Thinking about all this, Hou Yuxiao understood why Sikong Yue acted so recklessly before. She must have concluded long ago that he wouldn't choose to cooperate with the Great Jin.

The more it was like this, the more Hou Yuxiao feared Sikong Yue.

Especially since his son was still in her hands.

Precisely because of the myriad thoughts in his mind, Hou Yuxiao intentionally did not spend effort to reclaim the two counties of Xiapi and Pengkang. He wasn't clear about the situation in Xingnan Prefecture and Zhongyuan Road, but reclaiming these two counties would inevitably bring the Hou Clan into contact with these families. Once contact is made, the choice between aligning with Jin or opposing Jin would immediately be put before them. He didn't dare make a decision now, so he could only delay as much as possible, hoping new developments would arise.

Of course, while delaying, the Hou Clan's own affairs never stopped.

Demons ran rampant, and although Hou Yuxiao's actions were already swift, the number of people rescued during the recapture of the three counties was still minuscule.

Originally, the three counties each had a population of over two million, totaling six to seven million people. However, the number of people genuinely saved was less than a million. By this ratio, Shenzhou's original population of over seven billion might now be less than one billion.

The dramatic reduction in population should have been disadvantageous for the Hou Clan's efforts to expand its army, but coincidentally, when the Hou Clan moved south, their forces were actually at their peak. With over a hundred forces joining them and a military of seventeen million strong, it was the Hou Clan's capacity limit. Therefore, during the demon eradication process, Hou Yucheng wasn't concerned about expanding the army.

His focus was on increasing the number of Red Flame Army soldiers.

Indeed, that was the top priority.

The Hou Clan's qualification as a Holy Land relied on two main assets: one was Hou Yuxiao, the Martial Dao Saint; the other was the millions of Red Flame Army.

Currently, purging the surrounding demons requires the Red Flame Army, and in the future, after cleaning up the demons, competing with the world's Holy Lands will also need them. Hence, expanding the Red Flame Army is the Hou Clan's second major task beside demon purging.

Increasing the Red Flame Army's numbers requires not only improving cultivation but also teaching the Holy Army Code, both of which aren't difficult for Hou Yuxiao. Enhancing cultivation involves Divine Lotus Primordial Blood and Five Elements Heaven, and now that he's promoted to a Saint, teaching the Code is even more assured.

Initially, he was concerned that the karmic obstacles and merits required for Primordial Blood and Five Elements Heaven were too vast; after all, the army's size was seventeen million, and the consumption for this would be astronomical. But after some time had passed, he no longer worried.

Meanwhile, he suddenly understood why Sikong Yue said to him when leaving the Ten Thousand Demons Cave, "You'll thank me for freeing these million demons!"

Releasing a million demons, Hou Yuxiao played a supporting role. The key figures were Sikong Yue, followed by Jiang Tianming, so he only gained a small portion of karmic obstacles. While small, they were still vast. If not for the considerable merits accumulated over the years, just that one account from the Ten Thousand Demons Cave could have led him to chaotic madness and death.

His demon slaying earned him merits. This was something he realized the first time he went north and returned from Baiming Ferry, helping the Lu Family against demons. Thus, over the past year, he led Hou Yucheng and the army in purging nearby demons, and the merits gained far exceeded the value of the karmic obstacles.

It was then he realized Sikong Yue's meaning.

Releasing a million demons indeed brought great benefits to him.

His karmic obstacles and merits were almost in a state of endlessness. In such a situation, the functions of Primordial Blood and Five Elements Heaven were unrestricted, corresponding to the Red Flame Army, whose numbers and average cultivation surged.

As for the Hou Clan's higher-ups, the newly joined Sub-Saints of Martial Dao, Ruination Realm experts, Yinyang Boundary Martial Artists, along with the Upper Hou Gate, Lower Hou Sect, and elite Hou Clan martial artists, their cultivation also rapidly increased.

The Hou Clan's overall strength saw an explosive growth.

With unlimited Primordial Blood supply and the special function of Five Elements Heaven, breakthroughs among the top Hou Clan martial artists became routine, affecting the demon purging speed. Helplessly, Hou Yuduan arranged for family elders of Ruination Realm and above to rotate with Hou Yucheng in slaying demons, freeing time for them to cultivate in Five Elements Heaven.

Except for breakthroughs from Sub-Saints of Martial Dao to Saints, which depend on opportunity, the cultivation below is determined by bone structure and time, thus the breakthroughs among Hou Clan's top experts became a logical progression.

Hou Yucheng, Hou Yuling, Hou Yujie successively broke through to become Sub-Saints of Martial Dao. Followed by the Jiangbei Alliance, the Lu Family, and other top Ruination Realm experts of six Heavenly level forces, also breaking through behind the three.

In June 1334, at the moment demons were unleashed, the Hou Clan originally had only ten Sub-Saints of Martial Dao: Hou Yuduan, Chu Kuangren, Lu Kangping, Zhou Xuan Kai, Ying Tianyu, Dong Daokang, Li Ziyu, Hong Ju, Shen Yuanfu, Ding Bufan.

A year later, in June 1335, after the Hou Clan cleared the three counties of Jianye Prefecture, the number of Sub-Saints of Martial Dao in the clan reached eighteen, with thirty-seven Ruination Realm experts. As for Yinyang Boundary and Yuan Dan Realm numbers, many more, and further down, there's no need to mention.

Thinking back to just seventeen or eighteen years ago, the Hou Clan still rejoiced for a warrior of the Gang Qi Realm. Now, a warrior of the Gang Qi Realm doesn't even qualify to guard the gates. Such a monumental leap is astounding. It's not only Hou Yucheng and others who have advanced to Sub-Saints, but even Hou Yuxiao as a Martial Dao Saint feels waves of excitement.