CHAPTER 267: CHAPTER 267 BEATING SOMEONE UP

Indeed, they are all the same.

No matter which side you are on, with your strength and intellect, the end result will likely be having your name inscribed on the Investiture of the Gods.

However, the Investiture of the Gods indicates being appointed to a divine position, serving at the behest of the Heavenly Emperor.

For those cultivators who desire longevity and freedom, they might not be willing to accept it, but many may vie for it desperately.

Nezha remembered that Ao Bing was one such person.

However, Ao Bing sought to be alive when inscribed on the Investiture of the Gods, not after death, otherwise it would have been much easier.

The Little Dragon Girl was similar. Her thoughts were dangerous and somewhat delusional, already contemplating her divine position posthumously.

Nezha didn’t think this was good. He felt his relationship with his martial uncle was decent, so he planned to speak on the Little Dragon Girl’s behalf, perhaps rigging the upcoming battles to let her claim a few easy victories, thus securing a divine position for her on the Investiture of the Gods.

He had keen ears.

Just walking out of the dungeon, he overheard many oddities.

With the great war imminent, Ji Fa was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of the entire Xiqi City to find the culprit who had been repeatedly raping and murdering his beloved concubines in the palace.

For instance, Ji Fa continuously scoured the countryside for beauties to bring to the palace, yet the number of female officials in the palace did not see much increase.

He raised an eyebrow, understanding that in times of chaos, strange things were bound to happen.

This was not surprising.

When issues arise, they simply need to be resolved.

He walked to the street and saw a small stall by the roadside.

On the stall was a Bagua Diagram. Behind the table sat a young Taoist, straight-backed, slim as a spring bamboo, draped in a faded blue-grey Daoist robe, his brows like distant mountains, and his eyes shallow and clear like thawed streams.

This was a fortune-telling stall.

In this world where people could kill for a mouthful of food, there was still a queue of people waiting for his fortune-telling.

Nezha observed him, his eyes narrowing, thinking that this person’s cultivation was quite high, solidly in the Golden Immortal Realm, definitely stronger than his unreliable elder brother Jinzha.

Nezha stepped forward and stood still, waiting quietly for this Taoist to finish his fortune-telling for the mortals.

The Taoist smiled at him to express his gratitude and then continued fortune-telling for others.

The matters he divined were not exceptional, mostly advising where to find a livelihood, places to grow crops for bountiful harvests, and regions with fewer military disasters.

By the time he finished, it was already evening.

The faint rays of the setting sun stretched across the narrow street, filling the stillness with a tense atmosphere.

"My name is Li Nezha."

"I am Deng Hua," the Taoist nodded.

Nezha was shocked and said, "Uncle Deng Hua, why are you fortune-telling on the streets?"

This Deng Hua was none other than the fifth disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, and most of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect were his junior disciples.

Deng Hua smiled and said, "I have rarely descended from the mountain in my life. Upon coming down this time, I realized the human world was so harsh and didn’t know what to do, so I decided to provide some guidance to the people."

Nezha said, "Uncle’s kind heart is admirable, I respect that."

"It’s just a small effort."

Nezha said, "A figure like Uncle, wherever you go would bring blessing, there is no need to involve yourself in the vortex of the Fengshen War in Xiqi, have you also fallen into the calamity of slaughter?"

Deng Hua shook his head and said, "Alas, I have been struggling recently with gathering the three flowers on the Ding Mountain and five energies in my chest, so I sought my teacher for enlightenment. He instructed me to walk down the mountain, suggesting that I might find my answers below. I encountered Senior Brother Ran Deng after leaving Kunlun, and he invited me to break the Ten Extremes Formation, so I came."

Yuanshi Tianzun.

Ran Deng.

A teacher.

A senior brother.

They called Deng Hua here to fill the entries on the Investiture of the Gods.

To give both the Jie Sect and the Heavenly Emperor an explanation.

Nezha hesitated for a moment, then said solemnly, "Uncle shouldn’t have come. The Ten Extremes Formation is extremely perilous, without heavy treasures, no one below the Taiyi Golden Immortal can break through. Uncle might lose your life and ruin your cultivation."

Deng Hua heard this and fell silent, then smiled and said, "Senior Brother told me that I will lead the charge to break the Heavenly Termination Array tomorrow. Senior Brother has always treated me well, he wouldn’t send me to my death."

He wouldn’t send you to your death?

Nezha thought to himself, these cultivators, who have cultivated for thousands or tens of thousands of years, always focusing on their Daoist skills and not considering worldly matters, have their minds become so rigid and naive?

Recalling Ran Deng’s attitude towards him during the day, Nezha shook his head, bid Deng Hua farewell and left.

He had no reason to offend a quasi-saint of the Chan Sect over someone he had just met.

Nezha went to Jinzha’s mansion first.

When Jinzha saw Nezha, his face changed drastically, but after thinking that his master Manjusri had also arrived in Xiqi City, he gained a bit more confidence and said coldly, "Why are you here? I already told you, I am not your brother, and you are not my brother. If you’re so desperate for love, go find Muzha, he’s much more gentle than me."

Hearing this, Nezha raised an eyebrow and, without saying a word, took a step forward. The several-zhang distance between them seemed nonexistent, and he appeared right in front of Jinzha.

Jinzha did not see Nezha.

All he saw was a fist.

As always, Nezha’s punch nearly flattened Jinzha’s nose.

He actually held back, otherwise Jinzha’s fate would not have been any better than Yao Bin who presided over the Soul Falling Array.

With his face covered in blood, still not fully reacting, Jinzha took a knee to his stomach from Nezha, almost bursting his internal organs.

He couldn’t even move a finger, let alone use any magic treasures or secrets, resembling a shrimp curled on the ground, taking Nezha’s rain of punches.

"Damn it! I’ll make you recognize your mother!"

Lady Yin carried him in her womb for ten months, three hundred days.

Nezha punched three hundred times.

He beat Jinzha from head to toe, leaving no piece of good flesh or intact bone.

But he still didn’t die.

At this point, Manjusri approached and said, "Enough, if you keep hitting him, you’ll have enough minced meat to make human meat buns."

Seeing Manjusri, Nezha immediately became respectful and said, "Greetings, Uncle."

"Alas, you, as an Outer Heaven Demon, don’t know how to restrain yourself. Being too sharp can lead to breakage, Nephew."

Seeing that Manjusri came to save Jinzha without really defending him, Nezha smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle. Nezha understands. However, Mother has always wanted to see Jinzha. Could you grant him leave?"

"Mother-son affection, how could I interfere with that? But it might not be enough if only I grant leave. I shall issue him a death order to ensure he spends ten days to half a month being a good son with Lady Yin."

Hearing this, Nezha was overjoyed, bowed and said, "Thank you, Uncle!"

Leaving Jinzha’s mansion, Nezha headed to the palace.

On the way, he saw the long-unused porridge stalls being set up again, with long lines forming in front.

Corrupt officials.

Starving people.

Rice porridge.

"Ji Fa, Ji Fa, you’re nothing like history portrays you. If you truly were a wise king who loved his people like his children, I’d help you seize the world even if it cost me my life."

But he wasn’t.

Walking into the palace, Nezha maintained a smiling face, greeting the eunuchs and palace maids along the way.

The palace residents had grown to like the amiable General of Divine Power over time.

Especially the palace maids.

Knowing that Nezha’s legitimate wife was once a palace maid who now managed the finances and had become the mistress of the Li Mansion, they liked him even more.

However, they did not know that Nezha’s visits to the Xiqi Palace almost always involved beating people up.

And the ones he beat up weren’t just anyone, but the master of the palace.

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