At this moment, Qin Fan was just the opposite of him. His ears were full of Hou Jing's arrogant laughter. His face was somber, his eyes full of gloom, feeling the terror of Hou Jing's martial spirit. The fists tightly clenched in his sleeves slightly trembled, perhaps out of fear, confusion, or guilt, with all sorts of emotions piling up in his heart, indescribable.

"Back then Zhao Yulong said I was born lowly, destined never to rise. Now, I, Ziyu Cheng Yuduan, have already led the great army back to Hexi, ostensibly joining hands with Great Jin against New Moon Cult, but in reality, planning to ally with New Moon Cult against Jin. Sikong Yue has promised to cede Yongzhou to the Hou Clan afterward. Once I destroy your Qinjian Villa and annex Jizhou, the Hou Clan will unify Ji and Yong provinces, fighting for supremacy with Great Jin. Qin Fan, tell me, who exactly is born lowly!"

Hou Jing's voice was not only filled with the exhilaration of rising from adversity but also carried with it a sharpness accumulated over many years, making even his questioning tone seem somewhat piercing, tinged with hysteria.

Upon hearing these words, Qin Fan's body shuddered violently, not out of fear from Hou Jing's final sharp interrogation, but because of the content of his words.

Indeed, since Hou Jing was Hou Tong, then the Five Tigers of Hou Clan, who now governed Hexi, were his offspring. Possessing an army of seventeen million, the Hou Clan, with Hou Jing, truly became one family. As Hou Jing said, if he took Jizhou and Hou Yuxiao collaborated with Great Jin to take Yongzhou smoothly, the Hou Clan would indeed transform and become the master of Ji and Yong provinces.

Master of two provinces!

In the entire world, second only to Great Jin and Bailu Academy.

By then, Hou Tong, once considered lowly beyond redemption in the eyes of Qinjian Villa, would become the master of two provinces, one of the most esteemed figures in the world.

Lowly, who exactly is lowly?

"Don't get smug, Hou Tong. Do you really think you can collaborate with Sikong Yue to toy with Great Jin? The Emperor of Jin is no ordinary person and will certainly see through your tricks. It's wishful thinking for Hou Yuxiao to take Yongzhou; as for destroying Qinjian Villa and seizing Jizhou, it's even more far-fetched. Jidu, the mighty city, is not something you can conquer. The Great Mansion Master and Second Villa Master will soon emerge from the Divine Sect's treasure vault. At that time, your mere million soldiers will be reduced to ashes, including you, Hou Tong, who will once again be reduced to a cripple as in thirty-seven years ago!"

Qin Fan had somewhat lost his composure, and his words were extremely acrid and blunt, not caring at all about provoking Hou Tong. In fact, since Hou Tong had just revealed his cooperation with Great Jin against New Moon Cult was a facade to ally with Sikong Yue against Jin, Qin Fan knew that he probably couldn't escape today.

Daring to directly reveal such confidential matters, Hou Tong was evidently fully confident in capturing him, so Qin Fan hesitated no longer and directly countered Hou Tong.

Sure enough, when Hou Tong heard the words "reduced to a cripple," his emotions soared immediately. His expression, originally full of pride, suddenly turned vicious. Without uttering a word, he abruptly raised the Demon-subduing Staff in his hand, turning into a fierce light, swiftly charging forward.

"Tiger Roars, Xuanmo Anger!"

Hou Tong's martial spirit was a fifty-thousand-zhang tall tiger-headed demon god. The moment his body moved, the tiger-headed demon god moved too. Similarly, a Sky-Supporting Long Staff appeared in the martial spirit's hand. The xuanmo qi in the sky and the long staff merged and fused. With his movements, it propelled the air within the xuanmo pillar, attacking Qin Fan with the force of a mountain torrent.

Roar...

The speed of the staff was so fast that it made a sound akin to a tiger's roar as it rubbed against the fractured space. However, this roar was somewhat unusual; not only could it shatter space, but it also penetrated directly into the Flame Emperor martial spirit behind Qin Fan.

Buzz...…

Qin Fan's pupils were filled with immense fear as he watched his martial spirit's flames swaying wildly. The star sea in the martial spirit's abdomen was overturned, and a wave of dizziness suddenly appeared in his mind.

From Sub-saint to Saint, completing the transformation of proving the Dao and illuminating the mind includes one more transformation, which is the quantitative transformation in cultivation.

The power source of a Sub-saint is the star core in the martial spirit's abdomen. Continually refining and melting the star core eventually turns it into nothingness, fully integrating into the star sea, becoming a nourishment for the martial spirit. This is the quantitative transformation in cultivation upon breaking through to become a Saint.

Therefore, the power source of a Saint is the star sea.

In battles between Saints, it's also a contest between the star seas.

Hou Tong had just struck, and his star sea was already tossing and turning without pause. The outcome of this battle was almost clear, and Qin Fan's mood instantly fell to the bottom. If not for the intense will to survive, he probably wouldn't even have the thought to resist.

The immense difference in power wasn't the main reason for his loss of confidence. Crucially, the one forming this gap was Hou Tong.

A servant who had served the villa for over forty years, a person who couldn't even speak in front of the three Villa Masters and had to be extremely deferential, though he had once drawn some attention years ago, in Qin Fan's view, he was just a small man with some talent but lowly habits.

Such a person, in just thirty-seven years, had transformed into someone whose cultivation surpassed his own, whose strength was also beyond his.

This blow, even for a Saint, was hard not to feel despondent...

"Three Immaculate Holy Flames, Boundless Sea of Fire!"

Even so, Qin Fan did not just sit and wait for death.