Undying Life

Chapter 980: Zhao Suoxiang vs. Nezha

**Lingxiao Heavenly Court!**

Corpse Mister and Luo Xingchen had returned to Lingxiao Heavenly Court early, knowing that Yi Yan never spoke without reason. After meeting with Zhongshan, they had both remained vigilant, preparing for any potential threat.

On this particular day, as Corpse Mister was discussing strategies with Luo Xingchen and others on how to confront the enemy, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"What's wrong?" Luo Xingchen asked, sensing something unusual.

"My 'Corpse Eye' outside Lingxiao Heavenly Court has spotted something—the enemy has arrived!" Corpse Mister said in a deep voice.

At this, the expressions of Luo Xingchen, Zhao Suoxiang, and the others turned serious.

"They're coming from the south!" Corpse Mister pointed in a specific direction.

The Longevity Hall was the highest point in Lingxiao Heavenly Court. Standing on the front plaza, one could see far into the distance in all directions.

Following Corpse Mister's direction, the group looked south.

Luo Xingchen, with his ancient immortal cultivation and expertise in archery, had the sharpest eyesight among them. He could see much farther than the others.

From afar, they saw a group of figures flying toward them. Luo Xingchen's keen eyes quickly discerned more details.

"They're here! Notify the Holy King!" Luo Xingchen ordered one of his subordinates.

"Yes!" the subordinate responded and hurried off.

In the distance, Nezha flew toward the southern gate of Lingxiao Heavenly Court. Upon seeing it, he stopped, his eyes flashing with ferocity as black qi seeped from the center of his brow.

"Third Prince, should we charge in?" the golden-armored man behind Nezha asked.

Nezha fixed his gaze on the central and highest structure of Lingxiao Heavenly Court, the Longevity Hall, or more precisely, the plaque above its entrance.

Just as the "Lingxiao Treasure Hall" of the Jade Emperor and the "Crystal Palace" of the Dragon King represented their respective realms, this plaque symbolized the face of an entire empire.

Nezha's first target was this plaque.

Standing on his wind and fire wheels, Nezha put away his fire-tipped spear and reached for the golden longbow on his back.

The golden bow had no arrows, yet as he drew it back, vast amounts of energy began to gather from the void, gradually forming a golden arrow. This arrow seemed to carry an overwhelming might, and Nezha loosed it straight toward the plaque of the Longevity Hall.

As the arrow shot forth, the void trembled, and terrifying currents of air formed a storm in the arrow's wake.

Before the Longevity Hall, seeing Nezha's arrow, Luo Xingchen quickly nocked an arrow to his own bow and shot it out—a golden arrow of his own creation.

In an instant, Luo Xingchen's arrow met Nezha's in midair, their tips colliding with a force that sent shockwaves through the sky.

Nezha's arrow continued its trajectory toward the plaque, clearly having overpowered Luo Xingchen's arrow in the clash.

But Luo Xingchen wasn't done. Like a straight line drawn in the air, eight more arrows shot forth from his bow, each aimed precisely at the tip of Nezha's arrow.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" ... The arrows collided, one after another, in a series of explosive impacts.

Nine arrows in total—Luo Xingchen's mastery of archery had truly reached an unparalleled level.

With the ninth arrow, Nezha's arrow was finally exhausted, dissipating just outside Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

"What a powerful bow!" Luo Xingchen gasped in shock.

With just one draw of his bow, Nezha had conjured an arrow out of thin air that required Luo Xingchen to shoot nine of his own just to neutralize it.

"The Xuanyuan Bow, a treasured artifact of the Li family, is in the hands of Nezha?" Zhongshan's voice suddenly rang out beside Luo Xingchen.

As Zhongshan arrived, a large group of ministers also gathered on the Longevity Hall's plaza, all turning their gazes toward the distant group of figures.

"Nezha? Does the Holy King know them?" Yi Yan asked, puzzled.

"A disciple of Taiyi Zhenren, possessing a lotus root body," Zhongshan explained with a slight shake of his head.

"Holy King, I request permission to go and capture Nezha for you!" Luo Xingchen immediately volunteered.

"Taiyi is just an Ancient Immortal, and Nezha should only be a Great Immortal. Although Nezha is impulsive, he's not mindless," Zhongshan mused aloud.

"Hmm?" The ministers were unsure of Zhongshan's meaning.

"Zhao Suoxiang!" Zhongshan called out.

"Your servant is here!" Zhao Suoxiang immediately responded.

"I command you to engage in battle!" Zhongshan ordered.

"Yes!" Zhao Suoxiang responded, a hint of excitement in his voice.

With a powerful stride, Zhao Suoxiang, dressed in a white robe and wielding a silver spear, charged forward.

"Luo Xingchen, go with him and provide support in case of any unforeseen circumstances," Zhongshan instructed.

"Understood!" Luo Xingchen nodded and followed Zhao Suoxiang.

As the two flew off, Zhongshan and the ministers remained on the plaza, awaiting the outcome of the confrontation. Nezha was a Great Immortal, but Zhao Suoxiang was only at the Heavenly Immortal stage—was the Holy King being too rash in sending Zhao Suoxiang?

In the distance, Nezha's arrow had been intercepted mid-air by Luo Xingchen's Nine Stars in a Row technique.

Nezha's expression changed slightly, and the people behind him were equally surprised. The Xuanyuan Bow had never been thwarted before—how could anyone intercept an arrow from it?

As Zhao Suoxiang and Luo Xingchen flew closer, Nezha stared intently at Luo Xingchen, the black qi at his brow thickening, his eyes gradually reddening.

"Great Zhen, Zhao Suoxiang! I challenge you!" Zhao Suoxiang called out as he approached.

"You use a spear too?" Nezha asked, slightly surprised. After all, spear wielders were quite rare.

"I only use the spear!" Zhao Suoxiang replied firmly.

"Li Qi, you go!" Nezha ordered.

"Yes!" a golden-armored warrior behind Nezha responded.

The warrior, wielding a large blade, charged forward, bringing the blade down with a brilliant flash of golden light.

"Clang!"

"Rip!"

With a single thrust, Zhao Suoxiang deflected the golden-armored warrior's blade and pierced his collarbone with his spear.

Li Qi, defeated!

"Is this all you've got?" Zhao Suoxiang sneered.

"We didn't come here for a friendly spar. All of you, attack together!" Nezha commanded angrily.

"Third Prince?" The wounded golden-armored warrior looked at Nezha in confusion. It was completely out of character for Nezha to give such an order—had his mind truly changed?

Despite their doubts, the others quickly obeyed Nezha's command and swarmed toward Zhao Suoxiang.

Zhao Suoxiang showed no fear. With a sweep of his long spear, countless spear shadows filled the sky. Zhao Suoxiang, a peerless warrior with unmatched spear skills, was unstoppable with his weapon in hand.

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

In the sky, Zhao Suoxiang's figure was everywhere, fighting one against a thousand. Even though nearly a hundred of his opponents were Heavenly Immortals, Zhao Suoxiang was undaunted. Back in the Small Thousand Worlds, Zhao Suoxiang had faced ten thousand monkey warriors of the same rank, so how could he fear these soldiers?

Zhao Suoxiang was the kind of warrior who grew stronger with greater opposition. After more than half an hour of intense battle, he was still unscathed, while over half of the thousand golden-armored warriors were injured, forced into retreat. One man was suppressing a thousand warriors.

Above Lingxiao Heavenly Court, Yi Yan and the others couldn't help but exclaim, "Zhao Suoxiang truly lives up to his name as a peerless warrior! Watching such a fierce battle stirs the blood!"

In the distance, Nezha's eyes grew redder, and the black qi at his brow thickened. Seeing Zhao Suoxiang utterly defeat his subordinates only fueled his anger.

Nezha chose not to use the Xuanyuan Bow again, having noticed that the still figure across from him was clearly prepared to counter it. It was as if that person wouldn't make a move unless Nezha used the bow. But Nezha had plenty of other treasures at his disposal.

With a bend of his arm, the Universe Ring (Qiankun Circle) on Nezha's wrist suddenly flew out, hurtling toward Zhao Suoxiang.

"Boom!"

A loud crash echoed as Zhao Suoxiang's figure staggered slightly. At this moment, the golden-armored warriors all stopped in their tracks, looking at Nezha in bewilderment. A sneak attack? How could this be? Nezha had never resorted to such tactics before. Was he still the towering hero they had always admired?

"I'll take you on myself!" Nezha shouted, lifting his fire-tipped spear as he charged forward.

With a downward strike, the spear cut through the air, creating two massive waves that surged toward Zhao Suoxiang.

"Boom!"

The two spears collided in the void, with Zhao Suoxiang's silver spear bending slightly under the pressure.

The scene was at a standstill, with Nezha seemingly overpowering Zhao Suoxiang.

Veins bulged on Zhao Suoxiang's hands, and rather than retreating, he pushed back with all his might.

"A mere Heavenly Immortal? I've killed countless of your kind. Do you seek death as well?" Nezha's voice was cold, as he applied more force, sending a powerful shockwave in all directions.

Zhao Suoxiang gritted his teeth, refusing to utter a sound, even as the veins on his forehead bulged.

"Roar!"

With a thunderous roar, Zhao Suoxiang suddenly forced Nezha's spear back.

Nezha's fire-tipped spear was knocked back, and his expression showed a hint of surprise.

At that moment, Zhao Suoxiang's aura surged, his muscles swelling, as if his entire body had grown larger.

"A breakthrough? A breakthrough in the midst of battle?" The ministers of Lingxiao Heavenly Court exclaimed in surprise.

They finally understood why Zhongshan had chosen Zhao Suoxiang to face Nezha. Zhao Suoxiang had broken through a bottleneck during the battle. The admiration in the ministers' eyes for Zhongshan deepened further.

Meanwhile, in a distant valley below Lingxiao Heavenly Court, Sekong, Zilu, and the armored beast watched the battle in the sky.

"This man is called Zhao Suoxiang? What a peerless warrior! He's like Bai Qi of Great Qin, a war god born solely for battle. Zhongshan is truly fortunate!" Zilu remarked.

"A war god?" Sekong echoed in surprise.

"Such individuals are rare, but once they appear, they are invincible among their peers, capable of fighting across levels!" Zilu explained.

Sekong nodded in understanding but still felt a chill in his bones. Zhongshan was right above them—should he stay or flee?

In the sky, Nezha looked at Zhao Suoxiang with a mix of surprise and interest.

"You used my momentum to break through? Impressive. But it's a pity, no one has ever bested me in spear technique. Great Immortal or not, I've slain countless of your kind!" Nezha declared.

"Spear technique? You've just been using it longer than I have, but I am not inferior to you!" Zhao Suoxiang suddenly asserted confidently.

"Arrogant fool! Take this!" Nezha shouted.

With a flourish of his fire-tipped spear, the sky was filled with what seemed like fire dragons, surging toward Zhao Suoxiang.

Zhao Suoxiang responded with a simple, direct spear thrust, without conjuring any beast-shaped qi, meeting Nezha's attack head-on.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The sky erupted into chaos as the two engaged in a fierce battle. The dazzling spear techniques enveloped them both, and the powerful energy blasts created torrents that rippled through the air. Everyone below paused whatever they were doing, captivated by this rare and intense clash.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8