Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Li Jing was struggling to defend against the combined attacks of the two monkey demons, Yu Rong Wang and Mi Hou Wang, when he caught a glimpse of Princess Longji being captured out of the corner of his eye, and he immediately panicked.

He was already weak in combat and was in grave danger under the siege of the two monkey demons. Now, he panicked and was taken advantage of by the Macaque King, who knocked the Linglong Pagoda away with a single blow. Yu Rong King then stepped forward and captured him.

The two monkey demons carried Li Jing and the exquisite pagoda, handing them over to their master, the headmaster.

This exquisite pagoda is also an innate spiritual treasure, capable of trapping and capturing people. However, its greater power comes from the altar inside the pagoda, where the enemy's belongings can be placed. This allows one to trace the enemy back to their source and control them.

Nezha was thus brought under control and dared not disobey Li Jing.

The remaining four celestial beings who came to Tongguan's aid this time are Nezha, the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas; the Great Emperor of Huaguang, the Spirit Official; Kui Mulang, the Star Lord; and the Giant Spirit God.

Faced with the combined attack of the Bull Demon King and his six guardians, Sun Wukong and his two brothers, and the Scorpion Demon and the Many-Eyed Monster, the Giant Spirit God, Kui Mulang, and Wang Lingguan were killed in quick succession. Only Nezha, who had manifested his three heads and six arms, was left to struggle on.

Even with a three-headed, six-armed form, each of its six hands wielding a Fire-Tipped Spear, a Universe Ring, a Chaos Ribbon, a Yin-Yang Sword, a Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Cover, and a Golden Brick—six great spiritual treasures—and its feet resting on Wind and Fire Wheels, it fought fiercely against all sides in its strongest form.

But in the end, he was no match for Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and others. His magical treasure was knocked away, his arm was broken, and his Wind Fire Wheels were taken away, leaving him in dire straits.

Just as Sun Wukong was about to finish off Nezha with his golden cudgel, a whisk suddenly flew out from the void in front of him and entangled the golden cudgel.

The ancient Golden Immortal Taiyi Zhenren of the Chan Sect emerged from the void.

With a flick of his wrist, he snatched the golden cudgel from the horsetail whisk, then repeatedly swung the whisk, unleashing beams of divine light that sent the Bull Demon King and his companions flying.

Nezha's nose tingled with tears. He flew to Taiyi Zhenren and cried, "Master, why did you only arrive now? If you had come any later, you wouldn't have been able to see your disciple again, boohoo."

The Bull Demon King and the others felt a chill. Although Nezha looked like a child, he had lived for over a thousand years. Now he was acting like a child, which was disgusting and repulsive.

The Bull Demon King and his companions were disgusted by the sight, but Taiyi Zhenren was completely captivated by it. Seeing that Nezha's arm was now severed, revealing the lotus root fibers inside, and that his spirit was even more listless, he immediately flew into a rage.

"You impudent monkeys and stupid oxen, you wretched creatures, how dare you bully my disciple! You're courting death!"

Taiyi Zhenren took out a golden pill and stuffed it into Nezha's mouth, instantly healing Nezha's injuries. This shows the power of the golden pill, which was probably made by the sage Laozi.

He then shook the whisk in his hand, and its silk ribbons transformed into giant pythons that coiled around Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others.

Taiyi Zhenren, a Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect who attained enlightenment during the primordial era, has already reached the Great Luo realm and has gone far beyond it. His realm is only slightly lower than that of Guangchengzi, who is at the half-step Hunyuan realm.

Now, driven by his fierce protectiveness, he unleashed a furious attack. The Taiyi whisk in his hand was a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, and once it struck, how could juniors like Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King, who were at the Immortal Realm, possibly withstand it?

Then, Sun Wukong, without his golden cudgel, was the first to be entangled by the magical Taiyi whisk, bound hand and foot and suspended in mid-air. Next, the six guardians, including the Bull Demon King and the Flood Dragon Demon King, were also captured one by one. Finally, Pigsy, Sandy, the Scorpion Demon, the Many-Eyed Monster, and others were all wiped out in a single move by Taiyi Zhenren.

“Master, these demons bullied me so badly just now. Not only did they bully me, but even when I begged for mercy and brought up your name, they wouldn’t stop. They even said they would suppress you too, Master.”

When Nezha saw that Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others had been captured, a wicked glint flashed in his eyes, and he actually turned black into white and made a false accusation.

Taiyi Zhenren knew that Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and others had been converted to the Jie Sect and were carrying out the Jie Sect's grand plan of traveling eastward. Originally, he only intended to teach them a lesson and then release them after capturing them.

Who would have thought that he would hear from his obedient disciple Nezha that Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others looked down on him and even spoke ill of him, which made him instantly furious.

I am a dignified Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect, a top power in the Three Realms. How dare you monsters speak so disrespectfully?

Today I will teach you a lesson. You have disrespected this old Taoist. Even if Liu Qing finds out later, he will have no face to say no to this old Taoist.

Immediately, Taiyi Zhenren activated his Taiyi whisk, tightening the silk ribbons binding Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others. The ribbons caused them to scream in agony. If they hadn't been physically strong, they would have been broken and their bodies shattered.

"Master Taiyi, I, Old Sun, have always acted with integrity and uprightness. How could I possibly speak ill of others behind their backs?"

“I, Old Niu, call you Uncle-Master because I want to tell you that Nezha is turning black into white and confusing right and wrong. He is deceiving you. As an elder, how can you listen to your own disciple and wrong us?”

The Bull Demon King and Sun Wukong tried to explain, but the Taiyi Zhenren didn't believe them: "My disciple has been by my side since childhood, always respecting his teacher and being pure and innocent. How could he lie to me?"

The Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong, and the others were so angry that their eyes turned black. They had never seen such a biased and gullible old bull-nose. Their resentment grew, and they couldn't help but glare fiercely at Nezha.

A smug and malicious glint flashed in Nezha's eyes as he reached out and summoned the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, which had been knocked away, and tossed it into the air.

“Master, these wicked creatures have committed countless evils throughout the Three Realms. Now, even in front of you, they show no remorse. In my opinion, they are beyond redemption. It would be better to kill them all and restore peace to the Three Realms.”

After saying that, Nezha made a hand seal, instantly commanding the innate spiritual treasure Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover to spew out nine fire dragons, which burned towards Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King and others.

Nine is the ultimate number, and the nine fire dragons represent all the flames in the Three Realms, including fire in stone, fire in water, fire in wood, fire in the sun, fire in the netherworld, and so on. In terms of the power of the flames alone, they are even more powerful than the Samadhi True Fire.

Then the nine fire dragons burned away, causing Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others to cry out in pain and beg for mercy.

Taiyi Zhenren was initially wary of Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others being disciples of the Jie Sect, but when he thought about how they had bullied his good disciple and spoken rudely to him, he gradually developed murderous intent. So he didn't stop them and let Nezha burn the Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong, and the others.

At this moment, Liu Qing had just completely refined the innate top-grade spiritual treasure, the Golden Bell, and the acquired top-grade spiritual treasure, the Human Seed Bag.

Although I knew that the Bull Demon King Sun Wukong had been captured, we were at the crucial moment of refining him, so it was not good to give up halfway.

Now that the spiritual treasure has been completely refined, there is no longer any hesitation, lest the Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong, and the others be burned to ashes in a little while.

Liu Qing tore open the space in front of him, walked through the chaos, found the Bull Demon King's aura, and then tore open the space again to walk out, arriving right in front of the Bull Demon King and the others.

With a single slash of the Qiankun Ruler in his hand, the power of the world transformed into a sword beam, instantly severing the connection between Nezha and the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover.

He immediately unleashed a divine power, seized the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, and threw it into the Lesser Thousand World to suppress it.

In the blink of an eye, the changes were swift and agile, so fast that Nezha, having been severed from his connection with the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, suffered a backlash and vomited blood; so fast that even Taiyi Zhenren couldn't react. After resolving the life-or-death crisis for the Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong, and the others, Liu Qing looked at Taiyi Zhenren with icy eyes.

"Senior Brother Taiyi, why did you kill these good-for-nothing nephews of mine?"

"They call you 'Master Uncle,' yet instead of showing any kindness, you disregard your status, bully the weak, and even harm their lives. What kind of logic is that?"

Faced with Liu Qing's questioning, Taiyi Zhenren looked somewhat embarrassed, but he was used to being domineering and was very angry at Liu Qing's accusations.

“You snake demon, you’ve only just begun your training. Although you’re a second-generation disciple, you should still show some respect to this old Daoist.”

"These mischievous monkeys and bull demons bullied my good disciple and even spoke rudely to me. What's wrong with me teaching them a lesson?"

Taiyi Zhenren called Liu Qing a snake demon with great contempt. Liu Qing was secretly annoyed and didn't mince words with him: "Taiyi, are you blind and deaf?"

"You only listened to the one-sided story of your wicked disciple Nezha and concluded that Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others spoke rudely to you?"

"You are also a top-tier expert, perhaps you know about the supernatural power of 'time reversal', why don't you see for yourself?"

Taiyi Zhenren paused for a moment, about to use his Time Reversal technique, but when he caught a glimpse of Nezha's panicked expression out of the corner of his eye, he immediately understood and decided not to use it.

My disciple must have tricked me. Alas, this old Taoist has suffered again today.

"Taiyi, why don't you dare? I suppose you've already guessed that what your wicked disciple Nezha said just now was all a complete fabrication!"

"A top-tier power in the Three Realms, a Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect respected by all, actually listened to only one side of the story and wronged others, even poisoning a junior to death. He is utterly shameless!"

Liu Qing became increasingly impolite, and seeing Taiyi Zhenren blushing with embarrassment, Liu Qing still wouldn't let up. Pointing at Nezha, he continued to berate him:

"You wicked disciple, as a merchant, you helped the Zhou people to attack the Shang, which is disloyal; as a son, you repeatedly disobeyed your parents, which is unfilial; as a child, you cruelly murdered the Third Prince of the East Sea, which is inhumane; and when you were a little older, you used the Heaven-Shaking Bow to shoot and kill the Rainbow Cloud Boy and the Azure Cloud Boy, who were also disciples of the Three Teachings, which is unjust. You have protected such a disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, and unjust wicked child until now, Taiyi, you are unworthy of being a Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect, a person of great virtue!"

Taiyi Zhenren's face turned purple from the scolding, but he couldn't utter a single word, because what Liu Qing said was true.

"Taiyi, immediately release Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others to me!"

Liu Qing suddenly shouted, and Taiyi Zhenren felt ashamed. Although unwilling, he had no choice but to obediently release Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the others.

Taiyi Zhenren glared at Nezha and was about to take him away when Liu Qing shouted, "Taiyi, did I agree to let you leave?"

Taiyi Zhenren was furious and asked, his neck stiff, "Does Junior Brother intend to keep Senior Brother here?"

"You just burned my Jie Sect disciple, and you didn't even offer a word of comfort. Are you unwilling to give me any compensation?"

Taiyi Zhenren, mindful of Guangchengzi's plan to resolve the karmic debt with the Jie Sect regarding the Investiture of the Gods, had no choice but to suppress his anger, take out a few golden pills, and toss them to Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and others.

"Old Taoist priest, can I leave now?"

"Taiyi, you can leave, but your wicked disciple Nezha must stay!"

"Liu Qing, I advise you not to push your luck. You stole Nezha's Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, and I didn't ask you for it back because I was planning to apologize on Nezha's behalf. Now you don't know what's good for you and want to keep my disciple here. Do you think you can take advantage of my sword?"

Taiyi Zhenren waved his hand and took Nezha into his own Middle Thousand World. Then he summoned the spiritual treasure he had given Nezha back to his side. In the next instant, his magic power surged and he stared at Liu Qing.

Liu Qing smiled: "Taiyi, do you perhaps wish to have a fight with me?"

"Just because of your disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, and unjust disciple, you're ignoring the plans of Guang Chengzi, the acting leader of the Chan Sect, and you're going to break ties and fight against me, the acting leader of the Jie Sect?"

Taiyi Zhenren paused for a moment, Liu Qing's words had hit the nail on the head. His senior brother Guang Chengzi was determined to resolve the cause and effect of the Investiture of the Gods with the Jie Sect, and was even preparing to help the Jie Sect travel east and share some of their fortune.

Firstly, it would prevent Yu Yu Dao Ren, a fragment of the Tongtian Sage's soul, from causing trouble for the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect. Secondly, it would also allow the Eastern Journey to benefit from the fortune of the Chan Sect.

If I were to break off relations and fight with Liu Qing today, it would definitely worsen the already precarious relationship between the two sects.

Taiyi Zhenren compromised, suppressing his anger, and said, "This old Daoist is willing to offer two more innate spiritual treasures in exchange for my disciple Nezha's departure!"

Liu Qing truly couldn't understand. Had this Taiyi Zhenren lost his mind? Knowing full well that Nezha had implicated him countless times since birth and was not a respectful person, why would he protect him so much?

"It's not about Lingbao. This Nezha has killed many of my Jie Sect members. First, there was my brother-in-law, the Third Prince of the East Sea, then Biyun Tongzi and Caiyun Tongzi, as well as Ji Li, Deng Zhong, Li Qi, Wang Bao, Gao Yinglan, and others. Now that he has fallen into our hands, we must not let him go!"

Taiyi Zhenren argued, "They are all burdened with calamities, it is the will of Heaven. My disciple Nezha was merely acting in accordance with Heaven's will, what crime has he committed?"

Liu Qing was impatient, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes: "I also said that Nezha is also beset by calamities today, and it is his destiny to die here!"

"Taiyi, either hand over Nezha or we'll have a fight!"

Liu Qing immediately manifested a three-headed, six-armed form, embodying the law of heaven and earth. In his six hands he held the innate top-grade spiritual treasure Panlong Eight-Tone Cone, the innate top-grade spiritual treasure Qiankun Ruler, the innate top-grade spiritual treasure Golden Bell, and the acquired top-grade spiritual treasure Human Seed Bag. His aura surged forth, directly approaching that of Taiyi Zhenren.

Faced with Liu Qing's relentless pressure, Taiyi Zhenren could no longer hold back. He immediately displayed his supernatural powers of having three heads and six arms, wielding the Taiyi whisk, the Yin-Yang sword, the Qiankun ring, and the golden brick, and waited with focused attention.

As Nezha's master, Taiyi Zhenren possessed the great supernatural power of having three heads and six arms. How could Taiyi Zhenren not know it? Not only did he know it, but he could also display it more powerfully than Nezha.

Without saying another word, Liu Qing let out a clear whistle and thrust the Panlong Eight-Tone Cone forward. Taiyi Zhenren smashed the Panlong Eight-Tone Cone with his golden brick, causing it to deflect. Then, he swept his whisk towards Liu Qing's waist.

Liu Qing used the Qiankun Ruler to summon the power of the world and slashed at the sweeping Taiyi Whisk. Taiyi Zhenren dared not take it head-on and dodged it. Then, he viciously slashed down at Liu Qing with the Yin-Yang Sword in his other hand.

Liu Qing enlarged the golden cymbal to block the Yin-Yang Sword, while simultaneously manipulating the Human Seed Bag to unleash boundless suction. Taiyi Zhenren quickly diverted his attention to control his body, preventing himself from being sucked away. He then pointed at the Hun Tian Ling, causing it to wrap around the Human Seed Bag. (End of Chapter)