Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

"How dare you!"

A fierce shout erupted, and at this moment, Li Mingzhu, who was still in the eastern area of North Sea City, vanished in a flash. Although he had not physically arrived, his divine thought had already intervened.

Having missed the chance to act earlier, Li Mingzhu deeply regretted it. There was no way he could delay again now.

Despite being separated by hundreds of miles, Li Mingzhu's Shrinking Ground to Inches allowed him to travel at an unmatched speed.

His divine thought intercepted the flying broadsword, and immediately after, Li Mingzhu arrived at the scene, catching the sword with his fingers before fiercely counterattacking.

Given Li Mingzhu's cultivation level, even a casual attack from him was not something ordinary people could withstand—let alone when he struck in anger.

The broadsword, like a meteor, cleaved toward the Armored Soldier, creating a crimson arc of blood in midair, and where the blood gleamed, only ashes remained.

The residual force Li Mingzhu left in the broadsword obliterated the soldier entirely, leaving no trace in the Mortal World.

"Benefactor?"

"Is it the benefactor?"

"We pay our respects to the benefactor!"

Upon seeing Li Mingzhu's face clearly, all the citizens of North Sea City knelt together, calling him their benefactor. Some couldn't even restrain their tears; it was clear how much torment they had endured before.

"Everyone, rise. Today, this poor Daoist will seek justice for you!"

Li Mingzhu spoke slowly to the crowd before turning his gaze to the assembled soldiers and the elderly Daoist, his killing intent unmistakable.

"Are you the demonic Daoist who has been deceiving and swindling people in North Sea City?"

Although Li Mingzhu's earlier display of power was shocking, in the eyes of these soldiers, their own Immortal still seemed superior. Seeing Li Mingzhu disregard them completely, one soldier glared and questioned him loudly.

Li Mingzhu did not respond but directly stared at the elderly Daoist. The immense pressure of his Spirit Communication Eye was overwhelming; without releasing his mana or aura, the sheer force had caused cold sweat to drip from the elder's forehead.

"What nonsense! You deserve to die!"

The elderly Daoist, realizing Li Mingzhu's terrifying power, pointed at the soldier who had just spoken and killed him instantly. He then said hurriedly with a forced smile, "Fellow Daoist, please calm your anger. That subordinate was ignorant; please kindly overlook it."

The elderly Daoist incessantly apologized but was clearly trapped in a predicament. Despite his cultivation being at the peak of Primordial Spirit, which ranked him among the top in the Mortal World, the mere gaze of the Daoist before him made him feel as if he was facing imminent danger. How terrifying his cultivation level truly was, the elderly man dared not imagine.

"You drove out the citizens, preventing them from rebuilding their homes—is that your doing?"

Li Mingzhu slowly approached as he spoke, each step punctuating another question.

"This... this... is!"

The elderly Daoist dared not defy him. Watching Li Mingzhu's menacing gaze, he did not dare to lie.

"You collected innocent Yin spirits, obstructed their path to reincarnation, seized this auspicious land, harmed the citizens, destroyed my temples, and smashed my statues—is all this your doing?"

Li Mingzhu's pace quickened, and his tone grew sharp; before the Daoist could reply, Mingzhu's Cheng Ying Sword was already unleashed. The spectral light of the sword moved unseen, and the elder Daoist, whose name hadn't even been mentioned, was swiftly beheaded.

"If you are so fond of collecting Yin spirits, then this poor Daoist shall collect your Divine Soul—a destiny of no return!"

Li Mingzhu snorted coldly, grabbing the elder's escaping Divine Soul. First, through the Soul Searching Technique, he scrutinized the chain of events that had led to these circumstances; then, he cast the soul into the Soul Lamp containing Yuan Futong and his son's Divine Souls.

It turned out that this elder Daoist was a Human Clan cultivator from the Soul Refining Sect. After seeing the aftermath of the disaster in North Sea City, he realized the city had transformed into a decently fertile Nourishing Spirit Land. This stirred his greed.

It took little effort for him to demonstrate a few spells to the soldiers, who then revered him as a deity, and the rest followed naturally. Since Wen Zhong was absent, this Daoist, named Qingxuzi, was able to act recklessly in the city.

Thankfully, Li Mingzhu arrived just in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been devastating.

However, one truth was undeniable: Li Mingzhu had neglected the changing landscape of North Sea City earlier due to his urgency to eliminate Yuan Futong. Consequently, this led to today's headache.

After the detonation of the Fire Crystal Stone, vast areas of North Sea City had inexplicably turned into Nourishing Spirit Land.

While such fertile ground was a rare opportunity for cultivators relying on Yin spirits and Divine Souls for their practice, it posed a significant problem for ordinary citizens trying to inhabit it.

Moreover, many Yin spirits remained in the city, and though their dangers might not yet be visible, the threats they posed would only worsen over time. The situation was unavoidable.

As Li Mingzhu pondered how to address this issue, Wen Zhong and several others quickly arrived.

"Junior Brother, what is the meaning of this?"

Wen Zhong pointed at the devastated scene and the decapitated elderly Daoist as he questioned.

"Ask them yourself, Senior Brother. This poor Daoist must proceed with delivering the souls of the dead. I hope you can give these people an explanation!"

Li Mingzhu replied coldly. After all, those soldiers were Wen Zhong's responsibility, and it wasn't appropriate for him to intervene.

"I'll join you!"

Ao Yu grabbed Li Mingzhu and followed him.

Seeing Ao Yu, Li Mingzhu's expression softened a little, though he still couldn't quite understand why Ao Yu suddenly reverted from her previous warrior-like demeanor to her softer, gentler personality. But this inconsistency didn't matter much now.

"We'll need to trouble the Princess to cast her spells."

Li Mingzhu slightly bowed toward Lady Burao, requesting her assistance. Guiding the Yin spirits of North Sea City to reincarnation wasn't difficult, yet ensuring their safe passage into the cycle of reincarnation was a monumental task.

After all, nearly ten thousand Yin spirits created an overwhelming presence, which could easily attract ill-intentioned individuals, similar to Qingxuzi.

The Soul Refining Sect, in particular, specialized in these vile practices, and although Li Mingzhu couldn't spare the time now, he had already marked them for future reckoning.

What infuriated Li Mingzhu even more was how the Soul Refining Sect consisted entirely of Human Clan cultivators—humans exploiting the Divine Souls and Yin spirits of their own kind for cultivation. How ridiculous!

"Understood!"

Lady Burao replied briefly and flew into the sky, extending a finger toward the void.

A pitch-black, deep vortex appeared before Li Mingzhu and the others, faintly revealing ghostly figures drifting within, as well as the surging waters of the Netherworld.

With one gesture, she opened the passage between the Mortal World and the Netherworld—a feat only achievable by a Quasi-Sect Leader. Neither Li Mingzhu nor his peers could accomplish such an act.

After opening the gateway between the Netherworld and Mortal World, Lady Burao did not descend but seemed to engage in conversation with someone—presumably with Hou Tu, the actual overseer of the Netherworld.

Li Mingzhu and Ao Yu disregarded this interaction, separating to move through North Sea City and performing rites for the Yin spirits.

Li Mingzhu silently acknowledged his negligence since his failure to notice the transformation of North Sea City earlier directly led to today's troubles.

"The Dharma of Celestial Interaction brings salvation universally, preserves the foundation of this year, prevents injury, redirects the earth's energy to nourishment, propagates good intentions..."

Naturally, Li Mingzhu employed the Spiritual Treasure Salvation Scripture, a secret text of the Jie Sect, perfectly suited for such occasions.

Ao Yu, on the other hand, relied upon the Primordial Infinite Supreme Grade Salvation Scripture. Both scriptures—from two different sects—were essentially similar, save for differing interpretations passed down through the ages.