Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

"Third brother, fourth brother, may heaven and earth mourn together!"

Yang Sen's roar exploded in the chaotic airflow, his voice devoid of fear, only filled with a resolute acceptance of life and death.

Zhang Kui's pupils suddenly contracted.

He instantly understood the three men's choice—to sacrifice themselves to the formation, pushing the Qiankun Wuji Formation to its ultimate form, attempting to recreate the moment when Pangu created the world.

"No..." Zhang Kui tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Li Xingba laughed loudly, "Okay, Second Brother."

"Second brother, fourth brother, we brothers will make those disciples of the Chan Sect know what the wonderful methods of the Jie Sect are today," Gao Youqian also shouted in response.

The three precious orbs simultaneously emitted an unprecedented brilliance.

Within the light of the Heaven-Opening Pearl, countless minute spatial cracks spread like a spider web, "tearing open" the chaotic mist and revealing its void essence; wherever the light of the Earth-Splitting Pearl passed, the material structure began to disintegrate from the smallest details, mountains and rocks turned into dust, and air condensed into droplets and then evaporated instantly; while the Primordial Pearl hung in the center, vibrating at a mysterious frequency, harmonizing and unifying the two completely different forces into a perfect unity.

The three precious orbs began to cheer and spun faster and faster.

Yang Sen, Gao Youqian, and Li Xingba sat cross-legged simultaneously, their hands forming a mudra. Their physical bodies began to disintegrate, flowing into the three precious pearls like fuel.

"With my flesh and blood, I offer myself as a sacrifice to the heavens!"

Yang Sen's physical body was the first to dissipate, transforming into a crimson light that entered the Heaven-Opening Pearl. The pearl's light surged, and the spatial rift suddenly expanded, forming a "blade of nothingness" a hundred feet long.

"With my divine soul, I cleave the earth!"

Gao Youqian's primordial spirit rose from his mangled body, a resolute smile on his face, and lunged at the Earth-Splitting Pearl. The light from the Earth-Splitting Pearl suddenly solidified, transforming into a dark and heavy "world-destroying blade".

"With my true spirit, I unite with the primordial chaos!"

Li Xingba roared, his entire being burning with energy and spirit, transforming into a stream of chaotic energy that flowed into the Hunyuan Pearl. The Hunyuan Pearl trembled violently, emitting a long, drawn-out hum, and the chaotic power forcibly pulled the "Void Blade" of the Kaitian Pearl and the "World-Destroying Blade" of the Piercing Earth Pearl together.

The three forces began to merge.

The expressions of the four Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, including Manjushri, changed drastically.

Because... they sensed a familiar yet terrifying aura—an aura that was seven parts similar to their master, the Primordial Celestial Venerable!

"This is..." Julusun exclaimed in shock, "The Pangu Banner? This is impossible!"

Manjushri and Samantabhadra exchanged a glance, both with disbelief in their eyes. As Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, they naturally knew what the Pangu Banner was—it was transformed from the blade of the Heaven-Opening Axe, one of the three innate treasures, possessing the power to tear apart chaos and create heaven and earth.

Although the power before us is far inferior to the Pangu Banner itself, its source of Daoist principles is indeed the same as that of the Pangu Banner.

Only Cihang Daoren, though equally shocked, seemed to be deep in thought.

She suddenly remembered that back when the Three Pure Ones had not yet separated, the disciples of the Jie Sect had also had the opportunity to listen to their master preach. She vaguely remembered that it was at that time that Wang Mo and the other three had the good fortune to witness their master demonstrate the wonders of creation by wielding the Pangu Banner.

In fact, her guess was correct.

Back then, Wang Mo, Yang Sen, Gao Youqian, and Li Xingba were blessed with good fortune. They once witnessed the Primordial Celestial Venerable demonstrating the "creation of heaven and earth" with the Pangu Banner outside the Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain.

That single glance was enough to plant the seed of the Dao in their hearts. Later, by chance, the four of them obtained the three innate spiritual pearls: the Heaven-Opening Pearl, the Earth-Splitting Pearl, and the Primordial Pearl. Taking this as an opportunity, they spent a thousand years of painstaking effort trying to trace the image of Pangu creating the world and to question the origin of the Great Dao.

And today is the culmination of their thousand years of cultivation.

The Chaos Pearl trembled violently, forcibly fusing the "breaking" principle of the Heaven-Opening Pearl with the "annihilation" principle of the Earth-Splitting Pearl. Using the flesh, blood, and souls of Yang Sen and the other two as sacrifices, it finally unleashed a Chaos Blade that had been condensed to its extreme.

The blade was no more than three feet long, its entire body a hazy gray, seemingly plain and unadorned. Yet, around the blade, space silently annihilated, the flow of time fractured, and causal threads were severed and reassembled. It emitted no light, no heat, and no oppressive aura, but wherever it passed, all things were reduced to annihilation.

The Blade of Chaos moved, slowly sweeping across the sky.

Manjushri's seven-jeweled golden lotus barrier was cut open as thin as paper, and the lotus petals withered one by one.

The azure sword energy of Samantabhadra disintegrated into dust the moment it touched the blade.

The space solidified by Ju Liusun's technique of turning the earth into steel dissolved as if melting before the blade.

The sweet rain transformed from Cihang's Three Lights Divine Water was swallowed by the blade without even causing a ripple.

The four Golden Immortals simultaneously groaned and spat out golden immortal blood.

Their auspicious clouds trembled violently, the three golden lotuses dimmed, and cracks appeared in their Daoist aura. This attack not only severely damaged their physical bodies, but also wounded their souls.

After the blade of chaos swept across, it slowly dissipated.

The Qiankun Wuji Formation also collapsed, and the three precious pearls fell from the sky with dim light.

At the center of the formation, the figures of Yang Sen, Gao Youqian, and Li Xingba had completely disappeared, leaving only three faint wisps of their true spirits, drifting and flying towards the Investiture of the Gods.

Looking at the three strands of true spirit, Zhang Kui felt a mix of emotions welling up inside him.

Sadness? Admiration? Or anger?

He probably had both, but he didn't have time to think about it further.

Because at the very moment the Blade of Chaos vanished...

In the Xiqi army camp, Jiang Ziya had already waved the command flag, and the Xiqi army began to charge.

"General Zhang!"

Zhang Guifang heard Zhang Kui's voice in her ear, "Today we're in a precarious situation. Although the four Golden Immortals have been severely injured, if we don't seize this opportunity to completely defeat them, we'll all be doomed once they recover. We have no choice but to fight to the death; perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope!"

On a distant mountain ridge, Zhang Guifang reined in his horse and stood there. He looked at the disheveled figures of the four Golden Immortals in the sky, and then at the Xiqi army that was charging towards him. A fierce look flashed in his eyes.

"Brother Zhang Kui, rest assured!" Zhang Guifang's voice echoed back, strong and powerful. "This general is not afraid of death! Even if I die on the battlefield today, I will let the Chan Sect know that the soldiers of our Great Shang are not people to be slaughtered at will."

He raised his spear high, his voice echoing across the land: "Where is Feng Lin?"

"Your subordinate is here!" Feng Lin rode up on horseback, his body surrounded by billowing crimson smoke.

"Pass on my order!" Zhang Guifang pointed her spear directly at the Xiqi army. "All troops, attack! Today, we are invincible, and the enemy is as good as us!"

"Yes, sir!" Feng Lin roared. "My men, charge with me!"

"kill--!"

Within the Shang army camp, 50,000 elite soldiers roared in unison. These soldiers had followed Zhang Guifang in battle for many years, long since disregarding life and death. Now that their commander was leading the charge, how could they possibly back down?

The iron hooves pounded the ground, their sound like thunder.

Zhang Guifang took the lead, her spear transforming into a flurry of spear shadows, cutting down Xiqi soldiers like mowing grass wherever she went. Feng Lin followed closely behind, unleashing her red pearl magic weapon repeatedly, specifically targeting the enemy general's soul.

The Shang army, like a black torrent, crashed violently into the Xiqi army formation.

In the sky, Zhang Kui's gaze was fixed on Manjushri and his companions.

At this moment, the four Golden Immortals were exhausted.

"I can't wait any longer," Zhang Kui thought to himself.

He took a deep breath, and his golden core spun wildly within his body. His cultivation at the Profound Immortal Realm erupted at full power, accelerating the circulation of the five internal organs and the five energies, while the bloodline power of the Spirit Witch Realm surged through his limbs and bones.

"This is the only way."

A resolute glint flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes.

With a thought, he communicated with the incarnation of the Fengdu Emperor in the underworld.

The Netherworld, atop Mount Luofeng.

The Emperor of Fengdu slowly opened his eyes, a vortex of samsara swirling within them. He sensed the call of his true self, and he also sensed the desperate situation his true self faced.

"Four Great Golden Immortals..."

The Emperor of Fengdu muttered to himself, a hint of coldness creeping onto his lips.

He raised his hand and grasped, and the Book of Life and Death and the Reincarnation Brush appeared simultaneously in his grasp. The moment these two supreme treasures appeared, the laws of the entire underworld trembled. Countless souls prostrated themselves in worship, the River of Oblivion flowed backward, and the flowers of the other shore bloomed in unison.

Beside the Emperor of Fengdu, an ancient lamp floated silently—the innate spiritual treasure, the Coffin Lamp. At the wick, a tiny ghostly flame flickered; though seemingly weak, it contained the terrifying power to burn down all the heavens and illuminate the cycle of reincarnation.

"I, Your Majesty, lend me your divine power."

"The Emperor of Fengdu said softly, and then formed a hand seal."

An immense and indescribable power crossed the boundary between Yin and Yang, penetrated the spatial barrier, and descended into Zhang Kui's body!

"boom--!"

Zhang Kui was trembling violently.

His aura began to rise rapidly.

Peak of the Mysterious Immortal Realm... Golden Immortal... Taiyi Golden Immortal... Daluo Golden Immortal!

After borrowing the divine power of the Fengdu Emperor, Zhang Kui temporarily possessed the strength of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

But this power cannot last. His own body was already crying out in pain, and excessive use of it would inevitably harm himself.

"This is..." Manjushri was the first to notice something was wrong. He looked at Zhang Kui in horror, "His aura... how is this possible?"

Puxian, Julusun, and Cihang also changed color at the same time.

They sensed that Zhang Kui's aura had surged from the Profound Immortal Realm to nearly the Great Luo Golden Immortal level in just a few breaths. Although his aura was unstable, clearly aided by external forces, it was undoubtedly that of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.