Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Ma Yuan and Fa Jie were both startled to see this "little brat" who suddenly appeared, surrounded by the glow of magical treasures.

Because Yu Yixian needed to continuously activate the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle to suppress and sever the connection between the Qiankun Bow, the Zhentian Arrow, and the Shang Dynasty's fortune, he could not spare any attention at the moment and could only anxiously shout, "Quickly get rid of this troublesome brat."

Ma Yuanping calmed his arm, which was numb from the impact of the Fire-Tipped Spear, and shouted with a fierce but weak voice, "Where did this brat come from, so ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth? While I'm still in a good mood, get out of here, or I'll devour you alive and suck your marrow dry."

Fa Jie was more cautious. He sized up Nezha's Taoist cultivation, which clearly came from the orthodox Xuanmen sect, and his possession of extremely high-grade magical treasures. Feeling wary, he tried to ascertain the other party's background and asked with clasped hands, "May I ask which master the immortal boy is his teacher, and on which immortal mountain does he cultivate?"

Upon hearing this, Nezha tossed his little head back, slung his Fire-Tipped Spear over his shoulder, and rubbed his nose smugly. His voice was clear yet brimming with arrogance: "Hmph, listen up! I am Nezha, and my master is the Taiyi Zhenren of the Golden Light Cave on Mount Qianyuan. You three ugly monsters, sneaking around trying to steal the treasure of my Chen Tang Pass, do you want to taste the power of my Universe Ring?"

The Chan Sect! The Great Perfection Immortal!

The name struck Ma Yuan and Fa Jie like a thunderclap.

The name of Taiyi Zhenren is renowned far and wide. He was a direct disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, possessing profound Taoist skills and decisive ruthlessness. Ma Yuan's neighbor, Shiji, was tragically killed by Taiyi Zhenren's Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, her body and soul annihilated. This Chan Sect Golden Immortal's reputation for protecting his own was known to all.

Upon hearing this, Fa Jie's face turned deathly pale, and fear surged within him. He was inherently cunning and unwilling to easily offend such a powerful and orthodox sect. He immediately cupped his hands to Ma Yuan, his tone urgent: "Fellow Daoist Ma Yuan, I have suddenly remembered an extremely urgent matter that requires my immediate departure. Please remember our previous agreement; simply deliver the Profound Yin Beast Gathering Banner to me when the time comes. Farewell!"

Having said that, he disregarded Ma Yuan's ugly expression and Yu Yixian's astonished gaze, his figure transformed into a hazy streak of light, and without looking back, he sped away in the direction far from Chen Tang Pass, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

"This... just left like that?" Zhang Kui, hidden in the shadows, was dumbfounded, almost letting his presence slip due to his mental state. This Fa Jie got away too quickly and too decisively; he was practically a model of someone who strikes fear into the hearts of everyone.

Ma Yuan's face turned ashen; he was so angry he almost vomited blood. He never expected that this helper he had painstakingly found would be so incompetent. Merely hearing the name of Taiyi Zhenren, he was so frightened that he ran away in terror. It was simply... utterly incomprehensible.

Even Nezha himself was a little confused. He blinked his big eyes, scratched his head, and muttered, "Am I really that famous now? I just announced my name and I scared away some ugly monster?"

Enraged, Ma Yuan transferred all his pent-up frustration and anger to Nezha. He drew his menacing sword from his waist, pointing it directly at Nezha, and snarled, "Little brat, don't be so arrogant! If your master, Taiyi Zhenren, were here in person, I might still have some reservations. But you? Hmph! Today, I'll capture you and use you as a drinking companion, which will also avenge Fellow Daoist Shiji."

Having said that, Ma Yuan's magical power surged, and he brandished his sword, transforming into a streak of black light that, accompanied by a mournful ghostly howl, lunged towards Nezha. Even before the sword light arrived, the foul-smelling poisonous mist and the disturbing evil power had already spread out.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Nezha showed no fear, but instead his fighting spirit soared. He rode on his Wind and Fire Wheels, his figure as agile as lightning. With a flick of his Fire-Tipped Spear, he created a sky full of fiery spear flowers, like a phoenix spreading its wings, to meet Ma Yuan.

Enemies meeting are bound to be furious, and the two instantly clashed in a fierce battle.

Ma Yuan's swordsmanship was unpredictable and ruthless, targeting vital points, and he would occasionally spew poisonous mist, attempting to corrupt Nezha. Nezha's spear technique was exquisite, powerful, and heavy, and his movements were swift. His Wind and Fire Wheels granted him unparalleled speed, and his Hun Tian Ling sometimes protected him, and sometimes moved like a snake emerging from its hole, coiling and interfering with his movements. His Qian Kun Quan would also seize opportunities to strike, with heavy and powerful force, forcing Ma Yuan to divert his attention to defend.

In an instant, demonic light and celestial energy intertwined before the pavilion, sword light and spear shadows clashed, and the booming sounds were incessant. Although Ma Yuan's cultivation was a notch higher than Nezha's, Nezha's magical treasures were too powerful, and he fought him to a standstill, with no clear victor.

Hidden to the side, Zhang Kui watched the battle intently, quickly analyzing in his mind: "Although Nezha is only at the early stage of True Immortal, his foundation is solid and his magic weapon is powerful enough to restrain Ma Yuan. The Winged Immortal is restrained by the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle and cannot be separated for the time being. If we find an opportunity to make a move now, as long as we can interrupt the Winged Immortal's spellcasting and restore the fortune of the Qiankun Bow and the Zhentian Arrow, we may be able to trigger a backlash from the fortune of Chentang Pass and even the Shang Dynasty, forcing them to retreat."

Suppressing the urge to act immediately, Zhang Kui, like the most patient hunter, waited for the best opportunity.

About an incense stick's time later, the situation on the field subtly changed. Yu Yixian seemed to have initially stabilized his suppression of the Qiankun Bow and Zhentian Arrow. The Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle floated in the air, automatically absorbing and releasing black and white energies to maintain its isolation. He was able to free up some of his mind and magic power, and his cold gaze swept across the battle. Seeing that Ma Yuanjiu was unable to gain the upper hand and was even being subtly suppressed by Nezha's endless stream of magical treasures, he immediately became impatient.

"Useless trash, can't even take down a little kid." Yu Yixian sneered, her wings flashing behind her as she prepared to help Ma Yuan capture Nezha as soon as possible.

Right now.

Zhang Kui's eyes flashed with a sharp light; he was waiting for the moment when Yu Yixian would relax his mind and prepare to make a move.

He activated his Flying Body Transmission Technique to its fullest extent, silently appearing a few feet behind the Winged Immortal as if he had merged into space. His Five-Turn Golden Core circulated wildly within him, instantly compressing and transforming his immense magical power and the five energies of his five internal organs, condensing them in his palm.

The Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light.

A beam of five-colored divine light, only as thick as an arm but extremely condensed and almost chaotic in color, silently burst forth from his palm, as if traversing the distance of space, and instantly swept towards Yu Yixian's unsuspecting back.

Zhang Kui went all out in this attack, aiming to severely injure this Golden Immortal.

However, a Golden Immortal is still a Golden Immortal! Although the Winged Immortal focused most of his attention on controlling his magical artifacts and preparing to attack Nezha, his intuition for danger remained frighteningly sharp.

The instant the divine light touched his body, a dazzling black-gold radiance suddenly erupted from behind him.

"Clang—"

Like the clang of metal on metal, a pair of enormous wings covered in black and gold feathers that shimmered with a cold metallic light instantly sprang from the back of the Feathered Immortal, tightly protecting his back.

The feathers were incredibly hard, and they actually managed to block the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light.

At the point where the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light collided with the Black Gold Feather, subtle ripples appeared in the space. The annihilating power of the divine light was actually blocked by the innate Yin and Yang energy and the vast magic power contained in the feather, and failed to penetrate into its body. It only knocked the Feathered Immortal forward, causing his blood and qi to churn.

Yu Yixian whirled around, his cold, sinister gaze fixed on Zhang Kui, who had just revealed himself. He was first startled, then his expression transformed into a raging inferno: "Five-Colored Divine Light? No, it's merely similar in form but completely different in essence; its power is worlds apart. Boy, what's your relationship with that flashy peacock?" Zhang Kui's attack stirred up painful memories and deep-seated fear within Yu Yixian about the Five-Colored Peacock—Kong Xuan—who was hailed as "the strongest person below the sage."

Seeing that his all-out attack, the "Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light," was easily blocked by the opponent's physical form—feathers—only causing a slight shock, Zhang Kui was also shocked: "The body of a Golden Immortal is indeed powerful. Especially this Winged Immortal, whose true form is a Golden-Winged Roc, and whose feathers are comparable to spiritual treasures."

Realizing the situation was hopeless, Zhang Kui retreated without hesitation, shouting at Nezha, who was locked in fierce combat with Ma Yuan, "Nezha, run!"

Before the words had even faded, Zhang Kui had already transformed into a streak of five-colored light and fled frantically in the southeast direction without looking back.

Although Nezha was arrogant, he was not a mindless person. Seeing Zhang Kui, who suddenly appeared and had extraordinary skills, immediately flee after striking, and hearing the warning, he knew that this winged ugly monster was probably extremely powerful.

He immediately feinted with his spear, forcing Ma Yuan back. The flames of his Wind and Fire Wheels surged forth, transforming into a streak of crimson light, and he fled swiftly, following the direction of Zhang Kui's escape light.

"Trying to run away!" Yu Yixian roared in fury. He had never suffered such a loss before, being ambushed and letting his target escape. He immediately flapped his wings to give chase.

Ma Yuan, standing to the side, reacted even more violently. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot as he stared intently in the direction Zhang Kui had fled, letting out a beast-like roar filled with deep-seated resentment: "Zhang...Kui...it's you again, ruining my plans. Today, I, your ancestor, will surely kill you, grind you to dust, and banish your soul to the deepest hell, where you will never be reincarnated."

New and old grudges instantly overwhelmed Ma Yuan's reason. He didn't even care about the Qiankun Bow and Zhentian Arrow that were so close at hand. He only had one thought in his mind—to catch up with Zhang Kui and kill him.

"That person is Zhang Kui?" Yu Yixian was taken aback, then remembered Ma Yuan's instigation, and his anger intensified. "Very well, I will go with you to capture this ignorant brat and see what he is capable of, daring to speak ill of my feathers."

At that moment, Yu Yixian cast a spell to activate the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle, allowing it to continue subduing the Qiankun Bow and the Zhentian Arrow. Then, together with the seemingly crazed Ma Yuan, they transformed into two astonishing rainbows, one golden and one black, carrying overwhelming malevolent energy, relentlessly pursuing the direction in which Zhang Kui and Nezha had fled.

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