Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Faced with Zhang Kui's attack, Yang Jian was surprised but not flustered. He used his three-pointed double-edged sword to parry while simultaneously looking for an opening to counterattack Zhang Kui's vital points.

Using offense as a form of defense, Yang Jian wanted to force back this elusive opponent.

But Zhang Kui seemed to have known his thoughts all along. His sword strikes became increasingly powerful and heavy, and he secretly activated the Dragon Subduing Tiger Subduing Divine Power, attempting to overwhelm his opponent with overwhelming force.

"Ding ding ding!"

At the critical moment, Yang Jian's vertical eye in the middle of his forehead opened, shooting out a beam of golden light that collided with the incoming Dragon Sparrow Blade, producing a metallic clang.

"The Heavenly Eye!"

Zhang Kui's eyes narrowed, and he immediately used the momentum to retreat, creating distance between himself and Yang Jian.

The exchange between the two happened in the blink of an eye, yet it was enough to terrify those around them. Wang Mo gasped in shock; if Zhang Kui hadn't intervened in time, he would likely have been injured by Yang Jian.

Yang Jian stared at Zhang Kui, who was returning to defend with his sword. His vertical eye on his forehead slowly closed, leaving only a faint golden vertical mark. "What supernatural power, Zhang Kui... I'll remember you."

"Same to you."

Seeing the entire battle descend into chaos, Jiang Ziya suddenly threw something out of his hand.

The object grew rapidly upon contact with the wind, transforming into a gigantic apricot-yellow banner that fluttered in the breeze. Embroidered with mysterious runes, the banner simultaneously sprouted ten thousand golden lotuses, forming a solid barrier between the two armies.

"The Central Plains Apricot-Yellow Flag!"

Wang Mo's pupils contracted. "How did this treasure end up in your hands?"

Jiang Ziya stood beneath his banner, once again mounting a strange beast with the face of a horse, hooves of an ox, tail of a donkey, and antlers of a deer. His expression was calm: "This was bestowed upon me by my master, specifically to subdue you evil spirits. All soldiers, heed my command and retreat in an orderly fashion!"

Zhou Jun's warhorse was finally able to stand up. Although its legs were still weak, it was able to fight with difficulty.

Seeing that Zhang Guifang, Feng Lin, and thousands of soldiers were isolated on the Xiqi side by Jinlian, Zhang Kui knew he could not delay any longer. He stomped his feet and leaped into the air. The Dragon Sparrow Sword was sheathed, its blade trembling and emitting a clear, melodious sound, as if a phantom of a dragon sparrow was truly hovering over it.

Then, his gaze locked onto the Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, a primordial spiritual treasure in Jiang Ziya's hand that was said to be "unbreakable by anything, repelled by all evil, and impervious to all laws," and he summoned an ancient longbow.

With the Qiankun Bow in hand and the Zhentian Arrow nocked, I've got it ready.

The bow is drawn to its fullest extent, the arrows fly like shooting stars, and the three arrows—sun, moon, and star—are released simultaneously.

"go!"

The three arrows transformed into a spiral of interwoven gold, silver, and white light in mid-air, distorting space and emitting a piercing shriek wherever they passed.

Boom!

The arrow struck Jiang Ziya's face, who was standing upright, and the three-colored vortex spun wildly.

The Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, as expected of a primordial spiritual treasure known for its defense, once again produced countless golden lotuses to resist the attack of the Heaven-Shaking Arrow.

"Phew, thank goodness!" Seeing that Jiang Ziya was alright, Zhang Kui finally felt relieved. If he had killed this Jiang Taigong, he would have been devastated.

Not to mention that Jiang Ziya was the person who conferred the titles of gods by the three religions of Ren, Chan, and Jie, killing him would be going against the will of the world. Just considering the matter of the Book of Changes, I still owe him a favor.

Taking advantage of this attack, Jinlian, who had originally blocked the two armies, retreated to protect Jiang Ziya, thus allowing Zhang Guifang and others to withdraw.

The power of that single arrow stunned the entire field.

Everyone present gasped in shock. They knew that their attacks were nothing more than scratching an itch through a boot compared to the Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, a primordial spiritual treasure.

Unlike the shock of the others, Jiang Ziya's face turned ashen.

Because… he recognized the bow; it was the Qiankun Bow, a sacred artifact of the human race. How did this treasure fall into Zhang Kui's hands, and how did he refine it to such an extent?

"Retreat! The entire army must retreat back into the city!" Jiang Ziya made a decisive decision.

Upon receiving the order, Zhou Jun immediately retreated towards the city gate like a receding tide.

Just as Zhang Guifang was about to lead his troops in pursuit, Zhang Kui stopped him, saying, "General, wait!"

"Why?" Zhang Guifang frowned.

"Xiqi's defenses are strong, and it's protected by the Apricot Yellow Banner. A direct attack will only result in heavy losses," Zhang Kui said in a deep voice. "We've already won one round today, which has dampened the enemy's morale. It's better to stop while we're ahead."

At this moment, Wang Mo and the others arrived riding their strange beasts.

Li Xingba was somewhat displeased upon hearing this: "Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken. Our army's morale is high, and we should seize the opportunity to take Xiqi in one fell swoop!"

Zhang Kui turned to the four men, cupped his hands, and said, "You four seniors possess profound cultivation, so naturally we have nothing to fear. However, ordinary soldiers attacking a city will inevitably pay a heavy price. Xiqi cannot be taken in a day; we need to plan carefully."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, now that Jiang Ziya has obtained the Apricot Yellow Banner, he must have other plans. A hasty attack on the city might lead to an ambush."

Although Wang Mo and the others were proud and arrogant, they were not fools, and they all fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Zhang Guifang nodded and said, "General Zhang Kui is right. Order the retreat!"

"Clang—clang—clang—"

As the golden gong sounded, the Shang army slowly retreated, maintaining a disciplined and orderly formation.

On the way back to camp,

Zhang Kui and Wang Mo rode side by side.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Kui," Wang Mo suddenly spoke, "your arrow was quite powerful. But judging from your aura, you don't seem to specialize in the path of Qi cultivation?"

Zhang Kui smiled slightly: "My knowledge is quite diverse, and the way of cultivating qi is only one of them."

"A jack of all trades and master of none is a great taboo in cultivation." Wang Mo shook his head. "However, judging from your performance today, it can't be considered a complete waste."

Zhang Kui chuckled inwardly but did not refute, after all, Wang Mo meant well. He simply said, "Senior is right."

Back at the main camp, all the generals gathered in the central command tent.

Zhang Guifang ordered a banquet to celebrate the victory, during which she praised the Four Saints of Kowloon Island.

Wang Mo and Yang Sen remained calm, offering a small toast as a gesture of goodwill, while Gao Youqian and Li Xingba were smug and finished their drinks in one gulp.

Zhang Kui only drank a few cups before stopping.

When the banquet was halfway through, he stood up and said, "Gentlemen, I'm going out to make a look around."

"Why must General Zhang go in person?" Zhang Guifang asked, somewhat puzzled. "Just let Feng Lin go."

"It's alright, it'll help me sober up." Zhang Kui gestured for Feng Lin to continue drinking before bowing and leaving the table.

Stepping out of the tent, a cool night breeze brushed my face.

Zhang Kui left the camp gate, climbed to a high place, and looked out at Xiqi City through the night.

The city was brightly lit, and people could be vaguely seen coming and going, but it was unknown how many were happy and how many were sad.

As he was pondering, he suddenly felt something and looked up at the eastern horizon.

There, three obscure auras were rapidly approaching, one of which was pure, yang, and immense.

"They're here."

Zhang Kui's lips curled into a smile. "And there are three of them at once. One of them must be one of the Twelve Golden Immortals."

The three auras hovered outside Xiqi City for a moment before entering the city.

"Interesting." Zhang Kui stood up, dusting off his robes. "It seems tomorrow will be a fierce battle."

Back at the camp, the banquet had already ended.

Zhang Kui arrived outside Zhang Guifang's tent. Upon seeing him, the guards quickly bowed and said, "General Zhang, the commander-in-chief has already retired for the night."

"There is urgent military information; please inform me," Zhang Kui said.

A short while later, Zhang Guifang emerged from the tent, her expression grave: "What is it?"

"Reinforcements have arrived from Xiqi; they should be from the Chan Sect," Zhang Kui replied.

Zhang Guifang's expression changed: "Is the information accurate?"

"Absolutely true."

Zhang Guifang was silent for a moment, then said, "Go and invite the four fellow Daoists, Wang Mo, so we can discuss a plan."

Half an hour later, the central command tent was brightly lit.

After hearing Zhang Kui's words, Wang Mo and the others all disagreed.

"Three disciples of the Chan Sect are nothing to worry about," Gao Youqian laughed. "My four brothers, plus Fellow Daoist Zhang Kui, make five Xuanxian. Five against three, victory is in my hands."

Zhang Kui shook his head: "That's not how it works. Since they dared to come to our aid, they must have something to rely on. Besides, there are Jiang Ziya, Nezha, Yang Jian, and others in Xiqi City, so they shouldn't be underestimated."

"What insightful opinion does Fellow Daoist Zhang Kui have?" Yang Sen asked.

Zhang Kui walked to the map and pointed to the east, west, and north sides of Xiqi City: "If we fight tomorrow, General Zhang, Feng Lin, and I will each lead a force to attack one gate. At that time, I request that the four seniors lead the main force to attack the south gate."

"Splitting our forces?" Wang Mo frowned. "Wouldn't that weaken our strength?"

"That's precisely why we need to divide our forces," Zhang Kui explained. "It's just to lure the enemy into splitting their forces. If Xiqi sees us dividing our forces, they will definitely divide their troops to guard the four gates. At that time, we can concentrate our superior forces and have a chance to break through the city."

He paused, then continued, "As for the other three routes, all we need to do is bluff."

Zhang Guifang nodded repeatedly, "This plan is brilliant! I think it's feasible!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xingba was somewhat displeased: "So cunning? Doesn't that tarnish our prestige?"

"Warfare is based on deception," Zhang Kui said solemnly. "If we can decide the fate of the world in one battle, why not?"

These words struck a chord with Wang Mo, who also longed to end his worldly affairs as soon as possible and return to his island to cultivate. He pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright! I'll follow your plan, fellow Daoist."

The plan was decided, and everyone went back to prepare.

……

The eastern horizon was gradually turning a pale white.

As a new day dawns, the great battle begins in the morning light.

Zhang Kui opened his eyes, a flash of golden and silver light passing through them, and then he got up, put on his armor, and walked out of the tent.

The soldiers in the camp had begun to assemble, their weapons like a forest, their banners obscuring the sun.

Zhang Guifang, Wang Mo, and others had also arrived. When they saw Zhang Kui come out, they all nodded in greeting.

"Gentlemen!" Zhang Guifang mounted her horse, pointed towards Xiqi, and declared, "Today, victory is assured!"

"Victory is certain! Victory is certain! Victory is certain!"

The three armies shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

The army set off, rolling towards Xiqi City.