The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha
Chapter 171: (Backup) Chapter 170: Experiencing the Bitterness of Love at a Young Age

Chapter 171: (Backup) Chapter 170: Experiencing the Bitterness of Love at a Young Age

The three of them got up and prepared to head back. Jiang Ziya had been away for many days and was indeed a bit uneasy about the situation in West Zhou.

Yes, Yang Jian did not bring along the Little Dragon Girl for this trip.

This little lady was someone Yang Jian had saved while slaying demons — a clichéd "hero saving the beauty" scenario. But hey, people these days fell for that kind of thing. And, of course, Yang Jian himself was a man of exceptional qualities: tall, handsome, and immensely powerful in mana.

The Old Dragon King, seeing that his daughter had feelings for him, was naturally supportive a hundredfold. After all, he was aware of certain advantages that his daughter didn’t know about — that Yang Jian had an impressively deep background.

As a result, the next day, Ao Cunxin led five thousand elite Sea Clan soldiers and became Yang Jian’s deputy.

Yang Jian, being a mature man, guessed the Old Dragon King’s intentions. After some time spent with Ao Cunxin, he found the Little Dragon Girl indeed quite remarkable. She constantly cared for him with warmth and attentiveness.

One day she’d sew him a piece of clothing; the next she’d embroider him a sachet.

Yang Jian, who had grown up lacking love, was deeply moved by such treatment from the Little Dragon Girl. Her family background was decent, her personality was good, and he really had nothing to nitpick about her.

Before heading to the battlefield this time, Yang Jian, understanding how dangerous the calamity would be, instructed the Little Dragon Girl: "Return only after the calamity is over. Don’t trouble yourself by getting involved unnecessarily."

Ao Cunxin obediently followed her idol’s words, waiting patiently at home for Yang Jian to return on his seven-colored auspicious cloud to take her away.

The three set off for the West Zhou battlefield, and on the way, Nezha casually discussed with Jiang Ziya and Yang Jian his theories about the Treasure Copper Coin. He noted that Yang Jian happened to be its natural counter.

Nezha mainly warned Yang Jian about the cost of using the Treasure Copper Coin. If it fell into his hands, he mustn’t be blinded by greed and use it recklessly.

To save time, after finishing his explanation, Nezha directly stored Jiang Ziya and Yang Jian within the Mountain and River Map. He then opened a spatial corridor to quickly return to Qinyang City before detouring to Lingtong Pass.

Far more efficient than traveling with Old Jiang!

After releasing Jiang Ziya and Yang Jian back in the Zhou Camp, Nezha didn’t leave immediately. He was quite intrigued by the Treasure Copper Coin and wanted to get a closer look.

As for why he didn’t openly inspect it?

He was worried that Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao, in some fit of madness, might lob the Treasure Money at him. It wasn’t the loss of his magical treasures that he dreaded — it was the thought of his clothes, pants, shoes, and socks getting taken by those guys. That would be utterly disgusting.

After all, Nezha wasn’t some destitute sod like Huang Long.

Meanwhile, during Old Jiang’s absence, Wen Zhong had already arrived with his army, and the Sealing God War had reached a fever pitch. Nezha, being a transmigrator, was genuinely itching to spectate the drama.

Who knows where he picked up this love for being a nosy bystander?

Qingluan: <(￣︶￣)→

Nuwa: ಥ_ಥ

...

With Jiang Ziya and Yang Jian’s return, a grand battle erupted the very next day.

On the Shang Army’s side, Wen Zhong, astride his Mo Qilin, cut an imposing figure. He was flanked by formidable figures aplenty — the likes of Zhang Kui and his wife, Hu Lei, Disciple of the Fire Spirit, Dou Rong and his spouse, all possessed extraordinary skills.

As for the Zhou Army, Jiang Ziya, mounted on his Four Unlikes, was surrounded by Lei Zhenzi, Yang Ren, Huang Tianhua, Wei Hu, Han Dulong, Xue Ehu, Wu Ji, Long Xuhu, and the concealed Yang Jian.

Wen Zhong opened with an authoritative accusation: "Jiang Ziya, you once enjoyed the Great King’s favor and were appointed State Preceptor. Now you’ve turned traitor and lead troops to rebellion — truly a man of no loyalty or righteousness!"

Old Jiang felt a twinge of guilt upon hearing these words. He still couldn’t forget Yin Shou. If not for his master’s orders, he would’ve long returned to Yin Shang and continued cultivating Immortality as the State Preceptor there.

Watching from the sky, Nezha couldn’t help but feel his hands itch at the sight of Wen Zhong parading around arrogantly. This old coot was simply annoying to look at! With a flick of his wrist, a Golden Brick materialized in Nezha’s palm, and he hurled it directly at the Mo Qilin’s front leg.

A flash of golden light shot through the air. With immense force, the Golden Brick smashed into the Mo Qilin’s leg like a cannonball, producing a resounding boom.

The Mo Qilin’s right foreleg was struck so hard that a large pit formed beneath it.

This was followed by pained cries and wild thrashing, as if it were a startled horse. It began to dash about uncontrollably.

Wen Zhong clung desperately to the reins to avoid falling and being crushed to death beneath the Mo Qilin. The surrounding generals quickly scattered to avoid being trampled by the rampaging beast.

Meanwhile, Yang Jian, who had shrunk into a tiny insect to find an opportunity, seized the moment and revealed himself. He raised his Three-pointed Two-edged Blade to cleave at Wen Zhong’s head.

"Enemy attack!"

"Grandmaster, watch out!"

Wen Zhong, a seasoned warrior, reacted swiftly. He ducked his head, shielding it on the other side of the Mo Qilin’s body.

The Mo Qilin, now in full flight, took Yang Jian’s strike on its neck. Sparks flew as a gash appeared, causing the beast to thrash about in even greater agony.

One can imagine what must’ve been going through its mind: Why is it always me who gets hurt?

Having missed his mark, Yang Jian reverted to his insect form and quickly fled.

The tiny insect deftly avoided a rain of magical treasures, but then Xiao Sheng shouted aloud: "Everyone, step aside! Let me handle this!"

The next moment, the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shield descended from the sky.

Yang Jian’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the danger of the artifact. Activating his Heavenly Eye, he emitted a blue beam of light that delayed the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shield, buying himself time to escape.

Retrieving the artifact, Xiao Sheng couldn’t help but marvel at Yang Jian’s ingenuity. "The skills of this guy are astonishing. My former self couldn’t even compare to a single strand of his hair," he murmured.

Jiang Ziya, seeing the enemy formation in chaos, ordered an advance by the Zhou forces.

The result?

A crushing defeat.

How could his ragtag group of elderly, sickly, and frail soldiers possibly contend with Wen Zhong and his elite troops of Great Shang?

The only effective offensive moves came from the Chan Sect disciples, but the losses on their side were far greater. Wen Zhong’s military generals were all forces to be reckoned with.

Lei Zhenzi had virtually all his magical treasures stripped away, leaving him relying on his wings for whatever methods he had left.

Yang Ren still managed to hold his ground thanks to the top-tier prosthetics provided by Yun Zhongzi. Even without his armor’s full strength, he remained formidable.

But those two were unrelenting in targeting Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao, getting beaten black and blue yet refusing to give up.

Their reasoning? "We’re broke already! Go ahead, ’drop’ something else. Let’s see what you can actually take!"

Wei Hu and Huang Tianhua, witnessing this, both breathed sighs of relief. At least they no longer had to refrain from using their treasures in fear of losing them.

Huang Tianhua was in a slightly better position; his treasures like the Soul Gathering Nails and Fire Dragon Dart remained impressive assets.

Wei Hu, however, had only his Demon-suppressing Treasure Mallet. If that were lost, he’d become a lonesome nobody, his battle strength reduced by at least 30% or 40%.

Thus, Old Jiang’s first battle back with Yang Jian concluded in failure. The reason?

A sheer difference in raw strength.

They’d been playing high-tier matches all along, with Lei Zhenzi’s divine equipment limited by his own levels. Now that they were stuck in a lower-tier game where they could dominate, their equipment got snatched and was being used against them. Day after day, Lei Zhenzi had to watch his beloved Qiankun Ring and Huntian Silk being pawed at by the greasy fingers of that blob Cao Bao. At his young age, he was already experiencing the heartbreak of love’s betrayal.

Lei Zhenzi was as miserable as he could possibly be.

The same went for Yang Ren. He valued his armor more than his own life, and now, seeing it worn by others, he felt it was worse than being cuckolded.

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