Chapter 5: The Heavenly Tribulation Descends

"Will you come on that day?"
Nezha asked, full of anticipation.
"I..."
Though Ao Bing was not in high spirits, that day would mark the severing of their karma, so naturally, he would go. However, Nezha did not give him a chance to finish.
"What do you mean, 'I'? It doesn't matter if anyone else comes, but you cannot not come!"
Nezha pointed at Ao Bing with a mixture of excitement and arrogance. Ao Bing felt both touched and amused.
"Why?"
Ao Bing could not comprehend Nezha's simple-minded thoughts. Perhaps he himself had once been that simple, too.
Only...
Nezha's reply interrupted Ao Bing's train of thought:
"Because you are my only friend!"
A simple and innocent reason, yet one that outweighed all others.
Ao Bing remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice:
"Then, you are my only friend, too!"
No one enjoys being alone. The reason one is alone is simply because they have not yet met their kindred spirit.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
Ao Bing looked at the young Nezha, who was simple-hearted and happy. But once he learned the whole truth, would he still be able to smile?
"Remember to attend my birthday banquet!"
Nezha happily did a somersault, shoved his hands into his pockets, and struck a cocky, swaggering pose that carried an indescribable sense of untamed freedom.
"Don't forget!"
Nezha waved his hand and walked away cheerfully.
Ao Bing stood by the seashore in silence for a long time. In the end, he knew he could never be as simple and carefree as Nezha.
Perhaps, the less one knows, the happier one is.

Time flew by in an instant, arriving at the day of the Demon Orb's tribulation, which was also Nezha's birthday.
"Ao Bing, it's time to go!"
Shen Gongbao called out to Ao Bing, who was still squeezing in some reading time.
Ao Bing tucked the book into his robes and prepared to follow Shen Gongbao outside.

"Wait!"
The Old Dragon King, Ao Guang, stopped the two of them in their tracks.
Then, Ao Guang reached his dragon claw toward his reverse scales and, enduring the excruciating pain, plucked two of them out.
Hearing Ao Guang's heavy, labored breathing, one could easily imagine the agony of that ordeal!
Ao Bing naturally understood what this was for, but a heavy weight settled in his heart—the stakes Ao Guang had placed on him were far too immense!
Following that, every single dragon stepped forward just as Ao Guang had, ripping out a reverse scale without a single word of complaint.
All the scales automatically fused together, transforming into a suit of protective armor that clung to the outer layer of his garments. Once the formation was complete, it seamlessly mimicked the exact appearance of his clothes.
"My son! The entire dragon clan has given you their hardest scales. This Myriad Dragon Armor is indestructible—our future rests entirely on you!"
Even though he knew this moment would come, Ao Bing still felt a stinging pain in his nose and thoroughly immersed himself in his identity as Ao Bing.
This was because the Myriad Dragon Armor was not merely a piece of defensive gear; it was an artifact of destiny, gathering a portion of the dragon clan's fortune. It signified that the entire dragon clan acknowledged Ao Bing as their future ruler.
This was the kind of treatment reserved for someone who returned victorious and fundamentally changed the plight of the dragon race!
Bearing the fortune of an entire clan, how could Ao Bing possibly feel lighthearted?
Ao Bing gazed at each and every dragon and bowed deeply in respect!
Then, he turned and left.
Yet as he departed, a line of verse inevitably arose in his heart: *The wind blows bleakly, the Yi River is cold; a valiant warrior leaves, never to return!*

When Ao Bing followed Shen Gongbao ashore, the Li residence was already bustling with the preparations for Nezha's birthday banquet.
Shen Gongbao went ahead to reveal the truth of the matter to Nezha, while Ao Bing quietly hovered in midair, sensing the profound tranquility before the storm.
As for an escape route, Ao Bing had prepared one long ago.
The remaining nine-tenths of the world's origin would fuse with the portion of vital blood Ao Bing had forced out of his body. After being purified by the Great Dao of Karma, this blood would completely scrub away any lingering karma of the Spirit Pearl.
This was his method of resurrection. As for how he would be reborn, it would naturally involve entering the next world and going through the cycle of reincarnation.
As for that next world, he had already decided upon it: the realm of *The Legend of the Golden Light*.
Initially, he had considered the mythological version of the Three Kingdoms, but considering that his primary objective was resurrection followed by repairing his foundation and ascending to immortality, the Three Kingdoms could wait. With Guan Yu's blade existing there, he could cross over at any time; there was no need to rush. Whether it was even necessary to go would depend on his strength after achieving immortality and the military might displayed during the Investiture of the Gods.
Furthermore, obtaining the Myriad Dragon Armor and bearing the dragon clan's fortune meant that Ao Bing could travel to any world where dragons existed and be revered by them as their young master.
The reason he would only be a young master was simply because, no matter which world he went to, if dragons existed there, Ao Bing himself was still far too weak!
This was precisely why he was in such a desperate hurry to become an immortal—weakness was the ultimate original sin!

"Hmph, from now on? Do I even have a future?"
"The Demon Pill, the heavenly tribulation—I know everything now!"
"You lied to me, claiming I was the Spirit Pearl, and made me cultivate within the Rivers and Mountains社稷 Diagram. In truth, you just wanted to lock me away until the day I died, so you could give these idiots an explanation and preserve your reputation as Lord General!"
"You don't dare admit it, do you? Fine, let's see how much longer you can keep up the act!"
"Sun and moon reborn, a thousand spirits regain their origin, the boundless universe Heaven and Earth Universe Ring, obey my command instantly!"
Ao Bing listened to Nezha's furious roaring and watched as Nezha undid the seals upon himself.
Shortly after, Shen Gongbao appeared by Ao Bing's side holding the Universe Ring.
The subsequent events unfolded just as they had in the original story. Some of Ao Bing's alterations seemed to have an effect, yet at the same time seemed entirely useless.
Ao Bing stepped forward to prevent Nezha from slaughtering his own parents, handed the Universe Ring over to Master Taiyi, and suppressed Nezha.
Yet Ao Bing left no flaws exposed. Even though Li Jing wished to expose Ao Bing's true identity, Ao Bing refused to give him the chance.
Although he had missed the opportunity of wandering through the Rivers and Mountains Diagram, when Nezha's heavenly tribulation finally descended, Ao Bing still chose to step out.
When Ao Bing stepped forward, Shen Gongbao departed just as he had in the original work.
Ao Bing did not step forward for any other reason than the fact that Nezha was his friend—nothing more, nothing less!
In this world, Nezha had neither saved Ao Bing nor been given the chance to defeat Ao Bing and spare his life.
Aside from friendship, Ao Bing also wanted to experience the world's perspective and devouring abilities after the fusion of the Spirit Pearl and the Demon Pill, as well as test the sheer intensity of the heavenly tribulation.
Because of Ao Bing's interventions, both his and Nezha's strengths far surpassed those in the original story. What about the Heavenly Tribulation Curse, then?
If the power of the Heavenly Tribulation Curse increased proportionally with the growth in strength of Nezha and Ao Bing, then the curse truly was governed by Heaven and Earth.
If the curse's power failed to reach that expected magnitude, it meant Primeval Lord of Heaven had preset its strength beforehand, and the glimmer of survival was naturally left behind by him as well.
Now that both of their strengths had increased, it meant they could deal with the heavenly tribulation much more easily, allowing the Myriad Dragon Armor to be preserved.
As for using karmic methods to shift the target of the Heavenly Tribulation Curse, Ao Bing had considered it, but ultimately abandoned the idea.
Presumably, this tribulation was also meant to be an opportunity—a special chance arranged by Primeval Lord of Heaven specifically for Nezha. To abandon it would be a terrible waste, wouldn't it?
Besides, without shedding his physical shell entirely and completely severing his karma with the Spirit Pearl, how could Ao Bing ever feel at ease remaining in this world?
Everything, at long last, was coming to an end. From now on, he could finally step back into the shadows!
Ao Bing clenched his fists tightly; the karma of the dragon clan must, without a doubt, be repaid!