Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 918 - 398, Difficult Choice, Heavy Rain in Hexi_2

The key is, once they join the respective camp, they will inevitably be entangled in this war that affects the balance of the world. By then, trying to stand by and watch as before is a fool's dream. Any slight mistake would turn all the Hou Clan's efforts over the years into nothing, so there can be no room for carelessness.

"Both Great Jin and the Five Holy Lands are currently restrained, only deploying a small number of spies in Hexi to gather information. I've only dealt with those who were too blatant, and to avoid arousing suspicion, both sides have also dealt with a batch each.

As Big Brother said, the Great Jin has already begun planning to move south, and those five Holy Lands will surely follow suit, sending over a large number of personnel, even experts, to keep a close watch on Hexi here, preventing Great Jin from crossing the river southward. Although I don't know what the Hou Clan intends to choose, it is foreseeable that these peaceful days will not last long. If we don't make a decision early, when both sides draw their swords at our gates, we might not get any good from either!"

Unexpectedly, it was Hou Yuling who spoke first this time. However, she didn't provide an answer, but rather suggested that the four quickly make a decision.

The Lower Hou Sect has always been led by Hou Yuling, and she must be intimately aware of how many spies from both Hedong and Great Jin operate openly and covertly in Hexi. Her suggestion had its considerations, and upon hearing it, the four slightly furrowed their brows, feeling a strong sense of urgency.

Hou Yuxiao glanced at the four, his eyes slightly flickering.

In fact, he already had an answer in his heart.

But after all, the Hou Clan is not ruled by him alone, nor can it move forward based solely on his intentions. The current choice concerns the life and death of the family, and he has to consider more than just himself. If he takes a step back, regardless of others, he has to consider Hou Yucheng and the opinions of the four before him.

If he were to speak, the four would undoubtedly agree, for it was Hou Yuxiao, with the confidence of the leader as the elder brother. But precisely because of this, he didn't want to speak first; instead, he wanted to hear the opinions of Hou Yucheng and the four first.

"Do you all have no answers?"

"Brother, not so fast!"

When Hou Yuduan spoke up, Hou Yuxiao thought he was going to state his stance, but instead heard a 'not so fast,' which left him somewhat puzzled.

"What do you mean by 'not so fast'?"

"The Great Jin already has the Emperor Yuliang's million troops in Yudu, and even if the forces are inadequate to attack Qinjian Villa, it only takes troops from the Three Northern Provinces to cross Lincang Path to support Emperor Yuliang. Eastward advancement is much simpler for them;

Southward, however, is different. Their current southward route only goes through the middle section of Yunlan Ancient River. Even with Cao Gang's assistance, they first must deal with the Lu Family before contending for us in Hexi. Furthermore, there is the most troublesome river crossing. Compared to heading south, they would prioritize initiating the eastward battle, which means we should still have some time to consider your earlier question!"

Hou Yuxiao's expression slightly darkened; of course, he understood what Hou Yuduan spoke of.

The question is, how much time is left?

Seeing Hou Yucheng and the hesitant expressions of the four, he knew that demanding answers for such a significant choice immediately was unrealistic. After pondering for a moment, he sighed softly and said in a low voice, "In that case, I'll give you a bit more time, but Great Jin and Hedong should soon take action, leaving us little time to consider!" ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

"Brother, just listen to you..."

Hou Yucheng didn't finish his sentence, realizing something and stopping short.

The remaining three exchanged knowing glances and shook their heads slightly.

They all understood that if Hou Yuxiao were planning to make an immediate decision, he wouldn't have solicited their opinions so cautiously.

Since he asked, they had to make a choice.

However, this choice is indeed hard to make.

"Old Fifth, expand the army rapidly; Second Elder, focus on training the troops within Five Elements Heaven; Fourth Elder, guard against other forces infiltrating Hexi; Third Madam, keep an eye on the situation around Hexi, especially the Five Holy Lands of Hedong and Northern Great Jin's news, and report any anomalies at once. The battle is near; use this final period to increase the family's strength, for when the real fighting begins, there'll be no chance left."

"Yes, Brother!"

"Alright, you all can go!"

Watching the four leave one after the other, Hou Yuxiao sighed slightly.

Thinking back carefully, facing the majority of crises the family had encountered before, he always thought he dared to make the final call. The reason was his consistent self-proclaimed ability to assess the situation, spotting opportunities within crises owing to his foresight and strategic prowess. But now it seems that it was only because he hadn't faced a moment as pivotal to life and death as the present one.

He had a decision in his heart, knowing that Hou Yucheng and the four would support him unreservedly, yet he dared not make the final call this time. The reason being, he no longer had the confidence of old. His self-proclaimed foresight and exceptional strategy did not give him the same certainty as before. In other words, whether siding with Great Jin or Hedong's Five Holy Lands, he hadn't a lifelong guarantee.

At its core, he still feared... failure!

Even after winning so many times.

This time, he still feared.

After all, this failure might mean... death!

Why?

Why am I becoming so indecisive this time?

An inexplicable image of Sikong Yue's serene face suddenly floated in his mind, causing Hou Yuxiao to clench his fists tightly, his eyes darkening slightly, and a cloud of gloom accumulating over his heart.

"Is this yet another time I've been manipulated by that woman..."

To further boost Hexi's stakes now, he has to get the New Moon Cult involved.

As long as the New Moon Cult steps in, Hexi would transform from two choices into three. Although the New Moon Cult's stance against Jin is very clear, it doesn't align with the Five Holy Lands of Hedong, allowing Hexi to play a key role in between. In short, as long as the New Moon Cult steps in, Hexi's situation will immediately improve.

But the problem is, to get the New Moon Cult involved, he has to help Sikong Yue open the treasure vault of the Divine Sect, finding himself unknowingly led by Sikong Yue again. Furthermore, after opening the treasure vault, who knows what Sikong Yue will obtain or what other Holy Lands will get. The crucial point is, with the vault opened, can he, at present, seize anything from the hands of those Holy Land leaders?

Is it possible that he must be led by Sikong Yue for his entire life, and Hexi can never flip over in front of these Holy Lands, ultimate fate either to vanish within Great Jin's endeavor to unify Shenzhou or be casually wiped out during Hedong's Five Holy Lands' anti-Jin efforts?

The five of them had struggled for so many years to build the Hou Clan's legacy, this vast Hexi land, and its exalted status today, all to be reduced to ashes, given away willingly. Is this the outcome and conclusion he desires?

Hou Yuxiao sat alone in Zhaoyang Palace, his aura growing increasingly violent and chaotic, and his expression more ominous, with the Demon Ape Martial Spirit behind him looming vaguely, as if faint murmurs emanated.

He tightly clenched his fists and stood up from the chair.

"Absolutely not!"

Hou Yuxiao exhaled forcefully, finally calming his emotions, and turned his gaze backward, gently waving a Qi Force which struck the lamp hanging on the wall.

Crack...

The lamp hit the wall, making a crisp sound as it fell back, revealing a two-meter-high secret door. Behind the secret door lay a long, dark passageway, and Hou Yuxiao slowly walked inside, casually closing the secret door behind him.

......

It seems Heaven knows something major is about to unfold in Hexi.

On October 20, New Yu Era 1332, a storm suddenly hit.

Though Hexi had detached from Yongzhou, it still belonged to the Yongzhou plate. Despite having a Wanglong Mountain, most of it remained flatland, and the heavy rain persisted for two days, instantly flooding many low-lying areas.

Initially, people thought it would last only two or three days at most, never expecting the rain to continue relentlessly.

October 22... 23... 24... 25...

On the fifth day, Hexi's citizens truly began to panic.

Especially when word spread that the entire county of Si Shui in Longxiang had been submerged, panic swept through Longxiang County City, Lingyuan, Yeyin, Zhaoyu, and Shayang's four counties, engulfing over five million people in panic, causing them to start large migrations to seek refuge in Zhaoyang Prefecture City to the west.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on fre(e)webnov(l).com