Half an hour later, Lin Feng stood alone before the Wang Family's imposing vermilion gates.
After announcing his arrival, he was led to the grand council hall.
The Wang Family patriarch, Wang Xiong—a burly, sharp-eyed middle-aged man—sat squarely in the seat of honor.
Several core disciples of the Wang Family stood on either side, all wearing unfriendly expressions.
"Lin Feng?" Wang Xiong looked him up and down, the corners of his mouth twisting into undisguised mockery. "So you're that lone baleful star who just killed Zhao Tianhao and brought Li Tianxiong's army right to the city gates? What an impressive display of might!"
His voice abruptly turned stern. "Do you know that Black Rock City is now hanging by a thread because of you?
"How many commoners and merchants have suffered because of you? Even my Wang Family's businesses have taken severe losses!"
Lin Feng's expression remained impassive. "Patriarch Wang, I was acting under the orders of the Northern Commander..."
"The Northern Commander?" Wang Xiong cut him off roughly. He slammed his palm against the armrest, rose to his feet, and pointed at Lin Feng's nose as he cursed, "Don't use Shen Mo to pressure me!
"You disaster star—wherever you go, peace vanishes! Are you planning to drag the entire city to its death for your sake alone?"
A vicious glint flashed through his eyes. He swept his gaze around and barked, "In my opinion, there's no need to wait for Li Tianxiong to attack the city!
"Seize you, the chief culprit, bind you, send you outside the city, and hand you over to Fortress Lord Li for judgment!
"Once that happens, Black Wind Stronghold will naturally withdraw its troops, and Black Rock City's siege will be lifted at once! Guards, seize him!"
Several Wang Family guards stepped forward at once, murderous intent surging from them.
Lin Feng's gaze abruptly turned icy, as though he were looking at a group of dead men.
"Wang Xiong," he said, not loudly, yet his voice carried clearly into every ear. "You want to take my head and curry favor with the bandits outside the city? It seems your Wang Family and Black Wind Stronghold truly have a deep relationship!
"Are you afraid I'll uncover more of your dealings, so you're making a desperate last stand?"
"Outrageous!" Wang Xiong had been struck where it hurt, and he instantly flew into a rage, his face flushing red. "You ignorant brat! You're already at death's door, yet you still dare slander my Wang Family!
"This patriarch will personally kill you today, then seek forgiveness from Lord Shen Mo!"
Robust inner power erupted from Wang Xiong's body. He took one step forward, making the ground tremble faintly, formed his right hand into a palm, and cleaved straight toward Lin Feng's crown with a fierce gust of force!
The pressure of a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist erupted without the slightest restraint. He intended to kill Lin Feng in a single strike!
The Wang Family disciples around them revealed delighted expressions, as though they could already see Lin Feng's brains splattering across the ground.
At that critical moment, Lin Feng abruptly raised the Jade Token in his hand and poured his inner power into it.
The Jade Token immediately radiated a soft yet impossible-to-ignore halo, and an awe-inspiring presence belonging to the Northern Commander spread through the hall.
"Wang Xiong! Take a good look at what this is!" Lin Feng shouted.
Wang Xiong's palm force halted abruptly less than three inches from Lin Feng's forehead.
He stared fixedly at the Jade Token, his expression shifting unpredictably.
He recognized it. It truly was Shen Mo's personal command token—there was no possibility of forgery.
Then a cold voice seemed to ring directly beside his ear. It was Shen Mo's voice transmission, left inside the Jade Token:
"Wang Xiong, Lin Feng holds my command token. It is as if this officer were personally present.
"Black Wind Stronghold is besieging the city; everyone must work together. I order your Wang Family to provide men and provisions and assist Lin Feng in suppressing the bandits.
"However, empty words cannot convince your Wang Family.
"Special order: Have Lin Feng compete in martial combat against the Wang Family's peers. If he can win and claim first place, your Wang Family will follow this order, provide men, horses, and resources, and assist him in leaving the city.
"If he loses... then follow your suggestion and hand him over to Black Wind Stronghold for disposal.
"This is a military order. There must be no mistakes!"
After hearing the voice transmission, the anger on Wang Xiong's face gradually transformed into a sinister, cold grin.
He withdrew his palm, reined in his aura, and looked at Lin Feng as though he were watching a turtle trapped in a jar.
"Good! Since Lord Shen has made this arrangement, my Wang Family will naturally obey!"
"It will also spare others from saying that our Wang Family used our strength to bully the weak and gave the Northern Garrison Command no face."
Wang Xiong fixed his gaze on Lin Feng with undisguised contempt, deliberately pointing toward a stern-faced young man in the crowd who held a long spear in his arms.
"Lin Feng, don't say my Wang Family didn't give you a chance. See him? That's my Wang Family's illegitimate son, Wang Tianlong!
"Though he was born of a concubine, he's a genuine Late Seventh-Rank Martial Artist! He's even ranked one hundredth on the Yellow Ranking!"
He deliberately emphasized the words "one hundredth on the Yellow Ranking," provoking an uproar all around them.
The Yellow Ranking recorded the most outstanding lower-three-rank martial artists under the age of thirty throughout the world. Anyone who made the ranking was an exceptional figure among their peers, practically a supreme expert!
"To die at the hands of a Yellow Ranking Expert is quite a stroke of luck for you!" Wang Xiong sneered, as though he had already seen Lin Feng being tortured to death.
At that moment, a cold light screen visible only to Lin Feng popped up before his eyes:
Detected target eligible for suppression: Wang Tianlong (Late Seventh-Rank, No. 100 on the Yellow Ranking) Suppression reward: 100 Slaughter Points
Lin Feng looked toward the illegitimate son named Wang Tianlong. The other man was looking back at him as well, his eyes cold, as if he were staring at a dead man. Threads of chill emanated from the long spear in his arms.
Faced with Wang Xiong's mockery and the system's prompt, Lin Feng merely rolled his wrist lightly, his knuckles giving off a faint crack.
He met Wang Tianlong's icy gaze, the corner of his mouth curling into the faintest arc. His voice rang clearly across the martial arena:
"One hundredth on the Yellow Ranking? Excellent. My record of achievements just happens to be missing a respectable name like that."
Wang Tianlong's eyes sharpened. Without another word, he moved, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from the bow. The long spear in his hand transformed into a glint of cold light and thrust straight toward Lin Feng's throat!
The spear shot out like a dragon, astonishingly fast!
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