Chapter 129 - 128: Let’s Go, Follow Me Back to Three Immortals Island

Chapter 129: Chapter 128: Let’s Go, Follow Me Back to Three Immortals Island A group of people arrived at Golden Turtle Island. Only then did Nezha slowly wake up and exchange a knowing glance with Yunxiao. Yunxiao chuckled softly and set Nezha down. Then, Nezha was immediately surrounded by No Brainer and Unhappy, their four hands groping around wildly on Nezha under the guise of a "physical checkup." Old Zhao also asked with a concerned expression about Nezha’s condition. Nezha had simply exhausted his mana and stamina but wasn’t injured. After getting enough rest, Nezha would recover completely. Old Zhao and the others adjusted their appearances; after all, they couldn’t meet their teacher looking disheveled. Zhao Gongming handed over a series of magical treasures to Nezha, including the twelve Ocean Stabilizing Divine Pearls, the Black Coffin, the God Slaying Spear, the Sun-shooting Bow, and the Ling Jiu Palace Lantern, while keeping only the Qiankun Ruler for himself. In truth, the Qiankun Ruler would be most useful for Nezha—it could even serve as a tool for measuring while working on construction. However, nothing in life is perfect, and the purpose of Nezha’s trip was to eliminate Randeng. Everything else was merely an unexpected bonus. Upon meeting the Tongtian Sect Master again, Tongtian praised them cheerfully and didn’t bring up how Zhao Gongming had cut his corpse during cultivation. After all, the difference between personal enlightenment and being taught by others was massive. Ideally, Tongtian hoped that Zhao Gongming would continue advancing on his own efforts. Would Zhao Gongming have the awareness and determination for this? Hard to say—it would simply have to be tested. Nezha originally planned to take his leave, but Yunxiao smiled sweetly and said, "Last time when breaking the array, you only identified eight Array Eyes. I think your understanding of arrays is still lacking. You should come back with me to the Three Immortals Island." No Brainer and Unhappy immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, go to the Three Immortals Island so Big Sister can give you some proper lessons!" Old Zhao nodded in agreement, feeling it was only fair to properly host Nezha, who had helped him so much. Nezha first opened the Ghost Gate and sent the Black Coffin to the underworld, then made his way to the Three Immortals Island again. Zhao Gongming instructed his three little girl mount spirits to prepare a banquet, while Bixiao and Qiong Xiao busied themselves with studying a musical piece composed by Nezha. They planned to perform it for him at the banquet. Yunxiao sat beside Nezha with a gentle smile, but Nezha looked slightly uneasy. Truth be told, pretending to sleep earlier had been a bit awkward, but he’d really not wanted to get down. After some thought, Nezha decided to talk about arrays! As soon as this topic was broached, Yunxiao immediately switched into teaching mode. Her smiling expression turned serious. The faintly ambiguous atmosphere between them instantly dissipated. Nezha sat up straight, and Yunxiao began directly explaining the array used in the Blood Sea incident—its design intentions, operational mechanics, and reverse-engineering of its nodes. In the distance, No Brainer and Unhappy were leaning their little heads together, eavesdropping on their older sister. Upon seeing this scene, they initially shrank back, but after realizing they themselves weren’t the ones being lectured, they burst into uproarious laughter, rolling on the ground. Nezha had started with some stray thoughts, but he soon got into the right mindset, listening intently and becoming fully immersed in the lesson. Meanwhile, Old Zhao had already finished preparing the banquet, but Nezha and Yunxiao were still in the middle of their "class!" Yunxiao taught for over three months before finishing the full explanation of the array. When she saw Nezha’s intent expression, she was almost reluctant to stop—should she go over it all again? Qiong Xiao and Bixiao, having long grown impatient, immediately grabbed their eldest sister and persuaded her, "Big Sister! We invited Nezha to thank her!" "Not to lecture him!" Yunxiao playfully ruffled her two younger sisters’ little heads and acknowledged that now wasn’t the time. Apart from the banquet, Old Zhao was still injured, and the newly acquired Qiankun Ruler required refining and contemplation. Old Zhao, however, couldn’t care less—what were a few injuries or breakthroughs in cultivation compared to spending time with his sisters? Ultimately, Nezha did get to attend the banquet—thanks, in no small part, to Randeng’s influence! During the banquet, Qiong Xiao sang while Bixiao danced. To put it bluntly, in terms of artistic talent, Nezha was no match for them. Even with pieces Nezha himself had composed, the two sisters transformed them into seven or eight vastly superior versions. Nezha, lacking their level of artistic perception, couldn’t articulate complex critiques. All he could say was, "It’s good. I like it." Everyone was enjoying themselves. Even Yunxiao drank a few extra cups, and the gathering ended with everyone fully satisfied. However, No Brainer and Unhappy then pestered Nezha to play mahjong with them. Yunxiao was somewhat tempted herself but ultimately restrained the two troublemakers, sending Nezha and Zhao Gongming to seclusion while leaving Little Qingluan and others to keep the two entertained. Yunxiao herself had also gained a lot from this recent battle and soon entered a cultivation state as well. There was nothing surprising about this—constant seclusion and cultivation were the norm for immortals. If it weren’t for the Sealing God Tribulation, with its web of interconnected karmic ties ripe for conflict, where would you randomly run into so many immortals? Nezha, too, returned to cultivation, digesting the gains from his journey and refining the newly obtained magical treasures. Though the Shang and Zhou battlefield seemed outwardly calm, underneath, activity stirred. Most second-generation Chan Sect immortals on the Zhou side had returned to Kunlun Mountain, leaving only some third-generation disciples to endure the tribulation. Yang Jian, who had used his master as a shield to successfully endure his trial, was also one of them. On the Shang side, big-shot An Tuo Jia had already left. The immortals Shen Gongbao had previously recruited had largely fled, their slight sobriety preventing them from staying after the war’s lull. Only those intoxicated by tribulation energy remained. Among the Asura, those of higher cultivation had been "converted" to the Western Sect by An Tuo Jia. The weaker ones? All were killed by a single roar from Li Jing at the time. Overall, the Zhou forces—reinforced by the third-generation Chan Sect disciples—held a slight edge in power. However, they had been fully supportive of the earlier armistice and had no reason to break it now. Besides, Jiang Ziya’s enthusiasm for attacking Great Shang was lukewarm at best. Shen Gongbao, however, was a far cry from an easy adversary. He had long believed his side held the upper hand. Even with An Tuo Jia’s departure, he couldn’t care less. With the disobedient gone, Shen Gongbao was confident more cooperative Asura would arrive to serve as enforcers. After reconnecting with the Bodhisattva, he first exaggerated An Tuo Jia’s situation to drive his own agenda. It wasn’t really exaggeration, though—An Tuo Jia had indeed harbored disloyalty for some time. The Bodhisattva was incensed upon hearing this. But it wasn’t An Tuo Jia’s rebellion that angered him—it was the humiliation of losing face. He had previously sworn that An Tuo Jia was absolutely trustworthy, only to have the latter turn around and collude with Chan Sect immortals to throw the fight. And then, to make matters worse, An Tuo Jia had followed Ksitigarbha to the underworld to join the Western Sect. Wasn’t this a direct slap to the face? And all this in front of a mere ant! Already irascible from residing in the Blood Sea, the Bodhisattva—now maddened by tribulation energy and Shen Gongbao’s manipulations, and possessing a cultivation level comparable to that of a Daluo Golden Immortal—had completely lost his rationality. Ancestors’ instructions? What ancestors’ instructions? I only want my dignity back right now! He ordered Shen Gongbao to collect massive quantities of blood food and construct altars to prepare for his grand descent. Shen Gongbao readily agreed. The pause in the war made it the perfect time to gather people, and he planned to deliver a massive blow to West Zhou, utterly crushing it and proving to his master that he was far superior to Jiang Ziya!