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

Although she found his face pleasing to the eye, Lin Ran still preferred the aloof and stunningly beautiful Shangguan Mengqing.

"What's wrong with it? Didn't you say you prefer it this way? Anyway, you don't like my real face..." Shangguan Mengqing said calmly.

"Who says I don't like it? I like it very much..."

Lin Ran's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, immediately attracting the attention of those around her.

Those who can enter the secret realm are mostly young talents. In the impetuous period of youth, there are always some people who speak without restraint.

Just nearby on the street, two men dressed in the attire of the Northern Underworld Holy Land sneered when they saw Lin Ran confessing his love to such an ordinary woman whose only redeeming quality was her demeanor and bearing. They arrogantly said to their companion, "I wouldn't even want this kind of trash if you gave me your XX. And yet someone is rushing to get her while she's still hot."

Shangguan Mengqing, who was initially quite happy to have managed to get information out of Lin Ran, smoothed her hair and was about to say something when her eyes suddenly turned sharply to the two disciples of the Northern Underworld Holy Land.

Lin Ran also looked over to see who was being so foul-mouthed. When she saw that it was someone from the Northern Underworld Holy Land, she was a little stunned. Was this person just offering themselves up to be killed?

"What are you looking at? Do you want to be killed by the Northern Underworld Holy Land? If you don't know what's good for you, grab your turd and get lost!" The tall, thin disciple from the Northern Underworld Holy Land added a few more foul-mouthed remarks.

Lin Ran hadn't wanted to kill him at first, but now she was really at her wit's end. Just as she was about to make her move, Shangguan Mengqing grabbed Lin Ran's hand and teased her through telepathy, "People are telling you to get lost with this vulgar thing of mine. Besides, you're not young anymore. Don't be impulsive over such a trivial matter. Let's find out the situation in the city first."

"Too!"

Lin Ran understood that since they were not far from the city gate, taking action here would be too risky.

Shangguan Mengqing is the Sword Sect's treasure, but Lin Ran is not. If they make enemies with the Northern Underworld Holy Land, then Linghua Academy will suffer. So they can be killed, but the Northern Underworld Holy Land must not know that they were the ones who did it.

As the two were about to leave, Shangguan Mengqing suddenly produced two incredibly thin needles in her right hand. With a deft flick of her wrist, she threw them towards the back of the necks of the two disciples from the Northern Underworld Holy Land.

The two people who had just left felt a chill on the back of their necks. They both touched their necks but found nothing wrong, and since they felt no abnormality in their bodies, they didn't think much of it...

After this little incident, the two began gathering information within the city. However, Shangguan Mengqing seemed quite bothered by the previous incident and asked a question that silenced Lin Ran: "That person said I was a vulgar creature, so do you want to eat me? Do you like to eat me?"

This is absolutely infuriating! It's outrageous!

Lin Ran really wanted to turn around and kill those two foul-mouthed guys. Why did they have to come over and act so arrogantly?

How am I supposed to answer that? He's definitely lusting after Mengqing!

If you crave sex, it means you're not only despicable, but you also enjoy eating porn.

After hesitating for a while, Lin Ran could only reply, "I don't know!"

But Shangguan Mengqing already knew the answer from Lin Ran's face. Seeing Lin Ran's expression, she couldn't help but smile. But suppressing her laughter was tiring, so she could only sneak a smile when Lin Ran wasn't paying attention to avoid ruining her image.

After going around in circles, the two finally figured out the current situation in the city.

Sure enough, wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue; and wherever there is intrigue, if you use money to pave the way, everything will go smoothly.

With the help of the wealthy young woman Shangguan Mengqing, and using spirit stones to pave the way, they encountered no obstacles on their journey to gather information.

Currently, the city is divided into inner and outer areas. The eight super sects and their allied forces are stationed in the inner city, and the entrance to the deeper part, the final location of the inheritance, is guarded by the eight super sects. The road to that place is heavily guarded and impossible to pass through.

Everyone entering the city has to pay protection money, which is then divided equally among the eight super sects. There is temporary order within the city, and a barter area has been set up. Recently, the eight super sects have even proposed to create a bounty system similar to that of mercenaries, with rewards for accepting missions.

It can be said that the people of the eight super sects have made this place quite well-organized. In addition, since there is no monster tide to impact this place yet, internal struggles will naturally arise when there are no external threats. More accurately, it should be called infighting.

The most intense struggle currently is between the eight super sects, all of which are intent on excluding the Sword Sect and its alliance.

The Sword Sect was the first to discover this place and did not charge protection fees, providing assistance to many people. However, more and more people came later, and other super sects also arrived. Seeing the Sword Sect's weakness, they even wanted to join forces to swallow up the Sword Sect.

While the Sword Sect Alliance within the city was struggling to survive, the Sword Sect Alliance from the coast arrived with great force, bringing with them several Spirit Pill Realm elders from Linghua Academy, as well as members from Tianli Academy, Songling Academy, the Sword Sect, and Nirvana Realm experts. The Sword Sect and its alliance instantly became the most powerful force in the entire city.

Of course, the other eight super sects weren't stupid either. After their own people arrived, they quickly united with those they had good relations with to counter the power of the Sword Sect.

The Sword Sect's core leader during this trip into the secret realm was Shangguan Mengqing, but her whereabouts are currently unknown.

The newly arrived Sword Sect disciples, including those with Nirvana Realm strength, were arrogant and unwilling to obey the orders of the other three academies, which led to a division within the Sword Sect Alliance.

Even if other alliances have their own ulterior motives, they can't stand your internal strife, so they will naturally suppress you, the weakest one, and cause you trouble from time to time.

If you're unhappy, then go outside the city walls. No one will stop you. But are you confident you can survive the raging monster tide at night?

The goal is to suppress the Sword Sect and its alliance as much as possible, constantly taking small advantages from them. If the Sword Sect eventually becomes desperate, it will give everyone a good excuse to unite and swallow the Sword Sect. This is a perfectly legitimate conspiracy.

After getting a preliminary understanding of the situation, Lin Ran leaned against the wall of the alley, looking at Shangguan Mengqing who was deep in thought, and said, "Well, have you thought it through? Do you want to go back and take power, and then thwart their scheme!"

"What a boring bunch!"

Shangguan Mengqing calmly said, "When the monster tide comes to attack this place, will we still have the mind to play these games?"

"At least for now, I'm still very interested," Lin Ran said with a smile.

Shangguan Mengqing said irritably, "Don't just stand by and watch. According to the information I received, your good sister Qianyi is leading the team at Linghua Academy, and your son Lin Chong is leading the team at Tianli Academy. They may both be affected."

"Ah, Xiao Chong and Qian Yi?!"

Lin Ran was taken aback, but felt a sense of relief. However, she suddenly froze and looked at Shangguan Mengqing strangely, asking, "How do you know Xiao Chong is my son? I don't remember telling you, did I?"

"Shouldn't I investigate? Shouldn't we investigate a middle-aged perverted man who is suspicious, whose background is unknown, likes to touch women, can't walk past women, isn't good-looking, and is getting on in years?" Shangguan Mengqing listed a bunch of faults at once, making Lin Ran's face turn bright red.

"you you…"

Lin Ran looked at Shangguan Mengqing, wanting to suggest going back, but couldn't find a point to refute her. In the end, she could only weakly say, "You sharp-tongued girl..."

"That sounds so old-fashioned, it fits my stereotype of middle-aged men!" Shangguan Mengqing crossed her arms and looked at Lin Ran with a smile in her eyes.

Lin Ran: "..."

Stop yelling, stop yelling, I know I'm a middle-aged man now!

"Let's go and see where the Sword Sect is stationed. We probably won't be able to meet up with them too soon. If we meet up too early, some things will be difficult for us."

Shangguan Mengqing patted Lin Ran's somewhat dejected head. Seeing Lin Ran's disappointment, she leaned close to Lin Ran's ear and blew a warm breath, teasingly asking, "Let me ask you a question. Do you know what kind of person I like?"

"What kind?" Lin Ran asked curiously.

It couldn't possibly be a middle-aged man, could it?

"I don't know either, maybe it's because they're old!" Shangguan Mengqing said with a faint smile on her face, then walked out of the alley with her hands behind her back.

Lin Ran stood there, stunned, watching Shangguan Mengqing's retreating figure, the words "Maybe it's because she's old!" echoing in her ears.

Oh, I have to admit, Lin Ran was a little tempted by this pie in the sky, and for a moment he even wanted to rush up and express his feelings. Could he be the poor Tom?

.....

Chapter 161 How about I have your child serve tea at their wedding sometime in the future?

Within the city, the Sword Sect and its alliance were stationed in the northwest corner, occupying a large area. Among them, several of the most "luxurious" houses were occupied by the Sword Sect. In reality, "luxurious" was merely a matter of being larger and more exquisite.

As for the students from Linghua, Songling, and Tianli academies, they could only choose from what others had left over. The main figures from these three academies gathered in a room at Linghua Academy and had a private talk behind closed doors.

Inside the house, Linghua Academy was represented by Wen Qianyi, Songling Academy was represented by Yue Lei, the vice-principal whom Lin Ran was familiar with, and Tianli Academy was represented by student Lin Chong. Lin Chong's performance in the secret realm had already proven that he could lead Tianli Academy to go further.

Although Tianli Academy also sent in a group of elders at the Nirvana Realm level, unfortunately, these elders did not perform as well as Lin Chong.

Under the suppression of the secret realm's restrictions, the performance of most Nirvana Realm cultivators is only on par with that of Spirit Pill Realm cultivators, and some are even not as good as those outstanding young talents in the Spirit Pill Realm.

For those Nirvana Realm elders, life in the secret realm was getting harder every day. They shouldn't have been attracted to the secret realm in the first place. As a result, they hadn't gained much benefit and their performance was even worse than that of the younger generation. They were in a very sorry state.

Wen Qianyi from Linghua Academy hasn't been doing well lately, as evidenced by her slightly messy, frizzy hair and bloodshot eyes.

Yue Lei, the dean of Songling Academy, who is the most senior here and the organizer of this meeting, went straight to the point: "Recently, those super sects have been going too far in their actions, constantly provoking our people with their words. Our kids get provoked and jump up to fight them, only to be taught a lesson in return."

"I believe that every company is in this situation. Shouldn't we think of some better strategies?"

Yue Lei was clearly very dissatisfied with the current situation, but the other two companies didn't even react, which made him, who already had a bit of a temper, even more frustrated.

Sitting next to Lin Chong, Ye Wanxi, as Lin Chong's strategist, spoke up after receiving a signal from Lin Chong: "Vice Dean Yue Lei, we understand your anxiety. Our Tianli Academy has also been greatly affected, but at this stage we can only endure it. Our current strength is simply no match for the super sects that have banded together."

When Yue Lei heard Ye Wanxi say this, he sighed. He was a shrewd man, and after calming down from his initial anger, he naturally thought of this.

"If only the Sword Sect's leader hadn't disappeared..." Yue Lei sighed.

Upon hearing Yue Lei say this, Wen Qianyi, who had been sitting quietly, unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt tightly with her hand under the table…

Even Lin Chong's expression flashed with a hint of dejection when he heard Yue Lei's sigh, but he quickly recovered and said, "Vice Dean Yue Lei, let's restrain our subordinates from getting into conflicts with those super sects in the near future. With the Sword Sect trying to sever ties with us, we are no match for them at all, and we can't find a safer place to stay now."

Lin Chong's statement was not an exaggeration.

After he entered, he and Wanxi traveled to many places in the secret realm. It can be said that no matter where in this secret realm you go, it is a paradise for mad monsters and a hell for them at night.

They had been stationed in this city for some time, yet no monsters approached, which was enough to demonstrate the city's mystery.

Yue Lei nodded and sighed, "That's all we can do. Those guys have been guarding the north gate leading into the depths very tightly lately. Could there be something in there?"

"do not know…"

Lin Chong and the others all said they didn't know, and Yue Lei, having nothing to say, could only slink away. The meeting ended just like that, but Lin Chong and Ye Wanxi did not leave after the meeting.

Ye Wanxi came to Wen Qianyi's side, took Wen Qianyi's hand and comforted her, "Sister Wen, you should go and rest. If Uncle Lin sees you like this, he will be sad."

“That’s right… Sister Wen, let me take on the task of finding our father. I’ve been having the brothers help with the search, and we’ll definitely have results soon!” Lin Chong stood up and said.

After reuniting with Wen Qianyi's group, Lin Chong learned the news from Wen Qianyi. Although he was struck dumb at that moment, Lin Chong believed that his father was still alive.

Even after being stationed in this city, Lin Chong would still use various exploration missions as a pretext to search for his father's whereabouts.

"Yes, Sister Wen, let Lin Chong go find him. You really need to rest. You're not feeling well right now!" Ye Wanxi advised.

But Wen Qianyi shook her head to herself and said in a hoarse voice, "I won't rest until I find him. If I had rushed back to help that day, I'm afraid the senior wouldn't have disappeared!"

Lin Chong and Ye Wanxi exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. Wen Qianyi had been feeling guilty for not rushing back back then, but the terrifying monster tide that night still terrified them.

At the same time, I admire Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing's courage in charging into the monster horde alone.

When Lin Chong learned that his father had done this to help Shangguan Mengqing and the others escape, he was both delighted and felt that it was somewhat unfair.

The good news is that my father is still the father I admire and love. The bad news is that my father covered up the deaths of these strangers and now his fate is unknown.

While Lin Chong and the others were talking in the room, a huge commotion suddenly broke out outside, which was extremely noisy and annoying.

Soon someone came to the front of the house, knocked on the door and shouted, "Senior Lin Chong, the Northern Underworld Holy Land has brought a bunch of people here to cause trouble again!"

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong rushed over and opened the door. The student from Tianli Academy briefly explained the whole story to Lin Chong, and soon Lin Chong followed the student out of the house.

Seeing this, Wen Qianyi, who was inside the house, said, "I'll go with you and see what happened!"

"it is good!"

Ye Wanxi responded and followed Wen Qianyi to the place where the incident had occurred.

.....