Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 703 - 314, 700,000 Hexi troops_2

His original plan was that upon hearing these words, Hou Yuduan would at least show some emotion, but unexpectedly, not only was there no anger on Hou Yuduan's face, he even smiled gently.

"Mr. Hou likes the straightforward nature of Alliance Leader Duan. The Holy Lands that Pingtian Gate can choose are only the recently southward-moving Leiyin Temple and the Rakshasa Holy Sect to the west. Leiyin Temple is now impossible, and even if the Rakshasa Holy Sect were to accept Pingtian Gate, may I ask Alliance Leader Duan, would Leiyin Temple allow your tens of thousands of sect members to travel from Jianye Prefecture to the west? As for other Holy Lands, they are even more out of reach, unless someone of great power or even a Sub-saint of Martial Dao intervened. Does your Pingtian Gate have the qualifications to make other Holy Lands go through such trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Hong's expression darkened instantly. The path to seeking refuge with Leiyin Temple had been ruined by the alliance with Hexi, and it was now impossible for him to turn back and seek out Leiyin Temple. The Rakshasa Holy Sect to the west was currently engaged in a great battle with Bingzhou and didn't have the time to attend to them. Even if they were to accept Pingtian Gate, they would probably require them to make their own way to Zhong Yuan Road. The problem was, Leiyin Temple was now occupying Jianye Prefecture. To get to Zhong Yuan Road, passing through Jianye Prefecture was essential, and of course, Leiyin Temple wouldn't allow passage.

It was impossible for other Holy Lands to go through so much trouble for just Pingtian Gate alone. Hou Yuduan's words hit Duan Hong's sore spots, sentence by sentence, causing him to fall silent.

"My Hou Clan, having led the Shen Clan and Xiong Yun Gang, defeated the first southward wave of monks from Leiyin Temple. Alliance Leader Duan, do you think that we are inferior to the mere Earth Spirit Demon Sect?"

Hou Yuduan's tone carried a hint of ease, and after posing a rhetorical question, he looked up at Duan Hong and said softly, "Alliance Leader Duan just mentioned that my elder brother is somewhat arrogant. If Mr. Hou were to say that during the battle at Longxiang Ferry, the fact that my elder brother fought alone against Wufa was absolutely true, would you still think that my elder brother's arrogance is too much?"

Duan Hong's body shook, he abruptly lifted his head to look at Hou Yuduan, seeing the composure in the other's gaze and felt a surge of shock overwhelm him.

Hou Yuxiao, fighting Wufa alone, is true!

That means Hou Yuxiao indeed possesses Xuanyin Realm strength, how is this possible?

A little over thirty years old, having Xuanyin Realm strength.

What kind of monster is this?

"Not to conceal from Alliance Leader Duan, although my talent for cultivation cannot compare with that of my elder brother's, it's still quite good. After the battle at Longxiang Ferry, I too have had my gains and have broken through to the Yuan Dan Realm."

Watching as the still-ethereal inner core slowly rose behind Hou Yuduan, Duan Hong was by now beyond stunned, his pupils filled with astonishment. If he remembered correctly, this Hou Yuduan, the Hou Clan's Old Fifth, was only twenty-six years old this year.

A twenty-six-year-old Yuan Dan Realm?

And he remembered that Hou Yuduan, known as Zhao Yang Mo Ru, excelled in both the literary and martial arts...

"Of course, looking at the world today, my Hou Clan doesn't count for much, and Pingtian Gate certainly has other, better options. But the question is, what status can those powerful forces offer to Pingtian Gate, could it be higher than the status given by the Hexi alliance? Furthermore, ever since my Hou Clan rose to power from Zhao Yang, it has only been five years. Surely, Alliance Leader Duan is aware that no one can clearly predict the future. The olive branch my Hou Clan is extending to Pingtian Gate today could very well be something others could not obtain even if they begged for it in the future. It's better for Alliance Leader Duan to consider it carefully!"

......

Hou Yuduan watched Duan Hong fall into thought, a hint of cold light flickering through his pupils.

From the moment he tricked Pingtian Gate to leave Jianye Prefecture, many things had already been predetermined. If Duan Hong agreed, with Pingtian Gate smoothly integrating into Hexi, everyone would be happy. If Duan Hong did not agree, it was nothing more than causing trouble for his elder brother and wasting more effort.

They could also employ the same methods of subjugation on Duan Hong. But to be honest, this approach had its downsides. Xiong Yun Gang and the Shen Clan, although under the leadership of Wan Xingyun and Shen Gu Yun, were united with the Hou Clan in purpose, it was still a long way from complete integration. Right now, these two factions were together with the Hou Clan only because their masters were controlled by Hou Yuxiao. Many people from both factions actually held biases or even enmity towards the Hou Clan, and it would take a long time to perfectly integrate. Wan Renfeng, Wan Renshan, and some of the elders of the Shen Clan, as well as the martial artists and soldiers from the two factions, all required time to be slowly dealt with.

If Pingtian Gate was subdued by enslaving Duan Hong in the same way, it would be no different from the previous two factions. Later, it would require even more energy to handle. This was precisely why Hou Yuduan spent so much effort persuading today.

If Duan Hong could sincerely join forces with the Hou Clan, it would undoubtedly save the Hou Clan a great deal of trouble, creating a truly joyous situation for everyone involved.

But if he does not agree...

"Pingtian Gate's Duan Hong pays his respects to the Fifth Young Master!"

Hou Yuduan thought he had misheard, suddenly lifting his head to see Duan Hong's respectful bow, a hint of joy immediately flashed across his face, and he hurriedly reached out to help him up, his mood slightly agitated as he spoke, "Alliance Leader Duan is an elder, Mr. Hou dare not accept such a grand gesture, please rise, please rise quickly."

With his current cultivation at the Yuan Dan First Realm, actually receiving this bow wasn't a problem at all, but given that Duan Hong was so tactful, he couldn't afford to be insensitive to propriety, and always had to maintain a courteous demeanor. freewebnσvel.cøm

Sure enough, seeing his humble attitude made Duan Hong's expression much better.

"This title of Alliance Leader, the Fifth Young Master should not mention again, this position of Alliance Leader belongs to none other than the Family head of Hou, and now that the Family Head of Hou has entered seclusion, I implore the Fifth Young Master to take charge, please take the seat of honor!"

Hou Yuduan did not refuse Duan Hong's invitation, and while walking to the front, he still turned back and said, "My elder brother has already said, this position of Alliance Leader should still be held by Leader Duan for the time being, Mr. Hou is not at liberty to elaborate on the reasons, so please bear with it a bit longer, Alliance Leader Duan."

Duan Hong's brow furrowed for a moment upon hearing this, but he quickly figured it out and understood that the Hou Family feared standing out too much. Once he was clear about the reason, a sense of admiration for the five siblings of the Hou Family immediately rose in his heart, and he nodded without saying anything else.

Hou Yuduan walked up to the front, then turned back to look at the three men, especially Duan Hong, feeling a surge of excitement, the emotion slightly evident on his face.

Pingtian Gate could be considered the first-class power to join the Hou Family under normal circumstances.

The control over the Shen Clan and Xiong Yun Gang had been thanks to big brother's methods. As long as they could invest time afterwards to completely assimilate the two, there shouldn't be any big issues. Coupled with Pingtian Gate, the Hou Family not only controlled the territory of two prefectures and nine counties but also effectively assimilated four first-class powers.

These were four genuine, first-class powers!

"Since the three of you are now our own people, let me speak frankly. The Hexi Alliance has been established, and with the Nanjiang Temple, Leiyin Temple, and the Rakshasa Holy Sect returning from Bingzhou in the future, since Hexi has strong enemies encircling, we must take early precautions. Everyone, please reveal the strength of your respective forces!"

Wan Xingyun was the first to stand up and respectfully said, "My Xiong Yun Gang still has an army of 170,000, with 20,000 elite troops among them."

Shen Gu Yun followed, "The Shen Clan still has an army of 130,000, with 30,000 elite troops trained in the Golden Sword Chant."

Seeing that the three men were all looking at him, Duan Hong did not delay any further, stepped forward, with a proud look, and bowed, "My Pingtian Gate has a martial army that totals 210,000, with 60,000 elite troops among them!"

Upon hearing Duan Hong's words, Hou Yuduan's expression immediately brightened. Given that Pingtian Gate's territory, Jianye Prefecture, was much more prosperous than the two prefectures of Xingnan and Hexi, and there had been no major battles recently, it was natural for Pingtian Gate to have the deepest foundations, something he had expected. However, a total army of 210,000 was still a shock to him.

"My Hou Family has an army of 180,000, with 30,000 elite troops. Adding the three families together, our Hexi Alliance now has a combined army of 690,000, with 140,000 elite troops and 550,000 regular troops!"

Hou Yuduan's eyes shone much brighter, almost seeing the scene of 700,000 troops gathering at the Baiye Camp.

700,000 troops...

Before the great battle in Hedong, just two years ago, when the Three Righteous Factions, the forces of the Demon Path in Great Jin, and the Wuwei King had fought, their combined troop numbers were only around this figure. And now, the Hou Family had reached this level of strength.

"The armies of the three families, by the end of this month at the latest, shall assemble at the Tongling Baiye Camp. After the official formation of Hexi's army, this Young Master will decide on the specific defense arrangements for Hexi. No problems, right?"

"We will follow the Fifth Young Master's orders!"

Hou Yuduan's eyes brimmed with a sparkling light, as if he could already see the formation of 700,000 troops at Baiye Camp.

700,000 troops...