CHAPTER 273: CHAPTER 273 WHISTLE-DOWN-THE-WIND

Two of the Ten Heavenly Monarchs, Yao Bin and Qin Wan, have died.

Deng Hua of the Chan Sect has also perished.

Nezha broke through two arrays, the Soul Falling Array and the Heavenly Termination Array, and his reputation even reached the ears of Shen Gongbao and his brother Yin Jiao in Zhaoge.

At this moment, Emperor Yin Jiao was feeling very troubled.

He was King Zhou’s eldest son, and because his mother was harmed by Daji’s schemes, he himself was pursued by soldiers sent by his father, Yin Shou. He was saved by an Immortal and eventually apprenticed under Guang Chengzi to learn his skills.

Prior to the Divine Enthronement War, the Chan Sect distributed many Immortal Pills among the third-generation disciples. Due to his royal lineage, Yin Jiao received quite a few, which elevated his cultivation level to the Golden Immortal Realm.

However, now his master Guang Chengzi stood with Xiqi, while he himself disregarded his master’s orders and employed many people from the Jie Sect.

This was understandable; after all, if someone wants to take your land, you must defend it.

Although Yin Jiao was not skilled in the Emperor’s Skill, he understood that Xiqi had long harbored rebellious intentions.

Besides, although he and his brother Yin Hong had been cultivating since childhood, they were inherently kind and righteous, which is why they were embraced and loved by the people as soon as they took office.

Shen Gongbao, however, was very pleased.

The Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect were undoubtedly formidable, but the Jie Sect also had many experts.

The more chaotic the situation, the wider the vortex would spread, hopefully involving all the experts from both the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect.

According to his plan, even if Nezha was some kind of Outer Heaven Demon, due to the power levels involved, his influence would be minimal.

If he could eventually draw the leaders of both sects into the fray.

"Heroes are countless in this world, but in the end, aren’t they all under my control! I’d die without regrets!"

Thick raindrops violently lashed against the rooftop, and the dark sky seemed about to collapse.

Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the tempest seemed intent on devouring the entire Universe.

In the torrential rain, Shen Gongbao, drenched, laughed heartily.

...

Xiqi.

"Little Piggy hasn’t gotten dumber, huh."

Hearing Nezha say this, Lv Zhu’er, who was packing up their luggage quickly, glared at him and said coquettishly, "Why does the young master say that?"

Nezha said, "The more cultivators I interact with, the more idiots I find in this world. One would think that the more people cultivate, the dumber they get. I feared you might become stupid too."

He reached out and rubbed Lv Zhu’er’s little head, her hair smooth and silky to the touch.

Lv Zhu’er said, "Things in this world require a lot of contemplation. The more you ponder, the smarter you become. If you don’t use your brain, you’d still be a fool even after living for tens of thousands of years. But the young master is right, the people outside are not just stupid, but also wicked. Lv Zhu’er can see now that they all want to harm the young master."

Leaning against the redwood pillar, Nezha said, "So we should pack up and run away?"

"Running away is not disgraceful, young master," Lv Zhu’er tightened the bundle in her hand and slung it over her shoulder. "When we used to steal meat buns from the kitchen and made Big Black take the blame, didn’t we often run away?"

"That’s right, the wind is tight."

Lv Zhu’er’s face bloomed with a radiant smile, "Let’s get out of here!"

Nezha indeed planned to run.

To hell with Master Wen; he had seen the Primordial Venerable himself. As a proper disciple of the Chan Sect, he wasn’t about to join the Jie Sect and fight against the Chan Sect, no matter how unreasonable it might seem.

However, Ran Deng and the Twelve Golden Immortals now all seemed to have lost their minds, inexplicably targeting him.

Yes, yes, I am an Outer Heaven Demon, not as refined as you are, and hence deserve to be killed by you.

But Nezha couldn’t help but wonder, if his current level wasn’t just the Golden Immortal Realm, but that of a Semi-Saint like Ran Deng or Lu Ya, how different would their attitude towards him be?

Speculating yielded no answers.

The changes in this world had already made it increasingly distant from the Fengshen World Nezha once knew.

Nezha returned to the city, skipped the victory celebration feast, and went to the Imperial Palace that night, where he beat up Ji Fa again.

Afterwards, he visited Jinzha’s mansion, tied him up, sealed his powers, and threw him into a cave in a small world. When the time was right, he would bring him to meet their mother.

Damn it, if you dare upset our mother, I’ll cut you into pieces and feed you to Big Black.

He wanted to bid farewell to Jiang Ziya, but when he arrived at the mansion gate, his feet felt like they were rooted in place, incapable of taking another step.

Uncle Master, Uncle Master.

Did his nephew’s bond with him exceed that of his seniors?

He knew that friendships were tied to time, but not too deeply.

Nezha was also aware of one thing.

In Jiang Ziya’s heart, Kunlun’s position was far higher than his own.

One reason he didn’t align with the Chan Sect was his cherished bond with this uncle.

Nezha left.

It wasn’t unexpected.

Jiang Ziya sighed endlessly, drank himself into a stupor alone, and under Lv Ping’s watchful eyes, took the small maid who usually flirted with him but never dared to touch him to bed.

Ji Fa was quite pleased.

But perhaps due to the deep shadow Nezha cast on him, he did not retract the pro-people policies and decrees even after Nezha left.

Master Taiyi was very displeased.

But Ran Deng stopped him.

As Nezha suspected, with his strength and status, Ran Deng didn’t care about any Outer Heaven Demon in the worldly realm.

In the Divine Enthronement War, he was the executor of the Chan Sect’s will. Nezha’s departure reduced the variables once again.

Ao Yu also left with Nezha.

Ao Yu’s reason was simple: Nezha was her friend, and she didn’t want to stay in a place that didn’t welcome him.

As for the Divine Enthronement.

Ao Yu also saw through it. If she could only become a god after death, it didn’t matter if it was with the Chan Sect or the Jie Sect.

...

Several years later, Nezha returned to Lingquan Town.

Due to years of war, many towns became deserted.

Lingquan Town, being a major thoroughfare, remained bustling.

But being bustling usually meant trouble.

Nezha held a chubby Lv Zhu’er in one hand and a Red Horse in the other. Flying swiftly through the air had its pleasures, but for someone who didn’t want to miss the scenery along the way, traveling on horseback was even more enjoyable and relaxing.

"What is the young master doing here?"

"I heard news about a friend. If fate allows, we might meet in this town today."

Lv Zhu’er had been happy throughout the journey. She asked, "Is it a friend like Sister Ao Yu?"

"He’s a monk, far less attractive than the Little Dragon Girl."

Little Dragon Girl ran over holding three skewers of candied fruits, lifting her dress with one hand. She handed the treats to her young master and servant and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Lv Zhu’er laughed, "We said Sister Ao Yu is really beautiful."

"I don’t believe you two."

Just as Ao Yu stood still, the Red Horse beside her grew anxious, and she quickly ran back to the stall to buy another skewer of candied fruits for the horse, which finally quieted down.

Walking down this long street, Nezha felt a surge of emotions.

Back then, Li Jing had sealed his Qi Sea, and he ventured three thousand miles on his own to kill Feng Xiaonian.

Today, he had no such matters, just waiting on this long street for a friend.

The past evoked nostalgia.

The present brought joy.

But as soon as they stepped onto this long street, someone started watching them intently.

Nezha and Ao Yu, a striking duo, stood out no matter where they went. Their radiant presence was impossible to conceal, and even the Red Horse they held was an exceptionally rare and magnificent beast.

Years ago, a waiter at the inn recognized the Red Horse, but time had passed, and Nezha’s appearance had changed significantly, so he did not connect it with the terrifying child of the past.

Passersby speculated that these two must be descendants of the prominent families near Three Mountains Pass, for such grace and charisma. Such figures would be rare even in the capital city Zhaoge, let alone in this war-torn place.

However, those familiar with the Three Mountains Pass area knew that these two were not from there.

Especially the girl.

They did not recognize Ao Yu, but one look was enough to know that if such a beauty had appeared in the Three Mountains Pass, she would have already caused an uproar among the arrogant young masters.

Just like the daughter of the General of the Three Mountains Pass, Deng Chanyu, although she often wore armor and rode horses, which seemed unseemly to some old-fashioned folks, the number of marriage proposals at the Deng Mansion nearly flattened their door.

Among them, Wang Hanwen of the Wang Family, who apprenticed under an Immortal, was one of the suitors.

Wang Hanwen was on this very street.

His family owned all the properties on this street, from inns and taverns to pharmacies, gambling houses, and brothels.

His cultivation had been smooth, and he had already reached the God Absorption Realm.

Today’s visit was primarily to appease his father and to select a fine jade bracelet from the family’s jade shop as a gift for Deng Chanyu.

Like the others on this street, he immediately noticed Nezha—

And the girl, Ao Yu.