Chapter Seventy-Six: Azure Dragons on Both Sleeves

Inside the tavern, everyone was surprised by the sounds coming from outside. Old Jiang and Jiang Fengnian remained unperturbed, continuing to drink, and Old He the coachman, not understanding much, simply followed their lead. The innkeeper and his wife were somewhat astonished as well—how was it that someone had come to see their quiet neighbor next door?

He Wanting gazed at her husband, thinking that this day had finally arrived.

Qin Tian poured himself another cup of wine, drained it in one gulp, then stood and walked out of the tavern. Smiling at his wife, he said, “Wanting, though your elder brother acted for your sake back then, the root cause was me.” Then, turning to the elderly man beside his wife, who was clearly his father-in-law but had never been addressed as such, he said, “Master He, now that Brother Yongde has returned to his peak, it is time I give your family an explanation.”

With that, Qin Tian did not linger, stepping past the father and daughter.

He Anjian squinted at Qin Tian’s back.

Qin Yi was surprised to see Qin Tian leaving the tavern alone. He instinctively tried to step forward, but it felt as if something in the air was holding him back. Qin Yi glanced at the woman in green, only to find her watching him with seductive eyes.

The man in the silver robe had been paying close attention to Jiang Yao’s movements.

“Wang Zize, you’ve investigated me for so many years, and today’s the first time you’ve shown yourself!” Qin Tian stood alone outside the tavern, hands clasped behind his back, staring up at the figure wrapped in dazzling golden light in the sky. His green robe fluttered violently in the wind that swept along Morning Sun Street.

“Wang Zize?” Qin Yi murmured in surprise, then looked at Jiang Yao. She too was surprised, and if he remembered correctly, Wang Zize was the Grand Elder of the Wang Clan of East Ridge. Could it be that his family had some monumental grievance with the Wang Clan?

As soon as Qin Tian finished speaking, the golden light around the figure began to fade, revealing an old man whose handsome features seemed untouched by the passage of time.

This was Wang Zize, the foremost of the ten elders of the Wang Clan of East Ridge.

Qin Yi didn’t know much about his deeds—perhaps because Wang Zize was not well-known in Ridge Province, which was odd. The chief elder of such a prestigious clan, yet obscure in his own domain, while Wang Rui, the second elder, was infamous for slaughtering Linyang City single-handedly.

“Old Wang, it seems even now, though I’ve retired to the fields, you’re unwilling to let me and my wife be.” Qin Tian sneered.

Wang Zize smiled. “Because I know you haven’t given up, old friend—not only are you still seeking out Qin Yi, you even sent your own son to study at Taiyi Mountain.”

“Seeking me?” Qin Yi muttered. Why would Qin Tian want to find him? There had always been a question in his mind: why did the owner of this body share his name and look so much like him?

Yet after much thought, he could only attribute it to his rebirth.

“I knew you wouldn’t stop.” Qin Tian smiled, then looked at Wang Zize with a serious tone. “But Wang Zize, do you think you alone can take me back to the Wang Clan of East Ridge today?”

“Your Highness, you are truly forgetful. Did you not notice I’ve also arrived?” Suddenly, General Lei moved in a flash of lightning and reappeared beside Wang Zize.

“Qin, Your Highness,” Qin Yi murmured.

Qin Tian glanced at General Lei, disdainful. “When did you, Wang Anlu, become worthy to face me?”

Wang Anlu, hearing this, was not angered but delighted. “Indeed, with Your Highness’s extraordinary talents, it’s natural you look down upon me, one of the mere seven generals of the Wang Clan.”

A thunderous boom erupted across Morning Sun Street. Everyone stared at Qin Tian in awe as azure energy burst forth around him, coalescing into two massive azure dragons that circled him, their heads flanking his sides, glaring at Wang Zize and Wang Anlu.

“Azure Dragons of the Sleeves.”

Given the surname, the title of prince, and the feud with the Wang Clan, this move could only be the legendary “Azure Dragons of the Sleeves,” the signature technique of the former overlord of Ridge Province, the Eastern Dominion.

Legend had it the origin of this technique lay with the founding emperor of the Eastern Dominion, who was not purely human but a hybrid of human and demon. Such lineage was deeply unpopular in the racially conscious Divine Continent, yet the emperor still made the Eastern Dominion the ruler of Ridge Province, one of the nine human territories—a testament to the strength of that bloodline.

Who would have thought he had been reborn as the son of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Dominion?

The people of Three Forts looked on, utterly astounded. Especially those from Fish Dragon Fort—they could never have imagined that their quiet, hardworking neighbor possessed such power.

“It seems that after all these years, your cultivation, old friend, has not only not waned but has greatly improved!” Wang Zize observed Qin Tian’s aura, not surprised, but as if it were only natural.

“As long as the Wang Clan of East Ridge exists, Qin Tian dare not slacken for a single day. Today, let’s see how the two of you plan to take me back.” Qin Tian’s voice was cold.

The next instant, the two azure dragons roared in unison, swiftly streaming from his sleeves, twisting together into a whirlwind, and surging toward Wang Zize and Wang Anlu with overwhelming force. The air churned, wind and thunder mingling as the dragons charged.

Qin Yi watched, eyes narrowed. He was sure that if his former self at the peak had faced this move, he would have had no chance—not dead, then gravely wounded. The power of Qin Tian was terrifying; if his guess was right, Qin Tian was among those closest to enlightenment.

Old Jiang savored his wine, feeling the aura outside the tavern, smiling and shaking his head. “It’s been a long time since I felt this atmosphere. Brings back memories!”

Jiang Fengnian laughed. “There are indeed rumors that the Eastern Dominion is related to the demon clan’s Azure Dragon lineage. Seeing it with my own eyes now, I finally believe it.”

Old He the coachman didn’t understand their conversation, so he just drank.

He Anjian watched, unsure what to say, glaring at his daughter.

He Wanting could only shake her head helplessly—her husband wouldn’t allow her to speak, so what could she do?

As the two azure dragons surged forth, Wang Anlu instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning, vanishing. Whether he escaped the attack was unclear.

Wang Zize, meanwhile, simply smiled, then sat cross-legged in midair, becoming a radiant, immovable figure like a golden Buddha, unmoving.

The Azure Dragons of the Sleeves finally engulfed the immovable Buddha.

Suddenly, a flash of silver lightning streaked across the sky and struck toward Qin Tian. He moved his hands again, the Azure Dragons reappearing from his sleeves to intercept the rapid lightning.

The silver lightning struck the ground with a crash, stirring up clouds of dust.

“No wonder they call it the Azure Dragons of the Sleeves—its reputation is well deserved.” Even before the dust settled, a voice boomed like thunder. When all the dust finally cleared, everyone saw the figure in the silver robe, now battered and no longer shining.

Qin Tian ignored him and looked up at the sky, where the Azure Dragons had dissipated, leaving only the golden, immovable Buddha standing, like a camel in the desert sands.

Qin Tian saw this and was not surprised. “People of Ridge Province know only that Old Wang Rui could slaughter Linyang City single-handedly, but they do not realize, Old Wang Zize, that you have always been superior to him.”