Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

After inspecting the camp, Zhang Shan returned to his tent, utterly exhausted.

He removed his armor and was about to wash up and rest when a guard's voice came from outside the tent: "General, someone has brought you a letter, saying it's from Miss Deng."

Upon hearing the words "Miss Deng," Zhang Shan's fatigue vanished instantly. He strode out of the tent and took the letter and a small cloth bag from his personal guard.

Unfolding the letter, one finds only a few words written on it. It asks him to meet at midnight tonight at a river bend more than ten li southeast of the military camp, to discuss important matters. The handwriting is elegant and beautiful, indeed that of Deng Chanyu.

Zhang Shan opened the cloth bag again, and inside was Deng Chanyu's mutton-fat jade pendant, which she never parted with.

"What is this, Chanyu…" He wondered, but when he saw the jade pendant, his doubts vanished. This jade pendant was a keepsake from Chanyu's mother, whom she cherished as her life. If she hadn't entrusted it to her, who could have gotten it?

Zhang Shan carefully put the jade pendant away, changed into civilian clothes, and left the military camp alone without his personal guards.

The night was dark, the moon was obscured by clouds, and it was pitch black. Zhang Shan used his movement technique to swiftly rush towards the river bend mentioned in the letter.

The journey of more than ten miles was completed in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, given his walking speed.

From afar, Zhang Shan saw a slender figure standing under a tree by the river, her back to him, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a leopard skin pouch hanging from her waist. It was Deng Chanyu.

"Chanyu!" Zhang Shan called out, quickening his pace.

The figure did not turn around, but simply stood there quietly.

Zhang Shan felt something was off, but didn't think much of it and continued walking forward.

Just as he was about ten steps away from that figure, the Qiankun Diagram on his chest suddenly trembled slightly, and a cool sensation surged into his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Watch out, something's wrong."

Zhang Kui's voice echoed in his mind, deep and clear.

Zhang Shan paused, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. He narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the back of "Deng Chanyu." The figure was similar, the clothing identical, but the aura...

wrong!

Deng Chanyu's aura was balanced and peaceful, carrying the meaning of the five elements flowing. The person in front of her, although possessing a powerful aura, did not have the aura of the five elements.

Just then, "Deng Chanyu" suddenly turned around.

Her body twisted and changed shape, and her spirited and pretty face disappeared, replaced by a lewd face with a pointed mouth, monkey cheeks, and a mouthful of yellow teeth.

It was Tu Xingsun.

"Hahaha..." Tu Xingsun laughed loudly, "General Zhang, going to meet a beauty late at night, what a refined taste!"

Zhang Shan's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Tu Xingsun, it's you!"

"That's right, it's your grandpa me." Tu Xingsun proudly waved the jade pendant in his hand. "Miss Chanyu's personal item, it really works. Zhang Shan, Zhang Shan, don't you think you're worthy of Miss Chanyu with your brute appearance?"

Zhang Shan remained silent, his right hand forming a fist, and the Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade appeared in his palm. The blade gleamed with a dark light, and the barbs on its edge gleamed with a chilling light in the night.

Seeing this, Tu Xingsun didn't waste any words. With his iron rod in hand, he rushed forward.

This iron rod weighed over a thousand pounds, yet it felt as light as a feather in his hands. The rod's shadows blurred, transforming into a vast black curtain that descended upon Zhang Shan with a piercing whistling sound.

Zhang Shan dared not be careless. He wielded his Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade with impenetrable speed, the blade light colliding with the staff shadows, sparking a string of sparks.

Ding ding ding...

The two fought swiftly, exchanging dozens of blows in the blink of an eye. Zhang Shansheng's advantage lay in his sharp and powerful swordsmanship, while Tu Xingsun relied on his short stature and agility, repeatedly dodging fatal blades as he maneuvered.

"You do have some skill." Tu Xingsun sneered, then suddenly his figure blurred and he disappeared into thin air.

Earth-walking technique.

Zhang Shan felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could react, he was struck hard on the back with a stick.

boom!

A strong force came, and Zhang Shan staggered forward two steps, but he did not feel any pain.

Tu Xingsun emerged from underground, about to burst into triumphant laughter, when he saw Zhang Shan merely sway before regaining his balance, as if the blow from his staff had only tickled him.

The smile on his face froze instantly.

"How is that possible..."

Although he didn't use his full strength in that strike, he still applied about 70-80% of his power; even fine steel would have been dented by such a blow. How could Zhang Shan have taken such a solid blow and been completely unharmed?

Little did Tu Xingsun know that the Qiankun Diagram in Zhang Shan's arms was a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, containing thirty-six innate divine restrictions. Let alone a full-force attack from a celestial immortal like himself, even a golden immortal would not be able to easily break through the protective power of the Qiankun Diagram.

Zhang Shan turned around and swung his sword again.

The two fought for dozens more rounds, and Tu Xingsun became increasingly alarmed. He managed to launch several surprise attacks using his earth-walking technique, but no matter where he struck Zhang Shan, the opponent was completely unharmed, while the recoil made his hands numb.

"We can't delay any longer."

A ruthless glint flashed in Tu Xingsun's eyes. Taking advantage of a chance encounter during their exchange, he pulled out the dark golden Immortal Binding Rope from his robes and silently chanted an incantation.

The rope seemed to come alive, transforming into a golden beam that shot towards Zhang Shan.

Zhang Shan raised his sword to block, but the golden light was extremely agile, turning around the blade in a single motion and instantly wrapping around his body, binding him tightly.

With a thud, Zhang Shan fell backward to the ground.

Tu Xingsun laughed loudly, stepped forward and kicked Zhang Shan in the chest, knocking him to the ground: "Run! Why aren't you running anymore?"

Zhang Shan was bound by the Immortal Binding Rope and could not move, so he could only glare angrily.

Tu Xingsun squatted down, patted Zhang Shan's face, and teased, "General Zhang, you said you went out to patrol the camp in the middle of the night, were ambushed by Xiqi, fought bravely but were defeated, and died a heroic death. How about this way of dying?"

"Tu Xingsun, you're despicable!" Zhang Shan gritted his teeth.

"Despicable?" Tu Xingsun stood up, threw his head back, and laughed loudly. "The victor is king, the loser is villain. What's with all this talk of despicable? Don't worry, after you die, I'll take good care of Miss Chanyu. Hehehe..."

He raised the iron rod, aimed it at Zhang Shan's head, and was about to smash it down.

Just then, a thunderous explosion suddenly rang out in the night sky.

Tu Xingsun's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively used his earth-walking technique to burrow into the ground. Almost at the same instant, a five-colored lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking the very spot where he had just been standing.

Rumble...

Lightning exploded, sending dirt and rocks flying everywhere. Within a radius of several meters, all vegetation and stones were reduced to dust, and a scorched crater more than ten meters deep was blasted into the ground.

Tu Xingsun emerged from the ground not far away, staring at the shocking crater, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. If that lightning strike had landed on him, he feared he wouldn't even be left with ashes.

"Who, who is it!" he screamed, his voice trembling slightly.

A figure slowly emerged from the night.

The newcomer was dressed in a dark black Taoist robe, with a cold and stern face, and his aura was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. With each step he took, Tu Xingsun felt his heart grow heavier, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him.

"Who...who exactly are you?" Tu Xingsun gripped his iron rod tightly, demanding fiercely but inwardly weakly.

Zhang Kui ignored it, raised his right hand, and the Qiankun Ruler appeared in his palm. This green ruler, which was neither gold nor jade, trembled slightly in his hand, and grew longer in the wind, transforming into a three-foot-long short stick.

Without wasting words, he took a step forward and swung the Qiankun Ruler to smash it down.

This attack was devoid of any fancy moves; it was purely about overwhelming the opponent with sheer force.

Tu Xingsun was terrified and struggled to raise his iron rod.

when!

With a deafening clang of metal clashing, Tu Xingsun was struck as if by lightning. His hand split open, and the iron rod flew out of his grasp. His small body was sent flying backward by the immense force, rolling seven or eight times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

Tu Xingsun's eyes were filled with horror; the newcomer's cultivation level far surpassed his own.

Zhang Kui did not pursue him, but simply stood there holding the ruler, coldly watching him.

Tu Xingsun got up, gritted his teeth, and used his earth-walking technique to burrow underground again. He knew that he was no match for the opponent in a head-on confrontation, and could only rely on his earth-walking technique to maneuver.

However, Zhang Kui would never give him that opportunity.

With the Five Elements Great Escape technique activated, Zhang Kui stomped his foot, and the soil and rocks within a hundred feet radius all emitted a faint yellow light. This was the power of Earth Escape from the Five Elements Great Escape, which could transform soil and sand into something as hard as refined steel.

As Tu Xingsun was about to escape underground, he suddenly crashed into an invisible barrier.

Tu Xingsun was so shocked by the impact that he saw stars and a large bump swelled up on his forehead. Undeterred, he changed direction and tried to crawl through again.

Another sharp cracking sound hit him, leaving him completely disoriented.

Clang clang...

After being hit seven or eight times in a row, Tu Xingsun finally realized that his opponent had used earth magic to turn the entire land into a plate of steel, and his earth magic was completely useless in the face of such a supernatural power.

He crawled out of the ground in a disheveled state, his forehead covered in bruises, looking utterly ridiculous.

Looking at his foolish expression, Zhang Kui curled his lips into a mocking smile: "Looking for death?"

Tu Xingsun trembled and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Senior, spare my life! Senior, spare my life! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. I have offended you. Please, senior, be magnanimous and spare my life."

Zhang Kui was speechless as he looked at Tu Xingsun kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.

Just moments ago he was arrogantly threatening to kill his own brother, but now he's kowtowing like a dog. He's never seen such a shameless person before.

"Release him." Zhang Kui pointed to Zhang Shan, who was bound by the Immortal Binding Rope.

Tu Xingsun dared not disobey and quickly chanted the incantation. The Binding Immortal Rope flashed with golden light, loosened from Zhang Shan's body, and flew back into Tu Xingsun's hand.

Zhang Shan regained his freedom, leaped up, and drew his knife, ready to kill Tu Xingsun.

"Wait." Zhang Kui raised his hand to stop him.

Zhang Shan looked at his elder brother in confusion.

Zhang Kui did not explain, but simply transmitted his voice, "Wait a moment, I have something else to ask him."

He turned to Tu Xingsun and said calmly, "Tell me the incantation for the Immortal Binding Rope."

Upon hearing this, Tu Xingsun hesitated. This Immortal-Binding Rope was a magical artifact passed down by his master, Ju Liusun, and the incantation was a secret passed down within the sect. How could he easily reveal it to an outsider?

Seeing this, Zhang Shan stepped forward without a word, placing his Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade against Tu Xingsun's neck. The blade was icy cold, exuding a chilling killing intent, and goosebumps immediately rose on Tu Xingsun's neck.

"Speak or not?" Zhang Shan asked coldly, applying slight pressure to his hand, causing the blade to sink a little deeper, and a trickle of blood flowed down Tu Xingsun's neck.

Feeling the cold, stinging pain on his neck, the shadow of death loomed over him, and Tu Xingsun's mental defenses crumbled instantly. He no longer cared about any secret teachings of his sect, and rattled off the incantations in rapid succession.

He dared not conceal not only the incantation, but also the origin of the Immortal Rope.