Half a month later, San Country had calmed down again. Yan Zhen was dead. Jin Lun City didn't send any more cultivators to San Country. Everything was like in the past. People cultivated when they wanted to, they ate something when they wanted to.
——
Great Village's Imperial Palace…
"Yan Tian Jiao, we stopped looking after you for such a short time, and you decided to leave us…"
Lin Feng was standing in a garden behind the imperial palace, before a grave there. Yan Tian Jiao was written on the tombstone.
Yan Tian Jiao had tried to kill herself many times during the previous two weeks, but Xiao Qing had always managed to prevent her from doing so. However, when Lin Feng had come back with all the leaders of the different villages, Xiao Qing was so excited that she had forgotten about Yan Tian Jiao.
At that time, Yan Tian Jiao had seized that opportunity to kill herself.
Lin Feng didn't know how to describe how he felt, but it was a mixture of emptiness, sadness, guilt, and bitterness. Such a beautiful and elegant young woman had decided to kill herself like that…
"Brother, let it go. She didn't feel like living anymore. She was neither brave nor wise. She hated you for having killed her father, she could have decided to cultivate harder and avenge him, but she didn't," Xiao Qing said from behind Lin Feng. She was still wearing a veil covering her whole face.
Lin Feng nodded. He knew she was right. It was a fact, but it was still sad.
"Brother, let's go. The leaders of the different villages are waiting for you in the antechamber," said Xiao Qing, grabbing Lin Feng's hand.
Lin Feng had already told Xiao Qing everything about what had happened in the slum. Xiao Qing had reacted completely differently from what he had expected. She was even wiser than him when it came to death and life. Lin Feng's life and death Dao strength had reached its maximum level, but still, Lin Feng was even more perturbed by death than Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing wasn't afraid of death, even of her own death. Perhaps only Lin Feng's death would make her cry. She did her best to cheer him up.
——
The two of them left the garden, the land of trees and flowers, to go back and face reality.
The antechamber was the first hall in the main palace. San Country actually didn't have an Imperial Palace anymore, it was just an ordinary governmental palace these days. San Country's area was only ten million square li which was tiny. Many people in the Country of Eternity considered San Country a joke.
Lin Feng had changed the whole organization of the country. He dismantled the nine fortified villages, but he kept the Black Dragon King and the Azure Dragon King's clans. He also created four fortresses in the north, west, east, and south of San Country. The remaining leaders were in charge of them. Lin Feng also renamed San Country into San City, since it had nothing to do with a country or an empire anymore.
Lin Feng didn't really feel like managing San Country. In the past, he had protected San Country only because of Xiao Qing's slum and because if his friends from the Continent of the Gods wanted to come, it would be convenient to have them settle there at first. Now, the people of the slum had all been slaughtered, so Lin Feng's only reason for protecting San Country was if his friends and relatives came to the Country of Eternity.
Jing Wu Hen called his teacher, who had someone come over. That mysterious cultivator and Jing Wu Hen talked for ten minutes in a room where nobody disturbed them, not even Lin Feng.
Nobody knew what Jing Wu Hen and that mysterious cultivator talked about, but after that, there was a new high-level Supreme God in San Country. He was stronger than Supreme God Zi Dian, so Lin Feng had hope again.
Jing Wu Hen brought the high-level Supreme God into the antechamber and introduced him to the others.
"Lin Feng, this is the Great Elder of Ze Country, Yan Tie Sheng. He's stronger than Supreme God Zi Dian. Master Yan Tie Sheng can protect San Country, what do you think?" asked Jing Wu Hen, smiling and indicating the old man in black clothes next to him.
The old man looked kind. At first glance, he already looked sympathetic. He looked simple, yet noble and elegant.
The Sword of Remote Times on Lin Feng's back started shaking. Lin Feng understood what Zu Ti meant. He knew Yan Tie Sheng, and had a good feeling about him.
Lin Feng stood up and bowed respectfully to the old man. Yan Tie Sheng smiled and nodded back at him. He didn't look at him scornfully or arrogantly.
"What a brilliant young man. Not weaker than Wu Hen. Not bad," said Yan Tie Sheng, flattering Lin Feng. He could see at a glance that Lin Feng would become extremely someday. Of course, to become brilliant someday, Lin Feng had to survive. Supreme God Xie would definitely try to kill him, after all.
Lin Feng had been very audacious. He had killed Xie Ling. Even though he didn't regret it and it had given him pleasure, he had killed Supreme God Xie's chief disciple in an atrocious manner. He had even tortured and dismembered him. He had then sent his dismembered body back so that Supreme God Xie would see it. Yan Tie Sheng admired Lin Feng for that.
People like Lin Feng were rare!
"Please sit down, Master," said Lin Feng. Yan Tie Sheng didn't feel awkward and wasn't scared of Lin Feng. He had seen many bloodbaths in his life.
Yan Tie Sheng sat down on Lin Feng's left. Jing Wu Hen sat down next to Yan Tie Sheng. Xiao Qing was on Lin Feng's right. Behind Xiao Qing were the Black Dragon King and the others. The three people from Jin Lun City were seated next to Jing Wu Hen.
"Do you have a plan?" asked Yan Tie Sheng straightforwardly.
Yan Tie Sheng, Jing Wu Hen, and everybody else looked at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was now the leader of San Country, so he had to make decisions.
"I want to build some teleportation portals between San City and Ze Country to save time.
"At the same time, I want to send all the people of San City to the north of the city, not far from Ze Country. The south of San City is the border with Jin Lun City, so people could attack from there at anytime.
"Brother Jing and I need to leave San City to travel, so we don't have time to stay here and manage it. That's why we need your help, Master," said Lin Feng. Everybody in the hall nodded, especially when Lin Feng said he wanted to build teleportation portals between San City and Ze Country.
Yan Tie Sheng smiled. His opinion didn't change at all. Lin Feng's plan was neither good nor bad. Since Jing Wu Hen's teacher had given the order to support him, he was ready to do his best.
Jing Wu Hen and Lin Feng had become good friends, so San City and Ze Country needed to maintain good relations as well. Besides, there was no harm in helping San City.
"Alright, I have no objection. The most important thing is that you go and travel; you need to break through to the high-level Supreme God layer," Yan Tie Sheng said amiably.
Lin Feng was grateful, and lucky to have Jing Wu Hen as a friend. Lang Xie City had refused to cooperate with San Country, it was their loss. Ze Country was farsighted and didn't need to fear Jin Lun City. Lang Xie City and San City were between them and Jin Lun City, so there was a buffer zone between them. The only way for Jin Lun City to attack Ze Country would be at the Great Competition of the West.
"I'm going for a walk in the palace. Even though San Country is weaker than in the past, the Imperial Palace is still splendid," said Yan Tie Sheng. He knew that Lin Feng probably had other things to say to other people. He left, taking Jing Wu Hen with him.
Initially, Lin Feng didn't think Jing Wu Hen needed to leave, but he did to show Lin Feng he wasn't interested in knowing San City's secrets.
Lin Feng needed to talk to the leaders of San Country. Even though they were still weak, they were the pillars of San Country and Lin Feng needed to protect them. They needed to cooperate and talk about everything.
"Leader, we're leaving," said the three strong cultivators from Jin Lun City, but Lin Feng halted them. "Since you are now members of San City, you also need to get involved. You killed so many strong cultivators from Jin Lun City, you proved you were loyal and devoted. Since it's that way, you don't need to leave."
The three cultivators were touched. In Jin Lun City, nobody attached importance to them. There were so many medium-level Supreme Gods there, after all, so medium-level Supreme Gods weren't important in Jin Lun City. That was also one of the reasons why they hadn't risked their lives for Jin Lun City.
Now, Lin Feng considered them pillars of San City. They were very happy and felt special.
"Thank you for your kindness, Great Leader," said the three men earnestly, kneeling down.
"Rise now. We're not in Jin Lun City. I am not like Supreme God Jin Lun. Rise," said Lin Feng, waving at them.
The three of them stood up, glowing with new vigor. They didn't want to offend their new leader. San City had become their new home!
"Listen up; you are all pillars in San City now! You should not tell anyone what I am going to tell you today," said Lin Feng coldly and seriously. Everybody suddenly felt a little nervous.
"Great Leader, please go on. If anyone dares tell anyone else what you told us, I'll be the first one to kill them," the Black Dragon King promised. He was the oldest one, so he was qualified to talk that way.
Lin Feng nodded. He didn't need to worry.
"We need to have the people of San City move to the north. You need to protect the south, especially the mountain behind the slum. There is something incredible there, and it must remain a secret.
"I'll tell you the truth: I am not from the Country of Eternity. I am from the Continent of the Gods. When I traveled from the Continent of the Gods to the Country of Eternity, I landed in the mountains behind the slum. That's where the space-time tunnel leads. I also intend to have more people from the Continent of the Gods come here.
"You need to protect the mountain meticulously. If anyone appears there, remember their appearance carefully, and then show them to me by transmitting your memories to me.
"You can use a talisman to do so. That way, even if I am really far away, we can keep in touch easily," he finished, giving talismans to everybody.
After that, everybody was astonished for a long time. They had not imagined that he wasn't from the Country of Eternity. That was astonishing!
But Lin Feng had told them his secret, so everybody was happy. It proved that he trusted them and attached importance to them.