Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Zhang Kui stood in mid-air, his robes stained with blood from his shoulder, his breathing slightly rapid from the outburst.

"The overall situation is settled. Although Ma Yuan is a Xuanxian, the Xuanyin Gathering Beast Banner he relies on has been damaged, the earth's veins are in turmoil, and his mind is in chaos. He is now trapped like a turtle in a jar, but... even a cornered beast will fight, so we must be wary."

Zhang Kui secretly circulated his Nine Breaths Qi with all his might, his pores opening up like a bottomless pit, frantically devouring the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth, especially the pure Yin and Yang fragments that had scattered after the fall of the Winged Immortal. His pale complexion returned to rosy color at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At this moment, Ma Yuan's face was deathly pale, and his eyes were filled with disbelief and a chill that went to his very bones.

The Winged Immortal was an ancient mythical beast, a powerful being at the Golden Immortal realm, yet... it was actually defeated by these two junior True Immortals working together?

"Damn it, how did things change like this..." he muttered to himself, his arms trembling slightly involuntarily.

After finishing his meditation, Zhang Kui turned to look at Nezha, who was controlling the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, and asked, "That feathered beast, it won't break free, will it?" He had to make sure that Yu Yi Xian had no possibility of escaping with its remnant soul or feigning death to launch a counterattack.

Nezha rolled his eyes in annoyance, then confidently declared, "Absolutely impossible! Master said the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover is incredibly powerful. Once fully activated, anything within it will die. Body and soul will be annihilated, and even their true spirit will be difficult to preserve!"

"That's good!" Zhang Kui was completely relieved. His gaze, sharp as an ice blade, locked onto Ma Yuan again, and he said with killing intent, "Ma Yuan, now it's time to settle our score."

Ma Yuan felt a jolt, his will to survive overpowering everything else.

He let out a strange cry, disregarding his own depletion, and frantically activated the Dharma Profound Yin Gathering Beast Banner, spewing out thick, ink-like Netherworld Evil Qi, once again enveloping the area within dozens of miles, attempting to isolate Zhang Kui and the other two from their attacks.

"Don't be too smug! The ancestor hasn't lost yet!" he roared, his figure disappearing into the surging black mist, using the formation to conceal himself.

"Ugly monster, watch me strike you to death!" Nezha was in the heat of battle. Seeing Ma Yuan resisting stubbornly, he immediately stepped on his Wind and Fire Wheels and rose into the air. He then formed a thunder seal with his hands, and the majestic heavenly power began to condense. It was the Jade Purity Divine Thunder.

"Boom!" "Crack!"

Streaks of lightning appeared, and beast souls wailed and were completely annihilated within the lightning. The coverage area of ​​the formation shrank at a visible speed.

The Jade Purity Divine Thunder is indeed the nemesis of such sinister formations.

If this continued, Ma Yuan's defeat was only a matter of time. Seeing that Nezha was getting into the swing of things, Zhang Kui simply stopped advancing and quietly landed on a cliff that had not yet collapsed, focusing all his efforts on healing his injuries and restoring his magical power.

Zhang Kui was greatly exhausted from the battle, especially after withstanding the aftershocks of the Winged Immortal's Claws and the Jade Purity Divine Thunder. His internal organs were shaken and his meridians were damaged, so he must recover as soon as possible.

As Ma Yuan, standing in the formation, watched the lightning grow increasingly intense and his precious banner, which he had painstakingly refined, being damaged one after another, his heart bled.

"Damn it, this can't go on!" His eyes flashed as he frantically searched for a solution. "If my Profound Yin Beast Gathering Banner weren't still missing the main banner's beast soul, preventing the formation from fully taking shape, how could it possibly be suppressed by just two True Immortals?"

"No, Ancestor, I still have a chance... but..." A crazy and vicious thought arose in his mind, causing him to struggle violently. His gaze involuntarily drifted to Yu Yixian, who was still struggling desperately within the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield.

"Never mind, better to die than to die. As long as you can help the Ancestor's Profound Yin Beast Gathering Banner to reach its full potential, Fellow Daoist Feathered Immortal, you can die a worthy death." The will to survive ultimately overwhelmed everything, and a ruthless and resolute look flashed across Ma Yuan's face.

Having made up his mind, Ma Yuan acted immediately. He rapidly swung his hands around the tallest main banner, its surface somewhat ethereal, while chanting obscure and ancient incantations. The remaining eighty auxiliary banners responded in unison, black smoke billowing as if boiling, and all the surviving demonic beast souls emitted sharp, piercing screams filled with pain, rage, and a strange…desire.

A wave of energy, far colder and more sinister than before, spread rapidly outwards from the main banner like ripples on water.

"wrong!"

Zhang Kui suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of fear flashing in them. He felt an invisible force trying to penetrate his consciousness and tear at his soul. If it weren't for his fifth stage of Golden Core cultivation, a solid foundation, a close connection between his soul and Golden Core, and the self-circulating energy of his five internal organs, he would have suffered a great loss. He immediately guarded his mind, and his Golden Core emitted a hazy, clear light, isolating the strange fluctuations from him.

Nezha, who was incarnation of a lotus, had no soul or spirit. This kind of attack targeting the soul had little effect on him. He only felt a chill all over his body, and the Hun Tian Ling automatically protected its master. The flowing light dissolved the attack.

Just then, Ma Yuan suddenly moved.

He waved the main banner in his hand, and a highly condensed, almost tangible, pitch-black aura shot out like a venomous snake emerging from its hole.

"What does he want to do?" Nezha was taken aback.

The aura of the netherworld was incredibly fast. It swept across the void without attacking anyone. Instead, as if it possessed sentience, it suddenly rolled and pulled, rescuing Yu Yixian's soul from the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover.

The aura of the netherworld was incredibly fast. It swept across the void without attacking anyone. Instead, as if it possessed sentience, it suddenly rolled and pulled, rescuing Yu Yixian's soul from the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover.

Zhang Kui and Nezha were terrified.

"Hahaha, thank you so much, Fellow Daoist Ma Yuan, for saving me. I am... I am eternally grateful!" The Winged Immortal, who had survived the ordeal, was overjoyed.

Ma Yuan revealed a strange smile, but his voice was impassioned: "Fellow Daoist, please don't be polite! Please quickly hide in the precious banner in my hand. I will risk my life to protect your primordial spirit and lead you out of the encirclement."

Yu Yixian had no doubts. At this moment, he was extremely weak and just wanted to find someone to rely on. Upon hearing this, he immediately transformed into a stream of light and eagerly threw it at the main banner in Ma Yuan's hand.

"Wait, Nezha, watch out!"

Zhang Kui's pupils contracted sharply. He absolutely refused to believe that Ma Yuan would be so kind, and a strong sense of crisis surged into his heart.

Although Nezha didn't fully understand, seeing Zhang Kui's nervousness, he knew something was wrong. He immediately summoned back the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, which hung above his head and cast down curtains of fire to protect his body.

"Ugh! Ma Yuan, what have you done to me?" Just as Yu Yixian entered the main banner, a shrill scream rang out.

The main banner trembled violently, and the originally illusory parts on the banner began to twist wildly, vaguely revealing the outline of a golden-winged roc, but its eyes were filled with endless pain and resentment.

Ma Yuan's face was devoid of any pretense, only ferocity and fanaticism remained. He gripped the banner pole tightly with both hands, frantically pouring his immense magical power into the main banner, and shouted sharply, "Fellow Daoist, do not be impatient. I only wish to borrow your soul to complete the final refinement of this Profound Yin Beast Gathering Banner. Once this treasure is perfected, I swear to kill Zhang Kui and Nezha to avenge you."

"Damn it! You actually want to refine me into the beast soul of this banner, stop now!" Yu Yixian roared in despair, struggling wildly, causing ripples to appear in the space around the main banner.

"Nezha, don't hold back! Stop him from refining it with all your might!" Zhang Kui shouted anxiously.

He knew that if Ma Yuan succeeded, the power of the Xuan Yin Myriad Beasts Slaughtering Immortal Array, which used the remnant soul of a Golden Immortal as its main soul, would increase to a terrifying level, and at that time, the two of them would probably be in real danger of perishing.

"Alright!" Nezha also realized the seriousness of the problem and, without hesitation, pushed his magic power to the limit. At the same time, he summoned the Universe Ring, which transformed into a golden stream of light and slammed it hard into the violently trembling main banner.

Zhang Kui dared not be negligent. He drew the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade once more, infusing it with the power of the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Divine Skill, and slashed at Ma Yuan. Zhang Kui even tried to mobilize some of his newly recovered magical power, unleashing the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light towards the main banner in an attempt to interfere.

"Boom boom boom!" "Clang!"

The attacks rained down on the Xuan Yin Grand Array like a storm. The black mist churned violently, countless beast souls were annihilated in the attacks, and the protective aura around Ma Yuan continued to dissipate. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that he was under immense pressure.

However, the great formation formed by the eighty-one Xuan Yin Gathering Beast Banners was truly mysterious, especially since Ma Yuan spared no expense and burned his life essence to forcibly maintain it. The remaining banners were interconnected, and the Netherworld Evil Qi circulated endlessly, forming a tough barrier.

Although Zhang Kui and his companion's attacks were fierce, they were unable to completely break down the formation in a short period of time.

"Hahaha, it's too late!" Ma Yuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, a crazed and twisted smile on his face. His voice was hoarse but full of triumph. "The Ancestor's Profound Yin Beast Gathering Banner—is complete! Prepare to die!"

Before the words were finished, the main banner, which had been trembling violently, suddenly stopped. On the banner, a lifelike image of a golden-winged roc, with venomous and cold eyes and surrounded by black and white energy and netherworld evil energy, completely solidified.

"Buzz!"

A pressure ten or even a hundred times more terrifying than before, like a tangible mountain, erupted from the main banner. Immediately afterward, the remaining dozens of auxiliary banners hummed in unison, their eerie light intensifying. The previously shrunken array area instantly expanded, and the pitch-black Xuan Yin domain became even deeper and more viscous, as if transforming into an independent Netherworld Ghost Realm.

Within the domain, a chilling wind howled, carrying a terrifying effect that eroded the soul and froze magical power. The roars of countless beast souls became even more solid and ferocious, interspersed with an incomparably sharp Peng cry containing the resentment of a Golden Immortal.

Zhang Kui and Nezha felt a sudden heaviness around them, as if they were sinking into an endless swamp. Their movements became extremely slow, and even the flow of their internal magical power was greatly suppressed.

"Damn it, he succeeded after all!" Zhang Kui's heart sank as he felt the immense pressure that was almost suffocating. He knew that the most dangerous moment had arrived.

With the help of this perfected formation, Ma Yuan's strength was already approaching that of a Golden Immortal.

Standing beneath the main banner, Ma Yuan was surrounded by a dark aura, his aura surging. He licked his lips with his scarlet tongue and looked at Zhang Kui and Nezha with a playful and cruel gaze, like a cat playing with mice.

"Are you all ready...?"