Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

After lingering in Luofu Cave for several more days, Zhang Kui felt that he had mastered the supernatural powers and once again asked Zhao Gongming to take his leave.

However, Zhao Gongming still insisted on keeping him, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please don't be in such a hurry. I have already promised to compensate you for the divine weapon, how can I go back on my word? I have already sent Jiu Gong to retrieve that precious sword, and judging by the time, it should be back in the next day or two. Fellow Daoist, please stay a few more days until you have the divine weapon before you leave."

Seeing his earnestness and considering the other party's good intentions, Zhang Kui felt it was difficult to refuse again and had no choice but to suppress his desire to return home and continue staying in Luofu Cave.

On this day, Zhang Kui was meditating in his quiet room, his mind calm and focused, when he suddenly remembered the still dormant Treasure Coin. Ever since this innate spiritual treasure devoured the remnant will of the Ancestral Witch in Ma Yuangu's hand, it had been as if it were asleep, showing no reaction no matter how he tried to probe it, like a stubborn rock.

"I can't figure it out right now, but perhaps... Senior Zhao Gongming is knowledgeable and experienced, and can see some clues?" Zhang Kui's heart stirred, feeling that this was a good opportunity.

Zhao Gongming is a Great Immortal with a wide circle of friends and rich experience; perhaps he can unlock the mystery of the Falling Treasure Coin.

With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and got up to go find Zhao Gongming.

After finding Zhao Gongming in the main hall, Zhang Kui first served him fragrant tea. Then, he recounted in detail how he had seized the Treasure-Dropping Coin from Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao in Wuyi Mountain, how he had fought with Ma Yuan, and how the Coin had flown out on its own to devour the strange aura in the bone's hand before falling silent. He then handed over the seemingly unadorned Treasure-Dropping Coin with both hands.

Zhao Gongming listened carefully, especially when he heard the name Ma Yuan. He snorted coldly, glanced at Yao Shaosi who was standing to the side, and scolded, "Look at Zhang Kui, he is calm and composed in the face of adversity, plans carefully before acting, and handles things perfectly! Unlike you, you are reckless and almost got yourself and your senior brother into trouble. What kind of disciple is Ma Yuan? He just relies on having heard Master's sermons a few times in the past to act under the banner of the Jie Sect. What has he ever done that shows even a trace of the uprightness and integrity of our sect? If I encounter him again, I will definitely clean house and get rid of this disgrace to our sect."

He scolded his disciple while accepting the treasure-dropping coin. At first, he didn't pay much attention, treating it as a routine examination, and sent a wisp of his divine sense into it. However, the moment his divine sense touched the inside of the coin, a strange change occurred.

That wisp of divine consciousness vanished without a trace, as if it had been thrown into the sea by a mud ox. It was instantly swallowed up by a chaotic and greedy power within the Falling Treasure Coin.

"Hmm?" Zhao Gongming's expression changed slightly, his previous casual demeanor vanishing as his expression turned serious. "This treasure is strange."

He dared not be careless any longer. With a thought, twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls appeared behind his head, emitting five-colored light, like twenty-four small worlds, slowly rotating and enveloping the Falling Treasure Coin in the center. The Sea-Stabilizing Pearls were innate spiritual treasures, possessing the power to suppress all heavens and stabilize the earth, water, fire, and wind. Zhao Gongming used a profound incantation to activate the power of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearls to protect his more refined divine sense, and once again cautiously probed into the Falling Treasure Coin.

This time, with the power of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl protecting him, his divine sense successfully broke through the outer barriers and entered the magical artifact's restrictive network. He skipped the first six layers of restrictions that Zhang Kui had already refined and went directly to the seventh layer.

This sight startled him. Starting from the seventh layer of restrictions, a new dark gold-black pattern began to sprout and coil around the golden veins that originally represented the laws of the magical artifact. This pattern exuded an ancient, savage, and ferocious aura, and carried with it a chilling, deathly feeling unique to the Netherworld.

"The aura of the underworld? How could it appear within a primordial spiritual treasure like the Falling Treasure Coin?" Zhao Gongming's curiosity was thoroughly piqued. Relying on the protection of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, he continued to delve deeper with his divine sense.

The eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh... the deeper one goes, the denser and clearer the dark gold patterns become, and the fierce will and underworld aura they contain grow stronger, even beginning to subtly repel and erode the original golden veins. The Falling Treasure Coin seems to be undergoing a strange transformation and sublimation.

It wasn't until his divine sense entered the twelfth layer of restrictions and he saw the dark gold patterns that were almost on par with the golden veins, and even faintly had the upper hand, that Zhao Gongming suddenly jolted awake and realized what was happening.

"Damn it!" he thought to himself, almost wanting to slap himself. "What am I doing?! Refining someone else's magic weapon's restrictions right in front of its owner. This... this is outrageous! If word gets out, won't I, Zhao Gongming, become a shameless scoundrel who covets other people's treasures?"

Even more critically, as he ventured deeper, a trace of his primordial divine soul aura had unknowingly been imprinted within the twelfth layer of the restriction. Forcibly withdrawing now would no longer be an easy task.

Zhao Gongming blushed, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. He withdrew his divine sense and the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, and explained to Zhang Kui, who looked puzzled, with a embarrassed expression: "Fellow Daoist Zhang Kui... well... I was just curious and explored a bit too deeply, and actually... actually entered the twelfth layer of restrictions, and... a trace of my divine soul is imprinted in it."

Zhang Kui, lacking a deep understanding of the profound mysteries of magical artifact restrictions, asked in confusion, "Senior Gongming, what... will this have any impact?"

Seeing Zhang Kui's blank expression, Zhao Gongming knew he didn't fully understand the intricacies and felt even more guilty. He quickly explained in detail: "The restrictions on magical treasures, especially those of innate spiritual treasures, are their core. Determining the ownership of a magical treasure involves examining whose soul imprint is left at the core of its restrictions. Originally, the first six layers of restrictions on this treasure already contained your soul, making it yours. But now… I inadvertently left my soul imprint in the later layers of restrictions, which… this is equivalent to…" He carefully chose his words, "It's equivalent to this treasure temporarily having two owners, or rather, I 'borrowed' some of the privileges of your treasure without permission. This is truly not the act of a gentleman, and I am ashamed."

Zhang Kui finally understood. So, the Fallen Treasure Coin had now become his and Zhao Gongming's "joint property"? This sudden change left him both amused and exasperated.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Gongming immediately solemnly assured him, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I am by no means the kind of person who would forcibly take what belongs to others. I have already gathered and concentrated that wisp of divine consciousness within the twelfth layer of the restriction, and it will not interfere with your control over the first six layers. When your cultivation improves in the future and you refine it to the twelfth layer, I will definitely take action to actively extinguish that wisp of divine consciousness and return this treasure intact, without affecting you at all."

He paused, then added, "There are two reasons why I haven't annihilated it immediately: First, the great calamity is approaching, and the energy is pulling at it. If I were to forcibly annihilate the soul connected to the innate spiritual treasure now, I would suffer a backlash, damaging my cultivation and hindering my ability to cope with the calamity. Second, with my soul imprint before you, it's like paving the way for you. When you refine the seventh to twelfth layers of restrictions later, the resistance will be greatly reduced, and the speed will be doubled. Of course, if you are still worried, I can annihilate the soul now, even at the cost of damage, so as not to cause you any trouble."

Looking at Zhao Gongming's sincere and eager appearance, Zhang Kui's mind raced.

He trusted Zhao Gongming's character. Although this senior disciple of the Jie Sect could sometimes be a bit too extravagant, he was definitely a man of his word and upright character. Moreover, the two reasons he gave were reasonable, especially the point about accelerating the refining process, which was indeed very tempting to him. The Falling Treasure Coin was extremely mysterious; relying on his own slow grinding would take countless years.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Kui cupped his hands and said, "Senior, you flatter me. How could I not trust you? I will do as you say and trouble you to help me when I have refined the twelfth layer of the restriction. This matter is in my best interest, so please do not blame yourself for it."

Seeing Zhang Kui's understanding attitude, Zhao Gongming felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He let out a long sigh of relief, and a smile returned to his dark face: "Fellow Daoist, your magnanimity is truly appreciated. Furthermore, when I examined this treasure just now, I discovered that its changes seem to be related to the Underworld. Perhaps you can go and explore it sometime in the future; you might find something of value there."

Just then, Chen Jiugong, who had been away for several days, returned looking travel-worn. Zhao Gongming was overjoyed and, without bothering with formalities, quickly pulled Zhang Kui to greet him.

Before Chen Jiugong could even bow, Zhao Gongming eagerly took the long jade box he had brought back. As soon as the box was opened, a vast, domineering, and strangely sharp aura instantly filled the air.

Inside the box lay a precious sword. The scabbard was ancient and simple, seemingly woven from a mixture of feathers from some divine bird and metal. Zhao Gongming personally took out the sword, held it in his hand, and solemnly introduced it to Zhang Kui:

"This sword is named—Great Xia Dragon Sparrow."

He gently stroked the blade, his eyes filled with admiration: "This was personally forged by my senior brother, Daoist Duobao, at my request. The blade is based on the three evil swords of the Xia Dynasty that were severed by the original materials—the Dog God, the Tiger Wing, and the Dragon Fang. It is forged from the body and soul of the ancient divine beast, the Dragon Sparrow, and further infused with a trace of the supreme sword energy of the Qingping Sword worn by my master, the Sage Tongtian. Only then was this supreme divine weapon forged."

"The sword is three feet six and a half inches long and weighs 36,500 jin, subtly corresponding to the number of the heavens. The hilt is like a coiled dragon's tail, with gleaming scales, providing a firm grip; the blade is narrow and slightly curved, with a dark gold color, like the feathers of a dragon or sparrow; the edge gleams with a cold light, and the sparrow's beak protrudes as if to peck through the void; at the base of the blade, the four characters 'Great Xia Dragon Sparrow' are inscribed in ancient divine script; on the back of the blade are cast five dragon and sparrow rings, subtly corresponding to the flow of the five elements, capable of drawing upon the power of the five elements of heaven and earth."

Zhang Kui was deeply moved and solemnly accepted the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade with both hands. The moment the blade touched his hand, he felt its weight; the claim of 36,500 jin was no exaggeration. He immediately circulated the powerful Wu Clan Qi within him, simultaneously activating the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Divine Power. His arm muscles bulged slightly as he firmly grasped the precious blade.

"Clang—"

As the sword was drawn, a clear, melodious sound, like the roar of a dragon or the chirping of a sparrow, resounded throughout the cave. The dark blade, exposed to the air, amplified its vast, domineering, and incomparably sharp aura; the air around it seemed to be sliced ​​apart, emitting a subtle hissing sound. The five dragon-and-sparrow rings on the back of the blade trembled gently, causing subtle fluctuations in the surrounding five elements of spiritual energy.

Zhang Kui casually swung the blade a few times, feeling as if it were tailor-made for him; its weight, length, and center of gravity were perfectly suited to his needs. Where the blade passed, faint phantom images of dragons and sparrows appeared, its power many times greater than the previous Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade. He could even sense the supreme sharpness of the Azure Lotus Sword Qi contained within the blade, as well as the soaring ambition of the dragon and sparrow's divine soul.

"What a fine knife! What a fine knife!" Zhang Kui was overjoyed and couldn't put it down. He repeatedly thanked Zhao Gongming, "Senior, you are so kind. I...I really don't know how to repay you."

Seeing how much he liked it, Zhao Gongming laughed heartily and waved his hand generously: "It's good that you like it, fellow Daoist. It is also the good fortune of this sword to have met a wise master."

At this moment, Chen Jiugong presented another item, the broken Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade, now fully restored, gleaming with a cold light, even more spiritual than before. Zhao Gongming smiled and said, "This blade has accompanied you in battle for many years, and it holds considerable significance. I asked Senior Brother Duobao to add some spiritual materials to repair it as well. You can keep it as a memento."

Zhang Kui was deeply moved and thanked him again with heartfelt gratitude.

He bid farewell to Zhao Gongming for the third time. This time, Zhao Gongming did not try to stop him. Instead, he had Chen Jiugong and Yao Shaosi bring over several more jars of Purple Mansion Immortal Wine and give them to Zhang Kui, saying loudly, "Fellow Daoist, the mountains are high and the rivers are long, we will meet again. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come to Mount Emei to find me."

Zhang Kui bowed deeply: "Take care, senior. Farewell, everyone. Until we meet again."

Having said that, he stirred his thoughts, and the Dao pattern of "flying and carrying traces" on the fifth-stage golden core in his dantian glowed faintly. In an instant, his aura rippled like water, then completely disappeared, his figure became blurred and indistinct, transforming into a wisp of invisible and uncertain frost, silently merging into the void outside Luofu Cave, without causing the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy, and had already fled a hundred miles away.