Chapter 685: My Father, Li Jing of Chen Tang

Today, Li Jing shed blood three feet high, fighting desperately with his life.

In the backyard of the Li residence, Li Jing's shouts echoed from the city walls, jolting young Nezha into action. He leaped up from his chair.

"Master! Someone is bullying my father!"

"Do not rush," Taiyi Zhenren replied calmly. "Your Uncle Yuding and Uncle Huanglong are hidden nearby, protecting your father. We just need to wait for the signal, then we can go out and take action."

"The signal?" Young Nezha tilted his head. "What signal?"

Taiyi Zhenren chuckled. "Of course, it's your elder— ahem, a master sending us a message."

As he spoke, Taiyi Zhenren lightly tapped his fingers, and a cloud mirror appeared before him, revealing the scene outside the Li residence.

Vast waters surged, filling the air with layers of mist and clouds. the Donghai waters swept onward, aiming to flood Chentang Pass, quickly breaching the dam-like city walls.

Houses in the city collapsed one after another. Around the Li residence, beams of immortal light emerged, forming a great array that shielded about a third of the city, holding back the endless seawater.

Yang Jian stood up, frowning. "If the ordinary people in the city are still there... will the Longzu pay with their lives?"

Taiyi Zhenren shook his head without a word, while young Nezha clenched his fists.

"Master, the flood has come!

That's my favorite teahouse, and the steamed bun shop, and Aunt Cai's fruit stall!

Who did this!"

"Didn't you kill a young dragon?" Taiyi Zhenren said indifferently. "His family must be behind it. Don't worry, everyone has been evacuated in advance. The Longzu is wealthy enough—after the battle, we can make them pay a hundredfold compensation on the spot."

Nezha was stunned, his small fists tightening.

That young dragon had called himself some kind of prince, and "prince" sounded quite formidable.

Woo—

A deep horn sounded from the clouds.

The boundless seawater crashed against the array barrier of the city, making it flicker constantly.

The mists above Chentang Pass parted, and four elderly figures with dragon heads descended slowly on clouds—it was the Long Wang of the Donghai, Nanhai, Xihai, and Beihai!

Li Jing narrowed his eyes slightly and declared loudly, "The Longzu floods Chentang Pass—I will take this matter to the Tianting for justice!"

"Li Jing," one of the old Long Wang stepped forward slowly, his voice cold, "do you admit that your third son killed my son Ao Bing?"

"The Longzu only cares about the outcome, not the cause?"

Li Jing took a deep breath. "Indeed, my son killed your son. We are both fathers here, so we should settle this in battle!

Why take it out on the people of Chentang Pass?"

The Si Hai Long Wang fell silent, while dragon heads emerged from the nearby clouds, snarling at Li Jing:

"Who made you the commander of Chentang Pass!"

"Li Jing, you've insulted our Longzu time and again—this is the price!"

"Price? Ha, ha, ha, ha ha!"

Li Jing laughed in fury, striding forward as if on a stairway of clouds, positioning himself between heaven and earth.

Below him raged the floodwaters, with shrimp soldiers and crab generals beginning to appear, while above loomed endless dark clouds and dragons writhing within them.

Humans often take on challenges beyond their means.

But sometimes, there is no retreating, no bowing your head.

Retreat brings endless regret, and submission makes life unbearable!

Li Jing's green sword trembled in his hand, his long hair whipped in the wind, his robes fluttered, and his eyes burned with anger as an orange flame ignited in his Dao heart.

Those who bully others shall be utterly destroyed!

"A battle!"

"Then we'll oblige you!"

A massive dragon covered in fiery red scales burst from the dark clouds, its hundred-zhang-wide claw smashing toward Li Jing's forehead, as if to drive Chentang Pass straight into the ground!

Li Jing showed no fear, even feeling the overwhelming pressure that could shatter his organs. He swung his sword, tracing paths of sword light through the air.

Sword energy soared, shadows intertwined like jagged teeth, meeting the dragon claw head-on.

One sword illuminates the martial arts of the Da Shang, chanting the verses of the Shang Qing!

Ding, ding ding ding—

The sword energy struck the massive claw, causing it only to tremble slightly.

The dragons in the clouds sneered maliciously, as if the mortal below was about to be crushed!

Dao rhythms exploded, and a jade-colored halo swept in all directions. The dragon claw, carrying immense power, suddenly froze in place. The gale it stirred still rushed downward, but the claw hung eerily suspended in midair.

Beneath the claw, directly above Li Jing, stood a seemingly ordinary figure with no remarkable features, hands clasped behind his back, enveloped in the shadow of a four-legged square cauldron.

The newcomer was Yuding Zhenren.

Yuding Zhenren pressed his hand downward, and Li Jing's upward-rushing figure slowly descended back toward the flooded Chentang Pass.

Yuding Zhenren sighed softly, "The Longzu still has a way out at this point."

The Donghai Long Wang frowned in silence, and from beside him, a Longzu elder charged forward with a roar, unleashing dozens of streams of light toward Yuding Zhenren.

Yuding Zhenren shook his sleeve, and the shadow of the great cauldron around him soared into the sky, expanding in the wind. In an instant, it grew to a thousand zhang in diameter, absorbing the elder's attacks completely.

"Since you are obstinate."

Yuding Zhenren slowly closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them, his gaze turning a pale jade color. He looked up in fury at the dragons in the sky and shot upward!

"Then I shall help you see the light."

Roar—

From the Li residence, nine fiery dragons soared into the sky.

The Xihai Long Wang and Beihai Long Wang moved simultaneously. The moment Yuding Zhenren plunged into the clouds, hundreds of dragons transformed into human form, unleashing divine powers and treasures to suppress him.

In battles of many against one, size was a disadvantage, a lesson the Longzu had learned from ancient wars.

As the two Long Wang waved their sleeves and clashed directly with Yuding Zhenren, the battle erupted in full force!

Taiyi Zhenren stepped forward, his red Daoist robes billowing, his mouth sealed by immortal power, uttering not a word.

The reason was simple—the Longzu had far too many experts. Even with Taiyi and Yuding joining forces, they couldn't hold them all back. Though Yuding Zhenren was fighting at full strength, too many could stall him for moments.

Taiyi Zhenren held the Shenhuo罩 in his palm and rushed toward Yuding Zhenren, but he was quickly surrounded by Longzu experts.

Yang Jian leaped up with his spear, soaring directly into the sky, brandishing its blade without a word.

Against the Sixth Sage, Yang Jian would state his name.

Against these Longzu members, he owed them nothing.

Above Chentang Pass, the Chan Sect's Three Immortals charged into the dragon array!

Li Jing gritted his teeth, a faint flame burning on his forehead as he turned into a streak of white light, rushing skyward with his gaze locked on the Donghai Long Wang!

Seeing this, the Donghai Long Wang struck suddenly, pressing his palm downward. Dozens of water columns erupted from the city's flood, transforming into massive blue hands that smashed wildly toward Li Jing.

Li Jing's sword glowed chaotically, sword energy weaving through the air as he dodged left and right, but his cultivation was limited, and he was soon overwhelmed, struck by the converging water columns. He spat blood and was slammed back onto the roof of a tall building in the city, crashing through it.

"Husband—"

On a distant mountain outside the city, Yin Shi nearly fainted, her attempt to rush forward restrained by a paper Daoist with immortal power.

The Donghai Long Wang half-lowered his eyes, a hint of hesitation flashing in them, but he raised his palm again.

"Do not harm my father!"

A childish cry rang out as a streak of light shot from the Li residence's array, arcing over the flooded land and transforming into a young boy.

The Huntian Ling trailed behind him, his spear wrapped in flames, the Feng Huo Lun whirring beneath his feet, and the Qian Kun Quan leaving trails of afterimages around him.

The bracelet on his left wrist lit up with two nodes.

Nezha's eyes reflected twin flames as he hovered above the broken roof, taking a deep breath.

The Long Wang's palm descended again, now forming a green claw only dozens of zhang wide, with swirling black energy at its center.

The Dao rhythm nearly shredded Nezha's primordial spirit.

Nezha roared, the third node on his wrist about to light up.

But then came a light touch on his shoulder.

Nezha was still a child, and he turned in confusion, his attention easily diverted, much like how his primordial spirit rivaled that of a Jinxian yet he was unskilled in immortal senses.

"Father..."

Nezha called out blankly, watching the familiar figure beside him who held him back and looked up at the sky.

He instinctively reached out, but Li Jing, enveloped in flames, was moving quickly. Nezha's small hand could only grasp at his father's retreating back.

In his Dao heart, something seemed to stir gently.

"Nezha, cultivation and study both require diligence—do not be so lazy!

Treasures are for your protection, not for mischief! If you use them to tease others again, I will take them and discuss it with your master!

My son Nezha, I can only teach you the principles of being a person—I cannot walk your path for you.

Do not waste your talents, but do not pressure yourself too much.

You are not yet a full month old—how can I say these things to you... Your life is for yourself, do not make it too exhausting.

As long as I am alive, you do not have to live for any mission or expectations."

In his sight, the massive claw swept down.

Nezha did not know why a myriad of emotions welled up within him—emotions that seemed his own, yet not.

Li Jing looked up and roared, his sword coated with layers of primordial spirit power, his entire body enveloped in golden light—the glow of his primordial spirit burning fiercely.

The commander of Chentang Pass, Li Jing, stands here!

Sword rises to transcend immortality, my will transcends heaven!

"Ah—"

Amid the roar, sword light erupted, but against the claw, it was like a candle in a storm, on the verge of being extinguished.

High in the sky, Yuding Zhenren and Taiyi Zhenren abruptly turned.

Yang Jian sensed something amiss and quickly opened his third eye on his forehead, firing a divine light toward the Donghai Long Wang's claw!

"Qian—Kun—Quan!"

A light shout, filled with boundless fury, burst from behind Nezha!

Time seemed to slow for an instant. A golden light flashed, and Li Jing's figure was strangely flung sideways. Upon closer inspection, the Qian Kun Quan had ensnared him, pulling him far to the left.

The hidden Jinpeng bird sighed in relief, having been just a moment away from rushing out to save him.

Even if it meant facing his master's punishment later, he could not watch such a man be slain by the Long Wang.

Right then!

Above the flooded Chentang Pass, a spear shot like an arrow from a string, its flames exploding once, then again, instantly growing to hundreds of zhang wide and shattering the claw's shadow directly!

Shards of fire rained down, and the world suddenly darkened.

"You want to kill my father?"

A cold, menacing growl echoed through the heavens. the Donghai Long Wang frowned and looked downward.

There, young Nezha had his eyes closed, but behind him appeared a boy shrouded in black energy. The boy opened his eyes, looked up at the sky, and the voice came from his mouth.

"Humph!"

The Long Wang snorted coldly, and from beside him, two old dragons advanced—one holding a sword, the other a spear—their gazes fixed on Nezha.

Nezha suddenly formed sword fingers with both hands, his body enveloped in flames. The figure behind him and his own small form closed their eyes simultaneously and spoke together, their voices merging.

"Dao origin exists, laws give form, two return to one, true spirit endures."

The boy's shadow turned into wisps of black energy that entered Nezha's body. Nezha's form slowly grew, his short robe tearing at the seams, his hair ties undoing themselves into fiery red locks.

He reached out, and the Huojian Qiang spiraled through the air with a clang, grasped firmly in his hand.

His shoulders shuddered slightly, and four arms emerged behind him, holding the Qian Kun Quan, Huntian Ling, Yin Yang Jian, and Jin Zhuan!

The witchcraft battle method, Huoshen Fati.

"Ling Zhu Zi..."

Taiyi Zhenren's voice trembled as he called out.

"Master," the teenage Nezha looked up at the Donghai Long Wang, "your disciple Nezha, born in Chentang Pass with human roots, my primordial spirit tainted by killing energy.

If today I completely lose control, please, Master, suppress me. Though I die, I will have no regrets."

The Feng Huo Lun emitted a piercing whistle, flames gathering around Nezha as he seemed to stand on a drawn bowstring, pulling it tighter and tighter!

The spear-wielding old dragon said lowly, "Nezha! If you end your life here today, we will spare your family's lives."

"End my life?"

Nezha scoffed coldly, his spear pointing diagonally at the sky. "Even if I'm killed by you today, I will drag you down with me.

My father said, a man should live to punish the strong and aid the weak!

Today, your Longzu destroys Chentang Pass—we shall fight to the death and see whose Dao is superior!

My father is Li Jing, commander of Chentang Pass!

Feng Huo Lun!

Go—"

That day, a sun hung over Chentang Pass.

That day, the three-section bracelet on Nezha's wrist quietly shattered.

Blazing light filled the eyes, seawater blanketed the sky.

The dragons' roars continued endlessly as the figure in the air wielded his spear swiftly, killing energy coiling around him, yet his eyes remained clear.

But in the end, he was outnumbered.

When dragon blood stained the flooded land, several figures were trapped near the Li residence's array, surrounded by countless dragon elders.

Yuding Zhenren strained to maintain a barrier with his immortal power, Taiyi Zhenren had blood at his lips, Yang Jian's armor was shattered, his muscular body covered in wounds, yet he still supported his master's barrier.

Nezha was nearly exhausted, kneeling on the water's surface with his spear, struggling to rise, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Li Jing was even more weakened, the cost of burning his primordial spirit leaving him unable to move a finger.

"Nezha..."

Li Jing called softly.

Nezha gave a bitter smile and murmured, "It was my recklessness that brought disaster to Chentang Pass."

"Are you... that boy?" Li Jing asked tremulously.

Nezha shook his head gently. "I am your third son, Nezha."

"Ah, in the end, it was father's uselessness," Li Jing sighed lightly, speaking weakly, "but remember, this is not your fault—it's just that justice and righteousness sometimes arrive late.

Things in the world are often like this.

Do not let this breed hatred or resentment in you. Stay on the righteous path, and live without regret..."

He propped himself up with his broken sword and sat up, softly calling to Taiyi Zhenren. Taiyi suddenly struck, a finger sealing Nezha's severely weakened primordial spirit.

Li Jing smiled at Nezha, his figure enveloped in the last bit of immortal power, slowly floating upward.

High in the sky, the Donghai Long Wang gestured, and the streams of light paused as all eyes fixed on Li Jing.

Li Jing flew out of Yuding Zhenren's barrier, gripping his broken sword and standing tall, saying calmly,

"Today, I, Li Jing, offer my life to atone for the life of the Donghai Longgong's Third Prince."

A Longzu elder said lowly, "Do you admit your guilt?"

Li Jing turned to glance at Nezha, whose eyes were wide, and replied indifferently,

"I am only atoning—what guilt is there?

Your Longgong is neither the Renhuang nor the Tianting—what right do you have to judge Li Jing's guilt?"

That elder cursed loudly, "Unrepentant! Kill them all!"

Li Jing tightened his grip on the sword hilt, glaring angrily at the hundreds of dragon elders in the sky, his body trembling...

"Good, I..."

Just as Li Jing's word "admit" was about to escape, a cold hum descended from the air. The sky, once filled with dark clouds, was suddenly pierced by a beam of sunlight.

A white-haired Daoist sat cross-legged on the clouds, his figure slowly descending.

He held a dust whisk, with a small pagoda floating on his shoulder and the Yin Yang Taiji Tu swirling behind him. Normally benevolent, his face was now cold.

As profound Dao rhythms flowed out, the dragons fell silent instantly.

His gaze swept over them, and no one dared meet his eyes.

With a sweep of his dust whisk, the dark clouds were pierced by beams of golden light, pillars connecting heaven and earth, from which emerged ranks of orderly golden-armored Tianbing.

Screech—

An eagle's cry pierced the air from a corner of Chentang Pass's walls as a Jinpeng spread its wings and instantly appeared in the sky, blocking in front of Li Jing.

Yuding Zhenren shook his head slightly, cupping a small cauldron in his palm as he stood again.

In the distance, dozens of streams of light shot from the west, the first being a middle-aged Daoist—the immortal who strikes the golden bell at Yuxu Palace, Guangchengzi.

Behind him were Huanglong Zhenren with a complex expression, Chijingzi with burning anger in his eyes, and Yunzhongzi, Manjushri, Puxian...

One by one, the Sage's disciples, the high figures of the Chan Sect.

Li Changshou glanced at the Chan Sect arrivals, then looked down at the group of dragon elders, sweeping his dust whisk again. Massive waves exploded over the Donghai, condensing into dragons wrapped in dense Heavenly Dao power, sealing the Longzu's escape routes.

His calm voice echoed everywhere, asking the Longzu,

"Who among you just said he is guilty?"

(End of chapter)