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

Chapter 55 Overcoming the Enemy

The Yin camp was in ruins, and the smoke and dust had not yet cleared.

A bony hand, its five fingers as large as a winter melon, emerged from behind Ma Yuan's head, carrying a nauseating stench and an evil power that eroded the soul, and lunged at Zhang Kui.

This attack was incredibly powerful, and the bone hand also contained a trace of fierce and chilling pressure, as if it could freeze the souls of living beings.

"Well done!" Zhang Kui roared like thunder, advancing instead of retreating. The bloodline of the ancient shaman Kuafu within him boiled completely at this moment, his skin instantly turning into a deep bronze color, his muscles bulging, his veins rising like dragons and snakes, and his whole being exuding a terrifying aura of savagery, antiquity, and overwhelming power.

A gigantic Dharma image, several times more solid than the one he had seen in the battle against the Xuanlang Demon King, rose from the ground behind him. The Dharma image was robust and powerful, draped in simple animal hide, its exposed muscles bulging, exuding a primal sense of strength. Around it, the earthy yellow leyline energy and the vibrant green of the vegetation spontaneously converged, transforming into swirling bands of light that enveloped the Dharma image, further enhancing its imposing presence.

"Break it!"

Zhang Kui moved in sync with his own Dharma form, clenching his right fist. He simplified the complex and refined the essential, his fist carrying the purest and most domineering power, as well as the momentum to tear through the void, as he fiercely met the huge bone hand.

"Boom—Crack!"

Fists clashed, unleashing a deafening roar. The violent shockwave spread out in a ring, tearing apart and blowing away all the tents and fences within a radius of dozens of feet, and scraping the ground down by three feet.

The seemingly indestructible bone hand, before the fist imbued with the divine power of Kuafu and the true meaning of subduing dragons and tigers, shattered under the immense pressure. Clear cracks rapidly spread from the point of impact, instantly covering the entire palm.

"What?" For the first time, Ma Yuan's bloodshot eyes showed horror. His Divine Hand on the back of his head was forged from the souls of countless living beings and the Yin energy of the earth, comparable to an ordinary spiritual treasure, yet it was almost shattered by a single punch from the other party...

He hurriedly tried to withdraw his bone hand, but Zhang Kui pressed his advantage relentlessly. With a swift movement of his giant palm, the Kuafu Dharma Image gripped the cracked bone wrist tightly. The immense force was like a mountain pressing down, making it impossible for Ma Yuan to break free.

"Damn it!" Ma Yuan was both shocked and furious, knowing he had met his match. He suddenly channeled his magic power, and the rosary beads around his neck, made of skulls and human bones inlaid with gold trim, suddenly flew up and hovered in the air. Countless thick, ink-black wisps of smoke surged out from the beads, instantly spreading out and not only obscuring his vision but also carrying a strange power that interfered with and suppressed his divine sense.

Zhang Kui suddenly felt as if he were sinking into quagmire, his divine sense pierced by countless needles, making it difficult to accurately perceive Ma Yuan's figure and next move. All he could see was the churning black mist and the ghostly wails emanating from it.

"What a joke, trying to turn the tables with this evil technique?" Zhang Kui sneered inwardly. While using the Kuafu Dharma Form to firmly restrain the struggling bone hand, he secretly circulated the Golden Core Dao. The light of the Golden Core was contained, but the vast power of magic and blood energy began to quietly gather, compress, and transform in his palm.

A terrifying aura of annihilation and the suppression of the five elements flowed through his fingertips—this was his trump card, the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light.

He didn't immediately unleash his divine light, but instead held back, like a lurking cheetah patiently waiting for the perfect moment. At the same time, he fully activated his Nine Breaths Qi Absorption technique, frantically absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy disrupted by the battle to replenish his depleted reserves. Although his divine sense was disturbed within the black mist, his spiritual perception remained sharp. He was waiting, waiting for the moment when Ma Yuan could no longer restrain himself and would launch his attack.

Sure enough, after a stalemate of about ten breaths, Ma Yuan saw that Zhang Kui seemed to be trapped by the black mist and his attacks slowed down, thinking he had found an opportunity. Heartbroken over the damage to his bone hand, he was eager to reverse the disadvantage. His figure suddenly flashed out from the side of the black mist, the sinister sword in his hand emitting a ghastly green light. Man and sword became one, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, aiming straight for Zhang Kui's ribs, which appeared wide open due to his manipulation of his Dharma form.

"Now."

Just as Ma Yuan's figure was revealed and the sword light reached his body, Zhang Kui's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his right palm, which had been waiting for the right moment, suddenly struck out.

"The Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light".

There was no earth-shattering display, only a slightly mottled yet soul-chilling five-colored divine light bursting forth from Zhang Kui's palm, striking Ma Yuan's right arm, which was attacking with sword, with perfect precision.

"ah--"

Ma Yuan let out a bloodcurdling scream, utterly inhuman. In the instant the five-colored divine light swept across, his right arm, wielding the sword, from the shoulder down, melted and annihilated silently and visibly, as if thrown into snow under the blazing sun. First flesh, then bones, finally reducing to the most basic five elements particles, returning to nothingness. Moreover, the annihilation was rapidly spreading along his shoulder towards his torso.

This terrifying scene terrified Ma Yuan. He was a ruthless character, and he knew that if he didn't make a decision soon, he would be completely obliterated by this eerie divine light. He endured the excruciating pain and the agony of his soul being torn apart, and with his left hand, he snatched the sword from his right hand and, without hesitation, slashed fiercely at the wound on his right shoulder.

"Pfft!"

Black blood splattered as he severed his remaining right arm, along with part of his shoulder blade, cleanly at the root. As it fell to the ground, it rapidly dissolved under the residual power of the Five Elements Annihilation. Ma Yuan's face was deathly pale, his aura instantly weakening considerably. His gaze towards Zhang Kui was filled with boundless fear and resentment.

Escape, I must escape immediately. Zhang Kui's supernatural powers are too strange and domineering; I am no match for him.

With a thought, Ma Yuan recklessly activated the bone hand behind his head, which was already covered in cracks, in an attempt to make it self-destruct and buy time. At the same time, he retreated rapidly, about to transform into a streak of light and escape.

The bone hand gripped by the Kuafu Dharma Image suddenly expanded, its destructive energy rapidly compressed, and an even greater pressure, enough to make Zhang Kui's soul tremble, erupted. This Ma Yuan actually intended to sacrifice this rare treasure, refined over many years, to buy himself a chance at survival.

Zhang Kui's expression changed slightly. He activated his Golden Core with all his might, and the Kuafu Dharma Image shone brightly. His vast magical power circulated wildly, attempting to suppress the power of the self-destruction. At the same time, he also prepared to use the Five Elements Great Escape to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.

However, at this critical moment—

"Buzz!"

The coin that had been quietly attached to Zhang Kui's inner chest armor suddenly sprang out uncontrollably. As if attracted by the aura of Ma Yuan's bone hand, it transformed into a barely perceptible golden light, moving with incredible speed, and instantly adhered to the bone hand that was about to self-destruct.

A strange thing happened.

Unlike the magic weapon, the falling treasure coin did not dim the spiritual light of the bone hand. Instead, the Heavenly Dao inscriptions on it flickered wildly, and the winged copper coin emitted a faint hum, greedily absorbing the special aura in the bone hand that contained an ancient and ferocious will.

"No! My Netherworld Aura, my lingering resentment as an Ancestral Witch!" Ma Yuan's expression changed drastically, filled with utter horror. This bone hand was his greatest reliance, and the key to his enlightenment. It contained a wisp of the lingering resentment of the Xuanming Ancestral Witch, which he had obtained by chance, as well as the Netherworld Aura he had painstakingly collected. But now, it was being frantically extracted by that strange copper coin.

He desperately tried to retract his bone hand and sever the connection, but the Falling Treasure Coin clung to it like a maggot, its speed of extraction astonishing. In the blink of an eye, the Netherworld Evil Qi and the remnant will of the Ancestral Witch within the bone hand were completely absorbed by the Falling Treasure Coin 'like a whale sucking up water'.

Without the support of the Netherworld's malevolent energy and the lingering will of the Ancestral Witch, the swollen bone hand, as if its spine had been removed, instantly withered and shrank, the cracks on its surface became even denser, its spiritual light completely dimmed, and it was no longer able to self-destruct.

The treasure-dropping coin seemed to have "eaten and drunk its fill," and wobbled back into Zhang Kui's arms, becoming simple and unadorned again, only now it seemed a little more gentle.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, and Zhang Kui and Ma Yuan were both stunned for a moment.

Zhang Kui never expected that the Falling Treasure Coin would have such a wonderful use of devouring the aura of origin, while Ma Yuan was completely dumbfounded and terrified. His greatest trump card had been broken just like that.

"You heretics, prepare to die!"

Zhang Kui was the first to react. How could he let go of this golden opportunity to beat a dog when it was down? Kuafu Dharma Image raised its giant fist again, carrying the power to shatter mountains and split the earth, and smashed it down hard on Ma Yuan, who was standing there stunned because his treasure was broken and his mind was severely injured.

Meanwhile, outside Youli City.

Yin Pobai, the Grand Commander of the Northern Army, led several hundred personal guards and arrived menacingly at the tightly closed city gate.

"Listen up, commander on the city wall! I, Yin Pobai, am here. Open the gates immediately!" Yin Pobai shouted from his horse, attempting to intimidate the enemy with his official authority.

Wu Wenhua's enormous head peeked out from behind the battlements, his large, bell-like eyes blinking as he spoke in a booming voice: "So it's Commander Yin. This humble general is Wu Wenhua, here to guard the camp on the orders of my lord, General Zhang. The general has decreed that without his personal written order, no one may move a single soldier or open the camp gates without authorization. I request that the commander show me the troop deployment order or General Zhang's written order."

Yin Pobai's face turned ashen with rage. He suppressed his anger and shouted, "The military order has been signed for by Zhang Kui, who is probably in my camp receiving instructions right now. I, the commander-in-chief, have come personally to inspect the defenses. How dare you obstruct me? Open the camp gates immediately, or you will be punished for disobeying military orders."

Wu Wenhua shook his head vigorously, saying, "No, no, I can't open the door without the military order. General Zhang went to see you, but he didn't bring the order back to the camp, so I can't accept it. That's the rule."

"You!" Yin Pobai roared in fury. He hadn't expected that even a seemingly simple-minded and reckless general under Zhang Kui would be so troublesome. His eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he decided to apply pressure forcefully. "Wu Wenhua, this is the last time I'm saying this: open the camp gates. Any further delay will be considered treason, and I will order a forced entry into the city."

Hundreds of his personal guards stepped forward simultaneously, their swords drawn half an inch from their sheaths, gleaming coldly, instantly creating a tense atmosphere.

However, the only response to Yin Pobai's attack was the dense, cold sound of weapons rubbing against each other from the city wall.

"Click click click!"

To the astonishment of Yin Pobai and his guards, a dense barrage of crossbow bolts, gleaming with cold light, suddenly shot out from the crenellations of Youli City's thick walls. At least several thousand powerful crossbows, controlled by well-trained soldiers, were aimed at the uninvited guests below. A chilling killing intent, almost tangible, enveloped the entire city gate area.

Sunlight shone on the metal tips of the crossbow bolts, reflecting a chilling light. On the city wall, besides Wu Wenhua, the four captains Zhang Boyuan, Li Zhongqian, Sun Shubao, and Zhao Jiyu also appeared silently, coldly watching the scene below.

Zhang Boyuan's voice was calm yet carried an iron will, clearly conveying: "Commander Yin, we are ordered to guard the city; it is our duty. Without the lord's order, no one is allowed to enter. If the commander insists on 'forcibly entering the city'..." He paused, his tone turning cold, "then don't blame us for treating them as trespassers."

Looking at the imposing formation on the city wall and the countless crossbow bolts aimed at him, Yin Pobai felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. He had no doubt that if he dared to order an attack, he would be riddled with arrows the next second. Zhang Kui had managed Youli like an ironclad fortress, and his generals were completely devoted to him.

His face alternated between pale and flushed, frozen in place, caught in a dilemma. A direct assault? He wouldn't dare, not even if he had ten times the courage; that would be certain death. Retreat? What would become of his dignity? How could he complete the mission?

Just as Yin was trapped and unable to escape the city of Youli, the battle in the Shang army camp, dozens of miles away, was nearing its end.

Having lost his Bone Hand and the sorcery of the rosary, and having also lost an arm, Ma Yuan was at his last gasp. Under the attack of the Kuafu Dharma Image activated by Zhang Kui, he could only rely on his strange escape techniques and a few life-saving magical artifacts to dodge in a sorry state, constantly in danger.

At this moment, Ma Yuan was filled with regret and fear, and only wanted to escape this scourge as soon as possible. His gaze swept over Zhang Kui, and a ruthless glint flashed in Ma Yuan's eyes.

"Zhang Kui, you wait, I, your ancestor, will avenge this."

After uttering a harsh threat, Ma Yuan didn't hesitate to burn his own life essence, spitting out a mouthful of his vital blood. Blood light enveloped his body as he fled into the distance.

Zhang Kui watched Ma Yuan disappear into the horizon, but did not give chase. One should not pursue a desperate enemy, especially since he was concerned for the safety of Youli and feared this might be a diversionary tactic.

"Yin Pobai..." Zhang Kui's eyes were cold as he turned to look towards Youli. His figure transformed into a five-colored escape light and silently merged into the ground. It was the Earth Escape Technique among the Five Elements Great Escape Techniques, and he rapidly returned to Youli City.

He was going to meet his boss, who dared to play tricks on his turf, and at the same time, completely resolve the current troubles.