Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

One's own pride, no matter how important, cannot compare to the lives of one's junior brothers. On this point, Yun Zhongzi was exceptionally clear.

"Good!"

Li Mingzhu did not refuse. In fact, if Yun Zhongzi hadn't arrived, he was troubled over how to deal with these people.

To truly kill them would certainly provoke Yuanshi Tianzun to come seeking vengeance, yet to let them go would leave him unsatisfied.

At this particular moment, Li Mingzhu found himself stuck in a dilemma. Now, with Yun Zhongzi offering a way forward, it was impossible for Li Mingzhu not to accept.

Though Yun Zhongzi was somewhat surprised by how quickly Li Mingzhu agreed, as long as the captives were released, everything else could be dealt with afterward.

Watching Yun Zhongzi and the other three leave, Li Mingzhu did not linger; he continued heading toward the North Sea.

To rescue someone from the hands of Li Mingzhu was certainly no simple matter. While nothing seemed unusual outwardly, Yun Zhongzi had paid a heavy price in private.

Of course, none of this was shown on the surface. Otherwise, why do you think Li Mingzhu agreed so readily?

While he fretted about how to deal with Ci Hang and the other two, when such an opportunity for extortion arose, would Li Mingzhu let it slip away?

Trading one person for an Innate Spiritual Treasure, even though the grade wasn't high, it was still an Innate Spiritual Treasure!

Upon returning to the North Sea, Li Mingzhu handed Huang Feihu over to Li Jing for reception and released the thirty thousand Flying Tiger Army. Li Mingzhu knew Li Jing would handle everything well.

As for himself, Li Mingzhu vanished instantly, entering the massive statue where preparations for carving a cave mansion were now urgent.

Although constructing a cave mansion was no simple matter, Li Mingzhu had enough manpower—those loose cultivators who had just finished refining the star flags were now recruited once more as laborers.

Li Mingzhu's statue, though large, was clearly insufficient as a fully functional cave mansion. However, employing spatial techniques resolved this issue.

The real difficulty lay in carving out the mansion's interior, which required meticulous work. Li Mingzhu and Lei Zhenzi worked tirelessly, day and night, to draw array maps.

These challenges, though requiring time and manpower, were ultimately solvable. The greatest difficulty lay in the final completion, which necessitated at least one Quasi-Saint to break through the primordial rules restricting it.

Only then could it be considered a true Immortal Cave Heaven.

To address this, Li Mingzhu personally made a trip to Wudang Mountain to seek the help of Wudang Saint Mother.

Knowing that her disciple was building a cave mansion, Wudang Saint Mother naturally wouldn't stand idly by. Not only did she personally prepare for the final process, but she also provided Li Mingzhu with an abundant supply of heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and rare exotic fruits.

Hailing from the era of the Heavenly Emperor and as a late-stage Quasi-Saint expert, Wudang Saint Mother's collection was naturally extraordinary, with every item being a rare gem.

The construction of a cave mansion certainly required such embellishments; otherwise, it would lack gravitas and invite ridicule.

Li Mingzhu himself might not care, but Wudang Saint Mother would never allow him to lose face. After all, once this cave mansion was completed, it was sure to host a grand feast for the Primordial World.

The construction was entirely the product of Li Mingzhu's labor. At the entrance to the cave mansion stood nine majestic peaks, forming an array. This formation had only one function—prohibition of flight.

In other words, anyone visiting Li Mingzhu's cave mansion would have to walk through the entrance, unless they possessed the ability to forcibly bypass the array.

These nine peaks were relocated by Li Mingzhu from the ruins of Buzhou Mountain using his Mountain Shifting Divine Ability, imbued with the wild aura of the Primordial World.

Rich in spiritual energy and towering ninety thousand feet high, their sheer grandeur was overwhelming.

Within the cave mansion, the first sight is a spiritual medicine field, enclosed within an array.

The most remarkable aspect of this field wasn't merely the array engineered by Li Mingzhu to accelerate the growth of spiritual medicine. With the incorporation of Wudang Saint Mother's collection, it now ranked among the finest spiritual medicine fields in the Primordial World.

Spiritual medicine, second only to Innate Spiritual Treasures, served as another hard currency in the Primordial World due to its indispensable utility in alchemy, survival, and cultivation.

Beyond the medicine field lay a serene lake with a monumental stone bearing the inscription "Qinghai."

This name was purely Li Mingzhu's indulgence, inspired by Earth's Qinghai Lake, though the two were entirely unrelated.

The lake nurtured numerous rare treasures of the Primordial World, adorned with blooming lotus flowers.

Elegant pavilions and towers stretched across the landscape. While his collection of spiritual roots and exotic fruits might pale in comparison to Golden Turtle Island, the architectural magnificence of his mansion far surpassed it.

Despite the novelty and splendor of these features, they were ultimately mere embellishments. What truly captivated was the celestial dome above.

Three hundred sixty-five major stars aligned according to celestial numerology, endlessly channeling star energy into the mansion.

Directly replacing spiritual energy with star energy showcased Li Mingzhu's remarkable wealth and audacity.

At the highest point near the celestial dome stood a lofty platform, designated as Li Mingzhu's place for enlightenment.

On this platform, one felt immersed in the starry cosmos—a perfect setting for enlightenment.

All these efforts culminated after a full five years. Time truly flowed like water; it passed in the blink of an eye.

Although Li Mingzhu rarely left the mansion during these five years, he stayed apprised of external affairs.

The tensions between the North Sea and Yin Shang persisted, but they never escalated into outright conflict again.

Meanwhile, the cave mansion's construction reached its final step.

"I must now trouble my master to take action!"

On the celestial dome's platform, Li Mingzhu bowed deeply toward Wudang Saint Mother standing before him.

"Why call it trouble? You've crafted quite an extraordinary cave mansion—far beyond even my own Wudang Mountain!"

Wudang Saint Mother marveled. Who could have imagined that Li Mingzhu, relying solely on his own ingenuity, had created such a masterpiece?

Surpassing even many naturally blessed Cave Heavens or Blessed Lands.

Stepping forward, Wudang Saint Mother unleashed a torrent of overwhelming power. Her late-stage Quasi-Saint cultivation was fully revealed in that moment.

"The heavens have four directions. Above is Eternity, below is Infinity. The universe is boundless—establish!"

With a gentle command, Wudang Saint Mother forcibly broke through the primordial rules, officially taking Li Mingzhu's mansion beyond such limitations.

Without this essential process, no matter how expertly Li Mingzhu crafted his mansion, it would remain just a cave—a far cry from a sanctified space for cultivation outside the rules.

Only by transcending the boundaries of this world could it qualify as true freedom, albeit relatively speaking.

The task completed, Wudang Saint Mother didn't say much to Li Mingzhu. She took a moment to recover on the spot, as the exertion had taken a significant toll on her.

Henceforth, the cave mansion was officially completed.

Li Mingzhu named it Star Cave Heaven, for its ultimate defensive formation was none other than the Celestial Star Battle Formation!