Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

“Since the Sect Leader is asking for my opinion, then my decision is… save them!”

Han Lie didn’t hesitate. He turned on his heel, ready to depart.

“Wait.” Ye Qingxuan’s voice was cool, arresting him mid-stride. Han Lie paused, glancing back over his shoulder.

“Sect Leader? Are there further instructions?”

“Are you confident you can hold Qingzhou City alone?” Ye Qingxuan asked, her gaze piercing.

Han Lie considered the variables. His father, Han Zhentian, had recently shifted his allegiance from the Myriad Sword Pavilion to the Heavenly Void Sect, largely due to Han Lie’s influence and the ‘hostage’ situation with Han Feng. He was a valuable asset, a political foothold in the region.

“It depends,” Han Lie said, opting for a conservative estimate. “As long as this Yun Xuanzi is not a Nascent Soul monster, I have absolute confidence. If he is… well, the opposite is true.”

“Then go,” Ye Qingxuan said, dismissing him with a wave of her sleeve. “There is an unwritten rule between the Heavenly Void Sect, the Sun Moon Sect, and the Myriad Sword Pavilion regarding Qingzhou City. We do not deploy forces above the Nascent Soul stage to interfere. The struggle for the city is a game for Golden Cores.”

“Understood. I will depart immediately!”

Whoosh!

Han Lie vanished in a blur of movement, shooting into the sky like a comet. He didn’t head directly for the city, however. First, he grabbed Han Feng—a little family reunion seemed appropriate—and dragged his bewildered brother along as they tore through the clouds toward Qingzhou.

Qingzhou City. The City Lord’s Mansion.

The atmosphere was thick with the copper scent of blood. The city’s defenses had shattered, and the once-majestic mansion was now a slaughterhouse.

Screams echoed through the corridors. Bodies of guards and servants lay scattered like broken dolls, their blood painting the opulent floors a grim crimson. It was a living hell.

“Husband!” Inside the main hall, Li Susu clung to Han Zhentian’s arm, her face pale but still retaining its mature beauty. “Let the city go! We can flee to the Heavenly Void Sect and seek refuge with Lie’er!”

“Yes, City Lord!” The steward, trembling like a leaf, chimed in. “As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood! We must retreat!”

He was terrified. If Han Zhentian chose a glorious death, the steward knew he would be nothing more than collateral damage under Yun Xuanzi’s blade.

“Easier said than done,” Han Zhentian muttered, shaking his head. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture rigid with grim determination. “What face do I have to run to my son like a beaten dog? This city represents half a lifetime of my blood and sweat. I will not go. Even if I die, I will die here!”

Neither Li Susu nor the steward could understand. For Han Zhentian, Qingzhou City wasn’t just territory; it was his legacy, his pride.

“Haha! Good! You have guts!”

A hearty laugh, laced with mockery, boomed through the hall.

Heavy footsteps crunched on the debris. Several figures entered, their presence suffocating. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a deceptively slender frame, carrying a massive battle-axe on his shoulder that looked heavy enough to cleave a mountain.

Yun Xuanzi.

His aura was terrifying—Golden Core Perfection.

Han Zhentian, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, felt his heart sink. The gap between late-stage and perfection was a chasm.

Han Zhentian signaled his wife and the steward to step back. He stepped forward, eyes blazing. “Big talk! A mere upstart who got lucky… do you think you are worthy to bark in my hall?”

“Haha!” Yun Xuanzi threw his head back. “City Lord Han, that is rich coming from you. Did you not rise through a stroke of luck yourself?”

His eyes wandered past Han Zhentian, landing on Li Susu. A lecherous glint sparked in his gaze.

“Oh? The City Lord’s wife has aged like fine wine,” Yun Xuanzi leered, licking his lips. “Han Zhentian, I am a merciful man. I will offer you a path to survival.”

He pointed his axe at Li Susu. “Let your wife serve me. Warm my bed. And you… submit. Become my dog. When I say bark, you bark. If you agree, I might spare your miserable lives.”

“Hahahaha!” His followers erupted into raucous laughter.

“Shut your mouth!” Han Zhentian roared, his spiritual energy flaring with rage. “You filthy maggot!”

“Tsk, tsk. So angry,” a minion sneered. “If you can’t even protect your own woman, Han Zhentian, then you are the maggot who doesn’t deserve to live.”

Han Zhentian gritted his teeth, his face a mask of fury. “I may not be able to protect her today, but I can certainly take her with me to the grave! I will not let her suffer your filth!”

“Take her with you?” Yun Xuanzi scoffed. “I’m afraid you lack the capability.”

Whoosh!

The battle-axe left his hand, screaming through the air like a meteor.

Han Zhentian summoned his sword instantly. CLANG!

The impact was devastating. Han Zhentian was blasted backward, smashing through the wall of the main hall and disappearing into the rubble.

“Husband!” Li Susu screamed.

Before the dust could settle, a sword shot out from the hole, wreathed in desperate power, aiming straight for Yun Xuanzi’s throat.

“Is that all?” Yun Xuanzi didn’t even dodge. He reached out with two fingers.

Snap.

He caught the blade.

Han Zhentian, who had rushed out with the sword, froze. His eyes widened in horror. He pushed with all his might, but the sword wouldn’t budge an inch.

Yun Xuanzi smirked. He raised a leg and delivered a brutal kick to Han Zhentian’s chest.

THUD!

Ribs cracked. Han Zhentian was launched like a ragdoll, bouncing off the ceiling before crashing into the floor, creating a spiderweb of cracks in the stone. He lay there, coughing up mouthfuls of blood, his aura withering rapidly.

“Brother Dao!” Li Susu rushed to him, tears streaming down her face, trying to help him up.

“I haven’t even started trying,” Yun Xuanzi drawled, walking toward them. “Late Golden Core… where did you get the confidence to posture in front of me?”

“Yun Xuanzi!” Li Susu cried out, shielding her husband. “We surrender! The city is yours! Just let us go!”

“Surrender?” Yun Xuanzi laughed, and his men joined in, mocking her naivety. “City Lord’s wife, you are either stupid or adorable. The victor is king; the loser is a bandit. You have no bargaining chips.”

He loomed over them. “However… if you serve my brothers well, I might consider sparing your husband’s life.”

“You…!”

“Grab her,” Yun Xuanzi ordered. “Let Han Zhentian watch.”

“Yes, Brother Yun!”

The minions advanced, grinning like wolves.

“Who dares touch her!”

Han Zhentian roared, adrenaline overriding his pain. He grabbed his fallen sword and swung wildly, the sword intent sharp enough to force the minions back. Even a dying tiger has claws; a late-stage Golden Core cultivator was still lethal to these Foundation Establishment ants.

“Run, Susu! Run!” he screamed.

“No!” Li Susu shook her head, sobbing. “If you die, I won’t live alone! We die together!”

“How touching,” Yun Xuanzi sighed, bored.

BAM!

He moved too fast to see. A heavy blow slammed Han Zhentian into the ground, burying him halfway into the stone. Yun Xuanzi grabbed him by the hair, lifting his bloodied face.

“I love breaking up happy couples,” Yun Xuanzi whispered. He tossed Han Zhentian aside like garbage. “Boys, have your fun.”

“Hehe, don’t struggle, beauty.” The minions closed in on Li Susu, who had collapsed in despair.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

BOOM!

The roof of the City Lord’s Mansion exploded.

Debris rained down. A shockwave cleared the dust instantly, revealing a figure standing between Li Susu and her attackers.

It was a middle-aged man with hands clasped behind his back. His figure was slender, unassuming, yet he radiated an aura as heavy as a collapsing mountain. The air in the hall froze.

“Today,” the man said, his voice calm but echoing with undeniable power, “no one will be able to harm you.”