Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

Li Mingzhu's divine thought wandered freely throughout the royal palace, instantaneously taking in everything without missing a single detail.

Whether visible to human eyes or hidden from ordinary sight, in this moment, Li Mingzhu saw it all completely.

The royal palace, home of imperial affairs, inevitably held some unsightly matters, which Li Mingzhu chose to disregard.

After doing a sweep of the palace with his divine thought, Li Mingzhu discovered no traces of demon activity; it seemed the demonic aura indeed originated from Lady Xi, there was little doubt of it.

As his divine thought stirred, the Peachwood Sword emitted a tri-colored radiance, representing the Shadow Carrying Sword Intent alongside the elemental Water and Fire Divine Powers.

The Shadow Carrying Sword Intent, formless and invisible, was ideal for masking the Water and Fire Divine Powers. Meanwhile, Lady Xi had already left King Zhou's side and returned to her own chambers.

"Jiang Ziya?"

Seated alone at her dressing table, Lady Xi softly murmured.

She distinctly remembered the Peachwood Sword was offered by Bi Gan at Jiang Ziya's behest. Jiang Ziya—she had heard of him. Supposedly, he was the one destined for Divine Enthronement, but his cultivation did not seem to match such stature!

Lady Xi pondered slowly, and ultimately harbored resentment for Jiang Ziya.

Considering the outcome, whether Li Mingzhu uncovered Lady Xi's true nature or not, framing Jiang Ziya had been successfully executed.

Of course, even without Li Mingzhu's intervention, Jiang Ziya would inevitably offend Lady Xi.

After all, Chaoge was not a place where Jiang Ziya's ambitions could flourish. Under the cycle of the Heavenly Dao, Jiang Ziya was destined to head to West Qi. It was merely a question of timing.

After all, Jiang Ziya was fated to become the one ordained by heaven for Divine Enthronement.

"Hmph! The disciples of the Primordial Sect love playing tricks and mystifying things. Tongtian Sect disciples are no better. None of the Saint's disciples are any good!"

The more Lady Xi dwelled on it, the angrier she became, eventually cursing all of the Saint's disciples outright.

Hidden nearby, Li Mingzhu, hearing this, grew increasingly confused. Not the methods of the Primordial Saint?

Initially, he had suspected that Lady Xi might be an instrument of one of the Saints, but now that didn't seem to be the case.

Then who exactly was Lady Xi?

Li Mingzhu had a vague inkling but dared not confirm, for theoretically, that individual shouldn't act in such a manner!

"Someone, come forward!"

After calming herself with difficulty, Lady Xi called out sharply.

"Greetings, My Lady."

Upon hearing Lady Xi's cold summons, a palace maid hurried in.

"Why haven't you found this Li Mingzhu yet?"

"My Lady, we have found him, but he is the son of Chentang Pass's General, and only one year old. He likely isn't the person My Lady is seeking."

The maid answered timidly, terrified of incurring Lady Xi's wrath with a single misstep.

"That settles it. Very well, you may leave now!"

Contrary to expectations, Lady Xi did not erupt in fury. Instead, she waved the maid away, who departed in relief and sprinted off to safety.

"Li Mingzhu! Li Mingzhu! So, I've found you. The son of Chentang Pass's General? I'll let you run free for a few days; once I deal with the bothersome pests in court, I'll come for you!"

Lady Xi ground her teeth in anger, already plotting her strategy to crush Bi Gan and the others.

Li Mingzhu, having heard this, was even more perplexed. How did Lady Xi know of him, and why was she targeting him?

If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't dwell on it. The only solution was to strike first!

Seizing the opportunity, Li Mingzhu unleashed his sword intent. The energy, already lurking near Lady Xi at a mere three feet's distance, erupted with devastating force—so close that Li Mingzhu was confident even a Daluo Golden Immortal would suffer serious injury.

The Sword Light, though overwhelmingly powerful, carried a dreamlike quality, ethereal and mesmerizing.

Often, the most dazzling spectacles are the deadliest. Li Mingzhu's sword intent gave perfect testament to this truth.

"Couldn't hold back, could you? I've been waiting for you all along!"

Lady Xi sneered coldly, clearly well-prepared. With a wave of her hand, the room they occupied was completely sealed off.

Simultaneously, her left hand rose slightly, summoning a strand of Immortal Light laced with celestial merit glowing golden.

Immortal Light, not Demon Light—proof that Lady Xi was certainly not of the Demon Clan. The celestial merit flowing within signaled an even greater aberration, showing that Lady Xi had once performed deeds contributing to the Heavenly Dao.

With just a raised hand, Li Mingzhu deciphered much. Though Lady Xi's identity remained elusive, these two points alone demonstrated her extraordinary nature. Li Mingzhu braced himself for another arduous battle.

Sword intent collided with Immortal Light. Sparks of brilliance scattered throughout the chamber. Though prepared, Lady Xi found herself evenly matched by Li Mingzhu.

"Who are you? Jiang Ziya doesn't possess such cultivation!"

Lady Xi staggered back a few steps, her gaze fixated on the floating Peachwood Sword, asking coldly.

Li Mingzhu remained silent, focusing on forming his next assault. After all, the Peachwood Sword was a hastily crafted artifact imbued with limited divine skills, sword intent, and divine thought; its potential was far from fully realized.

"Foolish obstinance!"

Sensing Li Mingzhu's refusal to answer and his readiness for another clash, Lady Xi retorted icily.

Once more, Immortal Light coalesced, striking toward the Peachwood Sword before Li Mingzhu's sword intent could take shape. Though Li Mingzhu had already esteemed Lady Xi's power highly, her sheer might still exceeded his expectations.

This strike landed like a direct and crushing blow. In midair, the Peachwood Sword fragmented inch by inch, its sword intent and Water and Fire Divine Powers completely obliterated—a terrifying outcome.

Fortunately, though the Peachwood Sword shattered and its energies dissipated, Li Mingzhu's divine thought remained intact.

"Now, will you tell me who you are?"

Lady Xi spoke gently, her demeanor reflecting the confidence of a victor, and rightly so.

By this point, Li Mingzhu had exhausted all his means to reverse the situation, yet Lady Xi underestimated him. The loss of his sword intent and divine powers meant little—Li Mingzhu was determined to make Lady Xi pay dearly!

He had not endured such humiliation since his otherworldly rebirth.

"Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique!"

Li Mingzhu roared fervently, deploying a Daoist technique he had relied upon to fight desperately in his previous life.

Presumed forgotten and never to be used again, this technique found its purpose in the present moment.

Of course, compared to the Divine Communication Techniques of the Primordial World, this technique was unremarkable in rank and far inferior. But right now, its effect would be anything but ordinary.

Li Mingzhu's ephemeral divine thought burst forth with endless crimson bloodlight. The radiance, blinding and overwhelming, carried not sanctity but carnage!

The Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique, a cultivation from the demonic path, harmed others at great cost to oneself. Li Mingzhu took it further, disregarding the fate of his divine thought entirely, intent on mutual destruction.

This sudden eruption of might startled Lady Xi, though ultimately it did not pose a true threat to her. She observed coldly.

"Still too weak!"

Lady Xi smirked. With a palm strike, she aimed to crush Li Mingzhu's divine thought outright.

"Break for me!"

Li Mingzhu abandoned all restraint. His divine thought, enhanced by the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique, surged violently. Morphing into a blood-red miniature sword, its intensity plateaued but its sharpness became unparalleled.

Becoming the sword itself, piercing the surface from within!

The crimson miniature sword shot upward like a rainbow piercing the sun.