Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Chaotic mist churned, and heaven and earth were upside down.

Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma, stood on a seven-jeweled golden lotus, struggling to withstand the great test of heaven and earth. The pure and turbid energies, like two giant dragons, rose and fell, strangling his protective divine light. The chaotic energy was even more terrifying, dimming the golden lotus's radiance with each contact.

"If this continues, we'll really be trapped and die in this formation..."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Manjushri's forehead, and his power as a Great Luo Golden Immortal was being depleted like a tide. He looked around and saw that the formation flowed seamlessly, with almost no flaws.

But at that moment—

The formation's operation experienced a momentary stagnation.

The sluggishness was extremely subtle, like a perfectly functioning clock suddenly pausing. Ordinary cultivators wouldn't notice it at all, but Manjushri was a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and he was extremely sensitive to changes in the energy of heaven and earth.

"Chance!"

Manjushri's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the Seven Treasures Golden Lotus suddenly shone brightly. Three golden rings flew out from the lotus platform, transforming into three golden beams of light that shot directly towards three directions within the formation—precisely the locations of Yang Sen, Gao Youqian, and Li Xingba.

The timing of this strike was perfect.

Yang Sen was fully activating the Heaven-Opening Pearl when he sensed the golden circle approaching. He hurriedly distracted himself to defend, causing the Heaven-Opening Pearl's light to falter. Gao Youqian was restrained by the gravity of the turbid energy, making his movements sluggish and nearly being hit by the golden circle. Li Xingba was caught off guard, and even the operation of the Chaos Pearl paused for a moment.

The coordinated action of the three orbs was abruptly interrupted for a moment.

The sluggishness in the formation's operation became even more apparent.

"Now!"

Manjushri was overjoyed and was about to activate the Dragon-Hiding Stakes to break through the formation—

"Manjushri, you've been tricked."

A calm voice sounded behind him.

Manjushri's hair stood on end; his instincts as a Great Luo Golden Immortal made him react instantly. He forcefully twisted his body, turning the Seven Treasures Golden Lotus around to protect his back...

But it's too late.

Zhang Kui's figure coalesced like frost, and the Dragon Sparrow Blade, carrying five-colored divine light, slashed down fiercely.

Zhang Kui had been planning this attack for a long time.

From the moment Manjushri entered the formation, he had been waiting for this opportunity—waiting for Manjushri to think he had found a weakness, waiting for Manjushri to lose focus, and waiting for Manjushri to concentrate all his attention on breaking the formation.

Flying body leaves traces, frost has no fixed location.

Zhang Kui's figure appeared and disappeared in the chaotic mist, yet his blade flashed with lightning speed. What was even more terrifying was that this strike not only contained all of his magical power but also borrowed the power of the pure and turbid energies accumulated within the formation.

The blade cleaved through chaos and tore through space.

Manjushri's protective divine light shattered like paper, and the Seven Treasures Golden Lotus was sent flying backward by the cleavage, the blade striking his back squarely.

"puff--"

Golden immortal blood gushed out.

"Ugh!"

Manjushri let out a painful roar. The Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light entered his body through the wound, and began to frantically decompose his physical body, magical power, and even his soul.

"How dare you, you brat!"

Manjushri's eyes were bloodshot. His pride as a Great Luo Golden Immortal forced him to suppress his injuries. He struck out with a backhand palm, and the wind from his palm dispersed even the chaotic energy.

Size as desired.

Zhang Kui's figure suddenly shrank, passing through the gaps in the palm wind like a fish. At the same time, he made a hand seal with his left hand, causing the formation to change.

Heaven and earth are upside down, yin and yang are reversed.

The clear and turbid energies suddenly reversed, with the clear energy sinking and the turbid energy rising, and the two collided violently in the middle.

"Boom!"

The entire Qiankun Wuji Array trembled violently, the rotation speed of the Chaos Millstone increased tenfold, and countless tiny vortexes surged from all directions, frantically grinding Manjushri's physical body.

"not good!"

Manjushri's expression changed drastically. He knew he had fallen into a trap; that slight hesitation just now was a deliberate flaw deliberately revealed by Zhang Kui.

"Trying to leave?" A cold glint flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes, and he raised the Dragon Sparrow Blade in his right hand once more. This time, the five-colored light on the blade was even more dazzling, and the faint phantom images of dragons and tigers could be seen moving across the blade.

Subduing dragons and tigers.

The blade energy burst forth, weaving into a vast net in the air, sealing off all of Manjushri's escape routes.

Manjushri was horrified and turned pale.

Who exactly is this Zhang Kui?

"Break it!"

Manjushri roared, and above his head, three golden lotuses simultaneously bloomed with boundless radiance from the auspicious clouds, forcefully creating a pure land within the chaotic millstone.

Golden Light Technique Across the Earth!

He transformed into a golden ray of light, breaking through layers of obstacles and bursting out of the chaotic mist.

But at this moment, he looked extremely disheveled.

A deep, bone-revealing knife wound ran down his back, golden immortal blood flowing continuously, his aura was chaotic, and his Three Flowers and Five Qi were dim and lifeless...

"Master!"

Jin Zha exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to help him up.

Manjushri waved his hand, forcefully suppressing his surging blood and qi, his face as pale as paper. He turned to look at the chaotic mist shrouding Mount Qi, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"This formation is profound and cannot be broken by one person alone." Manjushri took a deep breath and said to Jiang Ziya, "We need to discuss this further."

After saying this, without waiting for Jiang Ziya's response, he gestured for Jin Zha to help him up, and then transformed into a streak of light and returned to the thatched hut in the camp.

Upon entering the room, Manjushri could no longer suppress his injuries.

"puff--"

Another mouthful of golden blood spurted out, mixed with a few specks of five-colored light.

"Master!" Jinzha exclaimed in shock.

"It's alright." Manjushri waved his hand, but his voice was much weaker. "You stay outside and guard the door. No one is allowed to disturb you."

Jin Zha accepted the order and withdrew.

Manjushri sat cross-legged and took out a communication jade talisman from his robes. Using his finger as a brush, he wrote a few words in the air, and then the jade talisman transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the horizon.

After doing all this,

He had only just begun to truly heal.

But the severity of his injuries far exceeded his expectations.

The Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light churned within him like a bone-deep sore, making it difficult for him to calm his mind.

"Such ruthless methods..." Manjushri gritted his teeth. "Zhang Kui... I'll remember this!"

He closed his eyes and focused all his energy on circulating the Jade Purity Immortal Light, beginning to gradually erode the alien power within his body.

……

Within the Qiankun Wuji Formation, Zhang Kui slowly sheathed his sword.

A few drops of golden immortal blood were still stained on the Dragon Sparrow Sword. With a thought, he used his magic power to collect them—the blood of a Great Luo Golden Immortal was a rare material for refining weapons and pills.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang!"

Yang Sen and his two companions flew over, their eyes filled with shock.

They witnessed firsthand how Zhang Kui schemed against Manjushri, how he severely injured a Great Luo Golden Immortal with a single strike, and how he forced the opponent to flee in a sorry state...

This is beyond their comprehension!

"Fellow Daoist, you are truly a divine being!" Li Xingba exclaimed excitedly. "Even Manjushri was severely injured by you. If word gets out..."

"It won't get out," Zhang Kui calmly interrupted him. "Manjushri won't tell, and you fellow Daoists shouldn't either. The truth about this battle is known only to the four of us."

The three were taken aback for a moment, then understood what Zhang Kui meant.

"However, this battle also exposed our biggest problem." Zhang Kui looked at the three of them and said in a deep voice, "Our coordination is not good enough. If the three of you could have restored the formation to operation faster, Manjushri would not have been able to escape at all."

Yang Sen smiled wryly, "Fellow Daoist is right. We have cooperated with our elder brother for a thousand years, and our hearts are already in sync. But now..."

"Then let's practice." Zhang Kui said decisively.

He reached out and made a gesture in the air, and array patterns appeared out of thin air: "In my opinion, the Qiankun Wuji Array is not just a defensive formation."

"What do you mean, fellow Daoist?" Gao Youqian's eyes lit up.

"Move the formation, take the initiative to attack." Zhang Kui said, emphasizing each word, "Turn this great formation into a sharp weapon in our hands."

The three of them gasped.

A mobile formation? That idea is insane.

"Alright!" Li Xingba was the first to shout, "We'll do as you say, fellow Daoist."

Yang Sen and Gao Youqian nodded emphatically.

Zhang Kui looked at the three of them: "Today, we will try out the mobile formation."

"Now?" Yang Sen hesitated. "Although Manjushri is seriously injured, there are still Yang Jian, Nezha, and others in the Xiqi camp..."

"We must take them by surprise." A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes. "With Manjushri severely injured and in seclusion, Jiang Ziya will certainly not dare to make any rash moves. This is our best opportunity."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, we don't need to move the entire formation; we only need to move the 'formation eye' to extend the attack range to the Xiqi army camp."

Upon hearing this, the three of them's eyes lit up.

Yes, moving the entire formation would be too costly, but moving only the core of the formation is something they can easily do with their current teamwork.

"Let's begin then."

Zhang Kui took a deep breath and formed a hand seal.

The Heaven-Opening Pearl, the Earth-Splitting Pearl, and the Primordial Chaos Pearl all shone brightly simultaneously, forming a triangular formation in the air. Zhang Kui, positioned in the center, drew upon the pure and turbid energies and began to slowly move...

At the foot of Mount Qi, the Xiqi military camp.

Jiang Ziya stood on the observation platform, his brows furrowed.

Brother Manjushri went into seclusion to heal his injuries, while Qishan remained shrouded in chaotic mist, showing no signs of dissipating.

"It's too quiet..." Jiang Ziya murmured.

"What are you worried about, Uncle-Master?" Yang Jian appeared beside him without him noticing.

Jiang Ziya shook his head: "I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just doesn't feel right. Zhang Kui is a man of deep thoughts. After severely injuring Brother Manjushri, he couldn't possibly just sit here quietly and wait."

Yang Jian slightly opened his third eye on his forehead and looked towards Qishan: "The formation is still stable, but it seems... to be moving slowly?"

"Move?" Jiang Ziya's expression changed drastically.

Just then...

The chaotic mist on Mount Qi suddenly churned violently.

Immediately afterwards, a chaotic beam of light, hundreds of feet thick, shot out from the mist and headed straight for the Xiqi army camp!

"Enemy attack! All troops on high alert!"

Jiang Ziya immediately summoned the Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, and countless golden lotuses emerged, forming a barrier in the air.

"Boom—!"

The chaotic pillar of light slammed into the golden lotus barrier, unleashing a deafening roar. The entire Xiqi military camp trembled, many tents were overturned by the shockwave, and the soldiers panicked.

"How is this possible?!" Jiang Ziya exclaimed in horror, "Their formation... can attack from this distance?!"

Yang Jian's expression turned grave: "It's not that the entire formation is moving, but rather that the core of the formation has been extended. Zhang Kui... how dare he!"

The chaotic pillar of light did not dissipate after its strike; instead, it began to slowly rotate, forming a massive vortex. Within the vortex, the pure and turbid energies intertwined, and three precious orbs could be vaguely seen spinning.

Then, the second, third, and fourth beams of chaotic light shot out in succession.

"Stop them!"

Nezha rode on his Wind-Fire Wheels and soared into the sky, his Fire-Tipped Spear transforming into countless spear shadows that pierced towards a pillar of chaotic light.

But the moment the spear shadow made contact with the pillar of light, most of it was dissipated by the chaotic energy. The remaining power was simply insufficient to disperse the pillar of light.

"This chaotic energy is specifically effective against magic!" Nezha's face turned grim.

"This chaotic energy is specifically effective against magic!" Nezha's face turned grim.

Yang Jian also made his move, his three-pointed double-edged sword transforming into a hundred-foot-long blade aura, slashing towards another pillar of light. However, the blade aura was also quickly dissipated, only barely slowing down the pillar of light.

Jin Zha, Mu Zha, Huang Feihu and others all took action, but to little avail.

The terror of the chaotic pillar of light exceeded everyone's expectations.

Just then, a clear, cold voice came from afar, "You madmen of the Intercepting Sect, how dare you use the formation to commit murder..."