Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

The "short stick" that appeared out of nowhere, with its extraordinary elegance, was about three feet and three inches long, and its entire body was the color of jade, with faint divine patterns flowing on it.

The Universe Ring was knocked away and tumbled several times in the air before being recalled by Nezha. Upon catching the Universe Ring, Nezha's expression changed drastically, and his gaze suddenly turned forward.

"Who is it?" Jin Zha shouted, immediately summoning the magic weapon, the Dragon-Escape Stake, in front of him, while simultaneously releasing his divine sense to warily scan his surroundings.

Before anyone could react, a scroll filled with both pure and turbid energies unfurled out of thin air, instantly engulfing Wen Zhong.

Immediately afterwards, the scroll closed up, transforming into a wisp of light that vanished into the void.

From knocking the Qiankun Circle away to rescuing Wen Zhong, the entire process took only a moment.

Yang Jian's third eye on his forehead suddenly opened, and a golden beam of light swept across the surroundings, but he could only catch a faint trace of the remaining aura. That aura was like frost and mist, uncertain and formless, and quickly dissipated without a trace.

"It's him!" Yang Jian's expression changed.

Nezha stepped forward and tentatively asked, "Is it... Zhang Kui?"

"What!" Jinzha and Muzha both changed color.

Nezha gripped his Fire-Tipped Spear tightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Although the weapon that had knocked away the Universe Ring was different from Zhang Kui's Dragon Sparrow Blade, he was very familiar with the aura of the newcomer... That's right, it was Zhang Kui.

"Quickly, chase after them!" Jin Zha was the first to react, and he activated the Dragon-Binding Stake to give chase.

Yang Jian raised his hand to stop him: "Wait! It's too late. Zhang Kui's supernatural powers have reached a state of perfection, and his aura is dissipating too quickly."

"Are we just going to let him rescue Wen Zhong like this?" Mu Zha asked unwillingly.

Yang Jian remained silent for a moment, then withdrew his Heavenly Eye and said in a deep voice, "Huang Tianhua's death needs to be dealt with promptly. As for Wen Zhong... he's only half alive. Even if we rescue him, he won't cause any major trouble. Besides..."

Yang Jian paused before speaking, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on Nezha. A hint of seriousness appeared in those usually calm and collected eyes.

"Zhang Kui's cultivation is unfathomable, and he is protected by a spiritual treasure. Blindly pursuing him could very well result in more harm than good. Moreover, there are still a group of remnants of the Yin Shang army holding out here. We should first inform Uncle-Master Ziya and ask him for his decision."

Jinzha and Muzha exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with resentment, but they also knew in their hearts that Yang Jian was right.

Yang Jian took one last look in the direction where Wen Zhong had disappeared, then turned and left.

Behind them, Nezha, Jinzha, Muzha, and Leizhenzi followed closely.

Several figures quickly disappeared into the vast night.

……

Wen Zhong thought he was going to die, but to his surprise, he was rescued.

The moment his consciousness re-formed, Wen Zhong felt that there was nothingness beneath him.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Before me lay a tranquil, profound, and boundless space, where the clear and turbid energies circulated ceaselessly, and the yin and yang energies intertwined to form a net.

"Where...is this?"

Wen Zhong struggled to get up, but as soon as he moved, excruciating pain shot through his wound, causing him to gasp and sweat bead up on his forehead.

He glanced down at his injuries; the deep, bone-revealing wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, and even more serious were the aftereffects of burning his soul.

That feeling of weakness, originating from the depths of his soul, surged in wave after wave. Wen Zhong's face was as pale as paper, and his breath was extremely weak.

Wen Zhong smiled wryly and was about to try to get up again when suddenly, the scene around him changed abruptly.

The mountains are high and the forests are dense, with ancient trees reaching for the sky. In the distance, the cries of monkeys and birds can be heard, and the air is filled with the scent of earth and decaying leaves. Moonlight filters through the branches and leaves, dappling the ground and draping the forest in a thin, silvery veil.

"Grand Tutor, I am late!"

A familiar voice rang in Wen Zhong's ears.

He suddenly looked up.

Suddenly, a figure clad in black armor and with a resolute face appeared before him.

"Zhang Kui, it's you!"

Wen Zhong was both surprised and delighted. He struggled to sit up, his voice trembling with excitement: "You...how could you..."

"This humble general rushed to Qinglong Pass and searched carefully along the way, but did not find Deng Jiugong's reinforcements."

Zhang Kui quickly stepped forward, helped Wen Zhong up, and fed him a healing pill.

"I learned that something had happened in Chaoge, so I dared not delay and returned to find the Grand Tutor."

After taking the medicine, Wen Zhong felt a warm sensation rising from his dantian and spreading to his limbs and bones. The wounds were also warmed and the pain was relieved.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

After a long while, Wen Zhong exhaled a breath of foul air tinged with the smell of blood and gave a bitter laugh.

"So be it, so be it. This is the will of Heaven, and cannot be changed by human power."

Looking at Wen Zhong's aged face, Zhang Kui felt a mix of emotions.

The most heartbreaking thing is when a hero grows old.

……

The night was as dark as ink, so thick it was impossible to see through.

The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse, with jagged rocks and thorny branches that occasionally lashed against the soldiers' armor, making a piercing sound.

Two thousand cavalrymen clad in black armor were making a difficult march south, their long column stretching out like a giant black python slowly crawling along the mountain path.

The leader was Wu culture.

This burly man, standing eight feet tall, sat astride his horse, his face as grim as the sky before a storm. One hand gripped the reins, the other held a large axe hanging beside the saddle; dried bloodstains clung to the blade, gleaming a dark red in the moonlight.

In the previous battle, Yang Jian and the others were disrupted by Zhang Kui's sudden appearance. In addition, Huang Tianhua was killed in action and needed to return to camp to report to Jiang Ziya, so they did not pursue him for the time being.

But Wu Wenhua knew in his heart that this was only temporary.

If Jiang Ziya were to send a large army to encircle and annihilate them, staying here would mean certain death. Therefore, he made a decisive decision to lead his two thousand Xuanjia soldiers away from the camp and head south under the cover of night.

However, the troops were not in much better shape at this time. Each person had enough dry rations to last for three days at most, and morale was extremely low.

"General, the brothers really can't walk any further."

A centurion caught up from the back of the column, panting as he ran to Wu Wenhua's horse, his voice hoarse as if he had sandpaper stuck in his throat.

"General, could you... take a break?" The centurion's face was covered in dust and sweat, his eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were chapped and peeling.

Wu Wenhua glanced back at the team behind him and gritted his teeth as he gave the order.

"Order! Rest in place for half an hour, take turns on night watch, no fires allowed, and no loud noises!"

The soldiers felt as if they had been granted a pardon.

thump! thump!

One by one, the soldiers collapsed to the ground to rest.

Wu Wenhua dismounted and sat down on a flat rock. He took out a piece of dry rations from his pocket. The rations were as hard as stone, and the surface was cracked, revealing a dusty, grayish interior. He forcefully broke them in half, handing one half to the personal guard who had been following him, and eating the other half himself.

With a "crunch," the dry rations shattered in his mouth, so hard they hurt his teeth, but he chewed them with a clattering sound, his cheeks bulging as if he were chewing some kind of delicacy.

"General..."

The guard took the half-eaten ration, but instead of eating it immediately, he asked in a low voice, "If we leave like this, what will happen to the other brothers?"

Wu Wenhua swallowed the dry rations in his mouth, wiped the crumbs from the corner of his mouth, and said, "We brothers are the lord's subordinates, not that king of Chaoge. We're willing to risk our lives for the lord, but as for that king... hmph, that's enough for us."

The guard nodded and continued eating his dry rations.

Just now.

At the bend in the mountain road ahead, a figure appeared out of nowhere.

Without any warning or sound, it appeared as if it had grown out of thin air.

"who!"

Wu Wenhua suddenly stood up, grabbed the large axe beside him, and his muscles tensed instantly, like a startled beast.

The two thousand remaining soldiers also awoke with a start, gripping their weapons tightly. Some drew their swords, some raised their spears, and some drew their bows, all their eyes turning in that direction.

The air froze instantly.

"it's me."

Wu Wenhua was taken aback, then his eyes lit up with wild joy, and he shouted, "My lord!"

The person who arrived was Zhang Kui.

Guided by the bloodline of the Wu tribe with the Wu culture, Zhang Kui easily found this remnant army by following the earth's energy.

"My lord, where is Grand Tutor Wen? Is he dead?"

Wu Wenhua rushed forward, looked around, and when he didn't see Wen Zhong, he asked in a very casual manner.

This idiot, he's always saying something outrageous.

Zhang Kui's eyes twitched, and his lips twitched. He almost couldn't resist kicking him, but he suppressed the urge and glared at Wu Wenhua with annoyance.

"The Grand Tutor is recovering from his injuries and is not in mortal danger for the time being."

"That's good, at least he's not dead."

Wu Wenhua chuckled nonchalantly and scratched the back of his head.

Zhang Kui was too lazy to pay any more attention to this fool, so he walked past him and headed towards the group of remnants of the army.

Under the moonlight, those familiar faces came into view one by one.

He knew most of these people.

Zhang Kui stood among them, silent for a moment.

The night wind blew across the mountain path, making his cloak flutter and rustle.

Then he spoke.

"Brothers."

The soldiers looked up at Zhang Kui.

Zhang Kui turned to Wu Wenhua and said, "Take everyone and head towards Qinglong Pass. If we encounter Zhang Shan on the way, we'll rest under his command. Otherwise... we'll head straight back to Mianchi."

Mianchi.

That was their home.

Wu Wenhua straightened his back and clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Yes!"

He turned around and roared at the two thousand remaining soldiers, "Did you all hear that? Get up, all of you get up, let's go home."

The soldiers stood up one after another. Although their movements were still slow, what was different was that their eyes were now shining.

The troops set off again, and the two thousand Xuanjia soldiers marched south under the cover of night.

Zhang Kui stood by the roadside, watching the troops leave.

One soldier after another walked past him. Some nodded at him, some moved their lips but said nothing, and some had red eyes but grinned.

Zhang Kui only looked away when the last person disappeared into the night.

Looking up at the sky, the bright moon hangs like a hook, and countless stars twinkle.

Even if the sky is clear and there is no sign of rain, one's clothes will still get wet when one goes deep into the clouds.

Feeling the gentle night breeze blowing through the mountain path, Zhang Kui's sideburns fluttered, and a chill ran through him.