Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

These fragments flooded into Zhang Kui's mind like a tidal wave. If it weren't for his resilient spirit and the presence of the Fengdu Emperor incarnate in the underworld, he would have been instantly overwhelmed by these vast and complex experiences.

He steadied his mind and continued to delve deeper with his consciousness.

At the core of the lamp, Zhang Kui saw twenty-four innate divine restrictions, interlocking to form a complete system of reincarnation laws. Each restriction was incredibly profound, containing the true essence of the Great Dao at the beginning of the universe. These restrictions were like twenty-four celestial barriers, layer upon layer, protecting the origin of the coffin lamp.

"As expected of a Primordial Spiritual Treasure." Zhang Kui was shocked. "If I can completely refine these twenty-four Primordial Divine Restrictions, it will be enough to elevate my understanding of the Law of Reincarnation to a whole new level."

However, he also knew that with his current cultivation level, completely refining the divine restrictions was a pipe dream. Even with the cultivation level of Daoist Ran Deng, it took countless eons to refine these twenty-four restrictions. He could only refine one or two and leave his mark, which was already his limit.

"My goal is to imprint this treasure with my divine consciousness, and then hand it over to the incarnation of the Fengdu Emperor," Zhang Kui decided.

He concentrated all his mind, transforming his divine sense into a thin needle, and pierced towards the core of the first divine barrier.

"boom!"

The moment the divine sense made contact with the divine restriction, a vast stream of information rushed in. It was countless profound truths about reincarnation, life and death, and the netherworld. If it were an ordinary Xuanxian, they would probably be assimilated by this vast Daoist rhyme in an instant, sinking into it and unable to extricate themselves.

But Zhang Kui was different.

He possesses the avatar of the Great Emperor of Fengdu. Although he cannot easily use the power of the avatar, his understanding of the laws of reincarnation far surpasses that of his peers. Secondly, he cultivates the Golden Core Dao, and his soul has been tempered by inner demons during his tribulation, making it extremely resilient.

More importantly, he had personally experienced the cycle of reincarnation and rebuilt his foundation in the witch pool of Lady Pingxin, thus gaining a fundamental understanding of reincarnation.

"Place it for me...!"

Zhang Kui let out a low roar, and an ancient rune appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness—the mark of reincarnation he had comprehended in the underworld.

Meanwhile, in the underworld, at the main hall of Fengdu Mountain.

The avatar of the Great Emperor of Fengdu in the hall slightly opened its eyes, its right hand gently pointing into the void. With this gesture, the laws of the Netherworld trembled, and a wisp of pure Daoist energy for reincarnation tore through the void, transmitting outwards along the unseen connections…

This wisp of Daoist energy directly entered Zhang Kui's sea of ​​consciousness, merging with the Reincarnation Mark. The mark instantly shone brightly, transforming into the shape of a key.

Zhang Kuifu focused his mind, and his divine sense, carrying this "key," pierced fiercely into the core of the first divine restriction.

"bite……"

It was as if the crisp sound of gold and jade clashing echoed deep within my consciousness.

The coffin lamp trembled violently, and the ghostly flames at the wick suddenly quieted down, the eerie green light becoming gentle and no longer violent.

At the core of the first divine restriction, a faint golden mark slowly emerged—it was Zhang Kui's divine consciousness imprint.

The first divine restriction has been successfully refined.

Although it was only a preliminary refinement, Zhang Kui could already sense some of the power of the coffin lamp and control it to a certain extent. With a thought, the ghostly flame at the wick of the lamp flickered slightly, emitting a gentle aura.

"good!"

Zhang Kui's spirits lifted, and he continued his assault on the second divine barrier.

This time, the resistance is even greater.

The second divine restriction was connected to the first, forming a more complex cycle. Zhang Kui's divine sense was like swimming upstream in a raging torrent, each step forward incredibly difficult. Even more troublesome was the faint trace of another powerful will within this divine restriction—the aura of Daoist Ran Deng.

Time slips away, bit by bit.

Outside the cave, the sun and moon revolved, and three days had passed.

Inside the cave, Zhang Kui's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his face was pale, clearly indicating that he had exhausted himself. However, his eyes remained sharp as knives, fixed on the coffin lamp, his divine sense cautiously maneuvering in its struggle against the second divine restriction.

The core of the second divine restriction is right before our eyes.

"break!"

Zhang Kui bit his tongue, spitting out another drop of blood essence, which merged into his divine consciousness. The blood essence and divine consciousness fused together, transforming into a small blood-red hammer, with profound witch runes appearing on its surface—this was a secret technique he activated using his witch bloodline.

The crimson hammer slammed fiercely into the core of the forbidden god.

"Click—"

It was as if the sound of some kind of barrier shattering echoed in my consciousness.

The second divine restriction has been successfully refined!

Zhang Kui let out a long sigh of relief, almost completely exhausted. Refining two innate divine restrictions in succession had taken a huge toll on his divine sense, magical power, and energy. But his eyes were full of excitement.

With two divine restrictions in hand, his control over the Coffin Lamp was initially stabilized. At this moment, he could clearly sense every change in the ghostly flame at the wick of the lamp, and could also utilize its power to a certain extent. More importantly, deep within the Coffin Lamp, he sensed an incomparably powerful imprint of consciousness—the main imprint left by the Burning Lamp Daoist, as heavy as a mountain, firmly occupying the remaining twenty-two divine restrictions.

"As expected, with Daoist Ran Deng's cunning, how could he be so careless?" Zhang Kui mused. "This main imprint is connected to Ran Deng's mind; once it's triggered, he'll immediately sense it. The two divine restrictions I'm refining now are like stealing two bricks right under his nose—they haven't been detected yet, but if I continue refining them…"

He shook his head, knowing he couldn't take any more risks.

"No, this magical artifact cannot remain in the mortal realm; it should be given to the incarnation."

Without hesitation, Zhang Kui grasped the coffin lamp, his mind sinking into the depths of his consciousness to establish a connection with the incarnation of the Fengdu Emperor in the underworld.

The incarnation of the Great Emperor of Fengdu was originally one with him, their minds and spirits connected. At this moment, the incarnation was handling affairs of the underworld in the main hall of Mount Luofeng. Sensing the call of the true self, he immediately put down the Reincarnation Brush in his hand.

"A coffin lamp... interesting." The Emperor of Fengdu smiled slightly and made a gesture in the air with his right hand.

At the same time, ripples appeared in the space in front of Zhang Kui, a dark crack slowly opened, and dense ghostly energy emanated from it, causing the temperature inside the cave to drop suddenly.

Without hesitation, Zhang Kui threw the coffin lamp into the crevice. The moment the lamp entered the crevice, the ghostly flame at the wick suddenly blazed brightly, leaping joyfully as if it had returned to its homeland.

The crack closed and disappeared.

Zhang Kui finally breathed a sigh of relief. Once the coffin lamp fell into the hands of the Fengdu Emperor's avatar, it was like a drop of water returning to the sea, no longer perceptible to the outside world. Even if the Burning Lamp Daoist sensed something amiss, he would never have imagined that this lamp would appear deep within the underworld, much less that it would fall into the hands of the Fengdu Emperor, who was in charge of reincarnation.

"This trip was worth it." Zhang Kui stood up and stretched his limbs.

Stepping out of the cave, he looked up at the sky. It was dusk; the setting sun cast its last rays, and the clouds on the horizon glowed like blood, painting the entire sky a golden-red. In the distance, the mountains rose and fell, resembling a sleeping behemoth in the twilight.

"It's time to leave." Zhang Kui's figure flickered, transforming into a faint wisp of frost mist, disappearing into the twilight, and sped off towards Mianchi.

What he didn't know was that at the very same moment he sent the coffin lamp into the underworld...

Lingjiu Mountain Main Peak, Yuanjue Cave

A gaunt Taoist priest, sitting upright on a futon, slowly opened his eyes.

His face was like an ancient tree, his eyes one withered and the other thriving; his left eye was as lifeless as a fallen autumn leaf, while his right eye was as vibrant as a new bud in early spring. The Daoist rhythm of life and death flowed around him, as if he were the embodiment of life and death itself.

The Taoist priest gently flicked his whisk, and ripples appeared in the air in front of him, revealing the phantom of a lamp—the projection of the coffin lamp.

The lamplight was dim, the flame at the wick was weak, and more importantly, the two originally brilliant divine patterns on the lamp were now shrouded in an unfamiliar aura. That aura was vast and ancient, carrying the unique chill of the underworld, yet it was also dignified and upright, like an emperor who held the reincarnation.

"Someone... touched my light."

The Taoist priest murmured to himself, his voice echoing in the empty cave, devoid of any emotion, yet it instantly froze the surrounding air.

He made a calculation with his fingers, the Daoist energy flowing from his fingertips, and the secrets of heaven unfolded before his eyes. However, at this moment, a great calamity was taking place, the secrets of heaven were chaotic, and the aura of calamity was pervasive, so he could not calculate the specific cause and effect, but could only vaguely sense that it was related to the Netherworld.

"In the midst of a great calamity, unexpected changes arise." The Taoist stood up and slowly walked towards the cave entrance. With each step he took, a golden lotus bloomed beneath his feet, supporting him as he floated through the air. "Very well, let this humble Taoist go himself and see who... dares to touch my Burning Lamp's possessions."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared.

……

At this moment, Zhang Kui was already a hundred miles away.

A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling his clothes, but he paid no heed and continued on his way toward Xiqi.

Currently reading: Chapter 116 The Coffin Lamp, Taken for Oneself, latest chapters available here.