Lu Fan knew better than anyone that becoming the Star Lord of Zhongzhou brought him great personal strength and status, but as a lone individual, he was ultimately weak and powerless, unable to support a whole world.
What he lacks now is a group of truly trustworthy people.
Whether it's to cope with potentially more complex situations in the future or to consolidate one's own position, having a stable base and a group of loyal followers is crucial.
Looking at the twelve star lords, who doesn't have several subordinate teams and star envoys? Only he remains alone.
In fact, his situation is probably unique among the Twelve Star Lords.
While Lu Fan was pondering in secret, Xiao Zhan, who was standing beside him, also noticed that Lu Fan already had a sizable force before becoming a Star Lord, and he just happened to encounter it now.
This inevitably reminded Xiao Zhan of his heavily damaged Northern cavalry on the northern battlefield...
A wave of indescribable bitterness and helplessness washed over Xiao Zhan, and a hint of desolation flashed almost imperceptibly in his eyes.
But Xiao Zhan quickly suppressed his emotions and regained his usual coldness.
The officer in front, Chen Feng, finally understood. It seemed that Commander Li Yu's friend was actually the city lord of Qingcheng. Now that Qingcheng was submerged, he wanted to lead the Qingcheng relocation team into the Zhongzhou defense line.
Having spent many years on the eastern defense line, Chen Feng naturally knew about the subtle historical relationship and current situation between Qingcheng and Zhongzhou.
They also understood that Qingcheng's so-called "pass" to Zhongzhou was something they could either accept or refuse at any time, depending entirely on the attitude of the border commander and the current needs.
But now that Li Yu is standing here, and given the relationship between Li Yu and City Lord Lu Fan, the Qingcheng pass probably needs to be acknowledged.
Let alone admitting it, Chen Feng would not hesitate for a moment to immediately send them a replacement that meets the specifications!
After thinking for a moment, Chen Feng quickly took a few steps back and continued to invite him:
"Gentlemen, it seems that the main force of Qingcheng will need quite some time to regroup and arrive. Please come with me to the rest room to wait."
As he spoke, he looked at Lu Fan again, his tone carrying a sense of assurance:
"This... Lord Qingcheng, please rest assured, once your men arrive, I will immediately arrange for them to pass through the defense line."
"I will have someone handle all the necessary procedures and documents!"
Lu Fan knew that with Qingcheng's huge population and a large number of ordinary residents, even if it wasn't far from here, it would definitely take some time to get there, so he readily agreed.
"Alright, then I'll trouble Commander Chen to go through with this."
"Not at all, it's my duty," Chen Feng said, glancing at Li Yu out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing that Li Yu had no objections, Chen Feng felt relieved. He knew that he had made the right decision and immediately strode ahead to lead the way.
Following behind, Li Yu and the others finally returned to Zhongzhou territory through the cleared city gate passage under the watchful eyes of countless complex gazes.
After entering the defensive line, Chen Feng still did not order the gate to be closed, seemingly on purpose.
However, even though the city gates were wide open and no soldiers were forcibly stopping them, none of the refugees outside dared to make any rash moves.
After Li Yu and his companions completely disappeared inside the city gate, the previously silent crowd of refugees outside seemed to be released from their confinement, and suppressed discussions slowly spread like a tide.
"Who exactly is Li Yu?"
"That was terrifying. I felt like I was about to be crushed to death."
"With such formidable strength, they must be very famous in Zhongzhou. As long as we can get in, we'll definitely find out as soon as we ask around."
At this moment, the topic of conversation among every refugee was none other than the important figure in Zhongzhou in their eyes—Li Yu.
The Central Plains soldiers responsible for guarding the city gate and registering people below were closest to the crowd. Hearing the surrounding murmurs of the refugees, they unconsciously raised their heads and deliberately cleared their throats:
"uh-huh--!"
The surrounding refugees immediately fell silent and all looked over.
Seeing that he had attracted the attention of a large number of refugees, the soldier from Zhongzhou felt a surge of superiority and couldn't help but speak up, proudly introducing Li Yu:
"Since you know nothing, I'll kindly tell you!"
"That man just now was none other than our Central Plains hero—Li Yu!"
He gave a thumbs-up, raised his hand and pointed behind him to the majestic Great Wall, his tone filled with reverence:
"It was right here back then! Facing the siege of the Eternal Flame Alliance and the invasion of a ninth-tier powerful enemy!"
"Li Yu, with only a horse and a bow, managed to rout the enemy and ultimately kill the ninth-tier awakened one!"
"In one fell swoop, the tide was turned, and our entire eastern defense line was saved! Countless lives in Zhongzhou were also saved behind the defense line!"
His gaze swept over the shocked faces before him, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance:
"What you just saw was nothing but a piece of cake for our hero Li Yu, not even a warm-up!"
The soldiers from Zhongzhou seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly added:
"Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you, Li Yuying was once a refugee, just like you!"
"What?!" An incredulous exclamation erupted from the crowd of refugees.
Such a powerful figure was originally just an ordinary refugee!
A mere nobody killed a ninth-tier expert, turning the tide of the battle!
That's a ninth-tier expert!
In their minds, it was almost a legendary, godlike being who could easily control the life and death of any refugee.
How could someone as young as Li Yu be killed by a mere refugee?
This completely overturned their understanding.
How strong must Li Yu be now? It's unimaginable.
The refugees' gazes as they looked toward the city gate had shifted from mere fear to awe, and even a deep sense of reverence.
Some refugees even immediately regarded Li Yu as their 'spiritual idol' and wanted to do something great like Li Yu.
Seeing the remarkable results, the soldier from Zhongzhou became even more enthusiastic and continued to talk at length:
"And that's not all!..."
Under the gaze of countless eager, shocked, and awe-inspiring eyes, he began to recount, as if reciting a familiar story, the front-page news and legendary tales about Li Yu's undefeated record that he had heard from the Central Plains newspapers and military reports.
With the soldier's vivid narration, every detail came to life, as if one had experienced it firsthand.
The refugees listened with their mouths agape as the soldiers recounted Li Yu's legendary achievements, their eyes agape in astonishment.
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