The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha-Chapter 369 - 368: Setting the Stage

San Zha exited the courtyard and, under Nezha’s lead, went straight to the secret chamber where the sacrificial ritual to the Evil God was being held.

The moment the secret chamber was breached, the face of Wealthy Zhao, who had been exchanging pleasantries with Li Jing, turned pale, and his voice became hoarse.

"General Li, do you even know who you’ve offended?"

Li Jing drew his treasure sword and said, "The Li Family has long received the favor of the Great King. How could we allow vile demons and Outer Dao heretics like you to harm the people? Men, seize him!"

The already-prepared armored soldiers charged directly into the hall. Wealthy Zhao sneered coldly, "The power of Lord Sea Emperor is beyond the imagination of mortals."

With those words, he began chanting under his breath. A pale blue mucus started to spray from his body, and tiny scales began growing on his skin.

Li Jing, having sought the Dao from Immortals, immediately thrust his sword forward to interrupt Wealthy Zhao’s chanting. However, Wealthy Zhao blocked it with his dragon claw in a barehanded catch of the blade. As the two struggled for control, Wealthy Zhao suddenly glanced toward a particular defensive line and screamed, "No!"

On the other side, Little Brother had already raised the Quan Kun Circle and smashed it down onto the small tripod. Bang!

How could mere mortal objects withstand an Immortal Treasure? The small tripod was instantly shattered into fragments.

As Wealthy Zhao grappled with Li Jing, his body began to weaken and eventually dissolved into a puddle of blue liquid.

Li Jing had no time to bother with him and ran directly to the secret chamber’s exit. All of a sudden, there was a thunderous rumble, and the entire building completely collapsed and caved in. Then, amidst a flash of golden light, there appeared Nezha’s Little Brother, carrying his two unconscious elder brothers.

When the ruins fully collapsed, a giant blood pool was revealed in its entirety, emanating a stench of blood that filled the surrounding area for miles. Following a hoarse dragon’s roar, a blood dragon roughly five meters long soared into the sky, staring venomously at Little Brother.

Little Brother, not the least bit intimidated, charged forward with the Qiankun Ring in one hand and the Fire-tipped Spear in the other.

Li Jing shouted a warning for him to be careful before ordering his soldiers to surround the area while evacuating the crowd. He knew this was not something mortals could manage, but if Nezha were to lose, he would have to step in.

As for Nezha, he did not intervene at all. His role was only to guide Little Brother, not interfere with his life’s path.

Little Brother fought fiercely!

With the Huntian Silk protecting him, the blood dragon’s barrage of blood arrows had no effect on him. On top of that, his martial prowess and the power of his offensive treasures were formidable. The seemingly menacing blood dragon was no match for him.

After striking the blood dragon’s body multiple times with the Qiankun Ring, Little Brother noticed that it kept regenerating quickly through the blood pool below. He decisively activated his Human Image transformation.

Standing over five meters tall, his Dharma Form radiated golden spirit light like a miniature sun illuminating the darkness. Ordinary citizens, awakened by the commotion in the dead of night and unaware of what was happening, stepped outside to witness a golden giant battling a blood dragon.

There was no doubt as to who was righteous and who was wicked.

Although Chao Feng’s base cultivation was formidable, the blood used to form this avatar consisted solely of ordinary Human Clan members, and its quantity was relatively scarce. This left its strength far below that of Little Brother’s.

It only took three hours for the fight to transition from an evenly-matched brawl to a one-sided beatdown.

Perhaps sensing its impending doom, the enraged blood dragon briefly regained a sliver of Chao Feng’s spiritual wisdom.

"Boy, do you know who I am? How dare you ruin my great undertaking?"

Little Brother was surprised that the creature beneath him could speak. His eyes darted mischievously, but he chose not to reveal his Chan Sect background.

"I don’t care who you are! Remember this well—it’s the third son of General Li of Chentang Pass, Nezha, who’s killing you!"

With that, he swung the Qiankun Ring fiercely, obliterating the blood dragon’s last remnants of spiritual essence.

...

"I am a hero!"

Nezha couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Little Brother puffing out his chest, his nose practically lifting to the sky.

"Oh? Not bad, little hero," Nezha teased.

"Of course!"

Little Brother, once feared as a notorious troublemaker, had now become a celebrated hero. Those who once dreaded him now revered him, and the children who despised him before now adored him.

Even on the streets, groups of kids were playing games inspired by his heroism, reenacting battles against evil dragons.

"It’s my turn! I want to play as the heroic Nezha!"

"No way, you’re too fat—you’ll still be the evil dragon."

Little Brother couldn’t suppress his grin no matter how hard he tried. When he noticed Nezha’s gaze, he immediately turned away with a huff.

"Tch, children are so childish."

"And you’re not?"

"Of course not! They can only pretend to be heroes, but I will become a true great hero."

Seeing the determination in Little Brother’s eyes, Nezha didn’t say much more. Little Brother had already developed his own way of thinking. He would no longer need much guidance.

Once this grand episode concluded, Nezha planned to return to his own world. Over time, he had deduced the method for doing so, and it turned out to be unexpectedly simple.

In the days that followed, Chentang Pass returned to its usual calm, with the only changes being the minor growing pains experienced by Little Brother.

"Sigh!"

Sitting on the city wall, Little Brother gazed down at the bustling streets below, heaving a deep sigh.

"What’s wrong? Are the people showing you too much love to bear?"

Rubbing his head in frustration, Little Brother replied, "At first, I enjoyed it, but now I think they’re going overboard."

"Why do you think they’re so enthusiastic about you?"

Little Brother shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably because they hope I’ll protect them if danger comes again."

"Does it bother you?"

Little Brother straightened his posture and declared, "It doesn’t matter. I’m a hero—whether they thank me or not, I’ll protect them."

You little rascal... so you’re one of those selfless types, huh?

Half a month later, Master Taiyi arrived. He taught Little Brother some new spells and gave him a pile of magical treasures: the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shield, the Wind and Fire Wheel, the Demon Suppressing Sword—an entire collection of gifts.

Little Brother didn’t quite understand what was happening but was thrilled to receive so many gifts. Nezha, however, recognized this as the prelude to a grand tale.

Master Taiyi genuinely cared for this disciple, but divine will, intertwined with the Six Saints’ consensus and the sealing of the Investiture of the Gods, was unavoidable. As a Chan Sect disciple, Taiyi’s path was bound to "Chan," no matter how far he strayed.

Thus, his gestures—teaching cultivation techniques and offering magical treasures—were acts of both compensation for his guilt and acknowledgment of his own powerlessness.

He even turned a blind eye to Nezha secretly teaching Little Brother additional skills. Though Taiyi didn’t know who might intervene in the future, he sincerely wished for Little Brother to excel.

After all, the Chan Sect was known for its strict rules, and stealing teachings was considered a grave offense.

Even so, Taiyi personally remained, observing from above in the form of a cat, silently watching over Little Brother’s actions.

Though Nezha’s Great Dao distorted Taiyi’s observations of his interactions with Little Brother, the young disciple remained blissfully ignorant, proudly displaying the treasures Master Taiyi had given him.

To Nezha, however, only the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shield was worth a second glance.

"Hey, why do you think the old master is so kind to me?" Little Brother asked.

"Maybe he thinks you’re cute," Nezha replied with a smirk.