Volume One: Entering the World

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In a daze, he heard someone say:

“Here it is!”

An old but vigorous voice declared:

“This is the Spirit Pearl? If it is infused into the dragon egg, will my son gain boundless divine powers? Will he even have a chance to become a god and ascend to Heaven in the future?”

“No… no…” stammered another voice.

“It won’t work?” The old voice carried a hint of doubt and anger.

“That’s right!”

As though he had been gathering his thoughts for a long time, the stammering voice suddenly became clear and fluent. Even through his haze, he could hear the speaker’s sense of relief.

“Good. That’s wonderful!”

As the words fell, he felt himself being moved. Then a cool, refreshing torrent enveloped him.

He struggled groggily against his restraints, but his mind remained clouded.

“This is my son, Ao Bing. As agreed, I will have him take you as his master. But you must help him escape this underwater purgatory and rise into the celestial realm!”

“That won’t do…”

It was that stammering voice again.

“That won’t do!!”

The old, powerful voice suddenly erupted in fury, as though this were his final hope.

“That won’t… won’t… won’t… If I succeed, does that mean I’ll die for a worthy cause?”

The stammering voice continued to falter, like someone suffering from severe constipation.

“I must prove that I am the finest… finest candidate among the Twelve Golden Immortals!”

After a long silence, the old, vigorous voice finally answered weakly:

“Next time, just nod your head.”

………

In the Kunlun Mountains, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable opened his eyes and glanced toward the Dragon Palace of the East Sea before closing them again indifferently.

How could someone who had reached the shore possibly care about the struggles of fish still trapped in the water?

………

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He awoke and looked at himself, then at the person before him.

Had he become Ao Bing? Was he supposed to take Shen Gongbao as his master?

The Investiture of the Gods universe?

Recalling what he had heard earlier, was this the world of the animated film about Nezha’s birth as a demon child?

Thus began Ao Bing’s journey of cultivation alongside Shen Gongbao.

Shen Gongbao immediately explained the entire situation to him. As the Spirit Pearl, Ao Bing was destined to face Li Jing’s third son, Nezha, sooner or later.

Ao Bing was well aware of this. With the bloodline of a true dragon and the Spirit Pearl within him, he possessed immense divine powers from birth, and his natural talent was rare throughout the world.

The Spirit Pearl’s power was vast and boundless, yet gentle as water. Controlling it came easily to Ao Bing. Still, whenever he thought of the future, he could not help but feel deeply troubled.

In this world, the timeline would eventually lead to the Investiture of the Gods—the calamity in which immortals and gods would be drawn into slaughter. But the crisis immediately before him was the battle against Nezha, the Demon Pearl, three years from now.

There was an old saying: a thousand years of cultivation could not compare to a single day spent becoming a demon. The original story alone revealed the gap between Ao Bing and Nezha, to say nothing of the disparity between the foundations of Immortal Taiyi and Shen Gongbao.

Shouldn’t Shen Gongbao’s opponent have been Jiang Ziya?

At the thought, Ao Bing’s head began to ache. The chains of karma were far too intricate.

Ao Bing examined a seed within his primordial spirit. This was the culprit behind his transmigration—the Seed of Grand Dao Karma.

Through the information transmitted by this seed, Ao Bing learned that this multiversal chaos cosmos had once given birth to countless primordial gods, each of whom controlled an innate law.

After an unknown number of chaotic universes had passed, the primordial gods gradually withered away. Every primordial god who died left behind a seed of the innate law they had once commanded.

Then, after countless more chaotic ages, even those seeds of innate laws disappeared completely, and innumerable multiverses entered the age of acquired gods.

All the law seeds became seeds of acquired laws, condensed after the deaths of one great figure after another who had once shaken the heavens and earth.

As for the Seed of Karma that Ao Bing possessed, apart from allowing him to comprehend the laws of karma, its greatest function was karmic descent.

It could descend into a world related to the karma he possessed.

At present, the seed had only just sprouted and had two leaves. Each leaf represented one opportunity to transmigrate.

Every time he transmigrated, one leaf would wither. He could not travel again until the next leaf grew.

There were also various other mystical applications of karma, such as reversing cause and effect or substituting one person for another while preserving the original consequences. All of these fell within the domain of karmic abilities.

The most basic manifestation of reversing cause and effect was to replace another person’s identity, inherit all of that person’s karma, and become them. Ao Bing’s current existence was an example of this application.

Substituting one person for another while preserving the consequences, on the other hand, meant borrowing another person’s karma and bearing its consequences without changing one’s own identity. One would still remain oneself.

………

“Greetings, Master!”

Ao Bing looked at Shen Gongbao before him, finding it difficult to connect him with the man from the Investiture of the Gods who would later shout, “Fellow Daoist, please stay!”

Perhaps after the events of the Nezha story, Shen Gongbao would no longer serve as the link that brought the Intercepting Sect into the affair. Still, if this caused him to be expelled from Kunlun and eventually encounter the Intercepting Sect, wouldn’t that be perfectly reasonable?

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“Disciple, how is your cultivation… cultivation going?”

Shen Gongbao looked at Ao Bing with satisfaction. This disciple suited his wishes perfectly. Once Ao Bing defeated the Demon Pearl, Shen Gongbao would surely secure a place among the Twelve Golden Immortals!

“It is all thanks to Master’s thorough explanations. I understand everything as soon as I study it!”

Ao Bing offered a trace of flattery. Shen Gongbao had cultivated on Kunlun Mountain for many years, so he must possess some genuine knowledge. It would be a waste not to extract every bit of it from him.

“Good! Then… then… then what important matter brings you to your master’s… master’s residence today?”

Shen Gongbao looked at Ao Bing in confusion, unable to understand why he had come.

Although Ao Bing had taken him as his master, Shen Gongbao generally only lectured once a month, teaching him various cultivation methods. In his daily life, apart from practicing the techniques and martial arts Shen Gongbao taught him, Ao Bing also had to study the inheritance of the dragon clan. It was impossible for him to have much free time to seek out his master.

The old Dragon King would never allow Ao Bing too much leisure, either.

“Master, I wish to learn a few simple spells from you, such as the All-Seeing Eye, the Clairaudient Ear, transformation techniques, and a method for refining the physical body to an indestructible, diamond-like state.”

A look of expectation shone in Ao Bing’s eyes as he gazed eagerly at Shen Gongbao.

“Disciple, you… you should not… not… aim too high. First, perfect the cultivation method I taught… taught… you before discussing anything else!”

As he listened to Shen Gongbao speak, Ao Bing felt uncomfortable on his behalf. How could a cultivator fail to cure even a stammer? This world was… indescribably strange.

“Disciple has already mastered it. Why not have Master offer some guidance? If I pass your test, I hope you will bestow one or two spells upon me!”

Ao Bing still refused to give up. This was crucial to his plan. He had never tested the ability of karmic descent because he had been waiting until he was fully prepared.

After more than a year of cultivation, waiting, and preparation, Ao Bing was finally ready to begin using karmic descent to travel to other worlds.

The All-Seeing Eye and the Clairaudient Ear were indispensable to that plan.

“There is no need for that. Your cultivation is all within my… my sight, and within your father’s as well. However… the All-Seeing Eye and the Clairaudient Ear must not be used carelessly. You could easily collide with… collide with another great cultivator!”

“If you wish to learn them, I will teach… teach… you. But remember, never use them recklessly!”

Shen Gongbao urged him sternly.

“Thank you, Master!”

Ao Bing’s face lit up with joy. He clasped his hands and bowed in gratitude.

He had already chosen the world into which he would descend through karma. Now, the final piece of the map had fallen into place!

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