Primordial Era: Taibai, the Poison Master of Yaochi, drives a Sage insane!

A deep and majestic voice resounded throughout Chentang Pass. The soldiers and civilians inside the pass trembled upon hearing it. Li Jing, standing in the mansion, felt a sudden sinking feeling in his heart. He had already guessed that it was Lady Shiji from Skull Mountain who had come to visit, and he also knew that it must be Nezha who had caused trouble by wielding the Qiankun Bow without permission.

Not daring to delay, Li Jing quickly walked out of the mansion. Looking up, he saw the female Taoist standing in the void and recognized her at a glance as the famous and powerful Lady Shiji from Skull Mountain. He immediately cupped his hands in greeting, showing perfect etiquette and respect.

"Li Jing of Chentang Pass greets Senior Shiji."

Shi Ji was of the same generation as Randeng. Because Randeng became a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, although his cultivation level had increased by half, he was already of the same generation as the second generation of the Jie Sect. Li Jing was a disciple of Randeng, so he was a senior.

Seeing that Li Jing was respectful and courteous, and did not seem like the kind of person who would secretly injure someone or plot to harm his disciple, Shi Ji's anger subsided somewhat, and she vaguely sensed that there was more to the story.

He raised his hand, took out the Heaven-Shaking Arrow, and handed it to Li Jing, asking in a deep voice.

"Li Jing, take a good look. Isn't this earth-shattering arrow your Chen Tang Pass's most prized treasure?"

Li Jing took the arrow and examined it closely. The arrow's texture and sharpness were exactly as described, and his expression immediately changed drastically.

"It is indeed the Heaven-Shaking Arrow left behind by the city gate. I do not know why this arrow fell into your hands, senior. Please explain the reason."

Shi Ji snorted coldly and recounted the tragic events that had befallen the family.

"The earth-shaking arrow you fired from the city gate killed my disciple Biyun from a thousand miles away. Today, you, Li Jing, must give me a reasonable explanation."

Holding the arrow, Li Jing made a solemn and sincere promise to Shi Ji.

"It is indeed my fault for not disciplining myself properly, senior. Please rest assured for now. I will immediately investigate the whole story and personally go to the Skull Mountain White Bone Cave to apologize and explain to you."

Shi Ji observed Li Jing's expression and spoke sincerely and frankly, without the slightest attempt to evade or conceal anything.

Shi Ji herself was gentle and kind-hearted. Although she lived in the White Bone Cave, which was just an unpleasant name, she always spoke the truth and never bullied others. She never wanted to make enemies for no reason.

Shi Ji's cultivation path was extremely difficult. Her original form was a naturally formed stone from the chaotic era. When Pangu created the world, the stone fell into the primordial land and remained silent for hundreds of millions of years before slowly developing a weak spiritual consciousness. After enduring hundreds of millions of years, it finally transformed into human form.

By chance, he entered Biyou Palace on Jin'ao Island and became a disciple of Tongtian Jiaozhu. He cultivated diligently for countless years to achieve his current level of cultivation. Knowing that the path of cultivation is full of hardships, he was unwilling to easily form inextricable karmic ties with others.

Seeing Li Jing's respectful attitude, Shi Ji suppressed her anger for the time being, turned around and rode her escape light back to Skull Mountain, quietly waiting for Li Jing to come and apologize with the person who caused the trouble. Her disciple was already dead, and no amount of anger could bring him back. She could only wait for Li Jing to give a proper explanation.

Back at the White Bone Cave, Shi Ji took out the jade bottle that had fallen from the sky earlier and contained the complete laws of water, and examined it carefully.

The perfect and flawless source of water within the jade bottle is a rare treasure in the world. Shi Ji's original form is a naturally occurring rare stone, and no one wants this treasure now, so she can't help but begin to comprehend it.

Even if someone comes looking for it, just return it to them!

That's right, it was Li Bai who left behind the treasure!

...................

Meanwhile, within the Jade Pool Wonderland of the Thirty-Three Heavens, Li Taibai looked down through the clouds and seas of the heavens and saw the two consecutive calamities that had erupted: the massacre at the Dragon Palace of the East Sea and the death of Biyun at Skull Mountain. He clearly knew that Nezha had caused one great disaster after another, and Li Jing had already investigated the whole cause and effect.

The Dragon King of the East Sea, accompanied by a group of aquatic generals, arrived at Li Jing's residence in Chentang Pass, angrily demanding an explanation and insisting that Li Jing hand over Nezha to atone for the tragic deaths of Ao Bing and the patrolling sea yaksha.

In a corner of the backyard, Li Jing found the complete dragon tendon that Nezha had casually discarded. Looking at the tendon and thinking of the tragic death of Biyun Boy a thousand miles away, Li Jing could no longer suppress his anger.

Within a single day, Nezha successively harmed the Dragon Prince and shot down a disciple of the Jie Sect. These two calamities combined implicated the East Sea Dragon Clan and powerful figures of the Jie Sect. If they were not careful, the entire Chen Tang Pass would be destroyed.

After a brief moment of contemplation and deliberation, Li Jing decided to first appease the Dragon King of the East Sea, make a promise, and then take Nezha to the White Bone Cave on Skull Mountain to apologize to Lady Shiji and deal with the matter of Biyun Tongzi's death. Afterwards, he would go to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea to give the Dragon Clan an explanation.

Li Jing still held a sliver of hope. Nezha was, after all, just a young child, acting rashly and unaware of the consequences. Lady Shiji was kind-hearted, and as long as he sincerely apologized and explained properly, she shouldn't be too harsh on him.

When the group arrived outside the gate of the White Bone Cave, Li Jing instructed Nezha to guard the entrance and not to move around, while he went forward alone to deliver the message.

"Is Senior Shiji here? Li Jing from Chentang Pass has come to apologize and explain something important."

Upon hearing the sound, Shi Ji inside the cave immediately instructed Caiyun Tongzi.

"Caiyun, go out and invite Li Jing into the cave for a detailed discussion."

After speaking, he carefully put away the jade bottle containing the laws of water, keeping it close to his body and not easily revealing any of its spiritual light.

The Cloud Boy accepted the order and stepped out of the cave gate, intending to guide Li Jing inside.

Nezha, who was waiting on the side, was full of resentment and indignation. He believed that Shiji was blaming him for no reason. How could a mere arrow from a distance of thousands of miles accurately injure someone? It was all a deliberate attempt by the other party to cause trouble.

Upon seeing the Cloud Boy emerge from the cave, Nezha flew into a rage, completely disregarding Li Jing's previous instructions. He raised his hand and unleashed the Universe Ring, its golden light whistling as it crashed down on the Cloud Boy's head.

A short, agonizing scream rang out, and the body of the Rainbow Cloud Boy shattered on the spot, instantly dying and vanishing.

Li Jing turned his head and saw the scene before him. He froze on the spot, his mind blank. He couldn't believe what was happening. His blood was surging, and he stood there stunned, at a loss for what to do.

Hearing the disciples' screams outside the cave, Shi Ji was startled. The anger she had just suppressed erupted instantly. She stepped out of the cave and stood in front of Li Jing and Nezha, her gaze sharp as she questioned Li Jing.

"Li Jing, you must give me an explanation today! The earlier killing of Biyun with the Qiankun Bow could be excused as unintentional, but now that I've sent Caiyun out to greet guests, your child hastily murdered her on the spot. Can this still be considered an accident?"

Li Jing was both shocked and furious, his anger rising to the top of his head, and he shouted angrily.

"The traitor!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and slapped Nezha hard across the face, the force of which made Nezha stagger back several steps.

Nezha, feeling wronged and unconvinced, stubbornly argued loudly.

"The death of Biyun was absolutely not intentional on my part. I merely fired an arrow casually, a thousand miles away. Who could have predicted that it would hit someone else? It was clearly that old witch who framed me! If she wants to harm me today, let her taste the power of my treasure!"

Before he finished speaking, Nezha once again unleashed the Universe Ring, and golden light surged straight towards Lady Shiji's face.

Nezha's cultivation was only that of a third-generation junior in the Chan Sect, with a shallow foundation. In Shi Ji's eyes, he was like a toddler learning to speak, not worth mentioning at all.

Shi Ji remained indifferent, casually extending her palm to firmly grasp the flying Qiankun Ring and store it in her hand.

When Nezha saw that his treasure had been easily taken away, he was shocked and immediately waved his Hun Tian Ling to wrap around Shi Ji in layers, trying to bind her and help her escape.

With a flick of her sleeve, Shi Ji instantly bound the Hun Tian Ling with spiritual power and stored it in her own storage artifact.

With both innate spiritual treasures confiscated, Nezha panicked and threatened them in a stern voice.

"Don't be so arrogant, you old witch! My master is the Taiyi Zhenren of the Golden Light Cave on Mount Qianyuan. My master's cultivation is profound, and he will surely come to you to demand the treasure and stand up for me!"

After saying that, the flames on his Wind and Fire Wheels surged, and he turned around and rode straight towards Ganyuan Mountain to escape.

Seeing this, Shi Ji was unwilling to let it go, so she rode her escape light and followed closely behind, chasing after it all the way to the Golden Light Cave on Ganyuan Mountain.

Inside the Golden Light Cave, the True Man Taiyi was sitting in meditation on a futon, consolidating his Dao foundation, when suddenly his mind became restless and his Dao rhythm became disordered. He felt that something big was about to happen in the outside world.

"Strange, I've always maintained a calm and undisturbed mind during my cultivation, so why am I so restless today? Could it be that misfortune is about to befall me?"

Taiyi Zhenren was deep in thought, trying to figure out the cause and effect, when Nezha's urgent cries for help came from outside the cave.

"Master, save me!"

Taiyi Zhenren quickly got up and stepped out of the Golden Light Cave, standing high above the sea of ​​clouds. He saw Shiji chasing closely behind him and immediately bowed in greeting, his posture elegant and dignified, like a true master.

"I am Taiyi Zhenren, a disciple of the Primordial Sage of the Jade Void Sect. I have met you before, fellow Daoist, but I do not know your Daoist name. Why have you been pursuing my disciple all this way?"

Shi Ji stopped her escape light and returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, her manners impeccable and measured.

"I am Shi Ji, a disciple of the Tongtian Sage of the Jie Sect. I have met Fellow Daoist Taiyi."

At this moment, in the primordial world, the high-ranking members of the Chan and Jie sects were already secretly stirring up trouble. Yuanshi and Tongtian knew that as the Investiture of the Gods calamity came to an end, the two sects would inevitably have a life-or-death battle. Both sides were secretly accumulating strength and making plans for the future.

However, such a deep scheme only existed in the minds of a few sages and core disciples. Ordinary disciples and nominal disciples at the bottom were completely unaware of it. The disciples of the two sects still interacted with each other and lived in harmony.

The sage at the summit had already prepared a comprehensive plan for a life-or-death duel, while the ordinary disciples at the foot of the mountain continued to socialize as usual. It was as if an avalanche was about to occur at the summit, but the travelers at the foot of the mountain were still leisurely climbing the mountain. The isolation of information created two completely different situations.

When the Three Pure Ones split up, some disagreements and estrangement arose. However, most of the disciples today only became disciples after the split and entered the mountain. They have never personally experienced the past conflicts and have no resentment in their hearts.

The saying "The lotus is white, the lotus root is green, and the lotus leaf is green; the three religions were originally one family" still circulates throughout the primordial land. Shi Ji, a disciple of the Jie Sect, had never heard of the huge conflict between the two religions. She believed that the two religions came from the same lineage and that they could sit down and discuss things properly to distinguish right from wrong.

Upon hearing that the other party was a disciple of the Jie Sect, Taiyi Zhenren cupped his hands again, speaking in a humble and polite tone.

"So you are a fellow Daoist from the Jie Sect. This humble Daoist greets you."

Nezha, standing nearby, quickly pointed at Shiji and complained aggrievedly.

"Master, this old witch stole my Universe Ring and Heaven-Shattering Ribbon without cause, and she's been chasing me relentlessly!"

Taiyi Zhenren turned to look at Shiji, his tone carrying a subtle pressure.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, in what way has my disciple offended you? Why did you forcibly take away my disciple's innate spiritual treasure and even chase after the child? Your cultivation far surpasses my disciple's. To make things difficult for a junior with your great power is rather inappropriate."

Shi Ji was filled with grief and indignation, and she took the opportunity of Taiyi Zhenren to explain the whole matter clearly from beginning to end.

"Since you have stepped forward, let's explain the cause and effect clearly today and distinguish right from wrong."

Taiyi Zhenren nodded slightly.

"Fellow Daoist, please speak freely."

Shi Ji took a deep breath and slowly recounted the two murder cases, each sentence logical and well-founded, without a trace of falsehood.

"My disciple, Biyun, was gathering spiritual herbs on Skull Mountain when he was shot dead by a Heaven-Shaking Arrow fired from the Qiankun Bow at your Chentang Pass, a thousand miles away. I went to Chentang Pass to find Li Jing to explain the situation. Li Jing and Nezha came to apologize, and I sent my disciple Caiyun to meet them. Without saying a word, Nezha directly used his Qiankun Ring to kill Caiyun. I had to stop both of their spiritual treasures before I could chase them all the way to Qianyuan Mountain. You should know that with my cultivation, if I wanted to take this child's life, I could have killed him at the gates of Skull Mountain. I have chased him all the way here only to find you, fellow Daoist, to clarify the truth and seek justice."

After listening to Shi Ji's complete account, Taiyi Zhenren frowned deeply, secretly calculating the number of calamities with his fingertips, and quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. After a moment, he spoke with an undeniable and authoritative tone.

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but Nezha is the vanguard of the campaign against the Shang Dynasty, whom I was appointed by the Jade Purity Primordial Sage. Now that the Investiture of the Gods has begun, all events in the world are preordained by fate. I hope you will not continue to dwell on this matter, lest you go against the will of Heaven and increase your own karma."

The weight of fate pressed down on Shi Ji, leaving her stunned above the sea of ​​clouds, speechless for a moment. She never expected that after the lives of her two disciples were lost, there would be no apology, but instead, she would be seen as the one who was being unreasonable and making trouble!

In an instant, Shi Ji's anger reached its peak, and Taiyi Zhenren also harbored murderous intent.

Taiyi pondered, "Shiji has a karmic connection with Nezha. If that's the case, then killing Shiji is the only option!"

At this moment, Taiyi Zhenren knew clearly that Nezha's reckless behavior had already created karma.

Nezha was sent down by the goddess Nuwa. If he were to be tainted by karma, he would not be able to explain himself to Nuwa!

Karma doesn't just disappear out of thin air. As long as Shiji is alive, this karmic debt of human life will always have a creditor who can come and collect at any time. Nezha's killing karma can never be completely eradicated.

Only by establishing the source of cause and effect at Jieshiji can the causal loop of all the deaths of children be broken, and the blood sins and karmic fire attached to Nezha be largely removed. This is the most realistic goal at hand.

Furthermore, the karma of killing that I have committed also needs to be resolved. Now that the cause and effect have been created and the karma has been generated, the only way to resolve this is to end the karma of killing.

The Twelve Golden Immortals are collectively trapped in a calamity that must be resolved; this is what the Primordial Celestial Venerable told the Twelve Golden Immortals.

Only by destroying the Jie Sect cultivators and reaping the karmic consequences of their tribulations can one overcome the great calamity and solidify the foundation of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

This is the underlying reason for all of Taiyi's actions. Shiji, as a disciple of the Jie Sect, has shallow roots and is already destined for the list of those to be killed, making her the perfect target for Taiyi to complete the killing calamity.

Killing Shiji would not only fulfill his own need to transcend tribulation, but also resolve Nezha's karmic troubles, killing two birds with one stone.