Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

It truly is said: those whom heaven wishes to destroy, it first drives mad. Though here, "heaven" may only refer to the will of a Saint, yet it is enough.

If the Daoist Ancestor does not intervene, then the will of the Saints is the will of Heaven.

After slaying the horse thieves, Li Mingzhu did not leave immediately but waited for the wounds of the horse herd to heal. At the same time, she began trying to communicate with the horse king.

Only then did Li Mingzhu realize that the horse king could speak. Not too surprising, actually—this horse king possessed cultivation nearing that of a Profound Immortal, and as a Holy Beast, it was extraordinary.

"Come with me, I'll guarantee you good food and wine every day," Li Mingzhu said, lying on the grass and gazing at the sky, the horse king beside her.

"No way, not now at least. When the time feels right, I'll definitely come find you!" the horse king said, mimicking Li Mingzhu's pose, its hooves facing the sky as it stared upwards—a sight hilariously incongruous.

"Not coming?"

Li Mingzhu was baffled. He couldn't understand it. Weren't dragon horses supposed to be deeply grateful creatures? It wasn't that he wanted to coerce it; it just seemed as though the story shouldn't play out this way.

"Yes, not coming. Just not coming. But I'll pay you a visit later—not your problem. Leave some more Spiritual Wine here."

The horse king spoke rather impatiently. Even though it had seen Li Mingzhu's ruthless side, it still interacted with him in a cheeky, carefree manner.

This was its unique gift: an innate ability to sense goodwill versus malice. Toward Li Mingzhu, its trust was absolute.

"Alright then, I'm leaving!"

Li Mingzhu didn't insist. He stood up and prepared to depart; his next destination was Chaoge, to probe into the mysterious identity of Lady Xi.

The dragon horse, hearing Li Mingzhu announce his departure, made no reply and instead dashed off toward the herd of horses.

What followed left Li Mingzhu both embarrassed and amused—the horse king ran straight into the herd and began indulging in wanton 'consortship.'

That's right, 'consortship.' Damn it, the thing was acting like a bloody stud stallion!

An entire herd of mares lined up with their backsides poised, waiting for the horse king—a sight truly unbearable to behold.

Unbearable to behold! Moral depravity!

The horse king realized Li Mingzhu hadn't left yet and cast him a smug glance, striking various poses as if showing off!

Li Mingzhu turned and walked away, unwilling to stay even a moment longer!

Spring was already over, wasn't it? This was summer! Li Mingzhu sighed, speechless.

It was finally clear to him what the horse king meant by "the time isn't right."

The horse king was merely planning to sow more offspring in the herd before seeking Li Mingzhu out. Words eluded Li Mingzhu as he tried to process this.

At first, he thought Zhu Xiong had been quirky enough. But now, encountering this horse king, which loved wine and was the ultimate stud, left him regretting ever inviting it.

Had he known, he wouldn't have stirred up trouble with this dragon horse—it might end up becoming a proverbial burden.

However, what was done was done, the die was cast. Resigned, Li Mingzhu accepted the situation and refused to look at the absurd and debauched spectacle further. He rose into the air, flying toward Chaoge in frustration.

Chaoge lay at the center of the eastern Primordial World, not far from Zhuolu, so Li Mingzhu quickly arrived outside Chaoge City.

The city bustled with people; crowds thronged the streets. True to its reputation as the capital of Yin Shang, even in its slight decline, it retained extraordinary prosperity.

Following the flow of people, Li Mingzhu, clad in a pristine white Daoist robe, strode down the main street. His remarkable appearance deterred anyone from foolishly trying to pick a fight.

Up ahead on the street, a commotion drew a crowd—it seemed some kind of event was underway. Curious, Li Mingzhu walked forward to join the onlookers.

"Taoist, you call me a demon?"

A plump but dignified-looking woman furiously barked at an elderly Taoist with white hair and beard, who remained composed.

"Since you dispute it, will you extend your hand to allow me a look?"

The white-haired Taoist, exuding an aura of ethereal authority, calmly replied. Invisible intimidation radiated from him, making direct eye contact unnerving.

"Why should I obey you? You shameless priest, accosting a respectable lady in broad daylight!"

The woman glared angrily, her own presence unyielding.

The Taoist wasn't fazed by her brashness and reached forward, tightly grabbing her hand.

"Help! Someone help! Harassment! Harassment!"

The woman shouted, rallying bystanders to her defense. Despite their efforts, the Taoist remained unmoved.

Holding her hand with his left, he conjured a flame—none other than the Samadhi True Fire.

Li Mingzhu, weaving through the crowd, recognized the scene instantly. This must be Jiang Ziya confronting the Pipa Demon.

Jiang Ziya pressed the Samadhi True Fire against the demon, and the flames engulfed her. Unlike the Nine-tailed Fox, whose Daoist cultivation spanned centuries, the Pipa Demon's mere 500 years of Daoist training were no match for the supreme yang energy of the Samadhi True Fire.

In mere moments, the Pipa Demon reverted to her original form. Li Mingzhu discreetly employed a minor trick to preserve her life.

"Eh?"

Jiang Ziya uttered a surprised sound. Though he had revealed the demon's true form, he couldn't completely obliterate her essence.

Despite his ethereal demeanor, Jiang Ziya's cultivation only barely reached Primordial Spirit Perfection—how could he possibly detect Li Mingzhu's intervention?

"Ziya Shishu, may I have a word?"

During Jiang Ziya's moment of doubt, Li Mingzhu transmitted a message to him. Seeing Li Mingzhu among the crowd, Jiang Ziya, though he had never met him, instinctively assumed him to be a disciple of one of his senior brothers and wasn't suspicious.

Mostly, Li Mingzhu's striking appearance made him seem more impressive than Jiang Ziya himself, despite Jiang Ziya's ethereal demeanor. In truth, Jiang Ziya was spot on—Li Mingzhu was indeed the disciple of his senior sister, though she was from the Jie Sect.

Agreeing to converse, Jiang Ziya was soon transported to the city outskirts through Li Mingzhu's magical abilities. This "flower-shifting and shadow-transposing" technique, which once others had used on him, he could now employ in turn.

Such techniques were typically limited to those weaker in cultivation than oneself, requiring at least Taiyi Profound Immortal level power—and they were generally useless in combat.

To Li Mingzhu, their primary utility was theatrical flare.

Like now, as Li Mingzhu stepped calmly from the shadows, offering a respectful salute to Jiang Ziya: "Li Mingzhu, disciple of Wudang Saint Mother of the Jie Sect, greets Shishu Ziya."

Li Mingzhu's demeanor struck a balance—neither overly arrogant nor disrespectful toward Jiang Ziya.

"I see. So you are Li Mingzhu, Nephew. May I ask what business brings you here to speak with this poor Taoist?"

In truth, Jiang Ziya had no clue who Li Mingzhu was but feigned familiarity to save face, attempting to divine his origins—but without success.

"I come for the demon in Shishu's possession," Li Mingzhu stated, pointing at the Pipa Demon in Jiang Ziya's grasp as he casually approached.

"Such a creature deserves death; Nephew, why care for it?" Jiang Ziya said, slightly displeased by Li Mingzhu's lack of typical deference.

"To clarify for Shishu: this poor Taoist's past incarnation served as a page under Nuwa, and this small demon acts under her divine decree. Seeing it in distress today, I must intervene."

Li Mingzhu's tone remained calm, yet his meaning was unmistakable.

Should Jiang Ziya insist on executing the Pipa Demon, the karmic consequences would be beyond his capacity—offending Nuwa herself and incurring Li Mingzhu's wrath.

"Under such circumstances, this demon should no longer be slain. I trust Nephew will discipline it well," Jiang Ziya relented. "I must mention, however, that I detected traces of mortal blood from its aura—perhaps it has already wrought harm in the Mortal World."

Jiang Ziya, far from foolish, heard the veiled implications in Li Mingzhu's words, promptly handing over the Pipa Demon.

In truth, Jiang Ziya was no fool—sharp and savvy. Many of his seemingly irrational actions and decisions, upon reflection, revealed layers of profound reasoning.

Were it not so, how else could he successfully complete the Divine Enthronement?

............

Maybe just one update today—heading home by bus. If I manage, I'll try for two. Please excuse me!

Once back home, things will improve—no more rushing daily. I'll ensure at least three updates daily!