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*****
At Skull Mountain, acting upon the Deer Boy's orders, Nezha and Ao Bing were in the midst of besieging Shiji to complete their third trial.
Just as they were on the verge of success, six figures suddenly materialized in the sky above them.
"Nezha, Ao Bing, stop immediately!"
It was none other than George, who had teleported over with Shen Gongbao and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas.
"Father, why… how are you here?"
Seeing the six newcomers, Ao Bing was clearly stunned.
His father was supposed to be presiding over the Demon Locking Array and absolutely could not leave the East Sea. His three uncles and his aunt were the very targets being suppressed by that array, so it was even more impossible for them to appear here.
Seeing Ao Bing stop, Nezha naturally halted his attacks as well.
His small head was filled with big question marks.
Meanwhile, Shiji, who was on the brink of collapse from the duo's beating, saw them stop and hurriedly retreated, restoring herself to her normal size.
"This is bad!"
Off to the side, the Deer Boy, who had been supervising Nezha and Ao Bing, felt a sudden sense of foreboding upon seeing George and the others appear. Without even a word of greeting, he hastily gathered all the disciples of the Demon Catching Squad and fled in a panic.
He left behind only a bewildered Taiyi Zhenren, standing messy in the wind.
"What is the meaning of this?" Taiyi Zhenren asked.
"Something unexpected has happened..."
George stepped forward and quickly explained the entire sequence of events.
After listening, Taiyi Zhenren's face was filled with disbelief. "Eldest Senior Brother... how could Eldest Senior Brother be so muddled!"
Although he found it hard to believe that his Eldest Senior Brother would do such a thing, he didn't think George and the others would lie to him.
After all, this kind of matter could be easily verified by simply going to Chentang Pass or Yuxu Palace; there was no way to fake it.
"That damned old peach! I'll twist his head off and kick it like a shuttlecock!"
Nezha was so furious that demonic fire erupted from his body. If George hadn't reversed the situation, Chentang Pass and his parents would likely have been killed by Wuliang Xianweng.
Thinking of this, he felt a mix of rage and lingering fear, and his gaze toward George was filled with gratitude.
"Father, what do we do now?" Ao Bing asked his father, Ao Guang.
Ao Guang immediately shared the plan they had discussed with Shen Gongbao and George.
"Our entire Dragon Clan will relocate to the depths of the East Sea to hide. There lies the territory of your master's friends, experts of the Jiejiao sect, who can provide us with asylum."
Although Wuliang Xianweng's conspiracy had been exposed, the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) were currently in seclusion. There was no one who could formally sanction Wuliang Xianweng.
Therefore, as the acting head of Chanjiao, Wuliang Xianweng still had countless ways to target the Dragon Clan. They had to be guarded.
Moreover, they had just caused a scene at Yuxu Palace.
Because of this, their only option was to enter the depths of the East Sea, entering Jiejiao's sphere of influence and borrowing their power to avoid persecution.
They would wait until the Three Pure Ones emerged from seclusion, and then decide their next move based on the situation.
"Nezha, what do you think? If you are willing, you can bring your parents and come with us to the depths of the East Sea to lay low for a while," Ao Bing said, turning to look at Nezha with a hopeful expression.
Nezha showed a look of reluctance, but eventually shook his head helplessly.
"Father and Mother won't leave Chentang Pass, and I can't be at ease leaving them behind. I must stay in Chentang Pass to protect them."
"No matter, no matter. With me here, nothing will happen to Chentang Pass."
Taiyi Zhenren stepped up to Nezha's side. "When we get back, I will contact Jinzha and Muzha's masters—my two senior brothers. We will go to Yuxu Palace together to question Eldest Senior Brother. He won't dare to make a move against Chentang Pass again!"
While they were discussing, George flashed over to Shiji, who was trembling with fear, unsure whether she should try to flee.
"You heard what was said just now. Nezha and Ao Bing didn't want to target you specifically; rather, you have already been listed as a target in the Chanjiao Immortal Ascension Test.
"If you continue to stay here, you will be attacked again next time. It is only a matter of time before your body dies and your Dao dissolves."
"I have cultivated here to this day, never leaving this place, nor have I ever harmed anyone. How could they treat me like this!"
Shiji was also furious. If George and the others hadn't appeared just now, she would have been defeated, captured, and taken back to Yuxu Palace to be refined into a pill.
George shrugged. "There's no helping it. Even the father of Shen Gongbao, a Chanjiao disciple, was captured. Let alone you.
"Why don't you consider coming with us to the East Sea to seek refuge with Jiejiao? There are many demon cultivators like us there."
Although Shiji couldn't beat Nezha and Ao Bing, she still possessed a cultivation base approaching that of a Golden Immortal.
Naturally, it was better to recruit such an expert than to let her go.
In fact, in his original impression of the lore, Shiji was supposed to be a disciple of Tongtian, the Sect Master of Jiejiao, formed from a stubborn stone spirit.
Because her foundation was too shallow, her strength never reached the Golden Immortal stage, and she eventually died in Taiyi Zhenren's Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shroud.
However, in this world, Shiji was just a rogue demon cultivator with no background.
"Alright, I'll go with you!"
Shiji agreed almost without hesitation.
She had long heard that Tongtian, the master of Jiejiao, taught without discrimination and had many demon disciples. She had once wanted to go and pay respects to become a disciple.
But because she was too much of a homebody and too lazy to go out, and feeling that she wouldn't cause trouble just staying in her own cave dwelling, she decided to just cultivate slowly. Going to seek a master seemed too troublesome.
However, nearly being captured and refined into a pill today made her thoroughly understand that if she wanted to cultivate properly, she needed background and connections.
Otherwise, she was just cultivating for the benefit of others.
As the saying goes: You can try to teach someone a lesson and fail, but reality only needs to teach them once.
Once George had successfully recruited Shiji, the other group had also finished their deliberations.
Taiyi Zhenren took Nezha back to Chentang Pass, while George, the four Dragon Kings, Shen Gongbao, Ao Bing, and Shiji, along with the demons of the four seas, flew toward the depths of the East Sea.
Nezha and Ao Bing were very reluctant to part ways, promising to meet again once the dust had settled.
Traveling onward, the group arrived at the Three Immortals Island in the Penglai Immortal Realm of the deep East Sea three days later.
"The ones we are visiting this time are the Three Xiao Maidens of the Three Immortals Island. They are the strongest disciples of Jiejiao. As long as they are willing to protect the Dragon Clan, then the Dragon Clan will be safe!"
Shen Gongbao pointed to an island ahead, shrouded in immortal mist, and spoke to Ao Guang, George, and the others.
"Furthermore, with the three of them introducing you, Master will definitely accept you all as disciples."
"The Three Xiao Maidens..."
Hearing this, George couldn't help but feel emotional.
These three were extraordinary. In particular, Yunxiao, the eldest, had already cut away the Three Corpses, her strength only a step away from becoming a Saint—a true mighty figure of the Primeval World.
The Nine Curves Yellow River Array set up by the combined efforts of the Three Xiao sisters had directly stripped away the 'Five Qi in the Chest and Three Flowers above the Head' of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao, turning them into mortals.
In the end, it took Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun, two Saints, swallowing their pride and personally intervening to resolve the situation.
To be honest, even if they couldn't become disciples of Tongtian, becoming disciples of these three... wouldn't be unacceptable.
"Wait here in the sea. We will enter the island with Daoist Shen to visit the three maidens."
Ao Guang gave instructions to all the sea demons, taking only his three siblings and Ao Bing to follow George, Shiji, and Shen Gongbao onto the island.
"Oh my, I wondered who it was. It turns out to be you, the little leopard."
Not long after they entered the island, a streak of azure light landed in front of them, followed immediately by a string of laughter sounding like silver bells.
Everyone looked closely and saw a lovely young girl dressed in green.
(End of Chapter)