The Azure Dragon manifested, its roar echoed throughout Kyoto Prefecture, instantly drawing the attention of countless commoners, prodigies, noble families, and Jianghu guests.
Even the eight Golden Armored Giants summoned earlier by Huangshan Taoist with Qimen talismans raised their heads; their blurred faces showed surprise as their hollow eyes gazed at the sky.
Huangshan Taoist looked at the Little Green Dragon coiled above the Duke Wu An Mansion, and his gaze naturally fell to Chen Yi, standing below with his hands behind his back. His face couldn’t help but show a few degrees of embarrassment and annoyance.
That damned Heroic Marquis, he actually hid such a card— a Divine Beast Azure Dragon that hadn’t appeared for ages!
The key was when he decided to reveal it, choosing exactly when Huangshan Old Taoist was making an appearance, disturbing the eagle under his feet.
With this thought in mind, Huangshan Taoist glared resentfully at Daoist Xuanjian, sound transmitting, "Old thief, this was your idea, wasn’t it? Damn it, deliberately making an old Taoist lose face?"
Daoist Xuanjian was staring at that Little Green Dragon in amazement, contemplating how to coax Chen Yi into leaving the dragon at the Grand Void Sect as a guardian Divine Beast. Suddenly hearing Huangshan Taoist’s sound transmission, a smug smile appeared on his thin face:
"Hahaha, you have been a loner for years, unable to find even a single disciple to support you in your old age. If you have the ability, go find a disciple as capable as this."
"But even if you search, it’s useless. With your meager fortune, if you can find a disciple that’s even a tenth as good as Chen Yi, this old Taoist would be willing to call you grandpa."
Huangshan Taoist was fuming, his beard puffing out angrily. If he weren’t standing on the eagle right now, needing to maintain decorum, he would have fought with Xuanjian.
"Just wait, there will be a time when you call me ’grandpa’!"
If these two old fellows were so flustered, there’s no need to mention others at Dakong Temple.
Apart from those already in the know, Lin Xueru, Hua Xianzi, and Xiao Xuanzhen, everyone else was in awe.
This time, even the usually arrogant prodigies had no choice but to bow their heads.
It’s one thing not to compare talent and cultivation; after all, those are given by parents and earned through personal effort, but fate, which is invisible and intangible, is a different story. You can’t blame others for that.
"Is that really the Divine Beast Azure Dragon? I’ve truly had my eyes opened!"
"It’s hard not to concede, to know that such naturally endowed spiritual entities aren’t something you can subdue just with talent and cultivation. You need deep fortune; even if your ancestor’s grave emits green smoke, you couldn’t make that dragon glance your way."
"Heroic Marquis, ’Little Sword Immortal,’ Great Power of the Divine Power Realm... all these titles no longer fit Chen Yi; in my opinion, we should henceforth call him— Azure Dragon Sword Immortal!"
"Azure Dragon Sword Immortal?"
"This title... admirable! Whoever thought of this title is quite a talent!"
A Sword Immortal who can subdue the Divine Beast Azure Dragon, it’s true, expresses Chen Yi’s achievements clearly.
But compared to other Sword Immortals, it somehow feels a bit awkward.
Think about it, when the "Azure Dragon Sword Immortal" rides in on the Divine Beast Azure Dragon, those with titles like "River Sea Sword Immortal" or "Wan Jun Sword Immortal" surely can’t bring along an entire river or carry several mountains weighing tens of thousands of jun, can they?
Of course, these are just the words of Jianghu guests who love a spectacle, not necessarily likely to be widely accepted or celebrated.
But at this moment, hearing it in Emperor Wei’s ears, he could only respond with a bitter smile.
Earlier, when he rushed from the Imperial City to Dakong Temple, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon leading the way had a majestic aura, but everyone knew that the Golden Dragon didn’t truly have a Divine Beast bloodline — it was the result of a great power from the past using Great Divine Power to condense the Wei Dynasty’s Dragon Vein.
Thus, after Chen Yi released the Little Green Dragon, Emperor Wei suddenly felt stifled with frustration inside. A fake dragon meeting a real dragon, what does that mean for the so-called Child of Destiny?
Why not just let you have the throne, true Azure Dragon Sword Immortal?
"Great Master, if you appear after Huangshan Old Taoist, could you overshadow Heroic Marquis’ grandeur?"
Upon hearing the Emperor’s sound transmission, Great Master Lin Zhongke was similarly at a loss for words.
He understood why the Holy Emperor had this thought, but to overshadow Heroic Marquis’ grandeur, is that something easily done?
That’s a legendary Azure Dragon, after all; even in nearly a millennium of Wei Dynasty cultivators, few had seen it, let alone in the turbulent dark era a thousand years ago.
Unless he could invite the other three Divine Beasts as famous as the Azure Dragon, no one could suppress Chen Yi’s grandeur at this moment.
"Is it not possible?"
"Then I hope Great Master can do his best to weaken Heroic Marquis’ grandeur so today’s grand event doesn’t turn into his solo show!"
The Great Master responded, yet he knew that no matter what he did today, it would be for naught — With the Azure Dragon’s manifestation, this grand event would surely elevate Heroic Marquis’ reputation once again, sparking discussions across the Wei Dynasty for the next hundred years.
Yet now, reminded by the Holy Emperor, the Great Master had no choice but to ponder his subsequent appearance and response strategy.
Of course, he wasn’t planning to weaken Chen Yi’s grandeur as per the Holy Emperor’s command, but rather to ensure he wasn’t too underwhelming himself.
At the very least, he had to surpass Huangshan Taoist, even if just by a smidgeon, to provide an explanation to the many academic institutions of the Confucian order.
Otherwise, after today, nobles from all distinguished families across the seventeen prefectures of the Wei Dynasty might all turn to Taoist sects.
The newly arrived Prince Zhenbei, Duke Xing, and the Chen family, standing where Dakong Temple was located, stopped and looked back, inevitably impressed by this scene.