Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 700 - 313. Shitian Buddha

The Hexi Alliance has been successfully established!

Qing Wu, representing the Nanjiang Temple, merely gave the Hexi Alliance a symbolic gesture, foreseeing that this gesture will definitely cause trouble later. But at the very least, at this critical juncture, it will not be of any use.

If we must talk about its specific effect, Hou Yuxiao's staunch stance towards Qing Wu has drawn the attention of some people. The most important, of course, is the attention, or rather vigilance, of Duan Hong.

As the Hexi Alliance was established today, the protagonist should undoubtedly be Duan Hong.

However, Hou Yuxiao's final rebuke of Qing Wu inevitably seemed like he was stealing the limelight. The key point is that Qing Wu acquiesced, which, in the eyes of outsiders, appeared as if the Nanjiang Temple had submitted to Hou Yuxiao, and that is no small matter.

Undoubtedly, Hou Yuxiao's prominence has now overshadowed that of the Alliance Hierarch himself!

After the alliance formation ceremony ended, Duan Hong took his son Duan Yun and the sect members back to the accommodation arranged by the Xiong Yun Gang. Along the way, Duan Yun saw his father's face filled with worry and couldn't help but speak up once they entered their residence.

"Father, you have taken over as the Alliance Hierarch, and both Wan Xingyun and Shen Gufan have stated their support for you. Even if Hou Yuxiao makes a fuss, it will be useless. As long as we can win over the Xiong Yun Gang and the Shen Clan and gradually isolate the Hou Clan, this Hexi might really become ours in the end. What are you still worried about?"

Duan Hong, looking at his nearly hundred-year-old son's naive face, visualized Hou Yuxiao's demeanor and thought of the latter's mere thirty years of age, an inexplicable irritability surged in his heart, his brows furrowed deeply, and he asked in a low voice, "Have you ever thought about why I attained this position of Alliance Hierarch so smoothly?"

Duan Yun's expression froze, and without pondering, he replied, "The Hou Clan's strength is simply inadequate. After the battle at Longxiang Ferry, both the Xiong Yun Gang and the Shen Clan were greatly weakened. None of them currently matches our Pingtian Gate in strength. Moreover, they would rather cede Jiujun and Yuzhao counties to us, simply because they fear that our Pingtian Gate might pledge allegiance to Leiyin Temple. To put it plainly, all three clans need our support, which is why they were willing to give up the position of Alliance Hierarch, isn't it?"

"Jiujun and Yuzhao counties are adjacent to the territory currently held by Leiyin Temple. If I intend to join them, their ceding of the counties would suit me well, wouldn't it? Also, who told you that the Hou Clan's strength is not up to par?"

...

Faced with such a question, Duan Yun suddenly became stunned.

The notion that the Hou Clan's strength is inadequate is a stereotypical perception among the neighboring powers of Hexi. There are no other reasons; firstly, the Hou Clan's rise was too rapid, just a short five years, and secondly, the upsurge of the Hou Clan depended on two women from the Rakshasa Holy Sect, Sikong Yue and Zhan Taiqing, which is no secret at all.

Relying on two women for its rise, the Hou Clan's reputation was already not good. Now that the Rakshasa Holy Sect had retreated from Xiayuan, the absence of such a powerful backer inevitably made the Hou Clan even more contemptible.

"During the battle at Longxiang Ferry, a total of nearly four hundred thousand troops were mobilized between the three clans, and although the Hou Clan only deployed one hundred and twenty thousand troops, the famously talked about Hou Clan's Red Flame Army did not make an appearance.

Previously, when the Shen Clan attacked Xingnan Prefecture City, it was the Hou Clan's army that rushed to aid the city, lifting the siege for the Xiong Yun Gang. Although Shen Gufan killed Wan Renjue, he ultimately failed to achieve his goal.

At the same time, two thousand of the Hou Clan's Red Flame Army routed thirty thousand of the Shen Clan's elite in Chi Shui County. Hou Yuxiao even personally beheaded the Shen Clan's leader, Shen Gufan.

One would assume that with Wan Xingyun taking over as Gang Leader of the Xiong Yun Gang, the first thing he would do is to seek vengeance against Shen Gufan for killing his father, and Shen Gufan would do the same, seeking vengeance against Hou Yuxiao upon assuming leadership of the Shen Clan. However, strangely enough, both men showed no reaction and even joined forces with the Hou Clan to confront Leiyin Temple's southward advancing army at Longxiang Ferry?

If you carefully consider the cause and effect of these events, don't you find that strange?"

The more Duan Yun heard, the more astonished his expression became, and his demeanor grew increasingly somber.

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He wasn't foolish; with his father Duan Hong's hints, he began to understand many things.

"Father, are you saying that both Wan Xingyun and Shen Gufan might have already colluded with the Hou Clan, and that the battles in Xingnan Prefecture City and Chi Shui County were all staged by them in collusion with the Hou Clan? Are you suggesting that their goal was to remove Wan Renjue and Shen Gufan so that they could ascend to the top positions in the Xiong Yun Gang and the Shen Clan?"

Seeing his father Duan Hong nodding slightly, a shadow formed over Duan Yun's heart.

Did Wan Xingyun kill his father and Shen Gufan kill his brother?

"This..."

"Don't be so surprised. In times of great chaos, with demons causing calamities, human nature deteriorates; these things often go together. What I'm really curious about at the moment is what strength the Hou Clan possesses that could help both of them at the same time. The information our sect members have gathered in the Prefectural City these past days is limited, we only know that the Hou Clan has an elite Red Flame Army thirty thousand strong.

If such an elite force could remain unengaged at Longxiang Ferry and yet defeat Leiyin Temple, then it suggests that the rumors about Hou Yuxiao singlehandedly fighting Wufa, who is a master of the Xuanyin Realm Peak cultivation, might be true. If this is the case, then my position as Alliance Hierarch is indeed a joke!"

Duan Hong spoke with a hint of self-deprecation. He was merely at the Yuan Dan Second Realm of Divine Skills Cultivation. If his current suspicions were confirmed, then his proud appearance on the stage earlier would seem no different from a clown in Hou Yuxiao's eyes.

"Father, I don't believe it. How could the Hou Clan possibly have such strength? The details of Hou Yuxiao's single combat with Wufa at Longxiang Ferry have not been confirmed by Leiyin Temple. Currently, the most widespread rumor is that the River Lord of the Tongtian River assisted with a group of demons, which is why Leiyin Temple was defeated. If the Hou Clan truly had such strength, wouldn't the Xiong Yun Gang and the Shen Clan already be under their control? With the combined force of the three, they wouldn't need our Pingtian Gate at all, and there would be no need to cede the position of Alliance Hierarch either, would there?"