On the other side
Ao Guang and Ao Bing transformed into human form and stood beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate. Ao Bing's hand, gripping the drumstick, veins bulging, was about to smash it down heavily on the bronze divine drum when suddenly a thunderous shout resounded through the clouds, " Ao Guang!"
The old Dragon King shuddered, water droplets falling from his horns. He hurriedly looked up, only to see the clouds churning like boiling water, but not a single celestial figure in sight. The voice rang out again, carrying a pressure that pierced the heavens. "Why did you bring your young son to the Heavenly Court to beat the drum?"
"Injustice!" Ao Guang suddenly collapsed to the ground, his dragon robe covered in dust. " Li Jing of Chentang Pass let his son commit murder! That rebellious Nezha, Nezha, killed my Sea-Patrolling Yaksha, stole the Dragon Palace's treasured Dragon Pearl, and even injured my son Ao Bing, leaving him covered in wounds!"
As he spoke, he grabbed the bandage around Ao Bing's neck, and blood immediately seeped through the white silk.
Before the words were finished, a cold laugh came from the clouds, "Is that really so? Why did I hear that you forcibly took young boys and girls, and that the Yaksha attacked first? As for the Dragon Pearl— " The voice suddenly became sharp as a sword, "How could a child steal the treasure of the East Sea without anyone noticing?"
"Injustice! A terrible injustice!" Ao Bing suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, his forehead bruised and swollen. "That Nezha tricked my sister, the Dragon Girl, into stealing under the guise of visiting the Dragon Palace! He must be coveting the power of the Dragon Pearl..."
His sobbing abruptly stopped, and he and Ao Guang froze on the spot.
The voice... clearly carried a familiar clarity, yet also carried a deliberately suppressed sense of intimidation.
Father and son exchanged a glance, their pupils shrinking sharply. " Nezha!" they roared in unison, Ao Guang's dragon whiskers standing on end, "How dare you impersonate a righteous god! To mock me in the sacred Heavenly Court!"
Ao Guang felt he had been tricked and became even more furious. "Nezha, you have mocked the Dragon King and shown contempt for the Heavenly Court. Your crime is compounded!"
Nezha laughed and said, "Then wouldn't it be considered a crime of deceiving the emperor if you lied about the truth?"
The bronze drum at the South Heavenly Gate trembled violently, and Ao Guang's scales erupted with eerie blue lightning, instantly transforming into a hundred-foot-long dragon. Wherever the dragon's tail swept, the clouds tore apart like cotton wool, and a foul wind rushed straight towards Nezha's face. Ao Bing followed closely behind, his twin hammers spinning as they condensed into a storm of ice blades, howling in with a bone-chilling cold.
"Is this all the Dragon Clan knows?" Nezha ( Huo Yuhao ) sneered, and the Red Armillary Sash on his wrist transformed into a crimson rainbow that shot out. The scarlet silk wrapped around Ao Guang's neck like a serpent, but the old Dragon King violently shook his head, and the seawater condensed into ten thousand ice cones in mid-air.
At the same time, Ao Bing's ice hammer was already upon him. Nezha swung out the Universe Ring, and the golden-red light collided with the dark blue cold air, exploding into dazzling sparks.
" Nezha! Prepare to die!" Ao Bing lowered his voice, his eyes flashing with a crazed killing intent. " Nezha, you're doomed this time. The Dragon Pearl wasn't lost at all; I took it. Now, my son and I are working together, and we can definitely kill you and tear you to pieces!"
Before he could finish speaking, Ao Guang had already broken free from the restraints of the Red Armillary Sash, his dragon claws tearing through the clouds and unleashing a storm of thunder. Taking advantage of the moment, Ao Bing transformed into a giant dragon, forming a pincer attack with his father.
Nezha's pupils contracted sharply, and the Universe Ring flew from his hand, slamming heavily into Ao Guang head. The Red Armillary Sash Tian Ling wrapped around the Dragon King's body again, but it was sizzled by Ao Guang's dragon breath. At the critical moment, Ao Bing swooped down, and Nezha swung the Universe Ring backhand at the top of his head. The golden wheel collided with the dragon's horns, unleashing a deafening roar.
Ao Bing's screams echoed through the sky. He was already seriously injured, and now the Universe Ring struck his vitals directly, causing blood to rain down like a storm. Nezha's killing intent surged, his blood boiled, and he reached out and grabbed Ao Bing's dragon tendons, pulling them forcefully.
The excruciating pain caused Ao Bing's dragon body to convulse violently, eventually collapsing into the clouds. ( Nezha then struck him on the head with the Universe Ring, a blow that sealed Ao Bing's fate. Unlike Ao Guang Ao Bing, Ao Guang was much weaker and couldn't withstand Nezha's strike. Combined with his previous injuries, this only exacerbated his condition.)
"No--!" Ao Guang's mournful roar shook the Southern Heavenly Gate as he rushed towards his beloved son. Nezha's eyes still burned with killing intent as he gripped the Universe Ring, preparing to strike again. However, at the critical moment, Ao Guang seized Ao Bing's corpse and dragon tendons, transforming into a streak of light and escaping towards the East Sea. Only his piercing roar remained in the clouds, " Nezha! I will never forgive you!"
"Damn it! They got away!" Nezha watched the departing figures and slammed his fist into the cloud beside him.
Nezha returned to the Li residence, Li Jing was pacing anxiously in the hall. Upon seeing Nezha's return, he immediately stepped forward and asked sternly, "Where have you been again?"
Nezha ( Huo Yuhao ) said: Wasn't the Dragon King going to sue us? I originally wanted to impersonate a righteous god to trick them into going back.
Unexpectedly, the Dragon King recognized my voice and pounced on me. I fought him for a while, pulled out Ao Bing's tendons, and taught them a lesson.
These words struck like a thunderbolt, and Li Jing's face instantly turned a deep shade of liver. He staggered forward, grabbing Nezha by the collar. "You unfilial son! How dare you injure the Dragon King and kill the Dragon Clan Prince?! Do you know this is a heinous crime!"
Before he could finish speaking, seeing Nezha still holding the magic weapon and looking completely unconcerned, Li Jing became even more furious. He rushed forward, snatched the weapon away, and threw it aside.
"Father, you..." Nezha looked at Li Jing.
"Shut up!" Li Jing roared, "How could I have given birth to such a wicked child! From this day forward, you are no longer my son, Li Jing's son!" His finger trembled as he pointed at the gate, his voice nearly breaking, "Get out! Get out of the Li residence right now!"
Nezha looked at Li Jing and couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, then I won't keep you company any longer." With that, he turned around and strode towards the gate of the Li residence.
Outside the vermilion gates of the Li residence, the setting sun cast an extremely long shadow of the young man.
Just then, a figure in sea-blue stumbled in. The Dragon Girl's hair was disheveled, the pearl tassels in her hair were gone, and seawater dripped from her skirt. " Nezha! I finally found the imprisoned children and released them all! But Father..."
She looked up and saw the bloodstains on the boy's body, her face instantly turning deathly pale. "You're injured? What happened?"
As dusk tinged the stone path of Chentang Pass with a dark red hue, Nezha gazed into the Dragon Girl's golden eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. " Dragon Girl, I'm sorry... I killed Ao Bing."
These words struck the Dragon Girl like a hammer blow, causing her to stagger backward. The coral pendant in her hair fell to the ground with a thud, rolling a considerable distance. "What did you say?! My brother... you killed him?"
His trembling fingertips pointed to the Universe Ring around Nezha's waist, still stained with dragon blood, and his voice was filled with disbelief.
"Your brother devoured young boys and girls, a crime already unforgivable." Nezha untied his blood-stained Red Armillary Sash, revealing the hideous claw marks on it. "The first time we fought, I only spared him out of consideration for you. But this time..."
He paused, recalling Ao Bing's insidious words, " The Dragon Pearl wasn't lost at all," and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "This time they came here and actually framed me for stealing the Dragon Pearl, threatening to beat and kill me. Your father is unreasonable and arrogant, and he and your brother came to seek justice. I had no intention of fighting back, but they are so aggressive, wanting to take me back to be punished."
"But in the end, Ao Bing himself admitted that he had framed and hidden the Dragon Pearl! Your father didn't hear it at the time, and I couldn't stop myself anymore."
The Dragon Girl stood before Nezha, her pearl-embroidered skirt covered in dust. Her head hung low, water droplets dripping from her hair and splashing onto the flagstones. "If... if I were to avenge him, if I were to kill you, would you kill me?"
"I won't." Nezha answered without hesitation. He gently grasped the Dragon Girl's trembling wrist. "You are different from them. Even if you kill me, I won't blame you. It's perfectly reasonable for you to seek revenge."
Scalding tears fell onto Nezha's hand. The Dragon Girl suddenly screamed uncontrollably, "Why! Why didn't you kill me! You killed my brother, but I..." Her voice was torn apart by sobs, and her slumped figure curled up into a small ball on the ground.
"I know he did something bad, but he's my brother... Why you of all people... Nezha... Why you of all people?"
Suddenly, the Dragon Girl threw herself into Nezha's arms, raining blows on his chest. "Why! Why!" Salty tears soaked his clothes, but Nezha endured it without moving, letting her attack him, and gently held her in his arms.
"Because I am Nezha." He finally spoke, his voice low and firm, "If I could stand by and watch innocent children being harmed without doing anything, I would no longer be myself."
He gently stroked the Dragon Girl's trembling back, recalling the tear-streaked smiling faces of the rescued children, "Your brother's life is precious, but those children's lives are equally valuable. When your father and the others raised their weapons to take my life, if I hadn't fought back..."
He sighed, making the Dragon Girl look him directly in the eye. "Then, I might be the one who dies. I'm sorry, Dragon Girl."
Deep in the East Sea, the luminous pearl of the Crystal Palace suddenly trembled violently, casting flickering light on Ao Guang's distorted face. Dragging his blood-stained dragon robe, he slumped onto a jade chair, the scales still bearing the scorch marks left by Nezha's Universe Ring. The dragon flames rising from his body sizzled and scalded the seawater. "Pass on my order! Immediately summon the Dragon Kings of the South Sea, West Sea, and North Sea to the palace!" His hoarse roar shook the coral pillars, causing sand to fall from them, and the shrimp soldiers and crab generals fled in terror.
Within half an hour, three streaks of light burst through the water. The South Sea Dragon King, his red beard flying, the Sea Dragon, his blue scales gleaming with frost, and the North Sea Dragon King, clad in ice armor, all three knelt on one knee in unison. "Big Brother!"
However, the moment they looked up, they all gasped in shock—the once majestic Dragon King of the East Sea now had his left eye swollen shut, half of his dragon horn broken off, and blood was still dripping from his robes.
"Brother, who has ambushed you?!" The Sea Dragon suddenly stood up, the ice blade at his waist humming. Ao Guang waved his hand, grabbed the luminous wine jar on the table, tilted his head back and gulped it down, wine mixed with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "This is a long story..."
He slammed the wine jar heavily onto the jade table, causing the pearl lamps in the room to sway. "I've summoned you all here today to discuss a blood feud!"
The three Dragon Kings exchanged a glance and simultaneously clasped their hands in a fist salute. "We are willing to obey your orders, Elder Brother! We will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Ao Guang's dragon eyes suddenly turned bloodshot as he recalled Ao Bing's tragic death. His fingernails dug deeply into the armrest of the dragon throne. " Nezha, son of Li Jing of Chentang Pass... killed my child, disgraced my dragon Dragon Clan, and stole the Dragon Pearl, the most precious treasure of my Dragon Palace!"
He recounted through gritted teeth the events of Nezha stealing the Dragon Pearl and the battle at the South Heavenly Gate. When he mentioned that Ao Bing had his dragon tendons pulled out, the seawater in the entire palace suddenly surged up with huge waves, pressing down on all the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, making them unable to move.
"Outrageous!" The Dragon King of the South Sea's red whiskers stood on end, and crimson flames erupted from his body. "How dare a mere brat be so arrogant?!"
"Rest assured, brother!" The Sea Dragon had already drawn his ice blade. "Our West Sea navy will surely crush Chentang Pass!"
The Dragon King of the North Sea said, "Me too."
Seeing his three brothers united in their hatred of the enemy, Ao Guang's cloudy eyes welled up with tears. He suddenly stood up. "Good! Good! Good! If this grudge is not avenged, I, Ao Guang, swear I am not human! Issue the order: three days from now at dawn, the Sea Dragon shall gather at Chentang Pass!"