Claiming the Throne of Gods, Starting from the Rebirth of Nezha
Chapter 147: Shooting Arrows at Skull Mountain

Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Shooting Arrows at Skull Mountain

They headed north together, killing more than a dozen robbers and raiding three bandit camps on mountain tops.

Huang Yuanji wiped the fresh blood off his blade and asked, "Is there really an Immortal Mountain up north?"

"According to what the comrades in the army said, there is indeed one. If we travel another 500 miles and search the mountains, even if we don’t find it, there’s no loss for us."

In a dilapidated temple amidst bleak winds and bitter rain, two former warriors who once enjoyed riches under Chong Houhu, now only huddled by a campfire in this broken temple, eyes fixated on two mountain chickens roasting on the fire, with no sound of pleasant silk and bamboo music, only the cracking sound of wood in the bonfire left.

"You and I are both over forty this year. Isn’t it too late to start seeking immortality and inquiry?" Huang Yuanji had doubts in his heart; he wasn’t planning to run away, but he wanted some affirmation from Jin Kui.

But Jin Kui shook his head.

"I don’t know, but I’m clear about one thing, if we don’t go today and decide to go tomorrow, it will only be later than today."

Huang Yuanji asked, "Learn Daoist skills and then go kill him?"

Jin Kui nodded.

"But didn’t we say before, if he falls into our hands, we should spare him once?"

Jin Kui was startled, and after a long time, he said solemnly, "Let’s spare him once, then kill him."

On the cold night, two robust men no longer worried about the road ahead, only discussing where they should seek immortality and inquire tomorrow.

...

Outer World Town was a place to rest, but Nezha’s true home was still Chentang Pass.

Whether it was the playful and obedient Lu Zhu’er or the loyal and proud Big Black, they seemed happier here than usual.

Nezha went to meet Mr. Fan, his mother, Cui Yu, and Hong Fei, and was pulled by a group of young maids in the yard to fly kites for a while.

Not seeing Li Jing made him even more relaxed.

After resting for a night, he then went to Skull Mountain White Bone Cave.

Having not seen each other for a long time, Bi Yun’s realm was still in the God Absorption Realm.

He wasn’t very anxious; there was a lot to do every day in the mountains besides cultivating.

However, this friend who was cultivating in the mountain was quite worrisome.

"Don’t die, brother."

Nezha took out a bunch of bottles and jars from Bi Yun’s medicine box, causing his eyes to blur as he said, "Brother, snap out of it, which one is the antidote, hey hey hey, eat the medicine before you faint."

Bi Yun was foaming at the mouth, with a pot of uneaten mushroom soup beside him.

He had just passed out when Nezha shook him awake. Bi Yun lifted his hand, shakily pointing at a green bottle, trying to speak but only producing bubbles from his mouth.

It was two hours later when he finally got out of danger.

"These mushrooms are naturally colorful, which aligns with nature, they shouldn’t be poisonous," said Bi Yun, holding a mushroom with a troubled expression.

Looking at it, Nezha couldn’t help but get annoyed, saying, "Please, brother, this is obviously poisonous, okay? If you can’t pick mushrooms, don’t randomly eat things. There are so many good things in Chentang Pass; if you’re craving something, just fly down the mountain and buy it, can’t you fly after all?"

Bi Yun was also angered by this remark, knowing that Nezha meant well but couldn’t help arguing back, "I always eat like this in the mountains, I’ve been poisoned so often and never died once, you don’t visit for eight hundred years and now you worry unnecessarily."

"I’m really at my wits’ end."

"So what if you are."

Seeing him looking annoying, Nezha just sighed.

"Is Cai Yun still trapped in that Golden Chicken Cave?"

Bi Yun nodded and said, "Although the elder sister is trapped, her cultivation realm hasn’t declined. She sits in the cave, neither eating nor drinking. Last time I saw her, she was at the God Absorption Realm, and now she’s almost breaking through to the Loose Immortal Realm."

After saying this, he gave Nezha a meaningful look.

The implication was clear: when elder sister comes out, you’re going to be in trouble.

Nezha, unnerved by his gaze, was about to complain about how great that horse was, not eating the readily available hay and bean cakes but insisting on meat, when suddenly he paused, feeling something, and stood frozen.

"What are you stunned for?"

Nezha turned his head, eyes scanning the sky.

Blue sky, white clouds, birds flying.

Nothing else.

Bi Yun also raised his head and muttered, "This sky doesn’t look any different from usual; what’s there to see?"

Suddenly, his complexion changed too.

Life and death happen in an instant.

Nezha leaped from the ground, reaching the pinnacle of his spiritual awareness in just a moment, entering a highly ethereal realm.

He stretched out his hand, spreading his fingers, and captured a beam of radiant light in mid-air.

Then the sound of the wind followed, and a massive force smashed him squarely into the ground. With a thunderous roar, rocks shattered, and the animals scattered in fear.

Bi Yun hurried to find Nezha.

With a wave of his sleeve, he dispersed the dust and pulled Nezha out from among the broken rocks.

Seeing his friend’s face as cold as frost, he asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"I’m fine."

Aside from a stuffy chest, Nezha was unharmed; his body was, after all, stronger than the rocks beneath his feet.

However.

He glanced at the palm of his right hand. The outer layer of skin had been completely torn, blood smearing on the arrow and dripping continuously, plopping onto the moist soil of the mountain.

"Sky-shattering Arrow!"

Nezha’s heart trembled greatly.

In all of Chentang Pass, besides himself, who else could draw the Qiankun Bow?

If he hadn’t blocked that arrow just now, would Bi Yun have died directly under it?

Upon seeing the arrow, Bi Yun also realized this was no ordinary matter, and said, "This arrow isn’t imbued with any Primordial Qi. To have flown from the heavens to Skull Mountain, the bow must be incredibly tough, and the archer must be tremendously strong. Yet, coming from the sky without an ability to aim, I wonder what the person drawing the bow intended."

Nezha replied coldly, "What did he intend? Just ask him, and you’ll know."

Nezha had Bi Yun go to the White Bone Cave in search of Shi Ji, while he himself mounted a stream of light and sped across the sky like a shooting star, heading straight for the city walls of Chentang Pass.

Covering seventy to eighty li in the blink of an eye, he arrived quickly.

Seeing no one on the city walls, the Qiankun Bow was still there, but one of the three Sky-shattering Arrows was missing.

"Young Master?"

The speaker was Ten-man Captain Zhou Quan. Nezha had returned and visited the city wall before, so Zhou Quan recognized him now.

Zhou Quan approached and seeing the blood on Nezha’s hand, his expression instantly changed drastically.

Nezha asked, "Uncle Zhou, has anyone visited the city wall just now?"

"The General was here."

Nezha frowned and said, "Li Jing can’t draw the Qiankun Bow. Who else could it be?"

Zhou Quan’s words were unclear, but he eventually sighed deeply and said, "There’s also the General’s newly adopted son, Spirit Pearl."

"Spirit Pearl? Young Master?"

Nezha couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing that, but his laughter was chilling. He finally understood what had transpired.

Thus, Zhou Quan recounted everything that had happened at the city wall:

As it happened, Li Jing had adopted Spirit Pearl as his son in the Golden Light Cave and brought him back to Chentang Pass, and also paid respects to Lady Yin.

Lady Yin was unaware of the circumstances but noted that Spirit Pearl was about Nezha’s size, and was also a fellow disciple from the Golden Light Cave of Qianyuan Mountain. Despite feeling repulsed, she courteously hosted him.

Soon after, Li Jing arranged for Spirit Pearl to stay at their home in Chentang Pass and took him to the city tower to see the Qiankun Bow and the Sky-shattering Arrow.

Watching Spirit Pearl casually pick up the Qiankun Bow, Li Jing was both astonished and amazed, asking, "Whom are you aiming to shoot?"

"The one rightly deserves this arrow."

Under that impulse, Spirit Pearl drew the bow, instantly pulling it into a full crescent.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om