Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

Li Mingzhu rode alone into the city, heading straight for the City Lord Mansion, intent on locating the Blood God Avatar of the Nether River. No matter what, confronting the Black Light City Lord was unavoidable.

Thus, Li Mingzhu wasted no time and decided to visit the City Lord Mansion first—his confidence in his abilities left no room for hesitation.

Though he was currently unable to utilize his physical strength, Li Mingzhu was unfazed, for his primary goal was to strengthen his Primordial Spirit cultivation and refine his Daoist prowess.

The Demon Clan world operated in this manner, and meanwhile, the Divine Enthronement calamity in the Primordial World continued to progress steadily.

Now, as for the Western Marquis Ji Chang, having foreseen Lei Zhenzi's birth through divination, he sought to find Lei Zhenzi but was ultimately beaten to it by Li Mingzhu. Despite feeling slight regret, Ji Chang paid little mind to it.

If Ji Chang knew how terrifying Lei Zhenzi would become in the future, he might have viewed the matter differently.

Ji Chang proceeded smoothly into Chaoge, although he was well-prepared for the perils ahead, knowing that the odds were against him.

Originally, the divination foretold that his entry into Chaoge would be fraught with danger but with the assistance of a sage, it would ultimately be a close call without disaster.

However, the divination later changed inexplicably, shifting from near escape to a dire catastrophe—this left Ji Chang deeply troubled as he made his way into Chaoge City.

In truth, the original sequence of events followed Ji Chang's calculations: although he encountered danger in Chaoge, Jiang Ziya's covert aid ensured no major issues.

But now, Li Mingzhu had driven Jiang Ziya out of Chaoge prematurely. Though Jiang Ziya escaped safely in the end, he was unable to shield Ji Chang.

Of course, Jiang Ziya narrowly escaped thanks to the intervention of the Chan Sect Golden Immortals after being escorted into Chaoge by Li Jing. Yet now, Jiang Ziya had snuck back into the city.

If Ji Chang could foresee the looming peril, Jiang Ziya, who deeply cared for his future sovereign, would certainly foresee it as well.

Accompanying Ji Chang into Chaoge were the other three Great Lords: the Eastern Marquis Jiang Hengchu, the Northern Marquis Chong Houhu, and the Southern Marquis E Chongyu.

The summoning of these four Great Lords to Chaoge was rooted in hidden schemes, most notably orchestrated in secret by Lady Xi.

That day in Yangxin Palace, Lady Xi rested upon King Zhou's chest, her fingers lightly tracing his skin as she slowly began, "My king, though the four Great Lords guard their respective territories, they wield immense power in their hands. Should they harbor treacherous thoughts, the consequences would be unimaginably dire!"

"Summon someone. Issue a decree for the four Great Lords to enter Chaoge!"

King Zhou, completely under Lady Xi's sway, complied without further thought.

"Beloved consort, if these four Great Lords harbor treachery, I shall issue such a decree and see if they dare come. If they do, I may just spare their lives for now!"

King Zhou sneered coldly. If they bore no treachery, they would have nothing to fear; if treachery lurked in their hearts, they would undoubtedly fear entering Chaoge.

What King Zhou failed to consider was that even without treachery, the four Great Lords would be wary of entering Chaoge, especially given their knowledge of Lady Xi's sinister designs. Apart from Chong Houhu, the other three cautiously prepared for the worst.

Chong Houhu was indifferent. The Chong clan had always been the most loyal supporters of Yin Shang.

Moreover, Chong Houhu had long bribed both loyal and treacherous ministers in court, ensuring his position was completely secure.

After the four Great Lords entered Chaoge, King Zhou received them immediately but refrained from taking action right away.

However, during this time, an event occurred that sparked overwhelming conflict between King Zhou and the Great Lords—or rather, between him and three of them.

Lady Xi secretly framed Queen Jiang, the daughter of the Eastern Marquis Jiang Hengchu, and not only blinded her but threw her into a pit crawling with venomous snakes—a punishment known as the Scorpion Pit Punishment.

The Scorpion Pit Punishment involved washing the victim clean, stripping them of their clothes, and throwing them into a pit filled with venomous insects and snakes to be devoured alive.

The Eastern Marquis was naturally a fiery and indignant man, more so than even Su Hu of Jizhou at the time—how could he endure such humiliation!

No matter if his daughter had committed heinous crimes, King Zhou's treatment of her was intolerable. Jiang Hengchu entered court unafraid, speaking his mind boldly. Not only did he berate King Zhou, but he also cursed the downfall of Yin Shang.

Naturally, Jiang Hengchu met a horrible end—King Zhou had him chopped into mincemeat. King Zhou, completely consumed by madness, now only heeded Lady Xi's words.

Even Grandmaster Wen, who had returned to Chaoge, received only lukewarm responses from King Zhou.

The Great Lords shared common cause. Ji Chang and E Chongyu naturally sought to plead on behalf of Jiang Hengchu, but their fates turned grim: one died, the other was imprisoned.

E Chongyu was directly roasted into jerky by King Zhou, while Ji Chang, thanks to Jiang Ziya's covert measures, suffered only imprisonment.

The three movements of the Divine Enthronement calamity began unfolding: the first was King Zhou's lewd poems and abduction of Daji; the second was the summoning of the four Great Lords into Chaoge.

The calamity grew increasingly intense, while the Demon Clan world's Li Mingzhu stepped into the City Lord Mansion at this critical juncture.

Releasing a faint aura, Li Mingzhu boldly announced his presence to the Black Light City Lord.

Standing before the square outside the main gate, Li Mingzhu gazed ahead, sensing the powerful aura slowly approaching and not daring to let down his guard.

"Well, I was just looking for you, kid. I didn't think you'd have the audacity to come directly to me!"

Just as Li Mingzhu expected to face the Spider Demon Black Light, he was surprised to see a figure shrouded in scarlet light.

Though its silhouette matched the Black Light's appearance recalled from Xu Yuan's memories, it was now cloaked in crimson radiance, its presence painfully piercing to the senses.

"Nether River!"

Li Mingzhu exclaimed in astonishment. He had anticipated the Nether River might possess Black Light, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

"Surrender, child, and let this old ancestor plant the Blood God Seed in you. Perhaps I might let you reign under my Shura Sect after we set forth!"

The Nether River laughed uproariously, brimming with confidence in his strength and having keenly discerned Li Mingzhu's condition with his physically impaired state.

This was precisely the source of his arrogance; the Nether River's discerning eyes revealed what Li Mingzhu had worked hard to conceal.

"Foolish ambitions! You seek me, but have I not sought you as well?"

Li Mingzhu unleashed his Heavenly Silk Ribbon cautiously—aware that his cultivation fell short of the Nether River's, prudence was necessary.

"Such trifling tricks? Witness this old ancestor's supreme techniques!"

The Nether River laughed heartily upon seeing Li Mingzhu resort to a defensive spiritual treasure like the Heavenly Silk Ribbon, interpreting it as a sign of weakness.

With a flick of his finger, several crimson threads materialized in the air, morphing into an incorporeal sword that shot directly toward Li Mingzhu.