Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

The Netherworld Blood Sea surged with crimson waves, its malevolent aura permeating the air.

The four demon kings, led by Mara, and a group of Asura generals all wore expressions of resentment and confusion. They had just left with great momentum, but retreated in disarray simply because of a single word from Lady Pingxin. This was truly a disgrace to the prestige of the Blood Sea lineage.

Shiva, whose temper was the most volatile, finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Master, although Lady Pingxin is strong, my Blood Sea lineage is not weak either, and with you, Master, in charge, why... retreat without a fight? This is an insult I cannot swallow!"

The Styx Ancestor stood on waves of blood, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

He did not answer immediately, his gaze piercing through the endless sea of ​​blood, recalling the distant ancient times, the tragic years of the war between the lich and the demon.

Back then, this compassionate and dignified Lady Pingxin, who presided over the cycle of reincarnation, was one of the twelve ancestral witches, Houtu Niangniang, with a human body and a snake tail, seven arms on her back, in charge of the earth's veins, and decisive in killing and wielding power.

In that cataclysmic event that swept across the world, the ancient goddess displayed terrifying combat prowess.

Without needing magical treasures or divine weapons, she relied solely on her incomparably powerful Ancestral Witch true form and her unparalleled control over the primordial land to drive the elite demon race of the Heavenly Court into a series of defeats.

The Styx River once saw from afar that Houtu had drawn upon the boundless power of the earth's veins, transforming them into countless mountains to strangle the demon god, its power shaking heaven and earth.

He even suspected that if Donghuang Taiyi hadn't relied on the absolute defense of the innate treasure Chaos Bell to hold on, even that demon emperor would have been humiliated by her.

This was only her power when she was an Ancestral Witch.

What is even more awe-inspiring is that she broke the shackles of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun's "Witch Clan does not cultivate the primordial spirit" and enlightened herself to the Dao in the netherworld. With great compassion and perseverance, she transformed herself into the six realms of reincarnation to complete the Heavenly Dao, and her merits were immeasurable. Her achievements are almost comparable to the Dao Ancestor Hongjun's teaching of all things.

From then on, she was no longer the Ancestral Witch Houtu, but the Goddess Pingxin, merging with reincarnation and ruling the Netherworld. Furthermore, through this boundless merit, she forged an unparalleled primordial spirit in one fell swoop, breaking through to the supreme realm of the Great Golden Immortal of Primordial Chaos, which is what all living beings call a "saint".

To be an enemy of a saint?

Or in the primordial darkness that it rules, what difference is there between that and courting death?

Moreover, the Asura realm among the six realms is also of great benefit to Styx Ancestor, the Lord of the Blood Sea and the leader of the Asura Cult, as well as the Asura race he created.

Awakening from his reverie, a deep sense of apprehension and resentment flashed in the eyes of the Styx Ancestor. He stopped and looked at his subordinates, his voice hoarse and cold: "To do what is known to be impossible is unwise. Houtu... no, Lady Pingxin, is no longer someone we can contend with. In this game, she used that brat to make the first move and seize the initiative. I, the Ancestor... concede defeat."

He abruptly changed the subject, a sinister light rekindling in his blood-red eyes as he gazed towards Fengdu City, his tone turning chilling: "However, the struggle for power in the Netherworld is not something that can be resolved overnight. The new Emperor of Fengdu's foundation is not yet secure, and the future is long... The outcome next time is still uncertain. Let him be smug for a moment."

He needed time to rethink his plans and first find out the details of the new Emperor of Fengdu.

Inside the main hall of Fengdu Mountain, the River Styx receded, and the crisis was temporarily averted.

Zhang Kui withdrew his attention from the avatar and stopped paying attention to the outside world.

Feeling the surging True Immortal Perfection power within his body, and the clearly visible bottleneck of the Profound Immortal realm, he knew that the time for a breakthrough had ripened.

"Right here, I will attempt to break through to the Xuanxian realm!" Zhang Kui made up his mind.

Although the spiritual energy of this underworld is incompatible with the path I cultivate, with the incarnation of the Fengdu Emperor guarding it, I am safe and sound, and I can even use this environment to hone myself.

So Zhang Kui sat cross-legged in the center of the hall, held his breath and focused his mind, and fully activated the Golden Elixir Dao.

Within his dantian, the golden core spun, inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy. At the same time, he activated the blood and qi of the Wu clan, the vast blood and qi acting like a furnace, nourishing his physical body and soul.

"Inviting Calamity!"

As he directed his thoughts, dark purple thunderclouds began to gather in the eternally gloomy sky of the underworld.

Within the thunderclouds, lightning bolts danced wildly, carrying a chilling and destructive aura that pierced straight to the soul.

However, just as the heavenly tribulation was about to strike, another unexpected event occurred.

Zhang Kui's chest.

The heart that had been infused with the essence of the Six Paths of Reincarnation bestowed by Lady Pingxin suddenly began to beat violently.

A vast, chaotic force of the Law of Reincarnation, containing endless ancient information, was uncontrollably drawn by the aura of the Heavenly Tribulation and surged into Zhang Kui's sea of ​​consciousness like a flood bursting its banks.

"not good!"

Zhang Kui was startled; the power of reincarnation had unexpectedly taken over at this moment.

In an instant, the scene before him changed drastically. He was no longer in the main hall of Fengdu Mountain, but in a more ancient, chaotic, and ghostly underworld.

The Cycle of Reincarnation is the history of the Great Emperor Fengdu's pacification of the underworld.

He seemed to be possessed by the perspective of the first Emperor of Fengdu, personally experiencing the bloody battle that laid the foundation for the order of the underworld. Countless powerful ancient ghost kings and ferocious demon gods roared and charged forward, their murderous aura soaring to the sky, their supernatural powers bizarre.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu, wielding the Netherworld treasures, the Reincarnation Brush and the Book of Life and Death, channeled the power of reincarnation. Every punch and kick contained immense force, blasting, suppressing, and casting into the cycle of reincarnation any ghost kings or demon gods who dared to challenge order. The battle was extremely fierce; heaven and earth shattered, and the Netherworld trembled. Zhang Kui felt the supreme majesty of holding life and death in his hands and determining the fate of the world, while also enduring the intense pain and soul-shattering impact of his enemies' dying counterattacks.

This illusion was incredibly real; every pain, every moment of crisis, was crystal clear. Zhang Kui's ego floated within it, sometimes transforming into the Great Emperor of Fengdu to conquer all directions, and sometimes returning to himself to bear the terrifying aftershocks of the battle. Under this extreme pressure and the impact of the information of reincarnation, his soul seemed to be assimilated and obliterated.

"Hold fast to your true self. This is not my path, but my resource." Zhang Kui guarded the last bit of clarity in his mind, frantically circulating his nine breaths to stabilize his mind. At the same time, he used his initial understanding of the laws of reincarnation to absorb and analyze the mysteries of the laws contained in this illusion.

After battling in the illusion for an unknown period of time, when he, in his form as the "Emperor of Fengdu," banished the last chaotic demonic shadow attempting to devour reincarnation to the animal realm, thus completely quelling the turmoil in the underworld...

"boom!"

The illusion shattered, and Zhang Kui's consciousness returned to his original body. At that moment, he had a sudden inspiration.

Within the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, the five elements—fire, wood, earth, metal, and water—represent the concept of "returning to the origin," converging at the Crimson Palace in the middle dantian. Guided by the perfect Dao heart and tempered by the extreme pressure in the illusion, they suddenly transform into five dazzling pillars of primordial light, soaring into the sky and directly surging into the sea of ​​consciousness, perfectly merging with the primordial spirit after its baptism in the illusion.

Amidst the brilliant light of the fusion of the five elements and the primordial spirit, three points of spiritual light slowly emerged, condensed, and bloomed from the top of the primordial spirit.

Three flowers appear on top!

The human-shaped flower is reddish-gold, representing Zhang Kui's vast and boundless essence and blood, especially the physical foundation of the Spirit Witch Realm and the potential of his innate supreme Dao Body. At this moment, it has taken shape, with thick petals, exuding an indestructible sense of power.

The ground flowers display a vibrant array of colors, representing the pure magical power Zhang Kui cultivated through the fifth stage of his Golden Core cultivation, as well as the foundation of his Heavenly Gang Divine Powers such as the Five Elements Great Escape and the Nine Breaths Breath Absorption. The petals are lively and contain an inexhaustible source of magical power.

The most wondrous thing about the celestial flowers was their translucent, chaotic color, within which faint phantom images of the Six Paths of Reincarnation flowed. This represented Zhang Kui's powerful divine soul after being tempered in the illusion of reincarnation, as well as his initial mastery of the laws of reincarnation. The petals were mysterious, as if they contained wisdom that could see through the affairs of the world.

The three flowers gather at the top and slowly rotate, echoing the five elements below, forming a perfect and stable internal circulation system that connects heaven, earth, and humanity—a truly profound and mysterious system.

His aura surged dramatically, and Zhang Kui instantly broke through that bottleneck. His magical power, blood and qi, and soul all underwent a qualitative leap. His skin flowed with a warm, precious light, and his eyes, though their light was restrained, were as deep as the starry sea.

The Mysterious Immortal Realm has been achieved.

The long-brewing Netherworld lightning tribulation in the sky seemed to lose its target and quietly dissipated the moment the strange phenomenon of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and the Five Elements Converging at the Origin appeared.

This state of being has been recognized by Heaven and Earth, and calamities will naturally dissipate.

Zhang Kui slowly opened his eyes, feeling the immense power within his body and a clearer perception of the laws of heaven and earth, his heart filled with peace and joy.

"The three flowers gather at the top, and the five energies converge at the origin." He looked inward at his own Dao foundation and realized that he had laid an incredibly solid foundation.

"Now, all that remains is to comprehend my own unique 'Dao,' to completely integrate these three flowers and five energies, and to condense them into the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit that belongs exclusively to me, Zhang Kui, so that I can prove the Dao and achieve immortality and become a Golden Immortal."