Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

In the chaos, there is neither light nor darkness, neither beginning nor end.

Zhang Kui sat cross-legged in the eternal chaotic airflow outside the Pangu Palace, his body surrounded by five-colored light, like the only source of light in this boundless darkness.

He slowly opened his eyes, and five colors swirled within them, reflecting his determination and resolve.

"Five Elements Great Escape, activate!"

The chaotic air currents began to tremble.

In this primordial land where all things were undifferentiated and the pure and impure were one, Zhang Kui's Five Elements Daoist Rhyme was like a stone thrown into still water, stirring up ripples.

Time loses its meaning here.

When the first wisp of pure Geng metal energy was introduced into his body, Zhang Kui shuddered.

Within his lungs, the White Tiger Dharma Image suddenly awoke, letting out a silent roar. This Dharma Image, condensed from the essence of the five internal organs, opened its maw and devoured the wisp of Geng metal energy. The Dharma Image's body solidified at a visible speed, each hair as sharp as a steel needle, its eyes shooting out a terrifying white light, and a solemn and vigorous Daoist aura spreading outwards.

Immediately afterwards, the Qi of Yi Wood surged in.

Within the liver, the illusory image of the Azure Dragon raised its head and roared, its body continuously growing under the nourishment of the Wood element. Its scales solidified from the illusory, each shimmering with azure luster, filled with a vibrant and unrestrained Daoist aura.

The energy of Ren water surges into the kidneys like a celestial river flowing backwards.

The form of Xuanwu awakens from its slumber, with the tortoise and snake intertwined, and mysterious patterns appearing on its carapace. The energy of Ren water swirls and flows around it, transforming into black mist, containing the essence of moistening, returning to the source, and the ultimate in gentleness and strength.

The fiery energy of Li burns fiercely and flows into the heart.

The Vermilion Bird, its wings outstretched in a long cry, spread its fiery wings, each feather seemingly composed of the purest flames. A Daoist aura of blazing light, intense yet warm resonated within the heart, creating a wondrous harmony with the beating of the heart.

Finally, the Qi of Earth, thick and heavy as a mountain, sinks into the spleen.

The auspicious Qilin stood tall, its body radiating a golden halo. The earth element beneath its feet condensed into a tangible phantom of the earth, its Daoist essence of bearing, nurturing, and transforming as heavy as a mountain, yet imbued with vitality.

Nourished by the primordial energy of the Five Elements, the five divine beasts flourished and gradually acquired true divine charm.

Within the dantian, the surface of the golden core was cracking more and more...

Zhang Kui gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, but his mind was clearer than ever before.

However, Heaven is aware of this.

The Golden Immortal transcends the Three Realms and Five Elements, achieving eternal enlightenment. This is an act against the heavens, and calamities will inevitably follow.

Suddenly, thunder roared from the chaos.

That was the voice of the Great Dao, a warning from Heaven to those who defy it.

The first tribulation—the tribulation of inner demons—has quietly arrived.

The scene before Zhang Kui's eyes suddenly changed.

He saw his past life, living an ordinary life. The figure turned around, a look of confusion on its face: "What's so good about cultivation? All that fighting and killing, it's better to come back and live a peaceful life."

"Peaceful?" Zhang Kui sneered, his mind like a knife, shattering the illusion. "Since I've chosen this path, I won't turn back. All that happened in my past life was just a dream."

But the inner demons were not over.

The scene shifts again. This time, Mianchi City has fallen, Mother Wang Yunniang lies in a pool of blood, and Gao Lanying has been captured by the enemy. Zhang Shan, Zheng Lun, Chen Qi, Wu Wenhua… one familiar face after another dies before their eyes.

"You can't protect them." The inner demon transformed into a hideous monster and whispered in his ear, "What good is high cultivation? Under the great calamity, we are all ants. It's better to give up early, at least you won't suffer anymore."

Zhang Kui felt a sharp pain in his heart; these were indeed his deepest fears.

But he took a deep breath, his eyes hardening once more: "That's precisely why I must become stronger. Strong enough to protect everything I want to protect during this great calamity!"

The illusions of inner demons shattered like glass.

However, the third inner demon tribulation followed immediately—this time, it was the temptation of power.

A vision appeared before Zhang Kui's eyes: he was in charge of reincarnation, transformed into the Great Emperor of Fengdu, with all the ghosts of the underworld bowing before him; he operated the Way of Balance, and the Treasure Coin evolved into a trading system for all heavens, measuring the value of all things; he even saw himself after attaining enlightenment through the Five Elements, creating heaven and earth, and forming his own world.

"You can possess all these powers," the inner demon's voice grew grand and sacred. "As long as you choose a more powerful and convenient path, the laws of reincarnation are readily available, and the path of balance holds boundless potential. Why struggle along this most basic path of the Five Elements?"

Zhang Kui was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "You're wrong."

"The Five Elements are not the weakest, but the most fundamental." His eyes shimmered with five-colored light, and his voice was resolute. "All things evolve from the Five Elements, the Five Elements flow in the cycle of reincarnation, and the Five Elements generate and restrain each other in the balance of power."

As soon as he finished speaking, the inner demons vanished completely.

But the test of Heaven is not over.

The second tribulation—the tribulation of karmic fire—has arrived.

Without a sound, transparent flames ignited around Zhang Kui. This was karmic fire that directly burned away cause and effect, incinerating all karmic forces.

Zhang Kui was trembling violently.

He saw the bloodshed he had committed throughout his cultivation—the Xuanlang Demon King, Xiao Sheng, Cao Bao, Ma Yuan, Zheng Ning… one by one, the enemies who died at his hands. Their resentment, karma, and karmic force were now fueled, making the karmic fire burn even more fiercely.

"I have no regrets for killing to protect the Dao." Zhang Kui gritted his teeth and endured it, circulating the Nine Breaths Qi Absorption Divine Power, frantically absorbing and exhaling chaotic energy, transforming it into life force to replenish himself.

The karmic fire burned from the surface of the body into the interior, scorching the internal organs, meridians, bones, and even the soul. The pain was a hundred times worse than being cut into pieces.

But Zhang Kui persevered.

His will, like refined steel forged through countless trials, not only did not melt away in the karmic fire, but instead became even purer. The bloodline of the Witch Clan boiled in the karmic fire, and his physical body, at the Spirit Witch Realm, began to undergo deeper changes—impurities were burned away, and his essence became more condensed.

After an unknown amount of time, the karmic fire gradually died down.

Zhang Kui's body was charred black, like a withered tree struck by lightning, but beneath the charred blackness, a faint, glass-like luster shone through. His physical body, tempered by karmic fire, was infinitely close to the realm of "immortality".

"There is one last tribulation." Zhang Kui raised his head and looked into the depths of chaos.

There, lightning was gathering.

If he can overcome the tribulation, the primal power within the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder will merge into Zhang Kui's body, helping him to completely forge the Five Elements Dao Foundation. If he fails to overcome it, his body and soul will perish, and he will not even have the chance to enter reincarnation.

"Come on." Zhang Kui stood up, his charred skin peeling away inch by inch to reveal the new, glass-like skin beneath. He made a fist with both hands, the Dragon Sparrow Blade appearing in his right hand, while his left hand held the Five Elements Transference Seal.

boom!

The first bolt of lightning struck—the Azure Wood Divine Lightning, vibrant with life yet containing ultimate destruction.

Zhang Kui neither dodged nor evaded, but instead activated his Azure Dragon Dharma Form in his liver, opening his mouth to swallow the Azure Wood Divine Lightning. The lightning exploded within his body, but was quickly decomposed and absorbed by the five elements circulation of his internal organs. He groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes shone even brighter.

The second strike is Crimson Fire Divine Thunder.

The Vermilion Bird Dharma Image in the Heart Palace let out a long cry, its wings spreading out to envelop the Crimson Fire Divine Thunder. As the flames collided, Zhang Kui's entire body burst into flames, but he circulated his Nine Breaths Qi to forcibly refine the thunder and fire.

The third strike is the Yellow Earth Divine Thunder.

The spleen, with its Qilin-like image, stands firmly on the ground, and the Qi of Earth transforms into the phantom of mountains, suppressing and absorbing thunder.

The fourth strike is the Platinum Divine Thunder.

The White Tiger Dharma Image roared from the lungs, and the Geng Metal Qi transformed into countless sharp swords, colliding and merging with the thunder.

The fifth strike is the Black Water Divine Thunder.

The kidney, shaped like the Black Tortoise, raises its head, and the Qi of Ren Water transforms into a monstrous wave that engulfs and devours the thunder.

After the five bolts of lightning struck, Zhang Kui was covered in blood, but his momentum only increased.

However, the test of Heaven is not over.

In the chaos, the five-colored lightning began to merge, transforming into a huge chaotic lightning pillar with a diameter of over a hundred feet, which crashed down on Zhang Kui!

This strike contains the ultimate mystery of the five elements' mutual generation and destruction.

Zhang Kui's pupils contracted.

He sensed a deadly threat. The power of this attack had exceeded the limits that a Xuanxian could withstand, and even an ordinary Jinxian might not be able to withstand it.

"We have no choice but to give it our all!"

Zhang Kui made a decision in an instant, his mind racing.

He sheathed the Dragon Sparrow Blade, his hand seals shifting wildly, and his Six-Turn Golden Core spun to its limit, with all six golden Dao patterns lighting up—Nine Breaths Breath Control, Five Elements Great Escape, Subduing Dragons and Tigers, Size at Will, Flying and Leaping, and Mastering the Five Thunders. The power of the six Heavenly Gang Divine Powers was activated simultaneously at this moment.

But it's not about fighting alone, it's about integration.

With the Five Elements Great Escape as its core, the mastery of the Five Thunders as its extension, the subduing of dragons and tigers to strengthen the physical body, the ability to adjust one's state by controlling size, the ability to capture life through flight and tracking, and the ability to absorb energy through nine breaths to provide a continuous source of magical power.

"The five elements revolve in a cycle, endlessly regenerating!"

Zhang Kui roared and pushed his hands forward.

Within his palm, five-colored light spun wildly, forming a massive Five Elements Wheel. On the wheel, the five divine beasts—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Qilin—simultaneously appeared, unleashing earth-shattering roars.

This is Zhang Kui's ultimate understanding of the Five Elements, a powerful strike that fuses all his insights, cultivation, and supernatural abilities into one.

The chaotic lightning pillar and the Five Elements Wheel collided violently.

The chaotic airflow was stirred up by the shockwave, causing countless cracks to appear in the space outside the Pangu Palace.

Zhang Kui was bleeding from all seven orifices, and the bones in his arms were shattered inch by inch, but he gritted his teeth and supported the Five Elements Wheel, frantically circulating it for nine breaths to replenish his energy.

The confrontation lasted for a full ten breaths.

These ten breaths felt longer than a hundred years.

at last……

The chaotic lightning pillars began to dissipate, and the primordial power of the five elements within them was gradually absorbed and refined by the Five Elements Wheel. After absorbing this power, the Five Elements Wheel then merged back into Zhang Kui's body.

Boom!

A deafening roar erupted from Zhang Kui's body.

The sixth-stage Golden Core shattered completely, its fragments transforming into countless points of light that merged seamlessly with his physical body, soul, magical power, and will.

The three flowers on his head shone with unprecedented light, descending from the sky and landing between his eyebrows, chest, and dantian.

Within the five internal organs, the five divine beasts simultaneously roared, transforming into five streams of light that soared into the sky, circled three times above Zhang Kui's head, and then returned to the five internal organs.

The lungs are associated with the White Tiger, the liver with the Azure Dragon, the kidneys with the Black Tortoise, the heart with the Vermilion Bird, and the spleen with the Qilin.

Zhang Kui's aura began to undergo a qualitative change.

No matter how powerful a Xuanxian's magic is, it still carries the connotation of "borrowing," requiring them to draw spiritual energy from heaven and earth and transform it. But at this moment, the magic power within Zhang Kui's body began to generate itself—the five internal organs and five divine beasts, each of them was absorbing and exhaling chaos, transforming it into the purest five elements magic power, which flowed into his dantian, forming a perfect five elements cycle, endlessly regenerating.

This is the true essence of the Golden Immortal's "immortality"—self-sustaining, not relying on external means, coexisting with the Dao, and existing eternally.

Suddenly, golden light burst forth from the chaos, a manifestation of the Great Dao.

Golden light gathered above Zhang Kui's head, transforming into a golden auspicious cloud about an acre in size. Within the cloud, the five elements flowed and yin and yang alternated, and the birth and death evolution of a miniature world could be vaguely seen.

The golden auspicious cloud slowly descended and merged into Zhang Kui's body.

As the last ray of golden light entered his brow, Zhang Kui opened his eyes.

At that moment, his eyes changed.

A profound tranquility, as deep as the starry sky and as all-encompassing as heaven and earth, with the five-colored radiance in the eyes subdued, transforming into an undying spiritual light deep within the pupils.

He stretched out his hand, palm up.

Without needing to activate any supernatural powers, a miniature world of the Five Elements naturally appears in the palm of one's hand—grass and trees grow, flames rise, the earth bears weight, metal clangs, and water flows gently; this is the true evolution of the laws.

The Golden Immortal Dao Fruit—the Five Elements Dao Fruit—has been achieved.

Zhang Kui slowly stood up, his charred skin completely peeling away to reveal new skin beneath, pure as glass and warm as divine jade. Beneath every inch of his skin, the five elements of Dao flowed, and every movement resonated with the Great Dao.

He succeeded.

By proving the Dao through the Five Elements, one can achieve the immortal Dao fruit of the Golden Immortal.

From this day forward, he will be a Golden Immortal, a being wholly independent of the universe and coexisting with the Dao. As long as the Five Elements Dao Fruit remains, he will live forever. Even if his physical body is destroyed and his soul dissipates, he will be reborn from the Dao Fruit.