Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 917 - 398, Difficult Choices, Heavy Rain in Hexi

New Yu Era, October 17, 1332

Hou Yuxiao, who initially thought he would be gone for a long time, hurriedly rushed back on the third day, much to the delight of the four Hou Clan members who had been worrying about his safety.

However, their joy did not last long. Upon hearing what transpired at the New Moon Festival, especially the upcoming contention over the divine treasury in Hexi, their faces immediately turned grave.

"Sikong Yue effortlessly beheading Long Yu—that's simply absurd. Could Sikong Yue possibly have strength surpassing that of a Saint?"

Hou Yujie's face was full of astonishment. He had seen Sikong Yue and knew her prowess, but no matter how powerful, it shouldn't be to the extent of effortlessly beheading a First Grade Demon!

In fact, not only Hou Yujie, but even Hou Yuxiao himself couldn't comprehend this. A First Grade Demon is an Immortal Realm being, one above the Martial Dao Saints. Not to mention their formidable strength, under normal circumstances, there's no way to kill these demons. Great Jin deployed six Saints to slay Tai Xi, and Yuwen Father and Son personally dealt with Ni Han.

Yet Sikong Yue, killed it with ease?

Does this not prove that her strength has already surpassed the Martial Dao Saints, even exceeding her father Sikong Xingzhou, thus becoming the new number one in the world?

Is this why she ignored the Emperor of Jin to his face, and the Emperor dared not confront her?

"No, no, no, this is precisely the brilliance of Sikong Yue!"

Suddenly, Hou Yuduan, who had been contemplatively silent, spoke softly, causing Hou Yuxiao, Hou Yujie, and the other four to freeze in their expressions, then look up at him.

Seeing the four looking at him, Hou Yuduan calmly said, "Sikong Yue may be strong, but probably not to the extent of effortlessly beheading Long Yu. Considering the recent New Moon Festival where she had gathered holy lands and major forces from across the world, it's highly likely this was a deliberate act, and the purpose is for..."

"To deter Great Jin!"

Hou Yuduan turned to Hou Yujie and added, "To boost the morale of all major holy lands."

Hou Yuxiao, who had remained silent, suddenly had a brighter gaze.

Indeed!

Sikong Yue had her purposes in beheading Long Yu, but simultaneously, she realized that doing so indirectly aided Great Jin. Once Long Yu was slain, Great Jin could withdraw from the decade-long commitment and focus on the various states of the world. At that point, the five major holy lands might mistakenly think that the New Moon Cult and Great Jin Holy Dynasty were in an alliance.

So, in the matter of safeguarding the divine treasure map, she embarrassed the Emperor of Jin publicly to dispel the misunderstanding among the major holy lands. Once the leaders of the five holy lands understood that the New Moon Cult and Great Jin Holy Dynasty weren't allied, combined with the formidable strength she demonstrated in beheading Long Yu, the anti-Jin spirit would undoubtedly rise.

"Didn't big brother say that Sikong Yue declared that until the divine treasury is opened, her New Moon Cult wouldn't have any conflict with Great Jin? This is surely some agreement reached in secret between the two factions. Without the participation of the New Moon Cult, the other five holy lands facing Great Jin together might not have enough confidence. However, as long as Sikong Yue shows that she won't cooperate with Great Jin, the confidence of these five factions will be entirely different!"

"At least, Sikong Yue is still someone they can consider aligning with."

Hou Yuxiao's gaze grew ever brighter. Hou Yuduan's reminder had given him clarity; many things that were unclear in Yongdu suddenly made sense.

If Sikong Yue truly had the power to dominate Long Yu, there wouldn't be any need for this gentleman's agreement with Great Jin. As long as she led, the five holy lands would surely rise against Jin. By then, united with the New Moon Cult, Great Jin's attempts to smoothly advance south would be quite challenging.

Because her strength isn't adequate, or perhaps she's waiting for something, she had to reach the divine treasury agreement with Great Jin. But at the same time, she feared that the five holy lands might lose their anti-Jin spirit due to the New Moon Cult. Thus, she conducted the show of effortlessly beheading Long Yu and publicly disregarding the Emperor of Jin's dignity.

Since the New Moon Cult was adamantly against Jin, Hou Yuxiao finally felt relieved. He was concerned because Great Jin's momentum was overwhelmingly strong. Having the New Moon Cult as an ally against them might not pose much of a threat, but if the New Moon Cult sided with Great Jin, cooperation between these two would mean disaster for the five holy lands, the Wuwei King, and Hexi.

Hou Yuxiao relaxed slightly and, after a moment of silence, looked solemnly at the four individuals and said, "Now comes the most crucial question..."

The four seemed to understand what he intended to ask, so their expressions became serious.

"Great Jin and the five holy lands—how should Hexi choose?"

......

After Hou Yuxiao posed this question, Zhaoyang County fell into a deathly silence. Not only Hou Yucheng, Hou Yujie, and Hou Yuling but even Hou Yuduan, the most strategic thinker among them, fell into deep contemplation, unable to speak for a long time.

This dilemma is unlike any previous choices the Hou Clan ever faced.

The Zhaoyang Disturbance, Tongling Disorder, Hexi's three provinces, Battle of Hedong, Nanjiang confrontation, and even the recent Jianye Prefecture battle—comparatively, all these previous choices are insignificant before the current decision.

Choosing Great Jin, a dynasty that commands the world, or five holy lands that have endured millennia—either choice means thoroughly offending the other side. For Hexi at present, the wrong alliance could well mean catastrophic ruin.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss