Claiming the Throne of Gods, Starting from the Rebirth of Nezha

"Woof!"

Upon hearing this bark, Nezha decided that when he got back, he'd give Big Black an extra chicken leg, if he had the chance to return at all.

The sea breeze was salty and blew directly at him, taking away much of the July heat. Nezha, drenched in sweat, finally got a moment's respite. He rested his chin on his hand, sitting bored on a bamboo stool by the altar, gazing at the vast, mirror-like expanse of blue ocean.

A couple of seagulls flew overhead, dropping two blobs of bird droppings. Big Black, who had been joyfully bouncing around, suddenly got hit and started barking like crazy. Realizing they were just two clumsy birds he couldn't do anything about, he turned to let out a couple of barks at the Great Witch, who was dancing some strange dance, to vent his frustration.

"The calm before the storm, ah, Nezha raises trouble in the sea, tsk tsk."

Was Nezha afraid?

He was somewhat scared; although he was much stronger than ordinary people, in his own understanding, he was still just an ordinary person.

Besides, from the beginning, he hadn't planned to follow in Nezha's old footsteps; he aimed to establish good relations with the East Sea.

However, seeing these dirty tricks of using children for sacrifices, his meddlesome nature from his past life flared up again.

Sea Patrol Yaksha.

He fixed his gaze into the distance. Not just from Lizhu Village, but villagers from more than a dozen nearby fishing villages had come to participate in the sacrifice. Having heard of Nezha's business, they all kept their distance, standing on nearby clifftops peering down, mouths moving but their words scattered by the howling sea breeze, completely inaudible.

Nezha thought this was fine, too. He didn't expect to hear anything pleasant from the mouths of these village folks right now; that would simply be a kind of luxury.

He yawned and asked, "Great Witch, is this Lizhu Gorge?"

The Great Witch, dressed in overly extravagant ritual garb, with five-colored feathers stuck in his head, was spinning an axe in his hand, drawing a crescent-shaped cold light in mid-air. If he were performing on the street, plenty of onlookers would certainly cheer for him.

He stopped his movements, wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck, and said, "This is Lizhu Gorge. The seaside is covered with rocky beaches, the water is deeper than elsewhere, and there are often large sea clams at the seabed, rich in pearls, which is the lifeblood of our Lizhu Village, making us wealthier than other villages."

"More affluent than other villages?" Nezha gave him a sidelong look, crushed a clam shell, pulled out the tender meat, and tossed it into Big Black's mouth. "Why do I see only your family looking wealthy in the village, while other households are in disrepair?"

The Great Witch heard the sarcasm in Nezha's tone, blushed, and said nothing, only thinking to himself, "Just wait until you face the Yaksha, then let's see how you handle it."

Thinking of this, the Great Witch couldn't help but worry again. After all, Nezha was the son of the Chentang Pass General. No matter how rebellious or contrary to his father he was, it was ultimately a family matter. If anything happened to Nezha, he might also be implicated.

"Are you familiar with this Yaksha?"

"Not familiar."

"Absolutely useless."

"..."

Nezha sighed, tossed another piece of meat to Big Black, and said, "Big Black, I'm now appointing you as the Sea Guardian Black General of Chentang Pass. When the Yaksha arrives, transform into your true form and go bite him, and don't hold back!"

"Woof!"

Big Black's tail wagged hard as the wind and waves rose suddenly. Just then, the Great Witch spun his dance two more times, and the previously calm sea surface abruptly churned with large waves; a huge vortex appeared near the shore. From the sea bottom, yellow sediment was churned up, and broken seaweed swirled with the whirlpool, resembling the hair of some huge beast.

Nezha squinted slightly, his right index finger gently tapping the armrest of the bamboo stool without any extra movement.

He knew it was coming.

In the blink of an eye, a twelve-foot monster parted the waters, waves crashing like mountains and tides rolling fiercely. Looking closely, the monster's face was like indigo, hair like vermilion, with a giant mouth and sharp teeth, wielding a large axe.

Just as Li Cunxin said, its muscles were wrapped in iron scales, and its claws looked like golden hooks.

Most importantly, Nezha noted the spiritual presence of this Yaksha, covered all over in a dazzling blue light, its essence and spirit far exceeding that of Mr. Fan and Li Jing.

As soon as the Yaksha appeared, the Great Witch glanced in Nezha's direction, then hurriedly knelt before the Yaksha, mumbling something unintelligible as he sang.

A thousand villagers on the nearby cliff, seeing this, also lay on the ground, though they remained at a distance, secretly lifting their heads to peek down.

As for Big Black, seeing the Yaksha, he let out a howl, tucked his tail, and hid behind Nezha, his legs shaking uncontrollably like a sieve.

The Sea Patrol Yaksha saw that this place was the same as usual, without much thought. He glanced at the quivering Great Witch on the ground, the disdain and contempt in his fierce eyes undisguised.

"Human."

He looked up, walking toward the altar. Today's sacrifice was indeed quite different from usual; it wasn't wrapped in colorful silk ribbons, didn't cry or cause trouble, instead sat on a bamboo stool, looking at him meaningfully.

The Sea Patrol Yaksha's name was Li Gen, assigned by the Jade Pen of the Spirit Celestial Palace, considered formally on staff if translated to modern terms, though his duties lay in rivers, lakes, and seas.

Li Gen felt a bit curious, but just a bit. Brave sacrifices weren't new to him; ultimately, they were just humans.

Regarding the shortened period of sacrifices, Li Gen had an inkling it was related to the grand objectives of the Three Teachings in the Divine Enthronement, though he didn't know the specifics. He only knew the Dragon Palace's Third Prince was fiercely angry, clamoring to go ashore and find some fresh blood food.

He walked step by step onto the altar, each tiny movement causing his explosive muscles to release countless fierce and brutal auras, making people's hearts tremble.

"Is that Li Gen below the altar?"

Li Gen paused, hearing a voice from the offering above, and curiously said, "This human child actually knows my name."

Li Gen's voice was like a great bell, causing the Great Witch kneeling at his feet to shudder. From that moment, his mind turned into a confused mess. In his limited life, this was the first time hearing the Yaksha speak. He couldn't understand why Nezha knew the Yaksha's name...

"Of course I know you, Sea Patrol Yaksha Li Gen. Do you know who I am?"

"All I know is that you are today's sacrifice, destined to become the blood food to pacify the Dragon Palace's wrath."

Nezha replied, "Arrogant scoundrel! Perk up your ears and listen carefully. I am the disciple of Taiyi Zhenren from Qianyuan Mountain's Golden Light Cave, the son of Chentang Pass General Li Jing, Vanguard General Nezha, who will assist the Holy King in breaking formations."

This string of titles startled Li Gen. Taiyi Zhenren was one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, and Chentang Pass General Li Jing also had past dealings with the East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang. Not daring to be careless, he asked, "If you are Nezha, where then is today's sacrifice?"

"I am today's sacrifice."

Hearing this, Li Gen squinted his eyes, unable to make a decision, and coldly said, "Do you understand what the term 'sacrifice' entails?"

"Of course I do. I also have no wish to oppose the Dragon Palace. I just don't understand, with the sea's abundant resources and the Dragon Palace wanting for nothing, why should things escalate to this?"

Nezha lowered his posture. Firstly, he realized that as he was now, he was no match for Li Gen. Secondly, the conflict with the Dragon Palace had spanned several centuries. If it could end peacefully, turning weapons into jade and silk, that would be best.

But upon hearing this, Li Gen merely let out a string of icy laughter. His fangs clashed as he said, "Human child, I don't care what your identity is. One thing I do know is that the sacrifice was arranged and sealed with orders by Li Jing himself. Wanting to act contrary doesn't work out? Out of respect for your father's and mentor's sake, I'll spare your life today, but don't play cunning tricks with me. Hand over the real sacrifice quickly!"