On the other side, Yuan Futong had run to Xuanyuan Tomb and summoned the Three Demons. Fighting head-on was out of the question, so he decided to attack Wen Zhong's rear. Hearing about King Zhou's infamous lustful tendencies, the beauty trap was certainly the best choice.
As he swung the Iron Rod, banging it loudly in front of the Three Demons, Yuan Futong solemnly declared, "For the great cause of the Demon Clan, you three cups must complete the mission of seducing Yin Shou. Otherwise, you'll be the scum of the Demon Clan, and scum needs to be cleaned up. Understood?"
The Three Demons hurriedly nodded and said, "Great Sage Yuan, you are absolutely right. We understand completely!"
Three months after Nezha arrived in Chaoge, Duke Xibo Ji Chang also arrived. However, his arrival barely caused a ripple before he was imprisoned. Suppressing Xiqi had been a consistent policy since Yin Shou's father's reign, and all the political elites of the court adhered to it.
Chaoge, where storm clouds were gathering, did not concern Nezha. He spent his time cultivating while drafting the doctrine of the Taiping Heavenly Sect: the Taiping Heavenly Book.
The main quest from Lady Nuwa could not be forgotten.
Nezha never imagined that he, who failed to make it as an author in his past life, would end up writing his second book in this one.
This Taiping Heavenly Book was something Nezha wrote with serious dedication. Its central theme revolved around a heavily reinterpreted Marxist philosophy, depicting an utopian Primordial World of universal equality.
As for the methods to achieve it? Those could be figured out later.
Truthfully, it was complete nonsense. After all, this was a world where immense power resided in individuals. Asking Yuanshi Tianzun to treat someone he despised, like those born of wet eggs, as equals—you could bet he'd slice you into two with one Sword Qi from the Pangu Banner without hesitation.
Still, an ideal doesn't have to be achievable, but it must exist. Otherwise, there wouldn't even be a direction to strive for.
People need ideals—that's what inspires them to resist!
To ambitious and high-minded sages, such ideas were groundbreaking—like a second creation of the heavens and earth.
"So, this decrepit world could actually be imagined like this!"
Such were Ji Chang's thoughts after reading it.
Oh, and there was also a complaint: the updates were too slow. But given the brilliance of every word in this magnum opus, slow updates were understandable.
Shang Rong, Bi Gan, and other virtuous sages were left deeply unsettled, while Ji Chang felt utterly ignited with passion!
He knew a world where everyone was fed, clothed, and living in equality was unrealistic, but that didn't mean it shouldn't be pursued. Even if the entire world couldn't achieve it, couldn't Xiqi? If his descendants followed this principle, surely, one day, it would be realized!
When he saw the author listed as the "Great Sage Master Li Nezha," he thought, "This must be the seventh Saint under heaven!"
If Nezha knew that his first fanatic fan had such notions, he would have run far, far away.
Nezha: "I don't want to oppose the Five Saints!"
Fanatic: "You do!"
Nezha's book became wildly popular. The senior ministers of the court, after reading it, were torn between admiration and concern.
As for Yin Shou? To him, the Taiping Heavenly Book was nothing but an annoyance. "What nonsense book? It's no match for the allure of my Golden Core Arts."
With the entire Great Shang Dynasty's resources at his disposal, Yin Shou's cultivation advanced quickly. In just about six months, he was already nearing the Foundation Establishment stage.
Yin Shou went out of his way to seek Nezha's help, saying, "State Preceptor, do you have any elixirs or secret techniques to help me build a perfect Foundation without flaws?"
As he spoke, he presented a treasure box containing some extremely precious spiritual medicines. Yin Shou wasn't a fool—having some leverage would make it easier to enlist Nezha's help in the future.
Nezha, who'd been living too comfortably lately (even developing chubby cheeks), reached into his sleeve, pretended to search for a long time, and finally pulled out a pristine Foundation Establishment Pill.
Yin Shou glanced at the Foundation Establishment Pill, which looked exactly like a chicken egg, but did not doubt it. He swallowed it in one gulp, choked a little, and then began focusing on cultivation to break through.
Nezha pocketed the spiritual medicines and stored them inside Taihuangtian, planning to plant them later. "Taihuangtian" was the name Nezha had given to the world within the Chaos Pearl.
Going forward, it would be "Yellow Heaven in one's heart," and he would no longer tolerate gambling or substance abuse.
As for the so-called Foundation Establishment Pill? It was just a soft-boiled egg infused with a trace of Five Elements Spiritual Power, freshly cooked by Daji that morning.
Yin Shou's breakthrough went smoothly. As he entered the Foundation Establishment stage, originally ordinary Yin Shou took his first step toward the extraordinary. The most immediate benefit was a heightened sensitivity to the surrounding world and more condensed spiritual power within his body.
Channeling his spiritual power at full strength, the Innate Tyrant Emperor Sacred Body was activated. His entire form was enveloped in golden, radiant Spiritual Power Dharma Form, which exuded an unparalleled aura. Yin Shou was very pleased, though the consumption was significant.
Suppressing his spiritual aura, Yin Shou enthusiastically flattered, "Immortal Master, now that I've completed Qi Cultivation, can you pass down the next cultivation technique to me?"
Nezha graciously handed it over along with a detailed explanation. Such things could be negotiated, but one must never accrue cause-and-effect debts.
He had taken his fair share of advantages, and his Eight-Nine Profound Skills were steadily progressing higher.
It wasn't that he couldn't brute-force his way through cultivation; it was just that living in wealth and ease had spoiled Nezha to the point where he no longer wanted to live thriftily.
After finishing, Nezha cheerfully said, "I also have Immortal Techniques tailored for the Foundation Establishment stage. Great King, are you interested?"
Yin Shou's eyes lit up. He was now nominally initiated into cultivation but hadn't learned any Immortal Techniques yet, which was frankly a bit embarrassing.
"What Immortal Techniques? Please, State Preceptor, share them quickly!"
Nezha rummaged through his sleeve again and pulled out three manuals: Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Dragon Slayer Sword, and Dragon Beating Stick.
There was no helping it—Nezha had a natural grudge against the Dragon Clan, it seemed.
Yin Shou stared at Nezha's sleeve, half wanting to tear it open to see what treasures lay hidden there. After examining the three manuals, he decided he liked them all and declared he wanted all three.
Yin Shou had never made a multiple-choice decision in his life.
Nezha gladly accepted a massive amount of spiritual materials in exchange and took his leave. These were techniques, not cultivation methods, so they wouldn't harm Yin Shou. "Take your time practicing; I'm too busy to keep an eye on you, brute."
Yin Shou felt a little miffed but dismissed it. "With the demeanor of Emperor Yin Shou, these basic Immortal Techniques are nothing at all."
Time passed, and the one arriving at Chaoge this time was Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan, having promised his junior brother to assist, was thorough in carrying out the errand. Was he afraid?
Even without spells, this bunch of small fry couldn't harm a single hair on his body.
Yu Yuan began by using the Qi Observation Skill to survey Chaoge. Finding nothing unusual, he transformed his appearance and wandered through the city, still finding nothing suspicious.
Idly flipping through the Taiping Heavenly Book in his hands, the only thing that seemed odd was this so-called "Great Sage Master."
…
As the Sealing God Tribulation progressed, Nezha prioritized advancing his Eight-Nine Profound Skills, occasionally updating the Taiping Heavenly Book.
At this point, further advancement in cultivation wouldn't significantly enhance Nezha's combat capability, and rushing it might result in numerous side effects.
Outside, Daji, wearing a pink dress, anxiously said, "Young Master Li, there's a man outside calling himself Yu Yuan. His face looks ferocious, and he's demanding to see you."
Nezha was a bit surprised. Why had Yu Yuan come? This man was, after all, a third generation disciple of the Jie Sect—copper-skinned, iron-boned, immune to weapons. In the original story, even the Immortal-Slaying Flying Blade had trouble breaking his defense before finally killing him.
Nezha certainly couldn't take this guy head-on right now.
Nezha stepped out to meet him.
Yu Yuan, upon seeing Nezha in person, thought to himself, "What a good child. Absolutely impossible for him to be a villain."
With his fearsome face attempting a kind smile, Yu Yuan said, "My junior brother Wen Zhong has been entangled by the Beihai Demon Clan, so he asked me to come to Chaoge as reinforcement. Yu Yuan has admired the name of the Great Sage Master and came specifically to pay respects."
Nezha wasn't one to judge by appearances. Since this man extended courtesy, it would be rude not to accept it. Nezha enthusiastically stepped forward and said, "I am Li Nezha, disciple of Lady Nuwa. Since you are my senior brother's disciple, I must treat you as family!"
Yu Yuan froze for a moment, but seeing Nezha's radiant, sincere smile, he felt his heart melt. "It wouldn't be inappropriate to address you as Young Master Uncle."
Nezha didn't argue. "Alright, but I'm still young. You can just call me Nezha."
Yu Yuan, feeling quite pleased, responded, "Then you can just call me Old Yu."
Daji began preparing a banquet. Nezha still wasn't sure why Yu Yuan was acting so courteous, but he keenly understood the nature of the Jie Sect—once alcohol was on the table, everyone was like brothers.
The two exchanged cups back and forth, calling each other "Old Yu" and "Brother Zha."