1. The Rebirth of the Divine Pearl: A Prodigy Born from a Flesh Ball
During the tyrannical reign of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, the Goddess Nüwa sent her disciple, the Divine Pearl, to be reborn as Nezha and aid the rebellion. In Chentang Pass, General Li Jing’s wife carried the child for three years and six months before giving birth to a mysterious flesh ball. Mistaking it for a demon, Li Jing slashed the ball open with his sword, revealing a radiant infant clutching a Universe Ring and draped in Heavenly Silk. The immortal Master Taiyi, passing by, recognized the child’s divine destiny and took him as his disciple, naming him Nezha.
2. Storming the Seas: A Seven-Year-Old’s Battle Against Dragons
At age seven, Nezha encountered a sea patrol yaksha abducting children by the coast. Enraged, he defeated the yaksha, forcing it to reveal its true crustacean form. When Ao Bing, the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon King, arrived with an army, Nezha fought the dragon across skies and waves. He ripped out Ao Bing’s tendons and scaled his hide, humiliating the Dragon King. Later, Nezha ambushed the Dragon King himself, twisting his beard into submission and forcing him to abandon vengeance.
3. The Cosmic Bow: A Fateful Mistake
Disaster struck when Nezha secretly tested Master Taiyi’s divine bow. An errant arrow pierced the clouds and killed a disciple of Stone Matron Shi Ji, a centuries-old demoness. Shi Ji allied with the Four Dragon Kings to besiege Chentang Pass, threatening to flood the city unless Li Jing executed his son. Trapped between celestial wrath and filial duty, Li Jing drew his sword against Nezha.
4. Bone and Flesh Returned: A Son’s Defiant Sacrifice
“My life came from my parents—today I return it!” Nezha declared. He carved his flesh from his bones, leaving only his soul to flee to Master Taiyi’s mountain. The master instructed Nezha’s mother to build a temple where worshippers’ prayers could rebuild his body. But Li Jing, fearing divine retribution, destroyed the temple and shattered Nezha’s statue, crushing his hope of resurrection.
5. The Lotus Rebirth: Master Taiyi’s Miracle
Undeterred, Master Taiyi harvested golden lotus roots and leaves from a celestial pond, crafting Nezha a new body infused with divine fire. Reborn with three heads and eight arms, Nezha stormed Li Jing’s fortress: “This lotus form owes you no blood or loyalty!” As Li Jing fled, the Heavenly Buddha intervened, subduing Nezha with a flaming pagoda.
6. The Golden Pagoda: Eternal Bond of Fire and Duty
The Buddha gifted Li Jing the Seven-Treasure Pagoda, its flames symbolizing paternal authority. “Let this pagoda be your father,” he decreed. From then on, Li Jing carried the tower to suppress Nezha’s defiance. The pagoda became both prison and covenant, binding the father and son in a cycle of duty and rebellion—until the day they would unite in the war to overthrow a dynasty.
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