Chapter 661 Sitting High in the Main Seat

Wen Qingye paused and turned to look at Guu Hongxiu. "Miss," he asked, "were you calling me?"

Guu Hongxiu’s brow furrowed slightly. "What is your name?" she asked.

"Me?"

Wen Qingye couldn’t help but laugh, not answering her directly.

Wan’Er, standing to the side, found it strange. She didn’t understand why Guu Hongxiu would ask for the name of the young man before them.

Guu Hongxiu felt that Wen Qingye looked somewhat familiar. She nodded. "Yes, that’s right."

Wen Qingye’s lips parted slightly, and he spoke, enunciating each syllable. "Wen Qingye!"

"What!?"

Hearing his name, Wan’Er couldn’t help but cover her mouth and gasp.

’Oh, heavens! Is this man really Wen Qingye? Right now, Wen Qingye was the most famous genius in the Eastern Profound Domain. Among the younger generation, his reputation was second only to the legendary Little Demon Venerable.’

It wasn’t just Wan’Er. The surrounding passersby were also stunned when they heard Wen Qingye’s calm voice. They all drew a sharp, cold breath, staring in shock at the young man.

The name "Wen Qingye" alone was enough to shake them to their core.

Guu Hongxiu was also stunned for a moment. Then, a cold glint flashed in her eyes as she snarled, "You’ve got some nerve! After killing so many people from my Taiyi Pavilion, you still dare to parade around in public?"

Wen Qingye gave a knowing smile. "The last person who said that was Qing Yun. He’s six feet under now."

The onlookers gasped. At first, they were just stunned by the confrontation, but after processing Guu Hongxiu’s words, they were surprised all over again.

Then, a name surfaced unbidden in everyone’s minds.

’Guu Hongxiu! One of the three great beauties of the Eastern Profound Domain!’

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at the two facing off against each other.

An icy chill filled Guu Hongxiu’s eyes. She laughed in disdain. "Wen Qingye, you only managed to kill my Taiyi Pavilion’s three masters—Xing, Yun and Yue—by relying on a Demon Beast. I truly don’t see what you have to be so proud of."

"Hahahaha!"

Hearing her words, Wen Qingye let out a booming laugh.

For some reason, as Guu Hongxiu looked at Wen Qingye, she felt a sense of familiarity—an extremely strong one.

When his laughter subsided, Wen Qingye ignored Guu Hongxiu and strode away, heading for the Celestial Profound Sect’s gathering point.

"Stop!"

Guu Hongxiu snapped when she saw him about to leave.

But Wen Qingye didn’t slow his pace in the slightest. He continued forward, completely ignoring her words.

’That bastard... how dare he ignore me?’ Guu Hongxiu’s eyes darkened as she huffed.

Wan’Er leaned in and whispered in Guu Hongxiu’s ear, "Miss, there’s no smoke without fire. Even if Wen Qingye isn’t as formidable as the rumors say, he must have some real skill. We can’t be careless, Miss."

"Hmph. That Wen Qingye is just an arrogant fool. He’ll meet his end sooner or later, don’t you worry," Guu Hongxiu snorted, then walked straight ahead.

Guu Hongxiu was already seething with rage at Wen Qingye’s behavior.

Seeing this, Wan’Er quickly hurried to catch up.

...

After parting ways with Guu Hongxiu and rounding a corner, Wen Qingye suddenly saw several figures ahead. They were all dressed in the robes of the Celestial Profound Sect. He even recognized the two at the front: Meng Yiyu from the sect’s Life Peak, and Yun Yazi, the Great Elder of Cloud Conceal Peak.

"Qingye, you’re finally here!"

"Excellent, excellent! This is truly wonderful news."

Both men’s spirits stirred upon seeing Wen Qingye, and they hurried toward him.

And not just the two of them; the other members of the Celestial Profound Sect behind them were also overjoyed.

Wen Qingye gave a fist-and-palm salute. "It was a near-death experience, but fortunately, I did not fail the mission."

Every disciple of the Celestial Profound Sect had one mission: to eradicate the members of the Heaven-Burying Sect.

"Impressive, Junior Brother. You are truly worthy of being called the most outstanding disciple of our generation in the Celestial Profound Sect."

Just then, a man slowly emerged from the crowd, a faint smile on his lips as he looked at Wen Qingye.

’Anyone who could call him Junior Brother had to be Zhang Zhilin’s eldest disciple, Shao Yifeng.’

Wen Qingye returned the salute. "First Senior Brother."

Meng Yiyu stroked his beard and smiled. "Let’s go inside to talk. Let’s go inside."

Shao Yifeng laughed as well. "Yes, let’s talk inside, let’s talk inside."

The group quickly led Wen Qingye toward a courtyard up ahead, which served as the Celestial Profound Sect’s base in the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.

They entered the courtyard and walked a few more steps to a massive inner hall. Above the entrance, a plaque bore the words "Celestial Profound Hall."

Inside the main hall, a seat of honor was positioned at the far end, flanked on both sides by two neat rows of low tables.

Yun Yazi pointed to the seat of honor. "Qingye," he said with a smile, "please, take the head seat."

Seeing Wen Qingye’s confused expression, Shao Yifeng explained, "This is the inspection station, used for observing the state of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty and for fostering alliances. As such, the Inspection Disciple wields the most authority here. Right now, that means you’re in charge."

As he spoke, a look of relief washed over Shao Yifeng’s face. He was originally the Inspection Disciple here, a position of high rank and authority, but the arrival of Meng Yiyu and Yun Yazi had put him under immense pressure.

’Their status, their standing, their power...’ He would never dare to flaunt his own authority in front of those two.

Wen Qingye nodded and slowly walked to the head table. ’It’s been so many years,’ he thought with a touch of emotion, ’since I’ve sat in such a prominent position.’

He walked slowly to the side of the table and sat down. Only then did Meng Yiyu, Yun Yazi, Shao Yifeng, and the others take their own seats. Every gaze in the room turned to Wen Qingye, seated high above them in the place of honor.

At that moment, Wen Qingye was the master of this hall.

Meng Yiyu slowly rose to his feet. "Qingye, since you’ve just arrived, you’re probably not familiar with the current situation. Allow me to explain things to you."

Wen Qingye nodded, his eyes fixed on Meng Yiyu.

Meng Yiyu began to speak slowly. "The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty recently underwent a coup. The current Emperor is the former Second Prince, Pan Zhongyi. Since taking over, he has done his utmost to curry favor with the other Five Great Ancient Countries, and his foreign policy is extremely ambiguous. He’s not like the previous Emperor, Pan Wu, who was indifferent to fame and fortune and lived in seclusion. It’s clear that he is a man of great ambition."

Wen Qingye smiled faintly. "So, all the major powers are now trying to win him over, while he just sits back, waiting to see who can offer him a prize tempting enough to make a move. Is that right?"