Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
*****
After departing from Chentang Pass, Taiyi Zhenren took Nezha and Ao Bing aboard the enlarged flying pig, flying straight toward the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun.
Because he needed to instruct Nezha and Ao Bing on the precautions to take after entering the Jade Void Palace, as well as discuss how they would coordinate to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, the flying pig did not travel at full speed. It took a full day before they finally reached their destination.
"Wow, there are so many people!"
Nezha looked down at the sprawling Kunlun Mountain range, where countless people were lined up in queues, marching toward a white jade gate that stood a hundred meters tall. He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Ao Bing also let out a similar gasp of amazement.
Seeing this, Taiyi Zhenren smiled triumphantly. "These are all people coming to our Jade Void Palace to apprentice and cultivate immortality. The Chan Sect is famous throughout the Four Seas; the people of the world yearn for it endlessly!"
As he spoke, he fished out a green jade pendant and displayed it to Nezha and Ao Bing.
"Look at this. The Green Jade Pendant. It is the proof of being a Chan Sect Immortal. With this, no matter where you go in the world, everyone will look at you with high regard."
"Becoming an immortal is truly wonderful," Ao Bing said, gazing at the green pendant. He thought of the Dragon Clan currently suppressed beneath the East Sea and sighed softly.
At the same time, he secretly made a resolve in his heart: he must become an immortal, and he must help the Dragon Clan escape their predicament.
Nezha, however, had a face full of disdain.
"Just a little green tag can represent an immortal? Even if you hold it, aren't you just exactly the same as you were before?"
"Your two older brothers became immortals long ago and they both have Green Jade Pendants. If you fail to get one, it will be quite embarrassing!"
Having spent the last few years together, Taiyi Zhenren had long since figured out Nezha's temper and weak points.
Upon hearing this, Nezha indeed stopped acting indifferent. He puffed out his chest and declared arrogantly, "With how amazing I, the young master, am, what is a mere Immortal Ascension Exam? I will definitely get that Green Jade Pendant this time!"
On the seventh day of the Dragon Clan's siege of the city, George was sitting on the city wall, drinking wine and discussing the Dao with Shen Gongbao.
"Report!"
A Crab General, leading two Catfish Spirits, rushed urgently onto the city wall, supporting a heavily injured youth.
"Someone requests to see Daoist Shen!"
"Xiaobao!"
When Shen Gongbao saw the heavily injured youth, his expression changed drastically. His figure vanished from his spot with a swish, and in the next instant, he was already cradling the youth in his arms.
The youth was none other than his biological brother, Shen Xiaobao, who had come to find him a few days prior.
"How did he get hurt like this?!"
Shen Gongbao let out a roar of rage.
At this moment, Shen Xiaobao's abdomen had been pierced by an arrow wound. More critically, due to the extraordinary nature of this arrow, his Primordial Spirit was nearly withered and exhausted. He was essentially beyond the point of no return.
Even using immortal elixirs or Daoist arts would be unable to save his brother.
This meant that his brother, Shen Xiaobao, was doomed to die. The only mercy was that before his Primordial Spirit completely dissipated, he might still be able to speak a few last words.
How could this not fill Shen Gongbao with fury?
"Fellow Daoist Shen, do not panic. Let me give it a try; I know a little about the arts of healing!"
With a flash, George appeared opposite Shen Gongbao, glancing at Shen Xiaobao's injuries as he spoke.
Although Shen Xiaobao's injuries were severe, for George, they were not too difficult to handle.
As an existence capable of creating worlds and life, as long as a sliver of the soul remained and hadn't been completely annihilated, he could send the subject into the world he created. There, using the laws of life and death of his own universe, he could forcibly reverse the damage and restore them to their original state.
However, there were conditions to this. If the injured party's strength exceeded his own by too much, he could do nothing.
For example, if a Daluo Golden Immortal's Primordial Spirit collapsed and their soul was about to be annihilated, even if George sent them into his world, he could only barely maintain their state; it would be very difficult to restore them.
After all, a Daluo Golden Immortal's power far exceeded his own. Not only would the laws of reversing life and death struggle to take effect, but even if they did, the energy required to restore a Daluo Golden Immortal's power would drain his world dry.
Conversely, the weaker the existence, the easier they were to cure.
For someone like Shen Xiaobao, a demon who had only just learned to take human form, George didn't even need to send him into his internal world. He could easily save him right there.
"I beg Fellow Daoist to save Xiaobao's life! If you have any commands in the future, I, Shen Gongbao, will never refuse!"
Shen Gongbao hurriedly handed Xiaobao over to George, making a solemn promise at the same time.
George took Xiaobao and smiled. "We are all friends; there is no need to say such things."
First, he used healing magic to restore the physical injuries on Shen Xiaobao's body. Then, utilizing the Laws of Life and Death and Soul Magic, he slowly repaired Shen Xiaobao's Primordial Spirit.
In less than a minute, Shen Xiaobao opened his eyes and leaped up with a start.
"Brother, save Father quickly! A group of Daoists besieged our home... Dad's arms have already been cut off by someone!"
"Who cut them?" Shen Gongbao's eyes were bloodshot.
Shen Xiaobao replied, "One is named Nezha, and the other is named Ao Bing."
"You... Infinite Immortal... to think you would take things to this extent!"
Shen Gongbao clenched his fists so tightly that his teeth were on the verge of shattering.
"This Infinite Immortal (Wuliang Xianweng) is truly insidious."
Standing to the side, George heard the conversation between the two and gradually formed a hypothesis in his mind.
Over the past two days, he had heard Shen Gongbao mention the process of the Immortal Ascension Exam.
The Infinite Immortal's exam consisted of three stages, all involving descending to the lower realm to capture demons.
However, there was a specific philosophy behind it.
The first stage involved dealing with weak demons. Most of these demons were foolish, cute, and lacked ambition, spending their days simply eating and drinking.
The test in this stage was not about strength, but resolve. Regardless of whether the demon posed a threat, as a disciple of the Chan Sect, one could not be soft-hearted toward them.
If one could exterminate demons that were harmless to humans and had no desire to cultivate immortality, then in the future, no matter how outrageous or inhumane the Infinite Immortal's orders might be, these disciples who passed the test would execute them without compromise.
The second stage generally involved dealing with demons who were very ambitious and worked hard at cultivation.
The harder a demon cultivated and the stronger they became, the greater the threat they posed to the Chan Sect. They would also compete for more cultivation resources, increasing potential risks.
Capturing such demons was meant to make the disciples understand that demons were enemies, opponents, and competitors stealing their resources.
The third stage involved dealing with truly powerful demons.
These demons might be law-abiding for now, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't get in a bad mood one day, go out for a stroll, and threaten the Chan Sect.
Therefore, most disciples who passed these three stages would follow the Infinite Immortal's lead blindly and would possess no sympathy for the Demon Race.
Clearly, the target the Infinite Immortal had selected for Nezha and Ao Bing's second stage of the test was none other than Shen Gongbao's father, Shen Zhengdao.
As for the reason, George could guess a thing or two.
The Infinite Immortal might not be clear about what was happening at Chentang Pass, nor did he know about the relationship between Ao Bing and Shen Gongbao.
He was likely just utilizing the decent strength of Ao Bing and Nezha to conveniently capture Shen Zhengdao—a demon who fit the criteria for the second stage but was also quite strong.
The ultimate goal was to indirectly control Shen Gongbao.
Since the current Shen Gongbao had left the Demon Capture Squad and was no longer under the Infinite Immortal's direct control, the Infinite Immortal intended to use Shen Zhengdao to threaten Shen Gongbao into remaining obedient.
(End of Chapter)