Amidst a blur of drifting mist and swirling clouds, Zoran sat cross-legged, suspended in mid-air.
His eyes were slightly lidded. Before him sat a gargantuan bronze cauldron, radiating waves of scorching heat. He had indeed mastered the entirety of the alchemy technique with but a single glance.
By now, several days had passed since he had entered the mountain. During this time, he had remained sequestered within his grotto, focusing entirely on the art of refining pills to pass the days.
Not far beneath his feet, Po Kong sat upon the ground with an expression of eager anticipation, waiting patiently. Her hands were clutched around a handful of round, lustrous Immortal Pills. In this setting, she looked remarkably like a devoted temple acolyte sitting at her master's feet.
Though Wuliang Xianweng was not much to look at, he was at least quite attentive to the internal affairs of the Jade Void Palace. All the materials Zoran required for his alchemy were delivered by his attendants. They consisted of various natural treasures or shapeless, unidentifiable lumps.
However, nothing could escape Zoran's eyes. Those shapeless materials were, in truth, the remains of demons. In this realm of immortals, using demons as fodder for alchemy was a standard practice.
Zoran opened his eyes slightly and lifted a finger, unsealing the lid of the cauldron. Dozens of pills, steaming with immortal essence, drifted out of the hearth. With a flick of his finger, this batch of Immortal Pills floated toward Po Kong.
She had clearly been waiting for a long time; opening her mouth, she swallowed the entire batch in one gulp.
"One batch yields forty-eight pills. It should be enough to keep your hunger at bay for at least a day," Zoran said softly.
Within his perception, he could feel Po Kong's strength growing at a steady pace. As her "chef," he was proving to be passably qualified. At the very least, with this method, he didn't have to worry about Po Kong eating her way through the world and destroying it.
It was worth mentioning that to cater to Po Kong's preference for salty flavors, he had specifically refined the recipe, adding a significant amount of mountain salt to the ingredients.
Suddenly, a voice drifted in from outside.
"Elder Tso Lan, I have urgent news," it was Crana. She hurried in with short, quick steps, her face etched with anxiety. "Master has ordered me to inform you to head to the East Sea to confront a great enemy! The Demon-Hunting Squad has been fully mobilized. Master has already taken the Tianyuan Cauldron to the East Sea Dragon Palace."
Zoran's expression remained unchanged. "Very well. I shall bring my sister out of seclusion immediately."
It had finally begun. Based on the original plot, what was about to unfold was the climactic chapter of the Nezha world.
The Wuliang Xianweng was about to reveal his true colors. Having already subjugated the Dragon Kings of the West, South, and North Seas, he intended to use the Tianyuan Cauldron to refine the entire East Sea Dragon clan along with the Spirit Pearl and the Demon Orb.
Crana left in a great hurry.
Zoran brushed his sleeves and called out to Po Kong, "The grand ceremony is about to begin. Sister, it's time for us to make our entrance."
In the blink of an eye, his speed accelerated to the limit. He and Po Kong transformed into two streaks of light, bolting straight for the East Sea.
Mountains, rivers, and lakes blurred beneath them until the azure expanse of the sea appeared before their eyes. The waters parted as a massive cauldron plummeted into the center, slowly enveloping the East Sea Dragon Palace.
Standing upon the surface of the sea were the members of the Jade Void Palace Demon-Hunting Squad, clad in pale-gold Taoist robes. They numbered in the thousands, appearing like a swarm of locusts about to take flight.
Zoran shifted his gaze downward. A scorching aura sat beside the Tianyuan Cauldron. Within his sight was a child of exceptionally wild appearance, sporting two dark circles under his eyes and a somber expression.
This was Nezha.
"Fellow Daoist Tso Lan, you've arrived just in time! Help me hold the line so we may refine these beasts together!"
The Wuliang Xianweng's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he called out repeatedly. He sat firmly atop the Tianyuan Cauldron, chanting incantations.
Zoran and Po Kong waited quietly to the side. He glanced sideways; through the gaps of the not-yet-fully-closed cauldron, the East Sea Dragon King, Ao Guang, charged out wielding a great blade. Upon his exit, he immediately clashed with Nezha.
It was the classic opening of a misunderstanding; Nezha mistakenly believed the Dragon clan had murdered his parents and the citizens of Chentang Pass.
In reality, it was all a conspiracy orchestrated by the Wuliang Xianweng. He had used the Dragon clan's hand as a pretext, intending to eliminate them, a major thorn in his side, and refine them into Immortal Pills to bolster the strength of the Chan Sect.
With a thunderous crash and a flash of fire in the sky, Nezha struck Ao Guang down into the Tianyuan Cauldron. The massive cauldron was officially sealed.
An intense heat erupted instantly. The wails from within the cauldron could no longer be heard by those outside. Nezha stood silent in the air. This boy, always labeled a brat, felt tears slide from his eyes.
"Do not worry, I shall avenge you this instant!" Wuliang cried out, intensifying the flames.
His alchemy technique was identical to Zoran's; it seemed he hadn't held anything back when teaching.
Zoran counted silently in his mind. Soon, three figures raced toward them from the distance. He raised an eyebrow slightly, noting that the real show was about to begin.
"Father? Mother? And Ao Bing and Master?" Nezha was stunned. According to Wuliang's account, his parents should have been slaughtered by the Dragon clan.
"Nezha!" His parents rushed forward and pulled him into an embrace.
"This is all his doing, the conspiracy of the Wuliang Xianweng!" Ao Bing, son of the East Sea Dragon King, gripped his two massive hammers, his eyes burning with fury. "He destroyed Chentang Pass and framed the Dragons. The tragedy of Chentang Pass was Wuliang's doing! My father and the East Sea Dragon clan are innocent!"
"Aiya, Senior Brother, you've made a terrible mistake!" Taiyi Zhenren called out to Wuliang in his thick, local dialect.
With the truth out in the open, a sinister smile finally crept onto the Wuliang Xianweng's face.
"To think the two of you were hiding. What a pity. Since things have come to this, I shall simply have to refine the Spirit Pearl and the Demon Orb along with the rest."
He pointed a finger, tearing a rift in space. The Dragon Kings of the West, South, and North Seas, one thin, one stout, and one glamorous, all emerged from the Tianyuan Cauldron. They had long since been subjugated by Wuliang.
The Void-Rending Claw.
This was the ultimate technique of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, possessing the power to teleport by tearing through space.
"Take them down! Guard me while I finish the refinement!" Wuliang commanded, while he personally moved to bind Taiyi Zhenren.
As the words fell, battle was instantly joined. Nezha and Ao Bing, having found the truth, fought the three Dragon Kings alone, while Wuliang's two disciples, Deero and Crana, locked in combat with Li Jing and his wife.
Amidst the chaotic battlefield, Zoran wore a faint smile as he drifted slowly toward the top of the Tianyuan Cauldron.
"Fellow Daoist Tso Lan, care to lend me a hand?" Wuliang asked from his seat atop the cauldron.
Over the past few days, he had heard from his disciples that these two had remained shut inside their grotto since arriving at the mountain, focusing solely on alchemy. They seemed to project the image of recluses who stood apart from worldly affairs.
Zoran did not answer. He merely stared downward, his gaze seemingly piercing through the cauldron to look at the beings being refined within.
He asked, "How many Immortal Pills will this batch yield?"
Wuliang frowned. "At least tens of thousands. It should be just enough to bolster the strength of my Chan Sect."
Zoran shook his head slightly. "I'm afraid that isn't enough."
"Not enough?" Wuliang pondered the meaning behind his words. "With the East Sea Dragon clan and those sealed remnants, these are the most medicinal materials we can gather. Any more and I fear even the Tianyuan Cauldron could not withstand it."
"My sister has a voracious appetite. This pittance won't be enough," Zoran sighed.
Wuliang's entire body stiffened. "Your motives truly aren't simple!"
"Hmph! From the very beginning, you came for the alchemy techniques and my Sect's resources!"
"Correct."
Zoran summoned the small, imitation cauldron, his eyes full of disdain. "A piece of junk like this is hardly fit for the occasion."
"Furthermore," Zoran chuckled softly, "refining it myself can't compare to how fast it is when you do it for me."
Wuliang's brow furrowed, and he issued a low threat. "Think carefully... is it worth it, Fellow Daoist, to oppose my Chan Sect just to satisfy your sister's appetite?"
Hundreds of sturdy, ancient trees instantly surged around Zoran, forming a protective barrier.
Zoran looked toward Po Kong at his side and said in a calm tone, "It is worth it."
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