Han Feng had no choice but to settle for second best and lock his cultivation level at the mid-stage of the Celestial Immortal realm.
He couldn't help but smile wryly, "This time I'm truly poor; I only have a hundred immortal jades on me."
Han Feng had exhausted all the wealth he had acquired through relentless exploitation in the Spirit Demon Realm.
If he wants to experience life simulation now, he needs to earn more Immortal Jade.
Leng Hanmei and Hu Qiqing also returned from their tribulations. Leng Hanmei's realm had reached the early stage of True Immortal, and Hu Qiqing's realm had reached the late stage of Mahayana.
Both of their divided souls were in Han Feng's hands, so they dared not run too far.
"What are your plans next? You can't possibly be so kind as to help the two of us break through our cultivation levels," Leng Hanmei asked.
"There are some things I don't need to explain; you should be able to deduce them yourself," Han Feng said with a smile.
"This desolate city certainly doesn't know that the person it's looking for isn't a sheep but a wolf."
Hu Qiqing sighed.
Han Feng didn't hide much and told Leng Hanmei the general situation.
At this point, Leng Hanmei was under many restrictions from him, leaving her with no choice but to help him.
Leng Hanmei was also a smart person and wouldn't do anything that would lead to her death.
Hu Qiqing's mind is much simpler than Leng Hanmei's; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily manipulated by Han Feng despite having such a significant advantage.
Furthermore, since Leng Hanmei needs a helper, Hu Qiqing is definitely the best choice.
“Let’s go back now. Didn’t you want to kill the Heavenly Desolate Daoist hiding in the City Lord’s mansion? If you kill him, the entire Desolate City will be yours,” Leng Hanmei said.
"No rush. Let them fight it out for a while. Killing Tianhuang Daoist now would cause a lot of trouble." Han Feng showed no intention of going back.
"Indeed, your foundation is far too shallow."
Leng Hanmei nodded in agreement and said, "If you had saved them from Tianhuang Daoist, they would have thanked you at first."
"But you can't see into someone's heart. After being grateful, these people will think that you are a cultivator from the lower realm and want to strip you of your power so that they can control the entire Desolate City themselves."
"It seems that letting you manage the desolate city was a wise choice," Han Feng said without denying it.
Behind every powerful force, there are the interests of many families and individuals.
Although it is called a city, it is actually larger than a small country.
The Zhu, Zhao, and Xu families, among others, all have their own interests within the city.
Some of the darkest corners were beyond the reach of even the city lord.
Han Feng didn't think that saving them would make these people grateful and willing to work for him.
His friendships with younger generations like Zhu Xu and Cheng Yuzhu have no bearing on the family's will.
Hu Qiqing was stunned, feeling that she couldn't understand the conversation between the two people.
She felt fortunate that she was no match for the two of them, otherwise she wouldn't even know how she died.
...
The city lord's mansion.
The air was filled with the aroma of wine and meat, making one's mouth water.
This wine and meat are no ordinary products; they are rare ingredients from the Great Wilderness.
In the main hall, people were already enjoying their meals at the dining table.
These people were all dressed in fine clothes, and most of them were at the late stage of True Immortal. They were all important figures in the city.
Five of them were the patriarchs of the largest families in the city, and their cultivation levels had even reached the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm.
These five families are the Zhu family, the Xu family, the Zhao family, the Chen family, and the Cheng family, who control half of the industries in the desolate city.
Ling Tinglan sat at the head of the table, entertaining the heads of various families.
"Lord of Ling City, you are so beautiful. Your husband died long ago. Don't you want to find another man to continue your relationship?" the Xu family patriarch teased.
“Master Xu is right. I am a few years older than Lord Ling and have never had a wife. How about Lord Ling takes a look at me?” The Chen family patriarch sized up Ling Tinglan’s figure.
"Chen Kun, you're really shameless. You're old enough to be Ling Tinglan's father, yet you're still thinking about marrying someone else. Why don't you take a look at my son, Lord Ling?" the Zhu family patriarch laughed.
"Neither of your opinions is acceptable. The City Lord of Ling is young and beautiful; we should choose someone outstanding."
"I think we could hold a competition to gather all those who want to marry the City Lord of Ling, and let the City Lord of Ling choose."
...
In addition, the heads of the Cheng and Zhao families joined in to help Ling Tinglan find a husband.
These five people claimed to be helping Ling Tinglan find a husband, but in reality, they were trying to intimidate her.
"Uncles and aunts, you're too kind. I am looking for a husband, but not now. I've invited you all here today to discuss serious matters."
Ling Tinglan smiled.
“You can speak your mind directly. These are all elderly people from the desolate city. We can discuss things with them.”
The Zhu family patriarch didn't give him a friendly look.
"Look, the desolate city has existed for so many years and is now so prosperous, all thanks to you uncles and elders."
"Seeing all of you uncles and elders working so hard, I feel really bad for you. How about you relinquish your power and give it to your niece?"
Ling Tinglan's smile remained unchanged.
"Smack!"
The Zhu family patriarch slammed his palm onto the altar, and the terrifying force instantly shattered the altar into pieces.
"Who do you think you are, daring to speak to us like that? Even your master, the old man Tianhuang, wouldn't dare to speak to us like that back then."
“I think you’re not asking us to relinquish our power, but rather that you no longer want to be the city lord.” The Chen family patriarch stood up.
"You really don't know your place. Now make your master apologize to me, and not only will you lose your position as city lord, you won't be able to leave alive either," the Xu family patriarch threatened.
"We underestimated this woman; she may lack strength, but she has quite a lot of ambition."
"We'll capture her alive and torture her properly later. I wonder if she'll still be so arrogant then."
...
The families in the desolate city had long ago conspired together, their fortunes intertwined, sharing both prosperity and ruin.
"If you want to see my master, you'll have to wait a while, but once you see him, you'll all regret it."
Ling Tinglan's expression remained unchanged.
"Wait till you're in my hands, then let's see if you'll still be able to talk like that!"
The Zhu family patriarch reached out to Ling Tinglan, intending to capture her alive.
He had just begun to circulate his internal energy when his entire face turned black, as if he had been poisoned.
"You poisoned the food and drinks!"
The Zhu family patriarch immediately realized something was wrong.
“Of course I’ll poison him, it’s a matter of my life,” Ling Tinglan said with a sneer.
"ah!!"
Everyone realized something was wrong and cried out in pain.
"Don't panic, everyone. This poison can't kill us. We'll use our internal energy to force it out now."
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, the Zhu family patriarch looked much better.
Others followed suit, and soon they vomited poisonous blood.
The patriarchs of the five major families, including the Zhu and Chen families, were all at the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm, and quickly expelled most of the toxins from their bodies.
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