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

Having already decided to go to Luofu Cave on Mount Emei to seek guidance from Zhao Gongming, Zhang Kui no longer delayed.

Along the way, he used the Five Elements Great Escape technique to his fullest extent, his figure transforming into a faint, five-colored stream of light, piercing through clouds and mist at lightning speed. Apart from taking necessary breath adjustments to recover his magical power, he hardly stopped, his body immersed in the flow and transformation of the five elements' spiritual energy.

The sharpness of metal helps him cut through the wind and energy; the vitality of wood helps him absorb the spiritual energy of the plants along the way to replenish his energy; the flexibility of water helps him overcome the resistance of the strong winds at high altitudes; the ferocity of fire helps him accelerate his escape; and the weight of earth helps him stabilize his body and sense the earth's veins.

The power of the five elements constantly switched and merged under his exquisite control, making his escape techniques more and more refined, his speed faster and faster, and his understanding of the essence of the five elements also rose with each passing day, giving it a sense of smoothness, ease, and endless vitality.

On this day, as Zhang Kui was flying away, he suddenly sensed a magnificent mountain below, brimming with spiritual energy, which was extraordinary. He saw that the mountain was majestic, with layers of verdant peaks, shrouded in mist and clouds, with cranes soaring and monkeys offering fruit. It was truly a blessed place for quiet cultivation.

Just as he was about to speed up and pass by, a dazzling light suddenly shot up from a valley in the mountains, containing a violent and pure fire elemental power, and subtly affecting the surrounding space, causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to become chaotic.

"Hmm?" Zhang Kui's mind stirred, and an indescribable feeling of "a sudden impulse" welled up in his heart. With his cultivation level, such a feeling was definitely not unfounded.

"Since it is an opportunity, I cannot miss it." Zhang Kui made a decision instantly. He immediately changed the direction of his escape light, concealed his aura, merged into the breeze, and silently descended towards the place where the treasure light rose.

After navigating several treacherous mountain ridges, the source of the treasure's light was now almost within reach. Zhang Kui didn't approach rashly, but instead quickly activated his escape technique, landing behind a giant rock. He formed a hand seal, his golden core trembled slightly, and he unleashed the Five Elements Escape Technique, concealing his aura. His figure and presence instantly blended into the surrounding rocks and vegetation. Unless someone with a cultivation far superior to his was deliberately probing, they would be virtually undetectable.

Caution is the boat.

In such a blessed land, where great treasures are revealed, caution is always the best course of action.

He moved forward silently, bypassing a dense ancient forest, when suddenly the view opened up before him. In the center of the valley, on a flat area, stood eight massive bronze pillars, each about three zhang tall.

The colossal pillars are arranged according to the eight trigrams, subtly embodying the principles of heaven and earth. Each bronze pillar is engraved with dozens of lifelike fire dragon reliefs, each unique in form. At this moment, these fire dragons seem to come alive, their mouths wide open, continuously spewing forth terrifying flames of various colors—blazing white fire in the air, dark red fire in the stone, bluish-green fire in the wood, ethereal Samadhi fire, and the seemingly ordinary yet vibrant fire of humankind, imbued with the warmth of countless homes.

Five flames intertwined, scorching the sky and burning the earth, illuminating the center of the valley with a bright light, and even the space itself was slightly distorted due to the high temperature. A Taoist priest, dressed in a water-infused robe and wearing a fan-shaped cloud crown, with a refined and elegant demeanor, stood outside the formation, his hands forming mysterious hand seals, manipulating the eight copper pillars to slowly change their positions, practicing some kind of combined attack formation to trap the enemy.

Zhang Kui stared intently, and his heart skipped a beat—the Taoist was none other than Yun Zhongzi, the True Immortal of the Chan Sect, whom he had met once before.

Just as he was slightly shaken upon recognizing Yun Zhongzi, causing an extremely subtle fluctuation in his concealed aura...

"I am Yun Zhongzi of the Chan Sect. May I ask which fellow Daoist has come to visit my Zhongnan Mountain? Please show yourself and let us have a chat." Yun Zhongzi's clear voice suddenly rang out, his tone calm but carrying a hint of displeasure.

Before he finished speaking, Yun Zhongzi waved his robe, and the eight pillars of heavenly fire that had been slowly shifting positions instantly rose from the ground as if on command, transforming into eight streaks of crimson bronze light. With lightning speed, they landed precisely around Zhang Kui with a deafening boom, completely sealing off the area around him. Fire dragons roared on the pillars, and five-colored divine fire surged forth, forming a scorching cage of flames. The terrifying heat and the power of confinement descended instantly, making Zhang Kui feel a tightness all over his body, as if he had been plunged into a molten lava hell.

Zhang Kui was horrified. The speed and power of this magic weapon far exceeded his expectations. He had no doubt that if Yun Zhongzi had harbored ill intentions, he would have been burned alive by the five flames in that instant.

Seeing that his concealment had been exposed and there was no point in hiding any longer, Zhang Kui made a quick decision, dispelling his concealment spell and revealing himself. He cupped his hands and bowed respectfully to Yun Zhongzi outside the formation, saying in a respectful tone, "Junior Zhang Kui has presumptuously entered the immortal mountain and disturbed Senior's treasure refining. It was truly an unintentional mistake. I pay my respects to Senior Yun Zhongzi."

Upon seeing that it was Zhang Kui who had appeared, Yun Zhongzi's eyes flashed with surprise, but he immediately recognized him. He changed the hand seals, and the fire dragons spewing from the eight towering divine fire pillars immediately restrained their ferocity, and the flames gradually subsided, but the bronze pillars still stood, and the seal was not lifted.

Yun Zhongzi bowed in return, his tone much gentler: "So it's my young friend Zhang Kui. It's been several years since we last met. Your cultivation has progressed so much, reaching the realm of a true immortal. Truly a cause for celebration." His gaze swept over Zhang Kui, carrying a hint of admiration and inquiry. "I wonder what brings you to my Zhongnan Mountain, young friend, who does not cultivate in the mortal realm?"

Zhang Kui sensed the surrounding binding force weakening slightly, but he still dared not be careless. This senior Yun Zhongzi appeared calm, but in reality, his cultivation was profound and his methods unpredictable.

His mind raced, but he decided to be honest to show he meant no harm: "Senior, please understand. I have encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation, and I am struggling to find a solution. Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Lü Yue of the Jie Sect gave me some guidance, mentioning that Senior Zhao Gongming of Mount Emei might be able to help me. So I wanted to go to Luofu Cave to seek his advice. While passing by Baoshan, I suddenly saw a radiant light soaring into the sky. I was filled with curiosity and that's why I ventured out to investigate. I had no other intentions, and I hope you will forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhongzi secretly calculated with his fingers, and the celestial secrets confirmed that Zhang Kui's words were true; he was indeed going to Mount Emei, and it had no causal conflict with his own plans. He nodded slightly, a warm smile appearing on his face: "I see. Fellow Daoist's sincere pursuit of the Dao is truly admirable. Our meeting is predestined. Since you're here, why not come with me to my cave for a chat, to enjoy tea and discuss the Dao? You might also catch a glimpse of an old friend. What do you say, young friend?"

"An old friend?" Zhang Kui was taken aback at first, then a thought struck him, and he remembered that several years ago, during the storm in Yanshan, Yun Zhongzi took away the baby born in the thunderstorm. "Senior, could you be referring to that person from back then..."

"That's right." Yun Zhongzi nodded with a smile.

Zhang Kui understood immediately and bowed, saying, "I am honored to be invited by you, senior."

Upon seeing this, Yun Zhongzi attempted to raise his hand to retract the eight pillars of heavenly fire. However, when he flicked his sleeve, the eight bronze pillars only swayed slightly and did not fly up and shrink as expected.

The scene was a little awkward for a while.

Zhang Kui, with his keen sense of observation, immediately pretended to be attracted by the exotic flowers and plants on one side of the valley, turning his gaze elsewhere as if he hadn't noticed anything amiss.

A barely perceptible hint of embarrassment flashed across Yun Zhongzi's face. He coughed lightly, channeled his magic power again, and chanted incantations. This time, the eight bronze pillars reluctantly rose from the ground one after another, transforming into eight thin streams of light that "whooshed" into his wide sleeves and disappeared.

Putting away the bronze pillars, Yun Zhongzi pretended nothing had happened and calmly explained, "I apologize for the embarrassment, young friend Zhang Kui. These eight pillars of heavenly fire are magical artifacts that I recently crafted after comprehending the profound principles of the Eight Trigrams, gathering the essence of the five metals, and fusing five kinds of divine fire. They are not yet fully refined and are still somewhat difficult to control; the heat is a bit lacking."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kui was filled with astonishment. "The Heaven-Reaching Divine Fire Pillar!"

So this was the terrifying magical weapon from the original Investiture of the Gods that drove Grand Tutor Wen Zhong to the brink of despair at Jue Long Ridge. He suppressed his shock and exclaimed sincerely, "Senior is too modest! This treasure's divine power is like a prison, unleashing five flames simultaneously, scorching the heavens and boiling the seas, imprisoning the void. I just experienced it firsthand, and I still feel lingering fear. Senior's magical power is profound, and your weapon-forging skills are truly ingenious. To be able to forge such a divinely powerful treasure is truly breathtaking."

This praise was heartfelt and completely genuine. Yun Zhongzi was clearly pleased, stroking his beard and smiling, "Young friend, you flatter me. The way of weapon crafting is nothing more than comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, harmonizing the five elements and yin and yang, and acting in accordance with the natural order. If you are interested, I can discuss this with you, especially the way of combining divine fire control with formations..."

At that moment, Yun Zhongzi walked leisurely alongside Zhang Kui, following the mountain path towards his cave. Along the way, Yun Zhongzi enthusiastically recounted his experience in refining treasures, from material selection and rune inscription to fire control and array nesting, especially how to balance the violent attributes of the five divine fires so that each could exert its maximum power while complementing each other to form a perfect cyclical trapping and killing array.

Although Zhang Kui didn't understand the art of weapon crafting, his cultivation of the Golden Core Dao gave him a profound understanding of mana control and the interactions of the Five Elements. Listening to Yun Zhongzi's clear and concise explanation, many previously unclear points suddenly became clear, greatly benefiting his ability to unleash the "Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light" and even operate the Five Elements Escape Technique. He listened with great interest, occasionally raising insightful questions that hit the nail on the head, further impressing Yun Zhongzi with his extraordinary comprehension and potential, leading Yun Zhongzi to explain in even greater detail.

The two walked and talked, avoiding any air of otherworldly grandeur, but appearing more relaxed and carefree as they strolled among the beautiful mountains and rivers of Zhongnan Mountain.