Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

After moving away from Kunlun Mountain, Zhang Kui's speed gradually slowed down.

But he still dared not be careless, and traveled swiftly, crossing several towering mountains, before finally finding a secluded valley to land in.

Upon landing, Zhang Kui immediately activated the power of the Wu clan's bloodline, using the earth's vein energy as a guide to set up layers of restrictions around the valley.

The Wu clan is naturally close to the earth, and the earth's energy is as at their fingertips. As he activated his magic, the earth and rocks around the valley trembled slightly, and a muffled rumble came from the depths of the earth. Streams of earth-yellow spiritual light rose from the ground, intertwining and entwining, eventually transforming into thirty-six restrictive runes, which disappeared into the rocks and vegetation, merging with heaven and earth.

Zhang Kui carefully checked three times to confirm that the restriction had been completely hidden before letting out a long sigh of relief and sitting cross-legged on a blue stone.

This rescue was extremely dangerous.

Looking back now, even he finds it somewhat unbelievable.

Upon closer reflection, if it weren't for the fact that the Primordial Celestial Venerable's attention was entirely focused on his eleven disciples, coupled with the White Crane Boy's momentary carelessness... he would probably have already perished, body and soul.

"What a stroke of luck, truly a stroke of luck," Zhang Kui muttered to himself, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Zhao Gongming had taught him martial arts, and Zhang Kui always remembered this kindness.

When Zhao Gongming died from the Seven Arrows of Nailhead, he was powerless to stop it.

He could only watch helplessly as Qiongxiao and Bixiao perished one after another.

Now that Yunxiao has been captured, Zhang Kui cannot convince himself to stand idly by if he continues to do nothing.

With a soft sigh, Zhang Kui said self-deprecatingly, "One should repay even the smallest kindness with the greatest gratitude."

After a brief moment of calming his breathing, he quelled his surging blood and prepared to enter the Qiankun Diagram to check on Yunxiao's condition.

With a thought, the Qiankun Map flew from Zhang Kui's arms and slowly unfurled in the air. The scroll was about three feet long and a foot wide, depicting a chaotic scene where the clear and turbid were indistinguishable, with earth, water, fire, and wind faintly surging, as if it were a scene before the creation of heaven and earth.

Zhang Kui's figure flickered, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the picture.

……

Within the Qiankun Diagram, a world of its own is formed.

Here, there is no sky, no earth, only endless chaotic void. The pure and impure energies intertwine, sometimes separating, sometimes merging together, evolving into the four primordial forces of earth, water, fire, and wind. Those forces are sometimes violent, sometimes gentle, like a world yet to take shape, full of infinite possibilities.

Zhang Kui stood in the void, looked around, and soon found Yunxiao in an area where the clear and turbid energy was relatively stable.

At this moment, Yunxiao was completely different from the aloof and icy fairy of the Jie Sect that he remembered.

She sat cross-legged in the void, her aura flowing smoothly and seamlessly, as if resonating with the chaotic world around her. Zhang Kui carefully sensed her presence and discovered that her aura was quite different from before. It was no longer the overwhelming pressure of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, but a more restrained and profound power, as deep and unfathomable as a mountain.

To Zhang Kui's surprise, the seal that Yuanshi Tianzun had placed on her had loosened considerably.

The sealing forces, which had been binding her like chains and suppressing her cultivation, were now melting away at a visible speed, like ice and snow meeting the sun, turning into specks of light and dissipating into the void.

The dissolving sealing power was not wasted; instead, it was drawn into Yunxiao's aura and gradually merged into her body, becoming part of her power.

"Fellow Daoist has arrived."

Yunxiao opened her eyes, a gentle light flashing within them. She slowly rose and bowed slightly to Zhang Kui, saying, "Thank you for saving my life, fellow Daoist. Yunxiao expresses her deepest gratitude."

"You're too kind, senior." Zhang Kui quickly returned the greeting, and said solemnly, "I received great kindness from Senior Gongming in the past, so it's only right that I help you this time. Besides..."

He paused for a moment, then said sincerely, "Senior trapped the Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect with the Nine Turns Yellow River Formation, but only reduced his cultivation without taking his life. I deeply admire this benevolence."

Upon hearing this, a complex look flashed in Yunxiao's eyes. She remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "What good is benevolence? In the end, my second and third sisters are still..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Zhang Kui understood what she meant.

The deaths of Qiongxiao, Bixiao, Hanzhixian, and Caiyun Fairy were a devastating blow to Yunxiao. Especially Qiongxiao and Bixiao, her younger sisters who had been with her for countless years, now left her all alone in the world.

Just as Zhang Kui was about to offer some words of comfort, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

He stared intently at the sky, and the more he looked, the more uneasy he felt.

At this moment, Yunxiao's expression remained calm, but the flow of her aura subtly resonated with this world of the Qiankun Diagram. The pure and turbid energies swirled around her, and the forces of earth, water, fire, and wind danced with joy because of her, as if she were not trapped here, but rather... this world was welcoming her.

How is that possible?

The Qiankun Diagram was a magical artifact he had refined with his very soul, and the world within it should revere his will. Yet, at this moment, he clearly sensed that the existence of Yunxiao had a subtle influence on this world that overshadowed his own.

Zhang Kui was shaken, but remained outwardly calm. He activated the Great Yin-Yang Void-Piercing True Eye, his clear black and white eyes gazing at the flowing energy around him.

Upon seeing this, he was completely stunned.

Within Yunxiao's body, the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and the Five Qi Converging at the Origin were not surprising. What was surprising was that between those Three Flowers and Five Qi, a new Daoist rhythm was faintly taking shape. That Daoist rhythm was obscure and profound, as if it were the embryonic form of some higher-level law, breaking out of its shell from the foundation of her cultivation, like the rising sun, quietly waiting to bloom.

This is……

A thought suddenly flashed through Zhang Kui's mind, and he was immediately startled by his own guess.

"Senior, what is this...?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity, his voice unconsciously lowering a few decibels.

Yunxiao wore a wry smile and pondered for a long time before slowly speaking: "Fellow Daoist, please forgive me. I am filled with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow at this moment, and I do not know how to express them."

"A mixed bag?" Zhang Kui was taken aback.

Yunxiao nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the distant chaotic void. His voice was calm, yet tinged with complex emotions: "I thought being captured meant certain death. But unexpectedly... fortune and misfortune are intertwined. The sealing power of my Martial Uncle Yuanshi actually helped me break through the bottleneck I've always faced."

Zhang Kui seemed to be thinking, "What you mean, senior, is..."

"My sect, Jie, teaches without discrimination and intercepts the Heavenly Dao. Although my master Yuanshi's seal was intended to suppress my cultivation, it also sealed away all the mixed magical power and chaotic thoughts within me in an almost brutal way. As those seals gradually dissipated, the magical power within me became as if it had been cleansed, incomparably pure, even better than before."

Yunxiao paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "What's even more wonderful is that this Qiankun Diagram is a world unto itself, where the pure and the impure are not yet separated, and yin and yang are not yet determined. It is the perfect place to comprehend the principles of the beginning of heaven and earth and the evolution of all things. At this moment, I have already touched the threshold of Quasi-Saint."

Quasi-Saint!

Zhang Kui's heart skipped a beat.

Above the Great Luo Golden Immortal is the Quasi-Saint.

That is the realm that countless cultivators dream of. Once you step into it, you are considered to have truly transcended the mortal world and have the qualification to touch the Primordial Dao.

Throughout the entire prehistoric world, there are only a handful of quasi-saint level experts on the surface, and each of them is a being capable of influencing the overall trend of the world.

Yunxiao has unexpectedly turned misfortune into good fortune and is about to attain quasi-sainthood!

"Once I have straightened out my own path, I can sever one of my corpses and attain the Quasi-Saint Dao Fruit." Yunxiao said this with a hint of relief in his tone, "At that time, I will escape the great calamity and roam freely between heaven and earth, which will make this ordeal worthwhile."

She looked at Zhang Kui and solemnly cupped her hands in greeting: "Yunxiao has a request, and hopes that fellow Daoist will assist me."

Zhang Kui was taken aback, and quickly returned the greeting: "Please speak, senior. I will do my best to help."

"I wish to continue my cultivation within the Qiankun Diagram," Yunxiao stated frankly. "Here, the distinction between purity and turbidity, yin and yang, is yet to be made, which aligns with the principles of the beginning of heaven and earth. This will greatly benefit my comprehension of the Quasi-Saint path. If you do not mind, I would like to borrow this precious land for a while. Once I attain the Quasi-Saint Dao fruit, I will naturally depart."

After listening, Zhang Kui immediately understood.

Yunxiao intends to use the Qiankun Diagram as a place for seclusion, using the chaotic, undifferentiated environment within the diagram to deduce his own path to enlightenment. This isn't difficult for him; the Qiankun Diagram is his magic weapon, and having another person cultivate inside simply requires more magical power to maintain it.

"You're too kind, senior!"

Zhang Kui nodded without hesitation, "It is the blessing of the Qiankun Diagram to help you attain enlightenment, and it is also my honor. Please feel free to ask for anything you need while you are cultivating here."

He paused, then added, "As for the rest, senior need not worry. Although my cultivation is low, I am still capable of protecting myself."

Upon hearing this, Yunxiao's eyes flashed with a hint of satisfaction. She gave Zhang Kui a deep look and slowly said, "Fellow Daoist, your kindness is admirable. Yunxiao will remember it."

She didn't say anything more, sat down cross-legged again, and closed her eyes. In an instant, a mysterious aura emanated from her body, merging with the pure and turbid energies in the Qiankun Diagram.

The pure air rises, and the turbid air descends.

The once chaotic and indistinguishable world of the Qiankun Diagram began to undergo subtle changes. The entangled pure and impure energies gradually separated, with the rising pure energy becoming increasingly light and ethereal, and the descending impure energy becoming increasingly heavy and dense. The boundary between heaven and earth began to become clear.

Zhang Kui was dumbfounded.

This is……

He sensed that several of the thirty-six innate divine restrictions within the Qiankun Diagram were beginning to loosen. Those restrictions, which were originally obscure and difficult to understand, were now, under the influence of Yunxiao's aura, subtly revealing deeper mysteries to him.

"This is a gift from a senior." Zhang Kui understood, bowed deeply to Yunxiao's back, and then quietly withdrew from the Qiankun Diagram.

……

Night had fallen in the valley.

Zhang Kui emerged from the Qiankun Diagram and found the sky filled with stars. The cool moonlight bathed the valley, gilding the grass, trees, and stones with a silvery-white hue. He sat cross-legged on a blue stone, regulated his breathing for a moment, and processed the magical energy within his body.

Although he had the upper hand in the battle with the White Crane Boy, he had also expended a great deal of energy. In particular, the last three strikes, each infused with the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light and the divine power of the Fengdu Emperor, had greatly depleted his magical power.

"Although this battle was dangerous, it was not a loss."

Zhang Kui stood up, dusted off his robes, and said, "It's time to go back. The path of cultivation is long and arduous."

Then, Zhang Kui transformed into a five-colored rainbow and sped off towards Xiqi.

The outline of Xiqi City gradually became clear.

The murderous aura emanating from the Red Sand Formation shot straight into the sky, like a giant blood-red pillar, dyeing half the sky dark red.

"Thankfully, I made it in time."

Zhang Kui felt somewhat relieved. The red sand formation was still there, indicating that the Shang army had not been defeated. He quickened his pace and landed towards the Shang army camp.

……

However, just as Zhang Kui was about to arrive at the camp, a sudden change occurred.

Clang!

Without warning, a long ruler, neither gold nor jade, appeared out of thin air behind him, carrying a world-destroying force, and slammed down on the back of his head.

The attack came too fast and too suddenly, so fast that Zhang Kui had no time to react.