Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

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Qishan, the military camp of the Yin-Shang dynasty.

The once-flourishing, sprawling camps were now shrouded in a heavy, deathly silence. Even before getting close, Zhang Kui could sense the aura of bloodshed and despair.

The outer fence of the military camp was damaged in many places, and the repairs were hasty and sloppy. Most of the soldiers seen along the way were wounded; some were dozing against their weapons, while others stared blankly at the campfire. There were very few supply wagons carrying provisions, and the stockpiles of military rations were noticeably sparser than a few days ago.

"Morale has waned, and more than half of the soldiers are wounded."

Zhang Kui's heart sank slightly. His divine sense swept across the entire military camp like ripples. "There are only 50,000 troops left, and no more than 30,000 of them are capable of fighting."

The most horrifying sight was the open space in front of the central command tent—where dozens of corpses covered with white cloths lay, one of which stood out because it was not covered by an ordinary white cloth, but by a black banner embroidered with the Kowloon Island emblem. When the corner of the banner was blown up by the wind, a charred and tattered corner of a Taoist robe was revealed underneath.

Zhang Kui's pupils constricted slightly.

He concealed his presence, revealed himself, and walked towards the central command tent. The soldiers guarding along the way were initially surprised to see him, but then they saluted and greeted him.

Suppressed arguments could be heard from inside the tent.

"We have no choice but to set up an array, otherwise, when that scoundrel Manjushri returns, we will all be fish on a chopping board." This was Li Xingba's voice, hoarse and filled with grief and indignation.

"Set up an array? My elder brother is dead. How can the Qiankun Wuji Array operate?" Gao Youqian's voice trembled. "Are we being sent to our deaths?"

"Then what do you suggest? Sit and wait to die?" Li Xingba roared.

Zhang Kui lifted the curtain.

The argument abruptly ended.

Zhang Guifang, Yang Sen, Gao Youqian, Li Xingba, Feng Lin and others inside the tent all turned their heads at the same time, their eyes falling on him.

After a moment of silence, Li Xingba was the first to react. The burly, bearded man abruptly stood up, strode over to Zhang Kui, and slammed his thick hand heavily on his shoulder: "Fellow Daoist, you're alright! Thank goodness, truly thank goodness!"

Zhang Kui looked at Li Xingba and saw that the man's eyes were bloodshot and his eye sockets were sunken, clearly indicating that he had not slept for many days. Then he glanced at the others. Zhang Guifang was pale, obviously suffering from hidden injuries; Yang Sen's Taoist robe was torn, and there was a scorch mark on his chest; Gao Youqian was the most disheveled, not only was his clothing tattered, but his breathing was also unstable.

Feng Lin was in slightly better condition, but a heavy gloom hung over his face.

"General Zhang Kui," Zhang Guifang slowly rose, her voice hoarse, "after we withdrew our troops, we waited anxiously in Qishan for three days, but you did not return. We thought..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone in the tent understood the unspoken meaning.

Zhang Kui cupped his hands in farewell: "I'm sorry to have worried you all. I was just lucky; I escaped because Manjushri was momentarily careless."

The atmosphere inside the tent changed drastically the moment the word "Manjushri" was uttered.

Yang Sen's hands clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white; Gao Youqian's breathing quickened, fear flashing in his eyes; Li Xingba gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

That was a fear and hatred etched into the very marrow of one's bones.

"That bastard..." Li Xingba squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, "He used the Dragon-Binding Stake to lock up my brother and crushed his body to pieces."

Zhang Kui fell silent for a moment.

Although he had already guessed that Wang Mo was likely to die, hearing the confirmation with his own ears still sent a chill down his spine.

Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma—one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, possessing the cultivation of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, wielding the innate spiritual treasure, the Dragon-Binding Stake. If I hadn't had a flash of inspiration at the time, using the Treasure-Dropping Coin to temporarily sever its connection with the magic treasure, I would probably have followed in the footsteps of Wang Mo by now.

"What's the military situation now?" Zhang Kui changed the subject, looking at Zhang Guifang.

Zhang Guifang took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down: "In the last battle, our army lost more than 30,000 men and most of our food supplies were burned. Currently, we have less than 50,000 soldiers capable of fighting, and our food supplies are only enough for a little over a month. Although the Xiqi army has also suffered heavy losses, Jiang Ziya has already invited reinforcements from Kunlun, and several third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect have arrived and are challenging and provoking us every day."

He walked to the military desk and unfolded the map: "The natural barrier of Qishan is still in our hands, but the Western Qi army has already built fortifications on the perimeter, forming an encirclement. If our army tries to break out, we will be intercepted and killed; if we hold our ground and wait for reinforcements, our food supplies will not last long."

"When will the reinforcements arrive?" Zhang Kui asked.

"The battle report has been sent to Chaoge by fast horse, but..." Zhang Guifang smiled bitterly, "The Grand Tutor replied that he has urgently dispatched the four Mo family generals from Jiameng Pass, but the Mo family brothers will not arrive for at least half a month."

Silence fell again inside the tent...

After a long silence, Yang Sen suddenly spoke up: "The only solution now is to set up the 'Universe Limitless Formation' and rely on its advantages to hold out until reinforcements arrive."

"The Qiankun Wuji Formation?" Zhang Kui's heart stirred.

"That is the protective formation that my four brothers and I have been working on for thousands of years," Gao Youqian replied, his voice deep. "This formation is based on the three innate spirit pearls—I hold the Earth-Splitting Pearl, which mobilizes the turbid energy of the earth, governs all things, and suppresses the four directions; my second brother holds the Heaven-Opening Pearl, which draws in the pure energy of the heavens, establishes order, and understands changes; and my fourth brother holds the Primordial Chaos Pearl, which governs the chaotic energy and harmonizes yin and yang."

He walked to the open space inside the tent, using his finger as a brush to draw lines in the air. Spiritual energy condensed into a phantom array diagram in the air: "The Three Powers are positioned, the Heaven-Opening Pearl hangs above the array's eye, drawing down the pure energy of the Nine Heavens like a waterfall; the Earth-Splitting Pearl sinks deep into the array's base, summoning the turbid energy of the Nine Netherworlds to rise like a pillar; the Primordial Pearl harmonizes in the center, transforming the pure and turbid energies into a chaotic vortex, weaving together to form the 'Heaven and Earth Millstone.' All things entering the array are ground by the millstone, returning to their spiritual essence."

The array diagram shifted, and one could vaguely see pure energy rising and turbid energy sinking. The central chaotic vortex slowly rotated, emanating a terrifying Daoist aura that devoured all things and returned to the origin.

Zhang Kui stared at the array diagram, his Great Yin-Yang Void-Piercing True Eye silently activating as he began to observe the flow of the array patterns.

"It's almost like the cycle of nature," Zhang Kui murmured.

Yang Sen looked at him in surprise: "Fellow Daoist Zhang has a keen eye. Years ago, my four brothers and I visited Jin'ao Island with the array diagram. When the Tongtian Sect Leader commented on this array, he said that it was close to the cycle of the Heavenly Dao, and it was not easy to break. It was even more difficult to break it without any obstacles."

"But now..." Gao Youqian's eyes reddened, his voice choked with sobs, "Originally, within this formation, my elder brother was at its core, suppressing the key points, harmonizing yin and yang, and drawing upon the millstone of heaven and earth to attack the enemy. But now that my elder brother is gone, how can the formation function?"

Silence fell once more inside the tent.

Zhang Kui, however, stared at the illusory image of the array, his mind racing.

The core of this Qiankun Wuji Array lies in the balance and transformation of the pure and turbid energies. More importantly, he has the circulation of the five internal organs and the five energies within his body, as well as the Golden Core Dao Patterns that support the Heavenly Gang Divine Power. Perhaps he can give it a try...

"Perhaps," Zhang Kui said slowly, "I can temporarily take over the position of the array's core."

As soon as he finished speaking, four pairs of eyes focused on him.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you..." Li Xingba hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

"This formation is exquisite, requiring a profound understanding of the transformation between pure and turbid energies, and yin and yang," Yang Sen said earnestly. "Although your cultivation is remarkable, fellow Daoist,..."

"Let me try." Zhang Kui interrupted him, his tone calm. "Although Fellow Daoist Wang Mo has perished, if I can supplement my knowledge of formations, perhaps I can master the method of operating the formation core as soon as possible."

Yang Sen and Gao Youqian exchanged a glance, a glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes.

"My elder brother's storage bag... is with me." Yang Sen took out a fist-sized storage bag that glowed with a blue light from his pocket. "This is what my elder brother entrusted to me before he passed away."

He then took out a jade slip from it: "This contains my elder brother's insights into divination of formations over a thousand years."

Zhang Kui probed the jade slip with his divine sense, and a massive amount of information flooded into his mind—the method of guiding the pure and turbid energies, the key to the resonance of the three spiritual pearls, the operating rules of the millstone of heaven and earth... and Wang Mo's unique understanding of formations.

Using his Xuanxian Primordial Spirit to deduce the formation with the combined insight of the Great Yin-Yang Void-Piercing True Eye, Zhang Kui had already gained a preliminary understanding of the Qiankun Wuji Formation in the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"It's worth a try." He opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright. "Besides the three main formations holding beads, the formation can also draw talismans and cloud patterns on the soldiers and then integrate them into the formation."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guifang said without hesitation, "Feng Lin, you personally select five hundred fierce soldiers."

"This humble general obeys!" Feng Lin clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Li Xingba looked at Zhang Kui and clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Fellow Daoist, if this formation is successful, then my Nine Dragons Island will owe you a favor."

"We're all comrades, no need for such formalities." Zhang Kui waved his hand. "Let's not delay, let's begin the practice immediately. Fellow Daoist Yang, Fellow Daoist Gao, please teach me the basics of formations first. We'll start with the simple and gradually move on to the complex."

The three immediately began their deductions inside the main tent. Zhang Kui remained in the center of the formation, sensing the changes in the energy, while Yang Sen and the other two activated the Heaven-Opening Pearl, the Earth-Splitting Pearl, and the Primordial Chaos Pearl respectively. The energy of the three pearls interacted with each other, gradually forming a delicate balance...

Unbeknownst to Zhang Kui, while he was engrossed in comprehending the formation, Manjushri Bodhisattva was sitting opposite Jiang Ziya, enjoying tea in the Xiqi army camp.

Suddenly, Manjushri felt something, raised his eyes to look in the direction of Qishan, and a faint, cold smile appeared on his lips.

"A dying struggle," he whispered.

Jiang Ziya hurriedly asked, "Senior brother, has the Shang army made any unusual moves again?"

Manjushri did not answer, but simply put down his teacup gently. The clear tea in the cup rippled slightly, reflecting the fleeting golden light in his eyes.

On Mount Qi, dusk deepened. The mountain wind howled past, whipping up the fragments of the unburnt banners in the camp, which fluttered in the air like joss paper.