Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

Though it was merely Li Mingzhu's divine thought, it was as if she had descended in person.

Thus, though Li Mingzhu appeared calm and composed in the inn, her body was in fact tensed to its utmost.

Fearless, unyielding, giving it her all in a desperate battle!

A blood-red small sword whistled through the air, streaking eerily cold toward Lady Xi's descending hand.

It was like a mountain peak soaring abruptly from a vast plain—sharp, conspicuous, and blindingly intense.

Although this counterattack was but a single temporary strike, it was far from reckless. Instead, it brimmed with limitless variation.

The sword's tip faintly shimmered with hues of blue and red. The previously dispersed Water and Fire Origins had been recondensed by Li Mingzhu in that brief moment. Though sparse, when used effectively, their power remained formidable.

Steel must be forged where the blade cuts sharpest. Without a doubt, this was Li Mingzhu's approach.

The sword, composed of eight parts, conventionally struck with its tip to penetrate and its edge to slay. Hiding the Water and Fire Origin within the sword's tip was undoubtedly its most fitting place.

The sword tip clashed with Lady Xi's palm mid-air, and immediately a radiant barrier arose between them—one side a fiery scarlet, the other a cold orange-blue, evenly matched.

Under the immense pressure of Li Mingzhu's desperate sword strike, Lady Xi was compelled to discard her initial plan to crush outright. Instead, she concentrated all her strength at a single point, mirroring Li Mingzhu's strategy.

Point against point!

This adjustment immediately altered the situation; the previously stalemated light barriers now shifted into a one-sided contest.

Even though Li Mingzhu had prepared meticulously, in the face of absolute power, she still struggled to deliver a truly impactful blow.

Realizing this, Li Mingzhu no longer waited for an opportune moment. The Water and Fire Origin hidden within the sword tip erupted with full force.

"Water and Fire as One!"

Li Mingzhu shouted. If the Lady Devil of Flames could unify water and fire, then so could she!

The sword's aura surged dramatically. Witnessing this, Lady Xi let out a soft exclamation, but no more than that.

The two clashed once again. Lady Xi's lips curved into a faint smile as her palm closed directly over the blood-red small sword, causing it, the manifestation of Li Mingzhu's divine thought, to shatter inch by inch.

No suspense remained!

"With such cultivation, Your Grace, why marry a mortal ruler? And further, engage in acts that ruin a nation's destiny?"

Due to Lady Xi's deliberate restraint, a trace of Li Mingzhu's divine thought survived.

"What concern is it of yours how I conduct myself? I spared this fragment of your divine thought not for you to question me but to answer my question—who are you?"

Lady Xi snorted coldly and pointed a finger, imprisoning the remnant of Li Mingzhu's divine thought.

"What if I told you I'm Li Mingzhu—would Your Grace believe me?" Li Mingzhu asked with a detached smile. It was merely a fragment of divine thought; if it perished, so be it.

"Do you truly think I cannot reach your true body? Speak truthfully!"

Lady Xi snorted again. She discerned Li Mingzhu's intentions with ease and then, forming a seal technique with her hands, instantly augmented it upon Li Mingzhu. With a flick of her left hand, though Li Mingzhu's divine thought remained unharmed, her true body, far away in the inn, was vomiting blood uncontrollably.

"Your Grace wields impressive techniques. But this lowly Daoist truly is Li Mingzhu of the Jie Sect!"

Li Mingzhu's divine thought declared proudly. Yes, she was Li Mingzhu—so what of it? Let's see what she intended to do next.

"Truly?"

Lady Xi asked softly, as if the resolution to a long-elusive enigma had fallen effortlessly into her lap.

Li Mingzhu remained silent for a moment before calmly saying, "Your Grace may not wish to disclose your origins, yet I have a few guesses."

Li Mingzhu was not one to suffer losses without retaliation. Since she had revealed her identity to Lady Xi, she sought to strike a blow in return, simultaneously testing his assumptions about her origins.

Pausing slightly and seeing that Lady Xi did not intervene, Li Mingzhu continued, "If Your Grace so urgently seeks me, it must either be to request my aid or to seek revenge. Yet, I possess nothing worthy of your attention, so it can only be revenge."

"Since leaving my family, I have offended but two enemies. One is the Dragon Clan, yet they have long abandoned thoughts of vengeance. The second is the Heavenly Court. It seems Your Grace was once a Heavenly Immortal!"

"Not bad, not bad—your reasoning is exquisite. But of what use is it? The Great Heavenly Venerate has decreed your death!"

Lady Xi laughed loudly, unreserved in showing pity for Li Mingzhu.

"He dares?"

"Why wouldn't he? Because you stand under the protection of two Saints?"

Lady Xi scoffed. She moved to extinguish Li Mingzhu's remaining divine thought, but Li Mingzhu acted faster, scattering it of her own accord.

"Count yourself lucky to escape, but the game is already set in motion—can you truly flee?"

As Lady Xi watched Li Mingzhu's divine thought dissipate, she chuckled softly. Then, extending her long left hand, a wisp of gray mist coalesced at her fingertips.

Using a single hand, Lady Xi cast a spell to summon a paper crane. She infused the mist into the crane and commanded, "Inform the Great Heavenly Venerate that with this substance, Li Mingzhu can be located. Nonetheless, I advise against immediate action."

With these words, she flicked the paper crane lightly, and it vanished without a trace.

"How curious—that Jiang Ziya of the Chan Sect mingling with Li Mingzhu of the Jie Sect? Fascinating indeed! No matter, let's capture Jiang Ziya first and inquire further!"

After dispatching the crane, Lady Xi mused aloud to herself.

Her descent to the Mortal World served three primary goals: to ruin Yin Shang's destiny, to hunt down Li Mingzhu, and to deepen the rift between the Jie and Chan Sects.

Yet Li Mingzhu's feigned maneuver had left her befuddled, mistakenly thinking the relationship between the Jie and Chan Sects was less antagonistic than rumored.

Poor Jiang Ziya, caught in this storm through no fault of his own. In Chaoge City, he hadn't even managed to marry that broom star Ma yet. Now, tangled in the schemes of Li Mingzhu and Lady Xi, even his marriage prospects were dashed.

"Come, prepare the bath!"

Lady Xi snorted coldly, already plotting how to trouble Jiang Ziya further and eliminate the thorn-in-her-side Bi Gan.

Meanwhile, Li Mingzhu, still in the inn, had only just managed to stabilize her injuries. If she hadn't dispelled her divine thought in time, her wounds would have worsened.

Though her injuries were no longer deteriorating, her heart was filled with shock.

She hadn't expected Lady Xi to truly hail from the Heavenly Court. From the moment Lady Xi had obsessively pursued her, she had speculated as much, but the confirmation still left her stunned.

Equally shocking was Lady Xi's cultivation. To so effortlessly harm her true body through a mere connection of divine thoughts was truly unfathomable. As to Lady Xi's exact level—whether Daluo Golden Immortal perfection or a Quasi-Sect Leader—Li Mingzhu could not ascertain.

She knew she must leave and could not return to Chentang Pass. The Great Heavenly Venerate would surely now hunt her down.

Lady Xi's words had clearly revealed Hao Tian's intent to kill her, even disrespecting the Saints to do so. It baffled her—where did Hao Tian, a mere servant to the Daoist Ancestor, find the audacity?

She could not make sense of it!