The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha
Chapter 36 Start Work

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Start Work

Upon hearing there was work to do, the previously gloomy atmosphere around her lightened up a bit. She enthusiastically patted her ample chest and promised to work hard this time, not disappointing Nezha, her senior brother, for his guidance.

Nezha glanced at her heaving chest and thought, "Wow, there’s really something under that black robe, huh?"

Gold Star Taibai welcomed Shi Ji’s involvement with open arms—after all, it didn’t cost the Heavenly Court any wages.

The trio set off to the damaged rupture in the West. Following the previous tunnel, they arrived at a chasm that had been eroded by Chaos Spiritual Power, forming a bottomless pit.

The surrounding land was almost unrecognizable, thoroughly corroded by the chaotic aura.

The three began their descent for an investigation. The closer they got to the bottom, the more the turbulent chaotic currents affected the Immortals. Shi Ji summoned a handkerchief embroidered with Eight Diagrams to shield herself and Nezha.

Actually, Nezha was already very familiar with handling such situations.

Guided by Shi Ji, they thoroughly surveyed the fissure inside and out. In truth, it wasn’t that severe. If it weren’t for the ongoing erosion of chaos, the Primordial Land might have healed itself over time.

But Nezha and Gold Star Taibai certainly weren’t going to put it that way.

Nezha feigned a serious expression and said, "This breach is extremely severe and has also been affected by the aftermath of battles."

He then pointed to the edge of the chasm. "Look, the boundary wall is thinning from the chaos erosion, and this rupture will only continue to expand!"

Gold Star Taibai squinted at it—it did indeed look that way.

Nezha then poured on the dramatics for Gold Star Taibai: "Look how much larger this breach is getting! Any further delay, and it’ll be beyond repair! When that happens, it will be another catastrophe for the Primordial Land!"

Gold Star Taibai quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right!"

After a long spiel, Nezha concluded: "We’ll have to raise the price."

Gold Star Taibai instinctively echoed, "Yes, yes, absolutely!"

Then, realizing what he’d just agreed to, he chuckled begrudgingly. "Fine, fine, we’ll raise the price. After all, I’m not the one supplying the materials."

Nezha, his lips constantly moving like a chant, rattled off a list of required Immortal Treasures: "5,000 catties of Red Gold Pure Iron, 5,000 catties of Beiming Cold Iron, 1,000 catties of Heavenly Star Copper..."

On and on the list went, leaving the honest Shi Ji wide-eyed at the sheer quantity. She was about to blurt out, "Why...!"

But Nezha, quick as a flash, reached over and pinched her generous rear. To his surprise, the feel was quite nice.

"Hiss!"

Shi Ji felt an electrifying current surge through her body. Just as she was recovering, she realized a particularly heavy stone had been stuffed into her hand beneath her black robe. Swallowing her original comment, she hastily amended herself: "Why... why so little?"

Feigning modesty, Nezha replied, "Ah, it’s because my skills are lacking. If my master handled this, there’s no way it would cost this many treasures!"

Gold Star Taibai, ever the seasoned schemer, nodded seriously and said, "A Daoist like you, devoted to protecting the Primordial Land, would never suffer losses on our behalf. I’ll add another twenty percent to the materials!"

Nezha’s eyes lit up, and he threw an arm around Taibai’s neck. "Brother Taibai, I knew you were a man destined for greatness!"

Gold Star Taibai rolled up the scroll with a laugh and said, "Oh, it’s nothing. I’m merely running errands for the Great Venerable."

After exchanging pleasantries for a bit, Gold Star Taibai returned to the Heavenly Court to report.

Nezha called out to his retreating figure, "Brother, don’t forget to bring some peaches next time!"

With Taibai gone, only Shi Ji remained. She hesitated before nervously saying, "Uh, um... sorry about earlier."

As she spoke, she stretched out her hand to return the Five-Colored Stone to Nezha.

Nezha’s gaze, which had been fixed on the disappearing figure of the "God of Wealth," shifted to Shi Ji, who was staring down at her toes. He scratched his head in exasperation. No wonder this blockhead had ended up on the Divine Enthronement list so early in the original story.

"If I gave it to you, then keep it," he said. "From now on, listen to me, okay? Don’t speak out of turn unless you know what’s going on, understood?"

Shi Ji hesitated but didn’t withdraw her hand.

Nezha pushed her hand back toward her chest and patted her shoulder. "Stick with me, and I promise you’ll live the good life."

Although Immortals typically didn’t care about indulgences, Shi Ji clearly caught the broader meaning behind Nezha’s words. She smiled softly and said, "You’re surprisingly nice!"

(Nuwa, who had been quietly observing the scene, gave Nezha a thumbs-up. Postal collection +1.)

Nezha glanced her way and, for some reason, felt a little embarrassed. "Alright, no more pulling one over on her. The kid is already slow enough."

Nezha sat cross-legged to begin cultivating, while Shi Ji stood guard as his protector. For Nezha, this was his first contact with chaotic energy since his transmigration, and it was the perfect opportunity to gain insight and compare it to his previous experiences drifting through Chaos.

Nezha was now fairly accomplished, and his initial perception of chaotic energy was one of disorder and disarray. The Spiritual Energy of the Primordial Land had been refined by the Great Dao, making it suitable for living beings to absorb.

Chaos Spiritual Power, in terms of raw potency, far exceeded Primordial Spiritual Energy. However, it was excessively complex and volatile. For ordinary Immortals, inhaling even a bit of it was akin to poison—at best, their cultivation would regress; at worst, their bodies would explode.

Back in Outer Chaos, Nezha had recorded various strange techniques using fragments of the Creation Jade Scroll. Unfortunately, most of these methods were now ineffective, and others were either too costly or too feeble to be practical.

The Daoist Ancestor’s control over the Primordial Land was no joke. Nezha didn’t dare experiment recklessly, lest he be mistaken for an Outer Chaos Demon and purged on the spot.

Gold Star Taibai moved quickly. After hearing countless technical terms from Nezha, he passed them along to Hao Tian. Hao Tian, however, could only half-understand. If it were about demolishing something, he could break any size hole, but repairing it? That wasn’t his forte.

After much deliberation, Hao Tian summarized the situation: Things were serious. Raise the budget.

No choice—raise it!

Gold Star Taibai arrived cautiously at the chasm with the payment in hand. Only after handing over the treasures to Nezha did he finally feel relieved.

Nezha took a tenth of the payment, splitting it into two shares: one for Gold Star Taibai and one for Shi Ji.

Gold Star Taibai politely declined verbally, but his hands didn’t hesitate for a moment.

Shi Ji, on the other hand, earnestly tried to refuse. Nezha shot her a glare. "What did we agree on before?"

Shi Ji shrank back. "To obey and behave."

Obediently, she stored the treasures into her Cloud Light pouch.

Gold Star Taibai blinked a few times, clearly impressed by Nezha’s skillful handling of the situation.

Then it was time to get to work. No one was idle—one person dug rocks, another harvested reeds, another refined frameworks. The trio busily worked around the chasm.

Meanwhile, Golden Light Saint Mother returned tearfully to Golden Turtle Island after running into the Ten Heavenly Lords one by one. She called on her usual group of Immortal friends to avenge her nine brothers.

Here’s the thing: Golden Light was merely at the True Immortal level. Her daring to call herself Golden Light Saint Mother was partly because the Ten Absolute Array was indeed powerful, and partly because her fellow sect members indulged her eccentricity—no one wanted to waste time squabbling over a title.

However, compared to other Saint Mothers who were at a minimum Daluo’s level, Golden Light wasn’t even in the same league. Most of her acquaintance group consisted of Heavenly Immortals and True Immortals, with only a few Profound Immortals standing out.

Because they were all relatively new to cultivation, they had no understanding of the Witch Clan. A motley crew of around a hundred, with the strongest among them being mere Profound Immortals, decided it was a good idea to launch an attack on a Great Witch whose corporeal body could rival a Daluo Golden Immortal.

Currently, no one was guarding the South Heavenly Gate. In a grand spectacle, this group charged straight into the Heavenly Realm.