"Stop!"
Just as Li Jing's longsword was about to strike the fleshy ball, a clear, feminine shout rang out like thunder from the heavens, exploding above the Prefect's Residence.
An overwhelming pressure descended from the sky, instantly enveloping all of Chen Tang Pass.
Under that pressure, Li Jing felt as though an invisible mountain had pinned him down, leaving him unable to move. The longsword in his hand clattered to the ground.
He looked up in horror. At some point, a woman had appeared in the courtyard. She wore a blue palace gown, and her beauty was matched only by her cool, aloof bearing.
A faint blue aura surrounded her, and lotus blossoms appeared beneath her feet. Her indifferent gaze fell on him, then on the fleshy ball by his feet.
"You're Li Jing?" The woman's voice held not a trace of emotion.
"Y-You... who are you? Immortal or demon?" Li Jing asked, trying to hide his fear behind a show of bravado. Though he, too, practiced the Dao and had studied under True Lord Du'e of West Kunlun, his cultivation was no more than an ant's before this woman.
She didn't answer. Instead, she turned her gaze to the fleshy ball.
She extended a slender finger and gently pointed at it.
"Crack."
The incredibly tough fleshy ball split open, and a little boy sprang out. He was as exquisitely formed as a painted doll, with a golden bracelet around his wrist and a red sash around his waist.
The moment he landed, the boy opened his large, bright eyes and curiously surveyed his surroundings, babbling away without the slightest fear of strangers.
"Lingzhuzi..."
At the sight of the boy, a complicated emotion flickered in the blue-robed woman's eyes: nostalgia, remembrance, and even a hint... of relief?
"Y-You... who are you, really? What have you done to my child?"
Just then, Lady Yin emerged from the birthing room, supported by her maids. She had only just given birth and was still weak. Seeing what had happened, she looked deeply worried and frightened.
The blue-robed woman turned to Lady Yin, and her icy gaze softened a little.
"Don't be afraid. I'm no demon, and I haven't come to harm you."
She paused, then spoke slowly, her voice carrying throughout the entire Prefect's Residence.
"I am Shi Ji, of White Bone Cave on Skull Mountain."
Shi Ji!
The instant those two words were spoken, Venerable Yuanshi and Grand Supreme Elder Laozi, far away on Kunlun Mountain, opened their eyes in shock.
Shi Ji?
That demon immortal of the Interception Sect who had been burned to ashes, body and spirit, by Taiyi Zhenren's Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover?
How could she still be alive?
And why had she appeared in Chen Tang Pass?
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Venerable Yuanshi cried out.
He had personally confirmed it. Shi Ji's True Spirit hadn't even had a chance to enter the Investiture of the Gods; it had simply turned to ashes. How could someone whose body and spirit had been destroyed possibly return to life?
Could someone be impersonating her?
But that aura, that unmistakable presence of a stone brought to life—there was no faking it!
Grand Supreme Elder Laozi furrowed his brows as well. He hurriedly performed a divination, but the result was still a complete blur.
"Senior Brother, this..." Venerable Yuanshi looked at Grand Supreme Elder Laozi, his voice trembling.
One disciple after another had died, and now an enemy whose body and spirit should have been destroyed had appeared alive and well. It all lay far beyond his understanding.
Chen Tang Pass, Prefect's Residence.
Li Jing and Lady Yin had no idea how much of a stir the name "Shi Ji" had caused in the ears of the Sages.
Li Jing only found the name somewhat familiar, but couldn't recall why.
Mustering his courage, he asked, "Lady Shi Ji, may I ask why you've graced my humble residence with your presence?"
Shi Ji's gaze returned to the boy, who was already toddling unsteadily around the courtyard.
"I've come to take him as my disciple."
"What? Take my child as your disciple?" Li Jing and Lady Yin stared at her in astonishment.
"Indeed." Shi Ji nodded. "This child is fated to face a tribulation, and his True Spirit is that of Lingzhuzi, reincarnated from Nuwa's palace. He and I have unfinished business between us. I've come today to take him up the mountain to cultivate, so he can avoid the deadly calamity destined to befall him."
"I..." Li Jing hesitated.
As a cultivator himself, he knew what "Lingzhuzi's reincarnation" and "a destined deadly calamity" meant.
If what Lady Shi Ji said was true, having his child take her as his master would be a good thing.
However, he himself had studied under True Lord Du'e and was considered a member of the Sect of Explanation. From her name, Lady Shi Ji didn't seem to belong to the Sect of Explanation.
"Forgive my impertinence, Lady Shi Ji. My child... wasn't he already destined to have a master? My master, True Lord Du'e, once said that my son's master would be Taiyi Zhenren of Golden Light Cave on Qianyuan Mountain..."
Li Jing asked cautiously.
At the mention of "Taiyi Zhenren," a bone-chilling glint flashed in Shi Ji's eyes.
The temperature throughout the Prefect's Residence seemed to drop several degrees.
"Taiyi Zhenren?"
She gave a cold laugh, her voice brimming with scorn and satisfaction.
"He can barely save himself. He's already met his deadly calamity in the East Sea and ended up on the Investiture of the Gods. Who knows whether he's alive or dead? How could he take anyone as his disciple?"
"What?!"
Li Jing felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. He was completely stunned.
Taiyi Zhenren... was dead?
He was one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Sect of Explanation, a Grand Unity Golden Immortal! How could he have died just like that?
Was Lady Shi Ji telling the truth?
Shi Ji seemed to see through his thoughts. "Believe it or not, that's up to you. But I can tell you this: Taiyi and I have a blood feud. Now that he's suffered the consequences of his actions, I'll protect the disciple he couldn't. I'll teach the one he never got the chance to teach."
"I'll make this child into a true powerhouse. One day, he'll personally trample underfoot every last person who ever bullied or schemed against him!"
Her words brimmed with confidence and an unquestionable authority.
Li Jing and Lady Yin fell silent.
It was all too much to take in.
Taiyi Zhenren was dead; this mysterious Lady Shi Ji was his enemy; and now she wanted to take Taiyi Zhenren's would-be disciple for herself.
What was going on?
Lady Yin looked at the boy, who had toddled over to Shi Ji and was now clutching her leg, giggling. Her heart softened.
She could tell that though Lady Shi Ji seemed cold and distant, she meant no harm to their child. If anything, there was an indescribable fondness in her eyes.
She tugged at Li Jing's sleeve and whispered, "Husband, I don't think Lady Shi Ji is a bad person. And the child seems quite attached to her, too. Perhaps... this is fate."
Li Jing wrestled with himself.
On one side was his own elusive sect; on the other was Lady Shi Ji, unfathomably powerful and bearing astonishing news.
He gritted his teeth and finally made his decision.
He bowed deeply to Shi Ji.
"Then I'll entrust my son to you, Lady Shi Ji. Please, give him a name."
Shi Ji looked at him, her expression softening.
"Since he came into the world with a cry of 'na,' let him be called Nezha."
She bent down and lifted Nezha into her arms.
Little Nezha didn't cry or fuss. Instead, he reached out and touched her face.
For the first time, a faint, heartfelt smile appeared on Shi Ji's face, usually as cold as ice.
"Nezha, from this day on, you are my disciple."
"Come with me. Your master will take you somewhere no one can hurt you."
With that, she held Nezha close and shot into the sky in a streak of blue light, vanishing in an instant.
Li Jing and Lady Yin were left in the courtyard with a group of stunned servants and maids, staring at one another.
Inside the Investiture of the Gods Space.
Shen Zhaochi watched the scene and nodded in satisfaction.
"Perfect."
Shi Ji's resurrection had, of course, been his doing.
As the master of the Investiture of the Gods, he could use divine power to recreate the immortal bodies of those whose names were on the list and return them to the world.
Of course, this reconstruction wasn't a true resurrection.
The Shi Ji of today was more like a "divine emissary" of his, walking through the Primordial Era—a "high-level puppet" under his absolute control.
But that was enough.
"Having the person Taiyi killed take his disciple. Old Man Yuanshi, do you like this gift?"
A playful smile curled Shen Zhaochi's lips.
He wasn't merely poaching a disciple from the Sect of Explanation. He was striking at their hearts.
He could already imagine how furious Venerable Yuanshi would be when he heard the news.
Even someone who was dead could still come back to slap him in the face.
That would hurt even more than simply killing a few of his Sect of Explanation's disciples.
"Next, it's my turn to deal with my cheap senior brother, Zhao Gongming."
Shen Zhaochi shifted his gaze from Chen Tang Pass to Zhao Gongming, who was receiving the adulation of thousands on Golden Ao Island, full of confidence and high spirits.
"Your moment in the spotlight is almost over."
"And those two from the Western Teachings should be here soon, too, right?"
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