Zhang Kui's Journey to the West in the Investiture of the Gods

Chapter 22 Overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation, Attaining Immortality

The bitter cold of Beihai seems to have no end.

Under Zhang Kui's reorganization, the rear camp was transformed, and Zheng Lun, Chen Qi, and Wu Wenhua were all grateful for Zhang Kui's recognition and support. Zhang Kui understood that these worldly powers could only serve as tools for protecting his path; only the improvement of his own cultivation level could be his true foundation in this chaotic prehistoric world. Therefore, Zhang Kui dared not slacken in his cultivation for even a day.

On this day, Zhang Kui sat cross-legged in the quiet room. The three-cycle golden elixir in his dantian hummed and vibrated, reaching a state of perfect perfection. The qi and blood throughout his body merged and blended with the power of the golden elixir. His divine sense was clear, and his connection with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became increasingly distinct.

A premonition arose in my mind—the celestial tribulation was about to arrive.

He rose to his feet, stepped out of the meditation room, and gazed through the camp towards a desolate, icy valley in the distance. The terrain there was open and sparsely populated, making it an ideal place to undergo tribulation.

"Someone come here," Zhang Kui said in a calm voice.

"What are your orders, General?" The guards immediately stepped forward.

"Send a message to the central army, informing the Grand Tutor that I sense the Heavenly Tribulation is approaching and I must leave the camp to undergo it. Also, inform Generals Ji Li and Yu Qing that if they are interested, they may come to witness the ceremony." Zhang Kui knew that Wen Zhong and his disciples valued him highly, and witnessing the tribulation ceremony would also be an opportunity for Ji Li and Yu Qing, so he specially invited them.

The news quickly reached the central army.

Upon hearing the news, Wen Zhong slightly opened the divine eye between his brows, peering into the void. After a moment's thought, he said to Ji Li and Yu Qing, who were standing beside him, "Fellow Daoist Zhang Kui's tribulation is approaching, and this is a crucial step. You two should quickly go and observe the ceremony, carefully comprehend its meaning, as it will greatly benefit your cultivation."

"Yes, Master!" Ji Li and Yu Qing looked delighted and respectfully accepted the order.

Wen Zhong then took out a jade talisman, inscribed several words with his divine sense, and waved his hand to release it. The jade talisman transformed into a beam of clear light, instantly traversing the military camp and disappearing into a secluded tent.

A moment later, a slightly sinister yet supremely majestic voice rang in Wen Zhong's ears: "Brother Wen Zhong, what brings you here?" It was none other than the proud and aloof Master of the Jie Sect, Plague Emperor Lü Yue, who had come to lend his assistance.

"Fellow Daoist Lü Yue," Wen Zhong replied telepathically, "I have a subordinate named Zhang Kui, who possesses both the extraordinary arts of the Witch Clan and the orthodox methods of the Xuanmen, with an extraordinary foundation. He is about to undergo the tribulation of becoming a Celestial Immortal. His path is unique, and I fear his tribulation may be unusual. Fellow Daoist Lü Yue is a primordial human, with profound cultivation, and has already attained the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm. I humbly request that you step forward and protect him. Wen Zhong would be eternally grateful."

"Oh? He's proficient in both the mystical arts of the Witch Clan and the orthodox methods of the Xuanmen? That's quite unusual." Lü Yue's words carried a hint of interest. "Well then, since Brother Wen Zhong has invited me, I'll go and see what this young man is capable of."

……

In the desolate valley, the cold wind howled and the ground was covered with snow.

Zhang Kui stood in the center of the valley, dressed only in a blue martial arts outfit. His aura was restrained yet already affected the celestial phenomena. Dark clouds gradually gathered in the sky above his head, with flashes of lightning appearing.

Ji Li and Yu Qing arrived first, landing far away on a cliff at the edge of the valley. They held their breath and dared not disturb them.

Immediately afterward, a faint, chilling gray-green light descended, revealing Lü Yue, dressed in a bright red robe, with a face as blue as indigo and hair as black as cinnabar. He merely stood there, yet an unparalleled aura of power naturally emanated from him, causing Ji Liyuqing to tremble in fear. He quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Uncle-Master Lü."

Lu Yue nodded slightly, but his gaze had already turned to Zhang Kui in the valley, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Such vigorous blood and qi, such a refined golden core! The two can actually be harmonized to this extent? Wen Zhong was not exaggerating."

At this moment, Zhang Kui also sensed Lü Yue's arrival and was shocked: "It's actually Lü Yue who has come." He knew that this person had already attained the Taiyi Golden Immortal Dao Fruit and would be named the Plague Emperor Haotian in the future, so he dared not be negligent and bowed respectfully from afar.

Lu Yue's calm voice came: "Young friend, please focus on your tribulation. The outside world is in turmoil, but I will take care of it." His tone was calm, yet it carried an air of arrogance.

With a firm resolve, Zhang Kui focused all his attention on his body, preparing for the impending tribulation.

"Boom!"

The first bolt of tribulation lightning finally tore through the dark clouds, resembling a giant silver-white python, heading straight for Zhang Kui's crown.

Zhang Kui neither dodged nor evaded, but activated his golden core, causing his body to glow with a rich golden light as he forcefully withstood the attack. Lightning crackled across his body, bringing waves of tingling and stinging pain, but it was quickly absorbed by his golden core and blood, transforming into pure energy to nourish himself.

"To withstand heavenly lightning with one's own body? Truly the style of the Witch Clan." Lü Yue nodded repeatedly. "But the tribulations of a Celestial Immortal are far more than just lightning?"

As soon as he finished speaking, dark clouds surged in the sky, and following the thunder, they transformed into endless demonic flames, silently descending and directly pulling Zhang Kui's soul and consciousness into an illusionary space.

Zhang Kui found himself seemingly back to the time when he first transmigrated, with only traces of witch blood and thin spiritual energy within him.

"Movement transforms into essence." A profound Daoist voice resounded. Zhang Kui seemed to be experiencing everything anew, tempering his body, circulating his qi and blood, and transforming the power of food and herbs into the most basic essence energy. He relived that slow and arduous process, but this time, examining it from the perspective of the Golden Elixir Dao, his understanding of "essence" far surpassed what he had before.

The scene shifted, and he began, "Refining Essence into Qi." He guided his essence, attempting to refine a wisp of his natal true Qi. The mottled magical power reappeared, but this time, he was no longer anxious. Using the Nine-Breath Breathing Method, he efficiently inhaled and exhaled, removing the dross and retaining the essence, quickly condensing true Qi ten times purer than before.

Next came the "Refining Qi into Spirit." As his true qi became abundant, he began to nurture his spirit. All the distracting thoughts that had arisen from his past cultivation due to impatience, fear, and greed—fear of his destiny to become a god, a desire to quickly increase his strength, and a lust for resources—transformed into ferocious inner demons that assailed him. Among them, a restless "Mind Monkey" and a galloping "Intentional Horse" were particularly prominent, representing his unsettled mind and scattered thoughts.

"So, my cultivation in the past was flawed in this very place." Zhang Kui adhered to the true meaning of cultivation—to seek his true self and eliminate falsehood. He used his powerful divine sense as a chain and the Golden Elixir Path as a barrier to contemplate his original intention in seeking the Dao, not being misled by external things or moved by inner demons.

"To capture the restless mind, one must calm the mind." His soul transformed into a giant, grabbed the jumping and leaping restless mind, and suppressed it under his dantian.

"To capture the wild horse of will, one must concentrate one's will." He then leaped after the wildly galloping wild horse of will, using his will as a rein to stop it and tether it to the side of the golden elixir.

Once the mind is set in motion, the greatest demon manifests—the inner demon of the "old self," which is characterized by a sense of superiority as a "prophet," and is alienated and utilitarian.

"Follow the will of Heaven, and you will have a place on the Investiture of the Gods. Why struggle?" The inner demons bewitched him.

"No!" Zhang Kui's gaze was clear and firm. "Cultivation is not for a position of honor, but for one's true self. I am first and foremost a human being, a Zhang Kui with flesh and blood, feelings and emotions. Only secondly am I a seeker of the Dao and a cultivator of Qi. The Dao I seek is the true and real Dao, the Dao that I want to protect, not the Dao that I want to protect, but the Dao that I want to live as a puppet who submits to fate. It is about integrating into this world and accepting this life."

"Pfft!" The inner demon shattered like a mirage.

With his inner demons broken, Zhang Kui's soul underwent a baptism, becoming unprecedentedly pure. It began to transform from the tangible to the intangible, resonating with the laws of heaven and earth at a deeper level. He felt his divine sense extending infinitely, able to subtly perceive the trajectory of every snowflake in the wind and snow, and hear the faint sound of the earth's veins flowing deep within the earth.

In the end, his soul seemed to merge into the void, merging with the "Dao" in the darkness. He saw the power of the laws contained in his own witch blood, the trajectory of the Heavenly Gang Divine Powers inscribed on his Golden Core, and the "immortal" path that the Golden Core Dao pointed to.

"My path is neither the path of witchcraft nor the path of the Xuanmen." Zhang Kui examined himself in the state of merging with the Dao. "It is based on the Golden Elixir Dao, which governs the divine power of witch blood and the divine abilities of the Heavenly Gang, taking their essence and discarding their dross, in order to seek the true self's 'cultivation' Dao."

Once you understand your own mind and nature, the path to enlightenment will suddenly become clear.

When the Heavenly Tribulation ends, the Dao Fruit is achieved.

Outside, Ji Li and Yu Qing watched with rapt attention. They witnessed Zhang Kui's transformation from his initial explosive power, through the intense fluctuations and inner struggles, to his gradual calm and harmony, ultimately merging with heaven and earth, emanating a profound yet undeniably real Daoist aura. This provided them with invaluable guidance for their future tribulations and the tempering of their minds.

Even Lü Yue, whose originally nonchalant expression had long since vanished, was now solemn and thoughtful. He was a primordial human with an extraordinary background, and he cultivated the path of plague and poison, which was extremely ruthless. Although he had become a Taiyi Golden Immortal, he lacked in "enlightenment and seeing one's true nature," and often relied on supernatural powers while neglecting the cultivation of the Dao heart.

At this moment, watching Zhang Kui undergo his tribulation and retrace the path of cultivation, especially his realization of "seeking the true self and eliminating falsehood," resonates like a great bell striking his Dao heart.

"Enlightenment...discard falsehood and preserve truth..." Lü Yue murmured to himself, the unsettling plague-like aura around him subsided somewhat, and a glimmer of clarity flashed in his eyes. The bottleneck that had kept him stuck at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm for so long was showing signs of loosening.

At this moment, the tribulation clouds in the sky dispersed, and auspicious rays of light descended, containing incomparably pure primordial energy and Daoist principles, which poured into Zhang Kui's body.

The three-stage golden core within Zhang Kui's dantian frantically absorbed this gift from Heaven, its body becoming increasingly solid and profound. Beside the original three divine power patterns, a fourth natural Dao pattern quietly emerged. The golden core's light became more restrained, appearing even more weighty and majestic, and it began to autonomously absorb and release the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.

At this point, Zhang Kui officially entered the Celestial Immortal realm. His lifespan was limitless, his supernatural powers were naturally formed, and he could begin to utilize the power of laws.

As the sunset faded, Zhang Kui opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming with divine light. His aura was perfectly harmonious and seamless, radiating a sense of peace and intimacy with all things in heaven and earth. He bowed respectfully to Lü Yue, Ji Li, and Yu Qing on the cliff face.

Ji Li and Yu Qing quickly returned the greeting and sincerely praised, "Congratulations, General Zhang, on attaining the Dao of the Celestial Immortal. Witnessing the ceremony today has benefited us for life."

Lu Yue looked at Zhang Kui with a complex expression, his previous condescension replaced by a hint of approval. After a moment's hesitation, he returned the greeting with a cupped-fist salute and said, "Congratulations, fellow Daoist. Observing your journey of 'enlightenment' today has also been enlightening for me. Your future is limitless."

The word "Fellow Daoist" uttered by the proud Taiyi Golden Immortal Lü Yue carried a weight heavier than a thousand pounds.

Zhang Kui was also shaken, knowing that he had gained the true recognition of this powerful being. So he bowed again: "This junior is trembling with fear, and thanks senior for protecting my path."

Lu Yue waved his hand and then transformed into a beam of light and left, seemingly eager to go back and digest what he had gained that day.

Ji Liyuqing landed and chatted warmly with Zhang Kui, and they truly developed a bond as "fellow Daoists".

As Zhang Kui felt the immense power within him, comparable to that of a Celestial Immortal, he knew that his path of cultivation had entered a completely new phase.

Even though the future battle for the gods will be magnificent, his mind is set on the Dao, and he only seeks his "true self".