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

Chapter 11 The Demon King's Ambush

Just as Zhang Kui was talking with Ji Li in the central army camp, in a secluded tent in the Beibohou army camp, Chong Hei, Chong Yingbiao's trusted follower, was waiting anxiously.

He held tightly a piece of animal bone treated with a special potion, on which were engraved in an extremely subtle way the departure time, approximate troop strength, and the deadly route of Zhang Kui's supply train.

The tent flap was suddenly flung open, and a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in. Chong Yingbiao walked in with a gloomy expression.

"Is everything ready?" Chong Yingbiao's voice carried a hint of barely suppressed excitement and ruthlessness.

"Young Master, it's ready." Chong Hei hurriedly presented the animal bone fragments and whispered, "As you instructed, we used the highest level of code. However... Young Master, if this matter is leaked even slightly, we..."

"Shut up!" Chong Yingbiao snatched the animal bone fragment, glaring at him fiercely. "What are you afraid of? If we do it cleanly, who will know? With Zhang Kui dead, there will be no way to prove anything. In the end, the position of the Grain Governor will still be mine, and Father will look at me with new respect."

He stroked the cold animal bone fragments, as if he could already see Zhang Kui and his troops being torn to shreds in Black Wind Gorge. "You, personally lead a team of absolutely reliable trusted men, set off immediately, take a shortcut, and make sure to deliver this item to the Xuanlang Demon King. Remember, you must see him receive it and agree to its delivery."

Chong Hei's heart skipped a beat. The Xuanlang Demon King. That was a fearsome and powerful demon in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. It was said that one of his promising juniors, the "Xuanlang General," had recently died in battle, and all his treasures—the Dragon Scale Armor, the Unicorn Black Smoke Beast, and the Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade—had fallen into Zhang Kui's hands. This was practically kicking the bucket.

"Yes, young master! I will definitely take care of it." Chong Hei dared not say anything more, took the animal bone fragment, carefully hid it close to his body, and hurriedly left.

……

Several days later, deep in the North Sea, at Xuanlang Ridge.

This place is shrouded in a chilling, demonic mist year-round, with jagged rocks resembling countless giant wolf fangs piercing the dim sky. Inside the Ridge Lord's cave, the stench of blood mingles with demonic energy, making one want to vomit.

On the towering stone throne, a colossal wolf, far larger than any ordinary demon wolf, with dark silver fur and eyes gleaming with a cruel green light, lay lazily. This was the Xuanlang Demon King, whose cultivation had reached the late stage of the Celestial Immortal realm, making him a powerful overlord in this harsh northern land.

Below, several trembling humans were being held captive by demon soldiers, led by Chong Hei. He suppressed his fear and presented the secret letter made of beast bones.

A demon general who had transformed into human form and had a wolf tail took it, checked it to make sure it was correct, and then respectfully handed it to the Black Wolf Demon King.

The Demon King of the Black Wolf casually swept his divine sense over the bone fragments, and a terrifying glint and intense hatred suddenly flashed in his green wolf eyes.

"Zhang Kui, the Dragon Scale Armor, the Unicorn Black Smoke Beast, the Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade..." it roared, its voice like the grinding of sand, carrying endless killing intent. "Good! Very good! You killed my people, stole my treasures, and dared to swagger through my territory escorting grain supplies. Marquis of the North... Hmph, you've certainly given me a fine gift."

It abruptly raised its head, its chilling gaze locking onto Chong Hei and the others below: "Go back and tell your master that I have accepted this 'gift.' I'm determined to have Zhang Kui's head and his soul. Consider the grain and weapons as interest."

Chong Hei was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately kowtowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! I will return to report immediately..."

However, before he could finish speaking, a cruel mockery flashed in the eyes of the Black Wolf Demon King: "Reporting back? No need for that trouble."

It suddenly opened its blood-red maw, and a terrifying suction force suddenly erupted.

"Your Majesty, spare us! We are the men of the Marquis of Bei!" Chong Hei and the others were terrified and struggled desperately, but they were like fallen leaves in a storm, powerless to resist. Along with their screams, they were instantly sucked into the bottomless wolf's mouth.

"Burp..." The Black Wolf Demon King let out a satisfied burp, licked the blood foam from the corner of his mouth, and grinned maliciously, "The people of the Northern Marquis smell like scum. Perfect for eating, and it'll save the news from leaking out."

It abruptly rose to its feet, its massive demonic body radiating a suffocating pressure, and roared fiercely at the demons within the cave: "My comrades! Gather all your elite wolf riders and follow me to Black Wind Gorge. With the blood, flesh, and souls of those human soldiers, we will offer sacrifices to the spirits of our fallen kin and reclaim our treasures."

"Awooo!" Countless wolf howls instantly echoed throughout the entire Xuanlang Ridge, bloodthirsty and excited.

……

Meanwhile, Zhang Kui was leading a large supply train, braving the wind and snow, making a difficult journey.

The closer they got to the Black Wind Gorge area, the stronger the wind and snow became, and the harsher the environment became. Visibility was severely obstructed, and the cold wind was like a knife. Even though the ordinary soldiers were wearing thick cotton-padded clothes, they still shivered from the cold.

Zhang Kui rode calmly on the unicorn-like black smoke beast. He was not wearing the conspicuous dragon-scale armor, but rather a relatively ordinary general's armor. The wolf-tooth wind-breaking blade was casually hung on the victory hook, exuding a faint but menacing aura.

He closed his eyes slightly, not to doze off, but to focus his mind on the earth beneath his feet. Having achieved the status of a terrestrial immortal in one fell swoop through the Golden Core Dao, and further enhanced by the Five Elements Great Escape Divine Power Seed, his perception of the earth's veins had reached an unprecedented level of sharpness.

The earth seemed to become his extended network of senses. Even though the wind and snow could obscure his vision, they could not block out the faint tremors of the earth's veins.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, a glint of light flashing within them, and he raised his hand, shouting, "Stop!"

The column immediately stopped, and all the soldiers and laborers looked at him nervously.

Zhang Kui's sharp gaze swept towards the snow-covered stone forest to his left, a cold smile curving his lips: "Three hundred paces to the left, behind the stone forest, there are a dozen or so little mice hiding. Archers, three volleys."

Although the military commander was puzzled, orders were absolute, and he immediately gave the command. Nearly a hundred archers aimed in the general direction and fired at an upward angle. The arrows whistled through the snow and disappeared behind the stone forest.

After a moment of deathly silence, several piercing screams and angry wolf howls suddenly erupted from the area.

"General, your strategy is brilliant!" The military commander was both surprised and delighted, and looked at Zhang Kui with great admiration.

Zhang Kui remained unmoved: "They're just scouts. Keep moving forward, stay alert. Centurion, take your men and dispose of the bodies, see if there are any clues."

"Understood!" A centurion excitedly led his men forward. Soon they returned with news that there were indeed more than a dozen elite wolf rider scouts, well-equipped. If Zhang Kui hadn't spotted them beforehand, it would have been difficult for an ordinary person to notice them, and even if they had, it would have been difficult to catch up.

For the rest of the journey, similar harassments followed one after another. Sometimes it was burrowing demon soldiers suddenly emerging from beneath the snow, sometimes it was wolf rider squads using the cover of snowstorms to approach at high speed from the flanks to try and set fires, and sometimes it was even snow demons skilled in stealth trying to create chaos with magic...

However, these ambushes and sneak attacks were completely exposed to Zhang Kui's almost supernatural ability to sense the earth's veins. He could always detect them a moment in advance, either directing crossbows to strike from a distance or taking action himself.

On one occasion, three wolf demons, equivalent to early-stage Earth Immortals, skillfully dodged the arrows with their speed and fiercely pounced on Zhang Kui in the center of the army in a triangular formation. Their sharp claws tore through the air, accompanied by ear-piercing shrieks.

"General, be careful!" the guards on either side cried out in alarm.

Zhang Kui merely snorted coldly, without even drawing his sword. With a slight thought, the seed of the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Divine Power lit up on the Golden Core Dao Pattern, and an invisible, immense force and majesty instantly enveloped him.

The three wolf demons who had pounced into the air suddenly felt their demonic power freeze, as if they were being pressed down by an invisible mountain. Their movements instantly became distorted and slowed down, and their eyes revealed horror.

In that split second, Zhang Kui moved. He didn't even leave his horse; he simply threw out his right fist—simple and direct, yet as fast as lightning, containing terrifying power.

boom! boom! boom!

Three muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously. The three wolf demons were sent flying backward at an even faster speed than when they arrived, their chests deeply caved in, the light in their wolf eyes instantly dimmed, and they crashed heavily into the snow, their bones shattered, dead.

After a brief silence, the surrounding soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers.

"General, you are mighty!"

The soldiers were filled with fervor, their gazes towards Zhang Kui now brimming with fervent admiration and trust. Their morale, which had been somewhat low due to the arduous march and harsh environment, was now incredibly high.

Zhang Kui flicked his wrist, feeling the powerful force resulting from the perfect combination of his Golden Core magic power and blood energy, and felt exhilarated. These disturbances were perfect for him to practice and familiarize himself with his newfound power and supernatural abilities.

His gaze swept over the wolf demon's corpse on the ground, then turned to the path ahead where the wind and snow intensified. There, the enormous shadow of Black Wind Gorge was already in sight, like a crouching behemoth, its cold, gaping maw ready to devour.

Within the canyon, the killing intent was tangible, a thousand times more intense than that of these scattered scouts. He could even faintly sense a chilling demonic pressure, filled with deep-seated hatred, firmly locked onto him…

"The Demon King of the Black Wolf... has he finally lost his temper?" Zhang Kui sneered inwardly, showing no fear whatsoever, but rather his fighting spirit soared even higher.

He slowly raised his hand, his voice steady and powerful, resounding throughout the army: "Black Wind Gorge lies ahead. All troops, listen to my command! Check your weapons and armor, form defensive circles, and advance slowly. Let those demons and monsters lurking in the shadows see the might of my Great Shang army."

"Yes, sir!" the army responded in unison, their voices echoing across the snowy plains, their killing intent soaring to the heavens.

The entire team, like a giant beast slowly tightening its spikes, marched resolutely towards the canyon.