The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha
Chapter 235 - 234: Who is this insignificant creature who dares to run wild in my Demon Imperial Palace!

"Place your hand on the Fusang Tree."

Nezha obediently followed the instruction.

Immediately, he felt scorching energy coursing through his entire body, and his consciousness seemed to merge into the Fusang Tree, extending downward along its roots...

Xi He, upon seeing the golden light lose its consciousness, walked straight over to him.

The nine golden crow essences, unable to retain their external forms, transformed into streams of golden light and entered Nezha’s forehead, returning to the Taihuangtian.

Xi He let out a sigh; after all, a mother could never get enough of seeing her child. But being alive was always better than being utterly destroyed.

She then turned her attention to Nezha.

Nezha still appeared as a youth of about 1.6 meters tall, with features that hardly warranted the use of any more flattering vocabulary.

Xi He stretched out her hand and pinched Nezha’s cheeks, muttering: "If my sons hadn’t perished, they would be just about your age now. Your face lacks the dignity of Di Jun but bears some resemblance to that fellow Taiyi. Could it be that you’re also a cultivation fanatic?"

She then felt Nezha’s wrist, and her brows furrowed deeply – how was he still akin to a ’baby’?

No wonder he was innately deficient.

To know that her ten sons, upon birth, were already equivalent to the level of Golden Immortals in the Mystic Sect.

The Nezha before her was clearly an innately deficient premature infant in her eyes.

For the Human Clan, Nezha’s cultivation speed was already monstrous, far surpassing even Xuan Du. However, compared to Innate Holy Spirits, the gap was unquestionably vast.

Right now, Xi He had unequivocally assumed Nezha as her own son.

And there is a type of skinniness called "a mother thinks you’re skinny."

The situation now is, there is a kind of innate deficiency called "a mother thinks Nezha is innately deficient."

Mumbling to herself, Xi He returned to the palace and started rummaging through the stash left by Di Jun and Taiyi. She ultimately found three drops of Golden Crow Essence Blood, five thousand jin of Sun Essence, and three thousand jin of the hundred-thousand-year Emperor’s Sulfur Slurry.

Returning, she also chopped some Fusang Tree branches to build a nest. After laying down an array, she incorporated all the treasures within to begin ’completing’ Nezha’s origin.

At that moment, Nezha’s consciousness had already entered the Sun Star’s origin and started the process of fusion, entirely unaware that his Taoist Body was undergoing Xi He’s ’modifications.’

Xi He sat atop the Fusang Tree branches, watching Nezha’s physical body as it lay dormant. But suddenly, her brows furrowed – how had her home attracted thieves?

In her current state, she was unable to sense anything beyond the Sun Star and was unaware that Nezha wasn’t the only one who had arrived this time.

The so-called thief was none other than Jin Ling Saint Mother, who had tagged along with Nezha on his journey.

Of course, Jin Ling Saint Mother wouldn’t admit she was a thief; it could be considered picking something up or ’intercepting’ it. Stealing? What’s that?

What she had ’picked up’ was the golden crow statue Nezha had seen earlier.

Aside from Duobao’s abundant fortune among the Jie Sect immortals, the others adhered to the sect’s teaching of "intercept," which left them genuinely impoverished, and Jin Ling Saint Mother was no exception.

If you could ’intercept’ it on your own, would the Heavenly Dao still deliver opportunities to you?

Leaning on the great array encasing her palace, Xi He effortlessly gauged Jin Ling Saint Mother’s cultivation. If Xi He was at her peak, taking down Jin Ling Saint Mother wouldn’t be difficult. Unfortunately, Xi He was currently just a fragmented time remnant, capable of using only a fraction of her mana, and entirely incapable of engaging in combat.

But this was a woman who had once served as the Demon Queen of the Demon Court; she had always been the one to take advantage of other women, with no woman (except Nuwa and Changxi) ever able to take advantage of her. Even Queen Mother of the West, who was personally titled as the foremost female immortal by the Daoist Ancestor, dared not act recklessly in front of her.

With her extensive experience, Xi He immediately discerned Jin Ling Saint Mother’s background. She reached out toward Nezha, summoning several pitch-black fragments and the River Map into her hand.

She gazed at the items nostalgically for a moment, then headed back toward the palace.

...

As it turned out, Jie Sect disciples were often quite straightforward; four people had entered the Sun Star’s origin: Nezha, Jin Ling Saint Mother, Guang Chengzi, and Pharmacist.

Nezha, aside from having the home-field advantage, also had Guang Chengzi and Pharmacist lingering aimlessly on the outer edges, entirely uninterested in penetrating deeper.

Guang Chengzi simply lacked the cultivation level and protective Supreme Treasures or Spiritual Treasures.

Pharmacist, despite possessing the Eastern Blue Lotus Treasure Flag for protection, could have ascended to the island at some cost. But he didn’t – he had come merely to scrape by, without bothering to risk it.

However, Jin Ling Saint Mother was truly reckless. She had rushed in even faster than Nezha, solely to complete her mission.

It could only be said that Tongtian Sect Master’s youthful appearance was justified; the Jie Sect disciples all shared a streak of bold impulsiveness.

When she exited the Four Symbols Tower after equilibrating herself, Nezha had already entered the palace. Without much thought, she simply followed him in.

A mere Golden Immortal junior dared to charge forward – why should I, a One Corpse Quasi-Saint, be afraid?

Once inside the palace, Jin Ling Saint Mother, having no ties to the Golden Crow Clan, simply took whatever she saw. While calling it "carving up the land" may be exaggerated, the treasures she acquired were indeed substantial.

Regardless of whether the mission could ultimately be completed, the spoils alone from this endeavor made the risks entirely worthwhile; in cultivation, who didn’t need resources?

As the eldest senior sister, Jin Ling Saint Mother certainly wasn’t lacking in cultivation resources, but after dividing them among her comrades, she naturally needed more. While the East Sea was rich, the Jie Sect immortals were numerous!

She was undeniably pleased now; the losses she had sustained during the battle against Pan Hu were not only reclaimed, but upon her return, she would be able to refine a magical treasure equal to the Four Symbols Tower.

While she continued to search the palace, she found herself looping back to the same spot multiple times.

Jin Ling Saint Mother’s first thought was that an array was at work. As the eldest senior sister of the Jie Sect, she prided herself on her understanding of arrays. After studying it for a while, she caught a faint clue.

After several more loops around, she eventually located the array’s array eye.

She cautiously approached the small courtyard housing the array eye, holding the Four Symbols Tower in one hand and the Flying Gold Sword in the other. To her surprise, within the courtyard stood a pitch-black small bell.

Jin Ling Saint Mother’s spiritual sense immediately began sounding alarms. She reacted quickly, attempting to use the Four Symbols Tower to shield herself, but the melodious chime of the bell transformed her surroundings instantaneously.

The courtyard remained unchanged—except now, at the stone table within sat two men clothed in golden robes. One bore a crown and a dignified countenance; the other was handsome, radiating rugged masculine beauty.

Jin Ling Saint Mother unleashed her full Quasi-Saint cultivation, emitting dazzling golden light to resist the surrounding power of time, causing her surroundings to ripple like water waves.

Her movements to free herself from control created ripples that caught the handsome man’s attention.

The man reached out and summoned the East Emperor Bell, flicking it with his finger. Instantly, the timeline was crossed, and Jin Ling Saint Mother was locked in.

Taiyi’s eyes carried not a shred of sympathy or tenderness; the concept of gender equality seemed to manifest perfectly in his actions—all were rubbish to him.

"What rat dares to act rampant in my Demon Imperial Palace!"

He then flicked his finger against the East Emperor Bell three consecutive times.

Clang! The first chime.

Jin Ling Saint Mother was frozen briefly in this spacetime.

Clang! The second chime.

The Four Symbols Tower she clutched to protect herself immediately shattered.