Chapter 452: City Lord Lin Xu

“When you took out that Main God-level magical beast crystal just now, those people were completely stunned…” Zhuge Ling’er covered her mouth and laughed. When they entered the city, the guards at the gate wanted to charge them a fee. Ye Feng simply threw over a Main God intermediate-level magical beast crystal, leaving the two guides who were leading them in a dazed state. The guards’ attitude immediately changed from indifferent aloofness to extreme enthusiasm.
In the Divine Realm, having Main God-level strength already made one a powerful being, and those capable of killing Main God intermediate-level magical beasts were undoubtedly even stronger.
Powerful people are respected wherever they go.
“Of course. This city is just a second-tier city, with the highest cultivators being only two at the Initial Imperial God stage—excluding Ye Feng.” With just a thought, Long Tian knew everything about the city.
“Let’s find a lively place to rest and gather some information about the Divine Realm as well.” Ye Feng saw a small tavern not far away with noisy sounds coming from inside, and his lips curled slightly.
“It sounds pretty lively,” Pearl also seemed eager.
Leading the others, Ye Feng stepped into the tavern. Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered, the once noisy tavern fell completely silent.
Ye Feng raised his eyebrows, noticing that everyone in the tavern was staring at them, which surprised him. But he quickly realized something was off—their clean and tidy clothes didn’t match the somewhat messy attire of the others in the tavern.
“Everyone, keep eating and drinking. Ignore us. We’re just passing by and would like a drink!” Long Tian also understood what the problem was but immediately stepped in to defuse the situation. It wasn’t out of fear, but because there was no need to cause trouble. Besides, they still needed to gather useful information from the tavern, so the presence of these people was necessary.
“Come on, let’s keep drinking!” A bearded man with a dark complexion was the first to raise his cup.
The once silent place became noisy again, as if nothing had happened.
Ye Feng and the others found a large round table to sit at.
“Captain, why not give these natives a taste of their own medicine? They’re not from Pompeii anyway,” someone whispered, looking at the bearded man who had raised his cup first.

“These guys are not easy to deal with. Each of them hides their cultivation level well, with no trace of their energy leaking out. This isn’t something that can be achieved through any cultivation technique—it’s a habit formed over years of fighting to the death. Even I can’t reach such a level,” said the bearded man, shaking his head. “That young man at the lead and the one who spoke just now both seem incredibly inscrutable to me.”
“Should we inform headquarters?”
“By the way, we still don’t know if they’re enemies or friends. Have headquarters check if there’s any information on these people. Leave the rest to other teams. We’re just a reconnaissance squad; our main job is to gather intelligence. Our most important task for this mission has already been completed—we’ve confirmed that a level-3 beast tide has erupted in Karlen City, and it will be destroyed within three days at most. Based on the direction of this beast tide, Pompeii City is likely to be the next city to be wiped out. The beast tide is expected to arrive in about seven days.”
After saying this, the bearded man glanced in the direction where Ye Feng and the others were, then stopped talking.
“A beast tide?” Ye Feng and the others felt puzzled.
After that, the guys in the tavern started telling vulgar jokes and provided no more useful information. Ye Feng and the others had no choice but to leave in disappointment.
“Captain, why did we tell them about the beast tide just now?” asked a short man beside the bearded man, puzzled.
“This news would have spread throughout Pompeii City by tomorrow anyway. Telling them was just to see if they’d stay,” said the bearded man, looking in the direction where Ye Feng and the others had left. “Spread the news so those who want to leave can prepare early.”
The group at the table dispersed quickly, with only the bearded man calmly taking out a mid-grade divine crystal and placing it on the table before leaving.
Ye Feng and the others finally understood what a level-3 beast tide was.
A beast tide refers to a rebellion by a group of magical beasts. Wherever such a tide passes, few living beings survive, as the beasts will mercilessly tear apart everything in their path after the rebellion.
A level-1 beast tide usually involves no more than 10,000 beasts, with the strongest ones being at the true god level. Such tides generally pose little threat.
A level-2 beast tide usually involves no more than 100,000 beasts, with the strongest ones at the heavenly god level. Small towns facing such tides are in great danger.

At the third level of the beast tide, the number of demons can reach up to a million. Occasionally, imperial god-level magical beasts appear in such tides, but usually, only a few supreme god-level magical beasts lead them. Cities at the second level generally cannot defend against such tides. This is because second-level cities usually only have two imperial god-level warriors on guard—one the city lord and the other the chief guard. In contrast, a third-level beast tide involves at least ten supreme god-level magical beasts. These magical beasts are already a higher rank than the warriors, making it difficult even for the two imperial god-level warriors to protect themselves when surrounded by ten of them.

“I didn’t expect to encounter such a thing right away…” Long Tian frowned slightly.

“We can’t just ignore it when this happens, can we?” Long Yue looked at Ye Feng.

“Yes, there are at least millions of people in this city, and most of them are not even at the true god level. If the magical beasts break through the city walls, few will survive,” Zhuge Ling’er also turned to look at Ye Feng.

“Why are you looking at me? Although I never claim to be a good person, I wouldn’t stand by and do nothing when people are in danger, especially when it involves millions of lives,” Ye Feng said with a wry smile.

“Let’s take this opportunity to find something delicious to eat!” Yi Fan put his arms around Xiao Liu and Tie Niu’s shoulders. The three of them had spent so much time together in the Zhongxuan Tower that they were already very close.

“We’ll go too!” Qing Lang and Da Sha didn’t want to be left behind.

“Okay, let’s go together!” Yi Fan said, winking at Kristin. “Big guy, I’ll also check if there are any perverts around.”

“If there are hamburgers, bring me two,” Kristin said, closing her Bible and looking at Yi Fan seriously.

“Uh, okay…” Yi Fan left with a bored expression.

Ye Feng wasn’t worried about their safety. Yi Fan, Xiao Liu, and Tie Niu were all at the later stage of the true god level, practicing top-tier cultivation techniques. Even if they encountered mid-stage heavenly gods, they could fight alone, let alone together.

“They’re going to buy food. Let’s go buy what we need!” Zhen Zhu looked at the other girls.

“Bro Long, why don’t you accompany them?” Ye Feng looked at Long Tian. “I’ll go find an inn.”

“Okay!” Long Tian carelessly wrapped his arms around his head. “Ladies, let’s go!”

Although Lu Zhan had also reached the divine realm, he didn’t ascend with Ye Feng and the others this time. In his words, it was because his cultivation had improved too quickly, and he needed some time to consolidate it.

Ye Feng also knew roughly why. As Long Yue’s fiancé, it indeed put him in an awkward position in front of Ye Feng and the others. He had never forgotten Long Yue; perhaps this was a good chance to completely forget her.

Cassdio and Lilith also hadn’t come up—they couldn’t ascend due to their insufficient cultivation levels. Ye Feng didn’t advise them to come to the Divine Realm ahead of time. Cassdio said he would challenge God once his cultivation was strong enough, and Lilith wanted to try challenging Satan as well.

“It’s a shame Cassdio didn’t come. Kristin, you keep a poker face all day long, which is really annoying,” William complained beside him.

“Cass is different from us. He’s a sacred angel…” Kristin became excited whenever Cassdio was mentioned.

Kristin, who always carried a Bible, had been like a child ever since she first saw Cassdio spread his angelic wings. She pestered him with questions nonstop. Cass wasn’t good at refusing and basically answered every question she asked. After a few days, the two men became inseparable best friends.

Normally, Kristin was indeed a quiet man, speaking little even to William, Yi Fan, Ye Feng, and Kelly, his siblings who had exchanged lives. But after getting to know Cassdio, he mostly took charge of the conversation. Although Ye Feng and the others were surprised, they were also happy about this change.

This might be related to his upbringing. It was said he grew up in a monastery, raised by a monk. He had believed in God and angels since childhood and had always dreamed of seeing an angel one day. Now that he had seen one in reality, how could he not be excited?

While Ye Feng and the others were strolling through the streets looking for an inn, things took a turn on Long Tian’s side.

A group of young men riding on the backs of elephant beasts suddenly pulled back on their reins because they saw four women walking in the street.

“Brother Lin, which family do those women belong to?” a young man dressed in golden clothes asked the young man in white robes beside him.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen them before. Maybe they’re from another city and passing by,” the young man in white robes replied, a hint of worry crossing his face.

“You don’t know either?” The man in golden clothes looked quite good-looking, though a bit feminine, appearing to be in his early twenties. Of course, his actual age couldn’t be that.

He gently pulled the reins, urging the elephant beast to move toward the four women.

“Brother Ximen, what should we do now…?” the young man in white robes hurriedly called out.

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted. “You go ahead; I’ll join you in a moment.”
The young man in white frowned slightly at these words but didn’t leave, staying where he was.
“Four beautiful ladies, please wait!” A sudden voice rang out in Pearl and the others’ ears, followed by a young man riding on a mammoth rushing over.
Long Yue and the others glanced at him briefly before continuing on without paying attention.
“Shopkeeper, how much is this?” Zhuge Ling’er asked, picking up a pair of earrings.
The shopkeeper looked up and saw the elephant-like beast not far behind the four women, with a young man on it glaring at him. His heart skipped a beat. Though he didn’t recognize the young man, he knew what that beast meant—it was something only nobles among the indigenous people could ride.
“I’ll give it to you. The shop is closing,” the shopkeeper said, not even looking at the woman in front of him, and began packing up.
Several other stalls in the vicinity also started to close down.
Pearl and the others immediately understood what was happening and turned to look behind them.
“Where are you ladies from?” The young man on the elephant assumed a pose he thought was sexy, but it only made Pearl and the others frown.
“Hey, are you blind? Can’t you see these beautiful ladies came with me?” Long Tian appeared out of nowhere from some corner, just in time.
As soon as he spoke, Pearl wrapped her arm around his arm, and Zhuge Ling’er did the same on the other side.
Long Yue pulled Kelly behind Long Tian, looking wary. Only Kelly stared at the young man expressionlessly, as if she were looking at a human statue.
“Which city are you from?” The young man in gold looked at Long Tian with a twisted expression.
“And where are you from?” Long Tian replied with an indifferent look.
“I’m from Yanquan’s main city. I’m Xi Men Chun. Now can you tell me where you’re from?”
“We’re also from Yanquan’s main city! My name is Long Tian,” Long Tian said with a proud expression.
“Long Tian? I’ve never heard of him…” The young man named Xi Men Chun looked puzzled, seemingly trying to recall if such a person existed.
“Oh, I’ve never heard of Xi Men Chun either. But I’ve heard of Xi Men Qing…” As Long Tian said this, Pearl and the other women couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ximen Qing is indeed my father.” Ximen Chun frowned slightly. He was well aware of his father’s reputation—nearly half of the noblewomen in the capital city had been involved with him. He wasn’t sure whether these words were a provocation or if the other person really knew his father.
“Ximen Qing is your dad? No wonder…” Long Tian was also stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“You’re seeking death!” Ximen Chun immediately realized that the other person was indeed mocking him.
“You? You’re still too inexperienced!” Before he could draw his sword, Long Tian kicked him off the elephant beast and grabbed his throat.
“Stop!” At that moment, several others on elephant beasts rushed over.
“Please show mercy, sir. Brother Ximen is the great-grandson of Ximen Bing, the eldest elder of the capital city of Yanquan. If you kill him, you’ll cause a huge disaster,” the young man in white pleaded anxiously.
“Who are you?” Long Tian certainly didn’t care about the background of the guy in his hands, but the fact that this young man in white possessed the cultivation level of a late-stage Main God piqued his curiosity.
“I am the city lord of Pompeii, Lin Xu,” the young man in white said, bowing to Long Tian.
“You’re the city lord?” Long Tian became curious. As far as he knew, Pompeii had two beings at the Imperial God level, while the city lord’s cultivation was only at the late-stage Main God level. After a brief pause, he quickly realized, “Since you’re the city lord, I’ll give you face—take this effeminate guy and leave!”
Lin Xu picked up Ximen Chun and led everyone away quickly.
“Lin Xu, once we get back, we must immediately gather our forces and deal with that arrogant guy!” Ximen Chun said fiercely.
“That man’s cultivation level is beyond my understanding. He’s likely a powerful being at the Imperial God level. Pompeii probably doesn’t have the strength to defeat someone of that caliber,” Lin Xu replied calmly instead of refusing.
“Aren’t your head guard and your fourth uncle also at the Imperial God level?” Ximen Chun was still unwilling to give up.

“The head guard and the city lord are of equal status, as you well know. He will only act when my life is threatened; I have no right to order him. As for my fourth uncle, once I die, he will immediately take my place as the legitimate city lord. How could he help me?” A fierce glint appeared in Lin Xu’s eyes. “It’s not that I can’t help, but I’m powerless. If you want revenge, relying on me won’t work—turn to someone from your family. The sooner, the better. I’m worried they might cause trouble and leave right away. But as the eldest grandson of the Western Gate’s grand elder, maybe you can persuade my fourth uncle if you speak to him yourself.”

“Then can your fourth uncle defeat that guy? Don’t end up getting killed—otherwise, my grandmother will definitely scold me,” Ximen Chun asked worriedly.

“That’s hard to say. I’ve never seen my fourth uncle fight, but he’s been at the Imperial God level for many years. His cultivation should be much higher than that guy’s.” A barely noticeable smile appeared at the corner of Lin Xu’s lips. “Besides, with his personality, if he can’t win, he can always escape.”

“Alright, I’ll go talk to him. But if he really gets killed, don’t blame my family for sending him,” Ximen Chun prepared for the worst.

“Don’t worry. We grew up together in those open-crotch pants—would I betray you?” Lin Xu patted Ximen Chun’s shoulder.

Before long, the elephant beast passed through the gates of the city lord’s mansion. The group dismounted and tied the beast in the courtyard.

“Haha, Young Master Ximen has arrived! I failed to greet you properly from afar!” A short, fat man came forward from afar, not even glancing at Lin Xu standing beside Ximen Chun.

“Fourth uncle,” Lin Xu bowed slightly toward him.

“Mm,” the fat man grunted in response as a greeting, still not looking at him. He eagerly approached Ximen Chun, his two plump hands gripping Ximen Chun’s slender hands like a woman’s. “Has Young Master Ximen been safe on the journey?”

“There were guards along the way, so we didn’t encounter anything. But in the city, we ran into some despicable guys,” Ximen Chun’s anger finally became uncontrollable.

“Lin Xu, what exactly happened? Didn’t I tell you to protect Young Master Ximen properly?” The fat man turned to look at Lin Xu with a cold gaze.

“Fourth uncle, I couldn’t discern that person’s cultivation level. When he attacked, we were completely unprepared. In just one move, he grabbed Young Master Ximen’s throat, and we couldn’t rescue him in time,” Lin Xu said humbly.

“You couldn’t tell his cultivation level either? Could it be that another Imperial God-level warrior has appeared in the city?” The fat man frowned deeply.

“Fourth Uncle, you are Brother Lin’s fourth uncle. I grew up with Brother Lin, so you are also my fourth uncle. You must help me take revenge!” Ximen Chun knew the fat man had reservations, so he pressed him further, “If you’re willing to help me this time, once I get something good from my grandmother in the future, I’ll definitely share it with you.”
“Well… Nephew Ximen, I definitely have to take care of your matter. But we still don’t know who this person is. If you act on impulse and offend someone you shouldn’t, not only will I suffer, but even your grandmother might not be able to protect you. Let’s find someone to investigate first and figure out who he really is!” The fat man’s delaying tactic temporarily deflected this tricky issue, but he was also very curious about the other party’s background.