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

"From this day forward, humanity shall know its own destiny!"

Ji Chang's calm yet profound voice resounded throughout the heavens and earth, striking Zhang Kui's mind like a wake-up call.

He witnessed firsthand how the sixty-four hexagrams evolved into the myriad phenomena of the heavens, and felt the surge of human destiny—a spirit of breaking free from constraints and striving for self-reliance—and an indescribable shock and resonance welled up within him.

As Ji Chang finished speaking, the primordial energy surged in the heavens, and boundless human merit, like a golden waterfall, cascaded down from the void, illuminating the entire Youli City in a magnificent display. That golden light of merit was warm and powerful, carrying the aura of all beings' prayers and the flame of civilization, completely different from the aloofness of heavenly merit and the weighty burden of earthly merit.

The merit poured forth, with about ninety percent of it flowing like a hundred rivers into the sea, surging towards Ji Chang, who sat cross-legged at the center of the pillar of light. That immense energy was enough to allow a mortal to ascend instantly, and even, as Zhang Kui sensed, enough to support Ji Chang in instantly attaining the Great Luo Dao Fruit, transcending the Three Realms and the Five Elements.

However, faced with this unparalleled opportunity that would make countless powerful beings in the primordial world envious and eager, Ji Chang merely smiled calmly. He looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly piercing through the prison roof, seeing the vast Nine Provinces, and the countless common people struggling in the crucible of fate.

"My path lies not in transcendence, but in the human realm."

He muttered to himself, then did something that astonished Zhang Kui, and even the many powerful figures secretly watching the scene. With a flick of his sleeve, Ji Chang forcibly diverted the vast merit that had flowed into his body, splitting it in two.

Approximately forty percent of his merit, like golden flames, was precisely poured into the *I Ching* book floating before him, a book newly formed from his heart's blood and the Dao. Upon encountering this merit, the book burst forth with dazzling golden light; its pages moved without wind, the hexagrams on them flowing, as if coming to life. One after another, profound restrictions began to spontaneously condense and be inscribed, an aura of vastness, wisdom, and guidance spreading outwards. In the blink of an eye, low-grade merit treasures, mid-grade merit treasures… restrictions rapidly formed, until the thirty-fifth restriction was perfected, launching an attack on the thirty-sixth, the crucial restriction marking the pinnacle of high-grade merit treasures.

However, just as the thirty-sixth restriction was faintly visible and about to take shape, the four-tenths of the merit seemed to be running out of steam. The golden light flickered, the speed at which the restriction was forming slowed down significantly, and it even showed signs of collapsing. The merit required to create a top-grade merit treasure is enormous; even a slight shortfall can lead to failure.

At that moment, Zhang Kuifu, through a sudden impulse, almost subconsciously activated the one-tenth of human merit that had just been integrated into him and had not yet been warmed up, transforming it into a golden torrent that rushed straight towards the Book of Changes.

"Sir, you have laid such an immortal foundation for humankind. Now that I, Zhang Kui, have been fortunate enough to be part of this opportunity, how can I begrudge such material possessions?" Zhang Kui's mind was clear, and he had no hesitation or reluctance whatsoever.

"boom!"

With the infusion of Zhang Kui's merit, the Book of Changes instantly stirred, its golden light surging forth, illuminating the night sky. The previously unstable thirty-sixth restriction suddenly became clear and stable, completely completed. A profound aura of perfection, wisdom, and guidance for the river of destiny spread out, and the sixty-four hexagrams swirled around the book, evolving infinite mysteries. The Book of Changes officially became a superior-grade merit treasure.

The remaining five percent of Ji Chang's merit, under his guidance, transformed into nine thinner golden streams of light. As if possessing sentience, these streams pierced through the void, each heading in a different direction across the nine provinces, merging into the nine cauldrons that suppressed the human race's destiny. Nourished by this immense human merit, the nine cauldrons, though far away, seemed to simultaneously emit a barely audible hum. Their bodies shimmered with light, their connection to the human race's destiny deepened, and their foundation became even more profound.

The strange phenomena of heaven and earth slowly dissipated, and the night sky returned to tranquility, as if the scene that had shaken the primordial world was merely an illusion. However, the lingering rich Daoist aura within Youli City, and the Book of Changes in Ji Chang's hand, radiating a soft golden light and exuding a vast aura, all testified to the reality of what had just occurred.

Zhang Kui took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and strode into the prison courtyard. He bowed deeply to Ji Chang, whose breath was somewhat weak but whose eyes were exceptionally bright: "Congratulations, Lord Marquis! You have achieved great success and laid an unshakeable foundation for the human race. I admire you greatly!"

Ji Chang looked at Zhang Kui with a sincere smile. He offered a slight gesture of support, his voice tinged with weariness yet filled with satisfaction: "General Zhang, there's no need for such formality. I am very grateful for your generosity earlier. If it weren't for your crucial contribution, my copy of the Book of Changes would likely not have reached its full potential. On behalf of all humanity, I thank you for your kindness." As he spoke, he even bowed to Zhang Kui.

Zhang Kui quickly stepped aside and said, "I dare not accept such praise, Your Excellency! This is the culmination of Your Excellency's hard work, and the merit should rightfully belong to Your Excellency and the Book of Changes. I merely happened to be there and did my best." Zhang Kui deeply admired Ji Chang's magnanimity, after all, Ji Chang had given up the opportunity to establish himself as a great ruler.

He couldn't help but ask the question that had been nagging at him: "My lord, please forgive my bluntness, but that immense merit you just accumulated was enough to allow you to instantly achieve the Great Luo Immortal Path, transcend life and death, and roam freely in the world. Why... why did you disperse it?" This was the question he had, and it would surely be the question that countless others who knew about this matter had.

Upon hearing this, Ji Chang stroked the warm, smooth copy of the *I Ching* in his hand, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside the window, as if he could see the vast land of the Nine Provinces. His voice was calm yet firm, carrying an undeniable power:

"General, the path of immortality is indeed carefree. But that is the path of the 'immortals,' not the path of the 'humans.'"

He turned his head, his gaze fixed intently on Zhang Kui: "I, Ji Chang, am a man, the Marquis of Xibo, the leader of the Zhou tribe, a man who eats grains and has emotions and desires, a man who stands tall and upright. I wrote this *I Ching* not to seek immortality, not to transcend, but to emulate the sages of my human race—Youchao built nests from wood, Suiren drilled wood to make fire, Fuxi created the Eight Trigrams, Shennong tasted all kinds of herbs… They paved the way for humankind, opening up new paths for survival; did they ever think of transcending themselves?"

"Humanity is born between heaven and earth, insignificant yet possessing an indomitable will; though its existence is brief, it carries the flame of inheritance. What we seek is for humanity to stand better in this vast and boundless world, to understand its own destiny, to know good and bad fortune, and though we cannot completely escape calamities, we can have more choices and more hope. By distributing this merit in the Book of Changes and the Nine Cauldrons, we hope it can better protect our human civilization so that its flame can be passed down and its fortune endure. My personal path is insignificant compared to the rise and fall of humanity."

His words, though plain and unremarkable, struck Zhang Kui like a thunderclap, shaking him to his core and filling him with awe.

This is the magnanimity of sages, this is the responsibility of the backbone of humanity.

Compared to those immortals and gods who schemed for destiny and vied for lineage, Ji Chang's realm was far superior. He did not relinquish the Great Luo Dao Fruit, but rather completely integrated his own Dao into the long river of human destiny.

Zhang Kui took a deep breath, his emotions surging within him. He solemnly straightened his clothes and bowed deeply to Ji Chang once more. This time, his eyes held not only respect but also a solemn reverence, like that of a pilgrim: "Your Excellency's heart is as clear as the bright moon and as radiant as the blazing sun; Your Excellency's will is to uphold the mandate of Heaven and to benefit all living beings. Today, witnessing the demeanor of a sage, I understand the true meaning of cultivation. Zhang Kui... is sincerely convinced and, on behalf of countless sons and daughters of humanity, kowtows to express my gratitude for the sage's teachings."

At this moment, the obsession with breaking through realms and increasing magical power that he had always been fixated on vanished in this ritual. Zhang Kui suddenly understood that what had supported the human race to stand firm among the myriad races of the prehistoric world was never the astonishing cultivation of any powerful being, but rather this belief passed down from generation to generation, and this willingness to be a torchbearer.

Ji Chang accepted the greeting with composure, a kind smile spreading across his aged face. He stepped forward and personally helped Zhang Kui up, his withered hand carrying a reassuring warmth: "General's words make this old man ashamed. Protecting humanity is our duty. But General—" His gaze was piercing, as if it could see through people's hearts, "to have such cultivation at such a young age, and even more rare is your benevolence and righteousness. Given time, you will surely become a pillar of strength, supporting humanity under a clear sky."

A gentle breeze suddenly swept past the cell, causing the warning bells on the eaves to ring crisply. Zhang Kui nodded solemnly, gazing out the window at the distant mountains, their peaks like dark eyebrows, and the clouds ablaze with color.

In this world, humanity shall stand.