Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

Hearing the obviously mocking words of the Empress Pingxin, Zhang Kui was filled with grief and indignation, secretly thinking, "She's being unreasonable! How dare such a powerful being from the primordial era bully a mere True Immortal like me? If it weren't for... if it weren't for the fact that I'm no match for her, I would have already turned on her."

The agonizing pain of being skinned alive, having his bones torn apart, and having his heart and soul forged for eighty-one days still haunts him when he recalls it.

However, as the words reached his lips, feeling the throbbing bump on the back of his head and sensing the unfathomable aura emanating from the other person, he wisely forced out a grateful expression and said through gritted teeth, "Thank you... for the opportunity bestowed upon me by senior, Zhang Kui... is deeply grateful!" Each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

Lady Pingxin didn't care about his insincere tone and expression at all, as if she had only done a trivial matter, and said directly, "No need to be grateful. The cause and effect of heaven and earth, every bite and every sip, is preordained. I helped you become a spirit witch, so naturally there are things I need you to do as well. Consider this my way of repaying this opportunity."

"I..." Zhang Kui's heart skipped a beat, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. "Is there no justice left? Did I agree to do anything for you? This is clearly forced buying and selling, a predatory contract!"

In that instant, he felt as if he had fallen into a carefully laid trap.

"Hmm? What are you muttering to yourself again, you brat?" Empress Pingxin smiled faintly, her eyes that seemed to see through reincarnation as if they could see right into his heart. She raised her hand slightly again, as if that memorable "three-hit combo on the back of the head" might come down again at any moment.

Zhang Kui snapped out of his daze, quickly suppressing all distracting thoughts, and adopted the most respectful posture, explaining, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare, this junior would never have such an intention! If you have any instructions, senior, I will do my utmost, wholeheartedly and without complaint." His tone was sincere, and his posture humble, fully demonstrating what it means to "be a wise man when he knows when to yield."

Empress Pingxin nodded in satisfaction, and with a slight lift of her hand, the Law of Reincarnation flowed like ripples at her fingertips.

Her gaze pierced through the netherworld, as if she were witnessing that earth-shattering battle ten thousand years ago. Her tone was as solemn as the ice of the underworld: "That battle ten thousand years ago overturned the Nine Netherworlds and reversed the flow of the River of Oblivion. The Great Emperor of Fengdu used his Dharma body to reflect the cycle of reincarnation throughout the heavens, causing the Sea of ​​Blood to evaporate by thirty percent. The Ancestor of the Styx River, on the other hand, activated the Yuan Tu and A Bi swords, their killing aura penetrating Yin and Yang, even causing the Six Paths of Reincarnation to tremble."

A light and shadow materialized at her fingertips—amidst the raging waves of blood, the crown of the Fengdu Emperor shattered, and all 365 innate Netherworld divine runes around his body dimmed. Yet, he still used his primordial divine soul to activate the Book of Life and Death, burning most of the 129,600 Blood God Sons of the Styx Ancestor to ashes.

"In the end, the Emperor of Fengdu used the 'Nirvana Reincarnation' technique, using his own innate divine status as a guide to forcibly sever the connection between the River Styx and the Sea of ​​Blood for three breaths." Empress Pingxin's voice trembled slightly. "Although he forced the River Styx to make a Heavenly oath to 'not leave the Sea of ​​Blood,' the Emperor of Fengdu's innate indestructible true spirit... was ultimately shattered completely."

The spider lilies in the hall suddenly withered and regenerated, echoing her words: "Now, the depths of the Blood Sea are churning daily, and the Styx River is gathering 480 million Blood God Children. Even more troublesome is..." Six faint lights appeared in her palm, "Now, the Great Emperor of Fengdu only has a divine molt left..."

Empress Pingxin looked at Zhang Kui: "It's the statue you saw in the main hall of Fengdu Mountain before."

The phantom of the Wheel of Reincarnation appeared behind her, with the resentment of the Blood Sea faintly visible.

Her gaze fell on Zhang Kui, filled with scrutiny and approval: "And you are currently the most suitable candidate to inherit the divine position of the Fengdu Emperor."

"Me?" Zhang Kui was taken aback. Although he was confident, he didn't think he was qualified to sit in the position of the Fengdu Emperor. That was a position that required at least the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, or even just touching the threshold of Quasi-Saint, to maintain order.

"Indeed," Consort Pingxin affirmed. "You possess the blood of a human-shaman hybrid, giving you a unique foundation. More importantly, during your battle with Ma Yuan, you unexpectedly obtained the Netherworld Qi and a wisp of ancestral shamanic remnant from his bone hand. Do you know who that remnant remnant originated from?"

Zhang Kui shook his head; at the time, he only felt that the aura was ancient and fierce.

"That was a wisp of divine thought from the Ancestral Witch Xuanming," Lady Pingxin revealed, her tone tinged with reminiscence. "Xuanming is the god of winter and rain, and also governs some killing and endings. His aura is inherently in harmony with the Netherworld. Although this wisp of divine thought is incomplete, it has merged with you, imperceptibly refining your destiny and endowing you with the divine foundation to bear the authority of the Netherworld and become its supreme ruler. This is the will of Heaven, and also your destiny."

With the detailed explanation from Lady Pingxin, Zhang Kui gradually understood the cause and effect, and what the position of "Emperor of Fengdu" meant to him.

The system has matched you with a Xianxia (fantasy martial arts) novel category. Click to view details.

Empress Pingxin's eyes were deep, and the illusory image of the Six Paths of Reincarnation behind her slowly rotated, reflecting the birth and death of the infinite universe. With a light tap of her jade finger, a spiritual light containing the origin of the netherworld entered Zhang Kui's brow, and a vast sea of ​​information immediately unfolded in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"In the eyes of ordinary immortals and gods, the Emperor of Fengdu is nothing more than the Lord of the Underworld who rules over all ghosts. But His true status is that of a primordial deity born from the laws of reincarnation in the primordial world after the creation of heaven and earth, holding the power of reincarnation and ranking above the Heavenly Emperor."

Before she finished speaking, Zhang Kui felt a wisp of his divine sense being drawn into a chaotic space shrouded in purple mist. In the center of the space, a deity, covered with ancient cracks yet still exuding an aura that would make even a Great Luo Golden Immortal tremble, was surrounded by endless strange phenomena of countless ghosts paying homage, judging good and evil, and reincarnation.

This is the remnant of the divine remains that was collected and nurtured by Lady Pingxin with immense magical power after the fall of the Fengdu Emperor.

"Use your essence and primordial spirit as a guide to fuse with these remaining divine remains," said Lady Pingxin solemnly. "This process is extremely dangerous. The remaining will of the Great Emperor and the filthy blood and evil spirits of the Styx Ancestor within the divine remains will constantly impact your Dao heart. You must use the Supreme Golden Core Dao to stabilize your Purple Mansion and use the indestructible body of the Witch Clan to withstand the backlash."

As she explained, Zhang Kui "saw" those divine transformations transform into a torrent of billions of runes, which began to slowly merge with his own essence, energy, and spirit. A phantom image, bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to his appearance but wearing a twelve-tasseled Netherworld Emperor's Crown and a black dragon-patterned robe, began to condense. Around the image, the phantom of the Book of Life and Death flipped, and the trajectory of the Judge's Pen outlined the laws.

"Next, we need to activate the Netherworld's primordial essence, which has been dormant for millennia deep within Mount Luofeng," Lady Pingxin continued. "I will open the Netherworld's core for you, drawing upon the power of the Nine Netherworlds to help this incarnation reshape its divine body. At that time, the authority of the Six Heavenly Palaces and Seventy-Two Departments of Mount Luofeng will naturally return to its rightful place, and the incarnation will instantly possess the peak realm of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, enough to mobilize the power of the laws of the entire Netherworld and suppress ordinary villains."

The scene shifts, and the illusory Dharma form rapidly solidifies under the infusion of endless Netherworld energy. Its skin texture resembles that of a Netherworld stone, and its eyes reveal the six realms of reincarnation as they open and close. Its overwhelming power almost pervades the entire Netherworld.

"Finally, you should also pay attention." Empress Pingxin's tone changed, pointing out the key point, "This incarnation is based on the divine status of the Great Emperor and the authority of the Underworld, and is constructed with your primordial spirit imprint as its core."

The Goddess Pingxin explained in detail its subtleties. This incarnation resides on Mount Luofeng, in charge of the underworld, handling all affairs of the underworld, and maintaining the cycle of reincarnation.

Even when Zhang Kui's true body travels through the primordial world, his avatars can act independently, ensuring that his authority is not lost. At the same time, the avatars share the same consciousness as the true body, and he can know everything the avatars see and feel.

By manifesting as a guardian in the underworld and harmonizing yin and yang, one accumulates immeasurable merit, some of which is returned to the original body to aid Zhang Kui's cultivation and mitigate his calamities.

Lady Pingxin explained to Zhang Kui, "In the Netherworld, you are the Great Emperor of Fengdu, who governs reincarnation and judges good and evil; in the mortal realm, you are still Zhang Kui, the cultivator who pursues the Great Dao. The Netherworld gains stability, and you gain assistance on your path to enlightenment; this is a win-win situation."

Zhang Kui was deeply moved, hearing this, he saw a peak-level Great Luo Golden Immortal incarnation.

This means that as long as this avatar is stationed in the Underworld, he will practically have an extra protective charm. Moreover, this avatar wields the power of reincarnation, which brings him immeasurable benefits; it is indeed a great opportunity with no harm whatsoever.

Seeing the glint in Zhang Kui's eyes, Lady Pingxin knew he was already tempted, and then offered an even more powerful temptation: "Moreover, this incarnation has boundless potential. It inherits the complete divine position and karmic position of the Fengdu Emperor, with a profound foundation. In the future, if your true self has great fortune and makes great progress in the Great Dao, and is fortunate enough to glimpse the Gate of Primordial Chaos and obtain the Quasi-Saint Dao Fruit... then this Fengdu Emperor incarnation, which has already been intertwined with your life and carries the karma and reincarnation of the underworld, will be the perfect choice for you to entrust your good intentions and sever your three corpses, far surpassing ordinary innate spiritual treasures."

Severing the three corpses to attain enlightenment is the supreme method to becoming a Primordial Golden Immortal. Although the chances are slim, Lady Pingxin's words undoubtedly pointed Zhang Kui towards a bright future.

With such a huge temptation in front of them, the previous frustration of being forced to buy and sell seemed so insignificant in the face of real benefits.

Zhang Kui took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and his eyes regained their clarity. He looked at Lady Pingxin and bowed solemnly: "Thank you for your kindness, Senior. Zhang Kui is willing to accept this position and will certainly do his best to uphold the cycle of reincarnation and live up to your trust."

Seeing how quickly he regained his composure and made his decision, Lady Pingxin's eyes showed even greater approval. She nodded slightly and said, "Good. In that case, come with me to inherit the divine position and refine your incarnation."