In Nezha: Chaos in the Sea of Dragons
The most heart-wrenching elements, aside from the innocent people of Chentang Pass and the life-or-death separation between Nezha and his mother, are undoubtedly the unjustly captured marmot clan, Shen Gongbao’s family, and Empress Shiji.
According to the Jade Void Palace (Yuxu Palace), anyone who joins the Chan Sect to cultivate must pass three trials to obtain a "Green Token"—the symbol of an immortal identity—and select a treasure from the sacred vault. These trials are not fixed; when Nezha entered the sect, the Three Pure Ones’ Immortal Elder (Wuliang Xianweng) designed three custom assessments based on his own needs.
Naturally, each trial was framed as "righteous"—otherwise, Nezha would not have recited an opening poem before his first two appearances.
But what was the real purpose behind these three trials? Why did the Immortal Elder insist on wiping out targets that were clearly innocent?
I. Background to the Trials
To understand the intent behind the three trials tailored for Nezha, we must first revisit the broader context of events.
The Jade Void Palace was originally led by the Primordial Lord of Heaven (Yuanshi Tianzun). The reason his eldest disciple, the Immortal Elder, now manages it lies in a deliberate arrangement: while the Primordial Lord claimed to be in seclusion for cultivation, he had actually gathered other Heavenly Lords to secretly plan how to win the upcoming "Fengshen Campaign" (a pivotal Taoist mythological war).
Before his seclusion, the Primordial Lord made key arrangements—most importantly, subduing the Hunyuan Pearl (a powerful cosmic orb) and refining it into two parts: a Demon Pill (Mowan) and a Spirit Pill (Lingzhu). He tasked Real Person Taiyi with guiding the Spirit Pill to reincarnate, specifically naming Li Jing’s family as its mortal host and bestowing the name "Nezha." The Spirit Pill contained immense power; if nurtured properly, it would play a crucial role in the Fengshen Campaign.
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As for the Demon Pill, the Primordial Lord could not destroy it directly, so he cast a "Heavenly Tribulation Curse": after three years, heavenly thunder would strike and shatter it. In the meantime, Real Person Taiyi was ordered to guard it closely.
Tragically, driven by jealousy and ambition, Shen Gongbao stole the Spirit Pill. Before fleeing, he threw the Demon Pill into Lady Li Jing’s womb—leaving Taiyi with an unforeseen dilemma.
Even though Nezha was no longer the reincarnation of the Spirit Pill, Taiyi still doted on him, teaching him moral principles and skills to resist external harm. When the heavenly thunder struck, Taiyi sacrificed his "Three Flowers Gathered at the Crown" (a sign of advanced Taoist cultivation) to preserve the souls of Nezha and Ao Bing, later helping them rebuild their physical forms in the sequel.
II. Nezha’s Journey to the Jade Void Palace
Later, to obtain the "Jade Nectar" (Yuye Qiongjiang)—a divine elixir needed to rebuild Ao Bing’s body—Nezha went to the Jade Void Palace to take the immortal cultivation assessment.
The immortals of the Jade Void Palace were presumably aware of the Primordial Lord’s plan for Nezha. This is evident from the Immortal Elder’s first words to Nezha:
“Truly worthy of being the Spirit Pill’s reincarnation! The Heavenly Lord has high hopes for you!”
“Truly worthy of being the Spirit Pill’s reincarnation! The Heavenly Lord has high hopes for you!”
Yet the Immortal Elder was not the Primordial Lord. He may have been more far-sighted, aware of Shen Gongbao’s potential sabotage, or even complicit in—if not the mastermind behind—the swap of the Spirit Pill and Demon Pill.
In any case, he did not pin the Chan Sect’s victory in the Fengshen Campaign on Nezha alone. In the years since the Primordial Lord’s seclusion, he had led a “Demon-Hunting Team” to capture monsters scattered across the land, refining them into immortal elixirs. According to incomplete statistics, he still had 9,000 such elixirs in stock (excluding those already distributed)—implying at least 9,000 monsters had been captured and refined.
But capturing monsters to make elixirs and boost the Chan Sect’s immortals was not enough. To the Immortal Elder, the greatest wildcard was the Dragon Clan.
This suspicion was not unfounded: the Dragon Clan had a history of switching allegiances. They once joined forces with demons to attack Heaven, only to be bribed into suppressing underwater monsters instead. This betrayal set a precedent: the Dragon Kings of the West, South, and North Seas soon allied with Shen Gongbao to betray the Dragon King of the East Sea. Later, to revive Ao Bing, the East Sea Dragon King even proposed another rebellion—this time attacking the Jade Void Palace directly.
III. Hidden Agendas of All Factions
The East Sea Dragon King had secretly hidden a dragon egg and arranged for the Spirit Pill to reincarnate into Ao Bing—all behind the Jade Void Palace’s back.
The Immortal Elder saw the Dragon Clan as a constant threat: if they rebelled during the Fengshen Campaign and released hordes of underwater monsters, it would ruin everything.
Against this backdrop, all factions began plotting for their own futures:
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Real Person Taiyi had the purest motives. Despite mixing up the Spirit Pill and Demon Pill, he remained dedicated to teaching Nezha, hoping to train him into a talent without anyone discovering the mistake. If the Primordial Lord found out later, he planned to simply apologize—he saw no major issue with it. Moreover, Taiyi knew Nezha, though seemingly unruly, had a kind heart and deserved not to be abandoned.
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Shen Gongbao aimed to become one of the “Twelve Golden Immortals” and prove to the Primordial Lord that he was no worse than Taiyi. He allied with the Dragon Clan, hoping to train Ao Bing to subdue Nezha when the latter lost control. By revealing Ao Bing as the true Spirit Pill reincarnation to the Heavenly Lord, Shen Gongbao could secure Ao Bing’s immortality, his own status as a Golden Immortal, and a voice for the Dragon Clan in the Jade Void Palace.
Thus, these two factions—one supporting Nezha, the other Ao Bing—drove the early conflict. For the West, South, and North Sea Dragon Kings, as well as the suppressed underwater monsters, the outcome of this rivalry mattered little; all they wanted was freedom.
The Immortal Elder’s overarching goal was to win the upcoming Fengshen Campaign. His short-term goal was to boost the Chan Sect disciples’ cultivation; his mid-term goal was to eliminate the Dragon Clan and clear all obstacles to this end.
As for Nezha? Whether he was the Spirit Pill or Demon Pill reincarnation, he was “useful”—and that made him valuable.
IV. Nezha as a “Patsy”
When Taiyi first brought Nezha to the Jade Void Palace, he tried hard to hide Nezha’s identity as the Demon Pill reincarnation, fearing it would be exposed. Even if the Immortal Elder did not notice initially, he would eventually detect clues.
The Immortal Elder was shrewd. He knew his underhanded actions—though beneficial to the Chan Sect—could never be made public. To do his “dirty work,” he needed a “patsy” (a scapegoat) to use and discard once they were no longer useful.
Shen Gongbao was his first choice, a test run. If the Primordial Lord or Heaven noticed anything amiss, Shen Gongbao—being of demon descent—could easily be thrown under the bus. Prejudice against demons meant people would readily believe he was “born bloodthirsty” if the scheme failed.
When Shen Gongbao grew too powerful and refused to be a scapegoat any longer, the Immortal Elder replaced him with Lu Tong (Deer Boy), another demon.
Now that Nezha had arrived, both the Immortal Elder and Lu Tong were eager for him to grow stronger and take over as leader of the Demon-Hunting Team. The Immortal Elder wanted Nezha to do even dirtier work; Lu Tong wanted to clear his name and escape the mess.
Nezha was the perfect patsy for several reasons: First, as the Demon Pill reincarnation, he could easily be framed as a “demonic executioner” if he harmed innocent demons or humans. Second, his strength exceeded Lu Tong’s, allowing him to accomplish tasks Lu Tong could not.
For the Jade Void Palace, using Nezha—who wielded great power and had an inherent “demonic” excuse—as a patsy was far more reliable than relying on Shen Gongbao’s demon identity.
V. Trial 1: The Marmot Clan
To make Nezha obedient, the Immortal Elder designed three custom trials—each a masterclass in manipulation.
The First Trial: The Marmots
The marmots were a pitiful group. They lived in a barren grassland hollow called “Soil Fertile Slope,” wearing tattered, patched clothes and holding broken bowls. Their small paws were dirty as they lined up for porridge—porridge made of rotten vegetables, grass roots, tree bark, and even a spoiled pumpkin. The gruel was so thin it could reflect their shadows, yet they still licked their bowls clean.
When Nezha first arrived, he saw the marmots chopping wood, cooking, and doing laundry—proof they were a poverty-stricken but self-reliant group, struggling just to survive.
Tragically, Nezha smashed one marmot’s bowl and shouted in its face:
“Still eating? We’re here to take you away!”
“Still eating? We’re here to take you away!”
The marmot looked on the verge of tears, bewildered: “What did I do wrong? Why did my bowl get destroyed?”
Why would the Immortal Elder target such poor, weak marmots?
The answer is simple: to make elixirs.
The marmots were chosen because they had harmed no one, lived in the wilderness, had no connections or power—and no one would notice if they disappeared. This is why Lu Tong ordered the Demon-Hunting Team to “take all of them, not a single one left.”
Wiping them out ensured no one would remember or investigate. They could come and go in secrecy, leaving no trace.
VI. Beyond Elixirs: Testing Nezha
Was the Immortal Elder’s only goal in using the marmots to test Nezha’s ability to capture them for elixirs?
That would underestimate him.
Besides securing a steady supply of monsters for elixirs, the trial also served to assess Nezha:
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Strength Evaluation: The Immortal Elder wanted to gauge Nezha’s power to determine the difficulty of future trials. If he had pitted Nezha against a powerful figure like Empress Shiji first, Nezha would have been killed immediately.
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Loyalty Test: He wanted to see if Nezha would act blindly or use independent judgment to distinguish right from wrong. More importantly, he wanted to know if Nezha would follow orders even when he knew they were unjust.
In reality, Nezha was like a naive child. From the doggerel he recited about “subduing demons” upon his arrival, it was clear he believed he was simply fulfilling a righteous duty—unaware of the hidden agendas behind it. Even Taiyi was deceived: when they set out, they were told the marmots had harmed local residents; when the marmots were captured, they were told they would be “enlightened” at the Jade Void Palace.
It is also possible that truly evil monsters had already been captured by Shen Gongbao (the first Demon-Hunting Team leader) and Lu Tong (the second). The remaining creatures were either linked to Shen Gongbao (like the small demons led by Shen Zhengdao) or too powerful to be captured (like Empress Shiji, whom neither Shen Gongbao nor Lu Tong could defeat).
Clearly, Nezha performed exceptionally well and passed the first trial.
VII. Trial 2: Shen Zhengdao and His Disciples
The second trial targeted Shen Zhengdao—Shen Gongbao’s father—and the small demons he was training in immortal cultivation.
This move revealed the Immortal Elder’s cruelty and cunning:
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Eliminating a Potential Threat: Shen Zhengdao had established an immortal cultivation class, using Shen Gongbao’s “immortal status” as a recruitment tool. Over time, this group grew into a formidable demon force. The Immortal Elder feared they would become a problem if left unchecked.
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Inciting Conflict: With Shen Gongbao already estranged from him and in possession of too many secrets, the Immortal Elder used Nezha to kill Shen Zhengdao—deliberately sowing hatred between Nezha and Shen Gongbao. This was a classic case of “killing with a borrowed knife.”
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Framing the Dragon Clan: Shen Gongbao was now allied with the Dragon Clan. The Immortal Elder ordered Nezha to kill Shen Zhengdao but deliberately let Shen Xiaobao (Shen Zhengdao’s child) escape. He hoped news of this would reach Shen Gongbao, leading him to attack Chentang Pass—an act the Immortal Elder could then blame on the Dragon Clan, justifying Nezha’s destruction of the clan for elixir refinement.
History has long taught us: doing dirty work for superiors leads to no good end. Even if you are not killed by your enemies, your own superior will eventually eliminate you. Such examples are countless—let this be a warning.
Notably, Shen Zhengdao was more powerful than Lu Tong. If Nezha (and Ao Bing, who assisted with ice magic) had not intervened, no one could have captured him.
Yet the Immortal Elder miscalculated—this time in judging “demon nature.” As soon as the Chan Sect’s men arrived, Shen Zhengdao laid down his weapon, surrendered, and ordered his disciples to cooperate with the Demon-Hunting Team. Meanwhile, Shen Gongbao knew the Immortal Elder too well; he saw through the plot to frame Nezha, and the Dragon Clan did not attack Chentang Pass.
VIII. The Immortal Elder’s Backup Plan
Even so, the second trial revealed a new side of Nezha: he intervened to stop Lu Tong from killing Shen Xiaobao.
This meant the Immortal Elder’s “obedience test” had failed. Nezha was still unaware of the bigger picture, but if he ever confronted Shen Gongbao, the truth would come out—and the Immortal Elder’s plans would collapse.
With time running out, the Immortal Elder took drastic action: he personally transformed into a wooden dragon to destroy Chentang Pass, framing the Dragon Clan for the attack. He also deliberately released the “Barrier Beasts” (Jiejie Shou) to report to the Jade Void Palace, hoping to escalate tensions between Nezha and the Dragon Clan. This would help him wipe out the Dragon Clan and underwater monsters once and for all.
This was likely a backup plan—a correction after his earlier mistakes.
As expected, Nezha fell for it.
Blinded by rage, he no longer cared what Empress Shiji had or had not done—he just wanted to pass the three trials quickly, obtain the Jade Nectar to free Ao Bing from his body, and then take revenge on the East Sea Dragon King.
The Immortal Elder chose Empress Shiji for the third trial out of fear: though she currently spent her days amusing herself with a mirror, if she ever grew bored and attacked the Jade Void Palace, no one could stop her.
Like the marmots and Shen Zhengdao, Empress Shiji had no connections or backers. Even if the Demon-Hunting Team captured her, only Shen Gongbao (whom the Immortal Elder could threaten with her safety) would remember her—no one else would avenge her.
IX.
As mentioned earlier, Nezha had already begun to suspect something. To ensure his plan went off without a hitch, Immortal Elder Wuliang did something even more ruthless: he cast a "Heart-Piercing Curse" (Chuanxin Zhou) on Nezha.
From Immortal Elder Wuliang’s perspective, if Nezha obeyed him—whether he was the reincarnation of the Demon Pill (Mowan) or the Spirit Pill (Lingzhu)—it would be the best possible outcome. If Nezha refused to comply, he could use the Heart-Piercing Curse to trap him and refine him into an immortal elixir along with the others.
Therefore, to avoid any further delays and to prevent other Golden Immortals from rushing over to stop the genocide of the Dragon Clan, Immortal Elder Wuliang decided to lead the attack on the Dragon Clan personally—and he made sure to bring Nezha along:
"This time, this old man will personally lead the Demon-Hunting Team to crusade against the Dragon Clan. Nezha, will you join me in this expedition?"
"This time, this old man will personally lead the Demon-Hunting Team to crusade against the Dragon Clan. Nezha, will you join me in this expedition?"
In response, Nezha said he wanted to return to Chentang Pass first, then settle the score with the Dragon King!
Immortal Elder Wuliang was overjoyed at this. Perfect—just waiting for you to go settle the score with the Dragon King. You go first; we’ll follow behind. Unfortunately, for all his calculations, Immortal Elder Wuliang never anticipated that Li Jing and his wife were not dead. Instead, they had been saved by a Sea Yaksha (Hai Yasha) at the critical moment. And they arrived suddenly just as Nezha defeated the East Sea Dragon King and Immortal Elder Wuliang was about to refine the Dragon Clan and underwater monsters into elixirs.
Upon seeing them, Immortal Elder Wuliang said:
"No wonder I couldn’t sense any living breath from you back then—so you were turned to stone! But the fact that you’re not dead has ruined Nezha!"
"No wonder I couldn’t sense any living breath from you back then—so you were turned to stone! But the fact that you’re not dead has ruined Nezha!"
In other words, if Li Jing and his wife had died, there would have been no one left to testify to the truth. Driven by hatred for the Dragon Clan, Nezha would have joined Immortal Elder Wuliang in wiping out the Dragon Clan and refining them into immortal elixirs. In this way, the forces of the Dragon Clan and underwater monster clans would have been completely eradicated, and the Chan Sect would have gained a powerful warrior like Nezha—it would have been a win-win situation.
X.
However, because Li Jing and his wife survived, Immortal Elder Wuliang’s plan fell through once again. Fortunately, he still had a backup plan—the Heart-Piercing Curse he had cast on Nezha, which was mentioned earlier.
I believe Immortal Elder Wuliang was well aware that Nezha and Ao Bing were linked to the Demon Pill and the Spirit Pill—artifacts that the Primordial Lord of Heaven (Yuanshi Tianzun) had refined in the Eight Trigrams Furnace (Bagua Lu) back in the day. In other words, neither of them was inherently afraid of the Samadhi True Fire (Sanmei Zhenhuo).
Yet, if they were thrown into the Tianyuan Cauldron (a divine cauldron for refining elixirs) again, there was a chance to re-refine them into the Demon Pill and the Spirit Pill.
After that, he would only need to let the Spirit Pill reincarnate once more or hand it over to the Primordial Lord of Heaven for disposal. In this way, all those who knew about his crimes would be dead, and the only ones left would be the members of the Demon-Hunting Team—people he had personally trained. Even without the help of the Spirit Pill, having eliminated the two major threats of the Dragon Clan and the monster clans, and having consumed the elixirs refined from them, the Chan Sect would still not be at a disadvantage in the upcoming Fengshen Campaign (a pivotal mythological war).
Unfortunately, he never expected that Nezha’s body was no longer the same as before—it was a reconstructed true form, and an unfinished one at that.
What he expected even less was the depth of Nezha’s love for his mother!
This is also one of the most touching scenes in the entire film: when Lady Yin (Nezha’s mother) disregarded the pain and hugged Nezha—whose body was covered in thorns—during her final moments, it truly moved the audience to tears.
This moment also made up for the earlier regret, when Nezha had refused his mother’s hug out of shyness before leaving for Yuxu Palace to cultivate.
Nezha cried bitterly:
"I’m useless… so useless! I was born a demon, and I’ve only made you suffer this whole time. I just… I just wanted to make you proud of me."
"I’m useless… so useless! I was born a demon, and I’ve only made you suffer this whole time. I just… I just wanted to make you proud of me."
With her last ounce of strength, his mother replied:
"Every day I’ve spent with you has made me happy, my son. I’ve never cared whether you’re an immortal or a demon. All I’ve ever known is that you’re my child… and I will love you forever!"
"Every day I’ve spent with you has made me happy, my son. I’ve never cared whether you’re an immortal or a demon. All I’ve ever known is that you’re my child… and I will love you forever!"
In that moment, Nezha completely lost control. He was determined to break free from the Heart-Piercing Curse, no matter the cost—even if it meant being torn to pieces.
Coincidentally, the Samadhi True Fire inside the Tianyuan Cauldron reconstructed his true form once again, allowing him to transform into his ultimate state. Together with Ao Bing, he broke out of the Tianyuan Cauldron in one powerful strike and was reborn…
Thus, no matter how vicious Immortal Elder Wuliang was, he could not withstand the most sincere bonds between people: the unbreakable kinship of blood, the friendship of shared adversity, and the mentorship of standing side by side in battle.
There are two things in this world that one cannot look at directly: one is the sun, and the other is the human heart. As a tree demon, Immortal Elder Wuliang clearly had no heart at all.
