Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

A golden figure streaked across the layers of space like lightning, vanishing in an instant and reappearing already in front of Li Mingzhu.

This Demon Emperor puppet gave no time for contemplation—it raised its leg and delivered a flying kick straight toward Li Mingzhu's waist.

Though it seemed like an exceedingly simple mortal move, unleashed by this Donghuang puppet it bore the semblance of infinite power condensed upon it. Yet in truth, its innate strength remained unchanged.

Li Mingzhu could perceive the peculiarity but had no means to counteract; sometimes, even if one can discern the intricacies of an action, it doesn't guarantee the ability to devise a solution.

Such was Li Mingzhu's predicament now. He understood that the Demon Emperor puppet's power had been compressed through a unique method, but he was unable to unravel it.

"Boom!"

As soon as they collided, Li Mingzhu was sent flying once again—the disparity was too great!

Struggling to his feet, Li Mingzhu charged forward to clash once more with the Demon Emperor puppet, fists meeting fists.

The Demon Emperor puppet's left hand formed the shape of a crescent moon, while its right hand mirrored a blazing sun—sun and moon crossed the void and slashed forward simultaneously.

Although barehanded, its strikes seemed akin to blades and swords unleashed.

"Come, sword!"

Li Mingzhu shouted loudly, and the Cheng Ying Sword appeared silently and invisibly by his side, accompanied by the Three-foot Magic Sword.

Using the Three-foot Magic Sword alongside the Cheng Ying Sword to duel the Demon Emperor puppet's hand blades granted him an apparent advantage in weaponry, but Li Mingzhu felt no confidence in this edge.

"Boom!"

The hand blades collided with the Cheng Ying Sword and the Magic Sword, sparks scattering everywhere. Though it seemed evenly matched, Li Mingzhu's heart trembled immensely.

It must be noted that in the recent clash, while Li Mingzhu's Cheng Ying Sword claimed the upper hand, the Three-foot Magic Sword had been torn apart directly by Donghuang.

A physical body that could rival the Cheng Ying Sword, an Innate supreme Spiritual Treasure, was theoretically impossible—but Donghuang had accomplished it nonetheless!

To think that his current physical body was merely equivalent to that of a Daluo Golden Immortal.

Separation followed the collision, and Li Mingzhu attacked Donghuang again, now tightly gripping the Qiankun Ring in his palms.

The clashing sound of battle filled the air as Li Mingzhu leveraged the power of the Qiankun Ring, finally achieving parity with the Demon Emperor.

Even though the visual spectacle remained unflattering, at least they were now evenly matched.

Meanwhile, through repeated clashes with Donghuang, Li Mingzhu gradually understood why Donghuang could unleash such immense strength.

Or rather, he deciphered the mechanism behind this power, naming it the Cloud Vortex Power due to its constant rotation and compression of force.

Had the Demon Emperor himself wielded this secret technique, Li Mingzhu—no matter how formidable—would have been unable to detect its intricacies. But alas, a puppet is still a puppet.

Of course, perhaps this was an intentional flaw left by the Demon Emperor, given that the purpose of establishing the Twelve-layer Heavenly Palace was to enhance the strength of demon clan descendants, not to create an unbeatable checkpoint.

Upon realizing this, Li Mingzhu disregarded his injuries and activated the newly comprehended Cloud Vortex Power, immediately launching an attack upon the Demon Emperor.

"Your glory is no more!"

Li Mingzhu clenched his fist in one hand while wielding the Qiankun Ring in the other, pushing his power to the limits—emulating the Demon Emperor's strategy.

"Boom!"

Following a violent explosion, the Demon Emperor puppet collapsed accordingly.

Though a Dao Body puppet of Donghuang, it was still merely a puppet, reliant solely on the Cloud Vortex Power.

Now that Li Mingzhu had mastered the Cloud Vortex Power, the puppet was naturally no longer a match for him.

It had lost its Divine Skills and Combat Skills as well, whether due to the passage of time eroding such abilities or the Demon Emperor deliberately omitting them during creation.

Li Mingzhu did not know, but it hardly mattered anymore; he had successfully ascended through all twelve layers of the Heavenly Palace.

"Challenger, congratulations on successfully overcoming the Twelve-layer Heavenly Palace. Commencing reward distribution!"

As the announcement echoed, twelve beams of light shot down from the heavens, descending toward Li Mingzhu.

Reaching out, Li Mingzhu caught them—they were twelve scrolls.

Upon inspection of the scrolls, Li Mingzhu realized these were the legacies left behind by the ten Great Demons and two Demon Emperors, including both magic and Daoist Skill inheritances.

Had Li Mingzhu claimed rewards forcibly after clearing each stage, he likely would not have received these twelve demon clan legacies.

"What a pity—you're of the human clan!"

The previously shattered Dao Body of Donghuang reappeared, sighing deeply and speaking with Spiritual Communication.

"Paying respects to Senior Demon Emperor. This humble one was Lady Nuwa's attendant, the Spiritual Pearl, in a past life—so perhaps I count as half demon clan."

Li Mingzhu greeted respectfully, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

"Is that so? Well, that's not too bad. Did you witness the grandeur of the demon clan's past prosperity?"

Donghuang asked with hands clasped behind his back, turning away from Li Mingzhu.

"The demon clan's glory illuminated the world, yet it was too excessive… far too excessive…" Li Mingzhu carefully chose his words in response.

"Indeed! Far too excessive—it invited the heavens' envy!" Donghuang sighed.

Silence fell. Li Mingzhu could think of nothing suitable to say.

Although a puppet, once imbued with Spiritual Communication, it was practically indistinguishable from the true self. To the point where, if this figure chose to act, it could truly embody the Demon Emperor.

For the puppet retained all attributes of the Demon Emperor—only needing cultivation to match.

Li Mingzhu understood well that defeating the Demon Emperor was no simple feat; had it not held back, even mastering the Cloud Vortex Power would not have ensured victory.

No more sound followed. When Li Mingzhu looked ahead again, nothing remained—it was as if in a dream.

At first, Li Mingzhu struggled to comprehend the meaning of it all, but once he connected the dots, understanding dawned.

The initial illusion realm was meant to portray the past glory of the demon clan—a glory now gone.

Donghuang's Dao Body served as a trial; later Spiritual Communication revealed truths, though merely as manifestations of lingering intent rather than true consciousness.

Indeed, too much time had passed. For a Dao Body to bury itself, only for its will to reemerge—how much time had transpired? Who could possibly know?

Once confirming all had returned to tranquility, Li Mingzhu began examining the twelve inheritances.

While undoubtedly precious, only three of them proved truly beneficial for Li Mingzhu—the first among them being the detailed teachings of the Cloud Vortex Power, embodied in Donghuang's full method of physical cultivation.

The Primordial World recognized the Witch Clan for their strong physiques, yet who knew Donghuang from the demon clan also pursued the path of attaining Dao through the physical body?

What's more, Donghuang's achievements in this realm surpassed even the ancestral witches. The physical cultivation method he left behind was far from simple!

Compared to the singular Cloud Vortex Power, it was immeasurably detailed and incomparably powerful. Donghuang's "Domineering" scroll was undoubtedly the inheritance most capable of directly enhancing Li Mingzhu's strength.

Though Emperor Jun's deduction methods of the River Map and Luo Book were profound, the artifacts themselves remained with Kunpeng, rendering them of limited use to Li Mingzhu.

In contrast, the two inheritances from the ten Great Demons proved exceptionally helpful—the first being the "Spirit Communication" volumes left behind by Bai Ze, the most intelligent among them.

The three Spirit Communication volumes comprised the Spirit Communication Eye, Spirit Communication Sword, and Spirit Communication Nine Transformations!

The Spirit Communication Eye could discern flaws and origins in all Daoist Skills throughout existence. With sufficient cultivation, even a Saint's Divine Skills would be no exception.

The Spirit Communication Sword could integrate all worldly magic. With sufficient cultivation, it theoretically had no upper limit.

While most Great Divine Skills required extensive research and enlightenment for creation, the Spirit Communication Sword was equivalent to granting an additional Great Divine Skill from nowhere.

As for the Spirit Communication Nine Transformations, it aided comprehension, doubling the rate of understanding regardless of the subject.

Merely reading these descriptions made Li Mingzhu admire Bai Ze's wisdom profoundly—it was no wonder he was the demon clan's most intelligent figure.

Ordinary creators of Great Divine Skills would never conceive methods like these. This wasn't merely a matter of power but of immense intellect.

The third inheritance was the spear technique legacy left behind by Demon Saint Gui Che. Though Li Mingzhu initially hoped for swordsmanship, none was available, leaving him to settle for Gui Che's Overbearing Spear techniques.

Even the remaining nine inheritances, though less useful to Li Mingzhu now, were carefully stored. Their value extended beyond their rarity—they would serve as valuable references at higher realms in the future.

While pondering how to leave this pitch-black Twelve-layer Heavenly Palace, Li Mingzhu experienced another sudden spatial shift.