Chapter Three: The Schemes of the Primordial Lord of Heaven

A surge of surprise flashed through Ao Bing’s heart at such a thought…

The way of Heaven is to reduce the excess and replenish the deficiency; the way of man is different—who among men truly has an abundance to offer the world?

In his mind, the grand principle of cause and effect gently swayed, linking everything together. Such a notion…

Though his heart shifted, Ao Bing’s face remained composed, a smile still playing upon his lips.

“Kicking shuttlecock? That’s been ages ago! But are you sure you want to compete with me at kicking shuttlecock?”

“What’s the matter? Afraid?”

The more Ao Bing feigned weakness, the more Nezha pressed forward. Determined to turn the tide, Nezha cared little for restraint.

“Then let’s begin!”

The little girl stood aside as Nezha and Ao Bing faced each other.

Though it was called kicking shuttlecock, their divine powers and magical energy made each kick comparable to a cannonball.

As Nezha took the lead, the shuttlecock danced between them, each tentative strike growing stronger with every exchange.

Soon, the force behind the shuttlecock surpassed mere physical strength.

With magic infused, its momentum became increasingly formidable.

Both of them—blocking, harmonizing, and drawing—employed myriad tactics, fully engaging with each shuttlecock volleyed by the other.

After a brief contest, Ao Bing sensed something amiss.

He had already enhanced his Ice Jade Nine Heavens technique to the eighth level, yet Nezha still caught the shuttlecock with ease.

In terms of raw power, Nezha should be inferior to Ao Bing. Nezha’s advantage lay in combat prowess, but he had yet to employ any weapon or magical artifact to bolster his strength—and, in fact, part of his power was restrained by the Universe Ring on his back.

By all logic, Ao Bing should have forced him back; after all, Nezha was no match for Ao Bing’s technique of neutralizing force.

At this level of power, Nezha should have reached his limit—either he would be pushed back or fail to catch the shuttlecock.

Yet Nezha caught it!

When Nezha kicked it again, Ao Bing lightly neutralized the force, halting the shuttlecock mid-air.

His eyes, deep and inscrutable, fixed on Nezha.

“What’s the matter?”

Nezha, caught up in the moment, scratched his head and looked at his playmate.

Indeed, after kicking shuttlecock with Ao Bing for a while, Nezha no longer cared about winning or losing. The once annoying elder brother who always surpassed him had transformed into a playmate—the only one who could truly entertain him.

Children are quick to get over things as quickly as they get excited.

“Your strength is truly terrifying. I can’t help but admire it!”

Ao Bing pondered, deliberately flattering the other. Dealing with a guileless child was a simple task.

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“Hahaha…”

Nezha shyly scratched his head; it was the first time anyone had praised him.

“You’re pretty amazing too! No one’s ever fully caught the shuttlecock I kicked—you’re the first!”

He recalled playing shuttlecock with his mother and the skilled soldier he once sparred with; their expressions had been telling. And yet, he hadn’t even unleashed his full strength.

“Have you always been this strong?”

Ao Bing sat on a rock, tossing the shuttlecock in his hands.

The little girl, seeing them pause, reached out to Nezha for a hug.

Nezha lifted her up and sat beside Ao Bing.

“I used to be strong, but not like this. Lately, I feel as if I’m divinely aided—getting stronger and stronger!”

The little girl climbed over them without a hint of shyness.

Listening to Nezha, Ao Bing thought silently:

“So it is.”

The Demon Pearl and the Spirit Pearl were like twins of fate, much like the yin and yang center of the Taiji symbol.

When one’s power grew, so too did the other’s.

With Ao Bing’s limited knowledge, the only concept he could relate it to was the ‘demonic seed’ of the Daoist heart.

Though he didn’t fully grasp the principle, it seemed similar: the Spirit Pearl corresponded to that demonic seed, and he had become its cultivator.

How could the Primordial Supreme Elder Lord not see through Shen Gongbao’s schemes? How could he be unaware of the danger the Spirit Pearl and Demon Pearl posed to Taiyi Zhenren?

If there were no ulterior motives, wouldn’t it have been better to simply give Taiyi Zhenren a Spirit Pearl outright? The Demon Pearl, after all, was imperfect.

“Hahaha…”

Ao Bing laughed, gazing deeply as if looking toward the horizon where the Primordial Supreme Elder Lord sat among the clouds.

It seemed the Dragon Clan had been outwitted as well; no one would create such a futile marriage garment without reason.

Gradually, Ao Bing pieced together the intrigue.

First, Shen Gongbao and Taiyi Zhenren were at odds—whether the dispute over the Twelve Golden Immortals was true or false was unclear, but spreading such rumors was enough.

Then, the news of the Spirit Pearl and Demon Pearl was leaked.

The Dragon Clan, long in decline, naturally sought a chance to revive itself and thus desired the Spirit Pearl.

Shen Gongbao, being of the Demonic race and resentful that Taiyi Zhenren had the privilege to use the Spirit Pearl and become one of the Twelve Golden Immortals, found a natural kinship with the Dragon Clan, also of demonic descent.

Whether Shen Gongbao’s motives were genuine or feigned, when the Dragon Clan arrived, both parties were willing partners, making the theft of the Spirit Pearl inevitable.

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Once the Dragon Clan acquired the Spirit Pearl, they would nurture the dragon offspring imbued with its power, thus cultivating disciples under the Primordial Supreme Elder Lord.

But that was not enough—in the end, discovering the theft and retrieving the Spirit Pearl was only natural.

As for Ao Bing, allowing his soul to reincarnate was a magnanimous act by the Primordial Supreme Elder Lord, one for which the Kunlun lineage should be grateful.

Of course, none of this could be blamed on Nezha—or even on the Primordial Supreme Elder Lord. It was the Dragon Clan’s own scheming that led them into the snare, and so, in the end, they could only suffer in silence.

Having unraveled the Primordial Supreme Elder Lord’s stratagem, Ao Bing’s enthusiasm waned.

He tossed the shuttlecock to Nezha.

“I must be going. Farewell!”

Jumping down from the rock, Ao Bing waved at Nezha.

Nezha asked, “My name’s Nezha—Li Nezha. What’s yours?”

Ao Bing paused, standing with his back to Nezha.

“My name is Ao Bing. We will meet again.”

Watching his playmate prepare to leave, Nezha anxiously asked,

“Where should I find you?”

For Nezha, a companion who could truly play with him was worth having every day.

The townsfolk feared him because, simply put, his power was too great, making them feel unsafe.

Though Nezha didn’t fully understand this, his instincts told him that Ao Bing was someone he could truly play with.

Ao Bing, like in the original tale, tossed Nezha a special conch shell.

“Blow this conch whenever you want to find me. I will know and come to meet you.”

“Someone’s coming…”

As Nezha turned his head, Ao Bing vanished in an instant by the seaside.

Nezha saw someone running toward him, then looked back at Ao Bing, only to find that he had disappeared.

Having saved the little girl, Nezha waited happily for the others to arrive.

When they saw he had rescued her, they would surely praise him.

A tender child’s heart brimmed with hope, yearning for recognition and praise.