Stepping onto the city wall, the view opened up before them once again.
They had assumed the city wall was built against the mountain, with the great mountain directly behind it. However, they discovered a small, bustling residential area situated between the wall and the mountain.
It was clear that the people living here held a higher status than those residing in the town.
As Ye Cangtian pondered this, Wen Shen led him and the others to the top floor of the Misty Rain Tower and into the grand hall.
The hall was flanked by guards of the Misty Rain Tower, while in the center, seated on either side of a red carpet, were individuals in various attire, representing different factions.
Among them, Ye Cangtian recognized only one familiar face: Hou Qing of Snow Peak.
However, to Ye Cangtian's surprise, Hou Qing was not seated but standing to the side.
On the chair before him sat a middle-aged man, his face bearing a long scar.
Could this be Meng Nan, the eldest disciple of Xue Feng's Han Chengze?
After all, unless it was Meng Nan, it was unlikely that anyone else would dare occupy the Peak Master's seat without Hou Qing's strong objection.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian shifted his gaze from the two and looked directly at the main seat.
There, an elder was seated, his hair entirely white, a long white beard adorning his face. He wore a loose white robe, with a vibrant green jade pendant at his waist.
He exuded a sense of ethereal grace.
This was the楼主 of the Misty Rain Tower, Qing Yan.
"Junior Ye Cangtian, representing the Hidden Group, offers my greetings to the楼主."
Ye Cangtian cupped his hands towards Qing Yan, bowing slightly.
Hearing the voice, Qing Yan smiled and replied, "Young friend, there is no need for such formality! I have long heard that you are a leading figure among the younger generation of this era. Seeing you today, it truly seems so!"
Hmm?
As Qing Yan spoke, the younger members of the other factions in the hall, whose gazes were already unfriendly, became even more somber.
Youthful arrogance, who would truly yield to whom?
These were all the young prodigies of their respective factions.
They were already displeased upon seeing Ye Cangtian, and after the楼主's praise, their displeasure escalated to an extreme.
Had it not been for the presence of the leaders of the various factions, they might have stepped forward to challenge him.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian appeared unfazed by the multitude of hostile gazes.
He smiled calmly and humbly replied, "The楼主 flatters me. This youngster has merely had the good fortune of breaking through ahead of time.
If we speak of natural talent, I am likely inferior to the young talents present."
Heh, this kid is quite adept at handling people.
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Qing Yan observed the young talents present, their expressions softening. He inwardly mused.
With that thought, he looked back at Ye Cangtian and said, "Young friend, now that you have arrived at my Misty Rain Tower, I must remind you of one thing: you are not to cause trouble here. Everything must be done according to the rules of the Misty Rain Tower. Do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian shrugged and replied with a smile, "Senior, I am not one to seek trouble. As long as no one bothers me, I will naturally abide by all the rules of the Misty Rain Tower."
He paused, his tone growing colder. "However, if someone is blind to their own limitations, then I will only act according to my own rules. I hope the楼主 can understand!"
Hmm?
As his words echoed, the assembled crowd in the hall revealed expressions of contemptuous smiles.
Ye Cangtian's statement showed no respect for Qing Yan.
After all, this was the Misty Rain Tower. Offending Qing Yan would not end well for him.
They were all waiting to witness Ye Cangtian's downfall.
On the other side, Qing Yan's expression also turned somber, but it only lasted for a brief moment before returning to normal.
He looked at Ye Cangtian and said calmly, "Young friend, those who come here are all people of discretion and good standing. I trust they will not provoke the Hidden Group lightly. Even if they do, I assure you fair treatment."
"Heh, I hope so."
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, wanting to change the subject. He then directly asked, "楼主, we have just arrived and do not have a place to stay yet. Could you please arrange..."
"Certainly."
Qing Yan smiled slightly and replied, "Behind the Misty Rain Tower is a quiet residential area. I will arrange for someone to escort you there..."
Wait!
Before Qing Yan could finish, a voice cut in.
The speaker was none other than Meng Nan, whom Ye Cangtian had suspected to be the new Peak Master of Snow Peak.
He looked at Qing Yan and said with a dark expression, "楼主, may I ask what qualifications the Hidden Group has to reside there?"
As his words fell, the people from other factions chimed in with their agreement.
This was understandable. In previous peak gatherings held at the Misty Rain Tower, the residential area behind it was exclusively for the top-tier factions.
Now, their factions were being accommodated in the town, while the Hidden Group was assigned to that prime location. This implied that the Hidden Group's status was even higher than theirs!
How could they accept such a situation!
Qing Yan looked at the crowd and calmly stated, "Everyone, you should know that before the Hidden Group and the Imperial Dragon Villa were separated, they were a top-tier faction!
Furthermore, the Hidden Group guards the entire ruin and has contributed the most to it. Are they not qualified for this?"
This...
With this statement, most of the people fell silent. After all, everyone was aware of everything the Hidden Group had done for the ruins.
Therefore, if they were indeed being accommodated for that reason, the others could reluctantly accept it.
However, Meng Nan, standing in the hall, looked at Qing Yan and said grimly, "It is true that the Hidden Group was a top-tier faction before, but that is all in the past. Since they are not now, they should be treated according to the rules!"
He paused and continued, "As for guarding the ruins, with the current prosperity and strength of the Chinese factions, is the Hidden Group still needed for protection? In my opinion, they are merely using the guise of protection to hoard various treasures..."
Hmph!
Before Meng Nan could finish, Qiangwei let out a cold snort and moved to teach Meng Nan a lesson.
However, at that moment, Ye Cangtian stopped her. Ye Cangtian was curious to see how the楼主 would ensure fairness and justice.
"Nonsense!"
Qing Yan's eyes widened in anger as he rebuked, "Meng Nan, I warn you. You may harbor animosity towards the Hidden Group, but you cannot erase their achievements!"
"What contributions does the Hidden Group have?"
"Fighting against the trash-tier Bright Hall and Dark Association? Do they even need to do that?"
"Furthermore, how much have they managed in the affairs of the ruins?"
"Under their management, the ruins have become increasingly chaotic, while they have gradually become stronger. Is this what you call a contribution?"
Meng Nan, filled with righteous indignation, incited everyone, making them believe that the rise of the Hidden Group was merely exploitation of the weak, and that they had no real contributions.
Hmm?
With just a few words, everyone in the hall frowned.
The Bright Hall and the Dark Association were indeed not strong. Even they themselves believed they could resist them, they simply lacked the opportunity.
Moreover, the ruins had indeed been quite chaotic recently, and it was during this period that the Hidden Group had risen in prominence.
This naturally led them to believe that Meng Nan's words held some truth.
This...
On the other hand, Qing Yan was somewhat speechless. After all, the Misty Rain Tower had not participated in dealing with either the Bright Hall or the Dark Association.
As for how the Hidden Group had risen, they were even less aware.
Therefore, Qing Yan found it difficult to comment on matters he did not fully understand, and for a moment, he did not know how to retort.
In the hall, seeing Qing Yan rendered speechless, Ye Cangtian's face showed a hint of a mocking smile.
He turned to Meng Nan and said calmly, "Meng Nan, do you have a misunderstanding of the distinction between strong and weak? You say the Bright Hall and the Dark Association are weak. Pray tell, where are they now?"
"Are they not weak?"
Meng Nan met Ye Cangtian's gaze and continued, "They have very few Earth-tier and quasi-Heaven-tier experts. The majority are trash of Xuan-tier and Huang-tier.
Destroying such factions is a simple matter for any of the factions present!"
Heh.
Ye Cangtian looked at Meng Nan, a look of disdain on his face, and said, "Ignorance breeds fear. Calling you a toad sitting at the bottom of a well would be praising you!"
With that, Ye Cangtian proceeded to introduce them with disdain.
After the Bright Hall conquered Bright City in the Bright Ruin, they had completely risen. Earth-tier and quasi-Heaven-tier experts emerged in droves.
In addition, they were guarded by three Heaven-tier experts.
Although the Dark Association was not as powerful as the Bright Hall, they also possessed three Heaven-tier experts and were deeply entrenched in China, making them very difficult to deal with.