Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Looking at the devastated scene before him—collapsed mountains, scorched earth, and the carcasses of innocent birds and beasts caught in the fighting—Zhang Kui felt a deep sense of compassion.

"Lan Ying, Nezha," he said in a low, weary voice, "tell me, what crime have all the creatures of Skull Mountain committed to deserve such a calamity, their souls scattered and their bodies left no trace?"

Nezha, riding on his Wind-Fire Wheels, pursed his lips upon hearing this, saying dismissively, "Brother Zhang, this isn't our fault. It was that evil Taoist Ma Yuan who acted recklessly. If we hadn't won, there would only have been three more of our souls lost in these mountains." Although he was young, he had seen many deaths in Chen Tang Pass and took such matters in stride.

Gao Lanying walked to Zhang Kui's side, gently took his hand, and softly comforted him, "Brother Zhang, Nezha is right. We can only sigh here today because we have won. If we had lost, the outcome would have been even more tragic. On the path of cultivation, karma is intertwined, and some calamities are unavoidable."

Zhang Kui remained silent, knowing that what they said made sense. But as his gaze swept over this desolate place again, especially when he sensed the silent wails of the restless souls shattered by the evil aura and the aftermath of the great battle, his desire to save the world and help people became even clearer.

"Although I am not a saint, since I have this ability, how can I turn a blind eye to the suffering of all living beings? To deliver the souls of the dead and to bring peace to this place is also a form of spiritual practice, and it is in line with my Daoist heart."

He no longer hesitated. "What you say is absolutely right. However, seeing the departed souls unable to rest in peace makes my heart uneasy. I wish to chant sutras to help them pass on their way, and also to understand the cause and effect of this place."

After saying that, he sat cross-legged on a relatively intact giant rock, cleared his mind of all distractions, calmed his mind, and began to recite the "Supreme Mysterious Treasure Salvation Sutra" from his previous life, which was deep in his memory.

"At that time, the Savior from Suffering, the Heavenly Venerable, filled the ten directions..." His voice carried a strange penetrating power and a soothing force, like a gentle stream, nourishing this wounded land. As the scriptures resounded, the magical power of his fifth-stage Golden Core naturally flowed, transforming into a soft, clear light that spread out with the chanting.

At first, nothing seemed amiss. But gradually, faint, scattered points of light began to emerge from the scorched earth, broken rocks, and even the air—the remnants of souls that had perished in the previous battle. They were originally filled with pain and resentment, but as Zhang Kuina chanted sutras imbued with the tranquility of Taoism, they gradually became peaceful, and their malevolence dissipated.

Immediately afterwards, a deep, swirling vortex, exuding a pure aura of the underworld, slowly opened on the earth—the passage to the underworld. Countless animal souls, having been delivered from their suffering, lined up in an orderly fashion and stepped into the vortex one by one, their figures disappearing into the deep darkness, heading towards their destined final resting place.

"It really works!" Zhang Kui felt reassured and recited the mantra with even greater focus.

As the number of souls on Skull Mountain dwindled, Zhang Kui gradually slowed his chanting, preparing to conclude his practice. However, just as he was about to stop—

"boom!"

The entire Skull Mountain trembled violently, and a surge of Yin energy, ten or even a hundred times stronger than before, rose into the sky, accompanied by the auditory illusion of metal clashing and an overwhelming fighting spirit.

From the depths of the collapsed mountains, countless souls of human warriors, clad in ancient stone armor and wielding broken bronze weapons, emerged like an army awakened from slumber. Their ranks were impeccably disciplined, their killing intent lingering, their eyes empty yet burning with unyielding fighting spirit. Judging from their equipment, they resembled soldiers from the ancient Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors era. Their sheer number was like a vast ocean, instantly turning the world, which had just begun to regain some clarity, back into a somber, deathly gray.

"What... what's going on?!" Gao Lanying's expression changed slightly. She summoned the Golden Sun Needle to protect herself and looked warily at the sudden appearance of the boundless military spirit.

Zhang Kui was also greatly shocked. "Ancient war spirits? This Skull Mountain is actually an ancient battlefield." Such intense killing intent and fighting spirit, lingering in the mortal world for thousands of years without being able to be reborn, their resentment is far greater than that of the remnants of the living beings just now.

"Brother Zhang, I know!" Nezha seemed to remember something, his tone grave. "My father... Li Jing mentioned that this Skull Mountain was an important battlefield during the Three Sovereigns period, where the Yellow Emperor and Chi You's armies fought a decisive battle. Both sides committed heavy troops here, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. The corpses piled up like mountains, and the resentment soared to the sky, hence the mountain's shape resembled a skull. I never imagined... that these battle spirits would have such heavy malevolent energy, remaining in the mortal realm and not being received by the underworld."

When Nezha mentioned his father, Li Jing, his tone was still somewhat awkward, but he couldn't care less at the moment.

Looking at the ancient war spirits before him, radiating murderous aura and almost solidifying into a tangible form, Zhang Kui felt a chill run down his spine. It was virtually impossible for him alone to deliver such a large number of ferocious war spirits from suffering.

But now that things have come to this, should we just let it go?

Should we allow these heroic souls, who were pioneers of humanity but could not find peace due to war, to continue to perish?

"No! To retreat in the face of danger is not in my heart. Moreover, these are our ancestors." Zhang Kui took a deep breath and once again loudly recited the "Supreme Scripture of Salvation from Suffering," infusing his own magical power into the chanting. The clear light shone even brighter as he tried to soothe the boundless evil energy.

However, the effect was minimal. Those battle spirits possessed too much malevolent energy and too deep-seated obsession; Zhang Kui's power alone was like a stone thrown into the ocean, impossible to shake.

"Brother Zhang, I'm here to help you!" Upon seeing this, Gao Lanying stepped forward without hesitation, sat down next to Zhang Kui, and began to recite the "Supreme Salvation from Suffering Sutra" together.

Nezha looked at the boundless battle spirits before him, then at Zhang Kui and Gao Lanying who were gritting their teeth and persevering, pursed his lips, and finally muttered, "Fine, fine, I'll do a good deed too."

Nezha activated the Jade Purity Immortal Technique, uttering a clear and melodious Daoist sound: "Zha..." This was the sound of Pangu creating the world. Although it was only one word, it was like a great bell, cleansing away the malevolent spirit of the army. Afterward, he also sat cross-legged and recited the "Supreme Salvation from Suffering Scripture" together.

The three of them worked together and the results were immediate.

The boundless ocean of ancient war spirits began to change. The frenzied bloodlust and fighting spirit in the eyes of the front-line war spirits gradually faded, replaced by a serene sense of liberation. The massive army of war spirits, like the animal spirits that had followed, began to form neat square formations, marching silently and orderly into the deep vortex of the underworld.

One day, two days, three days...

Zhang Kui, Gao Lanying, and Nezha continued chanting, reciting mantras, and making sounds without sleep or rest.

Finally, as the sun set on the third day, the last and tallest of the battle spirit leaders, wielding a giant axe, seemed to regain a sliver of clarity before stepping into the vortex. He turned back, nodded slightly in the direction of Zhang Kui and the other two, and then stepped into the darkness, his figure disappearing.

"Buzz..."

The vortex of the underworld emitted a low hum, slowly closed, and finally disappeared completely into the scorched earth.

The moment the vortex disappeared, Zhang Kui, Gao Lanying, and Nezha could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to even move a finger. Utter fatigue overwhelmed them like a tidal wave.

However, Heaven is impartial and its rewards and punishments are clear.

In the sky, the dark clouds that had gathered due to the great battle and the aura of the underworld quietly dissipated, replaced by a dazzling and peaceful golden cloud of merit.

The golden cloud slowly rotated, casting down three golden beams of light condensed from the merits of the Heavenly Dao.

About half of them fell directly into Zhang Kui's body, while the other two, which were less powerful, entered Gao Lanying's and Nezha's bodies respectively.

"boom!"

The moment the merit enters the body, an indescribable feeling of comfort spreads throughout the limbs and bones.

Zhang Kui's depleted magical power from the battle and the exorcism was instantly replenished, becoming even more refined and powerful. The deep, bone-revealing wound on his shoulder visibly healed in the golden light.

To his even greater surprise, his cultivation, firmly established at the True Immortal level, began to visibly loosen under the influence of this vast merit. "This is the merit of the Heavenly Dao! Truly wondrous and boundless!"

"It's Heavenly Merit! Wow! Brother Zhang, it's actually Heavenly Merit!" Nezha jumped up from the ground, feeling the surging spiritual power and the more refined primordial spirit within him. His face flushed with excitement, and he grabbed Zhang Kui's arm, jumping and laughing. Although he was the reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl, obtaining Heavenly Merit was still an immense opportunity.

Gao Lanying also stood up, sensing the changes within herself. Her eyes shone brightly, and she looked at Zhang Kui with joy and pride. "Brother Zhang, we...we've received a great opportunity!"

Zhang Kui suppressed his excitement, looked around, and said in a deep voice, "This place was destroyed because of our great battle, and all life was cut off. Since we have received the merit of this place, we should finish what we started and finish by restoring this mountain, only then will it be complete."

Having said that, he took the lead in action. He activated his restored magical power and, combined with the Five Elements Escape technique's control over the earth and wood elements, began to move earth and stones, smooth out gullies, and guide the underground water veins that had not been completely destroyed.

Seeing this, Gao Lanying and Nezha also took action, each displaying their unique abilities.

With the combined efforts of the three, the collapsed mountain was reshaped, the deep pit was filled, the scorched earth was revitalized, and the remaining seeds of grass and trees sprouted new shoots under the influence of their merits and magical power. Although it could not be restored to its original state immediately, the entire Skull Mountain was finally freed from its deathly silence and regained some vitality and greenery.

After finishing all this, Zhang Kui looked towards Chen Tang Pass. "The stalemate between the Qiankun Bow, the Zhentian Arrow, and the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle is probably not over yet. These sacred artifacts cannot be lost; we must go back and deal with them as soon as possible."

"Let's go," Zhang Kui said to Gao Lanying and Nezha, "We should go back to Chen Tang Pass. Don't forget, there's still trouble left behind by Yu Yixian there, waiting for us to resolve." His figure transformed into a streak of five-colored light and sped towards Chen Tang Pass.

Gao Lanying and Nezha exchanged a smile and immediately followed closely behind in their escape light.