Chapter 258: Great Zhou’s Version of Nezha Disturbs the Sea

When Bai Hongtu said he was going to perform a tribulation crossing, Ji Zhi excitedly pulled out the heart-saving pill he had prepared in advance.
But Jiang Li’s mental fortitude was too strong, and he didn’t need the pill at all, leaving Ji Zhi somewhat disappointed.
In the center of the stage, lightning flashed brilliantly, making it hard to see Bai Hongtu’s expression—only Jiang Li could see it clearly.
Bai Hongtu was gritting his teeth and spinning a hula hoop. It looked easy, but in reality, his whole body was twitching from the electric shock, trembling uncontrollably.
And because the lightning tribulation was too powerful, Bai Hongtu’s clothes had all been burned to ashes.
In other words, he was currently naked.
《Dao Sect Master Runs Naked in Public》
Jiang Li rubbed his face—just the second performance and you’re already pulling this kind of stunt.
After the tribulation passed, the Stairway to Immortality still didn’t appear. While everyone was still adjusting to the light shift, Jiang Li wrapped Bai Hongtu in a white burial shroud and brought him back to the viewing platform.
“This tribulation’s got no morals. It’s supposed to spare the clothes—how come I don’t even get to keep my underwear?” Bai Hongtu cursed.
Wrapped tightly in the burial shroud with only his head exposed, he angrily berated the lightning tribulation, showing no signs of joy from successfully overcoming it.
Jiang Li smacked the back of his head. “Still acting.”
So far, only two people in the Nine Provinces had passed the Immortal Ascension Tribulation—Commander Liu and Li Er. Bai Hongtu was the third, and definitely the flashiest.
“How does it feel, surviving your first Immortal Ascension Tribulation?” Jiang Li asked casually, while the others perked up their ears.
Bai Hongtu curled his lips. “How do you think? I feel like I could become an Earth Immortal at any moment, just missing the Immortal Energy Baptism. It’s frustrating as hll.”
“As for the Mahayana Stage, I still can’t feel it at all. Honestly, if you hadn’t set a precedent, I’d doubt whether the Mahayana Stage even existed.”
“Come on, tell me—how exactly do you break through to Mahayana?”
Jiang Li glared. “I’ve already told you how to break through to Mahayana more than once. If your brains don’t work and you can’t understand my theory, what am I supposed to do?”
Bai Hongtu grinned. “Brother Jiang, you’re my brother. Can you put in a little effort to simplify the theory so us tribulation-stage blockheads can understand it too?”
Jiang Li agreed. He had been trying to break down and simplify the Mahayana theory for a while now, but hadn’t made much progress.
Bai Hongtu’s tribulation was so intense it shattered the entire stage. Commander Liu resisted the urge to cough up blood and sent extra people to repair it.
“Next up is the Buddhist Sect’s performance—Rock, Paper, Scissors. Rock, Paper, Scissors is an ancient sport. It’s not just about luck, it also tests your eyesight and hand speed. What kind of surprise will the Buddhist Sect bring us? Let’s wait and see.”
The performance name from the Buddhist Sect sounded totally baffling, but the host had seen people cross the Immortal Ascension Tribulation on the spot, so they were used to big scenes and didn’t question it—welcoming them with applause.
The audience was still caught up in the aftermath of the grand tribulation and took a while to come to their senses, then also started clapping.
Two sacred Bodhisattvas stepped gracefully onto the stage, hands together in a gesture of compassion and mercy.
Suddenly, thousands of arms appeared behind them—some clasped together, some clenched into fists, some extending two fingers.
The two Bodhisattvas were actually using the Thousand-Armed Guanyin style to play Rock, Paper, Scissors!
Each side had over a thousand hands, all paired up—extending scissors or hammers to see who would win.
Only if all one side’s hands beat the other’s would it count as a win!
There were so many things wrong with this that Jiang Li didn’t even know where to begin mocking it.
“Whose idea was this?”
Arhat Dragon Subduer and Arhat Unsubdued exchanged glances and pointed in unison at the Brahma Tower. “The Buddhist treasure’s idea.”
The Brahma Tower didn’t see anything wrong with the performance and responded confidently, “A performance is supposed to be both visually appealing and surprising, isn’t it?”
“Look at the Bodhisattvas’ Thousand-Armed Guanyin poses—isn’t that beautiful? That’s visual appeal.”
“You don’t know when a winner will be decided—that’s surprise.”
“This performance is perfect.”
“You performed very well. You’re not allowed to perform again next time.”
The Brahma Tower was glowing inside from the compliment.
The two Bodhisattvas could compete all day and never get a result, so Jiang Li transmitted a message to both: have one side do all rocks, and the other all scissors—end the show.
The Confucian Sect performed a display on language evolution. Beforehand, they scoured ancient texts, studied history, and mapped out the development of language. On stage, using silent gestures and exaggerated movements, they portrayed how thousands of different languages eventually unified into the Nine Provinces Language, creating a weighty epic feel.
With Dao Sect and Buddhist Sect’s sparkling performances before them, the Confucian Sect’s show seemed overly normal—completely out of sync with the mood.
“Our sense of innovation still isn’t enough,” reflected Dong Zhongren.
Jiang Li quickly said, “No no no, what you did was perfect—no need to innovate anymore.”
He finally had a normal person show up, and he wasn’t about to let go.
“Next up is a joint drama performance by the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Four Seas Dragon Palace—‘Li Nezha Disturbs the Sea.’”
“???” Jiang Li was completely lost. What the hll is ‘Li Nezha’? That name sounds so wrong.
He wasn’t surprised that the story of Nezha Disturbs the Sea had shown up in the Nine Provinces—it was something he had spread himself, and it had become wildly popular. People in the Nine Provinces loved stories about immortals and monsters.
The performance on stage unfolded in an orderly manner.
In the coastal area of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there was a place called Chentang Pass. The general’s name was Li Jing, and his wife was Lady Yin.
Lady Yin gave birth to their third son.
“Since the first son is called Jin Zha and the second son is called Mu Zha, let’s name the third one Shui Zha,” Li Jing suggested.
“‘Shui Zha’ sounds terrible. Let’s go with Nezha,” Lady Yin found her husband’s naming skills lacking.
“Alright, then it’ll be Nezha. My third son shall be Li Nezha.” Li Jing laughed heartily, thinking his wife was the cultured one.
Li Nezha had talent for cultivation, and his progress was astonishingly fast.
The Great Zhou bordered the Eastern Sea. The third son of the Dragon King stirred up waves and caused chaos, bringing endless suffering to Chentang Pass. He even wanted to eat the local fishermen’s children. Enraged, Li Nezha fought him in a battle lasting three hundred rounds.
In the end, the Dragon King’s son was defeated by Li Nezha and had his dragon tendon ripped out.
Upon hearing the news, the Eastern Sea Dragon King flew into a rage. He summoned his three brothers, transformed into their true dragon forms, wielded their Dragon Pearls, and came to pressure Chentang Pass.
They demanded that Li Jing hand over Li Nezha, or else they would flood Chentang Pass!
The Four Seas Dragon Kings unleashed their boundless power, forming a thousand-zhang-high tsunami that even blotted out the sun.
Against such a disaster, Chentang Pass seemed minuscule.
Li Jing was powerless but swore to never give in. Lady Yin cried her heart out, and Li Nezha, filled with righteousness, bravely stepped forward: “Old Dragon King, here I am. What are you going to do to me?”
The Eastern Sea Dragon King bared a row of gleaming teeth and said cruelly, “Naturally, I’ll charge you with the crime of intentional assault and hand you over to Great Zhou for punishment!”
“???” Jiang Li felt this version was a little… off from what he remembered.