In the ancient days of the Shang Dynasty, there lived a man named Li Jing, a commander of the celestial army and a man of immense discipline. Li Jing had waited many years for a child, and when his wife finally conceived, the pregnancy lasted for three years and six months. When the child was finally born, he did not emerge as a human infant but as a sphere of flesh. Fearing a monster, Li Jing struck the sphere with his sword, splitting it open to reveal a leaping boy with a divine nature. This was Nezha, a child born with supernatural powers and a temper that mirrored the raging storms of the heavens.
Nezha was gifted with magical treasures by his master, Taiyi Zhenren: the Universe Ring and the Red Armillary Sash. These artifacts allowed the young boy to manipulate the elements and move with the speed of the wind. However, Nezha was not a child of quiet contemplation. He was spirited, impulsive, and possessed a strength that far exceeded his years. He viewed the world as his playground and the gods of the earth and sea as mere challengers to his burgeoning power.
One summer day, the heat was oppressive, and the air was thick with humidity. Nezha went to the shores of the East Sea to bathe and play. As he played with his Universe Ring, he swung it through the air and tossed it into the waves. The power of the ring was so immense that it created massive tremors throughout the ocean. Deep beneath the surface, in the opulent Crystal Palace of the East Sea, the Dragon King Ao Guang felt the earth shake. The tremors disrupted the delicate balance of the undersea kingdom, knocking over treasures and alarming the aquatic subjects. Ao Guang, the ruler of the East Sea, was infuriated by this sudden disturbance from the surface world.
Ao Guang first sent his soldiers to investigate the source of the turbulence. The soldiers returned with reports of a young boy playing on the beach, causing chaos with a golden ring. The Dragon King, desiring to avoid a direct conflict with a divine child, sent a messenger to warn the boy to stop his reckless behavior. However, Nezha, arrogant in his youth and power, laughed at the warning. He viewed the messenger as a nuisance and, in a fit of rage, slew the messenger. This act of defiance was a declaration of war against the depths of the ocean.
Enraged by the death of his servant, Ao Guang summoned his third son, Ao Bing. Ao Bing was a prince of the dragons, skilled in the arts of water manipulation and combat. He was sent to the surface to subdue Nezha and bring him to account for his crimes. Ao Bing arrived at the shore in a whirlwind of spray and foam, demanding that the boy surrender and face the justice of the Dragon King. But Nezha was not intimidated by the prince's draconic majesty. He saw only another opponent to be conquered.
The battle that ensued was legendary. Ao Bing summoned the tides, creating towering walls of water that crashed down upon the shore, attempting to drown the boy in a watery grave. Nezha, however, used his Red Armillary Sash to slice through the currents, dancing across the waves with effortless grace. The clash of fire and water, spirit and scale, echoed across the coast. Ao Bing fought with the strength of the ocean, but Nezha fought with the unpredictable energy of a celestial spark. The boy's Universe Ring smashed through Ao Bing's defenses, leaving the dragon prince battered and broken.
In a moment of ruthless determination, Nezha overcame Ao Bing. He did not merely defeat the prince; he slew him. To ensure that the Dragon King would know the cost of his interference, and to provide a trophy of his victory, Nezha reached into the body of the fallen dragon and ripped out the dragon tendon—the spine of Ao Bing. This tendon was believed to possess immense magical properties, capable of granting strength and longevity to those who possessed it.
Nezha returned home and presented the dragon tendon to his father, Li Jing. He suggested that the tendon be used to create a powerful bracelet for his mother, imagining it as a gift of prestige. However, Li Jing was horrified by his son's brutality. He realized that Nezha had not only killed a prince but had challenged the order of the cosmos. The act of killing Ao Bing was a crime that would bring the wrath of the East Sea upon their entire family and city.