The Roc shuddered and transformed into a five- or six-year-old child with wings sprouting from his back, standing upright and proper. He looked at the woman in front of him with a face full of bewilderment, feeling a strong sense of closeness but also a distinct fear.

One could only say this was the bloodline suppression from his older sister.

Red Boy, too, was thoroughly intimidated by Kong Xuan's presence. After letting out two low hums, he obediently shut his mouth and stood in sync beside his good brother, the Roc.

Nezha watched this scene unfold, with no intention of stepping in. He also felt that Tie Shan and Lady Yin had spoiled the children too much, and now someone they feared was here—it was the perfect opportunity to discipline them.

"How could my Phoenix Clan look so spineless? Start by flying 30 laps around Lingshan for me!"

The Roc's body trembled; he spread his wings and took off immediately. Red Boy glanced around nervously but ultimately, under the pressure of Kong Xuan's imposing aura, chased after his good brother.

He really wanted to say, "Look at my horns! I'm not from the Phoenix Clan!" But alas, Kong Xuan's presence was not something a child like him could endure.

Only when the two disappeared from sight did Nezha, somewhat awkwardly, explain, "Cough, cough, kids tend to get spoiled by their elders."

Kong Xuan showed understanding and then gazed into the distance at the hapless pair of brothers.

"Don't worry. Our Phoenix Clan boasts very advanced parenting traditions."

Nezha couldn't help but recall Yuan Feng's personality. As the matriarch of the Phoenix Clan, she was such a peculiar bird. Did the Phoenix Clan truly possess such methods?

Whether the Phoenix Clan had them or not was uncertain, but Kong Xuan indeed had her own skills. In the following time, the Roc and Red Boy transitioned from what was once a heavenly mode of life into a hellish one. While the Phoenix Clan's nurturing methods might be unreliable, Kong Xuan's training techniques, honed through years of experience, were undeniably effective. In only a few years, the two little brothers had been drilled to at least *look* halfway decent.

Even their contests with Jin Can Zi no longer ended with them bawling their eyes out.

Red Boy, always somewhat ambitious, stopped whining about the hardship once he saw the results of their training.

One day, while Nezha was cultivating on Lingshan, he received a message from Shi Ji of the Heavenly Court. The first phase of the Heaven-Mending Project had been completed to perfection, and they hoped Nezha would return for the inspection.

Nezha had great confidence in Shi Ji's engineering work. Returning to take a look was really more about strategizing for the second phase of the project. Fixing the sky was no easy task, and Nezha could only mend it bit by bit from the bottom up. Fortunately, there was no fixed deadline for the project.

Along with this inspection message came another piece of news delivered by the Heavenly Court's messenger: the first phase of construction was finished. While the massive hole extending through the Nine Heavens on the Heavenly Palace's dome was still there, its surface now appeared flawless.

The upcoming Peach Banquet served two purposes: first, to reassure the gods and proclaim that the Heavenly Court was now in a stable state; second, to use the peaches to extend the lifespan of the gods. Yes, even gods needed life extension.

The divine positions were merely official titles that allowed the gods listed on the Investiture of the Gods to reshape their divine bodies to better align with the Incense Fire Divine Dao, making cultivation easier. However, most of the Heavenly Court's accumulated Merit had been used to pay Nezha for the Heaven-Mending Project, leaving no Incense Power for their cultivation.

Their reshaped bodies, while their lifespans had been extended via the divine positions' blessings, were still prone to aging. Thus, the life-extending effects of the peaches were particularly crucial for them.

Immortals like Nezha, who had already attained significant cultivation, were no longer restricted by lifespan. In theory, Nezha could lie back all the way until the Primordial explosion obliterated him without worrying about dying of old age.

He was no longer a mortal; he was an Immortal. His goal was sainthood.

The figures listed on the Investiture of the Gods were Mortal Gods, but they were still human.

The Jade Emperor was the Good Corpse of Hao Tian's two corpses—the second one he severed, and also the weaker one in terms of cultivation. Hao Tian's main body and Evil Corpse had already gone into closed-door seclusion, and who knew how long it would take for them to regain their peak condition.

Compared to his main body's strict and harsh ruling style, the Jade Emperor seemed slightly more lenient. However, after several rounds of disasters and deficits, the Heavenly Court's foundations had been drained to the point of collapse. The Jade Emperor had essentially adopted a "laissez-faire" stance—doing just enough to fulfill his job, while spending the rest of his time listening to music or enjoying some dances, living far more leisurely than Hao Tian ever did.

Now that invitations had reached Lingshan, even in its decline, the Heavenly Court remained the Daoist Ancestor's designated legitimate force in the Primordial era. Old Li was inclined to show respect because, well, who would turn down a free meal?

Nezha, on the other hand, followed the messenger back to the Heavenly Court ahead of time, both to inspect the project and to check if there were any flaws in the second-phase blueprints.

The Heavenly Court

Entering the South Heavenly Gate, one used to be able to see the layers of gaping vulnerabilities overhead. Now, they were no longer visible. To save face for the Jade Emperor, Nezha had even thoughtfully laid over a starry-sky projection, making it look as though the Heavenly Realm truly only had nine layers.

Currently, the usable layers of the Heavenly Realm were 1–9. The repaired ones included layers 10–12 from the first phase of the project, as well as the 36 layers of Li Hen Heaven that Lord had protected with his power back in the day.

Nezha soared past the celestial dome's starry projections, inspecting layers 10 through 12 one by one. Above the twelfth layer was an entirely different scene: countless floating stones were scattered among layers of immense craters—utterly dilapidated.

There was no other option. The Heavenly Court's resources were beyond strained. Nezha couldn't afford to use entirely new materials for repairs. Even the scraps had to be sorted carefully and utilized properly.

On the twelfth layer of heaven, Shi Ji remained diligently stationed. As the Earth Deity Star Lord, she had her official robe, though it had been adapted to her shy nature—a black cloak with earthy yellow patterns covering her entire body.

Upon seeing Nezha, Shi Ji immediately saluted.

"Greetings, Emperor."

Nezha waved casually, signaling there was no need for formalities—they were old acquaintances, after all.

"I've already inspected the first three layers and found no problems. The Jade Emperor wouldn't call me back without a reason, would he?"

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