Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

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Outside Mianchi City, three thousand armored cavalrymen stood in formation.

Zhang Kui rode on the back of the mythical beast Bi'an, wearing armor, with the Dragon Sparrow Sword hanging at his waist, and the Qiankun Bow and the Zhentian Arrow slung across his back.

As the morning light fell, the armor reflected a cold, eerie luster. The three thousand iron cavalry remained silent, with only their battle flags fluttering in the wind.

Gao Lanying, dressed in a red battle robe and with a sword at her waist, exuded a refined aura and had sharp, eagle-like eyes. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Kui.

"My lord, please be careful on this trip," Gao Lanying whispered. "The situation on Grand Tutor Wen's side is complicated; the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect have already made their moves multiple times."

Zhang Kui nodded, a flash of five-colored light disappearing in his eyes: "Don't worry, I already have some confidence in protecting myself."

Now, the five elements within Zhang Kui's body circulate endlessly, and his five internal organs and five divine beasts absorb and expel the energy of the five elements day and night, transforming it into pure magical power. Even without deliberate cultivation, his cultivation level is steadily increasing.

"Wu Wenhua." Zhang Kui turned his head to the side.

"Your subordinate is here!" Wu Wenhua rode forward.

Through years of experience, this former roughneck has grown into a composed general. His physical cultivation has reached the Earthly Witch Realm, and his blood and qi are abundant. He has also mastered the "Tendon Changing and Bone Forging Technique" to a considerable degree.

"The army is ready to march," Zhang Kui ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Wu Wenhua clasped his hands in acceptance, turned his horse around, and the three thousand iron cavalry galloped away like a black torrent.

Looking at the remaining thousand cavalry, Zhang Kui said to Gao Lanying, "I left without saying goodbye, so you'll have to explain to Mother that I'm leaving without saying goodbye."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lanying felt troubled. "I'll try my best, but I can't avoid a scolding from my mother next time we meet."

Zhang Kui also knew that this was the best outcome.

……

During the march, Zhang Kui appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his mind was completely absorbed in his body.

Within the Purple Mansion, an incomparably dazzling Golden Immortal Dao Fruit floated silently.

This fruit is five-colored, with the five mythical beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Qilin—circling and flowing on its surface, containing a miniature world of the Five Elements within.

Around the Dao Fruit, six golden Dao patterns encircled it, representing the six Heavenly Gang Divine Powers that he had inscribed on his Golden Core: Nine Breaths of Breath Control, Five Elements Great Escape, Subduing Dragons and Tigers, Size at Will, Flying Body and Leaping Footprints, and Mastering the Five Thunders.

These six supernatural abilities have now merged with the Dao Fruit, becoming an instinctive part of him.

With a single thought, supernatural powers arise spontaneously, without the need for deliberate activation.

"The realm of the Golden Immortal is indeed profound," Zhang Kui thought to himself.

He tried to draw upon a trace of Dao Fruit power, and instantly, the Five Divine Beasts within his five internal organs simultaneously awakened. The White Tiger in his lungs exhaled the Qi of Geng Metal, the Azure Dragon in his liver swallowed the essence of Yi Wood, the Black Tortoise in his kidneys circulated the true essence of Ren Water, the Vermilion Bird in his heart burned the source of Li Fire, and the Qilin in his spleen bore the heavy weight of Wu Earth.

The five elements circulate, forming a self-sustaining cycle, and the magical power is inexhaustible.

"If we were to fight Manjushri Bodhisattva again in our current state..." A cold glint flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes, "Although it would still be difficult to reverse the defeat, at least we wouldn't be completely powerless to fight back."

"My lord, the Yellow River crossing is just ahead."

The report from his personal guards snapped Zhang Kui out of his reverie.

He opened his eyes and saw a mighty river with turbulent, surging waves stretching before him, its waters roaring and surging with immense power. At the ferry crossing, several ferryboats were moored on the shore, but there was no sign of the boatmen.

Five-colored light swirled in Zhang Kui's eyes as he fully activated his True Eye of Penetration.

"Someone is actually blocking the road." He sneered. "The area within three miles of the ferry crossing is clearly shrouded in an array."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wenhua's expression darkened: "My lord, who exactly is this person, and how did they end up here?"

"There are no donkeys in Guizhou, but some busybody has already brought them in by boat." He paused, then looked at Wu Wenhua: "You lead your troops to retreat five li and form a defensive formation. Leave the rest to me."

"Yes, my lord." Wu Wenhua did not hesitate. He knew that if he forced himself to participate, he would only become a burden.

After Wu Wenhua led his troops to retreat, Zhang Kui rode forward and arrived at a point a hundred paces in front of the ferry.

"Now that you're here, why hide?" he said loudly, his voice amplified by magic, booming like thunder across the land. "Shall I personally invite you out?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several water columns suddenly rose up around the ferry, each ten feet thick, shooting into the sky. The water columns twisted and swirled in the air, transforming into water dragons, baring their fangs and claws, completely surrounding Zhang Kui.

At the same time, three figures slowly rose from the river.

The leader was a man with six arms, an angry expression, and wearing armor. His face was sinister, and he held a white flag embroidered with rolling waves.

Behind him were two people, a man and a woman. The man had horns on his head, while the woman had a human body and a snake's head. Both of them were dressed in golden armor.

"Zhang Kui, you've finally arrived," the six-armed man sneered. "We've come today to avenge our fellow Daoists Ma Yuan and Yu Yixian. Today is your death day!"

"Ma Yuan, Yu Yixian?" Zhang Kui's expression remained unchanged. "Like a dog catching a mouse—meddling in other people's business."

The man's expression changed slightly, clearly not expecting Zhang Kui to be so rude. His face then contorted with rage: "A dying man dares to speak so arrogantly? You're courting death!"

Having said that, he waved the black flag, and several water dragons roared at the same time, rushing towards Zhang Kui.

These water dragons were formed by the combined power of the Yellow River's water vapor and the array formation, and each one possessed the power to split mountains and cleave peaks.

"A trivial skill."

Zhang Kui smiled contemptuously, raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and gently clenched them towards the rushing water dragon.

Master the Five Thunders.

Five tiny bolts of lightning shot out from Zhang Kui's fingertips, their colors—green, red, yellow, white, and black—intertwined and instantly disappeared into the water dragon's body.

next moment……

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

These water dragons exploded simultaneously, turning into a sky full of mist. The power of lightning spread within the mist, crackling and popping, completely destroying the array runes contained within.

The man's expression changed drastically, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. This formation was connected to his mind and spirit; the formation was broken, and he suffered a backlash.

"How is this possible?" He stared at Zhang Kui in disbelief. "Could it be...you've already become a Golden Immortal?"

Only now did he truly feel the aura emanating from Zhang Kui, as deep and boundless as an abyss, a characteristic clearly possessed only by Golden Immortals.

"It's too late to find out now."

Before Zhang Kui could finish speaking, he had already vanished.

He leaped and left his mark.

The next moment, he appeared behind Blackwater Master, and the Dragon Sparrow Blade silently slashed through the air. Where the blade passed, tiny cracks appeared in the void.

"Senior brother, be careful!" the female cultivator exclaimed, summoning a bronze mirror. A beam of golden light shone from the mirror, attempting to block the attack.

However, Zhang Kui didn't even look at it, and flicked his left finger.

"The Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light".

With a flash of five-colored light, the golden light emitted by the bronze mirror instantly disintegrated and vanished into the air.

At the same time, the Dragon Sparrow Blade had already reached the man's neck.

At the critical moment, the man roared, and a torrent of blood surged from his body, transforming into a shield in front of him. This blood was the Xuan Yin Heavy Water from the depths of the Blood Sea, a single drop weighing a thousand pounds, and extremely corrosive.

however……

puff!

The blade flashed like water, effortlessly slicing through the water shield as if a hot knife were cutting through butter. The Profound Yin Heavy Water was like paper before the Dragon Sparrow Treasure Blade.

A resolute glint flashed in the man's eyes as he crushed a jade talisman hidden in his sleeve.

"Master, save me!"

The jade talisman shattered, and a golden light shot into the sky, transforming into a purple-gold phantom in mid-air. The phantom clasped its hands together, and its crown was decorated with a vase pattern. The light of wisdom shone forth, enveloping the man within it.

"Western religion?" Zhang Kui raised an eyebrow.

His sword strikes didn't diminish; instead, they gained even more power.

"No one can save you today!"

The Dragon Sparrow Blade struck the light barrier, producing a piercing scraping sound. The Buddhist light vibrated violently, revealing countless cracks. The purplish-gold phantom opened its eyes, its gaze sharp as lightning, and looked at Zhang Kui.

"Young man, show mercy when you can," the phantom said, its voice grand and solemn, carrying a compassionate intent to guide all beings.

However, Zhang Kui remained unmoved.

"Spare me?" he sneered. "When you ambushed and killed me, did you ever think of sparing me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Five Elements Dao Fruit within his body surged into operation, and the Five Divine Beast Techniques roared simultaneously. Five-colored lightning flashed on the Dragon Sparrow Treasure Blade, revealing the fusion of the "Mastering the Five Thunders" divine power and sword technique.

"break!"

With a single slash, the light barrier shattered completely.

The phantom figure glared angrily at Zhang Kui before slowly dissipating into the air.

The man's head also flew into the air, spraying blood three feet high.

"Senior brother!" The remaining man and woman, their eyes wide with rage, rushed forward frantically.

Zhang Kui didn't even look, and swept his sword across the room with a backhand motion.

The blade flashed like the moon, slicing across the necks of the two men. Two heads flew off, their faces still bearing expressions of anger and resentment.

Three headless corpses fell from the sky and crashed into the Yellow River, splashing up huge sprays of water. At the same time, their true forms were revealed. The male figure in the lead was extremely ugly, with a huge body and an extremely strong smell of blood.

The remaining two figures are a man and a woman. The man is depicted as a giant bird with the body of a bird and the head of a human, while the woman is depicted as a giant python about ten zhang long.

"Asura, Garuda, Mahoraga," Zhang Kui recognized the three as the Eight Legions of Devas and Asuras of the Western Paradise.

In the distance, Wu Wenhua and his group of Xuanjia soldiers stared in disbelief.

Zhang Kui sheathed his sword, stood in mid-air, and scanned the surging Yellow River with his gaze. His True Eye of Insight pierced through the river's surface and saw a hidden underwater palace deep within the riverbed, where dozens of auras were currently fleeing in panic.

"Trying to run away?"

He snorted coldly, made a grasping motion with his right hand, and pressed it down onto the river surface.

"Five Elements Great Escape - Water Element!"

The Yellow River's flow suddenly stopped, then the water parted, revealing the riverbed. A black underwater palace was exposed to the sunlight, and inside, dozens of cultivators stared in horror at Zhang Kui in the sky.

"Senior, spare our lives! We were all coerced by that thief!" someone knelt down and begged for mercy.

Zhang Kui said coldly, "Since you've entered this game, you deserve to die."

He stopped talking and pointed towards the Water Mansion.

"The Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light, disperse."

Five-colored light descended from the sky, enveloping the entire water palace. The cultivators within didn't even have time to scream before they were crushed into dust and returned to the world.

After doing all this, Zhang Kui slowly landed.

Wu Wenhua rode forward, his eyes filled with astonishment: "My lord, your cultivation level is truly terrifying!"

Zhang Kui shook his head: "They're just a few small fry."

"According to the original plan, cross the Yellow River as soon as possible," Zhang Kui said, tightening the reins.

"Yes, sir!" Wu Wenhua accepted the order.

Sunlight shines down, and the Yellow River sparkles.

……

The West, Mount Sumeru

In the vast, magnificent palace, a Western Sect monk, holding a treasure vase and bathed in a purple-gold light, sat cross-legged with his eyes half-closed.

Suddenly, the vase shook violently, and three copper lamps filled with ghee emerged from it, only to go out one by one.

The cultivator, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes and sighed, "Why bother? It seems I have no choice but to make this trip."

After he got up, three large characters were clearly written next to the futon where he had been sitting: Mahasthamaprapta.