Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

Aoguang successfully escaped, but Li Mingzhu was not angered. After all, he knew achieving such results in this battle was already an arduous task.

If it were an ordinary Daluo Golden Immortal at perfection, facing Li Mingzhu's Treasure Lotus Lamp and Yang Chan's Seven Stars Chasing Moon Whip at Chentang Pass, death would be inevitable. Yet Aoguang's physical body was truly too formidable.

This was especially so when Aoguang, in his wrath, leveraged the extraordinary strength of his physical body to contend head-on against Li Mingzhu and his allies. If Aoguang had fully unleashed his cultivation and physical prowess, even with the advantages brought by two Spiritual Treasures, suppressing Aoguang would still have been nearly impossible.

Indeed, one must not underestimate the people of this world. Li Mingzhu sighed in his heart. He had originally thought that with the Treasure Lotus Lamp and Yang Chan's assistance, defeating Aoguang wouldn't pose much of a challenge.

"Mingzhu?"

Yin called out, interrupting Li Mingzhu's thoughts and pulling him out of his pondering.

"Mother, your child is here. What are your instructions?" Li Mingzhu quickly replied.

"Mingzhu, take Chan'er immediately to Nuwa Palace. Even with his audacity, Aoguang wouldn't dare act unruly in Nuwa's Daoist School!"

Yin spoke in an extremely resolute tone, leaving no room for Li Mingzhu to doubt her words. Yet Li Mingzhu could never agree.

"Mother, I cannot leave. If I go, what will happen to you and father? What about the citizens of this entire city? Moreover, even if it's the Four Seas Dragon Kings, what can they truly do to me?"

Li Mingzhu replied firmly, with a tone both respectful yet insistent.

"Ah! Well then, let our family face this together."

Yin sighed helplessly but smiled brightly as she spoke.

The passage of time often goes unnoticed. While Zhu Xiong downed three bowls of liquor, a sudden shift in wind and clouds occurred outside Chentang Pass.

Dark clouds that blotted out the sun surged like a storm, sweeping above Chentang Pass. On these black clouds, the Four Seas Dragon Kings stood clearly visible.

Though the Four Seas Dragon Kings arrived in grand, imposing manner, they had not brought their subordinates, likely understanding that mere shrimp soldiers and crab generals would be of little use here.

Aoguang returned, and the once charred and tattered golden-yellow robe he wore was now renewed and pristine. Meanwhile, the other three Dragon Kings donned robes of orange, blue, and green respectively.

Truth be told, were it not for these distinct robe colors, Li Mingzhu might truly have struggled to distinguish between the Four Seas Dragon Kings.

This time, Aoguang had grown wiser, avoiding pointless banter with Li Mingzhu or Li Jing. The Four Dragon Kings hovered mid-air, looking down upon Li Mingzhu and his companions.

"Aoguang, you oily old eel! Why have you returned, and brought along three slimy eels too?" Li Mingzhu laughed, addressing the Four Seas Dragon Kings hovering above.

"Li Mingzhu, I have no interest in exchanging useless words. I ask you directly—do you dare face me in battle?"

Aoguang seemed to have honed his temperament greatly. Despite Li Mingzhu's taunt calling him an "old eel," Aoguang surprisingly showed no anger.

"So you demand I come up to fight? Why can't you come down here instead?"

Li Mingzhu snorted, refusing to fall for the trick.

A great mass of black clouds held only four figures. If there wasn't a hidden scheme amidst this, Li Mingzhu wouldn't believe it even if beaten to death.

"Very well, I shall descend! Today, I will take your life!"

Aoguang laughed loudly before descending from the clouds, landing directly before Li Mingzhu and his allies—a development that puzzled and unsettled Li Mingzhu.

After all, he had already set up twenty-four arrays across the ground. Li Mingzhu couldn't believe Aoguang hadn't noticed them.

"I am here. Prepare for death!" Aoguang laughed heartily, striding forward without the slightest regard for the meticulously laid arrays or the presence of Li Mingzhu and company.

"Since you seek death, it's only fitting that I grant it!"

Though perplexed, Li Mingzhu swiftly activated the jade scroll in his hand. In an instant, all twenty-four arrays activated, forming an evolving manifestation of the Twenty-four Heavenly Realms.

At the same time, the Treasure Lotus Lamp ascended above Li Mingzhu's head, casting a radiant seven-colored light that shielded him from Aoguang's attacks, rendering him uninvadable by all methods.

"Impressive arrays, truly worthy of being creations of the Jie Sect. Admirable Spiritual Treasure too. Yet, today you are destined to perish here nonetheless."

Aoguang sneered coldly, holding four Dragon Balls—one from each of the Four Seas Dragon Kings. Together, these Dragon Balls possessed power akin to four high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.

"Seal!"

Aoguang roared, ignoring the onslaught of attacks from the arrays as they were incapable of truly wounding him.

"Be careful, Brother Mingzhu!"

Yang Chan suddenly shouted, having realized what Aoguang intended to do. This was a technique once devised by the Demon Clan to counter the Witch Clan.

Aoguang wasn't attempting to seal Li Mingzhu himself. He aimed to seal the rules and stability of this Fangzhang Heaven, mirroring the Demon Clan's Celestial Star Battle Formation of old, though on a smaller scale.

Sealing the heavens, obscuring the rules!

Though Li Mingzhu hadn't uncovered Aoguang's intentions, he instinctively sensed danger and attempted to retreat. Unfortunately, Aoguang had already completed the sealing of this Fangzhang Heaven.

Not only could outsiders no longer enter, but those inside could not leave. Furthermore, the rules of this pocket of heaven had faded, allowing Aoguang to fully utilize his perfected Daluo Golden Immortal cultivation.

"Run? Do you think you can escape?"

Within the sealed Fangzhang Heaven, only Li Mingzhu and Aoguang remained. Li Mingzhu had tried to retreat upon sensing trouble following Yang Chan's warning, but Aoguang's sealing was already absolute.

"I've always said: Spiritual Treasures are powerful, but true cultivation and Daoist prowess are what matter most! Dragon God Roar!"

Aoguang advanced leisurely, pushing towards Li Mingzhu. At this point, he no longer wished for a swift kill. He intended to savor slowly tormenting this audacious youth.

The Dragon God Roar erupted like an abyssal thunder. Though most of its force was blocked by the Treasure Lotus Lamp, its lingering tremors still made Li Mingzhu's scalp crawl.

"I never imagined you would possess a supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. What a shame you haven't refined it. Hand it over!"

Aoguang chuckled, his enormous dragon claw reaching for the Treasure Lotus Lamp. Despite the lamp's desperate resistance, it was helpless against Aoguang's overwhelming might—only a step away from the power of a Quasi-Sect Leader.

Li Mingzhu remained silent, even as the Treasure Lotus Lamp was snatched away. His mind was calm as still water, focused solely on finding a path to escape.

Yet despite all his strategies, no means to break through the Fangzhang Heaven emerged.

The only potential source of escape—the explosive power of the Treasure Lotus Lamp—had already been taken. Even as he maintained a tranquil heart, Li Mingzhu knew the peril this time was grave.

"Li Mingzhu, you stand at the precipice of death—any last words?"

Aoguang laughed heartily, relishing the difficulty of killing this boy.

"Sword, come forth!"

Li Mingzhu did not respond, instead summoning the three-foot Magic Sword embodying the True Intent of Magic into his grip. Eschewing flying-sword techniques, he charged directly toward Aoguang with the blade in hand.

Competing with Aoguang in Daoist cultivation was unrealistic—perhaps close-quarters combat leveraging his own Fourth Transition Profound Skill body offered a glimmer of hope.

Li Mingzhu, accustomed to adapting seamlessly to different situations, was already familiar with such strategies.

"Indeed, you truly court death. I was inclined to let you live a while longer, but since you seek your end, you'll have none but yourself to blame."

Aoguang snorted coldly, summoning a massive Big Halberd that he swung downward with immense force.

Li Mingzhu met the blow with his sword, deflecting the halberd but being sent flying several zhang away.

Their first close-quarters exchange left Li Mingzhu with no glaring disadvantages, yet he could only barely hold his ground under Aoguang's immense pressure.

Compared to a one-sided exchange of purely Daoist cultivation, this outcome was already respectable. Li Mingzhu charged again, employing the Broken Sword Formation.

However, Aoguang appeared increasingly disinterested in prolonging the fight. Like a mountain descending upon him, Aoguang's golden claw struck fiercely.

Li Mingzhu felt an overwhelming force like a tidal wave surging at him—a power he was utterly unable to resist. He couldn't even react in time to activate the Mixed Heaven Silk.

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion resounded, and as the smoke cleared, Li Mingzhu's figure was nowhere to be seen.

Outside Fangzhang Heaven, Yang Chan and Yin burst into tears, unable to accept that Li Mingzhu had perished.

Li Jing shook his head and sighed. Though he believed Li Mingzhu couldn't have died so easily, the evidence seemed irrefutable.

Aoguang wore a broad smile. At last, he had rid himself of this thorn in his side. As for any retaliation from the Jie Sect, the Dragon Clan could merely seal off the seas for a time.

If worse came to worst, he could lead the Dragon Clan to seek protection under Primordial Saint. What of the Jie Sect—could they truly monopolize the heavens?

Confident in his strike, Aoguang believed his attack would annihilate Li Mingzhu entirely. No mere Profound Immortal, nor even an average Daluo Golden Immortal, could endure such a blow.

Just as Aoguang prepared to confirm Li Mingzhu's demise, two streams of light descended forcefully from chaos!

One yellow, one blue!

One gentle, one sharp!

As the lights fell upon the spot where Li Mingzhu had just perished, a Golden Lotus slowly emerged.

If one were to inspect the Golden Lotus carefully, it would become apparent—it was the same Golden Lotus bestowed upon Li Mingzhu by Duobao when he departed Golden Turtle Island.