Ye Lingxiao still held a sliver of hope, and with his last bit of strength, he shouted loudly:

"Where is the Ye family army?!"

His voice echoed over Ningcheng, but was met with deathly silence; he received no response.

Ye Lingxiao's face turned ashen; he knew the situation was hopeless and everything was over.

The Ye family army could not possibly ignore his voice. The lack of response could only mean that the Ye family army had also fallen into an ambush. It was likely that the other side had already tampered with things in Ningcheng in advance, just to destroy the Ye family at this moment.

"Ahem... Lu Fan, you've won... Make your move."

Ye Lingxiao slowly closed his eyes, blood dripping continuously. The crystal covering his body quickly faded away with the decaying aura. Even the Yang Stone that had been integrated into his crystal body detached at this moment and fell to the ground, looking like an ordinary stone, dull and lifeless.

Without the intense heat of the Yang Stone, the high temperature above Ningcheng cooled rapidly, the steam dissipated, and the temperature finally returned to normal.

"Whoosh—"

Heavy rain poured down, descending once again upon the dry city of Ningcheng, washing away the scorching heat of the city, but failing to wash away the despair on Ye Lingxiao's face.

Everyone watching was stunned by Lu Fan's bizarre and powerful copying ability, and could only watch helplessly as the arrogant Ye Lingxiao met his end.

This was simply the most bizarre battle they had ever witnessed.

The members of Thunder Bureau, hidden in the shadows, were equally shocked by Lu Fan's abilities.

"It's unbelievable that Lu Fanxingjun can imitate it so perfectly!"

"I don't think it's imitation; it seems like this is his ability."

There were whispers behind him, but Lan Xing's gaze remained extremely serious.

Hearing Ye Lingxiao's last shout, Lan Xing finally realized that with Lu Fan's strength, there was no way he wouldn't know they were hiding here, and he had to do something now.

After a moment's thought, Lan Xing suddenly turned around and whispered the order:

"Judge Duan, take your men back immediately to clean up the mess."

Lan Xing looked at Judge Duan and emphasized, "You must eliminate the last hidden danger of Lu Fan Xingjun."

Judge Duan was taken aback at first, but then he understood and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He nodded and immediately led his men away quietly.

Their original plan was to give Ye's army a break, but now it seems they have to make a decisive choice.

Only by silencing them can we eliminate future troubles.

This is also proof that they have completely sided with Lu Fan.

In the distance, watching Ye Lingxiao prepare to meet his death, Lu Fan's killing intent remained undiminished, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. He would show no mercy to the Ye family, and even wanted to exterminate them to eliminate future troubles!

Just as Lu Fan was about to make a move, Ye Lingxiao suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes:

"Go to hell!"

Ye Lingxiao instantly overdrawn his life force, detonating the remaining crystal energy within his body. Countless sharp fragments silently burst forth from his heart, shooting towards Lu Fan's vital points!

"Crystal Heart Shattered!"

This was his final, deadly move.

However, Lu Fan was already prepared.

He snorted coldly, and a powerful gravitational field instantly unfolded, causing all the crystal shards to come to an abrupt halt half a foot away from him, hovering in the air.

"You think I didn't notice your little tricks?" Lu Fan said softly as the crystal blade in his hand slowly pierced Ye Lingxiao's chest.

"I've used that trick before, and I used it just as well as you."

Ye Lingxiao stared intently at Lu Fan with murderous intent, his overexerted body aging rapidly.

Feeling the cold, sharp blade slowly piercing his body, he was no longer able to resist.

Just when everyone thought Ye Lingxiao was doomed...

"Wait a minute!"

A strong voice came from afar.

Lu Fan looked up, but his hand did not stop. He continued to pierce Ye Lingxiao's chest, and Ye Lingxiao's life force began to gradually dissipate.

A middle-aged man dressed in the official uniform of Zhongzhou walked slowly towards them.

Seeing that Ye Lingxiao was about to die, the newcomer finally stopped dawdling and quickly stepped closer, shouting again:

"Lord Lu Fan! Wait!"

He clearly already knew Lu Fan's identity, but his purpose in stopping him this time wasn't to save Ye Lingxiao, but for Ning Cheng's sake, so he directly stated his intentions:

"It doesn't matter if the Central Plains loses one Ye family member, or even Ye Lingxiao, but the Central Plains cannot lose Ningcheng, and Ningcheng cannot be without a strong person to oversee it."

"If Lord Lu Fan really insists on killing Lord Ye, I'm afraid you'll need to stay in Ning City temporarily to maintain stability."

After hearing this, Lu Fan seemed to be thinking, but he kept exerting force with the crystal blade in his hand, and had completely pierced Ye Lingxiao's heart beneath his feet.

Blood gushed out, and Ye Lingxiao's last breath dissipated, and he died completely.

"This..." The newcomer was stunned and stood there, not expecting Lu Fan to be so decisive as to do this in front of him.

Lu Fan drew the crystal blade, gave it a sharp shake, and the crystal weapon instantly vanished from his hand.

He then turned to the middle-aged man dressed as an official from Zhongzhou and asked again:

"Who are you? I didn't hear what you just said?"

Seeing that Ye Lingxiao was dead, the middle-aged man replied helplessly, "I am Song Qingyi, the representative of Ningcheng in Zhongzhou."

"Now that Lord Ye is dead, according to the official agreement, I'm afraid Lord Lu Fan can only stay in Ning City for the time being until the new city lord takes office."

"Otherwise, the chaos in Ningcheng will likely attract powerful figures to fight for control, and if Zhongzhou sends high-level awakened individuals to suppress it, the process will be quite troublesome."

Seeing Lu Fan's clearly unwilling expression, Song Qingyi immediately added:

"Of course, this agreement was reached between the official and Tianlong long ago. If you don't believe me, Lord Lu Fan can contact Lord Tianlong to verify."

Song Qingyi's stance clearly represents the official stance in Ningcheng. Since Lu Fan is the Central Continent Star Lord, and given the Holy See's covetous gaze and the exceptionally strong external enemies, even if Lu Fan kills Ye Lingxiao, he will not be held accountable by the authorities. However, this does not mean that Lu Fan can do so without paying any price.

Before the new city lord is elected and arrives in Ningcheng to take office, Lu Fan, as a Star Lord with powerful combat capabilities, must remain in Ningcheng to maintain stability in the surrounding area.

Lu Fan showed no emotion, but he did not refute Song Qingyi's words.

He understood that even if a Star Lord had special privileges in Zhongzhou, he still had to remain within the control of the authorities; otherwise, even a Star Lord would be subject to annihilation.

Lu Fan also knew that after destroying the Ye family, he had no better choice than to stay in Ningcheng.

“Alright, since this all started because of me, I’ll stay in Ningcheng for a while. I hope you can send someone to take over as soon as possible.” Lu Fan’s eyes were expressionless, clearly indicating that he did not want to be the temporary city lord.

However, Lu Fan did not contact Tianlong, but agreed directly.

Since the decision was made to annihilate the entire Ye family, resulting in this outcome, it is only right that they temporarily assume the responsibility of maintaining stability in Ningcheng.

"Of course! I will definitely notify the authorities and expedite the process. I believe the new city lord will arrive soon."

A slight smile played on Song Qingyi's lips, and a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashed in her strange gaze as she looked at Lu Fan...