Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
"Tang Chen?"
At the sound of that name, Tang San's heart lurched.
Ever since arriving on Sea God Island, he had spared no effort to gather news of the great upheavals in the Heaven Dou Empire. All he'd learned was that the three upper sects had been wiped out, and the Heaven Dou Empire had been replaced by the Heavenly Dragon Empire.
Which meant that, as of now, he stood utterly alone—no family left anywhere in this world.
Yet the name Tang Chen stirred him to his core. It was the pull of blood calling to blood.
Just then, the chatter of Sealance Douluo and the others drifted to Tang San's ears.
"Tang Chen?! That man has finally returned?"
"No wonder the Grand Priestess is so moved—anyone would be."
"Indeed. The Grand Priestess, Qian Daoliu of Spirit Hall, and Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect were hailed together as the three peerless Douluo. Their relationship wasn't nearly as hostile as people imagine."
The words Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect made Tang San's eyes fly wide in disbelief. He trembled with excitement and lifted his head to ask Sealance Douluo and the rest, "Seniors, Tang Chen—he's from the Clear Sky Sect?"
Sealance Douluo had served at Bo Saixi's side longer than most; naturally, he knew a bit more than others. Hearing Tang San's question, confusion flashed across his face—then dawning comprehension. He smiled and explained:
"Tang San, you didn't grow up in the Clear Sky Sect, so it's no wonder you don't know Tang Chen. By generation, he is your father's grandfather—your great-grandfather."
Tang San froze for a heartbeat—then burst into joy. "My great-grandfather? I still have a relative alive?!"
He was not someone who could endure loneliness. That had been clear since childhood in the way he had clung to Tang Hao. To learn that a blood relative yet lived—how could he not be moved?
At that moment, the raindrop-sized speck in the sky visibly grew.
Sensing the time was right, Bo Saixi spread her arms and slowly raised them toward the heavens.
"Rise!"
At once, part of the sea surged as if pulled by invisible threads. Two colossal water pillars twined together, spiraling into the sky. They merged into a vast hand that caught the plummeting Tang Chen mid-fall, absorbing the force and sparing him further harm.
Bo Saixi drew Tang Chen gently before her. Seeing that familiar face, her expression softened despite herself.
As for Lan Minghua—watching this scene, he felt no warmth, no touching reunion. He would have tossed them three words: shameless lovers.
Tang Chen had a wife. Later, he and Qian Daoliu encountered Bo Saixi at the same time—and both fell in love with her. Qian Daoliu also had a wife. He, too, became a hopeless devotee.
Bo Saixi's supposed promise had been that whichever of the two reached level one hundred and became a god, she would be "his" woman.
In the end, none of them achieved godhood, and the matter degenerated into a tangled triangle. To the unknowing, it might appear romantic; from a god's-eye view, it was simply a woman stringing along two dogs.
By now Tang San had rushed to Tang Chen's side. Gazing at the pallid middle-aged man with bloodless skin, he blurted out:
"Great-grandfather!"
What followed was a cascade of melodramatic recognition and reunion—tears, bowed heads, vows.
Meanwhile, the Sea God's ostentatious relocation of the Asura inheritance could hardly escape Lan Minghua's notice. He now possessed the power of a Supreme God-King; nothing significant upon the continent could slip past his gaze. A matter as important as the Asura God's legacy—least of all.
"Heh. So the Asura inheritance has been carted off? It seems Tang San's dual godheads are fated. No matter how I interfere, the outcome refuses to budge."
Lan Minghua could have intervened now and wiped out Tang San and his companions, preventing them from ever ascending. But he would not.
Because Oscar and the others needed whetstones.
And Tang San's party was an excellent grindstone.
Besides, he needed helpers. If, when the time came to storm the God Realm, he had to deal with every enemy personally—that would be a loss of face, would it not? Therefore, Lan Minghua would not move against Tang San's group. With him watching over the mortal world, not even gods could alter its final outcome.
He also needed "Famed Teacher Points" from his disciples like Oscar—fuel for his raffles.
"Master, Master—I did it! I did it!"
His musings were broken by Oscar's excited shout. Lan Minghua looked up to see Oscar brandishing an iron sword, dancing with boyish glee. With every swing, a faint blade-qi hissed forth, ruffling the leaves with a susurrus.
Soul power could mimic the effect, yes, but Lan Minghua was certain—this was true sword-qi. Oscar's talent on the sword path exceeded all his expectations.
Lan Minghua rose and sauntered over, ruffling Oscar's hair. "Hiss… you don't have a fever, do you?"
Oscar grinned. "Master, you promised me—if I could draw out sword-qi in five days, you'd teach me a cool move. I'm not greedy. That move 'Snow and Wind Across the Western Heavens, Escorting Guanyin' looks plenty cool!"
"Look at your ambitions." Lan Minghua flicked his pupil's forehead. "That technique demands nine blades in concert to unleash its peak might. One move alone isn't all that 'cool.'"
Oscar wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant—certain his master was about to go back on his word.
But what Lan Minghua said next sent him straight to heaven.
"What's so special about 'Snow and Wind Across the Western Heavens'? I'll teach you something cooler. Its name—Two Sleeves of Green Serpents."
He flicked his hand; the iron sword leapt from Oscar's grip. Lan Minghua caught the hilt, and two streams of azure sword-gang coiled along the blade like living things.
"Go."
With a single slash, the paired auras ripped free, soaring like hundred-zhang green serpents across the firmament.
In that instant, the sky dulled beneath their glow. The long-banked clouds above were torn open by twin rifts, as if the heavens themselves were about to be cleaved.
It was a casual stroke—yet its power could not be taken lightly. People across the continent looked up and turned pale at the sight of a sky that seemed ready to split.
Even the gods of the God Realm started, thinking Lan Minghua was about to storm their gates. Fortunately, after that one slash, he made no further move.
Still, those who harbored enmity toward him learned a hard lesson that day about the breadth of his strength—and their pressure redoubled.
Lan Minghua, the culprit, remained blissfully heedless. To him it had been nothing more than a demonstration for Oscar.
He tossed the sword back and tipped his chin, as if to say, Trying to show off in front of me? You're still green, kid.
Oscar ignored the teasing; his eyes shone like stars as he stared up at Lan Minghua with pleading intensity.
"Master, that was too cool. I want to learn that move—just that move. I don't need anything else!"
"Good. Just that one move—you said it. No take-backs."
Lan Minghua's tone sounded like a scheme fulfilled; Oscar's heart skipped a beat.
"No way… Master, do you have techniques even cooler—and stronger—than that?!"
Lan Minghua chuckled. "Take a guess."
Before Oscar could react, Lan Minghua began instruction in Two Sleeves of Green Serpents. Oscar felt not an ounce of regret; he did not press for something stronger.
Two Sleeves of Green Serpents was already good—already cool—already strong.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing and the others were advancing rapidly under their respective mentors' guidance. Their growth was not only in strength, but also in vision, experience, and state of mind.
The continent settled into an eerie calm—beneath which dark currents churned.
(End of Chapter)