Ao Qing smiled coldly, casting a dismissive glance at Nezha's corpse. He wasn't done using the boy's death—he'd ride this wave of notoriety for all it was worth.
As for humanity? Ao Qing felt nothing but disdain. His stance now stood firmly with the Dragon Clan.
After all, how many of his kin had fallen over the years at the hands of so-called righteous cultivators—executed under the banner of "slaying demons," even when they'd harmed no one? Simply for being born a "yāo," they were hunted down by humans. That alone was enough.
"We've got one more stop."
Ao Qing grinned. The Dragon Clan's fortune wasn't maxed out yet, and he would stop at nothing to raise his strength—even if it meant shaking the heavens.
...
Moments after Ao Qing left, the news of Nezha's death swept across Chentang Pass.
To the commoners, the fall of the demonic reincarnation Nezha was something to cheer. But when they thought of how devastated General Li Jing and his wife must be, many grew concerned.
At the Li residence, General Li Jing sat in silence, the air in the estate heavy with tension. Lady Yin stood nearby, pale and shaking.
"Are you certain?!" Li Jing barked, suddenly rising to his feet.
Before him stood a panting servant—and behind him, two others carried Nezha's bloodied corpse.
That morning, the skies had been filled with tens of thousands of demon soldiers marching toward the Eastern Sea. Fearing for the lives of Chentang Pass's people, Li Jing had even deployed the Four Demon-Quelling Generals.
But to everyone's surprise, the demon army had simply passed through without harming a soul. Once that danger seemed to pass, Li Jing and his wife lowered their guard.
They never expected their mischievous son to tail the horde and get himself killed by the Eastern Sea Dragon King.
"What kind of monster would dare kill my Nezha…" Li Jing clenched his fists, voice cold.
Lady Yin's expression was murderous.
"Nezha… must have followed the horde," the servant stammered. "He got caught up in—"
"That beast Ao Qing!" Li Jing roared, sword in hand.
To him, the Eastern Sea Dragon King had always been a minor player—obedient and respectful to human cultivators. He and Lady Yin were famous demon slayers. Ao Qing was beneath them.
Now he dared kill their son?
To Li Jing, Ao Qing was no more than a savage beast.
But before the couple could storm out of their estate, a golden light descended from the sky—one of the Twelve Golden Immortals, Taiyi Zhenren, had arrived.
At the Immortal's appearance, Li Jing and Lady Yin managed to restrain their fury.
"You're no match for him," Taiyi Zhenren said flatly. "If you go now, you'll just throw your lives away."
He frowned.
"Do you even realize? The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea has evolved into a Seven-Clawed Golden Dragon. Those ten thousand demon soldiers? He wiped them all out by himself."
"What?!"
Li Jing and Lady Yin froze.
To annihilate an entire army alone—that was power beyond comprehension.
They had spent their lives hunting demons. They knew exactly how terrifying a horde like that could be.
Seeing their expressions, Taiyi Zhenren's own face darkened. He had felt the same shock when he first heard the news.
The Dragon Clan—once in decline—was rising again. And to cultivators like him, this was very bad news.
The heavenly tribulation of the Conferred Gods had already begun. Yuanshi Tianzun and the others were working to finalize the list. If the Dragon Clan rose now, they would throw everything into chaos.
Nezha's rebirth as the Demon Marrow Child had been a carefully orchestrated part of the plan—one that included slaying Ao Bing, reviving as a lotus avatar, and joining King Wu in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty.
Now… all of that was unraveling.
"What do we do, then?" Li Jing asked anxiously.
Just as Taiyi Zhenren was about to answer, a servant burst into the hall, panicked:
"General Li! Trouble! A monster calling himself the Dragon King Ao Qing is marching on Chentang Pass—with a whole army of shrimp and crab soldiers! He says he's going to flood the entire city!"
"Flood Chentang Pass?!"
"Flood Chentang Pass?!"
"Flood Chentang Pass?!"
The words echoed through the room.
Not only Li Jing—but even Taiyi Zhenren's expression changed.
Before they could act… the Eastern Sea Dragon King had already brought the fight to them!