Chapter 676: Nezha

In the shadows of the western city wall of Chen Tang Guan, two figures crouched in a corner, holding a large gourd and gazing up at the ongoing "placement" ceremony.

Li Jing, the commander of Chen Tang Guan, was installing the Li family heirloom treasures—the Xuan Yuan Qian Kun Bow and the Zhen Tian Arrow—on the city wall to suppress evil spirits and improve the overall feng shui of Chen Tang Guan.

Li Changshou's incarnation, the senior servant Wang Chang'an of the Li household, let out a sigh of relief and chuckled.

"Fortunately, Mr. Bai stepped in to restore such a precious artifact. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known how to resolve this mess."

Bai Ze gave an awkward laugh, though he wanted to say something like, "Did you really drag me away from Heavenly Court affairs and make me come all this way just for this?"

But glancing at the tiny piece hidden in his sleeve—a part that was absolutely no more than 0.1 percent and wouldn't affect the artifact's performance much—Bai Ze put on a humble and refined smile.

Bai Ze remarked admiringly, "It's truly the Water God's ingenuity. He set up a restriction called the 'child lock' on this treasure. Without an adult's hand gripping a sufficiently large area, the restrictions on it can't be activated, directly preventing children from accidentally triggering it.

How brilliant, how brilliant."

"Ah, it's still Mr. Bai's masterful craftsmanship."

"No, no, the Water God is the one with vast knowledge and talent."

"Mr. Bai has such original ingenuity."

"The Water God is a friend to immortals..."

"Ahem," Li Changshou coughed, reminding Bai Ze that some words could be said, but others needed to be chosen carefully. Bai Ze quickly stopped, and the two exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter within the barrier.

From the large gourd nearby came a scoffing snort, which Li Changshou casually stuffed back into his storage treasure pouch.

Bai Ze looked around and whispered, "Water God, on the way here, I heard some rumors that aren't favorable to you."

"Oh?"

Li Changshou smiled calmly, though he sighed inwardly.

As a high-ranking minister of the Heavenly Court, the tenth in the Heavenly Dao sequence, and holder of the divine powers of reform and conquest, he had directly summoned human sages to challenge the Heavenly Dao, which was indeed a slight misstep in stance.

It was only natural to face criticism, but he didn't mind...

"Water God," Bai Ze said in a low voice, "Was it that day when Fairy Chang'e burst into the Tai Bai Palace, her eyes red, went straight to the backyard of Xiao Qiong Peak, and then left with a comfortable and happy mood?"

Li Changshou: ...

"Yes, that's what happened."

"Hiss, oh dear, that's not cautious at all, Water God," Bai Ze whispered. "The charm of the Three Realms' most beautiful woman is indeed irresistible to men, but we still need to be methodical and pay attention to public opinion.

Now it's known throughout the Three Realms. Even if there's nothing between you two, you have to consider the damage from gossip. Fairy Yun Xiao and the Jie Jiao immortals would lose face over this."

"I..."

Li Changshou lowered his head and smiled bitterly. "This is truly the case—life-and-death matters go unnoticed, but private gossip spreads across the Three Realms."

Bai Ze asked curiously, "What happened?"

"Nothing," Li Changshou sighed softly, stood up, and patted his robes. "Let's head back, Mr. Bai. The killing aura in the Five Parts Continent is too thick right now; staying here too long will affect your own auspicious nature."

Oh, how important it was when he called me here, but now it's just a casual dismissal!

Bai Ze stroked his goatee and called out, "Water God, do you need me to divine some good or bad fortune?"

Good or bad fortune?

Li Changshou turned back and said calmly, "I'll always be in good fortune, not bad."

Bai Ze was taken aback, staring at Li Changshou's somewhat ordinary back, his expression turning blank for a moment.

What...

Had happened?

Was the dramatic change in the Heavenly Dao that he sensed related to the Water God?

How had he suddenly become so resolute?

Come to think of it, the Water God doesn't need me to divine fortune, so compared to Jin Peng, do I have any advantages left?

And thinking about Jin Peng, who's now leading troops in the Three Thousand Worlds, zipping back to the Heavenly Court whenever he wants with his speed, while I'm stuck handling things secretly in the Ling Tian Hall...

Bai Ze sighed deeply and vanished into the earth.

On the city wall, Li Jing looked at the divine bow wrapped layer upon layer in cloth strips and the three arrows of varying lengths, a contented smile on his face.

Ah, my foster father went to such trouble.

Thus, several months later.

Emperor Xin issued the edict on enfeoffment, requiring all vassals to follow the rule of primogeniture inheritance, causing an uproar among the eight hundred vassals.

The Duke of Ji State, Su Hu, cited Emperor Xin's execution of the Nine Marquises and the Southern Duke as reasons and refused to pay tribute or acknowledge the Shang dynasty.

Emperor Xin was furious and ordered Chong Hou Hu to lead an army to attack Ji State.

The dozen or so vassals who had secretly allied with Su Hu to oppose the Shang fell silent and watched from the sidelines, leaving Ji State in a dire situation as Su Hu prepared for war with all his might.

The Qi Refiner Zheng Lun from Kunlun Mountain, who had descended the mountain years ago to travel in the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, was now serving as the supply general in Ji State.

In Chen Tang Guan, at the Li household.

Dark clouds loomed over the city, thunder rumbled, and chaotic winds whipped through the Li household. In the backyard pavilion, servants and elderly women bustled about.

Even with their cultivation, Yin Shi was enduring immense pain and kept calling out softly, but her voice was drowned out by the loud birth attendants:

"Hurry! Hurry! Hot water, hot water!"

"What are you standing there for? The third young master is coming!"

"I see the head! Oh, this head is so big—can't see the edges!"

"It's a lucky star, a lucky star! This is a heavenly omen!"

On the wall of the Li household's backyard, Li Changshou stood quietly, a faint red glow gathering at his fingertips.

He was altering the perceptions of the birth attendants, ensuring they wouldn't sense anything unusual about this birth.

Because he had been constantly cleansing the Sha Qi from the spiritual fetus, and as the fetus grew, he had to protect Yin Shi, resulting in a thick "spiritual membrane" forming around it.

For ordinary people in this place, the birth of such a spiritual fetus would surely cause a stir, so Li Changshou was using this method.

In the ancestral hall, Li Jing knelt before the four portraits—of the Jade Emperor, Grand Pure One, Tai Bai Star, and Master Du E—bowing repeatedly and praying for blessings.

In the dark clouds above the Li household, Tai Yi Zhenren and Yu Ding Zhenren stood silently, both frowning as they watched the array-covered Li household, waiting for the baby's cry.

To the east of Chen Tang Guan, Jin Peng sat on a square boat, drinking alone, with thousands of heavenly soldiers behind him watching all directions.

To the north of Chen Tang Guan, Yang Jian sat on a tree branch in a dense forest, his three-pointed, double-edged spear stuck in the ground below, one leg dangling as he gently stroked a small white dog.

Several hundred li west of Chen Tang Guan, Xiong Lingli with her double braids stood at the top of a mountain cliff, with ranks of elite heavenly soldiers behind her, including the Mei Shan Six Brothers and over a dozen Mei Shan experts.

To the south of Chen Tang Guan, Heavenly Court Marshal Quan Tong leaned on a great sword, wearing a flamboyant cloak, humming a tune that few male immortals in the Heavenly Court could hear, looking quite relaxed.

Today, anyone interfering with the spiritual fetus's birth would be an enemy of the Heavenly Court.

And Li Changshou, who had arranged all this, still felt a bit uneasy.

After all, Ling Zhu Zi was too closely connected to him.

"It's coming! It's coming!"

"Madam, give it one more push!"

"It's out!"

The birthing room suddenly erupted in chaos, and the entire Li household fell silent, waiting for the long-anticipated cry of the infant—which never came.

Right then!

A beam of red light shot up into the sky, piercing through the pavilion's roof and illuminating the heavens!

Boom—

The dark clouds in the sky flickered with lightning, and gusts of bloody wind swept down from above.

Li Changshou formed a seal with his left hand, and streams of spiritual energy surged from all directions around the Li household, instantly forming twelve layers of array barriers to forcibly contain the red light.

Tai Yi Zhenren and Yu Ding Zhenren acted in unison, waving their sleeves and shaking the Great Dao, dispersing the dark clouds in the sky and letting the bright sunlight shine into the Li household!

They rejected the omen.

They rejected the abnormality.

Li Changshou's brows furrowed suddenly; the red light in the birthing room seemed dissatisfied with being suppressed, and that "flesh ball" began to tremble violently, with waves of Sha Qi surging outward.

It was as if three years of pent-up anger was about to be fully released.

Li Changshou spread his left hand wide, and the several birth attendants and servants in the room instantly fell unconscious, their figures turning into streaks of light that were quickly pulled into the courtyard.

Yin Shi, weak and exhausted, gazed at the flesh ball with warmth in her eyes, already aware of these circumstances.

Her child, who had been delayed by over two years, was inside that spiritual membrane, equivalent to a three-year-old child in virtual age.

"Zha Er... Zha Er?"

This call was fitting, for with Li Jing's naming skills, even though the third child's name wasn't set yet, it was surely going to be "Li Zha."

The flesh ball trembled slightly and, without warning, leaped up and collided toward Yin Shi's embrace.

Li Changshou's eyebrows twitched, and in a flash, he made his judgment.

Do not stop it.

His hands moved like shadows, forming seals at lightning speed, and a thin layer of green light appeared around Yin Shi.

The flesh ball collided, but when it landed, it didn't carry much force, and the green light dissipated most of the impact, allowing Yin Shi to hold it steadily.

"Zha Er..."

Yin Shi called softly, her voice trembling from her own weakness.

"Mother is holding you now, Zha Er... don't be afraid..."

Thinking of the suffering her third child had endured and recalling that day over three years ago, when the boy in her dream had smiled and apologized to her.

Yin Shi's pale lips quivered, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, dripping onto the flesh ball.

"Mother will protect you, Zha Er. Father and mother will both protect you."

Outside the birthing room, Li Jing hurried down from the air, his immortal sense already observing the situation inside, but as he was about to enter, the flesh ball's spiritual membrane suddenly burst into rainbow-colored light.

At the spot where Yin Shi's tears fell, specks of light swirled around, and the somewhat unsightly flesh ball membrane slowly melted away.

A brilliant light erupted!

Li Jing was nearly blinded, yet he pressed forward step by step.

Yin Shi could only tightly shut her eyes, feeling her hands empty for a moment, then instinctively reaching out to hold a small body, pulling it close.

Wave after wave of warm spiritual energy circulated, enveloping Yin Shi and in turn nourishing her depleted body from the birth.

In the spiritual energy, a soft call entered the ears of Li Jing and his wife, the two true persons in the clouds, Li Changshou, and the immortals observing with their immortal senses.

"Ya?"

As the light gradually faded, in Yin Shi's arms was a child who looked about two or three years old, raising his little hands to touch her face, his big eyes reflecting her tearful gaze.

Li Jing exhaled deeply, having knelt on one knee beside the bed at some point, carefully extending his hand to grasp the child's delicate little one.

"Mother... mother..."

On the wall, Li Changshou stood with his hands behind his back, slowly closing his eyes.

There were good things happening lately, too.

In the clouds, Tai Yi Zhenren looked up and sighed, his eyes full of emotion, while Yu Ding beside him felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

To the north of Chen Tang Guan, Yang Jian smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth.

This time, he was the senior brother.

Yang Jian's expression suddenly changed, his forehead's vertical eye opening to gaze at the sky. He couldn't help but stand up from the tree, floating in midair and gripping his three-pointed, double-edged spear.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

"Yes, I've seen it," Li Changshou's voice echoed in Yang Jian's ear. "Don't worry; I'll handle it."

Yang Jian's heart immediately steadied.

He suddenly realized that his first call had been to this uncle, who had once kept him so busy, rather than his own master.

Buzz—

The Great Dao trembled, and the sky, which had cleared, was once again overshadowed by a dark cloud.

Above the East Sea, Jin Peng instinctively gripped the small Lu Shen Spear beside him, which was trembling slightly, as if sensing some aura.

"What's this?"

Tai Yi Zhenren frowned and murmured, "The Sha Qi left by the Demon Ancestor in the heavens and earth! Why is it appearing here?"

Yu Ding said, "Go protect Ling Zhu..."

"I'll handle it."

A soft call came from nearby, and a gust of clear wind blew swiftly, revealing Li Changshou's figure.

With his youthful face and true appearance.

Li Changshou narrowed his eyes and shot up into the sky.

Above the dark cloud, a ferocious face suddenly appeared, roaring silently at Li Changshou.

The Great Dao shook violently!

In the Li household, the infant in Yin Shi's arms trembled lightly, two black flames igniting in his bright eyes. Li Jing's heart quaked, but he restrained himself from drawing his sword.

A flash of jade light passed, and a small jade cauldron appeared at the infant's forehead, directly suppressing the flames in his eyes.

In the high sky, the dark cloud seemed to sense something, and that ferocious face showed urgency. The cloud transformed into a massive stone, hurtling down toward Li Changshou, intent on devouring him and then rushing into the Li household.

"Humph!"

Li Changshou's voice echoed for miles around: "What manner of demon dares to cause trouble in the territory guarded by a Human Teach disciple?"

He spread his left hand, the Ba Jiu Xuan Gong activating as a phantom emerged around him. Streams of light flashed in the high sky, weaving into a massive hand thousands of feet in diameter!

The Indestructible Law Body!

The hand surged upward, Li Changshou loosely clenched his left fist, as if effortlessly crushing the Sha gas. The massive stone and the ferocious face were directly shattered, the dark cloud exploding into wisps of Sha gas that scattered in all directions.

"Lü Shen Spear, come!"

Li Changshou called out lightly, and the small Lü Shen Spear in Jin Peng's hand on the East Sea vanished, slowly materializing in Li Changshou's loosely gripped left hand.

Li Changshou chanted, "All ghosts and demons shall be slain, all ten directions' Sha gas shall submit!"

The Lü Shen Spear transformed into a black dragon shadow, roaring skyward as streams of Sha gas flew toward it, swallowed whole by the dragon's maw.

In no time, the sky was clear of Sha gas.

In Yin Shi's arms, the tiny infant was now fast asleep, and the jade cauldron had vanished.

Li Changshou hovered in the air for a moment, waiting for the Lü Shen Spear to stabilize in his hand, then casually flung it. The spear turned into a black light shooting toward the East Sea, where Jin Peng caught it.

"The heavens and earth are bright and clear, my path is evident, the Human Teach is here, and demons are purged."

As he recited these words, Li Changshou's figure transformed into a shooting star heading toward the Ninth Heaven, his back exuding a carefree and unrestrained air, without a single glance back.

After all, his paper avatar was right there... ahem.

After all, a true man never looks back.