The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha
Chapter 41: Frail Li Nezha

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Frail Li Nezha

Nezha pushed open the heavy doors, and sitting on the throne was a woman in a black gold robe, her face identical to the Ancestor Witch Houtu that Nezha had seen before.

"Lady Houtu?"

Houtu gently nodded, "Come in."

As Nezha approached, he immediately sensed that Lady Houtu’s aura was entirely different from the Ancestor Witch Houtu he remembered, yet both were equally extraordinarily composed.

Nezha respectfully bowed, not only due to Lady Houtu’s benevolence but also out of respect for Xingtian.

He then retrieved the Earth Intense Array’s map from his sleeve and spread it out, revealing Xingtian’s body lying quietly within.

Houtu sighed, "Nezha, I have another task to trouble you with."

A continued mission?

Nezha immediately replied, "Please instruct me, Lady."

Houtu waved her hand, and a large fragment flew towards Nezha. Nezha instinctively caught it, realizing it was a significant fragment of the Chaos Bell.

"This is your previous reward; you are to return Xingtian’s body to the Pangu Realm."

"Pangu Realm?"

"Yes, the Pangu Realm exists relying on the heart of the Father God, drifting beyond the Primordial to form its own realm. Now, go."

Once Houtu finished speaking, she disappeared. Nezha bowed once more and exited the palace.

Outside, a frosty beauty with white hair and blue robes awaited him coldly. Seeing Nezha emerge, she said, "Come."

Nezha, feeling a sudden drop in temperature, cautiously asked, "Who might you be, senior?"

"Xuanming."

Nezha couldn’t help but mutter, are you and Meng Po sisters?

Nezha, not daring to speak more, followed the Xuanming Ancestor Witch to an underground tunnel.

"Go."

Currently unable to contend with this icy figure, Nezha obediently entered the passageway.

Xuanming returned to the previous hall, with Houtu sitting above.

"Has he gone in?"

"Yes."

After a silent moment, Xuanming finally uttered a sentence, "Does he really possess Father God’s Dao Qi?"

Houtu gently nodded. As the only Earth Dao Saint, nothing on the earth could be hidden from her. Nezha’s strike breaking through the earth outside Chentang Pass was unmistakable, albeit weak, which was understandable.

The Witch Clan’s glory had passed, but its future still required careful planning.

...

On the other side, Nezha continued walking through the deep corridor, not knowing how long it had been, until he finally reached an exit. Stepping out, he was greeted by a world filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

Soon after, he felt his mana suppressed to a low level, and the gravity of the entire space was more than thirty times that of the Primordial Heaven and Earth.

Fortunately, Nezha had cultivated the Eight-Nine Profound Skills to over sixty levels, allowing him to quickly adapt and return to normal.

Nezha thought for a moment about the mana flow and transformed his own white robe into a "wildman version," revealing half of his snow-white arm, embracing the spirit of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

As Nezha entered the mountain village, he immediately attracted the villagers’ attention. An elderly man, more than two meters tall with massive muscles, was the first to ask, "Child, from which tribe are you? How have you become so emaciated?"

Nezha, having experienced the Witch life from Xingtian’s perspective, surprisingly found a sense of familiarity.

"I am Li Nezha from outside, sent by Lady Houtu to deliver the remains of Xingtian, the Great Witch, so he could rest in peace."

Upon hearing this, the people placed their works aside and gathered around. Then, a more senior elder stepped forward, scrutinizing Nezha, "Since it was an order from the Ancestor Witch Houtu, we must comply. Who will be willing to take Nezha to the Ancestral Witch Hall?"

A group of elderly big men jovially stepped back, leaving four peers who appeared similar to Nezha in age. However, their physique almost matched twice that of Nezha’s.

Nezha wasn’t unfamiliar with this setup and immediately pointed to the one who seemed the weakest.

You! It’s you!

In the Pangu Realm, Nezha’s space magic and five-element magic were virtually ineffective, not that they couldn’t be used, just severely weakened.

Luckily, even without these, Nezha was certainly no pushover.

Nezha and the youth named Sang squared off and directly began the spar.

Nezha’s physical body was much tougher than Sang’s, but he lagged far behind in strength and combat techniques.

Fortunately, he had the wealth of Xingtian’s experiences as a reference.

As their fight went on, Nezha slowly started syncing his mind and body, transitioning from merely enduring attacks to countering without injury.

They continued battling until nightfall without a decisive winner. Sang happily patted Nezha’s shoulder, inviting him to continue the next day, his smile indicating he was glad to have found a fellow weakling to spar with.

Nezha’s straightforward demeanor quickly allowed him to blend into this small village, where nights were spent roasting unknown fierce beasts and singing around the fire with the witches.

An elder named Mu, the oldest of them, handed Nezha a large bowl of white liquid, which Nezha recognized and promptly drank in one gulp.

He subsequently felt a warm sensation spread to his internal organs.

Mu, satisfied with Nezha’s behavior, laughed heartily, "Child, stay with us a few more days, and you too will become a man with great masculine charm!"

Nezha wished to retort that his masculine charm was already enough to allure the opposite sex; any more might attract the same sex.

Thus, Nezha settled in the village, training in martial arts, honing his body, and absorbing his recent insights and Dao principles.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the spiritual energy in the Pangu Realm was incredibly abundant, surpassing even that of Lishan.

While Nezha entered a state of cultivation here, the outside world was experiencing turbulent changes.

With King Zhou cultivating and neglecting worldly affairs, Wen Zhong completely managed the Great Shang, resolutely determined to eradicate the influence of the Taiping Sect, targeting Chentang Pass, Three Mountains Pass, and Jizhou after clearing Chaoge.

Initially using verbal reprimands, demanding the removal of cult influences, then demanding the surrender of those with significant connections to the demonic and outer paths to enter Chaoge for control.

Chentang Pass referred to the Li Jing family of four, Three Mountains Pass to Deng Chanyu, and Jizhou to Su Daji.

Failure to meet the deadline was considered rebellion.

The two doting fathers, Su Hu and Deng Jiugong, were distressed, clueless about what to do.

The Li Jing family was also worried. As the family head, Li Jing did not blame Nezha for causing trouble this time, feeling that Nezha was a kind-hearted child and that all this was entirely caused by Wen Zhong, that old bitch!

Are you bullying me, Li Jing, an honest man?

Honest man Li Jing could endure, endure, and endure, but everything had a limit. After the flood in Chentang, he spent countless nights sighing, asking why he was such a failure?

Why am I a burden and a weakness to my son?

Why am I always bullied just for being an honest man?

When Nezha delivered the peaches, the mix of gratitude and guilt constantly tormented Li Jing.

I refuse to be anyone’s burden anymore!

That night, he gathered the family for a meeting.

Among everyone, Lady Yin had the deepest affection for Nezha; a mother’s strength can sometimes be baffling.

With Li Jing’s silent consent and under Lady Yin’s direction,

Under the thick night cover, four groups discreetly left Chentang Pass, heading for Chaoge, Three Mountains Pass, and Jizhou.