Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

The countless black-gold feathers that the Winged Immortal shot out in anger were incomparably sharp and contained the unrefined and extremely violent Yin and Yang energies.

Under the forceful control of his Golden Immortal power, which was extremely domineering, every feather emitted a piercing shriek, completely enveloping the space around Zhang Kui and Nezha.

Zhang Kui wielded the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade, the blade's energy transforming into a dense curtain of light. He unleashed the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Divine Power to its fullest extent, either parrying or slashing away the incoming feathers. However, each strike left his arm numb and his blood churning.

Nezha wielded his Fire-Tipped Spear like a whirlwind, protected himself with the Universe Ring, and continuously unleashed the Universe Ring, barely managing to withstand this wave of ferocious attacks.

The glimmer of hope that the two had just gained from the lightning technique breaking the formation was instantly crushed by the absolute difference in strength, leaving them only able to grit their teeth and struggle on.

"Even ants dare to resist!" Yu Yixian roared, his figure flashing like lightning as he pounced after Ling Yu. A gleaming sword, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, appeared in his hand, carrying the force to tear through the void as he aimed straight for Zhang Kui's head. He had already realized that Zhang Kui was interfering with the earth's veins, so he wanted to eliminate him as quickly as possible.

Zhang Kui raised his knife to meet the attack head-on.

"clang--"

A deafening roar resounded. The immense power of the Golden Immortal surged through the sword, and Zhang Kui felt an irresistible force wash over him. His tiger's mouth split open, and blood instantly stained the hilt of the sword. His entire arm was numb and throbbing with pain, almost losing all feeling. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade groaned and trembled violently, and he was thrown backward by the shock, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted.

The Golden-Winged Roc was a top-tier creature in the primordial world, possessing immense strength and unparalleled speed. Yu Yixian, having studied under the Jie Sect for many years, had even more profound magical power.

Although Zhang Kui was a top-tier True Immortal with abundant blood and qi from the Wu clan, he was already in dire straits and showing signs of defeat after only a few moves due to the absolute difference in strength. He could only rely on his exquisite swordsmanship and Five Elements Escape Technique to stall for time.

During this time, Nezha seized the opportunity and unleashed two more Jade Purity Divine Thunderbolts, accurately striking several more Xuan Yin Beast Gathering Banners. The lightning exploded, and the spiritual light of three more banners dimmed, their surfaces charred black, and the wailing beast spirits on them fell silent. The entire Xuan Yin Myriad Beasts Slaying Immortal Array clearly showed a slight stagnation in its operation, and the Yin wind within the domain weakened considerably.

However, this did not damage the foundation of the great formation. Worse still, because Zhang Kui was completely suppressed by Yu Yixian and could no longer spare any attention, his interference with the earth veins was greatly reduced.

Ma Yuan, who was in charge of the main formation, immediately seized the opportunity and frantically drew on the Yin energy of the Skull Mountain's earth veins. He not only stabilized the crumbling formation but also began to repair the damaged Xuan Yin Gathering Beast Banners. With a flickering ghostly light, the charred banner surfaces were slowly recovering.

"Zhang Kui, this won't do!" Nezha's anxious voice entered Zhang Kui's mind again. "Let's join forces and concentrate our efforts on dealing with this winged birdman. Once we severely injure him, Ma Yuan will be left to fight alone, and breaking the formation will be a piece of cake."

Zhang Kui narrowly avoided Yu Yixian's decapitating sword strike, and replied in a disordered voice, "Okay! I'll find a way to restrain him. You find an opportunity to deliver a powerful blow."

Having made up his mind, a resolute glint flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes. He suddenly flew backward, simultaneously circulating the Nine Breaths Breath Absorption Technique with all his might, frantically absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He even went so far as to draw in some of the Yin Sha Qi that had been contaminated by the great formation, forcibly refining it with the Golden Core Dao to replenish his nearly depleted mana.

Zhang Kui simultaneously unleashed his Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming techniques, as well as his Great and Small As-You-Wish divine abilities, to their limits. His muscles bulged, his blood and qi surged like billowing smoke, and his body suddenly swelled, transforming into a giant over ten zhang tall. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade also grew larger, resembling a colossal blade capable of splitting the heavens, radiating a chilling sense of oppression.

"A desperate struggle!" Seeing this, Yu Yixian's eyes burned even brighter with ferocity. He knew all too well that this kind of Heaven and Earth Transformation technique consumed a great deal of magical power, and his opponent was already at his last gasp. He swayed, letting out a sharp, piercing cry that could shatter metal and stone, and his demonic aura soared into the sky.

The next moment, a real Golden-Winged Roc appeared on the spot. It was enormous, its wingspan like clouds hanging from the sky, blotting out the sun. Its feathers were like black gold, shimmering with a cold metallic luster. Its beak was like a hook, its claws like mountains, and its sharp eyes were like two small golden suns, radiating the overwhelming ferocity of a primordial bird. This was the true form of the Winged Immortal, a perfect embodiment of power and speed.

The Golden-Winged Roc flapped its wings, stirring up a gale that tore through space. Its enormous claws gleamed with a cold light, as if shattering stars, and slashed down at the giant Zhang Kui.

"Well done!" Zhang Kui, transformed into a giant, roared. Without dodging or avoiding, he gripped the massive Dragon Sparrow Blade tightly with both hands, gathering all his strength to unleash a powerful strike that cleaved Mount Hua, fiercely meeting the sky-covering claws.

"Bang!"

The terrifying shockwave spread in a ring, shearing the mountain below down several feet, turning countless rocks into dust. Zhang Kui's massive body shook violently, spitting out blood, but he managed to temporarily withstand this deadly claw attack by relying on the power of the Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Taming Divine Art and the blood of the Witch Clan.

However, the cost was heavy.

The Winged Immortal's claws, comparable to divine weapons, pierced through Zhang Kui's shoulder and sank deep into his flesh, causing him excruciating pain that almost made him faint.

Turn the page, and you'll find yourself in another world.

But in that split second, a glint of madness flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes. Ignoring the risk of his shoulder blades being crushed, the muscles in his arms bulged like writhing dragons, clamping down tightly on the base of the Winged Immortal's wings. At the same time, his internal organs roared, and the five vital energies of his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys surged forth. The illusory images of the five divine beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Qilin—suddenly manifested, intertwining into a dazzling five-colored rainbow, like a resilient chain, tightly binding and locking the Winged Immortal's massive body.

"Now, Nezha!" Zhang Kui roared hoarsely, blood gushing from the wounds on his mouth and shoulder.

Nezha, who had been gathering his strength on the sidelines and secretly condensing the power of the Jade Purity Divine Thunder Spell to its limit, suddenly had a glint of light in his eyes.

"Jade Purity Divine Thunder, vanquishing evil!"

A lightning pillar, several times thicker than before, condensed to the point of being tangible, and exuding an aura of world destruction, crashed down like a cascading Milky Way from the heavens, striking the unsuspecting back of the Winged Immortal.

The moment Yu Yixian was locked in place by Zhang Kui, he knew something was wrong. Sensing the terrifying lightning power behind him that made his feathers stand on end, he struggled frantically, trying to shake off Zhang Kui and put on a defensive. But Zhang Kui was like a leech, and the five-colored rainbow formed from his five internal organs was exceptionally tough, making it difficult for him to break free for the time being.

"Get out of my way!" Yu Yixian exclaimed in shock and anger, unleashing her demonic power.

"Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light!" Zhang Kui endured the excruciating pain and the backlash of his magic power, and unleashed another divine light at close range, successfully interfering with Yu Yixian's magic power condensation.

That brief delay decided the outcome.

"boom!"

The Jade Purity Divine Lightning struck Yu Yixian squarely on the back!

"Chirp—"

A mournful, agonizing cry from an eagle echoed through the heavens. Pure Yang energy, capable of warding off evil, surged wildly into the Winged Immortal's body, ravaging and destroying his meridians and demon core. His feathers, comparable to divine weapons, were instantly charred in large patches, his skin torn and bleeding, even revealing his bare bones. The violent lightning power also indirectly transmitted through his body to Zhang Kui, who was clinging to him tightly.

"Pfft!" Zhang Kui was struck hard, his whole body trembled violently, and he could no longer maintain his Dharma body. Together with the severely injured Yu Yixian, he fell heavily to the ground.

Nezha's Wind-Fire Wheels spun rapidly as he leaped down and caught Zhang Kui, who was charred black, emitting blue smoke, and extremely weak, in mid-air.

The Winged Immortal was ignored as its massive body crashed to the ground, creating a huge crater. Dust flew everywhere, feathers fell, and the wrecked creature, its body charred black, huddled at the bottom of the pit, groaning in pain and anger.

"Nezha...you should...aim at the right time to hit me..." Zhang Kui complained weakly as he lay in Nezha's arms, with tiny arcs of lightning still crackling around his body, clearly indicating that the residual power of the Jade Purity Divine Lightning was still raging within him.

Nezha blushed and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "This... the Jade Purity Divine Lightning is too powerful. Master usually doesn't allow me to use it too much, so I'm really... really a bit rusty." As he spoke, he circulated his magic power and carefully guided the remaining Jade Purity Divine Lightning out of Zhang Kui's body.

"Aaaaah! You...you dare to challenge me!" From the deep pit, Yu Yixian roared hysterically, filled with endless humiliation and madness. He struggled to flap his charred and tattered wings and took to the air again. Although his body was swaying and his breath was disordered, the foundation of a Golden Immortal was still terrifying.

What was particularly chilling was that he opened his enormous, hook-like beak.

An irresistible suction force suddenly arose, as if an invisible black hole had appeared in his beak. The pebbles, broken trees, and even some small hills on the ground were uprooted and sucked into the bottomless beak with a whooshing sound.

Even the Xuan Yin Gathering Beast Banner that Ma Yuan had set up began to shake violently, its pole twisting as if it were about to be sucked away. Ma Yuan was terrified and no longer cared about repairing the banner array or attacking. He desperately urged his magic power to stabilize the main banner and use it to hold himself in place, barely managing to avoid being swept away by the terrifying suction force that devoured everything indiscriminately.

Zhang Kui and Nezha were the first to be affected, feeling an irresistible force pulling them.

"Stop!" Zhang Kuiqiang mustered his energy, ignoring his injuries, and once again connected with the earth beneath his feet, forcibly drawing upon the power of the earth's veins to transform into invisible roots, firmly fixing his and Nezha's figures, and resisting the terrifying suction force with all his might.

Nezha also used all his strength to activate the Hun Tian Ling, transforming it into a barrier of radiant light to protect the two of them.

For a moment, the two sides were locked in a dangerous struggle. Yu Yixian frantically activated her innate divine power, continuously increasing the suction force; Zhang Kui and Nezha, on the other hand, did their best to stabilize themselves, refusing to give an inch.

Seeing that ordinary objects had been sucked away, yet he was powerless against his opponent, the madness in Yu Yixian's eyes intensified, and he further increased the suction force. This time, the target was no longer just miscellaneous items, but the entire mountainside.

"Crack... Rumble!"

Before Zhang Kui and Nezha's astonished eyes, the rocks beneath their feet and around them began to collapse and crumble on a massive scale. Huge rocks detached from the mountain and were swept into the air like a torrent, causing the entire Skull Mountain to tremble violently, as if the end of the world had arrived.