Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

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The voice, like the unmelting snow on a mountaintop, carried a majestic Daoist aura and resounded throughout heaven and earth.

"You madmen of the Jie Sect, how dare you use the formation to commit murder..."

Before the words were finished, three figures slowly descended from the clouds.

On the left is a man in a blue robe, carrying two swords on his back. He has a handsome face, bright eyes, and a sharp sword intent hidden between his brows—Master Puxian of Baihe Cave in Jiugong Mountain.

The man in the middle was dressed in a Bagua Taoist robe, wearing a golden crown to bind his hair. His face was like a full moon, and his beard and hair were all white. A yellow rope was tied around his waist.

On the right is a person dressed in white, holding a pure bottle, with gentle features like a woman, and surrounded by a faint lotus fragrance—the Cihang Zhenren of Luojia Cave on Mount Putuo.

The simultaneous appearance of three Great Luo Golden Immortals caused a sudden change in the celestial phenomena of Qishan. The chaotic mist that had been permeated by the Qiankun Wuji Formation seemed to encounter an invisible barrier at this moment, and was forcibly pushed outward by three hundred feet. A clear sky suddenly appeared, and sunlight poured down like golden gauze, enveloping the Xiqi military camp in a peaceful glow.

The chaotic spiritual energy of heaven and earth was forcibly suppressed and restored to order.

"My three senior brothers!"

Jiang Ziya was overjoyed and hurriedly led his generals forward, bowing respectfully. He said with a sigh of relief, "I am truly ashamed that I have caused Brother Manjushri to be injured and that my three senior brothers have come in person!"

Yang Jian, Nezha, Jinzha, Muzha, and other third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect also stepped forward to pay their respects.

Ju Liusun nodded slightly, but his gaze had already passed over the crowd and landed on the swirling, chaotic mist in the distance.

"Junior Brother Ziya, there's no need for such formalities," said Master Cihang in a gentle voice, her tone as clear as a flowing spring. "When a fellow disciple is in trouble, we should naturally offer our assistance. Where is Senior Brother Manjushri now?"

Samantabhadra frowned slightly. He and Manjushri had known each other for tens of thousands of years and shared the deepest friendship. Now, sensing Manjushri's weakened state, a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Lead the way quickly."

Jiang Ziya dared not delay and immediately led the three Golden Immortals to the thatched hut where Manjushri was healing. Before leaving, he turned back to look at Yang Jian: "Nephew Yang, you and Nezha and the others stay here to keep watch and prevent the Shang army from launching a sneak attack."

"Disciple understands," Yang Jian replied solemnly.

……

Inside the thatched hut, Manjushri sat cross-legged on a futon, his face as pale as paper. Although the deep, bone-revealing knife wound on his back had stopped bleeding, five-colored light still swirled around the wound, preventing the flesh from healing. Even more troublesome was the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light that had invaded his body, constantly eroding his Jade Purity Immortal Light, making every time he circulated his magical power feel like being cut by a knife.

Jin Zha, who was guarding outside the door, sensed several powerful auras approaching and hurriedly opened the door. Upon seeing Ju Liusun and the other two, his eyes reddened, and he knelt down with a thud: "Uncle-Master, Uncle-Master, please save Master!"

"Get up and speak." Master Puxian helped Jinzha up and quickly walked into the thatched hut.

Upon seeing Manjushri's injuries, the three men's expressions turned extremely grim.

Julusun reached out and pressed down, a thick, earth-yellow immortal light enveloping Manjushri's entire body as he examined him closely. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "Such domineering power of the five elements. This light seems simple, but in reality it contains the wonders of the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements, endlessly decomposing Manjushri's magical foundation."

Manjushri slowly opened his eyes and said with a wry smile, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Senior Brother. The one who injured me was Zhang Kui, whom you mentioned before. This person is indeed extraordinary. He is only at the Xuanxian realm, yet he was able to injure me using the power of an array. I was careless and was outmaneuvered by him."

"Zhang Kui?" Master Puxian noted down the name.

Master Cihang sighed softly and took out the Pure Glass Bottle from his robes. This precious bottle was crystal clear, and within it, one could see the light of the sun, moon, and stars flowing. It was none other than the rare healing treasure in the world—the Three Lights Divine Water.

She lightly touched the bottle with her jade-like finger, and a crystal-clear droplet of water, shimmering with three-colored light, slowly flew out and hovered in the air. Although the droplet was small, it seemed to contain boundless vitality. As soon as it appeared, the air in the entire thatched hut became fresh, and even the five-colored light around Manjushri's wound trembled slightly.

"Brother Manjushri, open your mouth."

Manjushri opened his mouth as instructed, and the drop of the Three Lights Divine Water transformed into a stream of light and entered his mouth.

In an instant, a surge of vitality erupted from Manjushri's body. The five-colored light at the wound on his back faded rapidly like melting snow, and his flesh and blood healed and regenerated at a visible speed. The Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light that had been raging within him was also enveloped, decomposed, and transformed into the purest spiritual energy by the neutralized Sun, Moon, and Star Lights in the Three Lights Divine Water, nourishing his body in return.

In just three breaths, Manjushri's pale complexion regained its rosy hue, and his aura steadily increased. Although he had not fully recovered to his peak, his magical power flowed smoothly without any stagnation.

He exhaled a long breath, stood up, and bowed solemnly to Cihang Zhenren: "Thank you for the medicine, Junior Sister."

Master Cihang smiled and returned the greeting: "It's good that you're alright, Junior Brother."

Ju Liusun turned his gaze outside the thatched hut, looking towards Qishan: "We have just tested the Qiankun Wuji Formation. This formation is indeed profound, secretly conforming to the changes of purity and turbidity in heaven and earth, and is also harmonized and operated by the chaotic energy. If the master's cultivation were not insufficient, I'm afraid even if the three of us joined forces, we would have difficulty breaking it in a short time."

Master Puxian said coldly, "No matter how exquisite the formation is, it is ultimately an external thing. Since the person in charge is not skilled enough, then we will break it with force—directly crush the person who set up the formation, and the formation will break on its own."

Manjushri shook his head: "We must not be careless. Yang Sen and the others are from the Jie Sect and are skilled in formations. Moreover..." He paused, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes, "I have a feeling that Zhang Kui has more tricks up his sleeve. He is no easy opponent."

"Oh?" Julusun became interested. "It's truly remarkable that Junior Brother Manjushri would speak so highly of you. However..."

He changed the subject, his voice growing cold: "Since they dare to obstruct the great undertaking of the Investiture of the Gods, they cannot be allowed to live. Now that we are here, we will break through this formation in one fell swoop, capture and kill the ringleaders, and set the record straight."

The four men looked at each other, nodded, and walked out of the thatched hut together.

……

Within the Qiankun Wuji Formation.

"Fellow Daoists," Zhang Kui said, "the situation is hopeless; prepare to retreat."

Yang Sen was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Fellow Daoist Zhang is right."

He turned to Gao Youqian and Li Xingba: "Third brother, fourth brother, listen to Fellow Daoist Zhang, prepare to withdraw."

Although the two were unwilling, they could only grit their teeth and nod when their second brother spoke.

Zhang Kui felt a slight sense of relief and was about to begin arranging the retreat when a sudden change occurred outside the formation—

Ju Liusun took a step forward and was already a hundred feet in front of the formation. He made a gesture with his right hand—"The Technique of Turning the Earth into Steel".

An extremely heavy Daoist aura spread out, and the earth's vein power suddenly surged within a thousand miles around Qishan.

Rocks crumbled, trees felled, and even the air became thick and viscous. The chaotic mist outside the Qiankun Wuji Array was forced down three feet by this terrifying earth vein power, and its churning speed was significantly slowed.

"Not good!" Zhang Kui's expression changed. "He's suppressing the earth's veins!"

Veins bulged on Yang Sen's forehead as he desperately tried to activate the three precious pearls, but it was like rowing against the current; maintaining them for even a single breath required ten times the magical power.

"Fellow Daoists, retreat immediately." Zhang Kui made a decisive move, his figure spreading out like frost, merging into the surrounding chaotic mist and disappearing from sight.

Yang Sen, Gao Youqian, and Li Xingba also acted simultaneously. The Heaven-Opening Pearl, Earth-Splitting Pearl, and Primordial Chaos Pearl shone brightly, each transforming into a stream of light that shot off in three completely different directions.

The chaotic mist swept outwards like a tsunami, the pure and impure energies lost their harmony, and began to collide and explode violently. The entire Qishan Mountain trembled, the mountain cracked, and boulders tumbled down, as if the end of the world had arrived.

The four Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect outside the formation were prepared and simultaneously took action to protect the Xiqi army camp.