Chapter 682: Calculating Dragon Protecting the People's Way

"Nezha!""Nezha!""How dare your Dragon Palace bully my son like this!"

Cough! Ptooey—

On the pristine white sand, Nezha's small mouth spat out streams of water, and his round little belly quickly returned to normal. His tiny body lay limp there, as he weakly opened his eyes.

A familiar large face appeared from the side, filling Nezha's vision.

"Oh, Uncle Chang'an..."

"Young Master Nezha, you're awake?"

Li Changshou's face was etched with worry. He whispered, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Nezha opened his mouth, wanting to speak but unable to. He felt as though he had just woken from a nightmare, his head still aching, and vague images flashing through his mind, not quite clear.

He mumbled, "Wasn't I fighting with a few long worms?"

Li Changshou chuckled, "You must have been dreaming, Young Master Nezha. Don't think too much, just relax..."

"Hehe," Nezha smacked his lips and stretched out his small hands to Li Changshou, "Uncle Chang'an, carry me!"

"Come here," Li Changshou gently ruffled Nezha's head, then half-carried and half-supported him onto his shoulder. "Let's head back home."

He sighed inwardly, recognizing that while young Nezha was intelligent and had the judgment of a teenager or young adult, at his core, he was still a child.

Nezha was no longer paying much attention to what had happened. Limp on Li Changshou's shoulder, he groaned softly and weakly. His whole body ached, and his limbs felt cramped, truly like the symptoms of being exhausted from play.

*Huh, how come my clothes were changed? I didn't come out wearing this.*

A few question marks hung over Nezha's brow, but then his attention was drawn to a butterfly by the roadside, and he stared at it, lost in thought.

Li Changshou chuckled inwardly.

In the idealized version of "Nezha Fights the Dragons," young Nezha would be valiant and radiant, with his magical treasures at hand, truly living up to the name of a young hero. In reality, during "Nezha Fights the Dragons," he burned off his clothes soon after starting, wielding his Fire-tipped Spear while wearing only a red bellyband, charging back and forth with the spear in hand, truly living up to the name of... a little bare-bottomed kid.

He had a lot of spirit.

"Uncle Chang'an, did I kill a long worm?"

"Yes, and you were a bit out of control."

"But you just said I was dreaming, hah, hah-choo... I even heard my father's voice."

Li Changshou calmly replied, "You fainted in the sea, Young Master Nezha. Those young dragons were about to harm you, but your father arrived in time to save you."

"Where's Father?" Nezha blinked his big eyes and asked.

"The General was busy with military affairs, so he rushed back after saving you, Young Master Nezha."

"Oh," Nezha yawned, "Then I'll sleep for a bit... I'm so sleepy."

Li Changshou responded softly, gently patting Nezha's back until he slowly drifted off to sleep.

During his fight with Ao Bing's attendants, Nezha gradually released his innate evil aura to gain more spiritual power. This process was almost instinctual, a stress response for Nezha when encountering danger. For Nezha at this point, it was already a significant burden. Although young Nezha shouldn't be treated as an ordinary child, having fully merged with his past self in the womb, he had only been born for just over two years. His nature was too pure, and he didn't overthink things. In particular, Nezha had absolute trust in his Uncle Chang'an.

Li Changshou had downplayed the situation, but the circumstances at the time were far from simple. Ao Bing had set up a deadly trap to ensnare Nezha, using the Night Patrol Yaksha as bait to frame him. Ao Bing's motives were complex, somewhat twisted, and this was his chosen method of seeking self-affirmation. The plan progressed smoothly: Ao Bing's personal guards lured Nezha into the East Sea and then into the pre-arranged killing formation. This should have been a deadly trap, requiring Li Changshou to intervene immediately to rescue him.

But unexpectedly, the killing formation was shattered in a very short time. Nezha's innate evil aura and spiritual power erupted simultaneously, instantly engulfing Ao Bing and shattering his dragon soul with a single spear thrust. Seeing this, the other azure dragons quickly retreated. Just as Nezha was about to give chase, the bracelet on his wrist glowed softly, causing him to fall directly into a deep sleep.

As for Ao Bing, whose dragon soul had been shattered, a wisp of his remnant soul escaped into the void, seemingly heading towards the Investiture of the Gods platform beneath the Central Heavenly Gate. This, presumably, was the first primordial spirit to ascend the Investiture of the Gods list. Li Changshou's thoughts stirred, realizing he could seemingly prevent it, but he did nothing more, allowing Ao Bing to enter the Investiture of the Gods platform, to await his deification after the great tribulation.

After Nezha fainted, the attendant dragons, fearing punishment from the Dragon Palace, thought they might as well go all the way and capture Nezha to take him back to the Dragon Palace. Li Jing arrived in time. Although his cultivation wasn't sufficient to fight the attendant dragons, he protected Nezha by wielding his long sword and shouting angrily. The attendant dragons, flustered and knowing they were in the wrong, collected Ao Bing's corpse and hastily retreated, naturally uttering some harsh threats before leaving.

"Well, Li Jing! Well, Chentang Pass!""If you're brave, don't run!""You will surely feel the wrath of the dragon race!"

These were common threats, but Li Jing indeed felt some apprehension. Fortunately, Li Changshou timely reminded Li Jing to first go to Mount Qianyuan to invite True Immortal Taiyi for later assistance. Li Jing then entrusted Nezha to his most trusted immortal, and hurried off to Central Divine Continent.

This calculation involving the dragon race, leveraging Nezha, was a deeply far-reaching scheme by Li Changshou. Before the great tribulation had fully unfolded, Li Changshou had observed the dragon race for a long time. He noted their awakening "ancient noble spirit" and the tyrannical oppression they exerted over the sea creatures, a consequence of their newfound fortune from submitting to the Heavenly Court.

The dragon race could be seen as having four internal strata. At the highest level were the Four Sea Dragon Kings, various Grand Elders, and the ancient Elders who had long withdrawn from worldly affairs, dedicating themselves to suppressing the sea eyes. They formed the cornerstone of the dragon race and maintained its external deterrent power. Although they seemed to fade and have little effect when facing the oppressive might of the Western Sect's Sages, that was merely because the Sages' radiance was too dazzling.

The second stratum consisted of dragons born after ancient times, represented by the dragon princes and princesses. The third stratum was more complex, including high-ranking sea creatures, powerful transformed dragons, and numerous "mediocre dragons" with impure bloodlines who had lost their dragon glory. The fourth stratum primarily comprised transformed dragons and flood dragons, forming a significant portion of the dragon race's military strength. The sea creatures... in the eyes of the dragon race, didn't even deserve a stratum.

Previously, when the Western Sect dealt with the dragon race, they incited conflict between the fourth stratum and the first three. By exploiting the grievances of the immortal flood dragons and transformed dragons, they gained control over a large number of sea creatures, causing immense distress to the dragon race. However, this predicament only temporarily masked the internal conflicts within the dragon race. The dragons awakened a "racial spirit," filling sea eyes, overcoming difficulties, and submitting to the Heavenly Court, becoming an important aid during the Heavenly Court's weak period.

In reality, the core internal conflicts of the dragon race were never truly resolved. Most dragons were unwilling to accept their role as supporting characters in the grand scheme of heaven and earth, yet they were lost in ancient dreams, unwilling to awaken. This led to an accumulation of too much hierarchical pressure, which could cause the dragon race to collapse internally at any moment. Specifically, it was like Ao Bing, who chose to attack Nezha despite knowing his background and origins.

How long had it been since the dragon race submitted to the Heavenly Court? What would happen in the future?!

The current protagonists of heaven and earth were humans. Li Changshou could not allow a "dragon calamity" to occur in the future, harming countless mortals. At that time, he had pondered extensively, considering numerous possibilities, and determined that resolving the dragon race's internal conflicts would not affect his overall plan. Therefore, he chose to act cautiously. Half-coercing and half-assisting, he intended to let the Dragon Kings—these "first-stratum ancient dragons"—cleanse the dangerous elements within the dragon race and fundamentally alter their perception of the Primordial World. This would bring immense benefits to both humans and dragons.

The specific steps were somewhat complex and would unfold one by one later. Li Changshou did not provide the Dragon Kings with a precise script, which was his display of trust in seasoned strategists like the old Dragon Kings of the Primordial World. The core idea was for Li Changshou to provide external pressure—from the Heavenly Court, the Chan Sect, and humanity—three forces to suppress the dragon race internally, creating a coercive posture. The Dragon Kings would then reorganize the dragon race and fundamentally alter their collective self-perception. During this process, the Dragon Kings had to maintain a consistent stance with the other dragons to ensure internal stability within the race and their own authority.

The final outcome might be that the dragon race would harbor resentment towards the Heavenly Court, and no longer feel gratitude towards Taibai Jinxing. Ao Bing would become a Heavenly Court immortal, and the dragon race's ties to the Heavenly Court would become even more secure. The dragon race would avoid engaging in a struggle for supremacy with humanity, and humanity would be spared one disaster. The necessary objective was for the dragon race to humble themselves and accept the fact that they were merely one part of all living beings in heaven and earth. Arrogance was fine, but only within their own domain. Any defiance must be swiftly eliminated. Li Changshou did not intend for humanity to rule the dragon race; he merely wanted the dragons to peacefully procreate and thrive in the four seas, without developing ambitions to contend with humanity for control of the world. This was also a way for Li Changshou to protect the human path. He was a seasoned protector of the Dao.

Of course, Li Changshou's arrangements weren't solely concerned with the dragon race. As long as the subsequent plan remained under his control... Never mind, better to play it safe and not jinx it. He would intervene promptly to prevent Nezha's tragedy from unfolding. The Heavenly Dao needed a top enforcer. Humanity, created by Empress Nuwa using the primordial Dao body as a template, possessed potential no less than any other treasured physique. According to Li Changshou's current understanding of the Dao and his research into the Heavenly Dao, the lotus-body transformation for Nezha in the Heavenly Dao's script was actually centered on incense merits, which inherently limited Nezha's potential.

Ling Zhuzi had originally chosen to reincarnate as a human and cultivate anew, resolutely bidding farewell to the little rabbit because his path to cultivation was blocked. Since Li Changshou had promised Ling Zhuzi, he would naturally do his best to help him achieve perfection in the Great Dao. There was no perfect calculation or arrangement in the world, and this plan was no exception. The dragon race needed a sacrifice of sufficient significance, and Ao Bing was the chosen "destiny." Li Changshou sighed inwardly, offering no further comment on the matter.

Long ago, he had pondered whether everything he did was also part of the Heavenly Dao's script. But Li Changshou spent several decades and arrived at a precise conclusion. It was not. From then on, Li Changshou learned to "draw diagrams" in his mind, and then use ink and brush to write down calculations on cloth that benefited both himself and the Heavenly Dao. Deceiving the Heavenly Dao was something he had started doing more than six hundred years ago.

Ao Bing's death, in the end, was a choice made by the highest echelons of the dragon race. Although directly related to him as Taibai Jinxing, it was indeed the optimal solution for the crisis currently facing the dragon race. On the way back to Chentang Pass, Li Changshou felt as though he could hear the fizzing sound of a fuse rapidly burning, yet he couldn't help but want to smile. There was nothing he could do; young Nezha's snoring was louder.

***

Starry night, Li Manor.

Nezha was sound asleep in Madam Yin's room. In the main hall of the front courtyard, several prominent immortals from the Primordial World were seated: True Immortal Taiyi, the subtly profound True Immortal Yu Ding, Heavenly Court superstar Yang Jian, True Immortal Huang Long, who survived a great calamity but found no subsequent fortune, and one of Li Changshou's paper avatars.

Li Jing sat in the main seat, his eyes showing a touch of worry, but more prominently, determination and resolve.

Yang Jian noticed the silence in the hall had lasted too long and took the initiative to ask, "Are we certain the dragon race initiated the attack?"

"Indeed," Li Jing slowly nodded, speaking earnestly. "According to Nezha, the Third Dragon Prince enjoyed coming to Chentang Pass to seek pleasure with mortal women. Nezha had taught him a lesson several times, which is why the Third Dragon Prince harbored malicious intent and developed a killing desire."

True Immortal Yu Ding calmly said, "I'm just afraid the dragon race won't care about such details... After all, it was the Dragon King's own son who died."

True Immortal Huang Long pondered beside them, "This matter isn't so simple. Sometimes, the Dragon Kings must also consider the sentiments of the entire dragon race."

True Immortal Taiyi scoffed with a laugh, scolding, "They plotted and were killed by Nezha in retaliation, and now they have the audacity to demand my precious disciple admit guilt?"

True Immortal Huang Long quietly replied, "As Junior Brother Yu Ding said, it is the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace who died, after all."

"What?" True Immortal Taiyi calmly retorted, "Does a Dragon King's prince have more parts than other dragons?"

"Uncle, this is not the time for arguments," Yang Jian said gravely. "The dragon race has now submitted to the Heavenly Court. Before I arrived, I had someone investigate, and Ao Bing also held the position of an auxiliary deity for cloud and rain in the Heavenly Court. If the dragon race presses this matter, it would indeed be disadvantageous to us."

"There's no need to worry about the Heavenly Court," Li Changshou said with a smile. "Just focus on the dragon race."

True Immortal Taiyi wondered, "How did this little dragon prince become a Heavenly Court immortal? Are the Heavenly Court's standards so lenient?"

Li Changshou gravely explained, "The dragon race nominally falls under the jurisdiction of the Water God. I currently hold the position of Water God concurrently, but I had long ago delegated the authority to replace mortal cloud and rain envoys and water gods in various minor water systems to the Tongming Hall. Presumably, when the Tongming Hall saw that he was the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon King, they turned a blind eye and granted him the position of auxiliary deity."

True Immortal Yu Ding asked, "Could there be a scheme by the dragon race involved here?"

"There should be," Li Changshou nodded, his expression unperturbed. However, his arrangements concerning the dragon race were not convenient to mention to any friends or relatives.

"Alas," Li Jing sighed, "Now we can only adapt to whatever comes our way. Nezha is my third son, Li Jing's. Although I, Li Jing, am no great power or master of divine abilities, merely a mortal general, right and wrong reside in people's hearts. If the dragon race comes to cause trouble, we must ask them why they harbored such a cruel killing intent towards a child barely three years old!"

Boom—

No sooner had Li Jing finished speaking than a rolling thunder suddenly erupted overhead. The skies over Chentang Pass changed color, and the starry night was obscured by dark clouds. A torrential downpour began without warning. Mortals who had been active in the streets quickly rushed back to their homes for shelter, and the entire Chentang Pass swiftly fell silent.

The expressions of all the immortals in the hall were strikingly uniform—solemn.

The East Sea surged with layers of waves, crashing against the coastal cliffs. Suddenly, more than a dozen faint, ethereal pressures seemed to appear between heaven and earth. Within the low, heavy dark clouds above Chentang Pass, azure dragons surged up and down, their forms appearing and disappearing with the lightning and thunder, as they advanced to hover over the General's Residence.

"Where is Li Jing of Chentang Pass?"