Old Jiang had finally settled down in Chaoge, and he was living even better than when he was at Yuxu Palace.
At Yuxu Palace, he was just a nobody, but in Chaoge, he was the State Preceptor, second only to one person and above everyone else. Most importantly, he had a king who shared his vision.
Old Jiang was someone who greatly valued loyalty and relationships. First, he helped his sworn brother, Old Song, and then he started earnestly studying the "Heavenly Immortal Technique."
This thing was created by Nezha. Given Nezha's current cultivation level, it obviously couldn't compare to the Yuxu Immortal Technique. It could only be described as "interesting."
Old Jiang hadn't wasted his time at Yuxu Palace. While his aptitude was poor, he was truly hardworking and spirited. Unfortunately, his Heavenly Tribulation had been sealed by Yuanshi Tianzun, preventing him from transcending it. His cultivation was stuck, essentially being forcibly held back by his teacher—like being told, "You'll stay in sixth grade and never graduate!"
Old Jiang couldn't understand this "tough love" from his teacher, but he was knowledgeable and experienced enough that switching to Nezha's system was a breeze for him.
His pure Yuxu mana was converted into the Five Elements mana of the "Heavenly Immortal Technique." Old Jiang's cultivation began to skyrocket.
Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core—before long, he was about to reach Nascent Soul, leaving Yin Shou stunned. "What kind of Spiritual Root Holy Body are you?"
Old Jiang explained, "It's not a complete rebuild; it's a conversion. I've already been cultivating for forty or fifty years." Yin Shou reluctantly accepted this explanation.
Yin Shou, ever generous, brought out the "Dragon Slayer Sword" and "Dragon Beating Stick" that he had traded for from Nezha. Old Jiang was so touched that tears ran down his face. Back at Kunlun Mountain, all he had learned in decades was a few Escape Techniques, and his only role in the original story was to run for reinforcement. But now, having just arrived in Chaoge, he already had Immortal Techniques to study.
Ultimately, Old Jiang wasn't greedy and only chose the "Dragon Beating Stick." After practicing a bit, he found it extraordinarily fitting. He praised Yin Shou's decision to exchange spiritual materials for Immortal Techniques as a brilliant move.
"You haven't skimped on spiritual materials, and your teacher has taught you genuine skills in return. You've managed to freeload off your incense ties—nicely done! But I must repay this favor tenfold in the future."
When he heard about the events at Taiping Palace, he couldn't help but feel sentimental. Nezha hadn't even made a move yet, and Jiang Ziya's favorability meter was already nearly maxed out.
Jiang Ziya thought Chaoge was excellent; Nezha thought Chaoge was excellent; Yin Shou also thought Chaoge was excellent. But Yang Ren thought the current Chaoge was terrible.
Yang Ren, now the Upper Doctor, was deeply discontent with the current Chaoge. After reading the *Taiping Heavenly Book*, he felt it was utter nonsense. "The king's son remains the king, the Upper Doctor's son remains the Upper Doctor, and the slave's child remains a slave? Positions should go to the capable! So how can my son become the Upper Doctor?"
"Slaves do work but still need to be fed and paid. How does that make them slaves anymore?"
"This so-called Great Sage Master is nothing but a class enemy!"
Yang Ren wasn't entirely wrong in thinking this. He could even see through Nezha's sinister intentions at a glance.
Bi Gan and the others also noticed something off, but they knew that letting Yin Shou continue his unchecked innovations might not bode well in the long run.
For now, they could only strengthen the foundation of Yin Shang and hope for the wisdom of their successors after Yin Shou's reign eventually passed.
But Yang Ren didn't think that way. He had the arrogance of a "clear-headed man surrounded by drunkards" and felt that the Taiping Sect's doctrines must no longer be spread.
That day, Nezha happened to be guarding Old Jiang and Yin Shou during their breakthroughs. Indeed, Old Jiang had already reached Nascent Soul, and Yin Shou, perhaps inspired, had also broken through to Golden Core—now he could officially call himself a cultivator.
Yin Shou's cultivation advancement made him restless. He begged Nezha for teachings, and although Old Jiang felt it was impolite to say so, he was also quite eager.
After being pestered for a long time, Nezha finally, under Yin Shou's "sincerity," produced the "Five Thunders Righteous Method – Volume I." Holding a solemn expression, he declared, "This is the Taiping Heavenly Sect's secret, our pride and joy, and it must not be passed on lightly."
The core magic of the Taiping Sect was the Thunder Skill—logical enough, right?
The "Five Thunders Righteous Method" was, of course, something Nezha had made up. Its original design was based on Chaos Divine Thunder. But that level of technique was far too advanced—even Nezha himself couldn't fully master it.
This version was just a basic framework mixed with some Mystic Sect Thunder Skills. In the Primordial World, it wasn't particularly outstanding. But in certain lesser realms, it could overpower the genuine article in many ways.
Yin Shou was ecstatic. In his mind, thunder and lightning symbolized heaven's authority, and gaining control over that aligned perfectly with his role as king.
With nothing better to do, the three of them coincidentally attended a grand court session to have a look. After all, the court was just a tool to support their cultivation, wasn't it?
The assembled officials were stunned to see Yin Shou, Old Jiang, and Nezha arriving together. The Great Shang's three cultivators had united—did this mean some earth-shattering event was about to take place?
Everyone hastily reviewed their own thoughts, praying not to cause trouble.
Nezha wasn't interested in any of this. Sitting just below Yin Shou's right hand, he closed his eyes for a nap, pondering how Yin Shou's newly initiated cultivation could unlock some kind of "premium currency" feature to make him useful.
Yin Shou was similarly unbothered, lazily answering reports with a string of "Ah, ah, ah."
Old Jiang, however, was different. Although obsessed with cultivation, he listened to each matter carefully, offering solutions to problems that others couldn't solve.
The harmonious grand court session was drawing to a close when suddenly someone jumped out.
It was Yang Ren!
Yang Ren solemnly approached the center of the hall and knelt deeply. Nearby, Shang Rong and Bi Gan exchanged puzzled glances—has something major happened that we don't know about?
Rising with an imposing air, Yang Ren proclaimed, "Your servant, Yang Ren, pays respect to the Great King. I am here to accuse the Great Sage Master, Li Nezha, of authoring a heretical book that is corrupting our king and severing the very foundation of Great Shang! He is a sinner of Yin Shang and a demon to the world!"
The napping Nezha opened his eyes upon hearing his name and gave Yang Ren a once-over.
"Oh, isn't this the original story's *all-seeing, all-knowing* handsome lad? What did I ever do to offend you?"
"Calling me a demon right out the gate? Guess your violent demise in the original wasn't entirely unjustified. I'd hoped you'd escape this time since no Lu Platform had been built, but here you are, jumping out of your own accord."
Yin Shou, determined to endear himself to Nezha, immediately slammed his throne. "How dare you, Yang Ren? Since the Great Sage Master's arrival, Yin Shang has been orderly and prosperous. Where's the demonic influence in that? If anyone's a demon, it's you!"
That wasn't entirely wrong—since Nezha's arrival, Chaoge's prosperity was apparent.
But Yang Ren, ever obstinate, wouldn't give up so easily. "Great King! The *Taiping Heavenly Book* is nothing but heretical nonsense, a threat to the eternal foundation of Great Shang!"
Yin Shou flew into a rage. Although Nezha's Immortal Techniques were ultimately derived from the Mystic Sect's orthodoxy, cultivating them had suppressed his inherent cruelty. But being openly contradicted now completely unleashed his pent-up violent instincts. Without hesitation, he ordered, "Seize him! Gouge out his eyes, cut off his nose and ears to feed to the dogs, and hack him to death!"
Some senior ministers felt such torment was excessive. If you want to kill him, just kill him—why subject him to such torture?
Unfortunately, Yin Shou was unwilling to listen. With a wave of his hand, he ended the court session. "Dismissed! I'm off to cultivate Thunder Skills!"
The ministers finally realized that Yin Shou was still the same brutal Yin Shou as before.
Nezha hadn't uttered a word the entire time. Engaging in a debate with Yang Ren would only bring him down—see, someone else had already stepped in for him!
As for the ministers' concern over Yin Shou's brutality, Nezha simply thought, "You've really seen nothing yet. In the original story, there were still the scorpion basin and Pao Luo techniques."
Nezha didn't interfere with Yang Ren's fate. "Not rubbing salt in your wounds is already me being magnanimous, okay?"
Besides, it was Yin Shou who executed him—what did that have to do with me?
The cause and effect here wouldn't pin anything on him anyway.