Liang Xiaoke did not immediately summon the Immortal Slaying Sword. In his hands, he gripped a long, pitch-black saber—a decent weapon forged casually by Tongtian during a moment of boredom. It was the Demon-Slaying Blade, though not an innate treasure, it was the work of a Sect Master, making it far from ordinary.

Wielding the saber with both hands, he lunged directly at Nezha.

Seeing this ungraduated youngster, Liang Xiaoke, immediately take the offensive, Nezha smirked with disdain. He flicked the Fire-Tipped Spear in his hand, meeting the Demon-Slaying Blade head-on.

"Clang…" With a sharp ring, the spear batted aside Liang Xiaoke's saber, the tip instantly thrusting forward, aimed squarely at Liang Xiaoke’s heart.

"Heh, you really think your Martial Uncle is that easy to bully?" Though his voice sounded casual, Liang Xiaoke felt a surge of alarm internally upon feeling the sheer force of Nezha's thrust. While this fellow wasn't as unpredictable as the Monkey King or Yang Jian, his cultivation was still far superior.

Sensing the spear driving straight toward him, his body rapidly retreated. But no matter how far he backed, the spear doggedly pursued his heart, closing the distance with every moment…

Watching Liang Xiaoke forced into a continuous retreat by Nezha from the outset, Ye Jingyu felt no surprise. If Nezha were that easy to handle, would he truly be the Great God of the Third Lotus Platform?

Meanwhile, upon witnessing Nezha’s exquisite spear mastery, Yingkong Shi’s blue eyes brightened intensely. He had recently accepted the Dao of Tongtian, and after observing the Dao shared between Tongtian and Sun Wukong that day, his cultivation had broken through from the Cosmos Level to the Universe Level. He was eager to test his own prowess.

Yingkong Shi was not the only one to reach the Universe Level in such a short time. Figures like Chi Yixiu, Yan Senxu, and even Hei Mingshixuan had all achieved the Universe Level during this period. Of course, previously, reaching this level was difficult because they lacked proper guidance; but with a mentor like Tongtian, their cultivation naturally advanced by leaps and bounds…

If the Universe Level were likened to university, and the Cosmos Level to high school, before, Yingkong Shi, the Five Great Immortal Sages, and the Demon Lords had all entered university through self-study. The difficulty coefficient was naturally immense; everything required self-exploration, consuming vast amounts of time. But now, not only did Yingkong Shi and the others have a mentor, but this mentor was the very person setting the university entrance exams, directly handing them the answer key. Getting into university thus became a hundred times easier.

It was entirely reasonable for them to break through to the Universe Level in such a short span.

Seeing Nezha’s Fire-Tipped Spear coiling around Liang Xiaoke like a crimson serpent, Yingkong Shi let out a soft hum and shot forward instantly.

His entire life had been intertwined with the spear; it had long since merged with his soul. Now, seeing a master of the spear, he naturally had to step forward for a friendly bout.

As Yingkong Shi charged toward the fray between Nezha and Liang Xiaoke, Ye Jingyu made no move to stop him. He could clearly see that Liang Xiaoke’s cultivation was far inferior to Nezha's. Unless he employed the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation immediately, victory would be difficult. Furthermore, knowing Liang Xiaoke, he would certainly save such formidable treasures like the Immortal Slaying Swords for the most critical juncture.

Defeating Nezha wasn't Liang Xiaoke's goal; he was likely aiming to teach Nezha a painful lesson, Ye Jingyu surmised.

On the other side, Xuan Yuanjing, noticing another challenger rush toward Nezha, also made no move to intercept. He clearly had immense confidence in Nezha, keeping his gaze fixed solely on Ye Jingyu—he knew that man was his greatest rival, the destined opponent of his fate.

In the sky, just as Nezha’s spear was about to pierce Liang Xiaoke’s heart, Yingkong Shi arrived, his body closing the distance. With a flick of the Blue Demon Spear, recently enhanced by Sect Master Tongtian, he executed a beautiful spear flourish and stabbed directly toward Nezha’s sternum…

What a masterful move—a strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao…

"Hmph…" Facing the thrust from this mere jumping clown, Yingkong Shi, Nezha scoffed. He suddenly loosened his grip on the Fire-Tipped Spear, letting it fly out of his hand. Its speed multiplied several times over, instantly piercing Liang Xiaoke’s heart…

In his hand, there now rested a golden steel hoop—the Universe Ring. With a casual turn, he parried Yingkong Shi’s Blue Demon Spear.

A spray of crimson blood erupted from Liang Xiaoke’s chest, accompanied by a cry of pain. His body began to plummet downward. Gongsun Lu, below, felt her heart clench, but Ye Jingyu wore a sly grin; the fellow was finally about to unleash his ultimate move…

Nezha had never taken Liang Xiaoke seriously. Piercing his heart with one spear strike, even if it didn't kill him, was enough to gravely wound him. Seeing his body fall, Nezha ignored him, sweeping aside Yingkong Shi’s spear with the Universe Ring. With a single pull, the flying Fire-Tipped Spear returned to his grasp, and he thrust it again toward Yingkong Shi.

But at that precise moment, a figure materialized behind him, wielding a colossal saber, slashing directly down at Nezha.

Nezha’s spirit jolted. He turned to see Liang Xiaoke, who should have been falling, now standing behind him, bringing down a massive strike. The figure whose heart he had pierced moments ago was merely a stone…

A stone… He had tricked him with a stone?

Liang Xiaoke had indeed been pierced through the heart, but his body was supplied with an inexhaustible flow of energy from the Vast Heaven Pearl, allowing him to rapidly repair his physical form. In essence, unless his body was completely shattered, he was virtually immortal.

As for the stone, it was an illusionary technique he had learned from Sun Wukong. While he couldn't master the Seventy-Two Transformations in such a short time, with his current insight, conjuring a stone to substitute for himself was a trivial matter.

Nezha had always been immensely proud and overly confident. He never imagined this zombie would possess transformation arts, allowing himself to be duped.

However, he had been famous for many years. Except for his defeat against the Monkey King, he had suffered virtually no losses in all these years. How could he possibly be wounded by two individuals he considered mere ants, Liang Xiaoke and Yingkong Shi?

His body shimmered, and instantly, three heads sprouted from his neck, accompanied by six arms growing from his shoulders, transforming into his Three Heads and Eight Arms manifestation. One hand held the Fire-Tipped Spear, another the Universe Ring, another the Chaos-Bound Silk, another the Golden Brick, another the Yin-Yang Sword, another the Universe Bow, another the Heaven-Shaking Arrow, and the final hand grasped the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover, the treasured artifact of Grand Supreme Elder.

He looked incredibly imposing…

His Fire-Tipped Spear continued to meet Yingkong Shi, while the Yin-Yang Sword swung toward Liang Xiaoke’s Demon-Slaying Blade. Yet, perhaps constrained by his status, he refrained from using his other magical artifacts to attack both foes simultaneously…

Seeing Nezha manifest his Three Heads and Eight Arms form, Liang Xiaoke dared not hold back any longer. With a slap to the back of his head, two streaks of sword light shot into the sky, hurtling toward Nezha…

The Immortal Slaying Sword and the Immortal Executing Sword, carrying the sharpest sword qi, sped toward Nezha. Nezha, whose expression had remained composed, frowned deeply. He knew the terrifying power of these two long swords and dared not be careless. He flung out the Universe Ring and the Chaos-Bound Silk—one slammed toward Liang Xiaoke, the other coiled around him. The Heaven-Shaking Arrow was immediately nocked onto the Universe Bow, preparing to shoot toward the incoming Immortal Slaying Sword and Immortal Executing Sword…

The moment Nezha drew the Universe Bow and Heaven-Shaking Arrow, Chi Yixiu, who had inherited the legacy of Chiyou below, had his eyes instantly redden. It was with these very artifacts that Xuan Yuan the Yellow Emperor had defeated Chiyou in ancient times; how could he be unfamiliar with them?

With a great roar, Chi Yixiu’s massive frame stepped out, clutching his giant battle-ax, charging straight toward Nezha in the air. Xuan Yuan still offered no obstruction, perhaps overly confident in Nezha, or perhaps wanting to witness the true extent of his power…

"Clang, clang…" With two successive light impacts, the Heaven-Shaking Arrow struck the Immortal Slaying Sword and Immortal Executing Sword, deflecting both long swords’ trajectories. The Universe Ring connected solidly with Liang Xiaoke’s body, blasting him away. His entire shoulder bone was pulverized, and a look of agony crossed Liang Xiaoke’s face.

The Chaos-Bound Silk then wrapped him up tightly. At this moment, even if he tried to transform again, escape from the silk’s bonds would be impossible.

But just then, Nezha felt a chilling gust of wind strike his lower body. Glancing down, he saw a blinding celestial sword aimed directly at his groin.

The Immortal Severing Sword…

No wonder he only saw two celestial swords; he had used the Immortal Severing Sword to attack his foundation. How utterly despicable, how shameless! This man was, after all, a descendant of his Martial Ancestor’s lineage; how could he commit such a vile act?

The Immortal Severing Sword truly aimed to sever his lineage. Nezha, being exceptionally formidable, forcefully twisted his body at that crucial juncture, barely evading the fatal strike. However, his thigh was ripped open by a long, bloody gash from the Immortal Severing Sword. At that instant, the towering Chi Yixiu arrived before Nezha, raising his gigantic battle-ax and bringing it down like lightning toward Nezha.

Nezha, reeling from the wound inflicted by the Immortal Severing Sword, hadn't regained his footing and could not evade this terrifying axe blow. He could only weakly raise the Yin-Yang Sword in his hand to block…

With a deafening clang, Chi Yixiu’s strength was monstrous, and the immense axe head was enchanted by countless seals placed by Tongtian. These seals served no other purpose than to make the axe incomparably heavy—so heavy…

Although Nezha blocked the blow with the Yin-Yang Sword, his strength could not withstand such immense force. The Yin-Yang Sword, while not severed outright, could not endure the crushing weight. The arm Nezha used to grip the sword was entirely ripped away by this tremendous force…

Golden blood spurted continuously from his shoulder joint, and Nezha let out a massive cry of pain. He had been famous for ages, his cultivation world-shattering. Even when he was defeated by the Monkey King back then, it was merely a loss. He had never sustained such a severe injury.

And now, to be wounded so grievously by an unknown entity filled him with more rage than pain—an unbearable, suffocating anger…