At that time, Nezha was seven years old and six feet tall. Seeing the hot weather, he felt restless and had nowhere to play. So he went to see his mother. After paying his respects, he stood aside and said, "I'd like to go west beyond the pass to play for a while. I'll inform you before I go." Lady Yin loved her son dearly and said, "Since you want to go for a leisurely stroll beyond the pass, you can take a servant with you. Don't be too playful. Go quickly and come back soon, lest Master returns from his training and I can't cover for you." Nezha was terrified of Li Jing's imposing presence, so he was overjoyed and quickly replied, "I understand."
It is said: What is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force; your past and present lives are predetermined, but if there is a mishap, calamity will ensue.
After leaving the pass with his retainers, Nezha traveled for about a mile and came to a place shaded by green willows. A gentle breeze blew, relieving the summer heat. Nezha loosened his belt, relaxed his robes, and was overjoyed. He saw clear water rolling and flowing, truly a scene of: willows swaying in the breeze on both banks, and water gurgling beside the rocks. Nezha and his retainers greeted each other and went to the riverbank. He took off his clothes, sat on a rock, and used his treasured seven-foot-long magic ribbon to bathe in the water.
That seven-foot-long Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon) was no ordinary object; it was the treasure of the Golden Light Cave on Mount Qian Yuan. Leaving aside the fact that Nezha's actions were desecrating the treasure, the mere fact that he placed it in the water turned it crimson; it was truly a sight to behold: a sway of the ribbon and rivers trembled, a shake and the lakes and seas trembled. This water happened to be the "Nine Bends River," located at the mouth of the East Sea. Nezha's playful antics caused the Crystal Palace of the East Sea to tremble slightly.
Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, was sitting idly in the Crystal Palace when he suddenly heard the palace gates shake. It should be known that the power of the Dragon Clan has increased dramatically in recent years, and no true cultivator has dared to come and challenge them for a long time. Unexpectedly, there was an accident today. Ao Guang hurriedly called his attendants and asked, "The earth should not be shaking. Why is the palace shaking? Summon the sea patrol yaksha Li Gen to see what is causing this trouble at the sea mouth and find out the truth."
The Yaksha arrived at the Nine Bends River and saw that the water was all red, shimmering brilliantly. A child was bathing in the water, dipping a red handkerchief in it. He quickly parted the ripples and asked, "What strange thing is that child doing, making the river red and causing the palaces to shake?" Nezha turned around and saw a creature in the water, its face as blue as indigo, its hair like cinnabar, its mouth huge with fangs, and wielding a large axe. Li Jing was busy with military affairs and hadn't strictly disciplined Nezha, and Nezha, confident in his supernatural abilities, wasn't afraid of the Yaksha's strange appearance. He casually said, "You beast, what are you that you dare to speak?"
Although the Sea Patrol Yaksha held a low-ranking official position, it was personally appointed by the Jade Emperor and newly bestowed by imperial decree. Furthermore, the Dragon Clan had protected the prehistoric land for nearly a thousand years, accumulating immense merit and power far surpassing its former glory. No immortal dared to command the Dragon Clan to summon wind and rain. Li Gen, therefore, held himself in high esteem and was extremely arrogant. Upon hearing this, he flew into a rage, saying, "I am appointed Sea Patrol Yaksha by my lord. Even if I am a true cultivator, I should still be addressed with respect. You, a naughty child, dare to call me a beast?" His behavior was also unruly; he leaped ashore to seize Nezha. In truth, though this man appeared nasty, he was kind-hearted; he merely wanted to play with the adorable child before him, but unexpectedly provoked a life-or-death calamity.
Nezha was standing naked when he saw the yaksha approaching fiercely. He dodged, and raised the Qiankun Ring on his right glove into the air. This treasure was originally a gift from the Jade Void Palace of Kunlun Mountain, and was used by the Immortal Taiyi to suppress the Golden Light Cave. The yaksha could not withstand it, and the treasure struck down, landing squarely on the yaksha's head. His head splattered out, and he died instantly on the shore. Nezha, unaware of the gravity of the blow, laughed and said, "You've dirtied my Qiankun Ring." He then sat down on a rock and began to wash the precious ring.
The Crystal Palace was shaken by these two treasures, and the palace trembled even more violently. Ao Guang pondered, "The Yaksha went to investigate but hasn't returned. Why is he so fierce? Could someone be deliberately provoking us?" Just as he was thinking this, a dragon soldier came to report, "The Yaksha Li Gen has been killed on land by a child. We are hereby informing the Dragon King." Upon hearing this, Ao Guang was furious and said, "In the past thousand years, no one has ever dared to be so presumptuous as to come to my vast East Sea to cause trouble. I thought that my people, under the guidance of the Xuan Tian Sage of Penglai Island, would be blessed with favorable weather and peace for the prehistoric human race, and would not easily cause trouble. Unexpectedly, today someone has come to bully us. Do they think that my dragon race is without capable people? I will muster my troops and go myself..." Before he finished speaking, the Dragon King's third son, Ao Bing, came out. He replied, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Let me go and fetch it." Ao Guang was overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking, "My third son has received guidance from his great-uncle in his cultivation, and his cultivation is no less than mine. He can easily defeat the enemy chieftain." He said, "My son, you must be careful on your journey. Secondly, you must find out the truth, after all, the Sage of Xuantian once said that a great calamity is coming. You must think thrice before acting, and not create unnecessary karma, lest you drag the aquatic tribes into this great calamity."
After the great war between the three races, the Dragon Clan sought refuge on Penglai Island. Under Penglai Island's protection, few in the prehistoric world dared to harm them. Moreover, having received instruction from Xuantian, their strength was far beyond what it had been in the past. The Third Prince, Ao Bing, was even more fortunate to receive guidance and instruction from his uncle (who was also Xuantian's mount), resulting in extremely high cultivation. The entire Dragon Clan held him in high regard, practically grooming him as their successor. Naturally, he was quite sensible and replied, "Father, please rest assured. My great-uncle (this generation of Dragon Kings is the third generation) once said that reason prevails everywhere, while unreasonableness makes it impossible to take a single step. I understand the importance of this." After saying this, Ao Bing only summoned a few shrimp soldiers and crab generals to accompany him, mounted the Water-Binding Beast, and, carrying his halberd, went straight out of the Crystal Palace, parting the water. It was truly: Water rose several feet high from the flat ground, waves surged like collapsing mountains; towering waves sprayed like shattered jade, the Third Prince, fully clad in his armor.
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