Zhang Kui's Journey to the West in the Investiture of the Gods

Within Black Wind Gorge, the eerie atmosphere was as thick as ink.

The Black Wolf Demon King sat atop a massive ice rock, its emerald eyes piercing through the swirling snow, fixed on the Shang Dynasty supply train that had suddenly stopped and begun to assemble outside the canyon. Its sharp claws unconsciously dug into the solid ice beneath it, leaving deep marks.

"What's going on? Why did it stop?" A sense of doubt and irritation rose in the heart of the Xuanlang Demon King.

According to the intelligence provided by Chong Houhu, Zhang Kui should be an ordinary human general who, relying on his personal bravery and a bit of cleverness, will most likely walk headlong into the death trap he has carefully set. At that time, the thousands of elite wolf cavalry lying in ambush will launch an attack simultaneously with him, instantly tearing this force to shreds.

But now, the target had stopped at the entrance to the canyon, right at the edge of his ambush area. It felt like throwing a punch with all his might into empty air—incredibly frustrating.

"Could it be... that we've been discovered?" This thought had barely crossed his mind when the Demon King Xuanlang dismissed it. "Impossible! I personally cast a spell to conceal the demonic aura of my army, and with this natural snow barrier, how could a mere human general possibly see through it?"

"Your Majesty, what are they doing...?" A trusted vanguard soldier beside him couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

The Demon King of the Black Wolf snorted coldly: "Just a bluff! Or perhaps they're tired from the march and need a short rest. Send the order down to the men to be patient and wait for them to enter the canyon..."

Before he could finish speaking, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Because Zhang Kui outside the canyon made a move.

He leaped off his horse, his feet landing firmly on the snow. He lowered his stance slightly and formed a profound hand seal. Then, Zhang Kui pressed his palm onto the snow-covered earth, and a deep, resonant rhythm, in harmony with the pulse of the earth, rippled outwards.

"Earth veins, heed my command! Gather earth to form a city!" Zhang Kui silently recited the mantra, connecting with the earth veins beneath his feet while simultaneously activating the power of his golden core. The golden core, imprinted with the seed of the Five Elements Great Escape Divine Power, suddenly lit up with Dao patterns, emitting a strong fluctuation of earth elemental energy.

Rumble!

The earth rumbled with a deep rumble, as if some colossal creature was awakening from the depths. To the disbelief of the Xuanlang Demon King and his demon soldiers, the frozen ground covered with snow seemed to come alive as it rolled, bulged, and shaped itself.

Solid earth mixed with ice and snow rose from the ground like a giant python, rapidly piling up and compacting. Almost in the blink of an eye, a rammed earth wall, about three zhang high and incredibly thick, appeared out of thin air, encircling the entire supply train. Rough crenellations even appeared on the wall.

Immediately afterwards, the ground around the wall rose up again, the crenellations and parapets automatically formed, tall corner towers quickly materialized at the four corners, the central watchtower also rose up, and the two sturdy gates at the front and back slammed shut.

A fully functional and structurally complete military fortress miraculously rose up on the snow-covered wasteland in the short span of time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"This...how is this possible?!" Leopard Commander exclaimed in shock, his mouth agape enough to fit his entire fist.

"Sorcery! This is sorcery! No, we are the demons!" Mr. Fox, the strategist of the Black Wolf Demon King, twirled his sparse beard in astonishment, his mind nearly fried.

Some of the lesser demons were so frightened that they almost lost their minds, and some even slapped each other in the face, trying to confirm whether they had fallen into an illusion.

The Demon King of the Black Wolf was so dark it could drip water, its emerald pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints. Having lived for over a thousand years, it had witnessed the incredible feats of human cultivators, moving mountains and filling seas, but those all required extensive preparation or extremely high cultivation levels. To construct a sturdy fortress so effortlessly, with such a casual gesture, was unheard of.

This is a skill far beyond what an ordinary human general could possess. Just how much has Chong Houhu been hiding, or... is this kid concealing his true strength?

Before the demon race could recover from their shock, Zhang Kui's soldiers had already sprung into action. Having practiced their positions multiple times during the march, they were familiar with their defensive positions and therefore showed no surprise.

At the command of officers of all ranks, the soldiers quickly took their designated positions:

The crossbowmen set up their powerful military ballistae and ballistae, aiming their cold bolts at the canyon; the archers drew their bows and formed dense arrow formations along the crenellations; and the auxiliary soldiers quickly pasted yellow talismans with inscriptions on them onto the inner walls of the fortress and key points.

The entire force was like a sophisticated war machine, instantly transforming from marching to holding a position with astonishing efficiency.

"Build strongholds and fight protracted battles..." Zhang Kui readily adopted the military strategy of Zeng Guofan, a renowned minister of the late Qing Dynasty.

The Black Wolf Demon King's face was so dark it could drip water, and its massive wolf claws trembled slightly with rage. Looking at the "hedgehog" that had suddenly appeared in the distance, it felt a surge of evil fire rising to its head; its carefully prepared ambush had become a complete joke.

He had meticulously planned the marching route and ambush location, expecting it to be a perfect ambush. However, he never anticipated that the enemy would pull such a stunt, conjuring up a heavily armed fortress in the wilderness.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" The Wolf Vanguard looked at Commander Leopard and Mr. Fox, then asked cautiously, his voice trembling slightly.

Just as the Demon King Xuanlang was about to curse angrily, he saw that the other side made another move.

Zhang Kui raised his hand again, his fingertips gathering magical power, and unleashed three profound spells in succession.

The first incantation, a yellowish-brown color, disappeared into the rammed earth walls of the fortified village. Instantly, the entire surface of the fortified village walls gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen, as if cast from refined iron, instantly increasing its sturdiness by several levels. This was precisely the wondrous application of combining the pure magical power of the Golden Core Dao with the Earth Escape technique from the Five Elements Escape Arts.

The second incantation, a deep brown color, sank into the ground in front of the fortified village gate. Rumble! The earth cracked open again, and a massive trench, about three zhang wide and two zhang deep, appeared out of thin air, encircling the fortified village like a moat. The trench walls were steep and smooth, making them difficult to climb.

The third spell, pale blue in color, hovered in mid-air, drawing in the abundant moisture and icy chill of the air before being cast into the trench. In the blink of an eye, the sound of rushing water came from the bottom of the trench, which was then quickly filled with cold water.

The three techniques, executed in one smooth motion, transformed an already fortified fortress into an even more impregnable steel fortress.

"This..." The Black Wolf Demon King and its subordinates were completely numb. Some of the weaker demons even began to tremble. If it weren't for the Black Wolf Demon King's long-standing prestige, they probably would have turned and run away.

Having done all this, Zhang Kui stood tall, brushed the snowflakes off his body, and mounted the One-Horned Black Smoke Beast. He walked unhurriedly out of the fortress gate, stopping only at the edge of the moat. Sword drawn, he faced the deep, silent, and murderous Black Wind Gorge, gathering his strength, his voice like rolling thunder piercing the wind and snow, clearly reaching every corner of the gorge.

"You cowardly rats hiding in the canyon ahead, stop hiding! The stench of you, from not having bathed for centuries, has already carried for miles. Are you too ashamed to show yourselves, or are you waiting for your grandpa Zhang Kui to come in and raid your burrows one by one?"

His voice was loud and clear, filled with undisguised mockery and contempt.

The soldiers of the Shang army on the wall of the fortified village were stunned for a moment, then burst into a deafening roar of laughter.

"The general is right!"

"Hahaha, you shameless, filthy fox cub!"

"Come out and face your death!"

The soldiers' laughter and curses were like resounding slaps to the faces of every enemy soldier, and especially to the face of the Xuanlang Demon King.

What a shame!

The Black Wolf Demon King's face had turned from gloomy to ashen, then purplish-red. Having roamed the northern lands for centuries, when had it ever suffered such humiliation? Especially being so insulted in front of so many of its subordinates by a human general whose cultivation was far inferior to its own.

All its calculations, patience, and caution were completely ignited and burned away at this moment by Zhang Kui's crude yet effective provocation.

"Zhang Kui!" A roar filled with boundless rage and terrifying demonic power exploded from the canyon, like thunder rolling across the snowfield, causing the snow on the cliffs on both sides to fall in a rustling sound.

Boom...

A thick black demonic wind rose into the sky from the canyon like a wolf's smoke. Within the demonic wind, the Xuanlang Demon King revealed part of its true form, transforming into a dark silver giant wolf phantom ten times larger than an ordinary demonic wolf. Its fangs were like halberds, and its eyes emitted a ghastly green light. The overwhelming demonic pressure was like a tangible tsunami, crushing towards Wubao and Zhang Kui.

"You're courting death. I will tear you to pieces and extract your soul. Even if a celestial being were here today, they couldn't save you. That's what I said."

The Demon King Xuanlang was utterly enraged, his reason consumed by fury. All thoughts of ambush and plan were thrown to the back of his mind! Now he had only one thought: to tear this despicable human and his ridiculous fortress to shreds.

A fierce wind swept through, and a great battle was about to break out!

Facing the overwhelming demonic power, Zhang Kui's lips curled into a cold smile. His provocation had worked.

His golden core spun rapidly within his body, his blood and qi surged, and his fighting spirit boiled.

Behind them, on the watchtower of the fortified village, the cold glint of crossbow bolts was aimed at the oncoming black wind.

The wind and snow intensified, and the killing intent reached its peak.