"All allied forces have withdrawn, one and a half million Jizhou soldiers destroyed overnight, Hou Tong trapped me for more than three months, and the eight million Tianwei Army coming from Hedong weren't here to support us at all. The Tianwei Army has definitely marched towards Jidu.

The Great Mansion Master and the Second Villa Master are already in the treasure vault, with no Saint in Jidu, if the million Tianwei Army launches a surprise attack directly at Jidu, then the reinforcements from the other paths of Jizhou won't be able to respond in time. That means once the million-strong army arrives, Jidu... is in great danger!"

Qin Fan dashed frantically towards Jidu without the slightest delay. He had been trapped by Hou Tong for three months, and in such a long time, how many things could that million-strong army accomplish? It's unimaginable.

Especially at this critical moment, Jidu has no Saint present...

He could already foresee Zhao Yulong and Li Tingzong emerging from the treasure vault and realizing everything, seeing his own state of embarrassment.

The Zhao, Li, and Qin families of Qinjian Villa, the ranking of their three Villa Masters is actually a reflection of the strength of their three families. Though Qin Fan is also a Saint, his cultivation is not as good as Zhao and Li, and the strength of the Qin Family is somewhat behind the other two. So for important matters like the treasure vault, it was Zhao Yulong and Li Tingzong who went, leaving him to guard Jizhou.

It was supposed to be a time when the Great Jin Alliance was at a standoff on the Dongyuan Path, and the Hou Clan's army was stuck at the Divine Capital. Surely nothing would happen to Jizhou, it should have been an extremely simple task. Before, he even felt somewhat reluctant, thinking that Zhao Yulong and Li Tingzong underestimated him.

Never could he have imagined that the situation would change so rapidly.

First, the Hexi army abandoned the Divine Capital and started heading south; then the Wuwei King, who hadn't entered the treasure vault with the Saints, suddenly betrayed and attacked the Jizhou army with the Tianwei Army of the Dongyuan Path; seeing the forces of the Four Families of Hedong withdraw, only then did he realize that the alliance had abandoned his Qinjian Villa; aside from the destruction of one and a half million troops, he himself was trapped in a formation laid by Hou Jing on the Dongyuan Path for more than three months...

Among this series of shocking changes, the moment that left him most stunned was when Hou Jing pulled out the Demon-subduing Staff in Dongyuan Path City.

The Demon-subduing Staff, that was Hou Tong's weapon!

How could it be, Hou Jing, is actually Hou Tong...

Hou Jing's rise to fame in Great Jin happened over three hundred years ago, whereas Hou Tong caused trouble in the villa less than forty years ago. How could these two be the same person?

The internal turmoil of the villa in the year 1296 occasionally flashed through his mind, shocking Qin Fan to his core, causing his steps to involuntarily quicken considerably. If Hou Jing was indeed Hou Tong, then he could basically confirm that, at this very moment, the million-strong Tianwei Army was definitely attacking Jidu.

Hou Tong, Hou Tong!

Buzz...

As Qin Fan repeatedly chanted Hou Tong's name in his mind, suddenly, a terrifying aura crushed down from above, catching him off guard in his exhausted state, his body momentarily froze.

The previously empty sky suddenly lit up with nine mysterious black pillars of light, filled with Demonic Qi, rising from underground and instantly forming a pitch-black space in the air, trapping Qin Fan tightly inside.

Qin Fan's response was already quite fast, but his mind had been preoccupied on this journey, constantly thinking about Jidu. Caught off guard, no matter how fast he was, he was still a bit slow.

Failing to escape the confinement of the black pillars, Qin Fan's expression changed abruptly, those pillars were part of a formation, and evidently, someone had been waiting for him for a long time, he almost didn't need to think about who had come.

"Hou Jing, no... now it's Hou Tong!"

As Qin Fan spoke, a Flame Emperor martial spirit, towering at thirty thousand zhang, floated behind him. Its terrifying momentum soared into the sky, the Saint's cultivation unleashed in full force. At that moment, even the solid black pillars seemed to be faintly on the verge of being broken through by him.

"Third Villa Master, didn't expect this, did you?"

Amidst Hou Jing's slightly muffled voice, a martial spirit with the body of a human and the head of a tiger, towering fifty thousand zhang, slowly rose before Qin Fan. This martial spirit was nearly twice the size of his Flame Emperor, and when it stood proudly in front of him, its momentum completely overshadowed his.

Hou Jing, clad in a black-gold beast-faced Heaven-devouring armor, had a face that was no longer the domineering ruggedness of before, but had become refined and handsome, his eyes bright as stars, looking at Qin Fan with immense pride.

"Mr. Hou served the villa faithfully for more than forty years, loyal to both Zhao Yulong and you. Back when Leiyin Temple was powerful, it was Mr. Hou risking his life, infiltrating the Xiling Path, stealing all of Leiyin Temple's martial arts, allowing you to suppress Leiyin Temple at every turn. Without me, you wouldn't have driven Shi Tian out of Jizhou seven years ago. I didn't expect you ingrates to be jealous of my talent, falsely accusing me of keeping Leiyin Temple's martial arts, destroying my roots, killing my wife, openly expelling me from the villa, secretly sending that little scoundrel Zhao Ponu to kill me, such hypocrisy!

Hahaha, didn't expect this, did you?

Today, not only has Mr. Hou's roots recovered, but I have Saint cultivation, hold the rank of a Jin noble, command a massive army, hahahaha!"

Hou Jing's laughter was utterly arrogant, completely at odds with his handsome face, or perhaps not, for his originally handsome face was now slightly twisted with hatred, possibly even maniacal.

Clearly, his hatred for Qinjian Villa had seeped into his bones, and it was precisely this hatred that made the reborn him so rampant and proud now.