Lin Feng hovered above Huian County, looking down at the land that was reviving beneath his feet. He then glanced toward the southwest, the direction of the Tieba Kingdom, and specifically, Nalan County and Chaman County.

A slow curve formed on his lips. With the Heaven-Chasing Boots in his possession, his mobility on the battlefield would undergo a qualitative change.

The dual-form dash of the Meteor, capable of both offense and retreat, combined with the damage bonus of the Wind-Stepping Combo, meant that every displacement was a form of charging up.

And with a thirty-second cooldown, it meant that in a single battle, he could repeatedly dash and repeatedly burst.

He descended slowly, landing on the steps in front of the Council Hall, and pushed the door open to enter.

Everyone was still resting, and the hall was empty.

Lin Feng walked to the head seat and sat down, leaning his Wildfire Spear against the chair, and looked down once more at the Heaven-Chasing Boots on his feet.

The golden light was not dazzling in the morning sun; instead, it was gentle and restrained.

Lin Feng leaned back against the chair, closed his eyes, and silently calculated his upcoming schedule.

First, this expansion should end here. It was not just because his territory was already large enough at this stage, stretching from the Golden Ear Plain to the Qingluo Plain, and from the northern foothills of the Tianji Mountain to the border of the Tieba Kingdom.

The total area exceeded two hundred thousand square kilometers. More importantly, there were no directions left to "take a bite out of."

Over in the Sakura Country, the Orcs had already retreated north, appearing as if they were leaving the South Pole Region.

Without the Orcs, he couldn't easily "take over" anymore.

On the side of the Annan Country, there were still over a hundred thousand of the Undead Army near Thang Long City. With the support of the Ten-Thousand Man Army Array, it was almost unsolvable at this stage.

Furthermore, his deal with the Annan Country stopped at the four counties south of Thang Long City. Without an invitation from the Annan Country, he couldn't easily overstep his boundaries.

So, what to do next?

First, wait for the handover: the two counties of the Tieba Kingdom and the annexation of all territories in the South Pole Region except for Zhenyue City. Once all of this was settled, the map of the Beacon Fire Territory would become a contiguous piece.

Then, immediately use up the recruitment quota for ten thousand Great Qin Elite Soldiers.

Ten thousand black-armored Elite Soldiers, lined up like a forest, with the Qin Crossbow firing in unison—just the thought of it made one's blood boil.

Once the Great Qin Elite Soldiers were recruited, the Night Whisper Legion and the New Moon Legion would each be expanded to over five thousand people. Combined with the County Soldiers from the various affiliated counties, the total number of garrison troops at Hangu Pass would exceed thirty thousand.

By then, Hangu Pass would truly be worthy of being called an impregnable fortress.

Regarding high-end combat power, the Beacon Fire Territory now had five Third Rank Awakened: himself, Jiang Zhaoyue, Jiang Yelan, Su Yurou, and Feng Qingyan.

Although Feng Qingyan had just changed classes to a Shield Mage and needed time to accumulate levels and equipment, having five Third Rank individuals in the South Pole Region was already quite significant.

The shortcoming in high-end combat power was no longer so obvious.

As he pondered, Lin Feng suddenly remembered something.

The last time Jiang Zhaoyue and Jiang Yelan went to that Dungeon in the Annan Country, it was said that the monster levels inside were not low, and they had leveled up several times while inside.

That Dungeon should still be there. He wondered if there were still high-level monsters inside, and if so...

Taking advantage of the current period where the threat from alien races had weakened, he could take Jiang Zhaoyue, Jiang Yelan, Su Yurou, and Feng Qingyan there again to raise their levels.

Feng Qingyan had just changed classes to a Shield Mage and was only level thirty; Su Yurou was only level thirty-two. It was far from enough.

Just as Lin Feng was thinking, the door to the Council Hall was gently pushed open.

Jiang Yelan walked in, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, revealing her cool and aloof face.

Seeing Lin Feng sitting alone in the head seat, she paused slightly, then walked to the first seat on the left and sat down. She didn't speak, just nodded at him.

Lin Feng also nodded, acknowledging the greeting.

A few minutes later, Jiang Zhaoyue walked in with her silver-white spear on her back. Her steps were light, and she looked like she had rested well the night before.

Seeing that Lin Feng was already seated, the corners of her mouth curved slightly. She walked to the first seat on the right, sat down, leaned her spear against the chair, and nodded slightly to Lin Feng: "Lord Lin, good morning."

"Morning," Lin Feng replied.

Feng Qingyan followed behind Jiang Zhaoyue, yawning with her staff slung over her shoulder. The halo of her shield was still shimmering faintly around her.

She plopped down in the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) seat below Jiang Zhaoyue and laid across the table, muttering: "So sleepy... I was too excited to sleep last night..."

Feng Qingshuang followed behind her, sat down expressionlessly, and handed her a cup of tea.

Feng Qingyan took it and took a sip, grimacing from the heat, but she felt much more awake.

After a while, Su Yurou walked in holding the bone healing staff.

She smiled at Lin Feng, her voice soft: "Good morning, Lord."

Then she walked to the third seat on the left and sat down.

Everyone arrived one after another, and the Council Hall fell quiet.

Lin Feng scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Jiang Zhaoyue and Jiang Yelan.

"Lord Jiang, Ye Lan, where exactly in the Annan Country was that Dungeon you visited last time? Are there still high-level monsters inside?"

Jiang Zhaoyue turned slightly to face Lin Feng, pondered for a moment, and answered: "That Dungeon is about one hundred miles northeast of My Tho County and has a total of five levels. When we entered the fifth level last time, the system indicated it was the final level."

She paused, "There were three high-level monsters inside: a level forty War Lord and his two subordinates, both level thirty-five Strength-Awakened Rare Bosses. My aunt and I assessed the situation at the time, and since it would have been difficult for us to take them down with our combat power then, we retreated."

Jiang Yelan nodded slightly from the side.

Lin Feng was delighted. With the current high-end combat power of the Beacon Fire Territory—himself, Jiang Zhaoyue, Jiang Yelan, Su Yurou, and Feng Qingyan—five Third Rankers plus Su Yurou's healing and Purification, taking down that Dungeon should be no problem.

He kept a calm expression and said seriously: "This military expansion operation ends here. Everyone has worked hard. Being able to conquer so much territory is not thanks to me alone, but thanks to each and every one of you."

The Fire Crystal on Feng Qingyan's staff flickered, and her voice was crisp: "Lord Lin, I've been running around with you these past few days. Although I'm tired, seeing those counties that were ravaged by the Undead coming back to life feels even more fulfilling than fighting monsters!"

She thought for a moment and added, "Of course, fighting monsters is also very fulfilling, especially when using fireballs to blast skeletons away."

Su Yurou said softly: "It's good that I can be of help."

Her tone was gentle, but there was a hint of imperceptible satisfaction in her eyes.

Meng Yi pressed his right fist to his chest and said in a deep voice: "The soldiers follow orders, and the Lord makes the plans—it is as it should be."

Lin Feng's lips curled up slightly, and he continued: "For those whose levels haven't reached thirty, just complete some basic tasks over the next few days. Don't be idle, but don't overwork yourselves either. Spend the rest of the time resting well and recharging your energy."

A Wang and Scarface Liu stood up simultaneously, pressed their right fists to their chests, and replied in unison: "Understood."

Lin Feng looked at them: "Oh right, you two also notify Zhao Hu and the others. They can rest for two days. After two days, bring three thousand County Soldiers back to Hangu Pass."

A Wang and Scarface Liu acknowledged the order again and sat down.

"For those above level thirty," Lin Feng's gaze swept over the people present.

"Tomorrow or the day after, I will take you to conquer that Dungeon in the Annan Country, and we will strive to get everyone a few more levels."