Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

Unlike Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, Mu Zha's brotherly relationship with Nezha was far more amicable; after Nezha was born, Jin Zha and Mu Zha were extremely fond of this younger brother. When he was a child, the ones who spent the most time with Nezha were not his mother, nor even Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, but his two older brothers, Jin Zha and Mu Zha.

However, after the Divine Enthronement Battle, both Jin Zha and Mu Zha followed their master into the Buddhist Sect; Jin Zha went to serve under Tathagata Buddha as a protector under Manjusri Bodhisattva, while Mu Zha continued his cultivation with Guanyin Bodhisattva and took the title of Benevolent Beachcomber. After that, they seldom saw each other.

It was because Mu Zha had heard the news that Nezha had died at the hands of Sun Wukong from a letter sent over thousands of miles by Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing that he came to Flower-Fruit Mountain with Guanyin Bodhisattva this time. He came for revenge, but unexpectedly found that not only was Nezha unharmed, but his cultivation had greatly increased.

Even more shockingly, he was now standing on the side of the Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Race, battling his own father, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing!

"The Third Prince's cultivation has actually broken through to the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm! How rare and impressive!"

A sharp gleam flashed across Guanyin Bodhisattva's eyes; she was well aware of the Lotus Incarnation's flaw. Although it was immune to soul attacks, it was most vulnerable to Buddha's Light Fiery Flame.

Furthermore, reaching the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm through Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and Five Qi Facing the Origin was as difficult as ascending to the heavens, otherwise Nezha wouldn't have been stuck for so many years without a breakthrough!

But now it seemed as though Nezha had managed to overcome the limitations of the Lotus Incarnation, no longer constrained by the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.

"What a beast without king or father, siding with demons to fight to the death against his own father, utterly shameless!"

Different from Guanyin Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva sneered coldly, looking down on Nezha with extreme contempt. Guanyin Bodhisattva frowned slightly upon hearing this but didn't counter, a hint of very subtle mockery flashing deep within her eyes.

"Enough! Now is not the time to criticize Nezha! It seems Li Jing can't hold on much longer. We must take action now and lend Li Jing a hand, which will also be a huge favor to Heavenly Court!"

Ran Deng Buddha spoke up, "We can also remind those demons that their era has passed. The Three Realms now belong to the Human Race, and we absolutely won't allow anyone who threatens the Human Race to exist! If they do, we must destroy them!"

Within the battlefield, the complexion of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing had turned as pale as gold paper. The seven treasures within the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda had been forcibly taken by Nezha, completely severing their connection with the tower. As the owner of the tower, Li Jing naturally suffered a formidable injury due to the connection he felt.

Boom!

The top of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda burst open, and Nezha burst forth with three heads and eight arms, each hand tightly clutching one of the treasures from the tower. The treasures glowed, and the light visibly rushed into Nezha's body, converging within the Spirit Pearl at his brow.

As the original Spirit Pearl could absorb the essence of all treasures of the world, once Nezha possessed this original Spirit Pearl again, he naturally had a restraining power over all the treasures of the world.

The seven treasures within the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda were not particularly impressive Spiritual Treasures, so how could they resist the absorption power of the original Spirit Pearl? Their Spiritual Light began to fade as they lost their energy, eventually breaking apart. Explore more stories at empire

"Puh!"

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing spat out a mouthful of blood in reverse as the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda was his Lifebound Magic Treasure, linked by blood to him. Now that the Pagoda had been damaged, his own body also suffered. Many of his meridians were ruptured, and even his heart meridian was injured.

"Scourge! Scourge!"

"Shut up!"

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King glared at Nezha with trembling voice full of bitterness and cursed, only to be silenced by Nezha's thunderous shout that shook him to the core. Suddenly, Nezha's aura soared, and intense hatred surged from his body like a tangible force. His eyes boiled with the desire to kill, "Li Jing! I told you, we have no relation anymore!

All these years, you've repeatedly tried to harm me, seeking to drive me to my death. Did you really think I didn't know? I already told you, if you dare to insult me again, I will not spare you!"

With flames swirling around the Fire-tipped Spear in his hand, Nezha charged towards Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing and viciously thrust the spear straight at Li Jing's chest.

Clang!

The Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda appeared in front of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, blocking Nezha's thrust, but Li Jing was still sent flying by the immense force contained in the Fire-tipped Spear, spewing blood profusely.

The Pagoda, already gravely damaged, took another heavy hit from Nezha's spear, worsening its injuries, and the break at the top widened, almost losing half of its cap.

"Old thief, today is the day you meet your end! Die!"

With a ferocious roar, Nezha chased after Li Jing on the Wind-Fire Wheels, thrusting the spear at his head. It seemed Li Jing was doomed to be killed by the Fire-tipped Spear, as a look of despair flashed in his eyes, but suddenly two Wu Hook swords flew in from an angle to block Nezha's fatal strike. At the same time, a voice filled with shock, anger, and pain cried out:

"Nezha, have you lost your mind? He is our father! How dare you be so rebellious?"

"Second brother?"

Nezha looked at Mu Zha, who was flying over on a cloud with a furious expression, somewhat surprised. Wasn't his second brother cultivating beside Guanyin Bodhisattva? How did he end up in the territory of Flower-Fruit Mountain? Could it be...

Nezha lifted his head toward the clouds and indeed saw Ran Deng Buddha, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Guanyin Bodhisattva flying over together. His heart sank immediately. The appearance of these powerful figures from the Buddhist Sect signified that today's events were likely to take an unforeseen turn!

Although the Western Buddhist Sect and the Taoist Sect were always covertly fighting each other, they were united in their attitude toward the Demon Clan. Nezha didn't believe for a second that Ran Deng Buddha and the others just happened to be passing by.

"Second brother, this is between Li Jing and me. It would be best if you didn't interfere!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Nezha's expression darkened as he spoke firmly. Although he and Li Jing were at odds like fire and water, he always respected Mu Zha and Jin Zha, his two elder brothers. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to be an enemy to Mu Zha or even to meet him in battle.

Unfortunately, while Nezha didn't want to fight, Mu Zha might not feel the same. Mu Zha's face darkened, and he growled at Nezha, "Scoundrel! What are you talking about? He is our father, and that is a fact no one can change! By acting this way, you are committing parricide, a heinous act against natural order!"

"A heinous act against natural order? Haha!"

Nezha started to coldly laugh, "I have already severed my flesh to return to my mother, hacked my bones to return to my father, and cut off all ties with that old thief Li Jing. Now, I have even reshaped my divine soul and returned to my original form of the Spirit Pearl. There is not the slightest connection between Li Jing and me, not by blood, nor by soul.

That old thief, worthy of being my father? Pah!"

"How dare you! You must be bewitched by these demons to utter such words! Today, I shall discipline you on behalf of our father and teach you about the proper order of seniority and the ethical principles of the Heavenly Dao!"

Mu Zha, upon hearing these words, flew into a rage. He cherished the brotherly affection between them, but Nezha's words, and his insistence on killing Li Jing, had crossed a line for Mu Zha. In his eyes, a son must meet his end if his father demands it; no matter how wrong Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing may be, he remains Nezha's father—once a father, always a father.

Nezha could complain and feel aggrieved, but parricide was an unforgivable crime against natural order, and he could not tolerate it!

After this harsh rebuke, Mu Zha wielded his Wū Hook Swords and ferociously slashed at Nezha, clearly intending to strictly discipline him with no trace of mercy in his assault!

"Discipline me?"

Nezha sneered disdainfully and skillfully parried Mu Zha's Wū Hook Swords with his Fire-tipped Spear, "Second brother, not to belittle you, but with your current strength, you are definitely no match for me! I don't want to harm you, don't force me!"

"Today I really want to push you and see in what way you are more formidable than me!"

Mu Zha, furious yet laughing, had always acknowledged Nezha as the strongest among the three brothers. However, after many years of following and cultivating with Guanyin Bodhisattva, Mu Zha had greatly improved. He had reached the pinnacle of the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm and was just a step away from the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm.

His divine skills and wonderous methods far surpassed his past abilities, and he didn't believe he would lose to Nezha!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Fire-tipped Spear and the Wū Hook Swords clashed violently. Nezha no longer suppressed his aura, releasing the full Da Luo Golden Immortal energy that he had held back.

Previously, his innate ability to conceal his aura as the Spirit Pearl had left his energy unfelt, save for Yang Jian with his Heavenly Eye and Leng Xuan, who guessed his breakthrough to the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm based on clues.

Ran Deng Buddha and a few others had guessed Nezha's cultivation level, but now that Nezha unleashed his full strength with no more concealment, the terrifying presence of a Da Luo Golden Immortal burst forth, shocking all onlookers.

"A Da Luo Golden Immortal? This miscreant actually broke through to the Da Luo Golden Immortal level! How could this be? Isn't the Lotus Incarnation known for the difficulty of achieving 'Three Flowers Gathering at the Top' and 'Five Qi Direced to the Origin'?"

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing's eyes were filled with shock, even more so than when Nezha had previously shattered the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda and escaped. He finally understood why Nezha no longer feared the Buddha's Light Fiery Flame within the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.

It turned out Nezha's cultivation had broken through to the Da Luo Golden Immortal level, significantly reducing the Pagoda's power to contain him. With this shift in their respective strengths, the Pagoda naturally could no longer hold him!

"Impressive, to have escaped the constraints of the Lotus Incarnation, no wonder he wasn't afraid of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda. Nezha, this young fellow, truly has astonishing potential!"

As someone who was once one of the Twelve Golden Immortals alongside the True Person Taiyi, Guanyin Bodhisattva knew the weaknesses of Nezha's Lotus Incarnation all too well. However, it was not something that could be easily mentioned.

Unexpectedly, Nezha had indeed managed to bring together the 'Three Flowers' and 'Five Qi,' completely transforming his physique, as if he had become a different person!

Nezha was no longer the Lotus Incarnation!