Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Deep in Qishan, there is a hidden cave.

More than ten days have passed since Zhang Kui returned from the Eight Views Palace.

When he was bored, he spent his days checking whether the new wave of expeditionary forces sent by the Yin Shang had arrived, and he devoted himself to familiarizing himself with and refining several innate spiritual treasures in the cave.

Unfortunately, none of these treasures are ordinary.

The Qiankun Diagram has made considerable progress; he has already refined twenty-four restrictions, thanks to the innate Yin and Yang energies he previously obtained from Yu Yixian and which were later transformed into the Great Yin-Yang Void Eye. This treasure truly lives up to its reputation as a top-grade innate spiritual treasure; each additional restriction refined adds to its mystique. Now, the chaotic void within the Qiankun Diagram can evolve Yin and Yang energies for trapping enemies and storing objects, making it far superior to before.

However, the refining of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl and the Universe Ruler was repeatedly thwarted, and was not as smooth as it had been before.

There are twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls in total, each a small world containing boundless spatial power. Zhao Gongming taught him the refining techniques, but only after actually trying it did he realize that the difficulty of refining this treasure far exceeded his expectations. Refining each pearl required long-term nurturing with one's own magical power, and also required establishing a connection with the small world within the pearl using one's divine sense. The slightest carelessness would result in being devoured by the power of the world.

In the past ten days or so, Zhang Kui has barely managed to refine three pills, a progress that is outrageously slow.

As for the Qiankun Ruler, it gave him an even bigger headache. This ruler was three feet and three inches long, and the color of jade. Although Yunxiao had erased the divine imprint of Randeng on the twenty-four innate divine restrictions, Zhang Kui tried many methods but could not completely refine it, so he had to give up for the time being.

The most difficult thing to deal with was still the Immortal-Binding Rope from Ju Liusun.

Since this treasure fell into his hands, it has shown no reaction whatsoever. Zhang Kui tried many methods, all to no avail: blood recognition, intrusion of divine sense, nurturing with magical power, and even forcibly suppressing it with the Five Elements Dao Fruit, all to no avail, like a mud ox sinking into the sea, not even causing a ripple.

The Immortal Binding Rope lay quietly in his Purple Mansion like a stubborn rock, ignoring him completely.

Zhang Kui originally wanted to consult his master, the Grand Master Xuandu, but after much deliberation, he ultimately felt it was inappropriate. After all, this treasure was a highly valued artifact of the Chan Sect, and if it were investigated thoroughly, his secret actions and the killing of Ju Liusun would likely be exposed, which would be a greater loss than gain.

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that the Immortal Binding Rope was not complete.

After repeated attempts yielded no results, Zhang Kui simply ended his cultivation practice.

"Never mind, it seems the time isn't right yet. I have to put it down for now," Zhang Kui muttered to himself, standing up from the prayer mat.

Upon exiting the cave, the autumn morning mist enveloped the mountains, creating a somber and desolate scene.

The mountain wind howled, swirling up a flurry of yellow leaves and making clothes flutter in the wind. In the distance, the mountains rose and fell, appearing and disappearing in the morning mist, like a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Zhang Kui took a deep breath. The air was filled with the scent of earth and withered leaves, and a hint of... murderous intent?

As if sensing something, he raised his head and looked into the distance.

At the edge of the sky, a powerful and intense aura of military might swept in, like a surging tide and a blazing fire, turning half the sky dark red.

That's the kind of killing intent that only arises when a large army is on the march.

Zhang Kui activated his Great Yin-Yang Void-Penetrating True Eye and stared intently.

An army of over 100,000 men slowly approached, their killing intent mingling with the dust of battle. The soldiers were in high spirits, their armor gleaming like brocade, their warhorses galloping like dragons. Banners blotted out the sky, and swords and spears gleamed coldly like a forest.

What an elite force!

It seems that Deng Jiugong has arrived.

Deng Jiugong was a famous general of his time, with well-trained and well-supplied troops. His son Deng Xiu, daughter Deng Chanyu, and general Tai Luan were all brave and skilled warriors.

However, Zhang Kui did not intend to come forward directly. Instead, he wanted to secretly confirm whether his younger brother Zhang Shan was in the army before making any further plans.

……

Deng Jiugong's army set off from Sanshan Pass, braving wind and rain all the way without daring to stop, and finally arrived at Xiqi.

An army of 150,000 set up camp, stretching for dozens of miles.

In the central command tent, Deng Jiugong convened a meeting of his generals.

"Jiang Ziya of Xiqi is cunning and resourceful, with many capable and extraordinary men under his command." Deng Jiugong surveyed his generals and said in a deep voice, "Although our army is large, we must not underestimate the enemy. What good strategies do you all have?"

The generals looked at each other, but no one answered.

A short general, pale as earth and no more than four feet tall, stepped forward and replied, "General, I volunteer to go into battle and will surely capture all the villains of Xiqi."

As the short man spoke, he leered at the beautiful and valiant female general in armor opposite him.

Before the female general could get angry, Deputy Commander Zhang Shan, who was standing to the side, stood up and shielded her behind him, saying, "General, I believe we should proceed cautiously, step by step, and advance gradually. Also, you shorty, you'd better keep your eyes to yourself, otherwise... I will definitely pluck them off."

The general, who was called "Shorty," was furious upon hearing this and summoned a steel rod to charge forward.

"Stop, Tu Xingsun!"

Deng Jiugong spoke up to stop him: "Vice Commander Zhang is right. However, Jiang Ziya is good at using unconventional strategies, so we can't be too conservative."

He paused, then said, "I've heard that there are disciples of the Chan Sect assisting in Xiqi City. Tu Xingsun is skilled in magic, so let him lead the vanguard into battle!"

Upon hearing this, Tu Xingsun was overjoyed and immediately replied, "This subordinate obeys!" Then, he looked at Zhang Shan with a slightly provocative expression.

"Alright, in that case, let's proceed according to plan." Deng Jiugong ordered, "Tomorrow morning, the entire army will set off and head straight for Xiqi."

"Yes, sir!"

The generals responded in unison.

……

Meanwhile, in Xiqi City.

Jiang Ziya was discussing matters at the Prime Minister's residence when a scout suddenly reported: "Prime Minister, the Shang Dynasty has launched an attack with an army of 150,000 men, and their vanguard has already reached Xiqi."

Jiang Ziya's expression changed, and he asked urgently, "Do you know who the commander-in-chief is?"

"The commander-in-chief is Deng Jiugong, the general of Sanshan Pass, and the deputy commander-in-chief is Zhang Shan."

Zhang Shan?

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Jiang Ziya's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't Zhang Shan Zhang Kui's younger brother?

He glanced at Yang Jian, Nezha, and the others beside him, and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, Deng Jiugong is a skilled strategist and should not be underestimated. Zhang Shan is Zhang Kui's younger brother, and he is likely no ordinary person either. In this battle, we must go all out."

Yang Jian said, "Prime Minister, rest assured, we will do our utmost."

The others echoed in unison.

……

Qishan, Deng Jiugong's camp.

In the dead of night, Zhang Kui used his flying and teleportation abilities to transform into a wisp of frost mist and quietly sneak into the camp.

His form was ethereal, drifting in the wind, attracting no one's attention.

Inside the central command tent, the lights were on, and Deng Jiu was discussing military affairs with a group of generals.

Zhang Kui did not go in, but stopped outside the tent. After scanning with his divine sense, he found that his younger brother Zhang Shan was not inside.

Strange? Why is Zhang Shan, the deputy commander-in-chief, absent from such an important military mission?

……

Inside the rear camp, Zhang Shan, having removed his armor, sat at his desk, studying military texts by the light of an oil lamp.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept by, and when I looked up, Zhang Kui was already standing in front of me.

"Brother, what brings you here?" Zhang Shan was overjoyed and stood up to greet him.

Zhang Kui waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down: "Don't make a fuss, I'm here to ask you something."

Zhang Shan understood and set up a soundproof barrier before saying, "Please speak, brother."

"Just now I saw Deng Jiugong and the generals discussing matters in the main tent. Why didn't you go?" Zhang Kui asked bluntly.

Zhang Shan looked grim and sighed, "Brother, my future father-in-law and I are probably just incompatible. Ever since I took office as the deputy commander of Sanshan Pass, he has disliked me."

"What's going on?" Zhang Kui became even more curious. Deng Jiugong was a veteran official, so he shouldn't be so unreasonable.

Zhang Shan smiled awkwardly and continued, "This... is also my fault. When we arrived at Sanshan Pass, I captured my father-in-law and brother-in-law Deng Xiu. Brother, this was really unexpected. I thought they were rebels, but who knew they were deliberately dressed in rebel uniforms to infiltrate behind enemy lines."

Zhang Kui was speechless after hearing this.

"And then what happened?"

Zhang Shan continued, "Although we released them later, a grudge was formed. In addition, my command of troops made Deng Jiugong feel that his position was threatened, which deepened the misunderstanding. But Chanyu is different. You could say that we became friends after a fight."

"Chanyu...you're something else!" Zhang Kui said again. "That girl Deng Chanyu is quite nice. If you really like her, don't let her down."

Zhang Shan blushed: "Yes, brother, I definitely won't."

Zhang Kui patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Men should marry when they come of age, and women should marry when they come of age. What's there to be shy about? By the way, didn't Zheng Lun and Chen Qi come with you? I didn't sense their presence."

Zhang Shan sat up straight and calmly replied, "Brother, originally Zheng Lun, Chen Qi, Bo Yuan, and Zhong Qian were all supposed to come with me. But just as the army was about to set off, Shen Gongbao came to deliver an imperial edict, bringing with him a short, stocky man named 'Tu Xingsun,' who ordered Zheng Lun and Chen Qi to stay behind and guard Sanshan Pass."

"It's Shen Gongbao again!"

Zhang Kui grew increasingly serious. Was he targeting him? That shouldn't be the case!

"Tu Xingsun, I do know him." Zhang Kui found it somewhat amusing when he thought of his master, Ju Liusun, who was rather short, and so was his disciple.

It seems that Ju Liusun put in a lot of effort when he took on his apprentices.

Zhang Kui smiled as he recounted Tu Xingsun's background: "Tu Xingsun is a disciple of Ju Liusun of the Chan Sect. He is naturally short in stature, skilled in earth-walking techniques, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day, and also possesses the magical artifact, the Immortal-Binding Rope..."

The Immortal Binding Rope... Zhang Kui's heart tightened. He thought of the Immortal Binding Rope in his own hand. What was the connection between the two? If he had the chance, he would take a look at the Immortal Binding Rope in Tu Xingsun's hand. Perhaps it was the key to breaking the deadlock.

Seeing that Zhang Kui suddenly went silent while he was talking, Zhang Shan asked curiously, "Brother, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something else." Zhang Kui didn't want to elaborate, so he changed the subject and said, "Go on."

Zhang Shan didn't think much of it and continued, "In the end, all our assets were left to the newly appointed General of Sanshan Pass, Kong Xuan. Originally, I wanted to compete for it, but if Chanyu hadn't persuaded me, I would have given that smug-looking guy a piece of my mind."

Seeing Zhang Shan's arrogant attitude, Zhang Kui couldn't help but kick him.

"Ouch! Bro... what are you doing?" Zhang Shan staggered from the kick, furious.

"You still dare to lay a hand on Kong Xuan?"

Zhang Kui laughed irritably, "Let me put it this way, within the Three Realms, there are only a handful of people who can surpass Kong Xuan."

Zhang Shan looked on incredulously and exclaimed, "No way, brother? It seems Chanyu really didn't lie to me!"

"What do you mean? Explain it clearly..." Zhang Kui looked at his younger brother with a gossipy expression and great interest.

"It's nothing..." Zhang Shan stammered, "It's just that Chanyu studied magic with Kong Xuan for a while before, and she advised me not to fight with Kong Xuan, and said that I..." As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer.

"Speak louder, I can't hear you." Zhang Kui wasn't about to miss the chance to make fun of this kid.

"Alright, alright, I'll talk!" Zhang Shan decided to go all out and said bluntly, "Chanyu said that once I make a move, I can't even withstand one move from Kong Xuan."

"Hahaha!" Zhang Kui laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"Zhang Shan, are you inside the tent?"

As the two brothers were joking around, a clear and melodious female voice suddenly came from outside the tent.

Zhang Kui fell silent, signaling to his younger brother to keep his whereabouts a secret for the time being, and then disappeared.

Zhang Shan sighed helplessly and called out towards the outside of the tent, "I'm here, Chanyu!"