Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Not long ago, when Yang Jian returned to Jinxia Cave on Yuquan Mountain, his master, Master Yuding, mentioned Zhang Kui.

"Zhang Kui's cultivation is strange, resembling both a shaman and a Taoist. The other day, on the battlefield in Xiqi, he actually managed to escape unscathed from the siege of Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Julusun, and Cihang by borrowing the power of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. If you encounter him, you must not be careless."

Although Yang Jian kept it in mind at the time, he didn't pay too much attention to it. He had already achieved minor success in cultivating the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts and possessed the divine eye ability, so he was confident that he had no fear of any fellow cultivators.

However, only when he faced Zhang Kui directly did he truly understand what his master meant by "not to be careless".

The person stood there, exuding a seamless aura.

What made Yang Jian even more uneasy was that Zhang Kui's eyes seemed to see right through him.

"Fellow Daoist, you were prepared?" Yang Jian asked in a deep voice, while secretly adjusting his aura, preparing to unleash his power at any moment.

"Jiang Ziya's military strategy is divine, and his night raid plan is ingenious." Zhang Kui smiled slightly. "Unfortunately, I happen to have read a few military books and know the principle of 'attacking where the enemy must defend.' Your front camp is fighting fiercely, but your rear camp is so quiet. Isn't that clearly telling me—there's a trap here, or perhaps this is the real target?"

He paused, then continued, "So I came to the rear camp to take a look, and also to use the power of the earth's veins for defense. I never expected to actually find you, fellow Daoist."

Yang Jian's pupils contracted slightly.

"Since that's the case," Yang Jian slowly raised his three-pointed, double-edged sword, the tip pointing at Zhang Kui, "then I, Yang, have no choice but to force my way in. The provisions must be burned today. Fellow Daoist, please enlighten me!"

As he uttered the last word, Yang Jian moved.

Without any probing, they went all out from the start.

He activated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts to its limit, his figure moving like lightning. His three-pointed, double-edged sword transformed into a silver streak, aiming straight for Zhang Kui's throat. Wherever the blade passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a piercing shriek.

That strike was swift, precise, and ruthless!

However, Zhang Kui laughed.

He didn't even draw his knife.

Just as Yang Jian's blade was about to strike, Zhang Kui lightly stomped his foot.

hum...

The yellowish-brown halo around the granary suddenly intensified.

Countless earthen-yellow runes rose from the ground, transforming into a three-foot-thick earthen wall that blocked Zhang Kui's path.

"boom!"

The three-pointed, double-edged sword pierced the earthen wall with a dull thud. The wall shook violently, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on its surface, but it ultimately did not break.

Yang Jian's heart skipped a beat, and he drew his sword, ready to attack again.

But Zhang Kui had already given him no chance.

"It is impolite not to reciprocate." Zhang Kui's voice suddenly rang out behind Yang Jian. "Fellow Daoist Yang, take my blade."

When?!

Yang Jian turned around in shock, only to see Zhang Kui appear three zhang behind him at some point, the dark golden Dragon Sparrow Blade already unsheathed in his hand.

Where the blade passed, space itself distorted slightly, and faintly visible five-colored light flowed around it.

Yang Jian tried to dodge, but found that the air around him was as stagnant as swamp, slowing his movements by a third.

There's no escaping it!

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he unleashed the full power of his Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, his body glowing with a jade-like luster. He neither dodged nor evaded, but instead took the blow head-on. At the same time, he swung his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade at Zhang Kui's waist and abdomen.

"clang--!"

The Dragon Sparrow Blade struck Yang Jian's shoulder, producing a sound like metal clashing.

Yang Jian grunted and staggered backward. His armor on his shoulder broke, revealing the jade-like skin underneath—there was a white mark on his skin, but it was not broken.

The Eight-Nine Mysterious Techniques, which enable one to achieve physical sainthood, truly live up to its reputation.

Meanwhile, his three-pointed double-edged sword also struck Zhang Kui in the waist and abdomen.

However, at the very moment the blade touched his body, Yang Jian's expression changed again.

He felt as if he had struck not flesh and blood, but a mountain. A powerful, mountain-like force rebounded from the blade, making his hands go numb.

Zhang Kui swayed slightly, and a shallow knife mark appeared on the black armor around his waist and abdomen, but it was not broken.

The two stepped back, standing about ten feet apart, and looked at each other.

"What a magnificent Eight-Nine Arcane Technique!" Zhang Kui praised, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "Fellow Daoist Yang's physical body is probably tougher than many magical treasures."

"General Zhang's protective abilities are not bad either," Yang Jian said in a deep voice, as the white marks on his shoulder slowly faded away.

"Good eye." Zhang Kui nodded, holding the Dragon Sparrow Blade horizontally in front of him. "In that case, we don't need to test each other anymore. Fellow Daoist Yang, now it's time to get serious."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Kui's aura suddenly changed.

He unleashed his Xuanxian cultivation without reservation, his body shimmering with five-colored light. The five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth circulated endlessly, faintly forming a five-colored halo behind him. Furthermore, an ancient and vast aura of bloodline emanated from him—the oppressive power of the Wu Clan.

Yang Jian's expression became extremely solemn. His third eye was fully open, and the golden light shone brightly from the vertical eye on his forehead.

The night wind blew, stirring up dust.

A withered leaf drifted down from the top of the granary, slowly floating between the two men.

When the fallen leaves drifted to the center...

The two moved at the same time.

A golden light shot from Yang Jiantian's eyes, aiming straight for Zhang Kui's brow. At the same time, his figure blurred into a blur as he attacked Zhang Kui, his blade strikes fierce and unparalleled.

Zhang Kui's left eye shone brightly with golden light, and he activated the subtle supernatural power of his Sun Cave, locking onto Yang Jian's true form. He slashed the Dragon Sparrow Blade diagonally, and five-colored light condensed on the blade, transforming into a five-colored blade aura that met the golden light from the Heavenly Eye.

boom!

The golden light collided with the blade's energy, exploding into a blinding burst of light.

boom!

The golden light collided with the blade's energy, exploding into a blinding burst of light.

At the same time, Zhang Kui made a hand seal with his right hand and softly shouted, "Five Elements Great Escape, Earth Element—Trap!"

The ground beneath Yang Jian's feet suddenly softened, turning into quicksand and swamp, threatening to engulf him.

Yang Jian snorted coldly, lightly stepped forward, and activated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, allowing him to glide across the quicksand as if walking on flat ground. His Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade was already at Zhang Kui's face.

Zhang Kui neither dodged nor evaded, but extended his left hand, his five fingers forming a claw, with lightning flashing between them, which was the Heavenly Gang Divine Power "Mastering the Five Thunders".

"Crack!"

Five-colored lightning erupted from his palm, transforming into a lightning net that enveloped Yang Jian.

Yang Jian changed his stance, the blade spinning and shattering the lightning net. However, the aftershocks of the lightning still made his arm numb and his body slightly sluggish.

In that barely perceptible pause, Zhang Kui's knife arrived.

The Dragon Sparrow Blade, carrying the force to split mountains and cleave peaks, slashed straight down.

With this strike, Zhang Kui used the divine power of "Subduing Dragons and Tigers" and incorporated the supernatural ability of "Massively Controlling Size"—the blade suddenly swelled three times in size in mid-air, transforming into a giant blade the size of a door panel, which crashed down with a thunderous roar.

Yang Jian's pupils contracted sharply, realizing he couldn't take the blow head-on, and he quickly retreated.

"Boom!"

The giant sword missed its target and fell to the ground.

The earth shook violently.

A ravine about ten feet long and several feet deep appeared out of nowhere, with soil and rocks crumbling at its edges and dust billowing everywhere.

The power of this strike deeply shocked Yang Jian.

Zhang Kui's combat prowess and supernatural abilities were so great that he subtly suppressed this third-generation chief disciple of the Jade Void Palace, who had cultivated for a thousand years.

"We cannot fight for long." A resolute look flashed in Yang Jian's eyes. He suddenly sheathed his sword, retreated, formed hand seals, and chanted incantations.

As the incantation resounded, his aura surged, and the golden light from his third eye grew ever brighter, eventually transforming into a towering golden pillar of light.

Within the pillar of light, the faint silhouette of a three-eyed god could be seen, exuding majesty and looking down upon all living beings.

"Zhang Kui!" Yang Jian's voice boomed like thunder, "Take this!"

The golden beam of light crashed down on Zhang Kui. Wherever the beam passed, space froze and everything collapsed.

Zhang Kui's expression finally turned serious.

He knew he could no longer hide his talents.

With a thought, the golden core within his body spun wildly, his blood surged, and the faint phantom of Kuafu chasing the sun appeared behind him.

Then, Zhang Kui did something that Yang Jian never expected.

He put away the Dragon Sparrow Blade.

Hold your hands loosely in front of your chest, left hand yin, right hand yang, and slowly draw circles.

As he moved, an ancient scroll image slowly unfurled in front of him.

The scroll appeared ordinary, yet it exuded a vast aura that encompassed everything and evolved the universe. Within the scroll, a hazy world could be vaguely seen, where the two currents of yin and yang flowed endlessly, and earth, water, fire, and wind surged and churned.

The Primordial Treasure – Qiankun Diagram.

"Fellow Daoist Yang's divine eye is indeed well-deserved of its reputation," Zhang Kui said calmly. "I also invite you to appreciate my move."

As soon as he finished speaking, the illusory image of the Qiankun Diagram suddenly expanded, growing to a size of a hundred feet, encompassing the entire golden pillar of light within it.

In the world depicted, the yin and yang energies transform into a millstone, while earth, water, fire, and wind become sharp blades, relentlessly severing the golden pillar of light.

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

A teeth-grinding scraping sound rang out.

The golden beam of light visibly wore away and dimmed.

Yang Jian's face turned deathly pale, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

His divine eye was his trump card, and if it were broken, the backlash would be immense.

After a few breaths.

"puff--"

The golden beam of light completely dissipated.

The illusory image of the Qiankun Diagram slowly returned to Zhang Kui's body.

The scene returned to calm.

All that remained was a mess and two people standing opposite each other.

Yang Jian knelt on one knee, supporting himself with his sword, panting heavily. His third eye on his forehead was closed, leaving a bloody mark.

Zhang Kui stood there, his face pale, but his breathing remained steady.

The difference in quality has been determined.

"Fellow Daoist Yang," Zhang Kui spoke slowly, "shall we continue?"

Yang Jian raised his head and looked at Zhang Kui, his expression complex.

After a long while, he slowly got up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"General Zhang possesses extraordinary abilities and wondrous magical treasures; I, Yang, admire you." He clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Tonight, I, Yang, have been defeated."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Zhang Kui suddenly said.

Yang Jian paused, turned around, and looked back, his eyes showing wariness once again.

Zhang Kui smiled, took out a jade slip from his pocket, and tossed it to Yang Jian.

"These are just some of my humble opinions on the 'Embryo Transformation' of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Techniques," Zhang Kui said calmly. "Although Fellow Daoist Yang's Eight-Nine Arcane Arts have been greatly perfected, they still have flaws—the excessive pursuit of an indestructible physical body has caused him to lose the wonder of transformation. The Seventy-Two Transformations not only change the form, but also the spirit, energy, and intention. Fellow Daoist might as well study them carefully."

Yang Jian caught the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and his expression changed drastically.

Although the jade slip contained only tens of thousands of words, it directly pointed to the core secrets of the transformation of the embryo into a human form, and its insights were even more subtle and profound than his Seventy-Two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends.

"This..." Yang Jian looked at Zhang Kui in disbelief, "General Zhang, why..."

"We are both cultivators, this is merely a friendly exchange of ideas," Zhang Kui waved his hand. "In today's battle, neither of us went all out. I know you still have trump cards up your sleeve. If there is an opportunity in the future, we can fight again."

Yang Jian remained silent for a long time before finally solemnly putting away the jade slip and bowing deeply.

"I admire your magnanimity, fellow Daoist. I will remember your kindness today. Farewell!"

Having said that, he vanished in a flash, turning into a gentle breeze and disappearing without a trace.

"Well done, Yang Jian. He's actually broken through to the Golden Immortal realm." He muttered to himself. "If it weren't for the Qiankun Diagram, the outcome of today's battle would be uncertain."

Looking at the intact granary, Zhang Kui put away his Dragon Sparrow Blade, straightened his armor, and walked towards the central command tent.

Click to begin your wondrous journey in "Zhang Kui Asks the Way in the Investiture of the Gods".