Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Within the Witch Pool, the chaotic waters resembled boiling magma, churning and roaring like a living creature. Zhang Kui immersed himself in it, his body rising and falling with the impact of the immense energy, like a small boat on a raging sea, poised to be completely swallowed and melted at any moment.

The first tribulation: rebuilding the body, peeling off the skin and dismantling the bones.

The power of Pangu's essence contained in the pool water was like countless invisible carving knives, drilling into Zhang Kui's every pore, brutally tearing apart his original muscle fibers, crushing his bones, and then reshaping them with purer and more powerful primordial energy. This pain far exceeded that of slow slicing; every inch of his flesh was cycling between destruction and rebirth.

Zhang Kui focused his mind, fully activating the Blood Refinement Technique to guide this power to cleanse his body. His Wu Clan bloodline was completely activated and purified in this extreme pain, his blood gradually changing from crimson to pale gold, and subtle, naturally occurring law patterns began to appear on his bones. The Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Divine Power operated on its own, and a vast surge of blood energy coursed through his body, mutually reinforcing with the energy of the Wu Pool, making his newly formed body even more powerful.

The second tribulation: forging the soul, burning the heart with karmic fire.

As his physical body was reshaped to a certain extent, the pain began to penetrate his soul. Within the Witch Pool, the karmic forces and impure thoughts originating from the depths of his bloodline were stirred up, transforming into invisible fires that scorched his soul. The malevolent energy from past killings, the karma from his cultivation... all karmic obstacles were magnified to the extreme, churning within his sea of ​​consciousness.

Zhang Kui adhered to the principle of moderation and peace in the Golden Elixir Dao. The Golden Elixir shone brightly within his dantian, solidifying his foundation. At the same time, he confronted his karmic obstacles with powerful willpower, eliminating and refining them one by one. Under the tempering of karmic fire, his soul not only did not weaken but became more refined, pure, and transparent, and the intensity of his divine sense surged.

The third tribulation: tempering the primordial spirit and imprinting it with the laws.

After his physical body and soul underwent initial transformation, the most crucial tempering of his primordial spirit began. The energy of the Witch Pool began to forcibly imprint fragments of the most fundamental laws, along with traces of insights from the Great Dao of Pangu, into the depths of Zhang Kui's primordial spirit. This process was like plunging a red-hot iron into ice water; the sensations of extreme heat and extreme cold, creation and destruction intertwined, making his primordial spirit feel as if it were being torn apart.

He exerted all his strength to activate the Nine Breaths Qi Absorption Technique, frantically absorbing the energy in the pool to replenish his consumption. At the same time, he pushed the Golden Core Dao and the Blood Refining Method to their limits, attempting to harmonize the violent clash of laws and truly transform this power into his own. His primordial spirit became more resilient through constant shattering and reorganization, and his affinity with the laws of heaven and earth increased dramatically.

Having endured eighty-one days of inhuman torture and tempering, Zhang Kui's spirit and body had reached a critical point. He sensed an invisible barrier standing before him—the threshold to the realm of the Spirit Witch. Once crossed, his life would undergo a qualitative leap, and he would awaken his own unique innate divine abilities.

Just as Zhang Kui was gathering all his strength, preparing to break through to the Spirit Witch Realm and undergo the final shaping of his witch body, Lady Pingxin, who had been standing quietly by the pool, moved.

A hint of approval flashed in her eyes. With a flick of her wrist, a mass of divine soil appeared in her palm, radiating a seven-colored glow, incredibly thick yet brimming with boundless vitality—the Nine Heavens Breath Soil. This was an unparalleled divine object imbued with the merits of the Heavenly Dao when she transformed into a being of reincarnation and attained sainthood through merit. It contained the supreme laws of creation and sustaining life.

"Little fellow, this is a rare opportunity, so I will help you forge an unparalleled foundation." With a gentle wave of her jade hand, the ball of merit-based Nine Heavens Breath Soil transformed into a seven-colored stream of light, instantly disappearing into the Witch Pool and directly merging into Zhang Kui's body, which was being reshaped.

"boom!"

As the Breath of Earth entered his body, Zhang Kui felt a jolt throughout his body, as if the weight and vitality of the entire primordial land had surged into him.

The power of the Breath of Earth perfectly merged with his evolving Wu Clan bloodline, Golden Core magic, and Wu Pool energy, fundamentally transforming his physical structure. His bones, meridians, internal organs, and even cells were enveloped in a faint seven-colored luster, becoming more resilient and vibrant, breathing in harmony with heaven and earth, and growing alongside all things.

When the physical body, spirit, and primordial soul reached a perfect balance under the harmonizing influence of the merit-filled soil, Zhang Kuifu felt a profound spiritual awakening.

The time has come to awaken one's innate supernatural power. The supernatural powers of the Spirit Witch Realm are often closely related to one's bloodline, experiences, and insights, and will determine the future direction of the witch path.

Just then, Lady Pingxin made her move again. Her expression was solemn as she forced a drop of essence blood containing the supreme laws of reincarnation from her fingertip. This drop of essence blood rapidly transformed in the air, condensing into a pearl as white as jade, yet shimmering with six colors: white (heavenly realm), yellow (human realm), red (Asura realm), brown (animal realm), gray (hungry ghost realm), and black (hell realm). Inside the pearl, six miniature vortexes seemed to slowly rotate, emanating a supreme aura that governed the destiny of all beings and defined the cycle of yin and yang.

"You've gotten off easy, little one." The Empress Pingxin's tone carried a hint of expectation. "Now that you've entered my Netherworld, I bestow upon you the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. I hope you will use it wisely, discern good from evil, and manage your gains and losses."

"You've gotten off easy, little one." The Empress Pingxin's tone carried a hint of expectation. "Now that you've entered my Netherworld, I bestow upon you the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. I hope you will use it wisely, discern good from evil, and manage your gains and losses."

With that, she released her grip, and the pearl containing a portion of the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation transformed into a six-colored stream of light, precisely plunging into Zhang Kui's chest and completely merging with his body, which had integrated the power of witchcraft, Taoism, and the power of merit.

Zhang Kui's body erupted with unprecedentedly brilliant light, and a booming sound like the divine voice of the Great Dao resounded from within him. The numerous already powerful forces within him achieved a mysterious balance and unity.

Eventually, all the strange phenomena subsided.

As the witch's pool receded, Zhang Kui's figure slowly emerged, his appearance now drastically changed.

Wearing an imperial crown symbolizing the ruler of the underworld, with twelve white jade beads hanging from the crown, he exuded majesty and mystery. He wore a long robe interwoven with black and white, on which a miniature, slowly flowing diagram of the six realms of reincarnation was faintly visible, as if he held the trajectory of the fate of all living beings in his hands.

His face remained resolute, but now possessed an unchanging calmness and a profound understanding of the world. His aura was unified and primordial, as heavy as the earth, as deep as reincarnation, and as majestic as the Lord of the Underworld—it bore a striking resemblance to the statue of the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor that he had previously seen in the main hall of Luofeng Mountain.

It only lacked the pure, deathly stillness, but gained a vibrant life force unique to Zhang Kui.

When Zhang Kui slowly opened his eyes, a look of confusion flashed across them at first, but he was immediately shocked by the surging power within him that far surpassed anything he had ever experienced before.

He subconsciously examined his own body, and found that his physical strength had increased more than tenfold. Every inch of his flesh contained explosive power, and the law patterns on his bones were crystal clear. With the slightest movement, he felt as if he could tear through the void. More importantly, the connection between his body and the earth, and between his body and the surrounding space, had become incredibly close. It was as if, with his feet firmly planted on the ground, his power was inexhaustible.

The bloodline of the Witch Clan has fully awakened and sublimated, reaching the Spirit Witch Realm. The blood is pale gold, surging like the Yangtze River, containing terrifying power of blood and qi.

His primordial spirit condensed to a tangible form, his divine sense expanded dramatically, and his perception of heaven and earth became several times clearer. In particular, he had an extraordinary affinity with the laws of reincarnation.

As for Zhang Kui's awakened innate divine power, he clearly sensed that the heart in his chest, which had merged with the origin of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, was beating powerfully, giving him a powerful and strange innate divine power prototype, related to reincarnation, judgment, and balance. Its specific power still needed to be carefully studied in the future.

This fortuitous opportunity not only elevated his sorcery realm to the Spiritual Sorcery Realm, but also greatly improved his Golden Core cultivation after being tempered in the Sorcery Pool and nourished by the Merit Soil, bringing him to the point of reaching the bottleneck of the Profound Immortal Realm. At this moment, his Golden Core was perfectly formed and radiant, and he was only one opportunity away from breaking through to the Profound Immortal Realm.

"This...this is the power of the Spirit Witch? And this outfit..." Zhang Kui looked at the robe on his body that resembled that of the Emperor of Fengdu, and felt the earth-shattering changes within his body. He was incredulous for a moment, and his heart was filled with shock.

Before he could fully grasp and understand all the changes, Empress Pingxin's slightly teasing voice rang out:

"Little one, how are you feeling? Get used to this new power first. Not bad, you've advanced to the Spirit Witch level in just eighty-one days, and your foundation is quite solid. The next step is to condense your Witch True Body and achieve the Great Witch realm."