Indeed, he was a cunning scoundrel with ulterior motives. I hadn't wrongly accused him...
Moreover, there were some items inside that would undoubtedly prove useful later.
Lin Ran was quite satisfied with his gains this time. After nodding, he glanced at the soldiers again.
Seeing their leader incinerated, this group of soldiers dared not act rashly any longer. They all obediently surrendered their weapons.
"Alright, alright, the matter is over now, and the Changyuan defense battle has been a great victory. You can all go back where you came from!"
After reaping the benefits, Lin Ran waved his hand, intending to dismiss the soldiers.
Of course, this was also a form of relief for the soldiers.
They were already eager to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible!
Facing an army of awakened individuals and a palpable killing intent, the psychological pressure was immense.
After thanking Lin Ran, they scattered in disarray, their faces dusty and their demeanor panicked, not even maintaining their basic formation.
Lin Ran couldn't help but shake his head at the sight.
He wondered if it was like this throughout the entire Weiyang Province, or just in Jianggu City...
The quality of the army and its subordinate officers was astonishingly low.
If the Dragon Country entrusted the critical task of defending its borders to these people, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Especially in the twenty to thirty provinces relatively far from Qingjing, which were under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council to a much lesser extent, local powers were notoriously overbearing.
In comparison, the central provinces and cities were much more harmonious...
At the very least, the lawless situation in Weiyang Province would not occur.
Just as Lin Ran was pondering these matters, he suddenly noticed a new development amidst the disorderly retreat of the troops ahead.
From within their chaotic ranks, a surge of counter-current emerged, pushing against the surging tide of soldiers and charging towards Lin Ran.
What is this?
Lin Ran looked at them curiously.
The time for action had long passed; why were people still coming this way?
And they appeared to be fully armed...
It couldn't be that they were here to cause trouble for him, could it?
To Lin Ran's surprise, his guess was indeed correct!
This vast crowd was indeed heading towards Changyuan, or rather, towards him.
Although the person leading them looked rather unremarkable, beside him stood a truly dangerous presence—a middle-aged man with a large beard.
Even though he was unarmed, Lin Ran's intuition told him that this individual, unlike anyone else, could not be ignored!
The bearded middle-aged man, sensing Lin Ran's hostile gaze, smiled provocatively but said nothing.
The one who spoke was another, slightly younger individual beside him:
"Lin Ran... the great hero Lin... I've heard so much about you!"
"I am Wang Zhen of the Wang family in Weiyang. Please forgive my rudeness..."
The Wang family of Weiyang?
Lin Ran stroked his chin.
This was not a powerful clan, but a rather ordinary family.
Their overall strength could not compare to the so-called three great families of Weiyang, the Lu family, the Qi family, and the Zhong family.
The only two characteristics that set their family apart from other smaller families were:
First, their family had produced a genius two hundred years ago who had cultivated to the tenth stage!
Second, they were closely associated with the Lu family, serving as a minor subordinate to the Lu family in the eastern part of Weiyang Province.
With this knowledge, Lin Ran could largely guess why this group had come here...
Did they intend to ruin his good deeds?
Well, that depended on whether they had the strength!
Relying on a mere tenth-stage expert to suppress him? They were looking down on him too much!
Lin Ran sneered and said:
"The battle for Changyuan is over. Why has the Wang family head come to this place?"
"Could it be that you've come to collect the corpses?"
Wang Zhen laughed heartily:
"Not at all, not at all... Great hero Lin exaggerates... exaggerates..."
"We were actually on our way here the moment Changyuan fell into distress."
"However, due to the long distance and the slight delay in assembling the family's forces, we were unable to arrive in time."
"Of course, this is also mainly because Great hero Lin handled things too quickly..."
"As the saying goes, a young hero emerges, truly making us ashamed!"
"However, there is one matter we are unsure of. Could Great hero Lin enlighten us?"
Lin Ran gently touched his wrist:
"Are you asking... why we are still lingering here after finishing the battle for Changyuan and not leaving?"
Wang Zhen nodded, a half-smile on his face:
"Great hero Lin is indeed intelligent and wise, guessing immediately what I wanted to ask..."
"In fact, we can't help but be concerned!"
"After all, Great hero Lin, you must understand—no matter who it is, they wouldn't want someone else sleeping on their kang..."
At this point, not only the people present but even the viewers outside the channel understood Wang Zhen's intention.
Good heavens, this fellow had come to claim territory!
Presumably, under the arrangement of the Lu family, the sphere of influence near Jianggu belonged to them, and they could enjoy all the resources here.
Especially the Changyuan Forbidden Area, which was an area that could not be abandoned.
But who would have thought that today, Lin Ran, from who knows where, had mobilized a large army and directly occupied the entire area from the Changyuan defense line to the Changyuan Forbidden Area.
This was naturally unacceptable to the Wang family, who considered this region their backyard.
They had already amassed their troops nearby when Lin Ran's forces first engaged the ferocious beasts.
They had intended to strike after both sides were weakened, but seeing Lin Ran's great victory, they had no choice but to act prematurely.
This despicable act naturally drew a barrage of curses from the audience.
Many people had already prepared to leave the channel and go about their business after seeing the end of the battle.
But upon witnessing this scene, they immediately lost the desire to leave.
"What a despicable person, how dare he?"
"Heh, he didn't come to fight in the bloody battle, but now he wants to enjoy the fruits of victory? Bah!"
"This naked villainous expression is truly disgusting..."
"Damn it, instead of thinking about how to resist foreign invasion, he's always thinking about how to drag his own people down!"
"They are all skilled at infighting and incompetent in external wars. I'm truly disgusted!"
"Alas, do they have any sense of national pride? They only know how to seek benefits for themselves openly and unashamedly?"
"I can only say that in today's society, such people have become mainstream..."
"This is utter nonsense! Isn't this small Wang family a well-known subordinate of the Lu family?"
"No wonder these people would come here..."
"First, they can suppress the divine Lin to claim credit for themselves, and second, they can continue to protect their own interests..."
"Moreover, they had a tenth-stage awakened person among them earlier, who can suppress the divine Lin in terms of high-end combat power!"
"They've truly played a good hand!"