Rebirth of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods

The Flame Vermilion Bird charged forward like a ferocious beast emerging from the Primordial World, carrying an ancient and desolate aura.

"Good timing! Take a strike from your grandpa Wu Zhiqi!"

The Mischievous Four Monkeys were naturally fearless beings, brimming with boundless battle spirit. Despite Wu Zhiqi's proverbial submission in front of certain powerful figures in the depths of the earth—a fear ingrained since the Ancient Times—he wasn't one to tolerate provocation easily.

Now, with two mere fledglings daring to challenge him, especially this audacious Flame Vermilion Bird, his battle spirit erupted in full force.

Fighting against heaven and earth, unyielding and relentless!

The Mischievous Four Monkeys were born for combat, and even though Wu Zhiqi had been subdued for countless years, his fighting spirit was as unyielding as ever.

Even the fabled Yang Jian, revered as the War God of the Heavenly Court in later eras, fell short of this primordial battle intent possessed by the Mischievous Four Monkeys.

Battle intent, an intangible and enigmatic force, transcends the physical realm. Unlike Sword Intent, it is fiercely immaterial, fueled entirely by one's indomitable will.

The fiercer the fight, the stronger it grows!

With an earth-shattering roar, Wu Zhiqi's Water and Fire Stick expanded violently, resembling a primordial beast even more so than the Flame Vermilion Bird.

Legend has it that before the era of the dragon, phoenix, and qilin clans during the earliest days of the Primordial World, it was ruled by ferocious beasts. These beasts fought ceaselessly against heaven and earth, destined for extinction due to their nature.

As the stick smashed downward, the Flame Vermilion Bird shattered instantly. The disparity in strength was undeniable.

No matter the constraints of Heaven and Earth Rules, a Daluo Golden Immortal stood on a plane entirely different from others. While not possessing the transcendent Dao resonance of a Quasi-Sect Leader, their might was still leagues beyond that of a mere Golden Immortal like the young Golden Crow!

"Purple Cloud Nine Thunders, manifest!"

Lei Zhenzi, envious of the prominence of the young Golden Crow, had been preparing a major move—the strongest Thunder Skill he could currently muster.

Fortunately, the young Golden Crow had drawn sufficient attention, allowing Lei Zhenzi the time needed for this grand technique. The stronger the Thunder Skill, the longer the preparation time required.

Thus, Thunder Skills were often cast using arrays or Magic Artifacts. Observing Lei Zhenzi, Li Mingzhu silently pondered about seeking a suitable Spiritual Treasure for him.

Although Thunder Skills are powerful, cultivation methods for them are not particularly rare. However, Thunder-attributed Spiritual Treasures, especially Innate ones, are scarce.

From memories of his past life, Lei Zhenzi's treasure was the Thunder Mallet. In truth, it was only an Acquired Spirit Treasure—not bad in terms of power, yet far from satisfactory in Li Mingzhu's eyes.

He'd considered an ideal alternative, though acquiring it seemed nearly impossible given its extraordinary grade, even surpassing his Fire-tipped Spear.

It was Tongtian Saint's Purple Lightning Hammer—a supreme Innate Spiritual Treasure. However, Li Mingzhu had no idea how to request it, deciding to postpone the matter for now.

"Geng Metal, Jia Wood, Kui Water, Bing Fire, Earth, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise!"

Lei Zhenzi bellowed once more. Moments ago, the sky was bright and sunny, but now it was densely filled with thunderclouds, darkening the heavens!

As each elemental name was shouted, flashes of lightning illuminated the sky. Lei Zhenzi's ingenious creativity combined the Purple Cloud Nine Thunders, as taught by Li Mingzhu, with his own Thunder Formation.

This wasn't merely the Thunder Skill of the Purple Cloud Nine Thunders—it had transformed into the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Array!

Utilizing celestial phenomena as its guide and the forces of heaven and earth as its foundation, the array took form.

The so-called Purple Cloud Nine Thunders constituted a simplified version of the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, a creation that fused the Five Elements Divine Thunder and Four Symbols Divine Thunder. Though it approached the fringes of genuine Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, it still fell short.

Yet, Lei Zhenzi had managed to integrate it with an array, enhancing its capability. While it couldn't achieve the full power of true Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, it was sufficient to threaten the Daluo Golden Immortal-level physical body of Wu Zhiqi!

"Kui Niu Transformation!"

Although the young Golden Crow had suffered backlash when his Flame Vermilion Bird was shattered by Wu Zhiqi, he immediately followed suit.

Heavenly Silkworm's third transformation: Kui Niu Transformation!

Different from the Four Holy Beasts, Kui Niu was an ancient Divine Beast proficient in Thunder Skills.

A colossal, ethereal Kui Niu materialized across the sky, its presence awe-inspiring despite its spectral nature. The Kui Niu's vast figure abruptly exploded, merging with the endless thunder within the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Array.

This added an extra layer of amplification to the array's power while supplying it with additional energy from heaven and earth.

If the Vermilion Bird is the child of flames, then the Kui Niu is the child of thunder, its presence enhancing the array's effectiveness immensely.

At this moment, Wu Zhiqi instinctively sensed danger and attempted to escape this dominion, only to find escape impossible.

With both young warriors exhausted, Lei Zhenzi collapsed backward, only to be caught securely by a dependable hand. To him, that hand was enormous in significance, though it was simply firm and unwavering.

Meanwhile, the young Golden Crow also fell from the sky after expending all his strength in the Kui Niu Transformation, reverting to his original form. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he plummeted, too weak even to fly.

A pair of soft, alabaster-like hands gently caught him. Li Mingzhe and Ao Yu reunited, addressing the struggling children: "You've done exceptionally well. Leave the rest to us!"

Reassured, the two fell into unconsciousness.

Even Li Mingzhu hadn't anticipated their recklessness—not only disregarding the Protective Dharma Treasures he had provided but achieving so much through sheer audacity.

Their achievements were glaringly evident on the scorched and wounded figure of Wu Zhiqi within the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Array. Though his life was not immediately threatened, his entire body was charred, engulfed in injuries.

Thunder inherently counteracts water more than other elements, and the natural order dictates mutual restraint among the Five Elements. Wu Zhiqi's position left him thoroughly suppressed, especially under the seemingly unending barrage of thunder within the array.

A single bolt could hardly harm him, but tens, hundreds? Especially when the thunder within the Nine Lightning Formation numbered far beyond that.

As the saying goes, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes, and each bolt in the Nine Thunders Formation carried overwhelming terror.

Li Mingzhu and Ao Yu remained outside the formation, their involvement unnecessary since it alone was enough to subdue Wu Zhiqi.

Their task was merely to clean up afterward. Wu Zhiqi's agonized screams within the array made it evident how severely he was suffering.

Yet Li Mingzhu remained unmoved. Wu Zhiqi's fate lay solely in Li Mingzhu's single thought—whether he would live or die was for him to decide.