Primordial Era: I rule the great sect and command all immortals.

Chapter 93 Nezha is born, the nine-tailed fox harms Ji Chang

As the saying goes, "pregnancy lasts ten months," but three years ago, his wife, Madam Yin, became pregnant. After three years of pregnancy, rumors naturally spread, saying that Madam Li was carrying a monster.

This caused Li Jing's initial surprise to gradually turn into disgust with the child in his wife's womb.

"My lord, according to ancient tradition, those with great fortune are always accompanied by extraordinary phenomena, like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of our human race."

Lady Yin naturally sensed her husband's emotional change. The child in her womb had been unborn for three years, and she was under immense pressure. But no matter what, the child was still her own flesh and blood, and as a mother, how could she not love him?

"Alright! We don't know if the ancient legends are true or not. I'm not blaming my wife, it's just that this child hasn't been born in three years. In the past two years, there have been rumors everywhere in Chen Tang Pass, saying that a great demon has descended into the world. Sigh!"

Li Jing sighed deeply. In his youth, he had followed his teacher to cultivate Taoism and possessed some supernatural abilities. However, no matter how he peered into the child in the womb, he could not discern anything.

All of this, coupled with rumors and gossip, naturally aroused Li Jing's suspicions, and he seemed to gradually accept the idea that a great demon had descended to earth.

How could Li Jing, with his shallow cultivation, possibly see through the reincarnation of the innate spiritual treasure, the Spirit Pearl?

As a child spirit born from the innate spiritual pearl enlightened by the goddess Nuwa, Nezha's talent was naturally first-rate, unlike that of ordinary people, which is why he was conceived in the womb for three long years.

On this day, Lady Yin's belly finally showed signs of pregnancy.

When the maidservant told Li Jing in a panic that Lady Yin had given birth to a fleshy lump, Li Jing was shocked and his face turned black. He was so angry that he trembled all over.

Li Jing, carrying his sword, rushed into the room. Seeing the fleshy ball floating in the room, he slashed down fiercely with his sword. With a "whoosh," the fleshy ball split in two from Li Jing's full force. In an instant, the room was filled with red light, and a child jumped out of the fleshy ball.

"Truly a monster! To prevent you from bringing disaster to the world, I will slay you, you wicked creature!"

Li Jing hardened his heart, raised his sword, and was about to swing it to kill the child.

"Sir, stop!"

Madam Yin hurriedly stopped her, and with a swift movement, rolled off the bed.

Upon seeing this, Li Jing was greatly alarmed. Forgetting about killing Nezha, he rushed to help his wife up.

Ignoring her own health, Madam Yin hurriedly grabbed Li Jing's arm, crying, "No, sir, this is our child! You can't do this!"

"Master, a Taoist priest has come to visit. He says he is a disciple of the Jade Purity Saint, the Grand Master Taiyi, and is the senior master of the two young masters."

Just as Li Jing was hesitating, a servant suddenly announced his arrival at the door.

"Taiyi Zhenren?"

Li Jing was taken aback. This was a disciple of a sage, a great master at the level of one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect. He couldn't care less about his family affairs at this moment. He quickly tidied his appearance and walked to the door to respectfully welcome Taiyi Zhenren in.

"I have come here today for your newborn child. Li Jing, would you be willing to bring him to me for a look?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Master Taiyi explained his purpose.

"this?"

Li Jing shuddered in fright. Could it be that the little beast's reputation for being a monster had already reached the ears of the Taiyi Zhenren, and that the Zhenren had specially descended to the mortal realm to slay the demon?

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Taiyi Zhenren was taken aback. Looking at the somewhat frightened Li Jing, he showed a hint of confusion. He had only received his master's decree to come down the mountain to Chentang Pass to take on a disciple. Why was Li Jing reacting so strongly?

"To be honest, Master, when that demon descends upon the mortal realm, it will surely wreak havoc. Even if you hadn't come, I would have personally slain it. Li Jing, as the General of Chen Tang Pass, guards this region and will not allow demons to run rampant..."

Fearing that he would be implicated by the demons, Li Jing quickly spoke up.

"etc!"

Upon hearing this, Taiyi Zhenren's face darkened. This was the reincarnation of a pageboy under the goddess Nuwa. You, Li Jing, are truly blind. Since you lack the blessings of a father, no wonder you have failed in your path to immortality. I will not say any more to you.

"I have come down the mountain this time on the orders of the Sage, specifically to take your child as my disciple."

Upon hearing the purpose of Taiyi Zhenren's visit to his home, Li Jing was immediately dumbfounded. Was his son really not a monster, but a reincarnation of a powerful being?

Upon realizing this, Li Jing blushed and quickly changed his tone, trying to smooth things over.

Taiyi Zhenren had no interest in listening to Li Jing's nonsense. He urged him on and hurriedly went to the back courtyard, where he saw the spirit pearl.

"He truly is my personally trained disciple!"

Looking at the child with the pigtails sticking up in the sky, Master Taiyi was overjoyed. This disciple with such extraordinary talent would have no problem inheriting his mantle in the future.

At first glance, Master Taiyi took a liking to this spirited little child.

With the arrival of the Chan Sect Master to take him as a disciple, everyone in Li Jing's mansion, from top to bottom, finally understood that the Third Young Master was not a demon, but a reincarnation of a great being. Therefore, the fact that he was gestating in the womb for three years was simply a manifestation of an immortal being's extraordinary abilities.

"Could you please suggest a name for my son?"

When Li Jing looked at his third child again, there was no longer any disgust; instead, his eyes were filled with deep paternal love.

This child is destined to become a disciple of a sage, just like his eldest son Jinzha and second son Muzha. He will have a good future, and he can also benefit from his sons. Who knows, he might even become an immortal one day.

Li Jing grew happier the more he thought about it, unaware of how much trouble his youngest son would bring him in the future.

"Well then, let's call him Nezha!"

Taiyi Zhenren stroked his beard with one hand and held Nezha in the other, a smile on his face. He knew that Li Jing's other two sons were named Jinzha and Muzha, so he decided to name this third son Nezha.

Taiyi Zhenren teased Nezha for a while, then made a promise to Li Jing that he would return to this place five years later to personally take on a disciple, before leaving Chentang Pass.

In Chaoge, after Daji entered the palace, King Zhou became obsessed with her beauty and neglected state affairs, not attending court for a month.

The Prime Minister Shang Rong and his loyal ministers were heartbroken, but there was nothing they could do.

Ever since King Zhou was tricked by Zhunti, he has often been confused. Since Daji entered the palace, he has not been sober for a single day. He is in a daze all day, indulging in pleasure and has long forgotten his responsibilities as the emperor.

At the same time, Daji also fell into the pleasure of being intimate with the emperor and absorbed some of the emperor's energy. As a result, Daji's cultivation became even faster than before.

Moreover, the riches and honors of the mortal world bewitched this fox spirit, and it wasn't until a month later that she remembered the Chaos Dao Lord's warning and was immediately terrified.

From that day on, Daji frequently reminded King Zhou to attend court and handle state affairs.

When the courtiers learned of what had happened in the inner palace and saw that King Zhou was indeed holding court every morning, they lost their hatred for Daji. They thought that King Zhou had only been indulging in something new before, and that as time went on, he would naturally stop being so absurd.

On this day, King Zhou was feasting with Daji on the Star-Picking Tower. During their conversation, Daji once again mentioned Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo.

King Zhou was naturally displeased upon hearing Ji Chang's name: "My beloved consort, why do you always mention this insignificant lord? No matter how virtuous he may be, can he compare to me?"

"Your Majesty, it's not that I wanted to mention it, but this person has great ambitions! He's also ambitious in recruiting talented people, so Your Majesty must be wary of him." Daji chuckled. "Last time, my father was confused and wrote a rebellious poem. It was this person who stirred up trouble between the emperor and his ministers. In the end, he played the good guy and pleaded for them. It's clear that this person must have a conspiracy."

"Hmm? My dear consort, is this true? Such an important matter must not be spoken carelessly!"

King Zhou was startled, the smile on his face vanished, and he slammed the wine cup on the table, staring intently at Daji.

"Your Majesty, how could I dare to lie about such an important matter? If you don't believe me, summon Ji Chang to Chaoge and examine him personally."

Daji said sweetly, and at the same time, her whole body seemed to have no bones as she squeezed into King Zhou's arms.

"I naturally believe what Consort Su says! Tomorrow morning at court, I will find a pretext to summon Ji Chang to Chaoge again, and see if this man is truly a man or a devil, and whether he really harbors rebellious intentions!"

While enjoying the tenderness of the beauty, King Zhou also began to have doubts. Since ancient times, which monarch has not been wary of a virtuous minister?

Especially for a feudal lord who has military power and territory, as an emperor, he naturally understands how terrible the consequences will be if such a capable person has any rebellious intentions!

"Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!"

These eight words suddenly popped into King Zhou's mind!

The next day, at the morning court, Fei Zhong said, "Your Majesty, last time, Marquis Ji Chang of the West persuaded Su Hu to offer his daughter, thus averting a war. Recently, there have been rumors that Ji Chang was meritorious, but Your Majesty has not rewarded him. Why not summon Ji Chang to Chaoge and bestow upon him a reward, so that the rumors among the people will disappear?"

King Zhou was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "What Fei Zhong said is excellent."

Immediately afterwards, an imperial edict was issued, appointing an imperial envoy to go to Xiqi, summoning Ji Chang to Chaoge to meet the emperor and await his reward.

Ji Chang, who had returned to Xiqi, was ambitious. After a series of actions, he gained a reputation for wisdom and continued to recruit extraordinary people from all over the world to strengthen the power of Xiqi.

Unexpectedly, on this day, he cast a divination for himself and found that he seemed to have a very bad omen.

Ji Chang looked at the divination results. Although he did not know where the disaster was coming from, he still became vigilant.

A month later, the Shang imperial envoy arrived in Xiqi and delivered the emperor's decree, summoning Ji Chang to Chaoge again. Ji Chang felt a tremor in his heart, thinking to himself that his bad omen might be related to this matter.

After receiving King Zhou's decree, Ji Chang was reluctant to go, but Xiqi was weaker than Yin Shang and was no match for it. After thinking it over, he began to arrange the affairs of the country and went to bid farewell to his mother.

"Mother, King Zhou has summoned me to the capital. Although the fortunes of the Shang Dynasty have declined, it has not yet reached the point of divine wrath and popular resentment. Moreover, the strength of our Western Qi is weak, and we have not yet completed the accumulation of power. In order not to attract King Zhou's attention, I must go."

"My son, you can go without worry. Although you foresaw a terrible omen, it is not insurmountable. There are many ministers in Chaoge who are on good terms with you. This time, take plenty of gold and silver treasures with you and make arrangements. With the help of these ministers, I believe King Zhou will not be able to do anything to you," said Tai Jiang, Ji Chang's mother. "But have you made proper arrangements for the affairs of Xiqi?"

"Mother, please rest assured. I have entrusted domestic affairs to Grand Master San Yisheng, and external affairs to Nangong Shi, Xin Jia, and others. My eldest son, Boyi Kao, will oversee the state."

After discussing the matter and exchanging some heartfelt words, Ji Chang left the inner palace to bid farewell to Consort Yuan.

The next day, Ji Chang made some preparations, gathered his troops and more than a dozen carts of gold and silver treasures, and then prepared to head to Chaoge.

Bo Yikao, Ji Fa, and their ninety-nine sons, along with all the civil and military officials, went thirty li outside the city to see them off.

After drinking several cups of wine, Ji Chang boarded the chariot, and the army immediately set off.

Father and son, ruler and subject, parted with tears in their eyes.

Because of the Nine-Tailed Fox's advice, King Zhou summoned Ji Chang to Chaoge ahead of schedule. Naturally, he did not encounter his hundredth son, Lei Zhenzi, along the way.

Because of Li Yunjing's covert manipulation, many things have been changed.

During the Yin-Shang period, the Nine-Tailed Fox was warned by Li Yunjing, so naturally she did not kill any loyal ministers, nor did she kill Empress Jiang or force the Marquis of Dongbo to rebel.

The absolute strength of Yin Shang was preserved, and Chaos Daojun even issued a decree to Yuan Hong of Meishan, ordering him to lead the other six monsters, Gao Ming, Gao Jue and others north to the North Sea to support Wen Zhong and wipe out Yuan Futong and the other seventy-two lords.

"Alas! I wonder if my actions can change anything and preserve some of the elite seeds of the Jie Sect."

On Mount Wuyi, Li Yunjing watched the streak of light fly out of the mountains and head towards Meishan, and murmured to himself.

After a long while, Li Yunjing looked towards the direction of "Kunlun Mountain" again. "Perhaps it's time to find Shen Gongbao. This man is a scourge. It was because of him that the elites of the Jie Sect were wiped out by the Chan Sect! This time, I will use Shen Gongbao as a pawn to invite some third-generation members of the Chan Sect and various independent cultivators to come out of the mountains. These people can also serve as substitutes for my fellow disciples in the Jie Sect."

After thinking for a moment, Li Yunjing moved, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.

Just as Li Yunjing was preparing to search for Shen Gongbao, Ji Chang, after more than a month of trekking, finally arrived in Chaoge again.

This time, when King Zhou heard that Ji Chang had arrived, he directly invited him into the "Longevity Palace" and arranged for axemen to ambush him. Although Ji Chang knew there was danger, he had already come all this way and could not refuse, so he had no choice but to enter the palace and meet the emperor.

In the rush, I didn't even have time to visit my friends and take care of things.

This was a rare moment of wisdom for King Zhou. He knew that killing a virtuous minister would be opposed by the other ministers, so he simply instructed Fei Zhong and You Hun, two loyal but treacherous ministers, to devise a conspiracy.

As expected, these two men were loyal to King Zhou. Upon hearing his plan, they naturally did not object and immediately arranged for skilled soldiers to cooperate with the imperial guards in the palace.

As soon as Ji Chang entered the "Longevity Palace," before he even saw King Zhou, he was immediately seized by axemen and hacked to pieces. No matter how eloquent he was or how many ways he tried to argue, it was all in vain.

The ministers wouldn't listen, and King Zhou wouldn't listen. This ruler of Xiqi, whose pride in wisdom and feigned virtue were useless against King Zhou's determination to "kill him"!

(End of this chapter)