10: Angry Spirit Pearl

“No matter!”

Tang Ku narrowed his eyes and said, “In fact, Poor Monk still has some doubts about you. If you hadn’t stopped in time, I would have thought you were a demon sent to kill me and silence me!”

Yang Jian felt a bit awkward, coughed lightly, and asked, “Then, Holy Monk, have you found anything?”

“Yes, but… it’s not clear in a few words!”

Tang Ku said, “Hmm, let me ask you, is there really no living person left in this Immortal Realm?”

Yang Jian was startled, then replied, “There is… Nezha brother survived, but he was quite severely injured. I placed him in the Queen Mother’s Lotus Pond to recuperate before coming out to investigate!”

“It’s good that there are living people. Perhaps we can ask something from him… Hmm, I’ve been to the Human Realm, and there haven’t been any major changes. I think the entire Human Realm is the foundation of this world, so even a demon powerful enough to erase everything wouldn’t act rashly against the Human Realm. However…”

Tang Ku sighed and said, “The era of rampant ghosts and dancing demons might be coming!”

Yang Jian looked at the scene in Hell and couldn’t help but say, “Have the Ten Kings of Hell also all disappeared? But why is the order still so well-maintained?”

Tang Ku shared his speculation, and Yang Jian nodded repeatedly, saying with a hint of trepidation, “The opponent is so meticulous, but I don’t know their true purpose… Hmm, Holy Monk, now that you and I are isolated and helpless, how should we investigate this matter? Please enlighten me, Holy Monk.”

“The most urgent task is to go to the Heavenly Court and heal Nezha. One more person means one more strength!” Tang Ku said in a deep voice, “Wu Kong has already been controlled, Wu Neng, Monk Sha, and Ao Lie have all been killed. I think their souls should be collected somewhere by the other party. If possible, I want to save them…”

“I still have the Meishan brothers and 800 Grass-Headed Gods at Guanjiang Estuary. If you need people, Holy Monk, just say the word!” Yang Jian’s eyes flashed with a glimmer of light, and he said in a deep voice, “The Three Realms have suffered this calamity, and now only a few of us are left. It seems my leisurely days are over!”

The two discussed some more matters, and then Yang Jian led the way towards the Immortal Realm.

Speaking of which, the Three Realms all have convergence points, so by passing through a place called San Tu Village from the Underworld, one can directly reach the Immortal Realm.

The Queen Mother’s Jade Pond is arranged in a nine-palace formation, and the lotuses within it were originally lush. Any single lotus, if placed in the Lower Realm, would be an unrepeatable treasure, absolutely capable of bringing the dead back to life, regrowing flesh on bones, and even granting immortality.

But now, all the lotuses and lotus leaves in the entire lotus pond have withered and died, and they are as black as if stained with ink. Only in the very center, where the pond water is clear, does a single lotus proudly stand.

Yang Jian’s movements were not particularly gentle. He flew up and pulled out the lotus, only to see a human figure slowly float out of the mud, connected to the lotus’s root.

With a strong physique, a lotus Incarnation, and a face as delicate as a girl’s, who else could it be but Nezha?

However, at this moment, Nezha was clenching his teeth, as if having a nightmare, and his entire body had no trace of Immortal Power, just like an ordinary person.

“Holy Monk, I have used many methods but have not been able to wake him up. Do you have any solutions?”

Yang Jian placed Nezha in front of Tang Ku and asked respectfully.

“True Lord, there’s no need to be so polite!”

Tang Ku released his Dharmakaya. Buddha of Sandalwood Merit, with kind eyes and benevolent brows, slowly transformed his hands into the Wish-Granting Mudra. A faint Buddha Power slowly emanated, and then the Dharmakaya clasped its hands together and gently pressed them onto Nezha’s body.

Suddenly, a powerful Buddha Power, like a strong electric drill, drilled into his body, actually forcing out a mass of black and red, mist-like substance, which floated in mid-air.

This thing tumbled incessantly, as if something inside was about to break out, but soon it shriveled up, until it shrank into a black and red bead before completely stopping.

“What I saw in the eyes of those demons was this color!”

Tang Ku frowned slightly and said, “It seems this is the key to their control over people. Nezha, being a lotus Incarnation and his Primordial Spirit being the Spirit Pearl, is not an ordinary soul, which is why he could resist this thing for so long without falling into demonhood!”

Yang Jian nodded, but then heard Nezha suddenly jump up from the side, shouting, “Demons, don’t harm my mother, I… I’ll kill you all!”

Bang!

Caught off guard, Yang Jian was sent flying by Nezha’s punch. Little Nezha was about to flare up, but a strong hand pressed down on his head. Pure Buddha Power was infused again, and Nezha’s eyes gradually cleared. He blinked and looked around, and saw a bald monk smiling at him.

“Holy Monk?”

During the previous Journey to the West, Nezha had many interactions with Tang Seng, so it was not surprising that he recognized him.

Nezha took a while to react, then exclaimed, “My father and mother…”

Yang Jian, covering his chest, came over and said helplessly, “I say, Nezha, you really need to change your temper. That punch you threw hit me quite hard!”

Nezha was stunned for a moment, then awkwardly said, “Second Brother, don’t blame me, I was indeed rash, but this Immortal Realm…”

As if remembering something sad, Nezha became dazed again.

“Benefactor!”

Tang Ku sighed and said, “Since things have come to this, sadness is useless. The entire Three Realms have undergone a drastic change, and we don’t even know who the opponent is or what they came for. We need to consider what to do next! Hmm, Heavenly King Li and the various Immortals may not be truly dead. I think there’s a high probability their souls are still there, and there’s still a chance to save them!”

“Right!”

Nezha was straightforward, and Tang Ku’s words weren’t entirely misleading him. Soon, this reckless fellow regained his spirits, and at the same time, he gritted his teeth and said, “Don’t let me catch those guys, otherwise, I will surely tear them into ten thousand pieces and grind their bones to dust!”

However, looking at his empty hands, he immediately lost heart again: “But my Magic Treasures and weapons… have been taken by the enemy. I am now empty-handed, how can I fight those guys? My Fire Tipped Spear, Universe Ring, Wind Fire Wheels, Gold Brick, Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover… they’re all gone…”

Well, facing a dejected child, there’s only one way to cheer him up.

“Would you mind telling us what exactly happened in the Immortal Realm?”

Tang Ku sat down cross-legged, “As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. The three of us, even if we’re just humble artisans, can be as resourceful as Zhuge Liang. Perhaps we can figure out the key to this matter?”

Yang Jian also sat down cross-legged beside him and said, “Nezha, now we are all unsupported individuals. Don’t hold anything back. Keeping things bottled up is prone to creating a Heart Demon!”

“Actually… actually, it’s not that I don’t want to say anything!” Nezha thought for a moment, his head almost exploding from thinking, and he gave a helpless bitter smile, “The problem is I don’t know what exactly happened, and I don’t even know where to begin!”