Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 449: 220, so fast?

"May I ask Brother Lu, is there any news from Great Jin?"

While everyone was still feeling alarmed and suspicious about the Demon Sect's million-strong army, Gu Tianyun had already inquired about news from Great Jin. His tone was somewhat heavy, and his pupils held a trace of resentment, evidently because of the hardships Tuoba Tao had inflicted upon him before.

Although the Lu family was only a Heavenly-grade major force, they controlled the entire middle reaches of the Yunlan Ancient River. Not to mention anything else, there were more than just the Wanjian Holy Sect in the Holy Lands along the middle reaches near Linjiang; there was also the Great Yu Holy Dynasty and the Rakshasa Holy Sect, both of which tried their utmost to win over the Lu family.

Thus, even though his background and strength surpassed Lu Dianrong, when Gu Tianyun asked his question, he tried not to show any arrogance, fearing that it might antagonize Lu Dianrong.

When Lu Dianrong was asked about the situation in Great Jin, he shook his head and replied, "My Lu family has hidden watchers everywhere along the river, and I can confirm that aside from the ten thousand Wolf Slaughter Guards under Marquis Qingyang, Great Jin hasn't deployed any other troops here. If nothing unexpected happens, those ten thousand Wolf Slaughter Guards should still be stationed in Longguan Prefecture by now, having joined forces with the Demon Sect's army that has already crossed the river. As for whether Great Jin has any other arrangements, Mr. Lu is not sure. I hope Sword Chief will not blame me."

"Brother Lu, what are you talking about? The news you've brought is already incredibly valuable. I don't even have enough time to be grateful, how could I possibly blame Brother Lu!"

After exchanging pleasantries with Lu Dianrong, Gu Tianyun's eyes were full of seriousness.

For the Wanjian Holy Sect, the threat from the Demon Sect paled in comparison to that of Great Jin. If Great Jin hadn't intervened, he from Xuzhou wouldn't have needed the assistance of Bailu Academy and Leiyin Temple's armies. But on the other hand, without Great Jin's support, the Demon Sect wouldn't dare to make a move against Xuzhou either.

It was an unavoidable situation. The ten great Holy Lands of The World had existed for over a thousand years, engaged in mutual combat for nine hundred years, and maintained balance for four hundred years. The relationships were intricately complex, interwoven and intertwined; conflicts between Holy Lands could never be a simple one-on-one outbreak.

Eight hundred and thirty thousand troops of the Demon Sect might sound impressive, but to Wanjian Holy Sect, mobilizing forces from just four Prefectures to muster such an army was not considered significant at all—only perhaps the two hundred thousand Brahman World Purifying Army from Yongdu posed some threat.

But Great Jin was different.

Even a third-rate military unit like the Wolf Slaughter Guard led by Marquis Qingyang smashed through Hedong's gateway at Longguan Prefecture without suspense, while Tuoba Tao himself appeared in Guangling Prefecture and seriously wounded Gu Tianyun in front of so many people.

Such a figure as Marquis Qingyang was one of twenty-eight similar ranks in Great Jin, among whom many were stronger than Marquis Qingyang. Above the rank of Marquis, there were seven kings and three emperors—the true foundation of Great Jin...

Bailu Academy and Leiyin Temple, sending troops to support Xuzhou, might each have their motives, carrying their own plans, but one thing was certain: both were like Wanjian Holy Sect, harboring deep wariness toward Great Jin.

"Great Jin has already openly supported the Demon Sect, so they surely won't just send Marquis Qingyang here. The forces both sides have committed in the Hedong conflict are already at the million level, and even if the ten thousand Wolf Slaughter Guards are strong, the impact they can have is still very limited!"

After Gu Tianyun finished speaking and saw the faces of those present showing agreement, he continued to ask, "Emperor Wanyan Cheng's million-strong army under the banner of Yuliang has already crossed Cangyuan Mountain and passed through Hulao Pass, directly threatening Great Yu's Lincang Path. Gentlemen, many of you must have heard this news, right?"

Zou Ziqu nodded, and the people from the other Holy Lands all showed the same expression, making clear that they knew about Emperor Yuliang of Great Jin leading his army to attack Zhongzhou.

"Yuliang attacking Zhongzhou means that Great Jin will have to fight on two fronts. Of course, I don't doubt Great Jin's capability to do so, but if they must fight on two fronts, then Great Jin can't possibly only send Marquis Qingyang to Xuzhou. Considering that Wanjian Holy Sect, Bailu Academy, and Leiyin Temple have already formed an alliance, if Great Jin wants to ensure the Hedong conflict goes smoothly, even with the Demon Sect's army present, they must send at least one Emperor here!"

The strength of Great Jin far surpassed any single Holy Land in The World. The emperors of Yuliang, Fen Ling, and Youye each controlled an entire state, exceptional beings in their own right. Considering that The Righteous Path had two Holy Sects and one Leiyin Temple on their side, Gu Tianyun's words were actually quite conservative.

If Great Jin wanted to ensure the smooth progression of the conflict in Hedong, they would need to dispatch at least two emperors, and it wouldn't be excessive even for the Emperor of Jin to personally get involved. But when he mentioned Great Jin would only need to send one emperor, everyone nodded slightly, seemingly in agreement with his statement.

"Both Emperor Helian Ba of Fen Ling and Youye Emperor Tuoba Zun are not to be taken lightly. Marquis Qingyang is the Military Governor of Nanyang Road of Yuzhou and, by Great Jin's laws, should fall under Emperor Yuliang's jurisdiction. Yet, while Emperor Yuliang personally leads the charge against Great Yu, he assigned him to Hedong. It's unclear what this means—surely Yuzhou is not thinking of handling the conflicts on both fronts alone!"

Upon hearing Xun Qianjue of Bailu Academy's speculation, everyone shook their heads.

Fighting on two fronts, even a power such as Great Jin would avoid it due to numerous unpredictable circumstances as much as possible. Just Yuliang emperor alone, even if allied with the Demon Sect, launching an assault on Great Yu while simultaneously dealing with the allied forces of Bailu Academy, Wanjian Holy Sect, and Leiyin Temple in Hedong was tantamount to a pipe dream. The newly ascended Yuwen Dongdu, Emperor of Jin, would not commit such folly unless he were a fool.

"There's no need to speculate too much about Great Jin's intentions. Given that the million-strong army of the Demon Sect has already crossed the river, the stance of the enemy attacking and us defending in this battle has essentially been determined. Since we must defend anyway, we must prepare to meet the enemy forces head-on and block their advance, whether it is Helian Ba or Tuoba Zun who comes. We must hold Guangling Prefecture; otherwise, where will our three families stand?"