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

The valley was serene, and the rosy glow of the five-colored spiritual pools illuminated the cave with dazzling light. Zhang Kui sat cross-legged on the stone platform, his eyes closed, his aura merging with the five elements of the valley's spiritual energy, entering a deep state of meditation.

The key to reaching the realm of True Immortal lies in "Five Qi Converging at the Origin." This requires cultivators to deeply integrate and sublimate their essence, energy, spirit, emotions, and intentions. The dangers involved are even greater than the trials of inner demons during the Heavenly Immortal Tribulation, because it forces cultivators to confront their most fundamental weaknesses.

Zhang Kui diligently followed the Golden Elixir Technique, his mind sinking into the microscopic world within his body. Within his dantian, the four-stage Golden Elixir slowly rotated, serving as the energy core and foundation of his Dao, radiating a gentle yet powerful magical force that supported the entire ascension process. His consciousness first directed towards his heart.

The first tribulation, the tribulation of the heart fire—born in sorrow, the spirit settles the red emperor's fire energy to the origin.

The heart holds the spirit, which is acquired as the consciousness spirit, presiding over rituals. In an instant, Zhang Kui's consciousness was pulled into a crimson world, where countless past scenes surfaced. There was the helplessness and sorrow of being a mortal in his previous life, the bewilderment and loneliness of facing a strange world at the beginning of his transmigration, and the compassion born from witnessing the carnage of the Beihai battlefield... All kinds of emotions related to "sorrow" were amplified infinitely, like flames scorching his soul, trying to ignite the fire in his heart and burn away his reason.

"Sorrow without grief, grief without despair. The world is impermanent, only the Way is constant." Zhang Kui adhered to the principle of "emptiness in sorrow," not using emotion to fight emotion, but observing these "sorrowful thoughts" with the balanced and peaceful mindset of the Golden Elixir Way, examining their birth and death like an observer. He realized that true "propriety" is not external rules, but an inner reverence and equanimity towards the order of heaven and earth and life itself. Gradually, the burning fire in his heart became docile, transforming into pure Crimson Emperor Fire Qi, breaking free from the heart's restraints, like a docile fire dragon, beginning to converge towards the Crimson Palace in the middle dantian.

With a focused mind and concentrated energy, success is achieved!

The second tribulation, the Liver Wood Tribulation—born of joy, the soul is fixed in the Green Emperor's Wood Qi returning to its origin.

The liver stores the soul, which, in the acquired form, becomes a wandering soul, governed by benevolence. The scene shifts, transforming into a lush green forest. The joy of breakthroughs in cultivation, the delight of acquiring magical treasures, the satisfaction of gaining Wen Zhong's appreciation, the pleasure of expressing mutual feelings with Gao Lanying… even all the triumphs of past lives come rushing back. "Joy" can make one's mind flutter, the soul restless, and especially prone to arrogance. The liver's wood energy thus becomes restless and uneasy, like branches swaying in the wind.

"Joy without arrogance, gain without arrogance. The benevolent love others and themselves, maintaining balance and harmony." Zhang Kui silently recited the incantation, suppressing the restlessness arising from his "joy." He contemplated the essence of "benevolence," which was not excessive sentimentality, but rather the care and promotion of life's growth and the extension of the Great Dao. The vigorous wood energy gradually restrained its wild growth, becoming moderate and gentle, transforming into the Azure Emperor's wood energy, like a docile blue phoenix, detaching from the liver and converging towards the Crimson Palace.

The soul settles, the wood energy converges, and success is achieved!

The third tribulation, the Spleen Earth Tribulation—born from desire, the will is set on the Yellow Emperor's earth energy returning to its origin.

The spleen stores intention, which, acquired later, becomes delusional intention and governs faith. The surrounding landscape transforms into a thick expanse of yellow earth. The desire for power, the desire for longevity, the desire for strength, the desire to possess treasures like precious coins… even the most primal desire for survival, like a turbid current surging from the depths of the earth, attempts to overwhelm his will. The spleen, associated with earth, governs transformation and also thought; once desires arise, delusional intentions proliferate, easily shaking the foundation and causing spiritual practice to deviate from the right path.

"Desire without greed, seek without attachment. Faith is sincerity in the Way, and sincerity in oneself." Zhang Kui, with a powerful will, severed his complicated desires and returned to the essence of cultivation—seeking his true self. He realized that the true meaning of "faith" is unwavering belief in one's own path. The heavy earth energy gradually settled, impurities were removed, and it transformed into pure Yellow Emperor earth energy, like a steady unicorn, separating from the spleen and firmly flowing into the Crimson Palace.

With a firm resolve, the earth's energy flows towards the origin; success!

The fourth tribulation, the Lung Metal Tribulation—born from anger, the soul settles into the White Emperor's Golden Qi and returns to the origin.

The lungs house the spirit, which, once acquired, becomes the ghost spirit, representing ideology. The space transforms into a chilling, platinum-colored world. His disgust for Chong Houhu and his son, his indignation at treacherous officials like Fei Zhong and You Hun, his murderous intent towards the rebel army of the North Sea and the demon race, and even his latent rage at the injustice of the Investiture of the Gods… the sharp metallic energy transforms into swords, slicing through his internal organs and meridians, its killing intent chilling. Anger injures the liver, and even more so the lungs, easily causing the spirit to dissipate, leading to extreme actions.

"Anger without venting, for righteousness lies within, not driven by emotion. Resolute and decisive, not through violent slaughter." Zhang Kui restrained his murderous intent, transforming his "anger" into a steadfast force to uphold the "righteousness" in his heart. He understood that "righteousness" was a principle for action, not a matter of seeking personal revenge. The sharp golden energy gradually softened, transforming into the just and awe-inspiring White Emperor Golden Energy, like a majestic white tiger, leaving his lungs and converging towards the Crimson Palace.

The vital energy has settled and converged at the origin; success!

The fifth tribulation, the tribulation of kidney water—born in joy, the essence of the ink emperor's water energy converges at the origin.

The kidneys store essence, which, after birth, becomes turbid essence and governs wisdom. At the final hurdle, consciousness sinks into the deep, cold abyss of mysterious water. Sensory pleasures, the pleasure of ease, the pleasure of achievement… even the ultimate "pleasure" of transcending life and death, of roaming freely in the world, are like a cold, dark current, tempting him to drown in them, eroding his fighting spirit, and causing the primordial essence in his kidneys to dissipate and fail to condense. Extreme pleasure breeds sorrow; indulging in pleasure is a great taboo in spiritual practice, especially since kidney essence is the root of life; once eroded by pleasure, the foundation will inevitably be destroyed.

"Joy without excess, contentment brings happiness, not indulgence. The wise discern clearly, not being misled by appearances." Zhang Kui maintained a clear mind, unmoved by the temptation of extreme "joy." He understood the meaning of "wisdom"—to see the essence and know moderation. The deep kidney water gradually condensed, transforming into the purest and most yin-like Ink Emperor Water Qi, like the Black Tortoise lurking in the abyss, leaving the kidneys and ultimately flowing into the Crimson Palace.

The precise alignment of water vapor with the primordial energy is complete!

When the Crimson Emperor's Fire Qi, the Green Emperor's Wood Qi, the Yellow Emperor's Earth Qi, the White Emperor's Metal Qi, and the Black Emperor's Water Qi all return to the Crimson Palace, in an instant, the five energies circulate, mutually generating and restraining each other, forming a perfectly balanced and ever-renewing operating system that resonates with the Golden Elixir in the Dantian.

A dazzling five-colored radiance erupted from Zhang Kui's body, and the spiritual energy of the entire valley surged into his body, being rapidly refined and absorbed by the five-element circulation. His physical body underwent a new round of tempering, becoming more transparent and resilient. His spiritual sense expanded dramatically, his perception of the laws of heaven and earth became several times clearer, his lifespan was extended significantly once again, and his magical power also experienced a qualitative leap.

At this point, Zhang Kui achieved the Five Elements Convergence and became a true immortal.

After stabilizing his realm, Zhang Kui looked inward at the slowly rotating five qi circulation in the Crimson Palace and the increasingly brilliant golden core in his dantian, his mind clear and calm.

"The True Immortal has been achieved. Once the Five Elements are completely stabilized and the Essence, Qi, and Spirit reach perfection, the next step is to condense the Three Flowers at the top of the head and attempt to break through to the Profound Immortal realm." Zhang Kui deeply understands the importance of a solid foundation. The essence of cultivating the Golden Elixir Path is "moderation and harmony, and success will come naturally."

He took out the five Five Elements Feathers given to him by Kong Xuan. When Zhang Kui condensed the Five Organs Dharma Image, he consumed a lot of their essence. Now, their brilliance was restrained and much dimmer.

After much deliberation, Zhang Kui simply extracted the remaining essence of the five elements and its divine charm and sent it into the divine beast image within the five internal organs.

In an instant, countless scenes unfolded within Zhang Kui's body: the White Tiger Dharma Image of Geng Metal condensed within his lungs; the Azure Dragon Dharma Image of Yi Wood rose within his liver; the Black Tortoise Dharma Image of Ren Water swirled deep within his kidneys; the Vermilion Bird Dharma Image of Li Fire rose above his heart; and the Qilin Dharma Image of Wu Earth was thick and heavy in the center of his spleen.

After the integration, Zhang Kui gained a deeper understanding of the origin of the Five Elements and a more profound comprehension of the Five Elements Great Escape. What surprised him most was the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light. This trump card divine power was now running smoothly and could be activated at the slightest thought, making it even easier to use.

After adjusting his breathing, Zhang Kui stood up, made hand seals, and used the Five Elements Escape Technique alternately. With the help of the omnipresent power of the Five Elements, he moved quickly. Every move he made seemed to blend into the surrounding environment. In just a few breaths, he returned to the Youli Camp.

"General, is everything alright?" Wu Wenhua grinned broadly as he saw Zhang Kui return.

Zhang Kui smiled and nodded, patting Wu Wenhua's strong arm: "You've worked hard. Judging from the atmosphere in the army, the soldiers are full of energy and their formations are skillful. You've done a great job." Then, he inquired in detail about the recent developments in Chaoge and other places.

Wu Wenhua reported: "Over in Chaoge, Your Majesty... sigh, it's still the same old story. That vixen Daji bewitched Your Majesty into building that 'Deer Terrace,' a waste of resources and manpower. Also, I heard that King Pingling of the East Sea is not exactly peaceful either. Here, everything is calm. Marquis Xibo is divining the divinations every day, and last time he even asked about the General."

After finishing his military affairs, Zhang Kui went to visit Ji Chang. Upon seeing him, Ji Chang clapped his hands and laughed, "Congratulations, General! Your progress in the Great Dao is remarkable, and your demeanor is renewed."

Zhang Kui inwardly praised Ji Chang's keen insight, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Your Excellency flatters me; I've only gained a little insight. How have you been these days, Your Excellency?"

Ji Chang sighed, "I am imprisoned, which is quite peaceful. However, observing the celestial phenomena and the earth's energy, I fear that a great upheaval in the world is not far off. Your breakthrough at this time is truly a blessing for the people."

Zhang Kui smiled calmly: "My lord, rest assured, as a merchant, I will do my duty to protect the territory and its people."

Since Zhang Kui only mentioned pacifying the people and deliberately ignored loyalty to the emperor, the two tacitly avoided discussing it further.

Back at the general's mansion, Zhang Kui began working on the next step of his plan.

His attainment of the True Immortal realm deepened his understanding of the "Way of Balance." At the same time, he would set aside time each day to continue refining the Treasure-Dropping Coins with his True Immortal power.

On this day, Zhang Kui was watching the new army practice their formations at the drill ground when suddenly his mind stirred, and he looked up towards the southeast. He saw a barely perceptible streak of light flying rapidly towards him, its aura concealed, yet carrying a trace of the Intercepting Sect that Zhang Kui was familiar with.

"Is it Ji Li or Yu Qing?" Zhang Kui's gaze sharpened. "Such a secretive arrival must mean something important."

Without making a sound, he sent a telepathic message to Wu Wenhua, instructing him to continue practicing, while he himself vanished and quietly returned to his quiet room in the mansion to wait.

A moment later, the streak of light entered the quiet room, revealing its form—it was Yu Qing, a disciple of Wen Zhong. His expression was solemn, and upon seeing Zhang Kui, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Without exchanging pleasantries, he directly whispered, "General Zhang, this is a secret order from my master."