“My current strength is roughly on par with Hall Master Wei Yang and Hall Master Gai Tao,” Luo Feng replied. At this moment, nearly all his energy was focused on comprehending the Dao of Life and Death. At his level, he could split his thoughts into billions of threads. Especially after consuming the Hundred Tribulation Marrow, his comprehension had greatly increased, and his thought processing speed had skyrocketed by three thousand times.

His conversation with Hall Master Yuan Xiang, including his previous action of annihilating an elite team of infiltrators, had less than a one-thousandth impact on his energy.

“On par with Hall Master Wei Yang and Hall Master Gai Tao?” Hall Master Yuan Xiang was overjoyed.

“Such strength isn’t enough to change the situation,” Luo Feng said, without the slightest excitement.

“Luo Feng!”

Hall Master Yuan Xiang urgently said, “I’ve already requested aid from the Dark Holy Realm. A team of cultivators from there has already departed and will arrive in just over a day. What we need to do is stall until they get here.”

Faced with the siege and assault of the lower-level lifeform legions, the Nine Rivers Holy Realm itself had no capacity to provide support.

Although there were also two beings within the Nine Rivers Holy Realm who had reached the “Two and a Half Origin Realm Dao” level, they only sent clones to guard their posts. Their most crucial secret treasures were all in the Dark Holy Realm, meaning they had no way to break into Yulan City from the outside.

“Luo Feng, I hope you accept the City Founder’s authority,” Hall Master Yuan Xiang messaged. “Ever since I established Yulan City, I have never truly considered myself the City Lord. I know that I am severely corrupted, and I have been waiting for a suitable successor. You are that suitable successor.”

Luo Feng was taken aback.

The City Founder’s authority, transferred to him? “My strength hasn’t completely surpassed Hall Master Wei Yang and the others yet,” Luo Feng messaged. “After the war, Hall Master Wei Yang’s clone should return to Yulan City.”

“Don’t worry about him. What’s most critical for Yulan City right now is to hold out!” Hall Master Yuan Xiang messaged. “As for you, you’ve only been in the Nine Rivers Holy Realm for two thousand five hundred epochs, yet you’ve already reached the Half-Origin Realm Dao Comprehender level of strength. Your talent far surpasses mine. For you to take charge of Yulan City is, in fact, Yulan City’s great fortune!”

“Luo Feng, the situation is critical now; there’s no time for hesitation!” Hall Master Yuan Xiang urgently messaged.

“Alright, then I accept the City Founder’s authority.” Luo Feng no longer hesitated.

On one hand, he was confident in himself, believing his strength would quickly surpass Hall Master Wei Yang and the others, allowing him to sweep aside any defiance.

On the other hand, it was indeed a crucial moment, concerning the lives of hundreds of millions of cultivators in Yulan City. By accepting the City Founder’s authority and gaining some benefits from Yulan City, he could also unleash even greater strength.

“Excellent!”

Hall Master Yuan Xiang messaged, “Immediately send a clone to the outer district; I’ll give you the detailed address. Come here, and I will transfer the City Founding Seal to you.”

Only after receiving the detailed address did Luo Feng understand that Hall Master Yuan Xiang was currently hiding there.

“You must keep your taking over of Yulan City a complete secret. No third party should know besides us,” Hall Master Yuan Xiang reminded him. “Because once the news leaks, the lower-level Origin Realm lifeform infiltrators will pursue you at all costs.”

“I understand,” Luo Feng acknowledged. Facing the desperate attacks of the kings and commanders in their true forms, he wasn’t confident he could withstand them in his current state.

Luo Feng had an idea.

His strongest clone, standing guard outside the quiet room, waved a hand and put away the Great Void Dark Eye Vessel that was inside. The clone that had consumed the Hundred Tribulation Marrow was now cultivating within the Great Void Dark Eye Vessel.

“With the lower-level Origin Realm lifeform legions attacking the city, I can’t fully devote myself to comprehension and cultivation.” Luo Feng had no choice; he had to dedicate some thoughts to handle many tasks.

At this moment, he had to participate in the city’s defense.

If he didn’t participate, Yulan City would fall even faster, leaving him with even less time for his “Dao of Life and Death breakthrough.”

Even while busy with external affairs, his comprehension efficiency remained extremely high due to the Hundred Tribulation Marrow, and he was continuously refining the Dao of Life and Death.

“Whoosh.”

His strongest clone quietly departed, leaving only an ordinary clone with a hundredfold perfect divine body energy reserve. This clone remained stationed there, utilizing the Pill Pagoda’s formation.

At Luo Feng’s current level, even an ordinary clone possessed significantly greater strength than figures like the Master of Guifang, and with the aid of the Pill Pagoda’s formation, its power was formidable enough.

“My King, we were pursuing the Evergreen Pagoda Master of the Pill Pagoda. Unexpectedly, we encountered a terrifying blood sea formation there, and one of our elite infiltrator teams was completely wiped out,” a commander in his true form immediately messaged. That elite team included eight commander-level clones, and after their destruction, their true forms naturally became aware of everything.

“A blood sea formation? The Pill Pagoda belongs to the cultivator Luo Feng!” The King immediately ascertained. Before initiating the war, they had infiltrated and naturally acquired sufficiently detailed intelligence.

“Should we target Luo Feng and try to hunt him down?” the commander messaged, pressing for an answer.

“No need!”

The King’s eyes were cold. “At this critical moment, every bit of power from our infiltrator teams is crucial! The cultivator Luo Feng should be no weaker than the Master of the Insect Nest or the Owner of the Myriad Shadows Pavilion. Cultivators at this level have numerous clones, making them very difficult to kill. With the aid of the Pill Pagoda’s formation, his strength is likely directly comparable to that of the three Hall Masters.”

“During the city assault, our main objective now is to eliminate the weaker Elders.”

“Weaker Elders are easier to kill. Every Elder who dies weakens Yulan City’s defense system slightly,” the King ordered. “Luo Feng is not an Elder; do not expend resources on him.”

“Understood,” the commander replied.

According to their intelligence, killing one Luo Feng would likely be more difficult than killing twenty ordinary Elders! Besides the more than three hundred Elders, Yulan City also had approximately 400 powerhouses with Elder-level strength who hadn’t taken on the role of an Elder. The infiltrator teams were unwilling to divert their attention to target these powerhouses.

“Haha, as expected of God-Emperor Luo Feng!”

“Amazing!” “He instantly annihilated an elite infiltrator team.”

The Elders in charge of Yulan City’s defense system could perceive the situation across the entire city, and they all noticed the conflict at the Pill Pagoda, where an elite infiltrator team was completely destroyed. This greatly excited and encouraged them! It was because these infiltrators were simply too difficult to kill.

They were all lower-level Origin Realm lifeforms of the mind type, and incredibly fast! They could easily pursue and kill Elders, but Elders found it very difficult to kill them.

“To be able to destroy an elite infiltrator team with a single move, God-Emperor Luo Feng’s strength must be comparable to Hall Master Wei Yang and Hall Master Gai Tao.”

“If God-Emperor Luo Feng has sufficient strength, he should immediately become a new Hall Master.”

“Right, if his strength is sufficient, he should become a new Hall Master. With one more Hall Master, defending the city would become much easier for us.”

“His strength is probably still not enough. He set up a massive and complex formation in the Pill Pagoda; he could only achieve that feat by leveraging the formation’s advantage.”

“Everyone, there’s no need to argue,” Hall Master Yuan Xiang transmitted. “Currently, I am being pursued by infiltrator teams and can only temporarily hide. I am simply unable to go to the Elder Hall, open it, and preside over the trials for new Elders or new Hall Masters.”

The many Elders understood. That’s right. The most terrifying infiltrator team, led by the Transcendent Mind-Corrupting Worm, had previously advanced all the way to Hall Master Yuan Xiang’s dwelling, forcing Hall Master Yuan Xiang into hiding.

Without the City Founder’s authority, it was impossible to open the Elder Hall or initiate the ‘Elder Trial’ or ‘Hall Master Trial’. Only by passing these trials could one become an Elder or a Hall Master.

“Hall Master, you must be extremely careful and absolutely must not be discovered by the infiltrators. If you are found, Yulan City’s defense system will weaken even further, and we will surely be defeated,” the Elders warned, unable to withstand any more blows.

Of the three Hall Masters, only Hall Master Yuan Xiang remained to support them. Without Hall Master Yuan Xiang, Yulan City’s defense system would weaken even further.

Inside Yulan City at this moment.

The Elders were simultaneously using Yulan City’s defense system to withstand the frantic external assault and devising ways to intercept and kill infiltrator teams.

The infiltrator teams were also doing everything they could to assassinate Elders one by one.

Both sides were fighting to the death.

“Surround them!”

The Elders also dispatched clones to form teams, and even powerhouses within the city who possessed Elder-level strength but hadn’t taken on the role of Elder joined in. The reason they weren’t Elders was mostly due to not having clones; their true forms were in the city, making them unable to afford defeat.

Elder-level teams, utilizing Yulan City’s defense system, could track the infiltrator teams and intercept or encircle them in advance. However, the infiltrator teams were all incredibly fast!

Each side had its own advantages.

“They’re too slippery!”

The Elder-level teams repeatedly attempted to encircle them, but the infiltrator teams were far too fast and easily evaded them. Only the attacks descending from Yulan City’s formations high above could not be dodged by the infiltrator teams, forcing them to resist directly.

“Hmm?”

An elite infiltrator team was in flight when they suddenly noticed the surrounding trees and plants shaking, and a terrifying poisonous mist spreading everywhere.

As the poisonous mist spread, nearly half of this elite infiltrator team died instantly, and the remaining members were all severely poisoned.

“What terrifying poison!”

“It’s Elder Xing Yi!”

The infiltrator team immediately guessed.

A gigantic tree stood up, a face appearing on its trunk, while countless trees and plants around it frantically assailed the infiltrator team. “You infiltrators, you all deserve to die,” the treant’s face said with murderous intent. This treant was a puppet of Elder Xing Yi and possessed no life aura, which was why the infiltrator team had detected nothing.

A powerful puppet, combined with a pre-arranged grand formation, was lying in wait at a core node within the city! They finally managed to ambush a passing infiltrator team.

Under the grand formation, with its trees, plants, and potent poison, the infiltrator team was completely wiped out in just over ten breaths, not a single one escaping.

“Well done, Elder Xing Yi.”

“Another elite infiltrator team annihilated.” The other Elders were quite invigorated.

Up to this point, only Luo Feng and Elder Xing Yi had managed to destroy an entire elite infiltrator team. These infiltrators were too cunning; they deliberately avoided the most formidable Elders, specifically targeting weaker ones for assassination.

“Hmph.”

The King was also inside a dwelling at this moment, as another Elder died, and all their clones within the Nine Rivers Holy Realm perished with them.

“Elder Xing Yi and the other top Elders are very troublesome.” With the King’s strength, he could naturally target the most powerful Elders. However, that would be too inefficient.

The King was also hunting weaker Elders; when he killed them, the Elders didn’t even have time to self-destruct their clones.

Luo Feng’s strongest clone swiftly traveled according to the address given by Hall Master Yuan Xiang. Using the Eye of Imitation Life and Death to observe from afar, he also avoided infiltrator teams along the way, preventing any unnecessary complications.

“Whoosh,” Luo Feng flew into a seemingly ordinary dwelling.

“Hall Master Yuan Xiang, I’ve arrived.”

Luo Feng carefully observed the ordinary dwelling but found no life, no special features whatsoever. Suddenly, not far from Luo Feng, Hall Master Yuan Xiang’s figure appeared out of thin air.

“Luo Feng.” Hall Master Yuan Xiang smiled and nodded slightly.