Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

The Tongtian Sect Leader also rose to see him off. With a wave of his sleeves, the gates of Biyou Palace opened wide, and myriad rays of light shone in: "Fellow Daoist, please take your time. If you need anything, Biyou Palace will welcome you at any time. Before the Investiture of the Gods begins, we should discuss this further."

Upon exiting Biyou Palace, Ao Run, who had been anxiously waiting, saw Qin Chuan emerge and sensed the unfathomable aura emanating from him. He quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, prostrated himself, and respectfully placed his massive dragon head at Qin Chuan's feet.

The identity of being a saint's mount is now seen by her as a golden opportunity that has fallen from the sky, and she must hold on to it tightly.

Qin Chuan paid no heed to her petty thoughts, calmly stepping onto the dragon's neck, his robes fluttering in the clouds, his gaze already fixed on the distance:

"Go to Chentang Pass."

Ao Run dared not ask any more questions. He let out a clear dragon roar, carried Qin Chuan, changed direction, and with a flick of his tail, broke through the layers of clouds and rushed toward the human pass that was about to stir up a storm.

As the dragon's shadow passed, the sea of ​​clouds churned, as if foreshadowing an impending storm that would sweep across the land.

Chapter 6 Lingzhu Magic Pill

Above Chentang Pass, dark clouds rolled and pressed down on the city, their heavy divine might mixed with the lingering embers of the heavenly calamity, shrouding the entire pass in a deathly silence and chilling atmosphere.

The air seemed to freeze, and every breath carried the smell of gunpowder and despair.

The root of it all began with the conspiracy of Ao Guang and Shen Gongbao to steal the sky and change the sun.

Nezha, who was supposed to be born with the destiny of the Spirit Pearl, was switched with the Demon Pearl and has been burdened with the fear of the world and the death warrant of the Heavenly Tribulation Curse three years later since his birth.

However, fate is more unpredictable than this.

Ao Bing, the reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl, and Nezha, the Demon Pearl, who were supposed to be enemies, unexpectedly formed a deep friendship on the beach where the sun was setting, and became each other's only friend.

The heavenly tribulation descended, and immense thunder tore through the sky, attempting to completely obliterate the demonic orb.

Nezha raised his head to the sky, determined to defy fate alone. Ao Bing, the gentle and refined dragon prince, resolutely broke free from the shackles of clan rules and identity at the last moment, revealing his dragon form to stand shoulder to shoulder with his best friend and face certain death together.

The choices made by the two masters were now clearly distinct.

Shen Gongbao witnessed the earth-shattering lightning tribulation and concluded that the two of them had no chance of survival.

To prevent the exchange of the Spirit Pearl and Demon Pill from being exposed and attracting the wrath of the Primordial Heavenly Lord, he decisively transformed into a wisp of black smoke and fled, heading straight for the underwater purgatory, intending to find Ao Guang to come to Chen Tang Pass to "clean up the mess and silence him," erasing all traces.

Taiyi Zhenren, this usually lazy and lazy fat immortal, showed the responsibility and compassion of a Kunlun immortal at the critical moment of life and death.

Without hesitation, he burned the fruits of his thousand years of arduous cultivation, even if it meant the dissipation of the three flowers on his head and a sharp drop in his cultivation, he still had to offer up the innate spiritual treasure bestowed upon him by his master, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable—the Seven-Colored Lotus.

The lotus blossomed with seven-colored light, miraculously protecting Nezha and Ao Bing's two faint, flickering souls amidst the destructive lightning of the heavenly tribulation. With their souls still intact, a sliver of hope remained for them to rebuild their physical bodies and continue their journey.

However, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and new variables may arise.

Just as Taiyi Zhenren had exhausted his energy and, with the remaining immortal power of the Seven-Colored Lotus, had just begun to condense a still unstable physical body for Ao Bing, Shen Gongbao, carrying the East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang, who was filled with shock and anger, arrived at Chentang Pass with murderous intent!

They had come from afar, and all they could sense with their divine senses was the lingering power of the heavenly tribulation and the sudden dissipation of Ao Bing's familiar aura. They prejudicially concluded that Ao Bing had been reduced to ashes in the heavenly tribulation.

"My son—!"

Ao Guang let out a mournful roar, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot as overwhelming rage and grief over the loss of his son overwhelmed his reason.

He exchanged a glance with Shen Gongbao, his killing intent surging. The moment he appeared, without even a chance to examine him closely, he launched a massive attack on Taiyi Zhenren, whose magical power was greatly diminished and whose aura was weak!

Caught off guard, Taiyi Zhenren hastily unleashed his magic weapon to barely parry the attack.

The aftershocks of the battle between the three celestial beings swept across the fragile altar like a raging hurricane.

The seven-colored lotus, which had already exhausted its celestial energy, became completely dim, its spirituality suppressed, and it temporarily became a mortal object.

Even more fatal was that Ao Bing's newly formed, fragile physical body, which was as delicate as glass, could not withstand the irresistible energy impact for even a moment before shattering into specks of fluorescent light that scattered away!

"Bing'er—!!"

Ao Guang's eyes were bloodshot as he rushed forward like a madman, disregarding his own physical exhaustion and frantically channeling his vast magical power in an attempt to forcibly stabilize his son's soul, which was rapidly dimming and on the verge of complete disintegration due to the loss of a physical body.

However, the soul was too severely damaged, like water flowing in the palm of one's hand. No matter how hard one tried, one could not stop its rapid dissipation, and it seemed that even the last chance for reincarnation was about to be lost.

At this critical moment, when all things grieved—

A dazzling purple light pierced the gloomy sky like a sharp sword. Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, manifested in dragon form, carrying a figure on his back. As if crossing the boundary of the void, he suddenly descended above Chen Tang Pass.

The powerful dragon's might and an unfathomable, ethereal Daoist aura enveloped the entire area simultaneously, causing Ao Guang and Shen Gongbao, who were engaged in fierce combat, to momentarily pause in their movements.

The figure on the dragon's back was none other than Qin Chuan.

His gaze was calm as water, sweeping over the mess in the scene, past the grief-stricken Ao Guang, the soul of Ao Bing on the verge of dissipation, the dying Nezha, the anxious Li Jing and his wife, and the struggling Taiyi Zhenren. In an instant, he understood the cause and effect.

He looked at the crazed Ao Guang and spoke calmly:

“Ao Guang, I can save your son, reunite his soul, reshape his body, and restore him to his former state, even surpassing his former self. The condition is that you must lead the dragon clans of the four seas to submit to me and offer up the dragon clan's fortune.”

Upon hearing this, Ao Guang's body trembled violently.

If the conditions were different, even if it meant he had to kill himself on the spot to save his son's life, he would not hesitate.

But the Dragon Clan's fortune... This is the last reliance that allows the Dragon Clan to survive and maintain its nominal rule over the four seas after countless hardships since its decline following the ancient Dragon-Phoenix Calamity. It is also the fundamental reason why the Heavenly Court still has a sliver of concern for the Dragon Clan.

Giving up one's destiny is tantamount to severing one's own foundation and completely burying the future of the entire clan. Ao Guang will become a sinner of the Dragon Clan for all eternity!

Struggle, endless struggle, intertwined in his eyes.

On one side was the life or death of his only son, and on the other was the fate of his entire clan. This choice was like an immense burden, weighing him down so heavily that he could hardly breathe, his heart aching, and he could not make a decision.

Just as he hesitated, Ao Run's voice transmission was like a thunderclap from the heavens, instantly exploding in his mind, briefly and quickly informing him of the astonishing scene he had witnessed outside Biyou Palace—a golden road stretching for thousands of miles, the Sage's personally instructed Daoist Duobao bowing in respect, and even the Tongtian Sect Leader's personal certification.

"A saint...a saint?!"

Ao Guang was shocked and stared in horror at the calm figure with his hands behind his back on the dragon's back.

All hesitation, weighing of options, and pain vanished in that moment!

A living saint is right before my eyes!

If there were a saint to protect them, why would the dragon race need to rely on their dwindling and precarious fortune to survive?

This is simply an unprecedented opportunity for the dragon race to break free from its shackles and restore its ancient glory!

"Little Dragon Ao Guang, representing the dragon clans of the four seas, is willing to lead his entire clan to submit to the Immortal! The dragon clan's fortune is at the Immortal's disposal! I only beg the Immortal for mercy to save my child!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ao Guang bowed deeply to Qin Chuan, his voice trembling slightly with excitement and determination.

Seeing that Ao Guang agreed, Qin Chuan said no more.

He didn't even move a step, but simply pointed lightly at Ao Bing's soul, which was about to completely dissipate into the world.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no vast and powerful fluctuations of magical power; it was as if a speck of dust had simply been brushed away.

However, under the incredulous gazes of everyone, a miracle occurred.

Ao Bing's soul, which was originally like a candle flickering in the wind and almost transparent, solidified and grew stronger in an instant at a speed visible to the naked eye, radiating a warm and pure spiritual pearl brilliance.

Immediately afterwards, the most refined spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged, and a flawless, vibrant body flowing with the Dao was reshaped out of thin air, appearing even more spiritual and translucent than before, with immortal skin and jade bones!

Ao Bing's long eyelashes trembled as he opened his eyes in a daze, his gaze filled with the purity and confusion of a newborn, as if he had just had a long and thrilling dream.

"Bing'er! My Bing'er!"

Overjoyed, Ao Guang rushed forward and hugged his son tightly, almost bursting into tears.

Seeing that Qin Chuan possessed such supreme supernatural power to reverse life and death and easily reshape his immortal body, Li Jing and Lady Yin, standing to the side, felt as if they had grasped the last straw in endless darkness. They both knelt down, kowtowing and pleading in mournful voices:

"Immortal! We beg you to have mercy and save my Nezha! We are willing to pay any price!"

Although Nezha's situation was different from Ao Bing's, his physical body was not completely destroyed, but it was covered with shocking cracks and he was on the verge of death. If no top-level immortal medicine or powerful figure intervened, it was only a matter of time before he perished and his soul was extinguished.

Qin Chuan turned his gaze to the small figure lying stubbornly on the ground, still clenching his fists, and gave him his conditions:

“He can live. But he must leave the Chan Sect and, like the Dragon Clan, join my ranks.”

What he valued was Nezha's immense potential and temperament to break conventions and subvert order, as the reincarnation of the Demon Orb.

The act of poaching such talented individuals from the Chan Sect was undoubtedly a clever manipulation of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and the predetermined destiny, and it had profound significance for the vaguely discernible outline of the Investiture of the Gods.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing and his wife looked troubled. Taiyi Zhenren had just risked his life to save Nezha, and his cultivation had plummeted. If Nezha were to turn to another master and betray his master's kindness, they would find it unbearable and it would be an unjust act.

At this moment, the exhausted Taiyi Zhenren struggled to speak, his voice hoarse:

"No... there's no need to trouble you, Immortal. I... I still have a way. I can take Nezha back to Jade Void Palace to see my master and ask for the Jade Elixir. This is a treasure of Kunlun, and it will surely be able to rekindle the immortal energy of the Seven-Colored Lotus, rebuild Nezha's physical body, and eradicate his hidden injuries!"

"No! Absolutely not!"

Shen Gongbao immediately objected vehemently, his eyes as sinister as a venomous snake.

He took a step forward, his imposing presence overwhelming:

"Taiyi! If you return to Yuxu Palace to obtain the Jade Elixir and the Spirit Pearl, the matter of switching the Spirit Pearl and the Demon Pill will surely be exposed! At that time, our master will be furious, and the heavens will descend with might. Brother Ao Guang and I will both be doomed! We will probably be annihilated, body and soul, without even the chance to be reincarnated! Are you trying to drag us all down with you?"

He absolutely refused to allow his painstakingly planned scheme to fail at this crucial moment.

Although Ao Guang had already pledged allegiance to Qin Chuan and received the protection of a sage, he knew that Yuanshi Tianzun was also a sage, whose authority was inviolable. Moreover, he himself was in the wrong in this matter and did not want to easily escalate the conflict and provoke the full force of the Chan Sect in retaliation. Therefore, he also spoke out against it:

"Fellow Daoist Taiyi, this matter requires careful consideration. Do not act impulsively and cause an irreparable disaster."

Taiyi Zhenren sensed the faint pressure emanating from Shen Gongbao and Ao Guang, even carrying a hint of cold killing intent. He knew that if he insisted on returning to Kunlun at this moment, he would likely face immediate annihilation, and at that time, no one would be able to save Nezha.

He glanced at his disciple lying on the ground, barely alive, then at Shen Gongbao and Ao Guang, who were eyeing him menacingly, and finally let out a long, helpless sigh.

"Well... what's meant to be will be, and what's meant to be will be."

He shook his head and changed his words:

“Then I won’t go through Master’s connections. I remember that Jade Void Palace will soon hold an ‘Ascension Examination’ for external selection. If one passes, one can enter the Jade Void Treasury and choose any magic weapon or spiritual item as a reward. That Jade Elixir is currently listed in the Treasury’s inventory. However…”

His gaze fell on the lingering, restless wisps of demonic energy clinging to Nezha, and his brows furrowed deeply.

"However, Nezha's pure demonic energy is the origin of the Demon Orb. Participating in the Jade Void Palace's assessment is tantamount to walking into a trap. He will probably be detected by the mountain-protecting formation before he even steps into the mountain gate, and his identity will be exposed as well."

"This is easy!"

Shen Gongbao's eyes darted around, and another plan came to him. He looked at Ao Bing, who had just recovered and whose aura was pure:

"Let Ao Bing use a secret technique to hide inside Nezha's body! Use the innate spiritual energy of the Spirit Pearl to cover up the demonic energy of the Demon Orb! The two of them originated from the Chaos Pearl and have similar auras. If they can merge into one, unless a sage personally investigates carefully, it will be extremely difficult to discover the clues! Perhaps we can deceive everyone!"

The plan was thus finalized.

Led by Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha, disguised by Ao Bing's spiritual energy, went to Kunlun Mountain to participate in the ascension assessment at Yuxu Palace, hoping to seize the Jade Elixir.

Shen Gongbao remained at Chentang Pass, ostensibly to assist, but in reality to monitor, using the lives of Li Jing and his wife, as well as the entire city's inhabitants, as hostage to prevent Taiyi Zhenren from changing his mind or informing his sect.

Qin Chuan simply stood quietly on the cloud, observing all the arrangements, disputes, and calculations without interfering.

His profound gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of time and space mist, seeing the disappointments, constraints, and disillusionments that Nezha would soon experience under the strict hierarchy and numerous rules of the Chan Sect.

He knew that his seemingly unruly and unrestrained, yet deeply affectionate and yearning-for-recognition heart would eventually alienate him from the rigid and indifferent dogma.