Chapter 862

If there were outsiders present, it would be even more unacceptable to burst in directly.

That's why Wu Wudi pulled Wenlong, preparing to enter through the gate tunnel.

Hearing Fusu noticed Wu Wudi was growing impatient, but since he had waited the longest, he could only force himself to speak:

"Mr. Wu, I, along with Master Xiaomeng, the Empress of Great Tang, the Third Prince of Great Yuan, and others, have been waiting a long time.

Has your society not sent anyone to receive us?

Now that you've appeared, could you please guide us inside?"

Hearing Fusu's words were perfectly reasonable.

After all, the three great imperial dynasties and Wenlong and others had all been invited by the Qinglong Society.

Yet since ascending Qinglong Peak and waiting at the entrance to Qinglong Shanzhuang,

even if Wu Zhao, Wenlong, and others had just arrived,

Hearing Fusu, Master Xiaomeng, and Chahatai had been here a long time.

Had this been any other place, such neglect toward them would have been unthinkable.

They could either have walked away in anger, or simply crossed Chengguan and entered Qinglong Shanzhuang directly.

But this was Qinglong Shanzhuang—the very heart of the Qinglong Society.

Who among the foolish would dare to force their way in?

Thus, when Hearing Fusu finally spotted a member of the Qinglong Society, he disregarded the man's status and directly pleaded.

Wu Wudi, hearing Hearing Fusu's words, let out a carefree smile.

"Hearing Fusu, it's not that I'm being difficult—each member of the Qinglong Society has their own duties.

Even as a guest advisor, I cannot act as I please."

"Then…"

Hearing Fusu glanced at Wenlong, wondering why Wu Wudi could take Wenlong inside but not them.

"Enough. Someone will come to attend to you soon."

Wu Wudi, impatient, said no more.

He pulled Wenlong and walked straight into the gate tunnel.

Hearing Fusu was about to follow, when Master Xiaomeng suddenly appeared before him and shook her head.

Watching Wu Wudi and Wenlong vanish into the gate tunnel, Hearing Fusu couldn't help but feel resentment and asked Master Xiaomeng:

"Xiaomeng, why did you…"

Before Master Xiaomeng could answer, another figure appeared over there.

The man wore You Dongying attire; without needing to be told, he was clearly from You Dongying.

"I am Hearing Fusu of Great Qin. May I ask your name?"

Hearing Fusu set aside Master Xiaomeng for now, looking at the You Dongying man—he already suspected the man's identity, yet still stepped forward to speak with him.

"I am Lian Chengzhi of You Dongying!"

The man before them was indeed the You Dongying Emperor, the Heaven's Dao Golden List-level expert Lian Chengzhi.

Who would have thought the Qinglong Society had invited even someone from You Dongying?

Hearing Fusu grew even more curious—were there others they hadn't invited?

While pondering this, he saw another person arrive.

This time, Hearing Fusu didn't need to guess—the newcomers were the heads of the remaining great imperial dynasties.

Even the Lord Qiye of the Yin Yue Dynasty, who had once appeared briefly in Beizhen!

Hearing Fusu was about to greet each one when a figure suddenly appeared atop the main gate of Qinglong Shanzhuang:

"Since all honored guests have arrived, please enter Qinglong Shanzhuang!"

The man had a prosperous, harmless appearance.

Yet everyone present knew that anyone standing there could not be ordinary.

He gestured slightly, and the sealed main gate of Qinglong Shanzhuang creaked open slowly.

"Huh? This…"

As soon as the main gate fully opened, Wu Zhao, Lord Qiye, and others with high cultivation immediately changed expression.

Without hesitation, they rushed ahead into Qinglong Shanzhuang.

They were by far the most outstanding cultivators present.

Yet upon entering Qinglong Shanzhuang, none dared use their lightness skills—only quick steps forward.

"Such dense heavenly qi! Prince, hurry!"

Master Xiaomeng, whose cultivation was slightly inferior, also sensed the anomaly—her eyes brightened as she grabbed Hearing Fusu's arm and followed Wu Zhao and Lord Qiye.

Others—Lian Chengzhi, Chahatai, and all the faction leaders—immediately followed closely behind.

As they stepped through the gate tunnel, everyone felt a sudden blur.

The next instant, they stood before a vast, magnificent square before a grand hall.

The square was now decorated with lanterns and banners, with banquet tables set out.

Near each banquet table stood banners bearing the emblems of respective factions.

At the hall's entrance, the Four-Headed Senior Xiaoyaozi, the Seven-Headed Zhang Sanfeng, and several guest advisors smiled at the newcomers.

At one table in the banquet hall sat a man—Yunzhou's seat—exactly the old man who had introduced himself as Wenlong.

Hearing Fusu finally understood: this man was from the Yunzhou Dynasty.

Yet Hearing Fusu wondered—what exactly was this old man's position in the Yunzhou Dynasty?

Why had Wu Wudi personally appeared and been the first to bring him into Qinglong Shanzhuang?

At this moment, Senior Xiaoyaozi saw the crowd appear and immediately raised his hand, pointing at the banquet as he said,

"You've all come from afar, endured the fatigue of travel — my thanks for your hard work.

I've specially ordered the servants to set out a banquet. Whatever business you have, shall we talk while we eat?"

The Fourth Dragon Head, Senior Xiaoyaozi, was normally a domineering sort who acted without scruple abroad.

Today, however, he addressed the crowd publicly with a word about the fatigue of travel, and the slight resentment that had built up from waiting so long now dissipated.

"The Fourth Dragon Head is too courteous."

"That the Qinglong Society could invite us here is our great honor — how could we dare trouble the Fourth Dragon Head?"

For a moment, whether it was Lord Qiye, Hearing Fusu, or Seeing Lian Chengzhi, the representatives of all the various factions, one and all offered polite thanks to Senior Xiaoyaozi.

Only Wu Zhao said nothing. Taking Zhang Wuxia with her, she walked slowly to the Great Tang table and sat down directly.

Senior Xiaoyaozi smiled and made small talk with the crowd, but seeing Wu Zhao say nothing, he could not help casting a glance her way.

Then his eyes lit up, and he tilted his chin toward Di Shitian.

Di Shitian gave a slight nod and also cast a glance toward Wu Zhao.

Wu Zhao seemed to sense it and, without the slightest avoidance, met Di Shitian's gaze in midair.

In that glance, Di Shitian had added a touch of the power of the Astonishing-Gaze Tribulation.

But he had no intention of harming the Great Tang Empress.

Yet Wu Zhao showed no weakness; within her gaze, ripples of autumn light shimmered.

Two invisible forces met in midair, and it was impossible to say which prevailed.

Seeing that this invisible force could actually block the Astonishing-Gaze Tribulation he had unleashed so casually, Di Shitian could not help being all the more astonished.

"Fourth Dragon Head…"

In that brief clash between Di Shitian and Wu Zhao, Senior Xiaoyaozi and the others had all noticed.

Behind the crowd, the figure of Guichen suddenly appeared, and he called out anxiously to Senior Xiaoyaozi.

Senior Xiaoyaozi waved his hand, signaling Guichen to wait a moment.

Then he gave Di Shitian a look, signaling him to handle it.

After that, he took Zhang Sanfeng with him and began making small talk with the people of the various factions.

Di Shitian withdrew to the rear, and Guichen immediately said, unable to hold back,

"Mr. Xu, there's a bit of a situation."

"Speak!"

Di Shitian was only half-listening — he was still pondering how the Great Tang Empress had been able to block his single strike of the Astonishing-Gaze Tribulation.