"No problem, as long as we can go." Lin Feng nodded upon hearing this. He also understood why such a situation would occur. With such a long distance, even Flying Demon Beasts couldn’t endure it, so making a transfer midway was normal. Besides, he could visit Hong City along the way, and who knows, he might encounter some fortuitous opportunity.

Hearing Lin Feng say this, the Qianye Ancestor finally breathed a sigh of relief; then he suddenly thought about the travel expenses issue and immediately said to Ye Qingtian, "Bring the Yuan Stones."

Ye Qingtian naturally wouldn’t disobey the Qianye Ancestor’s words and immediately presented the Space Treasure containing the Yuan Stones.

Receiving the Space Treasure, the Qianye Ancestor immediately placed it on the tea table and said to Lin Feng, "The journey to the Holy City is long, and the cost of the Roc Heaven Beast is an astounding amount. These Yuan Stones were taken from the merchant family’s treasury and are given to you, friend, as travel expenses. Please accept them."

The reason Qianye Ancestor said this was to forge a good relationship with Lin Feng. Having just ascended, yet being in such demand, his future achievements were bound to be unimaginable. If the Ye Family ever faced any issues, this could provide a lifeline.

Lin Feng was quite surprised by this, not expecting the Qianye Ancestor to do such a thing. However, he instantly understood the Ancestor’s intention, and with a calm smile, he accepted the Yuan Stones. He then took out a piece of Jade Stone, and with a wave of his fingers, the Eternal Divine Flame appeared, elegantly writing the character "Lin" upon it. The Jade Stone emitted an intensely fiery aura, making the character seemingly an everlasting flame.

"If one day I, Lin Feng, am still alive, you can use this token to find me, and I will assist you once." After speaking, Lin Feng tossed the Jade Stone to the Qianye Ancestor; this was the first favor he had promised in the Myriad Heavens Divine Realm, in regard to the Ancestor’s sincerity, otherwise, Lin Feng would not have done so.

"I am immensely grateful to you, friend!" The Qianye Ancestor immediately stored the Jade Stone into his Space Treasure, clasping his hands in thanks, and his face broke into a radiant smile. His heart was truly delighted beyond measure!

The leaders of the other three families nearly vomited blood from frustration upon seeing this. Although each family received tens of thousands of Yuan Stones, exchanging them for the promise of a future powerhouse was an unbelievably lucrative deal. Lin Feng’s future achievements were undoubtedly beyond their imagination. Offering help in times of crisis was something they missed out on, leaving them filled with deep regret. Had they known, they would have spoken up earlier. Now, speaking out no longer felt the same...

"No need for thanks," Lin Feng said with a wave of his hand. Treating others with respect yields respect in return; this was only fair and not something to thank.

The heads and elders of the other three families, upon seeing this, hesitated for a moment and intended to express their own goodwill. But before they could speak, someone came upstairs. When they saw this person, everyone from the four families froze because they all recognized him; it was Xu Hou, the Chief Steward of the Lord of Ning City.

Seeing Xu Hou, everyone was stunned. None of them expected Xu Hou to appear here. Xu Hou walked up to Lin Feng amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd and said to him, "This esteemed friend, the City Lord invites you. Would you please accompany me?"

Xu Hou’s demeanor was very respectful. Though he spoke little, it was evident that he harbored no malice. He was instructed by the City Lord and would certainly not be hostile towards Lin Feng.

The City Lord invites?

The City Lord is looking for Lin Feng?

What’s going on? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

...

All the people present were bewildered. None of them expected that Xu Hou was actually here for Lin Feng, and even on behalf of the City Lord! To know that the City Lord was at the pinnacle of the Divine Origin Realm, having ruled Ning City for centuries as its undisputed leader, what reason did he have in meeting Lin Feng?

Everyone was certain the City Lord wasn’t intervening for the merchant family, as they wouldn’t have divided the merchant family’s assets so easily otherwise. Hence, the City Lord must have had a different agenda, though none could guess what. The strategic thinking of the City Lord was far beyond their imagination...

"Alright." Lin Feng replied softly. He naturally saw that the City Lord wasn’t looking for him because of the merchant family’s matter; there must be another reason. Moreover, as he was temporarily unable to leave Ning City, meeting the City Lord could be beneficial.

"This way, please, esteemed friend." Xu Hou was pleased to hear Lin Feng agree and nodded in satisfaction, then invited Lin Feng to leave with him.

Lin Feng didn’t say anything, stood up, and left the tea house with Xu Hou, heading towards the City Lord Mansion under Xu Hou’s guidance.

A cup of tea later, Lin Feng and Xu Hou arrived at the City Lord Mansion. Once inside, they went straight to the small garden of the City Lord Mansion and met the Lord of Ning City, Huang Tianyu, in a delicately crafted pavilion.

Before speaking, Lin Feng began to scrutinize Huang Tianyu, an old man of ancient age, with white hair and beard, dressed in plain white robes. He exuded an aura of immortality, and a righteous air was evident in his features. One could immediately tell he was a true sage.

"Junior Lin Feng greets the City Lord!" Lin Feng bowed, not out of respect for the City Lord’s title, but due to the old man’s prowess. This person’s strength was the most formidable he had ever encountered, far surpassing the two ancestors of the Shang family.

"Please, sit." Huang Tianyu looked at Lin Feng, smiled, and nodded, then gestured for Lin Feng to take a seat. Once Lin Feng was seated, he continued, "Do you know why I’ve summoned you?"

Lin Feng was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. He hadn’t thought about the City Lord’s reason for calling him all along the way. Since the City Lord asked directly, he answered without thinking much, "Please enlighten me, City Lord."

Upon hearing Lin Feng’s straightforwardness, Huang Tianyu chuckled and said to Lin Feng, "I called you here to understand some matters about you. If you don’t mind, please speak freely. I’m genuinely curious about how an ascender like you ended up here in Ning City?"

"I don’t know either. When I ascended, I found myself in a desert. It was only after returning that I learned other ascenders arrive at the Heaven Sanctuary, but I was different, appearing in the desert instead." Lin Feng casually replied to Huang Tianyu’s question, as he too was eager to know what truly happened to him.

"Oh? That is indeed a strange matter. It seems you are the only one in tens of thousands of years who differs from other ascenders." Huang Tianyu was immediately intrigued upon hearing Lin Feng’s words. He hadn’t expected such a situation. If Lin Feng hadn’t said it himself, he would never have thought along those lines.

As for the desert Lin Feng mentioned, Huang Tianyu was also familiar with it. The desert posed no real danger, but he was curious about how Lin Feng managed to walk out of it. As the Lord of Ning City, how could he not know the desert’s peculiarity? It had no direction! Moreover, the desert was over a thousand miles away from Ning City; that was in a straight line, and considering the winding terrains, it was conservatively estimated at three to four thousand miles, teeming with demon beasts. It was hard to imagine how Lin Feng traversed it. Even he wouldn’t venture there alone lightly.

Thinking about this, Huang Tianyu grew even more curious about Lin Feng. He looked at Lin Feng and asked curiously, "I’m very curious, how did you make it here to Ning City? The journey is fraught with peril, and even if you have the power to defeat Shang Yuan and Shang Kong, it seems unlikely you could cross such a distance alone."

"Indeed, it was perilous. Perhaps I was lucky not to encounter any powerful demon beasts." Lin Feng casually replied. For him, the journey hadn’t been too dangerous, so he simply told the truth.

However, Lin Feng’s casual words had a different connotation in Huang Tianyu’s ears. Huang Tianyu believed Lin Feng must have had some hidden cards unknown to others, but simply chose not to reveal them. Since Lin Feng was being reserved, Huang Tianyu wouldn’t press further. Everyone had their own secrets, and forcing it would only be irksome.

Thinking about this, Huang Tianyu suddenly smiled and said to Lin Feng, "What do you plan to do next? If you plan to stay in Ning City, I hope you won’t stir up any more issues like with the Shang family."

"I won’t be leaving anytime soon. As for the Shang family affair, it was merely an exception. Who wouldn’t fight back when they constantly try to kill me?" Lin Feng replied helplessly. He didn’t want to kill indiscriminately either, but given the circumstances, he couldn’t just let himself be killed.

Upon hearing Lin Feng’s response, Huang Tianyu found himself smiling wryly. He thought to himself that Lin Feng was indeed crafty, coming up with such a justification. However, he knew Lin Feng was speaking the truth. The Shang family’s conduct was indeed too arrogant and domineering. In the past, he had merely chosen not to intervene. Therefore, with the Shang family’s mishap already at Lin Feng’s hands, removing a troublemaker from Ning City wasn’t a bad thing, as long as Lin Feng didn’t cause any more trouble.

"By the way, City Lord, could you tell me something about the ascenders? I’ve heard that ascenders don’t fare well in the Myriad Heavens Divine Realm. Is that true?" Lin Feng suddenly remembered this issue and decided to ask the City Lord in front of him. He wanted to know what was really going on.

"You’re right, that’s indeed the case." Upon hearing Lin Feng’s question, Huang Tianyu nodded solemnly and began to explain, "In the Myriad Heavens Divine Realm, ascenders make up a very small proportion. Initially, when ascenders first came up, their progress was too swift. Although they started with just the early Opening Epoch Realm level, they faced no bottlenecks. Once the Yuangang transformation was complete, they reached the peak of the Divine Origin Realm. Moreover, every ascender was a cultivation genius, far beyond the capabilities of native cultivators. This threatened many powers in the Myriad Heavens Divine Realm."

"Later, it’s unclear what happened, but it led the entire Myriad Heavens Divine Realm to begin resisting ascenders. During that time, all ascenders suffered devastating blows, almost reaching the brink of extinction. Those who survived went into hiding to escape the crisis."

"Since then, all ascenders from the Heaven Sanctuary have faced suppression the moment they ascended. The cultivation techniques for Yuangang transformation were so simplified that they were nearly ineffective. Moreover, no power would recruit ascenders, which further affected their access to cultivation resources. As a result, most ascenders now fare worse than some loose cultivators. This is the current situation for ascenders."