Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

The underworld, Fengdu Mountain.

This place is shrouded in a gray mist all year round. The River of Oblivion flows quietly, and blood-red spider lilies bloom on both banks. The mountain path winds its way through the jagged rocks on both sides, and occasionally, a ghostly figure drifts by, emitting a silent wail.

"This underworld is as desolate as ever!"

A gaunt Taoist priest with a face like an ancient tree strolled leisurely along the mountain path. He wore a black Taoist robe, held a whisk in his hand, and his eyes, one withered and the other bright, were none other than the Taoist Ran Deng, who had followed him all the way from Lingjiu Mountain.

After the aura of the coffin lamp disappeared, relying on the faint connection he had cultivated for many years, he spent three days deducing the secrets of heaven and finally figured out that the treasure had escaped into the underworld.

Ran Deng stopped and looked up at the majestic palace atop the mountain. The palace was entirely black, with upturned eaves, exuding a strong sense of reincarnation and Taoism. Above the main entrance of the palace hung a plaque with three ancient characters: Fengdu City.

"The Great Emperor of Fengdu..." A strange light flashed in Randeng's eyes. "Since the fall of the ancient King of the Underworld, this position has remained vacant. When did a successor appear?"

He tried to calculate with his fingers, but felt that the secrets of heaven were chaotic, as if a layer of mist shrouded the great hall, making it impossible to see clearly. This made him even more wary—to be able to hold the position of Fengdu in the underworld was no ordinary person.

At the summit, inside the Fengdu Grand Hall.

Zhang Kui's avatar, the Emperor of Fengdu, sat regally on the imperial throne, clad in a dark imperial robe and wearing a twelve-tassel crown. His face was majestic, bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to Zhang Kui himself, yet possessing an added air of imperial nobility and world-weariness. His eyes, which had been closed as he comprehended the laws of reincarnation within the coffin lamp, slowly opened, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"They actually tracked us down. They're like a persistent ghost." The Emperor of Fengdu muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the hall. "It's a pity that now that the item is in my hands, no one can covet it anymore. Even if the Sage came, it would be useless."

With a thought, the coffin lamp in front of him floated up. The coffin lamp was now completely different from the one three days ago—the part of the lamp body that had been cleansed by the Daoist aura of annihilation was now covered with densely packed Netherworld divine patterns. These divine patterns moved across the lamp body like living things, emanating a rich aura of reincarnation.

This is precisely the result of the Great Emperor of Fengdu's efforts over these three days.

He wields the laws of reincarnation and resides in the underworld, giving him a far greater understanding of the power of the netherworld than Randeng. When the coffin lamp fell into his hands, it was like a fish returning to the sea; the netherworld divine patterns that Randeng had forcibly suppressed rapidly revived under the nourishment of the Dao of Reincarnation. In just three days, 60% of the lamp's surface had regained its original netherworld attributes.

"Burning Lamp... You intend to strip away the Netherworld's essence from this treasure, merge it with the Dao of Annihilation, and thereby sever the good corpse and seize power in the Netherworld?" A hint of mockery flashed in the eyes of the Emperor of Fengdu. "Your scheme is quite clever, but unfortunately, you've run into me."

Just then, a calm yet undeniable voice came from down the mountain:

"This humble Taoist priest, Ran Deng of the Chan Sect, requests that the Great Emperor of Fengdu appear before me."

The sound was not loud, but it pierced through layers of mist and clearly entered the main hall.

The Emperor of Fengdu smiled slightly and stood up. He took a step and his figure appeared outside the main hall, standing in mid-air, looking down at the Taoist Ran Deng on the mountain path.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

The moment the Taoist Ran Deng saw the Emperor of Fengdu, he was startled. The Emperor's aura was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss, making him feel a sense of pressure. What shocked him even more was that the laws of reincarnation flowing around the other party were incomparably pure, as if he were born to be the ruler of the underworld.

"No wonder he can hold the position of Fengdu..." Randeng thought to himself, but his face remained expressionless. He bowed and greeted the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

The Emperor of Fengdu nodded slightly in return, but remained silent, simply watching Randeng.

Seeing this, Ran Deng didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Fellow Daoist, three days ago I lost a magical treasure called the Coffin Lamp. I calculated the secrets of heaven and discovered that this treasure had escaped into the underworld and fallen into your hands. This treasure is bound to my life, so I humbly request that you return it. I will surely reward you handsomely."

The words were spoken politely, but the unquestionable tone was quite evident.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Fengdu smiled knowingly: "The Coffin Lamp? I have indeed obtained this treasure."

Having said that, he flipped his right hand, and the coffin lamp appeared out of thin air, hovering above his palm. The lamp's body was covered with flowing Netherworld divine patterns, and the eerie green Netherworld ghost fire at the wick burned quietly, emitting a pure Daoist aura of reincarnation.

The moment Randeng saw the coffin lamp, his expression changed drastically.

"How is this possible?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

It turns out that the coffin lamp was completely different at this time.

The Netherworld Divine Runes that he had spent several eons to barely clear from the lamp body had now reappeared, even more intricate and profound than before. What shocked him even more was that the Netherworld Ghost Fire at the wick, which he had suppressed to the brink of extinction with his Daoist Rhyme, was now burning fiercely, radiating a Netherworld Power that made even him tremble.

"Outrageous!" Ran Deng was furious, but he forced himself to remain calm. "What do you mean by this, fellow Daoist? This treasure belongs to me. It is far too domineering for you to refine it without my permission."

"Outrageous!" Ran Deng was furious, but he forced himself to remain calm. "What do you mean by this, fellow Daoist? This treasure belongs to me. It is far too domineering for you to refine it without my permission."

His heart was bleeding.

This coffin lamp is an innate spiritual treasure, containing the laws of reincarnation. Randeng cultivates the Path of Annihilation, which is inherently incompatible with reincarnation. However, he has taken a different path, intending to completely strip away the Netherworld divine runes from this treasure using a method of manipulation, and then integrate them into his own Path of Annihilation. In this way, he can both use the coffin lamp to sever his benevolent corpse and gain some authority in the Netherworld, without being tainted by the karma of the Netherworld, and thus not be bound to this gloomy and cold Netherworld land.

This was the path he had planned for several decades.

But now, all his years of hard work have been destroyed in an instant. The coffin lamp has regained its netherworld attributes, and all his calculations have become nothing but a mirage.

The Emperor of Fengdu took in the changes in Randeng's expression, sneering inwardly, but said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Randeng, you are mistaken. Since this treasure has fallen into the Netherworld, it is destined to be with me. Moreover, the Coffin Lamp is originally a treasure of the Netherworld. Fellow Daoist, forcibly stripping it of its Netherworld attributes is going against the will of Heaven. I am merely setting things right."

"Set things right?" Ran Deng laughed angrily. "What a fine way to set things right! I'd like to see what you're capable of, fellow Daoist, that you dare to utter such boastful words."

Before he could finish speaking, Ran Deng had already made his move.

With a flick of his right hand, an ancient jade ruler appeared out of thin air. The ruler was three feet and three inches long, pure white, and covered with star patterns, radiating a vast aura that stabilized the universe—it was the innate spiritual treasure, the Qiankun Ruler.

"go!"

With a low shout, the Qiankun Ruler soared into the air, transforming into a beam of white light that pressed down on the Emperor of Fengdu.

This foot embodies the laws of the universe. Wherever the shadow of the foot passes, space freezes, and the flow of time slows down, as if the entire world is frozen in place by this foot.

The Emperor of Fengdu looked solemn and dared not be negligent. He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and an ancient-looking writing brush appeared out of thin air—the Reincarnation Brush.

The brush is 12 inches long, with a black handle and dark gold bristles. There are faint glimmers of light at the tip, as if it can write about life and death and depict reincarnation.

"Break!" The Emperor of Fengdu wielded his brush with a single stroke.

A dark, ethereal stroke swept across the void, colliding with the white light of the Qiankun Ruler.

"Boom—!"

The moment the two innate spiritual treasures collided, a deafening roar erupted. A visible shockwave spread outwards from the point of impact. Fengdu Mountain trembled violently, rocks tumbled down, the River of Oblivion surged backwards, and the spider lilies on both banks withered in droves.

With a single strike, the score was evenly split.

A hint of surprise flashed in Ran Deng's eyes. Although he knew that the Emperor of Fengdu was extraordinary, he did not expect that the other party could withstand his attack head-on.

"You do have some skill," Ran Deng said coldly. "But today, you are doomed!"

He formed hand seals, and a serene Daoist aura flowed around him. It was a state of mind where all things would eventually return to nothingness; wherever he passed, life withered and the laws decayed. Randeng had cultivated this path for countless eons, and it had long been ingrained in his very bones. Now, as he exerted his full power, the entire Fengdu Mountain was shrouded in a desolate atmosphere of the end of all things.

"The Path of Nirvana, the cycle of birth, death, decay, and prosperity, open!"

With a low shout from Ran Deng, the space within a hundred miles centered on him rapidly changed. The already desolate land of the underworld was now utterly devoid of life; even the spirits vanished instantly, turning into nothingness. The River of Oblivion stopped flowing, the flowers of the other shore withered completely, and even the rocks began to slowly weather away.

This is the power of a peak Great Luo Golden Immortal!

The Great Emperor of Fengdu, being within it, immediately felt a powerful suppression. The laws of reincarnation within his body stagnate, as if bound by invisible shackles. Even more terrifying, the Daoist aura of annihilation is constantly eroding his soul, threatening to assimilate him into nothingness.

"What a magnificent path to annihilation!" the Emperor of Fengdu exclaimed, yet his eyes showed no fear. "But this is the Underworld, my domain!"

With a thought, the Daoist energy of reincarnation surged around him.

"The Six Paths of Reincarnation, manifest!"

Behind the Great Emperor of Fengdu, six enormous halos of light appeared. Each halos represented a cycle of reincarnation—the Heavenly Path, the Human Path, the Asura Path, the Animal Path, the Hungry Ghost Path, and the Hell Path. The six halos of light slowly rotated, emanating profound laws of reincarnation.

The path of reincarnation and the path of Nirvana are two completely contradictory paths.

Nirvana is the end, reincarnation is the cycle; Nirvana is nothingness, reincarnation is rebirth.

Two great paths collided fiercely above Mount Fengdu, erupting in dazzling light. One was the bleakness of the end of all things, the other the light of endless reincarnation. The entire underworld trembled under the collision of these two forces, countless souls fled in terror, and even the evil spirits at the bottom of the River of Oblivion trembled.

"The Pen of Reincarnation, the Book of Life and Death, emerge!"

The Emperor of Fengdu made his move once more. With a flick of his left hand, an ancient book appeared—the Book of Life and Death. The pages moved without wind, displaying the names of countless beings, each name radiating a different aura of destiny.

With a flick of his right hand, he gently touched the Book of Life and Death.

Ran Deng's expression changed as he sensed a strange force interfering with his destiny. He quickly activated the Qiankun Ruler, which shone brightly with white light, transforming into a barrier to protect himself.

"You think your mere evil magic can trap this poor Daoist?" Ran Deng sneered, his right hand forming a hand seal once more. "Golden alms bowl, appear!"

A purple-gold alms bowl appeared out of thin air, its mouth facing downwards, emanating a suction force that devoured all things. This was another innate spiritual treasure of Randeng, specifically designed to counter spells related to the soul and destiny.

As soon as the golden alms bowl appeared, the power of fate exerted by the Book of Life and Death was immediately weakened by more than half.

But the Emperor of Fengdu was prepared.

With a thought, the coffin lamp floating beside him suddenly lit up. The ghostly flames at the wick burned fiercely, transforming into a sea of ​​eerie green fire that swept towards the lamp.

The Netherworld Flame in the hands of the Fengdu Emperor was more than ten times more powerful than in the hands of Ma Shan. Wherever the flame passed, even the Realm of Annihilation was burned through, revealing countless void cracks.

"The Coffin Lamp!" A trace of sorrow flashed in Ran Deng's eyes, which then turned into boundless rage. "How dare you use my magic weapon against me!"

He swept his Qiankun Ruler horizontally with his right hand and turned his purple-gold alms bowl upside down with his left, unleashing two innate spiritual treasures to directly confront the Netherworld Ghost Fire.

"Boom boom boom—!"

The intense collision continued over Fengdu Mountain.

With his cultivation level, Burning Lamp was far superior to the Great Emperor of Fengdu. His Dao of Annihilation was exquisite and unparalleled. The Universe Ruler stabilized the universe, and the Purple Gold Bowl devoured all things. Every strike contained the power to destroy the world.

However, the Emperor of Fengdu was no pushover. He was a born deity, wielding the laws of reincarnation, giving him a home-field advantage in the underworld. More importantly, his three magical treasures—the Reincarnation Brush, the Book of Life and Death, and the Coffin Lamp—were all closely connected to the underworld, allowing them to unleash their full power here.

The two fought their way from Fengdu Mountain to the River of Oblivion, and then from the River of Oblivion to the Bridge of Helplessness. Wherever they went, mountains collapsed and the earth cracked, rivers surged backward, and even the stable space of the underworld was cracked.

The more he fought, the more alarmed he became.

He initially thought that with his cultivation level, defeating the Emperor of Fengdu wouldn't be difficult. However, upon actually engaging in combat, he discovered that his opponent's understanding of the laws of reincarnation was unfathomable, and with the added advantage of the authority of the underworld, he was actually evenly matched with him!

"We can't delay any longer!" Ran Deng thought to himself. "This is the underworld after all. The longer we delay, the more things will go wrong."

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly clasped his hands together.

"The true meaning of Nirvana is the return of all things to nothingness!"

Behind Randeng, a colossal phantom appeared. The phantom was indistinct, emanating an aura of the end of all things, as if it were the culmination of all existence. This was Randeng's manifestation of his Dao fruition—the True Body of Nirvana.

The moment the true form of Nirvana appeared, the entire underworld trembled violently. The River of Oblivion dried up instantly, cracks appeared on the Bridge of Helplessness, and even the light of the Six Paths of Reincarnation dimmed slightly.

The Emperor of Fengdu's expression was extremely solemn. He sensed the aura of death; if he couldn't withstand this attack, his avatar would likely perish here.

"It seems we have no choice but to resort to that move..." A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the Emperor of Fengdu.

With a thought, he prepared to activate the source of the underworld and fight Ran Deng to the death.

However, at this critical moment...

That's enough.

A calm female voice echoed in the sky above the underworld...