Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

After some exploration, Zhang Kui landed on a mountain ridge dozens of miles away from Qishan. The area was undulating, with ancient trees reaching the sky, dense vines, waterfalls and springs, making it a very quiet place.

Looking around, Zhang Kui saw that the mountains embraced the area like a dragon coiled and a tiger crouching, with a faint sense of convergence. He couldn't help but nod to himself, thinking that this place was indeed a natural place where wind could be gathered and energy could be collected.

"Let's refine the treasure right here."

After gracefully descending from the mountain peak, Zhang Kui chose a shady stone platform facing the sun and set up three interconnected restrictions. Although none of them were very powerful, they were cleverly concealed. If one did not search for them, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would find it difficult to detect.

With everything arranged, Zhang Kui sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment. Only after his mind had completely calmed down did he reach into his robe and take out the Qiankun Ruler.

This ruler is about three feet and three inches long, and its entire body is the color of jade. It is neither gold nor jade, and it feels warm and smooth to the touch, yet it is unusually heavy, like a mountain. On the body of the ruler, clear and turbid energies swirl endlessly, sometimes like dragons and snakes coiling, sometimes like clouds unfurling and rolling, faintly resembling the creation of heaven and earth and the establishment of the universe.

"What a treasure!" Zhang Kui exclaimed in admiration. He then closed his eyes and focused his mind, slowly sinking his consciousness into the Qiankun Ruler.

Upon entering, one sees only emptiness, with twenty-four light wheels suspended within, layer upon layer, like stars surrounding the North Star, or like lotus petals encircling a flower's stamen.

These are the innate divine restrictions of the Qiankun Ruler, a total of twenty-four. These restrictions are like thunder, like rushing rivers, or like the rotation of the sun and moon, captivating and mesmerizing people.

Zhang Kui carefully sensed the surroundings and discovered that the twenty-four restrictions were interconnected, forming an exquisite whole. The outermost layer of restrictions was the loosest, becoming increasingly tighter as one went inwards, until it was almost a single, unified whole at the core.

Previously, the divine imprint of the Burning Lamp Daoist had been forcibly erased by Yunxiao with the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron. At this moment, although these restrictions are in operation, they are like ownerless objects, only resisting external divine senses by instinct.

"This is a bargain for me," Zhang Kui thought to himself. If the Burning Lamp Mark were still intact, with his early Golden Immortal cultivation, refining this treasure would have been nothing short of a pipe dream.

Although things are still difficult now, at least there is a possibility of success.

"I will first use the principle of mutual generation of the five elements to gradually devise a plan." Zhang Kui made up his mind and transformed his divine sense into five thin threads, belonging to the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and probed into the first restriction.

Sensing the intrusion of external divine consciousness, the restriction immediately emitted a hazy blue light, and spiritual power surged forth like a raging tide, determined to annihilate this uninvited guest.

Zhang Kui remained calm and composed. His Five Elements Divine Consciousness circulated in a continuous cycle: wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood, endlessly cycling and repeating. Although the spiritual energy was strong, it was like punching cotton. The Five Elements circulated, each supporting and complementing the other, and in the end, the spiritual energy was dissolved into nothingness.

This is the benefit of attaining enlightenment through the Five Elements.

All things in heaven and earth, existing outside the Five Elements, are inevitably subject to the principles of mutual generation and restraint within them. Although the Qiankun Ruler is a primordial spiritual treasure, its restrictive power is still within the framework of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Now that this treasure is ownerless, how can its instinctive counterattack, relying solely on its restrictive power, withstand his wondrous method of the Five Elements' rotation?

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the resistance of the first restriction gradually weakened, like a tamed wild beast slowly retracting its claws. Zhang Kui seized the opportunity and deeply imprinted his divine sense into it.

In an instant, he felt a faint connection with the Qiankun Ruler, as if he had grasped a corner of the world, and a sense of comfort arose spontaneously.

"It's done." Zhang Kui was secretly delighted, but he dared not be careless. After adjusting his breathing, he did the same thing again, probing the second restriction with his divine sense.

The second restriction was more robust and its spiritual energy more concentrated than the first. Zhang Kui still used the Five Elements Rotation Method to deal with it, but this time he doubled the speed of the rotation of his five divine senses. The power of the five elements surged within the restriction like a river, melting away ice and snow wherever it passed. In the end, he successfully refined the second restriction as well.

Through this process of repeated trials and tribulations, Zhang Kui gradually grasped the patterns of the Qiankun Ruler's restrictions. These restrictions, seemingly independent, were actually interconnected; with each one he refined, the difficulty of the next increased. However, at the same time, his connection with the Qiankun Ruler also strengthened, providing him with greater assistance when refining subsequent restrictions.

As the moon rose high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the valley, Zhang Kui had already refined the six restrictions, and the azure light on the Qiankun Ruler gradually subsided.

"This is an unexpected delight." Zhang Kui opened his eyes, toying with the precious ruler in his hand. At this moment, the Qiankun Ruler was no longer as sharp and aggressive as before, but rather restrained and profound. The pure and turbid energies on the ruler were also much calmer, like two gentle dragons coiled on it. He gently swung it, and the ruler swept through the void without making a sound, not even disturbing the air. But Zhang Kui clearly felt that if this ruler were to strike a mountain, it would be enough to split it in two.

He originally thought that refining this treasure would take a long time, but he didn't expect that the Five Elements Rotation Method would be quite compatible with the innate restrictions of the Qiankun Ruler, making the process twice as effective with half the effort.

"Six restrictions are enough to power this treasure against enemies." As for fully refining all twenty-four restrictions, Zhang Kui dared not hope for the time being and could only wait until his cultivation broke through before making any plans.

Just as Zhang Kui was about to take advantage of the situation to refine the Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, the Qiankun Diagram suddenly stirred. The twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls emerged from it one after another, hovering in mid-air, radiating five-colored light that dyed the surrounding mountains and forests into a magnificent color.

Zhang Kui's heart stirred, and just as he was about to extend his divine sense, he saw a clear light slowly rising from among the twenty-four precious pearls, gradually condensing into a faint human figure with three long wisps of beard, wearing a purple-gold crown and a Bagua robe.

"Senior Gongming!" Zhang Kui stood up and bowed in greeting.

This man was none other than Zhao Gongming. He nodded slightly and said, "Young friend, I have something to discuss with you."

Zhang Kui quickly waved his hand: "I am deeply grateful to have received your guidance and instruction, senior. Please enlighten me if you have any questions, and I will do my best."

Zhao Gongming was very pleased, but a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face: "Since that's the case, I'll be frank. I may not be able to return your treasure-dropping coins."

"What do you mean, senior?" Zhang Kui was completely bewildered and had no idea what to do.

Zhao Gongming hesitated for a long time before saying haltingly, "Well... never mind, I'll just be frank. For some reason, my mind and the Falling Treasure Coin are gradually merging. The innate restrictions of that magic weapon seem to be one with my remnant soul, and now they can't be separated. I've tried many times, and every time I try to withdraw my soul from it, it triggers a backlash from the restrictions, almost causing my soul to be scattered. So... young friend, um... I'll exchange it with you for the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, is that alright?"

Zhang Kui was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Senior, is this all for you?"

Zhao Gongming looked up in surprise and saw Zhang Kui smiling broadly, without the slightest hint of displeasure.

"Senior, you are overthinking it," Zhang Kui said, cupping his hands in greeting. "While the Treasure-Dropping Coin is good, the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl is priceless. This is a great bargain for me."

Zhao Gongming was stunned for a while before shaking his head and smiling bitterly: "Cause and effect are cyclical, every sip and every bite is a reward; it seems I, this humble Taoist, have been stingy."

"This is the method for refining the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl. You can focus on refining the treasure. I'm off..." With that, Zhao Gongming's phantom gradually faded and disappeared completely.

The incantation left by Zhao Gongming was exquisite. Zhang Kui followed the incantation, using his divine sense as a guide and his magical power as a medium, penetrating the innate divine restriction layer by layer.

Guided by the incantation, the twenty-four restrictions, instead of resisting, actively cooperated, disintegrating layer by layer and opening wide.

The first barrier crumbled at the slightest touch.

The second restriction is like pouring hot water on snow.

The third, the fourth, the fifth...

Zhang Kui's divine sense imprint surged in like a tidal wave, almost without any resistance. With each restriction he refined, the connection between him and the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl grew stronger. By the twelfth restriction, a complete cycle of energy had formed between them, and Zhang Kui could even sense the nascent form of a small world contained within each pearl.

This feeling is mysterious and indescribable.

"No wonder Randeng exclaimed 'My path has been achieved!' after obtaining the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl," Zhang Kui thought to himself. "Who wouldn't be tempted by such an opportunity?"

In a flash of inspiration, Zhang Kui subconsciously activated the incantation, and the twenty-four precious pearls simultaneously emitted five-colored light before disappearing. At the same time, the Qiankun Ruler also emitted a low hum, then concealed itself and transformed into a beam of azure light, disappearing into Zhang Kui's Purple Mansion.

Within the Purple Mansion, the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl hovered above the Sea of ​​Consciousness, while the Qiankun Ruler trembled slightly, carrying both pure and turbid energies, the two echoing each other from afar.

Zhang Kui activated the two supernatural powers of Five Thunder and Five Elements Great Escape, using the power of the five elements as a guide and the might of thunder as a hammer, to begin forging the Qiankun Ruler.

Boom!

Dark clouds gathered over the mountains, and thunder rumbled. The once bright and clear night sky was now filled with oppressive clouds and crisscrossing lightning.

Zhang Kui was completely unaware of the changes in the outside world, his entire mind immersed in refining the magic weapon. He fully activated the Nine Breaths Breathing Technique, absorbing and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish his energy; he used the Five Elements Great Escape Technique to connect with the earth's veins, borrowing the power of the earth to stabilize himself; and he mastered the Five Thunders Technique to summon heavenly thunder, using thunder and fire to temper the magic weapon. The three supernatural powers operated simultaneously, complementing each other perfectly.

boom!

The seventh restriction on the Qiankun Ruler finally loosened under the combined bombardment of thunder and the power of the Five Elements, allowing Zhang Kui's divine sense to surge in and leave its mark. Then, the eighth, ninth... and so on, until the twelfth restriction, were breached one after another.

The moment the twelfth restriction was refined, the Qiankun Ruler emitted a clear and melodious sound. The pure and turbid energies on the ruler suddenly expanded, transforming into a long azure rainbow that coiled within Zhang Kui's Purple Mansion. The rainbow, like a dragon or a snake, moved erratically before slowly contracting and returning to the shape of the Qiankun Ruler. However, the ruler now possessed more spirituality than before, and the patterns on its surface were clearly visible, each containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

"It's done!" Zhang Kui was overjoyed. He opened his eyes, flipped his right hand, and the Qiankun Ruler appeared in his palm.

"It's done!" Zhang Kui was overjoyed. He opened his eyes, flipped his right hand, and the Qiankun Ruler appeared in his palm.

At this moment, the patterns on the Qiankun Ruler were clearly visible, full of spirituality, and contained boundless mysteries. Zhang Kui gently waved it, and the ruler swept across the void, leaving a faint blue trail in the air that lingered for a long time.

Immediately afterwards, with a thought, the twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls flew out of his Purple Mansion, and the small worlds within them became clearer and clearer, including mountains and rivers, the sun, moon and stars, and plants and living beings. Although they were only in their infancy, they were already beginning to take shape.

According to the original text, after obtaining the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, the Daoist Ran Deng transformed into the Twenty-Four Heavens, attained the Quasi-Saint Dao Fruit, and became the Ancient Buddha Ran Deng of the Western Sect.