The Lantian family did indeed have Nascent Soul realm powerhouses, but they were all mere enforcers. Within the main Lantian family, only his father was a Nascent Soul realm expert. Their family was not like the Wen Mos family, capable of finding enforcers who could rival demigods.
Nascent Soul was already the limit of what his family could afford.
Chen Fan said nothing. After nodding, he raised his hand and grasped upwards.
The spiritual energy of the entire Wenlan City was mobilized by him, and simultaneously, an indescribable Dao charm converged.
"Go."
He pointed a finger at Lan Kuang's forehead.
Instantly, the Dao charm entered his body.
"Crack!"
The sound of breaking was faint, audible only to Lan Kuang.
On the Golden Core located in his dantian, cracks appeared. In the next moment, it shattered.
From the shattered Golden Core, a translucent figure emerged, which was Lan Kuang himself.
The Dao charm flowed, and spiritual energy gathered.
The Golden Core fragments began to melt, flowing like water into the translucent figure's body.
The translucent figure gradually solidified, slowly rising, and appeared in Lan Kuang's mind.
The Nascent Soul was formed.
"Boom!"
A powerful aura erupted from Lan Kuang's body.
When he opened his eyes, he felt an inexhaustible power coursing through him.
The surging power seemed to carry him towards the heavens.
"Thank you, senior."
Overwhelmed with joy, Lan Kuang actually knelt down.
"Rise."
To Chen Fan, this was merely a trivial matter.
Of course, such a forced advancement method was not advisable, as it would deplete potential and be detrimental to future cultivation.
However, such matters were not difficult for Chen Fan.
The Dao charm just now was a sliver of the rules he had extracted from the Dragon Pattern Compass.
The power of a true divine artifact was sufficient to compensate for the potential Lan Kuang had consumed.
Not only would he not suffer a loss, but he would also gain.
The power of divine artifacts was terrifying.
After Lan Kuang rose, Chen Fan spoke again, "Many people died to gather information. Merely raising your cultivation to Nascent Soul is not enough. Let's discuss one more matter, and then it will be about right."
Fair trade was Chen Fan's principle; he never took advantage of others.
"This..."
This time, Lan Kuang hesitated.
It wasn't for any other reason, but he couldn't think of anything else.
"How about this..."
Seeing Lan Kuang's indecision, Chen Fan offered his suggestion: "My purpose in coming to the Dameria continent is the Holy Emperor. This matter might take some time, and I also need a place to stay where I can feel at ease."
"Wenlan City is quite good. What do you think about developing it into a Free City?"
Lan Kuang was not a fool; he immediately understood the crux of the matter.
As for the earlier statement about the Holy Emperor being his objective, he had already seen through that.
But he didn't care. This was the Lantian family's only chance. Failure would only result in death, but success could allow the Lantian family to become the top power on Dameria.
"Bang."
Lan Kuang knelt down again: "The Lantian family is willing to serve senior as a loyal dog."
"No need to be so formal."
After signaling Lan Kuang to rise, Chen Fan said, "Go and summon the Lord of Wenlan City. The people from the Angelic Holy Assembly should be heading to the Holy Mountain. This Wenlan City will be my territory from now on."
He was that arrogant.
...
The next morning, news that left everyone stunned spread from Wenlan City.
The Lord of Wenlan City announced his abdication, with Lan Dasheng succeeding him as the city lord.
This Lan Dasheng was Lan Kuang's father.
His name was plain, but his status soared.
Immediately, powers from all over Wenlan City came to offer their congratulations.
Among them were affiliated forces of the Angelic Holy Assembly, as well as affiliated forces of the Dark Church.
No one left Wenlan City. No matter how great the event, it wouldn't involve them. As long as they behaved themselves, Chen Fan wouldn't care even if they made minor moves.
Would an elephant retaliate against an ant for biting it?
Surprisingly, neither the Angelic Holy Assembly nor the Dark Church reacted, remaining silent on this matter.
In the changed Wen Mos family, the patriarch Ashdai was weeping loudly in his manor.
All of this should have belonged to her.
Because of her own lack of regard, she had handed over her patron to the Lantian family.
The Lantian family continued to gather information on the Angelic Holy Assembly, and even added the Dark Church.
In short, any information Lan Kuang deemed important would eventually be handed over to Chen Fan for review.
In the midst of calm, time slowly passed.
...
One month later, in Wenlan City.
In the Eastern Manor, Lan Kuang paid another visit.
Currently, apart from Lan Kuang, no one was allowed to approach the Eastern Manor.
After entering, Lan Kuang handed a golden envelope to Chen Fan.
"An invitation card?"
Chen Fan was puzzled. Who would send him an invitation card?
Lan Kuang quickly explained, "This is an invitation card from the Angelic Holy Assembly."
"Oh?"
His eyebrows arched, and the handwriting on the invitation card came into view.
After reading it, Chen Fan smiled: "The selection conference for the Cardinal, inviting me? Interesting..."
Idol was killed by him, so... are they thanking me?
The Angelic Holy Assembly, the selection conference for the Cardinal, invited Chen Fan to participate.
Chen Fan gave the invitation card to Lan Kuang.
"Senior..." Lan Kuang wanted to speak but hesitated.
"If you have something to say, say it."
"Then I will speak."
Lan Kuang now defined his status as a subordinate.
Having established his position, the following words were easier to say: "The Angelic Holy Assembly has invited you to observe at the Holy Mountain. Could there be a trap?"