Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Since Zhang Shan led an army of 100,000 men away from Mianchi to take up his post at Sanshan Pass, Zhang Kui's life has indeed become much simpler.

After morning classes each day, Gao Lanying would accompany her mother, Wang Yunniang, for meals. The meals consisted mostly of home-style dishes, such as mutton stew with noodles, millet rice, and a few seasonal side dishes.

Wang Yunniang always wondered if Zhang Shan was eating well and staying warm while he was away.

"Mother, Shanzi has tens of thousands of elite troops by his side, so you can rest assured," Zhang Kui could only say with a forced smile each time.

"Neither of you brothers gives me any peace of mind," Wang Yunniang complained, but her eyes betrayed her undisguised pride.

That morning, after Gao Lanying finished her morning prayers, she did not get up. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the futon, resting her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the three precious pearls floating in front of her.

These three precious pearls were no bigger than a fist and emitted a faint glow.

This is the innate pearl that the Holy Mother of Wudang gave to Gao Lanying before her departure; it originally belonged to the Four Saints of Kowloon Island.

The Heavenly Bead is entirely blue-green, with countless fine lines flowing around it, faintly emitting a ringing sound, and surrounded by a pure aura.

The Pidi Pearl is dark yellow, and the turbid air it emits is connected to the earth, as heavy as a mountain.

The Hunyuan Pearl is the most mysterious, its color is chaotic, sometimes clear as glass, sometimes turbid as mud, with the two energies of clarity and turbidity intertwined.

"Lan Ying, what's wrong?" Zhang Kui pushed open the door and entered. Seeing her like this, he walked over and sat down beside her.

Gao Lanying came back to her senses and sighed softly, "Husband, although Master said to 'make the most of everything' when he gave me these three precious pearls, I still feel a little... guilty whenever I think about how they were left behind by Wang Mo and the other three fellow Daoists."

Her fingertips gently brushed across the surface of the celestial bead, and the bead hummed, as if it possessed a spirit.

"Four fellow Daoists bravely sacrificed their lives to help you escape your predicament. Now that I am refining their relics to improve my cultivation, I feel..." A trace of guilt flashed in Gao Lanying's eyes.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Kui suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the quiet room. "Lan Ying, you're blinded by a leaf, unable to see Mount Tai!"

Gao Lanying looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Zhang Kui's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "Leaving aside the fact that fellow Daoists Wang Mo, Yang Sen, Gao Youqian, and Li Xingba have already entered the Investiture of the Gods list, let's just say that you and I are currently in the midst of the Investiture of the Gods calamity..."

He stood up and paced slowly in the quiet room. "Under the great calamity, all living beings are like ants. Even the disciples of the Chan and Jie sects, who are powerful as they are, are they not just pawns? If we do not seize every opportunity to strengthen ourselves, how can we possibly gain a chance of survival in this game?"

Zhang Kui stopped and turned to look at Gao Lanying. "As for our friendship, we'll keep it in our hearts. Once the Investiture of the Gods is over, if there's an opportunity, we'll find a way to make it up to her."

Gao Lanying remained silent for a long time, and the hesitation in her eyes gradually turned into determination.

"My husband, you're right." She took a deep breath. "I was being sentimental. Right now, refining these three precious pearls is the most important thing."

Zhang Kui nodded with satisfaction: "This is the Lan Ying I know."

Gao Lanying smiled, then remembered something and took out two jade slips from her sleeve, handing them to Zhang Kui: "By the way, husband, these are what my master asked me to give you."

Zhang Kui took the jade slip, which was about three inches long and one inch wide. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and the material was neither gold nor jade. A faint celestial light flowed across its surface.

"A gift from the Holy Mother of Wudang?" Zhang Kui's heart stirred.

Zhang Kui asked no more questions and focused his consciousness into the first jade slip.

Countless runes flow and combine, evolving into the wonders of all things in heaven and earth—the withering and flourishing of plants, the changing of the four seasons, the transformation of birds and beasts, and the metamorphosis of human bodies…

"The fetus is easy to transform!"

Zhang Kui was startled and recognized the supernatural power.

One of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Techniques, it is said to be able to transform into all things in heaven and earth at will. It can be male or female, old or young, divine birds or strange beasts. When cultivated to a high level, it can even transform into all things in heaven and earth, with wondrous form and spirit, making it difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake.

In the original novel Investiture of the Gods, Yang Jian's Eight-Nine Arcane Arts possessed a similar ability to transform, but this "Taiyi Transformation" was even more outstanding in terms of transformation.

Zhang Kui composed himself and turned his consciousness to the second jade slip.

This time, what surged in was the majestic might of Heaven.

Thunder roared in the sea of ​​consciousness, five-colored lightning crisscrossing and intertwining. That thunder belonged to the five internal organs: liver (wood) green thunder, heart (fire) red thunder, spleen (earth) yellow thunder, lungs (metal) white thunder, and kidneys (water) black thunder. The five thunders are actually the five energies. The energies of the five organs gather and converge into one, thus forming the true meaning of thunder magic.

"Master the Five Thunders!"

Zhang Kui was shocked again.

While also one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Techniques, it follows the path of extreme yang and killing. It commands thunder and lightning, quells chaos, subdues demons, and refines wandering souls. This thunder technique is no ordinary thunder and lightning; it directly mobilizes the primordial qi of the five elements between heaven and earth, transforming it into thunder with boundless power.

"It seems that the Dao essence of my sixth Golden Core stage can be perfected," Zhang Kui murmured to himself.

Now, Zhang Kui's first five stages of Golden Core have been inscribed with five Heavenly Gang Divine Powers: Nine Breaths Breath Control, Five Elements Great Escape, Subduing Dragons and Tigers, Size Control, and Flying Body Transmission. Only the sixth stage is still missing a top-level divine power.

But... which one should I choose?

Zhang Kui fell into deep thought.

"Husband?" Gao Lanying called softly when she saw him deep in thought.

Zhang Kui snapped out of his reverie and smiled, "I was just thinking about some things. I'll protect you."

Gao Lanying nodded and said no more.

With her hands forming a mudra, three flowers quietly appeared above her head.

"go!"

She gave a soft shout, and the three precious pearls were swept up by the celestial light of the Upper Clarity.

The Heavenly Pearl transformed into a beam of azure light and fell into the celestial flower. Instantly, the celestial flower trembled, its petals unfolding layer by layer, and a pure aura rose around Gao Lanying.

The Earth-Opening Pearl transformed into yellow light and merged into the Earth Flower. The turbid air condensed and connected with the pulse of the earth, as if it had come to life.

The most mysterious element was the Chaos Pearl, which transformed into a stream of chaotic light, swirling three times within the flower before finally settling steadily into its heart. The flower hummed, and the colors of its petals became hazy and indistinct, sometimes clear and sometimes murky.

The three flowers, nourished by the precious pearl, became even more closely connected.

Gao Lanying closed her eyes and concentrated, her aura rising steadily... eventually stabilizing at the peak of the Profound Immortal realm.

She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze seemingly swirling with both clear and turbid currents, ultimately settling into a deep, chaotic depth.

"Congratulations, Madam, on your great progress in cultivation," Zhang Kui said with a smile.

Gao Lanying felt the surging magical power within her body and smiled: "These three precious pearls are indeed profound. Under the Three Realms Cycle, my Shangqing Immortal Light has been refined by at least 30%."

She paused, then looked at Zhang Kui: "Husband, what's in your jade slip?"

Zhang Kui briefly explained the two supernatural abilities.

Gao Lanying's eyes lit up: "Easy to transform into human form, mastering the Five Thunders, which one does my husband intend to choose as the sixth stage of his Dao cultivation?"

Zhang Kui smiled wryly: "This is precisely my dilemma. Both paths are excellent, making it difficult to choose."

……

In the following days, Zhang Kui went into seclusion to perform calculations.

The transformation of the embryo into a physical form is infinitely varied. When cultivated to its extreme, even the fluctuations of aura and magical power become identical.

But Zhang Kui gradually discovered a problem—this technique requires extremely high mental fortitude.

Everything changes, so we must understand its essence. A slight misstep can lead to getting lost amidst the myriad changes and forgetting our true selves.

"This technique... harbors the danger of inner demons." Zhang Kui felt a chill in his heart.

He recalled those characters in the original work who were skilled in transformation, such as Sun Wukong and Yang Jian. Weren't they all people with firm wills and unwavering principles? Even so, Sun Wukong's transformations occasionally had flaws, and Yang Jian rarely used transformations against enemies, mostly using them to avoid disasters or to probe the enemy's strength.

In contrast, consider "Mastering the Five Thunders".

This technique is domineering and fierce, with the five thunderbolts corresponding to the five internal organs. Practicing this technique can temper the origin of the five internal organs and strengthen the foundation of the physical body. This perfectly complements his witch clan's body-refining method.

More importantly, thunder is formed from the righteous energy of heaven and earth, possessing ultimate yang and strength, and is specifically designed to subdue evil spirits. During the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, demons, monsters, and evil magic emerged in endless streams. Having a thunder magic technique to protect oneself greatly increases one's safety.

"Furthermore, the Five Thunders correspond to the Five Elements, and share the same origin as my 'Great Five Elements Escape' and 'Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light.' If one can fully understand and master them, their power will be even greater."

"Moreover..." Zhang Kui's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "I already have 'Flying Body Covering the Trail' to conceal my figure, and I also have 'Five Elements Great Escape' to change my movement. On the contrary, my offensive power is still insufficient."

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Kui opened his eyes and finally made up his mind.

"Have you made a decision, my husband?" Gao Lanying, who had been by his side, asked hurriedly when she saw him wake up.

Zhang Kui nodded: "I choose 'Mastering the Five Thunders'."

She said with some concern, "Cultivating thunder magic requires tempering the body with heavenly lightning, which is extremely dangerous. Husband, please be very careful."

Zhang Kui laughed and said, "Don't worry, you can stay home and relax. I'll take care of things."

After saying that, he used the Five Elements Great Escape technique to fly away from Mianchi and head to Funiu Mountain outside the city.

……

In the Funiu Valley, the scorch marks left by Zheng Lun and Chen Qi when they underwent their tribulation are still visible.

Following the cultivation method in the jade slip passed down by the Holy Mother of Wudang, Zhang Kui began to comprehend this supernatural power. In an instant, his sea of ​​consciousness transformed into a world of thunder, with five colors of lightning—blue, red, yellow, white, and black—crisscrossing each other.

Zhang Kui's divine sense merged into it, feeling the primordial Qi of the Five Elements contained in each bolt of lightning.

The liver belongs to the wood element, and the wood energy transforms into green thunder, which is full of vitality but also contains a sense of impending doom.

The heart belongs to fire, and the fire energy transforms into crimson thunder, violently and intensely burning everything;

The spleen belongs to the earth element, and the earth's energy transforms into yellow thunder, which is heavy, condensed, and suppresses everything.

The lungs belong to the metal element, and the metal energy transforms into white thunder, which is incomparably sharp and cuts through the void.

The kidneys belong to water, and the water energy transforms into black thunder, which is both extremely soft and extremely hard, annihilating the spirit and soul.

The Five Thunders are not thunder, but rather the external manifestation of the Qi of the five internal organs.

Looking inward, the golden elixir floats in the center of the dantian, slowly rotating. Five golden Dao patterns are engraved on it, corresponding to the five supernatural powers: Nine Breaths of Breath Control, Five Elements Great Escape, Subduing Dragons and Tigers, Size Control, and Flying Body Transmission.

Now, he is to inscribe the sixth Dao rune—Mastering the Five Thunders.

"Let's begin."

As soon as Zhang Kui had a thought, his internal organs trembled simultaneously.

Within the Liver Palace, the illusory image of a blue dragon roared, and blue wood energy rose;

Within the Heart Palace, the phantom of the Vermilion Bird chirped clearly, and crimson flames burned;

In the area of ​​the Spleen Palace, the phantom of a Qilin roared, and yellow earth energy settled.

In the realm of the Lung Palace, the phantom of a white tiger roars, its white golden energy sharp and piercing.

In the abyss of the kidney palace, the illusory shadow of Xuanwu lurks, and the black water qi is deep and profound.

The five vital energies surged from the five internal organs, converged along the meridians to the dantian, swirled and coiled around the golden elixir, and gradually transformed into five-colored lightning.

"Freeze!"

Using his divine sense as a guide, Zhang Kui directed five-colored lightning to inscribe Dao patterns on the surface of the golden core.

Time passes little by little.

Fine crackling electricity began to appear around Zhang Kui's body. At first, it was just wisps of lightning, but it gradually gathered into patches, with five-colored lightning flowing across his body and making crackling sounds.

Zhang Kui was completely focused and dared not be distracted in the slightest.

On the surface of the Golden Core, the sixth Dao pattern finally took complete shape.

Within this chaotic pattern swirling with lightning, all things are born and perish.

"It's done."

Zhang Kui opened his eyes, his gaze seemingly containing the birth and death of thunder, and the evolution of all things, ultimately returning to profound depths.

The Golden Elixir has been perfected in its sixth stage, and the foundation of the Dao is completely solidified.

He can now be described as a half-step Golden Immortal.

Cola Novels: turn the page and you're in another world.