"Big brother, Ni Han... is dead?"

    When Hou Yuxiao landed in Qingmiao City, two figures immediately came forward, Hou Yucheng''s inquiry carried a hint of anxiety, and Hou Yuduan next to him was also full of curiosity, clearly eager to know the answer.

    They had witnessed the battle between the Jin Emperor Father and Son against Ni Han when the Five Elements Heaven was shattered, but later, when the battle moved into the void, they could no longer see it.

    Hou Yuxiao didn''t speak, he just nodded.

    Upon getting the answer, Hou Yucheng''s face instantly showed a startled expression.

    "Five years ago, when Great Jin beheaded Tai Xi, it required all Six Saints; Ni Han had hidden for five more years than Tai Xi, supposedly making him even stronger, yet Yuwen Father and Son could actually kill him?"

    Great Jin''s strength has become even greater...

    Hou Yucheng''s expression gradually turned serious. The might of Great Jin had long been ingrained in people''s hearts, but Hexi had yet to officially engage with Great Jin. Moreover, with Hexi''s rapid progress over the years and the continuous enhancement of the Hou Clan''s power, his apprehension towards Great Jin wasn''t as deep as before. He even vaguely felt that although Great Jin was stronger than Hexi, it wasn''t much different from the other Eight Great Sacred Lands. As long as Hexi steadily progressed, catching up wouldn''t be too difficult.

    Now he realized how ridiculous his thoughts were!

    Yuwen Father and Son alone could slay one of the three great demons, Ni Han. What opponent could possibly face Great Jin if all Six Saints were to act together?

    Seeing the solemnity on Hou Yucheng''s face, Hou Yuxiao knew he had similar thoughts; Great Jin''s strength was formidable, and though it currently had no relation to the Hou Clan, since the two were far apart with no apparent conflict of interest, it wouldn''t stay that way indefinitely.

    The Hou Clan would eventually step out of Hexi. Not to mention the distant future, the Wuwei King in the east already had intricate ties with Great Jin. Furthermore, now that Great Jin had slain Ni Han, completing two-thirds of the ten-year pact, next came Long Yu. Once the three great demons were vanquished, Great Jin''s forces would surely set their sights on The World.

    By then, the Hou Clan, along with all other forces in The World, would be facing it.

    "Big brother, second brother, are you worried about Great Jin?"

    "Of course, Great Jin''s strength isn''t a good thing."

    Compared to Hou Yucheng''s straightforwardness, Hou Yuxiao noticed that Hou Yuduan didn''t show any heavy expressions; instead, he looked relaxed, sparking some doubt in Hou Yuxiao''s mind, as if Old Fifth did not share the same concerns about Great Jin''s power.

    "You''re not worried?"

    Hou Yuduan let out a slight smile, shook his head, and said, "Big brother, second brother, in my opinion, what the Hou Clan least needs to worry about is Great Jin."

    At this point, Hou Yuduan paused and, seeing the deepening confusion on Hou Yuxiao and Yucheng''s faces, suddenly extended his hand and pointed to the sky.

    It was noon, and there was only a blazing sun in the sky.

    "There cannot be two suns in the sky!"

    ......

    Upon hearing these four words, the two were visibly shaken.

    There cannot be two suns!

    Hou Yuxiao looked up at the sun in the sky, and the fear in his expression almost halved instantly by these four words. Standing beside him, Hou Yucheng''s heaviness diminished by ninety percent, with his pupils gradually revealing delight and emotion. Clearly, Hou Yuduan''s four words had greatly impacted him as well.

    "How is Qingmiao City?"

    With Hou Yuduan''s four words, Hou Yuxiao quickly withdrew his thoughts from Great Jin, and he looked down at Qingmiao City, turning to ask about the situation.

    "The six mighty figures of the Rakshasa Holy Sect have already left with Duanmu Hong. Big brother stayed in the Five Elements Heaven for four days, and the remaining enemies in Qingmiao City have mostly been cleared, now under the control of the Hexi army. Additionally, we dispatched Hong Kui to lead the Hong Miao Army to capture Baimiao City and Zimiao City as well. Now, all five cities in Nanjiang are under Hexi''s control!" Sёar?h the N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon hearing that Nanjiang was entirely under Hexi''s control, Hou Yuxiao finally released the huge weight on his heart, and after a heavy sigh of relief, he looked at Hou Yucheng with a serious expression and asked: "How did our Hexi fare in this battle?"

    This was evidently a heavy topic. Hou Yucheng, who just relaxed, once again had a grim expression and replied solemnly, "The losses at the front weren''t too bad; mainly, it''s the battle at Qingmiao City that cost us half of our forces. As of yesterday''s count, the Zhaoyang Army still had 160,000 soldiers, and the Red Flame Army only had 120,000 left. Of the 700,000 elite we brought south this time, we suffered a total loss of... 420,000."

    When Hou Yucheng reported this figure of 420,000, not only was his tone heavy, but his face also turned grim to the extreme. Naturally, it wasn''t just him; Hou Yuxiao''s expression also darkened considerably, and even the normally calm Old Fifth showed a grim look at this figure.

    There''s no way around it, these losses are indeed enormous for Hexi!

    The 400,000-strong Zhaoyang Army and the 300,000-strong Red Flame Army can be regarded as Hexi''s premier elite forces at present. Besides these 700,000 elites, the Hou Clan also commands 600,000 Hexi Army, but the Hexi Army simply cannot compare to these elites.

    The 300,000 Red Flame Army, adept in the Holy Army Code, can overpower formidable beings of the cracked level. The Zhaoyang Army may not have trained in the Holy Army Code, but their minimum cultivation is the Seventh Level of Body Opening, vastly superior compared to the Hexi Army.

    These elite forces weren''t acquired easily. The Hou Clan, through Hexi Alliance control over Xingnan, Hexi''s two prefectures, along with the Shen Clan, Pingtian Gate, Xiong Yun Gang, and the Hou Clan itself—four First-Class forces in all—spent a full four years painstakingly expanding their elite forces to 700,000. Unexpectedly, a single battle in Nanjiang resulted in the loss of 420,000.