Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

The Qiankun Ring shot out from Li Mingzhu's hand, streaking across the air like a falling meteor, carving a graceful arc before colliding directly with the beam of light.

No technique was at play, only a battle of pure strength!

Head-on clash!

Li Mingzhu, now at the Fourth Transition of the Nine Revolution Profound Skill, still struggled against the overwhelming force of the beam of light. It took immense effort for the Qiankun Ring to finally neutralize it.

As the light dissipated, the Qiankun Ring returned to Li Mingzhu's hand, but the surrounding seas remained eerily silent.

It seemed as if Aoguang had vanished entirely, as though he intended not to make another move against Li Mingzhu.

This was neither normal nor plausible. Li Mingzhu instinctively scanned the surroundings, finding nothing unusual, yet his gut told him the danger was far from over.

Sure enough, the tranquility did not last long. A whistling gust swept in as massive waves surged forth.

Eighteen tornadoes were roaring in from all directions. It appeared that this old dragon wouldn't rest until Li Mingzhu was dead.

Li Mingzhu leaped into the sky, his Red Armillary Sash transforming into a colossal curtain that instantly sealed all directions.

"Do you really think possessing an Innate Spiritual Treasure makes you invincible?"

A mocking voice echoed from nowhere. Immediately, the eighteen tornadoes struck the Red Armillary Sash. Though the Sash blocked all of them, the sheer force sent Li Mingzhu hurtling hundreds of feet away.

It was the same method Duobao had once used, piercing Li Mingzhu's defenses with overwhelming Daoist prowess. By leveraging his superior cultivation level, he managed to injure Li Mingzhu beyond the protection of the Red Armillary Sash.

Of course, Aoguang's cultivation and Daoist skills could not compare to Duobao's. Yet, accomplishing such a feat was well within his abilities.

To put it simply, once one's cultivation reached the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm—assuming their progress wasn't artificially forced—it marked a qualitative leap, granting miraculous powers. Even if their usable mana was at the level of the Primordial Spirit, their might was unparalleled.

Blood trickled from the corner of Li Mingzhu's mouth as he stared at the swirling vortex in the sea ahead. From it emerged a middle-aged man clad in a golden dragon robe, a jade crown atop his head, and twin horns protruding from it. Slowly, the figure strode forward.

"So, you're Li Mingzhu? Truly a prodigy blessed with fortune. But alas, you killed my third son. Your life will pay for his!"

Aoguang's cold voice resounded, offering unreserved praise for Li Mingzhu, yet brimming with murderous intent.

"Kill!"

Li Mingzhu wasted no words. Engaging in dialogue with Aoguang was fruitless; mere reasoning wouldn't spare him. What use was there in trying?

Rather than wasting energy arguing with Aoguang, he'd focus on finding a way to escape. Though it seemed like a deathtrap, Li Mingzhu had never ceased to fight for survival.

After his roaring declaration, Li Mingzhu wielded the three-foot Magic Sword in his left hand and the Dragon Slayer Saber in his right, both having reached the True Intent level of magic.

All techniques under heaven can be reduced to five stages: the Prototype of Technique, True Form of Technique, True Intent of Technique, True God of Technique, and ultimately the Realm of Universal Consistency.

Li Mingzhu's three-foot sword had already broken through to the True Form level before arriving at Golden Turtle Island. Three years of secluded cultivation had further elevated it to the True Intent level. Similarly, after slaying Ao Bing, the Dragon Slayer Saber had also reached the level of True Intent.

Now unleashing both sword and saber, Li Mingzhu aimed to carve a path to survival. As for killing the old dragon, he had no such illusions for the time being. When he advanced to the Fifth Transition of the Nine Revolution Profound Skill or entered the Daluo Realm, he'd then return to cook the old dragon alive.

For now, unable to provoke his foe, he'd rather flee.

Watching the simultaneous onslaught of sword and saber, a flicker of astonishment crossed Aoguang's face. A mere Profound Immortal had brought two great Divine Skills to the True Intent level of mastery. If allowed to grow further, what dire consequences would follow?

Yet, Aoguang neither dodged nor evaded. His golden dragon claw, as sturdy as forged steel, reached out to intercept the sword and saber head-on.

A clash erupted between claw, saber, and sword, scattering sparks in every direction. Waves towering several hundred feet surged across the sea below.

To Li Mingzhu's surprise, despite the slight intelligence his True Intent-level sword and saber had gained, they recoiled upon realizing they were no match for Aoguang, opting for long-range attacks instead.

Given Aoguang's displayed might, it seemed unlikely he'd allow the blade and sword such leeway. And yet, inexplicably, they succeeded.

It seemed that beyond a certain distance, Aoguang's pressure waned. Yes, it was the distance!

Li Mingzhu's eyes lit up with realization, followed by a hearty laugh.

"Aoguang, since this is merely your external avatar, excuse this poor Daoist for taking his leave!"

With a roaring laugh, Li Mingzhu invoked the Shrinking Ground to Inches technique to escape beyond the reach of the avatar, wasting no time as he summoned his Starship and plunged into the chaos beyond.

An external avatar—this was a Divine Skill that could only be cultivated upon reaching the Daluo Realm. Not all Daluo Golden Immortals bothered to learn it.

How should one put it? While this skill had its marvels and could assist with the path of severing one's karmic ties, it was ultimately somewhat underwhelming.

The avatar could exhibit at least eighty percent of the main body's power but could not move once it engaged in battle. This was why, upon realizing Aoguang was merely an avatar, Li Mingzhu laughed so triumphantly.

Meanwhile, in a secluded chamber of the Crystal Palace in the East Sea, Aoguang's true body sat cloaked in frost. The killing intent roiling off him like a hurricane made it clear that, through his connection with the avatar, he was already aware of Li Mingzhu's escape.

"Once this king emerges from seclusion, having advanced to the Great Perfection stage of the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm, I will exact vengeance. Even if you are Wudang Saint Mother's disciple, this king will kill you to avenge my son!"

The voice, filled with seething hatred, echoed icily within the chamber.

The entire Primordial World lay shrouded in chaos. Directly in contact with this chaos was the Primordial Starry Sky, once the Demon Clan's playground. Now, apart from the Thirty-Three Layered Heaven Palace, the Primordial Starry Sky was a desolate void.

To reach the Chaos Bell and seek out Nuwa, Li Mingzhu first had to traverse the Primordial Starry Sky. The Starship gifted by Duobao, though merely a middle-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, was sufficient for crossing both starry skies and chaos.

Without this artifact, Li Mingzhu wouldn't have had a way to reach the chaos. Chaos was so turbulent that, save for those at the Daluo Realm or wielding supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, contact spelled certain death.

The Starship was an exception, created at the juncture of the starry skies and the edge of chaos. Though its grade was not high and it held no offensive power, it could safely traverse both chaos and the starry skies.

If not for this treasure, Li Mingzhu wouldn't have dared to consider venturing into the chaos to find Nuwa.

Yet, after the battle with Aoguang's avatar, a question lingered in Li Mingzhu's mind. According to his past-life memories, wasn't Nezha an equal match for the old dragon? Why, then, was he incapable of contending with even Aoguang's avatar? It was baffling.

The answer was simple: a mere two words—cultivation level!

Nezha, apprenticed to Taiyi, was lavished with Golden Core Strange Fruits to the point of extravagance. Within a few years, he reached the Golden Immortal Realm, perhaps even the Taiyi Golden Immortal level, rendering him incomparable to Li Mingzhu's current state as a Profound Immortal.

It wasn't that Li Mingzhu had failed to consider this. Such details were rarely documented, after all.

This is why later Saints reflected that blindly believing in writings could be worse than having no writings at all. Of course, the current Li Mingzhu wouldn't place much trust in his past-life memories, either.

Crossing the Thirty-Three Layers of Heaven, the chaos now lay before him.