After Hu Lianfeng left, Ye Wudao returned to the edge of the steep slope.
By then, the Zhang family had come down from the slope.
The old man at the front of the group walked straight up to Qin Tianlong.
"Qin Tianlong, long time no see! How have you been in the First Prison?"
"I heard you've only got two or three years left before you're released?"
Zhang Jianye looked at Qin Tianlong and said with a beaming smile.
Qin Tianlong's expression didn't change. He snorted. "Thanks to you, I've been doing just fine!"
Zhang Jianye smiled faintly. "We're old friends, after all. Couldn't you be a little less distant?"
Then he turned toward the young people behind him and said, "Are you all blind? Can't you greet him?"
"The man standing before you is none other than the leader of Haicheng City's greatest gang, the Azure Dragon Gang!"
He turned back to Qin Tianlong, smiling broadly, and chuckled softly. "Though I suppose he's the former gang leader now. The Azure Dragon Gang disbanded a long time ago!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the young people behind him called out in unison, "Greetings, Gang Leader Qin!"
"Heh..."
A few of them chuckled after speaking.
Qin Tianlong remained expressionless. He knew Zhang Jianye was humiliating him, but he didn't care.
As a Xiantian Realm expert who was already over a hundred and ten years old, his state of mind had long since become difficult to shake.
Over the years, the two days that had stirred his emotions the most were the days he'd spent with Ye Wudao.
Ye Wudao's talent had truly left him astonished!
He looked at Zhang Jianye and smiled. "Zhang Jianye, don't celebrate too soon. The day I get out, I'll settle the score with you."
Zhang Jianye smiled faintly and snorted. "You think getting out will change anything?"
"You've been in prison for ten years. Do you even know what's happened outside during that time?"
"Do you think I'm still at Xiantian Great Accomplishment?"
Qin Tianlong's brow furrowed. "You've reached Xiantian Peak?"
Zhang Jianye shrugged. "Not quite! But I'm close!"
"With your Xiantian Minor Accomplishment, even if you got out today, you wouldn't be able to make waves."
"Since we're old friends, I'll point you toward a way out!"
"I heard that Hu Lianfeng fellow is in the same cell as you."
"What he did brought shame on my Zhang Family."
"If you can bring me his head before you're released, I'll spare your life once you get out."
Qin Tianlong snorted. "Hmph! Then should I thank you for your magnanimity?"
"Ten years have passed. How do you know I'm still at Xiantian Minor Accomplishment?"
"When I get out, we'll see whether you can withstand my revenge."
Zhang Jianye's brow knitted at those words.
In truth, he was still some way from Xiantian Peak. He'd only said that to unsettle Qin Tianlong.
But if Qin Tianlong had already reached Xiantian Great Accomplishment, things could get troublesome.
Back then, he'd been able to suppress Qin Tianlong solely because of the gap in their cultivation realms.
Even so, he'd only won by a narrow margin.
If they were at the same level, he probably wouldn't be Qin Tianlong's match.
The Azure Dragon Gang had ruled Sea City for decades; it wasn't some rabble to be brushed aside.
If Qin Tianlong's father hadn't died, Zhang Jianye wouldn't have dared to do anything to the Azure Dragon Gang.
The Qin Family had deep foundations, at least as deep as the Zhang Family's were now.
In terms of fighting strength, at the same cultivation level, he and Qin Tianlong were evenly matched, with Qin Tianlong having the edge.
He stared at Qin Tianlong, wanting to attack but struggling to hold himself back.
Back when he'd been at Xiantian Great Accomplishment, he'd only managed to grievously wound Qin Tianlong, not kill him outright.
If Qin Tianlong had reached Xiantian Great Accomplishment by now, Zhang Jianye couldn't be sure he would win.
Besides, a whole group of Zhang family disciples stood behind him. If a fight broke out, Qin Tianlong could go on a killing spree, and Zhang Jianye would be the one to suffer in the end.
He studied Qin Tianlong for a while, then finally smiled. "Heh! Is that so? I'll be waiting for you to get out!"
"Don't tell me you think my Zhang Family was the only one involved in the Azure Dragon Gang's downfall!"
"Back then, the Azure Dragon Gang's Four Guardians and Eight Vajra Warriors were all experts at Houtian Peak or Xiantian Minor Accomplishment."
"If I hadn't had someone backing me, would I have dared to move against the Azure Dragon Gang?"
"Over the years, not one of your former followers has come to visit you in prison. Do you think they're dead, or too afraid to come?"
Qin Tianlong's voice turned sharp. "What are you trying to say?"
Zhang Jianye burst out laughing. "Ha! Getting nervous?"
"You're over a hundred years old. How come you still can't keep your cool?"
"As for what I mean, you'll find out when you get out!"
"There are some people you can't afford to provoke."
Then he shouted to the young Zhang family members behind him, "What are you standing around for? I brought you to the Rift World to train, not to stand there like ornaments!"
At his words, the young members of the Zhang family immediately broke into a run toward the beast horde.
Zhang Jianye walked forward too. As he passed Qin Tianlong, he murmured, "Since you look so puzzled, I'll give you a hint!"
"The Liu Family's young master in the Magic Capital!"
Qin Tianlong stared at Zhang Jianye in disbelief.
Zhang Jianye didn't even look at him.
Watching Zhang Jianye walk away, Qin Tianlong felt a wave of helplessness surge through him.
"The Magic Capital... the Liu Family..."
He murmured the words, remembering the young man from back then.
He hadn't expected that the Azure Dragon Gang's downfall really had something to do with him.
He'd wondered about it at the time, unable to understand why the Zhang Family had suddenly gained so many experts.
Zhang Jianye alone wouldn't have been enough to take on the Azure Dragon Gang head-on.
It was those mysterious experts who'd appeared out of nowhere that had brought the Azure Dragon Gang down so quickly.
He'd considered the possibility that the young man was involved, but the two of them had only had a minor disagreement. He hadn't believed the young man would go to such lengths over it.
Only after hearing Zhang Jianye admit it today did he understand that it really had been connected to that young man!
At the thought of the Liu Family's background, he was suddenly overcome by despair.
The Liu Family had two Grandmaster Realm experts guarding it. They weren't someone a Xiantian Realm cultivator like him could contend with.
Just then, Ye Wudao came to Qin Tianlong's side. Seeing how dejected he looked, he asked softly, "Great Master, what's wrong?"
At the sound of Ye Wudao's voice, a fresh glimmer of hope suddenly flared in Qin Tianlong's heart.
He looked at Ye Wudao and said earnestly, "Wudao! You need to train hard over the coming period."
Ye Wudao blinked and looked at Qin Tianlong in confusion. "I've always trained hard! Did something happen?"
Qin Tianlong nodded slightly. "The grudge between me and your Second Master may not be as simple as you think."
Ye Wudao glanced at Zhang Jianye, who was standing at the edge of the gorge overseeing the battle, and asked softly, "Is it because of Zhang Jianye? Has he reached Xiantian Peak?"
Qin Tianlong shook his head and said gravely, "He probably hasn't reached Xiantian Peak yet!"
"If he had, he would've attacked me just now."
"I know Zhang Jianye. He won't make a move unless he's absolutely sure he'll win."
Ye Wudao shrugged. "It doesn't matter what level he's at. Even if he's at Xiantian Peak, I'm confident I can kill him within two years."
He said it without a moment's hesitation.
That confidence came from the system!
Maybe he wouldn't even need two years. One would be more than enough.
Qin Tianlong pressed his lips together and said quietly, "When I said it wasn't simple, I didn't mean the Zhang Family itself. I meant the person backing them."
Ye Wudao blinked. "There's someone behind the Zhang Family?"
Qin Tianlong nodded. "The Liu Family in the Magic Capital!"
Ye Wudao pursed his lips and asked gravely, "The Liu Family in the Magic Capital? Are they that powerful?"
Qin Tianlong took a deep breath, then let it out. "The Liu Family has a pair of twin Grandmaster Realm experts. One is at Grandmaster Realm Minor Accomplishment, and the other is at Grandmaster Realm Entry."
"They're among the very strongest in the entire Martial Dao World."
"Working together, they can even contend with an expert at Grandmaster Realm Great Accomplishment."
"I don't know whether their cultivation has improved over the past ten years."
"If they've both advanced, then working together, they could probably stand against an expert at Peak Grandmaster!"
He paused, then explained, "There aren't many Grandmaster Realm experts in the Martial Dao World today. You could count the Peak Grandmasters on one hand!"
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