My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Lin Ran was very happy to hear that he had passed the test. When he saw Shui Yue staring at him fiercely, Lin Ran glared back, which scared the girl into hiding in Fan Hua's arms, and she dared not look at Lin Ran again.

"Sister Fan Hua, now that we've passed the test, where is that mythical-level equipment?" Lin Ran asked excitedly.

He really wanted to see such mythical equipment, weapons that only existed in legends.

Seeing Lin Ran's impatient questioning, Fan Hua looked awkwardly at Shui Yue in her arms and said, "The mythical-level equipment belongs to this girl."

Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing were both taken aback, while Fan Hua looked at the two of them and couldn't help but explain: "This girl is actually the long sword left behind by the Mirror Moon Saint Emperor, and its full name is Water Moon Sword."

It's a highly malleable weapon forged using the Sacred Flame of the Mirror Moon, but it's currently damaged. It was originally a mythical weapon, but after that battle, it's been kept here for repairs.

After listening to Fan Hua's explanation, Lin Ran immediately remembered that in the original novel, Shangguan Mengqing seemed to have obtained a weapon from the Sky Palace that greatly helped her later on. Perhaps it was this Water Moon Sword. Then this girl must be the sword spirit in the story. With this silly look, is it really possible?

Shuiyue seemed very perceptive, noticing Lin Ran's strange gaze, and quickly retorted, "I'm very strong, I know many, many sword techniques, hmph, I won't follow you!"

Clearly, Shuiyue's anger at being beaten to the ground by Lin Ran hadn't subsided at all, while Lin Ran was amused by the sword spirit and said, "I don't want a silly-looking sword spirit following me!"

"I'm not stupid, Shuiyue is very smart!"

Shuiyue struggled free from Fanhua's embrace, her soft, sweet voice sounding like she was being coquettish even when she was angry.

Seeing that the two of them were actually arguing, Shangguan Mengqing couldn't help but smile.

Finally, Fan Hua came to the rescue, interrupting the "two children arguing about the sun" scene. Fan Hua looked at Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing seriously and said, "Lin Ran, you've basically been putting in the most effort in this test, so Shui Yue should logically be following you..."

Upon hearing this, Shuiyue grasped Fanhua's hand, as if she were about to cry...

Fan Hua paused for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "But what I hope for even more is that you can give Shuiyue to Mengqing, because Shuiyue is the weapon of the Mirror Moon Saint Emperor. Once Shuiyue is fully repaired in the future, it may even be restored to a mythical-level weapon."

Furthermore, since it was Mengqing who received the inheritance, I hope Shuiyue can grow alongside Mengqing. However… I will compensate you; I will bestow this portable tassel palace upon you. Are you willing to accept this condition?”

After saying that, Fan Hua looked at Lin Ran with great trepidation. To be honest, Fan Hua herself felt a little ashamed to say these words. A weapon that could become a mythical level and a palace that could be carried around, especially since this palace was no match for the mythical Water Moon Sword.

Therefore, she was very afraid that Lin Ran wouldn't give up the Water Moon Sword. Given the relationship between Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing, even if Lin Ran took it, Shangguan Mengqing probably wouldn't have much of an opinion. From what she had seen of Shangguan Mengqing during the time she had known her, this girl valued Lin Ran very, very much...

Lin Ran had no idea what Fan Hua was thinking. All he could think about now was this portable palace. This kind of magical artifact was much better than a sword. He hadn't even thought about getting a weapon. He already had the Autumn Rain Sword, which was enough for him. With a portable palace, wouldn't it be like traveling in a luxury RV?

It sounds wonderful!

……

Chapter 159 The Spirit of the Tassel Palace?

"Do you want it? If you do, take it. I have enough with the Autumn Rain Sword!" Shangguan Mengqing said telepathically when she saw that Lin Ran hadn't spoken for a long time.

She wasn't particularly interested in this mythical weapon, not to mention that it would require a huge investment of resources to restore its former glory.

Under the guidance of the Azure Spirit Sword Saint, she also realized that over-reliance on external things would only hinder her swordsmanship.

Lin Ran looked at Shangguan Mengqing with some surprise. He obviously did not expect that Shangguan Mengqing would be willing to give up the Water Moon Sword. But he did not want to take this thing. Swordsmanship was not his main practice. Moreover, could he really afford to keep the Water Moon Sword?

In the end, Lin Ran told Fan Hua and the others that she would give up the Water Moon Sword and choose to accept the reward of the Tassel Palace.

This relieved Fan Hua, who then instructed Shui Yue to recognize Shangguan Mengqing as her master and complete the binding process. Fan Hua then led Lin Ran back to the main hall: "Let's go, Lin Ran, I'll take you to the core of this tassel palace so you can refine and bind it to your master!"

Lin Ran followed Fan Hua and prepared to go up. When she saw Shangguan Mengqing looking over, she couldn't help but give her a thumbs up and transmitted her voice, "Refine this promising Water Moon Sword well!"

"Do you want this tasseled palace so you can keep a mistress in your golden house in the future?" Shangguan Mengqing said abruptly.

"Cough cough..."

Lin Ran suddenly coughed violently, which immediately caught the attention of Fan Hua, who was walking ahead. Fan Hua turned around and looked at Lin Ran curiously, asking, "Lin Ran, what's wrong?"

"The air here is bad, there's a lot of dust, I just choked on it!" Lin Ran made up an excuse.

Fan Hua looked at Lin Ran with a strange expression. It took quite a bit of imagination to come up with such a flimsy excuse. She couldn't help but look over to Shangguan Mengqing and saw that Shangguan Mengqing and Shuiyue were communicating and preparing to establish a connection.

She felt that Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing were using some kind of trick. Could it be telepathy? But she should be able to sense soul fluctuations, right?

Without giving it much thought, Fan Hua led Lin Ran back to the place where they had dealt with the stone statue. She stopped and looked at Lin Ran, saying, "Lin Ran, close your eyes for a moment!"

"Close your eyes?"

Lin Ran was taken aback, but feeling that Fan Hua wouldn't harm him, he closed his eyes. Meanwhile, Fan Hua formed intricate hand seals, and a deep blue light shone from her body.

The soft, water-like light enveloped Lin Ran, and many fine, deep blue beams of light extended from Fan Hua's body, pouring into Lin Ran's body. Lin Ran felt as if he were deep in cool seawater, and the little figure sitting cross-legged in his spiritual ocean seemed to have gained some kind of deep-rooted connection.

When Lin Ran opened his eyes again and saw the blooming flowers standing in front of him, he felt as if he had some kind of mysterious connection with the beautiful woman in front of him, giving him the feeling that he could command and manipulate the blooming flowers.

"Fan Hua, raise your hand!"

Lin Ran suddenly shouted this, and the graceful and beautiful woman in front of her actually raised her hands.

This greatly shocked Lin Ran, and she was momentarily stunned into not understanding what was happening.

Fan Hua was a little embarrassed and annoyed. Her raised hand made her breasts stand out even more. She quickly lowered her hand and came to Lin Ran angrily, saying, "Lin Ran, are you deliberately messing with me!"

Sister, what you said is very ambiguous!

Lin Ran pondered for a moment and then understood. Looking at the profusion of flowers in front of her, she exclaimed in surprise, "You are the spirit of this Tassel Palace?"

"if not?"

A bitter expression appeared on Fan Hua's face as she slowly said, "Only a spirit, relying on this legendary magic artifact, can live for so long. Ordinary souls, whose strength hasn't reached the profound level of the Saint Realm, and without a good treasure to store their souls, will eventually dissipate."

In my previous life, I was merely the sister of the Mirror Moon Holy Emperor; I could never have reached her level of cultivation. However, in order to ensure the continuation of her legacy and to provide future generations with a powerful weapon against the Void Evil Clan, I had no choice but to resort to this less-than-ideal measure.

Lin Ran remained silent. In fact, these ancient powerhouses had truly sacrificed a great deal for the Nine Provinces Continent. From Hua Qianqian, who sacrificed the entire Hua Sect to seal the Void Evil Clan, to Senior Dongfang Yue, whose final soul dissipated into the world in order to deal with the Void Evil Clan.

Today's flourishing flowers, in order to ensure the continuation of the heritage, are willing to become artifact spirits, guarding this place alone all the time. It's a miracle they haven't gone mad, enduring such loneliness.

"Sister Fanhua, it's okay. Just follow me from now on and watch Mengqing and I cut down those Void Evil Clan members. I'll also take care of Fenglian for you, okay?" Lin Ran patted Fanhua's shoulder to comfort her.

Fan Hua was amused by Lin Ran's words. She rubbed her slightly sore eyes and said, "I'll just take this as you comforting me. You don't understand Feng Lian. That female evil god is simply insane, and the intensity of her attack on the seal is getting higher and higher. So you and Meng Qing need to set off as soon as possible!"

Before long, Shangguan Mengqing and Shuiyue walked out side by side. Seeing Lin Ran and Fanhua there, Shangguan Mengqing was not surprised, obviously having already learned from Shuiyue that Fanhua was the spirit of the Liusu Palace.

When Shuiyue saw Lin Ran, she pouted and said, "Don't you dare bully Sister Fanhua, or I'll have Sister Mengqing beat you up!"

"well!"

Lin Ran couldn't help but lean forward and pinch Shuiyue's cheek. Although it was a sword spirit, its cool and soft texture felt almost like a human's. Suddenly, she had an idea about weapons too. No, no, no…

Unable to resist, Shuiyue could only sob and cry out. After Lin Ran let go, she immediately hid behind Shangguan Mengqing and cried to her.

Shangguan Mengqing rubbed Shuiyue's head, glared at Lin Ran, and didn't say anything more.

Seeing this, Lin Ran couldn't help but laugh. Shuiyue was indeed a lively character, and she might become even more interesting in the future.

After completing the side quests here, it's time to tackle the main quest. But while doing the main quest, Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing need to go back and check on Wen Qianyi and the others so they won't worry.

The two returned to the ancient city wall in front of the spatial barrier once again. Looking back at the ruins of the ancient city wall, Lin Ran felt a sense of emotion. Although the process was fraught with danger, they still gained a lot.

At this moment, in his spiritual ocean, next to the little man, there was a small and exquisite palace floating there. As the spirit of the artifact, Fan Hua could also talk directly to Lin Ran, but she could not move freely like Shui Yue. Shui Yue could even fight independently, which Fan Hua could not do.

However, Shangguan Mengqing did not release Shuiyue, as the girl had caused a bit of a disturbance, which would affect the subsequent operations.

Looking up, I saw the sun hanging high in the sky. It was the hottest time of day, and the scorching sunlight seemed to be setting people on fire, baking the earth until it was unbearably hot.

Lin Ran narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at Shangguan Mengqing who had put her veil back on, and asked, "Which way are we going?"

"Just follow me..."

Shangguan Mengqing vanished in a blur, and Lin Ran quickly followed.

During the day, without the obstruction of the monster tide, the two traveled at full speed, and it still took them nearly an hour to reach the huge white-gold city located deep in the mountains.

Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing arrived at the nearby woods, where they found a number of people dressed in clothing from different factions.

The two exchanged a glance, then both concealed their presence, hiding themselves and avoiding the others. They found a spot with an excellent view and quietly climbed up a large tree. They squeezed into the dense foliage, and because the space was a bit cramped, Shangguan Mengqing had to lean against Lin Ran, which made Lin Ran a little restless.

Lin Ran slightly pushed Shangguan Mengqing aside, handed her the binoculars, and whispered, "Mengqing, take a look over there with these binoculars. Why are there so many people all of a sudden?"

Shangguan Mengqing glanced to the side, straightened up slightly, and used the binoculars in her hand to observe the situation in the city.

Lin Ran secretly breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, he might have lost his temper and embarrassed himself. Shangguan Mengqing might not care, but he did.

After a while, Shangguan Mengqing transmitted her voice and said, "There are a lot of people gathered here. Most of everyone who entered the secret realm this time is probably here. Should we go in and take a look?"

"Go in!" Lin Ran nodded.

The two climbed down from the tree, changed their clothes, and walked side by side toward the enormous city.

As Lin Ran approached the enormous city, she sensed the ancient and sturdy aura emanating from the thick, white-gold city walls. She couldn't help but ask the image of Fan Hua in her mind, "What was the purpose of building this city?"

Fan Hua quickly responded, "A considerable part of this secret realm was originally part of the Nine Provinces Continent. It was only because the Mirror Moon Holy Emperor used his immense power to move it into the secret realm that this city was once the place where the Mirror Moon Holy Emperor and his clan lived."

"Oh, I see!" Lin Ran nodded.

Before the open city gate, people from all directions were constantly rushing in, all wanting to enter the city. Lin Ran could faintly sense the powerful aura emanating from these people.

Although many were inferior to him, they were still at the Spirit Core Realm, and were clearly from various forces participating in this secret realm.

But what surprised Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing the most was that there were dozens of figures blocking the city gate, and they even had a sign carved on the wooden sign in front of the city gate.

Looking at the words on the sign and then at the group of familiar figures standing at the entrance, Shangguan Mengqing frowned and said, "It seems that this city was later discovered by the eight super sects. The eight super sects joined forces to occupy the city and then started collecting protection money."

"Collecting protection money?"

Lin Ran looked ahead thoughtfully. Some who tried to break through were brutally knocked away, while some stubborn ones were even turned into corpses and casually thrown aside.

It seems that whoever has the biggest fist is the master here, and it works well anywhere!

……

Chapter 160 Situation Inside the City

Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing followed behind the group and did not do anything out of line. After Shangguan Mengqing paid some spirit stones as protection money, the two entered the city smoothly.

In the city, most buildings are constructed of massive stones, with mysterious totems carved on their walls. The thick, sturdy city walls, in particular, seem to pulsate with energy, exuding an air of mystery.

Fan Hua also explained in Lin Ran's mind at the right time: "This place is very close to the inheritance site and is also located in the core of the entire secret realm. Jing Yue has made many deployments here. Ordinary demon beasts will not rush to this area unless it is a huge demon beast tide controlled by Feng Lian. But this city is enough to withstand the attacking demon beast tide."

"That's it..."

Lin Ran nodded, but inwardly thought, "Usually, places like this end up being completely destroyed by the villainous boss..."

Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing had already disguised themselves. Shangguan Mengqing had reverted to her original appearance in the secret realm. Looking at this familiar face, Lin Ran couldn't help but tease, "You look better this way!"

"Oh?"

Shangguan Mengqing was observing the situation inside the city when she heard Lin Ran's words. A strange light flashed in her eyes, and she said, "Then I'll face you with this expression from now on."

"Oh...isn't that a bit inappropriate?!"