Chapter 64: Fate Uncertain

Nezha was escorted to the Heavenly Court by Taiyi's magical artifact, marking his first visit to the Heavenly Palace.

Before long, a white-bearded old man with bulging eyes and a green skin was seen walking towards them from afar.

Nezha recognized Ao Guang at a glance.

However, the other party had removed his crown, making him look more like a strange old man than the Dragon King. He didn't see Nezha at Baode Gate for a moment, and looking at the unopened palace gate, he said, "You've come too early. The Golden Warriors haven't arrived yet."

Unexpectedly, a child's voice rang out coldly behind him: "I don't think it's too early."

Ao Guang felt the voice was familiar and assumed it was the voice of a pageboy from the Heavenly Court.

He asked, "The palace gates haven't even opened yet, why do you think it's not early?"

"The palace gates are not open," Nezha gripped the Universe Ring tightly and said, "but I've come!"

Having finished speaking, he swung the golden ring as instructed by his master. Ao Guang happened to turn around to check, and was caught off guard by the boy who pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. The first blow of the Qiankun Ring struck Ao Guang's heart, where the hardest scale of the dragon clan was located. The crisp sound reverberated, and the celestial children who had been watching the scene with bated breath were all pulled back.

Nezha, riding on the dragon's belly, heard Ao Guang's shocked and furious words: "You audacious scoundrel, how can you be so black-hearted and ruthless!"

In just a few words, Nezha was characterized as a cruel and unruly evil creature.

"You still dare to talk back to me?" Nezha raised his hoop to smash it again: "You stinking mudfish, shall I expose everything you've done?"

The Dragon King came here to distort the truth and make false accusations. Now that Nezha arrived first, he has no grounds for complaint. Ao Guang felt guilty, but he didn't show it on his face.

He stubbornly insisted, "You little brat, you're full of lies and nonsense. Who would believe you?"

"Ha," the boy sneered. Following his earlier introduction, Nezha brought up his title: "Who wants to waste my breath on you? If you want to intimidate me with your name, then let's see who has the bigger background! Do you know who I am? I am Lingzhuzi, a disciple of the Golden Light Cave on Qianyuan Mountain. I was reincarnated as a son of the Li family by the decree of the Jade Void Palace. Li Jing can be my father because I acknowledge him. If I didn't, he couldn't control me no matter what."

Any one of those names was more prestigious than Ao Guang's, and resentment welled up in his heart. Then he heard Nezha continue: "After Jiang Ziya descends the mountain soon, I will again take on the role of the vanguard officer in overthrowing King Zhou and assisting the Zhou. Old man, if it weren't for my master telling me to keep you, I could kill you and no one would dare to say anything!"

Taiyi Zhenren forbade Nezha from revealing the real reason, saying that the rain at Chentang Pass still depended on this old man, and things should not be made too ugly.

Ao Guang was a powerful ruler in the sea, and Ao Bing inherited his arrogant temperament. Now, having been humiliated by a child, Ao Guang became even more enraged. He stubbornly shouted, "Hit me! Even if you kill me, I will avenge my son's death!"

The old dragon saw the boy's face suddenly darken. He raised his hand, and a longbow as tall as Nezha himself appeared in his hand.

The Sea Dragon's treasure trove was vast, and his eyesight was exceptional; he was able to recognize that the magical weapon in Nezha's hand was the treasure that guarded Chentang Pass.

Xuanyuan Bow, Heaven-Shaking Arrow!

This bow and arrow set has been passed down since the time of the Yellow Emperor's great victory over Chiyou, and no one has ever been able to wield it. Yet, in Nezha's hands, it was like a replica, and he could easily draw the bowstring taut. Seeing the arrow tip truly aimed at him, Ao Guang trembled with fear.

He quickly pleaded, "Spare me!"

Nezha remained silent and released the arrow.

The sharp sword whistled through the air; he deliberately aimed off course, letting the arrow graz the Dragon King's forehead as it flew towards him. It seemed to pierce through the purple mist and colorful clouds of Heaven, leaving a terrifying, deep hole in the clouds. Though the dragon's scales were hard, Ao Guang knew he couldn't withstand the impact of the Heaven-Shaking Arrow. He had been shouting, hoping to deter Nezha from being too arrogant in front of the gods. Unexpectedly, Taiyi doted on his young disciple, spoiling him rotten, and like a madman, actually tried to kill him on the spot.

The old dragon was weak and had lost the will to resist.

Seeing this, the boy stopped hesitating and put away his bow, saying, "Then you will now transform into a snake and wrap it around my arm. After you return to Chen Tang Pass with me, swear a solemn oath that my parents will not cause any more trouble. I have a calamity to kill, and your useless son is destined to die by my hand. With the protection of the Taiyi Zhenren, even if there is a huge uproar, it will all be laughed off. Do you agree?"

Nezha stared at him expressionlessly: "If you don't agree, I'll pierce your head with the next arrow."

Ao Guang knew that Nezha was not joking.

The dragon had become a snake, truly a mudfish. To save his life, he had no choice but to endure the humiliation, transforming himself into a green snake and coiling around the boy's arm.

As he rushed towards Chentang Pass with Ao Guang, little did he know that his arrow had caused trouble once again.

Then, with a soft "plop," a groove split open in the skin and flesh, and a piece of paper was embedded in it. Looking down, Biyun Tongzi could even see a pointed tip protruding from what should have been a flat neck.

What is it?

Biyun swayed as she tried to reach out and touch it.

Only then did I realize that the herbs beneath me were soaked in red.

A stinging sensation in my throat, followed by a burst of sweetness on my lips and tongue.

Biyun let out two "hoarse" sounds, then choked to death on her blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

Lady Shiji currently has two disciples.

The other one was named Caiyun.

Biyun was not a lazy person, but seeing that he had not returned even as the sun was setting, Caiyun felt uneasy. She bowed to the seated Lady Shiji and said, "Master, my senior brother has not returned. I fear something has happened to him."

Lady Shiji is enjoying a delicious meal in her cave.

Caiyun searched along Skull Mountain.

When his unease reached its breaking point, he stepped into a pool of blood. His shoes were soaked by the spray of blood. Caiyun followed the trail and came to the edge of a cliff. Below the cliff was a platform covered with strange flowers and plants that Lady Shiji needed. Caiyun looked down and saw the gruesome state of Biyun's corpse.

An arrow pierced the throat of the enemy, who died with his eyes wide open.

Meeting those astonished eyes, Caiyun cried out in panic, "Master, my senior brother is dead!!!"

Screams echoed throughout Skull Mountain. Inside the Bone Cave, Shi Ji spat out a bone from her mouth and hurriedly went to the bottom of the cliff where Caiyun was.

She, Shi Ji, is the leader of all demons, so how dare anyone make a move in her territory?

Her beloved disciple died a gruesome death, his blood almost covering the entire cliff face. In shock and rage, Shi Ji pulled the deadly arrow from Bi Yun's throat.

Turn the arrow around; a name is inscribed beneath the fletching.

General Li Jing of Zhenchengtang Pass

She turned to her young apprentice and instructed, "Caiyun, sharpen your knife. Wait in the cave until your master returns with Li Jing and avenges your senior brother!"

"Master, please be careful! Your disciple awaits your return."

.

Skull Mountain and the White Bone Cave are in the mortal realm.

The Azure Phoenix travels a thousand miles a day, so when Lady Shiji arrived at the Li residence, she arrived much earlier than Nezha.

She was surprised by the heavy rain in Chentang Pass as soon as she arrived. The ground was covered with a layer of water, and the thick, salty smell of sea dragons could be smelled.

Near the mansion, the faint sound of conversation could be heard coming from the main hall:

"Pingyu, what's your plan?"

This is Li Jing.

Just as Shi Ji was about to make her move, another clear child's voice rang out: "Ordinary people naturally cannot accomplish this in a short time. But Uncle Li, the eldest prince, the second prince, and Nezha, all four of you are cultivators with profound magical abilities. You can certainly dig drainage ditches in the low-lying areas of Chen Tang Pass to divert the accumulated water inside the pass into the Hai River. Let's do this as an emergency first, and then we can solve any difficulties that arise later."

As the leader of all demons, Shi Ji was incredibly wise. In just a few words, she guessed that Li Jing had offended the petty Rain God, which was why the sudden rain at Chen Tang Pass smelled so bad.

"That meddlesome thief! He deserves to bring disaster to the people when he's in office!" She sneered, hovering menacingly in mid-air above the Li residence, and shouted inside, "Li Jing, you get out here!"

A short while earlier, Pingyu was discussing matters with Li Jing.

The man reluctantly believed the girl's explanation and was willing to listen to the plan that Ping Yu, this young upstart, had come up with to alleviate the urgent rain in Chentang Pass, as if it were a last resort.

No sooner had he begun speaking than a sound drifted into the house from outside the courtyard.

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

Judging from the tone of his voice, I had a feeling that he was up to no good.

Pingyu followed Li Jing out to see who the other person was.

Li Jing, who had been all dignified, suddenly knelt down when he looked at the person approaching from mid-air.

The man bowed his head: "Disciple Li Jing greets Lady Shiji. I have failed to greet you properly, please forgive me!"

Is she Shi Ji?

Pingyu looked at the woman who was riding a phoenix in mid-air and muttered to himself.

Unlike the cartoons she watched as a child, Shi Ji was not a gray-skinned woman with a half-moon on her head, but a beautiful Taoist priestess dressed in a purple dress.

As you can see, the pictures are for reference only, and the actual product shall prevail.

As she was sizing up Shi Ji, the other person was also sizing her up.

Pingyu possessed a heavy yin energy; not only was his birth chart full of water, but he also had the fate of a child spirit, making him a natural nourishment for female demons. The girl was born like a celestial being, making even the dark clouds in the sky seem a bit brighter.

Shi Ji, with a heart full of longing.

She wondered how Li Jing's family could possess such a treasure. The girl's flesh must be incredibly fresh and juicy, its skin melting in her mouth with just a light touch.

I have a bad feeling...

Ping Yu took two steps back without making a sound, preparing to return to the house and let the two old acquaintances resolve their grievances on their own.

How could Shi Ji let the meat that was already in her mouth fly away? The demoness curled her red lips and pulled out a golden-red silk handkerchief.

Li Jing gasped, and Pingyu heard the other party say that things were not going well: "Why did they even take out the Bagua Cloud Light Cloth! Oh no, it seems that this cannot be resolved peacefully."

She tossed the handkerchief down, and several golden warriors leaped out. They were all born spirits, possessing bodies of steel and boundless magical power; Li Jing was no match for them. The warriors surrounded Li Jing, and Ping Yu quickly thought of someone who could call for help—perhaps they could try summoning lightning again? But the plan to rescue Li Jing was thwarted by the next words of Lady Shiji. The demoness pointed two slender fingers at Li Jing and Ping Yu respectively.

Pingyu was puzzled as the fingertip pointed towards his brow: What does this have to do with me?

She casually ordered, "Golden Warrior, take Li Jing and this delicious-looking girl back to the manor."

Upon hearing the word "delicious," Ping Yu instantly lost his composure: They're not even bothering to act!

She was already powerless, and in order to suffer less, she obediently let the strongmen carry her away on their shoulders.

A few days later, Nezha returned with Ao Guang.

He returned to his residence but did not find Li Jing at the training ground or the general's mansion.

The slaves cowered and dared not say more, only saying that the lady was in the room.

Bathed in the rain, he heard sobbing coming from outside Madam Yin's house.

The voice was mournful and hoarse, like the oil in a lamp about to burn out. Nezha sensed something was wrong and immediately pushed open the door and entered.

He called out anxiously, "Mother!"

When Madam Yin heard that her son had arrived, she hurriedly turned around. Her eyes were swollen like walnuts, and the tears from several days of crying had almost dried up her eyes, which were now filled with two pools of blood.

"Zha'er, is your mother's Zha'er back?"

A voice as sharp as a broken gong pierced Nezha's heart: "It's me, Mother. I'm back. What happened? Where's Father? I can't find him!"

Nezha's resentment towards the Yin family was not deep.

He knew his mother was good, but he was weak.

Realizing that Nezha was real and not a hallucination, Lady Yin immediately rushed into her son's arms. The woman's blood and tears flowed down, burning Nezha's chest like a scald.

"Why did you take so long to get here? Why did you take so long to get here!"

"mother......"

Nezha felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes flashing with murderous intent: "What happened? Did someone take advantage of me while I was away? Don't be afraid, I'll stand up for you!"

The woman cried out in a hoarse voice, "My son, you've returned too late! Your father and Pingyu have been kidnapped by the female demon Shiji of Skull Cave and White Bone Mountain..."

"He hasn't returned for several days in a row, and his fate is now unknown!"

Author's Note: And so, we're getting closer to the important plot points, step by step. I'll secretly give you all a thumbs up!

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① Adapted from the description of the Eight Trigrams Cloud Handkerchief in the original novel "Investiture of the Gods".

The discrepancy between this and the original work isn't my opinion; it's that I changed the plot.