Chapter 17: The Wang Family's Name Resounds Across the Heavens in One Night!

The battle stopped.

In the Wang Family's dilapidated courtyard, there was choking smoke and a heavy, thick smell of blood.

The Misty Spirit Gathering Array that had covered the courtyard shattered like broken glass, dispersing and leaving only a faint energy ripple.

On the ground in the middle of the courtyard lay two charred corpses, terrifying.

They had once been formidable eighth‑rank Body Refining cultivators sent by the Wan Family Sect to eliminate the Wang Family, but now they were just two burnt pieces of flesh.

Blood seeped from their ruined bodies, staining the ground red.

Wang Shan stood in the chaotic scene.

His body was covered with wounds, with no spot unscathed; blood soaked his clothes and clotted on the outside.

He propped his hand on his knee, his chest heaving, gasping heavily; each breath made his broken ribs ache.

He was extremely exhausted, as if he might collapse.

But in his blood‑veined eyes shone a terrifying light.

It was the lingering ferocity after the life‑and‑death struggle, and the resolve to protect his home.

After a moment of silence came the joy of having survived.

"We won! Father won!"

"We survived!"

Wang Zhize and the others were the first to react.

They saw their father standing, though swaying, and the two Heipao Ren dead; the fear they had felt instantly turned to joy.

The children shouted loudly, their voices mixing cries, relief, and great excitement.

Wang Zhize ran over, trying to support his father but fearing he would touch his wounds.

"Father! How are you?" he asked, crying.

The other sons gathered as well, wanting to help, their faces showing both worry and admiration.

Seeing their father fight like a war god filled their hearts with love for him.

At this moment, their father was more than just an old farmer who tills the fields.

He is the pillar of the Wang Family! A hero who slays enemies and protects the home!

Having endured this life‑and‑death trial, the Wang Family's hearts grew more united.

The clan's strength became greater in battle.

Not everyone was pleased.

In the distance, Chen Tianfeng had seen everything that had just happened.

Wang Shan suddenly grew fierce, using a Thunder Talisman to kill the second eighth‑rank Body Refining cultivator; each scene burned his heart like fire.

Seeing the second Heipao Ren collapse, lifeless, Chen Tianfeng felt fear, his whole body turning icy.

Dead?

Two eighth‑rank Body Refining cultivators!

The people sent by the Wan Family Sect were killed by Wang Shan?

Fear seized his heart, making it hard to breathe.

He could no longer mind the Family Head's composure, nor care about the Wan Family.

He only wanted to flee!

He must escape immediately! The farther from Wang Shan, the better!

Chen Tianfeng scrambled to his feet, ran out, ignoring the dirt on him, heading toward Luo Bay County town.

His face turned pale, his gaze scattered, and he muttered, "Devil... he is a devil..."

He dared not look back, fearing to see Wang Shan's terrifying eyes.

He only wanted to run back to the Chen Family, hide, hoping Wang Shan wouldn't find him.

The commotion in the Wang Family courtyard was too great.

First came the Array, then the Heipao Ren struck the courtyard, and especially the final Thunder Talisman—its sound was loud, the lightning bright, and almost all of Luo Bay County heard it.

Many people woke up, guessing what had happened.

Some daring folks sneaked to see.

They saw the Wang Family courtyard wall broken, exposing the interior; they saw the charred corpses; they saw Chen Tianfeng's fleeing figure.

Everyone began to understand what had occurred.

Finally, an unbelievable rumor spread, like a stone dropped into water, causing a sensation throughout Luo Bay County—

The two eighth‑rank Body Refining masters the Wan Family Sect sent to the Wang Family were slain by the Wang Family Head, Wang Shan!

The whole of Luo Bay County erupted in excitement!

"What?!"

"Wang Shan? That old farmer who tills the fields? He killed two eighth‑rank Body Refining cultivators?!"

"Impossible! You're kidding!"

"Did I hear that right? Isn't the Wang Family always just farming? Where does he get any skill?"

"That thunder... was it Wang Shan's doing?"

"I heard even the Chen Family Head fled in terror!"

On the streets and in tea houses, everywhere people talked about it.

Everyone was shocked, doubtful, and disbelieving.

So strange!

A man everyone thought was just a low‑level, near‑dying Body Refining old farmer could actually slay two eighth‑rank Body Refining cultivators?

This completely overturns everyone's expectations!

All sorts of speculation have emerged.

Someone says that Wang Shan has been hiding his power, just playing the pig while devouring the tiger.

Others say the Wang Family must have had some strange encounter; otherwise how could the ancestral tomb be emitting green smoke?

Some even recall earlier oddities, like the Wang Family's children suddenly becoming robust and the Wang Family's courtyard seeming to be covered by an Array…

These events seem to make sense, yet they only make things feel stranger.

When the news spread, the biggest reaction came from the small clans and local thugs who had previously relied on the Chen and Wan families, or had been bullied by the Wan Family against the Wang Family.

These people are now terrified, feeling a chill down their spines.

Just imagine, the eighth‑rank Body Refining Wan Family Envoys were all slaughtered by Wang Shan; those petty goons—could Wang Shan crush them with a single finger?

Fear spread like a plague, erupting instantly.

They are terrified to death, constantly on edge, fearing that the Wang Family will recover its strength and come to settle scores.

Some go even further, packing up overnight and preparing to flee.

Other families, previously suppressed by the Chen Family or staying neutral and watching the situation in secret, have their minds stirred.

The power the Wang Family displayed this time is truly terrifying.

Does this mean that the power dynamics in Luo Bay County are about to change?

They begin to secretly gather information, assess risks, and consider whether to befriend the newly emerged "ruthless figure" of the Wang Family.

No matter how others speak, speculate, fear, or hope.

In any case, everyone now knows one thing: the Wang Family's reputation, or rather its "infamous name," has become resounding at its peak overnight.

From now on in Luo Bay County, no one dares to treat the Wang Family as a soft persimmon to crush at will.

The Wang Family, leveraging this bloody victory and the lives of two eighth‑rank Body Refining cultivators, announced to all of Luo Bay County that the Wang Family has risen!

The news spread especially fast, faster than expected.

Messengers rode swift horses, and some used special transmission talismans… every method was employed.

The news of the Wang Family killing the Wan Family Envoys is racing toward the Wan Family Branch Hall in Luo Bay County's city.

One can imagine that the Steward of the Wan Family Branch Hall, and even higher‑ranking Wan Family Main House officials, will go berserk upon learning this!

A larger storm seems already brewing.

In the courtyard, Wang Shan watches his sons gathered around him, crying and laughing, overwhelmed with emotion. He also glances at the two bodies on the ground slowly turning cold, and feels even more exhausted.

He doesn't feel particularly happy.

On the contrary, an unprecedented heaviness presses on his heart.

He knows clearly that killing those two Heipao Ren is not the end, merely the beginning.

This means the Wang Family and the Wan Family have completely torn the veil, leaving no chance of reconciliation.

Next, the Wang Family will surely face the Wan Family's even crazier, more reckless retaliation.

An eighth‑rank Body Refining practitioner may not be a top master in the Wan Family, but is not a disposable petty goon either.

Sending two people at once and having them all killed is essentially a hard slap to the Wan Family.

The Wan Family, accustomed to dominance in this region, will certainly not settle peacefully.

The next foes will only be stronger, more numerous, and their tactics even more vicious!

The Wang Family luckily avoided annihilation this time and became famous in a single battle, intimidating those petty people.

But at the same time, they have fully exposed themselves at the storm's core.

The road ahead now looks even harder to walk.

Wang Shan takes a deep breath, suppressing surging Qi and chaotic thoughts, and his gaze becomes resolute again.

No matter what the future holds, he must persevere.

For this family, for these children.

He slowly lifts his head, his eyes passing through the shabby courtyard wall toward the county town, his gaze deep.