeded, then it wouldn't have been impossible for a young Saint-level martial artist to break through to the Saint realm as well. But it was all because of you, Ancestor..."

"...My second uncle had someone he liked back then. If it weren't for the interference, perhaps none of this would have happened, and my prestigious Cao family wouldn't have ended up in Tian Shu County, becoming bandits."

As Cao Lun spoke, Cao Tianming's expression gradually changed. His hand trembled slightly, as if he were recalling some unpleasant past events. His breathing became unsteady, and his body shook violently, disrupting the atmosphere in the hall.

The giant hand of spiritual energy shattered, turning into a sky full of spiritual energy that dissipated.

That terrifying pressure also vanished without a trace.

The moment Cao Lun stood up, he first looked at Su Xuan'er, who was unconscious to the side. Her vital signs were still intact and her complexion was relatively stable, so he breathed a sigh of relief. Then his gaze fell on Cao Tianming.

At this moment, Cao Tianming seemed to be immersed in grief, his whole body shrouded in a faint aura of sorrow, and a thin mist appeared in his dark eyes.

"Lin'er, I'm so sorry..."

This powerful martial artist's mental defenses were instantly shattered.

With a loud bang, the powerful spiritual energy vanished instantly, and the hall returned to its original state, everything calm.

"Therefore, Ancestor, we cannot let my second uncle's tragedy repeat itself. I love Xuan'er, and we are already married. I hope that Ancestor can give me a break for my second uncle's sake. Even if I lose the position of head of the Cao family, I am willing."

Following Cao Tianming's direction, Cao Lun knelt down on both knees and said respectfully.

Cao Tianming took a few deep breaths, gathering his somewhat chaotic aura. He gradually stood up, and that imposing aura reappeared, towering above everyone else, standing in the heavens, looking down upon all living beings.

"impossible."

When Cao Tianming finally reacted, a cold smile appeared on his lips as he slowly looked at Cao Lun, his icy gaze revealing a hint of murderous intent.

"Patriarch of the Cao family, if you can just take the position whenever you want and refuse whenever you don't want to, then what has become of my Cao family? Cao Lun, I'm giving you one last chance. If you still don't repent, I will enforce the family law."

As these words fell, the atmosphere in the hall darkened once again.

"Then please let our ancestor carry out the family rules."

Cao Lun swallowed hard and said.

"good."

Cao Tianming responded, and in an instant, the sound of lightning and thunder resounded.

"Then I'll have no choice but to resort to family discipline."

Outside the main hall.

Behind the closed door, Cui Xiong was peering through the crack, but to his disappointment, even after peering through the crack for a long time, he still couldn't see clearly what was inside.

On the one hand, the door was too tight, allowing only a tiny sliver of light to pass through. On the other hand, he dared not be open about it; if the person inside discovered it and got angry, the consequences would be dire for them.

"Brother, brother, did you see anything? Tell me quickly, you're driving me crazy!"

Standing behind Cui Xiong, Cui You urged him on, pacing back and forth anxiously. When he saw Cui Xiong looking over, he hurriedly asked.

At this moment, a rather complex expression appeared on Cui Xiong's face.

"That kid was courting death and said he didn't want to be the head of the Cao family anymore, and then the old man got angry."

After Cui Xiong finished speaking, a strange light appeared on his face.

Upon hearing this, Cui You laughed and asked, "Really?"

Cui Xiong nodded, "Although I didn't hear very clearly, I can be somewhat certain of these things, hahaha..."

He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The pent-up emotions were released in an unprecedented way at this moment.

After laughing, his expression immediately turned cold.

"The Cao family's good days are over."

This mountain stronghold has always been painstakingly managed by the two brothers. Although they can't become rich and powerful, they can barely make ends meet for the thousands of people in the stronghold.

Although their existence was a major threat to Tian Shu County, at least it did not worsen the plight of the already oppressed and bullied poor masses.

They have a bottom line: they will never target the poor and needy, but rather rob the rich to help the poor. Their targets are the wealthy and heartless tycoons.

The reason they came together was because they could no longer make a living in their original territory, so they took over the mountains and became kings. Now that they can barely make ends meet, they naturally understand the suffering they once endured.

Once, they hadn't eaten for days and were planning to make a killing. They encountered a group of penniless people who had also been oppressed by the wealthy merchants and had no food to eat. Even though they knew there were bandits in the area, they had no choice but to pass through this road.

This is one of the reasons why counterfeit products have been able to exist for so many years.

But all of this began to change dramatically after the emergence of the Cao family, represented by Cao Lun and Cao Tianming.

Cao Tianming, with his peak Divine Realm cultivation, directly took over the mountain stronghold. Anyone who had objections was killed without mercy. The stronghold, which had been several thousand people, was reduced to only a few hundred. In order to preserve his last bloodline, the original leader, Cui Xiong, had no choice but to submit to the Cao family.

From then on, the mountain stronghold changed hands.

Under Cao Tianming's leadership, the stronghold has now grown to a size of 10,000 people.

It is undeniably terrifying.

Now, Cao Tianming has broken through to the Saint Realm, becoming the second Saint in Tian Shu County after Prefect Wu Yuan.

At that time, the status of counterfeit goods will surely rise dramatically.

It's not impossible that the stronghold will soon be able to replace the Ye family's position in Tianshu County, and even stand shoulder to shoulder with the high-ranking county governor.

But all of this is definitely not what Cui Xiong wanted to see.

Over the years, the sins they committed in order to gather cultivation resources for Cao Tianming's breakthrough were more than they had in their entire lives. Every time he woke up in the middle of the night, he was afraid that those people would come looking for him.

The original intention of imitation seems to have been distorted.

The existence of counterfeits has gradually shifted.

Cui Xiong watched all this with growing anxiety, but thankfully, things were gradually taking a turn for the better, finally giving him a glimmer of hope for victory.