Better a Dead Daoist Than a Dead Me, Nezha’s Rise

Better a Dead Fellow Cultivator Than Me, Nezha’s Rise, Chat Group.

Ye Hei: "Amazing, amazing! What a thrilling battle! The Zhu Xian Death Sword was seriously so cool!"

After watching Fairy Yunxiao’s duel with Zhun Ti, Ye Fan could not help but praise her in the group.

Although he had experienced many battles and witnessed countless grand scenes since joining the group,

Yunxiao’s battle with Zhun Ti had fulfilled one of his old dreams of cultivating immortality.

All kinds of magical treasures emerged one after another, their manifestations shook heaven and earth, dazzling to behold and seemingly capable of anything.

Qian Renxue: "It really was incredible. And the Zhu Xian Sword’s power is truly overwhelming. Sister Yunxiao only just entered the Saint realm, yet she could suppress an established Saint like Zhun Ti with the Zhu Xian Sword."

Bad Commander: "She even shattered Saint Zhun Ti’s golden body. Those were the two Saints of the Western Sect!"

Supreme Treasure: "Hahaha, that was awesome!"

Yang Jian: "Truly formidable!"

Demon Child Nezha: "Nice! I wonder if I can hammer Yuanshi Tianzun from my world!"

Sun Wukong: "Hahaha, Nezha. You’ve always been damn capable, even as a kid!"

Demon Child Nezha: "Is that my fault, Great Saint? You said I was the reincarnation of the Demon Pill, originally part of the top-tier magical treasure Hun Yuan Pearl, born of heaven and earth. Who did I offend? Yet Yuanshi Tianzun directly slapped a Heavenly Tribulation Curse on me. In the original timeline, it struck my physical body out of existence and left behind only my Primordial Spirit."

Demon Child Nezha had always done as he pleased. Although he longed for love and attention, it was impossible for him not to harbor resentment toward those lofty immortals who dictated others’ fates.

With a single thought, Yuanshi Tianzun could decide whether the Demon Pill lived or died, convinced that it was destined to bring calamity upon all living beings.

In truth, Demon Child Nezha was not uncontrollable, nor was he an inhuman fiend born evil. If anything, he was kinder than most.

When he had just been born, he was brutally bullied by children his own age because of his identity as the Demon Pill.

Great Wilderness Milk-Eating Baby: "Nezha, that happened to you too?"

Demon Child Nezha: "You didn’t know, Little Stone?"

Great Wilderness Milk-Eating Baby: "I didn’t!"

Demon Child Nezha: "…"

Xu Yi: "But putting that aside, Nezha, how is your cultivation going? With your current cultivation, can you withstand the Heavenly Tribulation Curse?"

Ye Hei: "Yeah, there are only three years left. It should be getting close, right?"

Demon Child Nezha: "Uh, my cultivation is definitely stronger than my original self’s. But if we’re talking about resisting Yuanshi Tianzun’s Heavenly Tribulation Curse, it’s probably still not enough."

Nezha had been cultivating within the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram. He had worked incredibly hard and diligently, and had cultivated many of the Chan Sect’s top-tier techniques.

Although Real Person Taiyi from the Demon Child world was unreliable and particularly weak, the cultivation techniques in his possession were genuine.

The original Nezha had only cultivated basic spells such as the Fire Control Technique and Transformation Technique. Everything else relied on the Demon Pill’s own power and magical treasures.

Now, Nezha had not only cultivated the Samadhi True Fire, but also the 89 Mysterious Art, the Thirty-Six Transformations of Tiangang, and the exceptionally difficult Law Manifestation of Heaven and Earth.

Combined with all those magical treasures, he was fully equipped inside and out.

Sun Wukong: "Hehe, don’t worry, little Nezha. When the time comes, I, Old Sun, will lend you a hand."

Ye Hei: "Monkey Bro, you probably just want to watch the show."

Sun Wukong: "It’ll be convenient."

Yang Jian: "Nice. As a group member, I still hope Brother Nezha can overcome this trial."

Qian Renxue: "Yang Jian, forget about Nezha and the Great Saint. When are you going to wreak Havoc in Heaven? We want to see you beat up the Jade Emperor and smash the High Heavens Palace."

Snow Moon Sword Immortal: "Exactly!"

Sun Wukong: "Havoc in Heaven, hehe, interesting, interesting."

Supreme Treasure: "I support it!"

Bad Commander: "Agreed!"

Morax: "Support…"

Little Huang Rong: "Wow, they’re all big shots. I admire you all beyond words!"

Han Li: "Yes, but you still need to stay steady, fellow cultivator Yang Jian."

Wang Lin: "Fellow cultivator Yang Jian is no longer the man he once was. If you want revenge, just take it. Even a sixty, fifty, or forty percent chance is enough."

Han Li: "Forty, fifty, sixty percent? Rounded off, isn’t that practically no chance at all? What’s the difference between that and courting death?"

Wang Lin: "…"

Yang Jian: "Havoc in Heaven is only a matter of time. I’m also building my own forces, and when the time comes, I may not be facing the Heavenly Court alone. There could be other forces as well."

Ye Hei: "Exactly, Brother Yang Jian is right. Just like when Monkey Bro caused Havoc in Heaven back then, didn’t the Jade Emperor call in Tathagata from Western Heaven?"

Sun Wukong: "…Can we not bring that up?"

Ye Hei: "Awkward, Monkey Bro."

Sun Wukong: "Sigh, it’s all ancient history."

While everyone chatted, Yunxiao also returned from Heaven Beyond Heaven to Biyou Palace. At this time, the Intercepting Sect’s four great direct disciples and Zhao Gongming were all beside Master Tongtian.

When they saw Yunxiao return, Daoist Duobao, Holy Mother Wudang, Holy Mother Jinling, and Holy Mother Guiling all gathered around and congratulated her. "Junior Sister Yunxiao, congratulations on attaining Hunyuan! You even gave Saint Zhun Ti a beating. Well done!"

"Hahaha, celebrate, everyone! Standing before you is the finest and most beautiful core disciple beneath the Intercepting Sect’s Upper Clarity Saint, the sole being who transcended time and the future, attained the Great Dao, and became a Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal!"

Zhao Gongming cheered loudly, unable to hide the pride and smugness on his handsome face.

"…"

Master Tongtian could not help covering his face and shaking his head. Yet a smile appeared on his otherwise expressionless face. The Intercepting Sect seemed not to have been this lively in a very long time. It had gained much more vitality, which was good.

"Yunxiao, you weren’t hurt, were you?" Master Tongtian asked.

Upon hearing this, Yunxiao cupped her hands slightly and replied, "Master, I wasn’t."

"Besides, with Master’s Zhu Xian Four Swords, who could possibly hurt me?"

"That is true. Among Saints, the Two Sages of the West are the weakest. My Zhu Xian Sword cannot be broken without four Saints. Even without setting up the Zhu Xian Formation, Zhun Ti alone could not break it," Master Tongtian said.

"But what exactly happened? Why did you fight that old bastard Zhun Ti, little sister?" Zhao Gongming asked.

Duobao, Wudang, and Jinling were equally puzzled. They wanted to deduce the truth, but since it involved Saints, they could not deduce anything at all and might even suffer backlash.

"Tell them." Master Tongtian signaled that Yunxiao did not need to hide anything, nor was there any need to.

Seeing this, Yunxiao said, "Naturally, it was because of the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. It has already begun. To draw Sage Nuwa into it, Saint Zhun Ti used the power of merit to offset the Ziwei Power on the Human King, influencing the Human King’s Primordial Spirit and committing an act of blasphemy under the guise of deceiving heaven."

"So that’s what happened." Daoist Duobao took a deep breath, disbelief written across his face.

To advance the Investiture of the Gods, Zhun Ti had actually dared to offend Sage Nuwa. She was the Mother of Humanity, the Demon Race Emperor, and the Saint who mended the heavens.

No wonder Saint Zhun Ti had been battered senseless by the Red Embroidered Ball. Now it all made sense.

Even a clay figure had some temper, much less Sage Nuwa.

"But that’s not right. Investiture of the Gods is a matter between our Three Sects and the Heavenly Court. What does it have to do with the West?" Zhao Gongming asked.

"Junior Brother is right. What does this have to do with the West?" Holy Mother Jinling said.

The Investiture of the Gods was meant to appoint Eastern immortals, while the West was barren land. Even the Western Sect had only a few Buddhas.

Although Zhun Ti and Jie Yin were Saints at this time, they were practically bare commanders.

They only had a few more Asuras and Yakshas forcibly seized from Styx’s Blood Sea and converted.

As soon as those words fell, Duobao, Jinling, Wudang, Zhao Gongming, and Holy Mother Guiling all had a flash of insight. They thought of a terrifying possibility, and their expressions turned extremely grim.

Clearly, they understood. The Investiture of the Gods indeed had nothing to do with the Western Sect, but precisely because it had nothing to do with them, they could fish in troubled waters and profit from it.

Among the Three Sects, the Chan Sect and Human Sect would certainly stand together. Thus, the Western Sect had surely been invited by the Chan Sect and Human Sect as reinforcements.

In fact, influencing and confusing the Human King had originally been a minor matter, difficult to notice. Since heavenly secrets were obscured, no one could calculate it, so the Western Sect’s presence was almost impossible to detect during the early stages of the Investiture of the Gods.

But upon reviewing the events, there were many inexplicable turning points. There had always been some invisible hand stirring up the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation from behind the scenes. This was the Western Sect fanning the flames. Only when it came time to break the Zhu Xian Formation did the Two Sages of the West openly appear. In reality, they had long been involved.

They had even infiltrated the central lands during the Investiture of the Gods, gathering believers on a massive scale and expanding their influence.

"It seems you all understand now. This is what the struggle for the Great Dao is like: life and death, better a dead fellow cultivator than me."

Master Tongtian said this because the Investiture of the Gods had originally been discussed by all Three Sects together. However, they had only settled on a broad process, using the succession of mortal dynasties as a wager to carry out the Investiture of the Gods, without detailing the specifics.

Therefore, he had always warned the Intercepting Sect disciples not to go out and become entangled in mortal karma during the great tribulation.

As for the changing of mortal dynasties, he did not care at all.

The Intercepting Sect had countless disciples. Even if several dozen ended up on the Investiture of the Gods, it would not matter.

What Tongtian had never expected was that all those placed on it would be his own core disciples, including the Three Xiaos, Zhao Gongming…

It was as if the Investiture of the Gods specifically targeted his core disciples. Those weaker disciples were not even qualified to serve as cannon fodder and were simply killed outright.

This was why Tongtian finally snapped in the later stages! The Chan Sect only had a handful of disciples, so Yuanshi Tianzun was fiercely protective of them.

The Intercepting Sect believed in teaching without distinction, so tens of thousands of disciples had entered its ranks.

With so many disciples, Master Tongtian naturally could not attend to every one of them. Thus, there were distinctions between inner disciples, outer disciples, core disciples, and direct disciples.

In Master Tongtian’s eyes, some disciples had no hope in the immortal path. Going to the Heavenly Court and taking the path of divine cultivation through incense offerings was not a bad choice.

But for Great Luo Golden Immortals and Quasi-Sages like Yunxiao, Zhao Gongming, Duobao, Jinling, and Wudang to enter the Investiture of the Gods, was that not excessive?

Only after the Investiture of the Gods ended did Tongtian realize that it had all been the Heavenly Dao’s scheme.

This world did not need so many Great Luo Golden Immortals and Quasi-Sages! Every Great Luo Golden Immortal was a variable to the world and the Heavenly Dao, something uncontrollable.

And the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation was meant to eliminate those at the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and above.

At this moment, Duobao, Zhao Gongming, Jinling, Holy Mother Wudang, and the others broke out in cold sweat, their scalps tingling.

They felt that, without their knowledge, their lives had long since been calculated against. All that was missing was a suitable time to push them into this deathtrap.

"If Yunxiao had not become a Saint, even I, your master, would have found it difficult to break this situation. But now, the trajectory of fate has changed. Even as a Saint, I cannot see where the future will lead," Tongtian said.

"Master, since the Investiture of the Gods is fundamentally about ascending to the Heavenly Court to become deities, must one necessarily enter the Investiture of the Gods? Why don’t we bypass it and directly sign an agreement with the Heavenly Emperor? Without the restrictions of the Investiture of the Gods, it would benefit everyone," Daoist Duobao said.

"Hehe, Duobao. You truly are clever."

Master Tongtian smiled helplessly, then continued, "What do you think the Investiture of the Gods exists for? You are also a Quasi-Sage. If Haotian ordered you around, would you be willing to obey him?"

"I wouldn’t," Daoist Duobao replied.

"Haotian wants you to go to the Heavenly Court as a beast of burden, not to worship you as a great deity," Holy Mother Jinling teased.

"That makes sense, Senior Sister Jinling." Zhao Gongming strongly agreed.

"Actually, I think Senior Brother Duobao’s suggestion has merit. We can indeed bypass the restrictions of the Investiture of the Gods and reach some sort of agreement with Haotian through another method.

At most, we would contribute to the Heavenly Court. With your realms, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, you can create countless incarnations. Leaving one in the Heavenly Court would not be a major problem, and your strength would not be weak even across the Three Realms," Yunxiao said.

"See? Junior Sister Yunxiao supports me too." Daoist Duobao smiled.

"Then wouldn’t the Investiture of the Gods become an empty castle in the air, something that can only be looked at but never used?" Holy Mother Jinling said.

"That seems reasonable." Master Tongtian nodded.

"If our Intercepting Sect enters the Heavenly Court without being restricted by the Investiture of the Gods, then we can withdraw entirely from the Investiture of the Gods and let the Chan Sect, Human Sect, and Western Sect play by themselves," Zhao Gongming said.

"Yes, that is an excellent suggestion." Daoist Duobao deeply agreed.

At the same time, outside Biyou Palace, Haotian’s divine sense quietly arrived. Clearly, he had come for the Intercepting Sect, and perhaps even for Yunxiao’s method of becoming a Saint.

Demon Child Nezha World, Chen Tang Pass.

Mountains and Rivers State Diagram! Three Heads and Six Arms!

Law, Heaven, and Earth!

Samadhi True Fire!

Within the boundless space, dark clouds churned, unleashing monstrous heat waves. The aura was terrifying, capable of destroying heaven and earth!

At a glance, a giant nearly ten thousand meters tall stood between heaven and earth. Golden flames coiled around his body, while his fiery red hair made him look wild and demonic! Like an ancient Demon God descending from time immemorial, he radiated boundless Evil Qi and killing intent! Space twisted, the earth shattered, and magma continuously surged from the planet’s core!

It was as if the end of the world had arrived!

Not far away, Real Person Taiyi sat in the air atop a white suckling pig. This was his mount, a magical treasure that could transform according to its master’s attributes into a form compatible with its master.

Real Person Taiyi’s attributes were rather peculiar, so it had transformed into a pig.

In the future, this little pig would be given to Nezha. Upon coming into contact with Nezha’s fire attribute, it would directly transform into the Wind Fire Wheels.

"My goodness, it’s only been two and a half years! Nezha’s cultivation has actually reached the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm. How terrifying. He’s just one step away from surpassing me, his master." Real Person Taiyi was shocked.

He felt that he might not be able to defeat this little disciple who was not even three years old yet. At this moment, Nezha’s pressure in his Law, Heaven, and Earth Demon God form was simply terrifying! "He has probably absorbed sixty percent of the Demon Pill’s power. Once he absorbs it all, becoming a Golden Immortal will be effortless," Real Person Taiyi analyzed.

Now, Nezha could draw upon the Demon Pill’s power without the Universe Ring suppressing it, and he would not lose consciousness and become a madman who only knew destruction and slaughter.

That was because this power had already been converted into cultivation!

The original Nezha had lost control mainly because his realm had been too low to control that power.

But now, things were different!

"Time waits for no one, though, my good disciple. Even if you break through to the Golden Immortal realm, you may not be able to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation Curse." A worried expression appeared on Real Person Taiyi’s face.

During this time, he had truly come to like this mischievous yet exceptionally hardworking disciple.

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