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

Chapter 65 Slaying the Three Demons, Gongming Appears

A flash of five-colored light enveloped Zhang Kui. He did not confront the attack head-on, but instead used the Five Elements Mystic Technique to defend against it. At the critical moment, he diverted and dispersed the combined power and magic of the three demons' attack, like a boulder thrown into a deep pool. Although it stirred up ripples, it did not touch the two people behind him who were waiting to die with their eyes closed.

Judging from their words, they should be Zhao Gongming's two disciples, Chen Jiugong and Yao Shaosi.

Seeing that someone had suddenly intervened with such skill, the three demons immediately retreated, forming a triangular formation to confront Zhang Kui, their eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty. The snake demon's vertical pupils narrowed, and it stared at Zhang Kui with a sinister look, hissing, "Who are you? Don't wade into these muddy waters, or you'll drown."

Zhang Kui stood with his knife in hand, his gaze sweeping over the three demons as if they were three corpses. His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable killing intent: "I have a past with Senior Zhao Gongming, and I will save these two. As for you three ungrateful beasts, this place is beautiful and serene; let it serve as your burial ground."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Kui had already made his move. He knew that demons were often thick-skinned and resilient, so he wanted to finish the battle quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications.

"Buzz!" The Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade emitted a bloodthirsty buzz, and an extremely condensed blade aura tore through the air, slashing first at the most insidious snake demon. At the same time, Zhang Kui moved like lightning, following closely behind the blade aura, his target directly at the snake demon.

"Subduing Dragons and Tigers!"

He silently roared, and the Dao patterns within his body lit up. His immense blood and magical power instantly transformed into the immense strength and supreme majesty of a dragon and tiger. His right hand formed a claw, and he slashed fiercely at the snake demon from afar. An invisible, immense force instantly enveloped the snake demon, as if the roars of dragons and tigers exploded within its soul, causing it to stiffen and its movements to falter for a moment. This fleeting opening was enough to be fatal.

In its terror, the snake demon instinctively spewed out its signature poisonous mist, which instantly enveloped Zhang Kui.

"A mere trick!" Zhang Kui sneered. He had already circulated his Qi through nine breaths, his internal energy forming a natural cycle. Furthermore, the blood and Qi of the Witch Clan were extremely Yang and strong, making them impervious to all evil. To him, this poisonous fog was no different from ordinary fog. Without pausing, he pierced through the poisonous fog.

"The Dharma form, manifest!"

A simple, powerful, and primal image of Kuafu suddenly appeared behind him. Though not as solid as when he fought Ma Yuan, its pure power was even more ferocious. The image moved in sync with Zhang Kui's true form; the Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade erupted with a blinding, cold light, carrying the force to tear everything apart. Taking advantage of the moment when the snake demon was stunned by the Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Taming Divine Power and its poison mist was ineffective—

"Pfft!"

Blood spurted out, and the snake demon didn't even have time to let out a complete scream before it was cleaved in two by the blade that combined the divine power of Kuafu with the murderous aura of the divine weapon. Its foul-smelling demon blood and internal organs spilled all over the ground.

Zhang Kui was about to unleash his blade energy to completely annihilate the remaining part of the soul and eliminate any future trouble.

"Third brother!"

Seeing the snake demon, whose cultivation was similar to theirs, instantly killed in a single exchange, the bull demon and bear demon were terrified, filled with shock and rage. But the two demons were fierce after all, knowing that fleeing now would only hasten their demise; their only option was to fight to the death. The bull demon roared, his giant axe cleaving horizontally at Zhang Kui's waist with the force of splitting mountains; the bear demon howled, his iron hammer crashing down like a mountain, aimed straight at Zhang Kui's crown.

Zhang Kui remained calm in the face of danger, his Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade swirling to parry, blocking the giant axe with a clang! Sparks flew everywhere. At the same time, he clenched his left fist, channeling the power of the Dragon-Subduing Tiger Divine Skill, and threw a punch upwards, directly striking the bear demon's iron hammer!

"boom!"

The energy exploded, cracking the ground and sending grass and trees flying.

Zhang Kui fought two opponents alone, his figure swaying slightly before regaining his balance. The bull demon and bear demon, however, were forced back a step by the recoil, their fear growing even stronger. Their opponent's power far surpassed theirs.

"This person is formidable; we must not hold back!" the bull demon roared.

"Reveal your true form and tear him apart!" The bear demon's eyes were bloodshot.

In an instant, demonic energy surged into the sky.

A gigantic yellow ox, over ten zhang long, appeared on the spot. Its fur was like gold, its horns gleamed coldly, and white vapor spewed from its nostrils. Its four hooves pounded the ground, causing the earth to tremble.

On the other side was a ferocious black bear, several meters tall, standing upright with its fangs exposed and its paws as large as millstones, stirring up a foul stench as it swung them.

"Be careful, seniors!" Chen Jiugong and Yao Shaosi shouted anxiously. A demon who reveals their true form will experience a significant increase in strength.

"Well done!" Zhang Kui's eyes showed no fear, but rather a stronger fighting spirit, as he could use this opportunity to test his own supernatural abilities.

"The size is just right!"

With a thought, the Dao patterns representing "size at will" on his golden core shone brightly. The next moment, to the astonishment of Chen Jiugong, Yao Shaosi, and the two demons, Zhang Kui's figure rapidly expanded as if inflated, transforming in the blink of an eye into a towering giant over ten zhang tall. The Wolf Fang Wind-Breaking Blade in his hand also grew larger, resembling a colossal pillar supporting the heavens and earth.

"Aww!"

"roar!"

The roars of dragons and tigers resounded from Zhang Kui's arms. The muscles in his left and right arms bulged, manifesting the agility of a blue dragon probing its claws and the ferocity of a white tiger pouncing on its prey. The enormous palms, carrying the force to tear through the void, actively grabbed at the bull demon and bear demon who had revealed their true forms.

The two demons were startled by this sudden change, but their ferocity had been fully unleashed. They roared deafeningly and advanced instead of retreating. The yellow ox demon lowered its head, its hardest horns transforming into two golden lightning bolts that slammed into Zhang Kui's chest. The black bear demon stood upright, its two enormous paws containing the force to shatter mountains, striking Zhang Kui's arms from the left and right.

"Boom—"

Like the collapse of the earth.

The terrifying collision sound echoed throughout the mountains and forests, and the violent shockwave destroyed and blew away all the trees within a radius of dozens of feet.

The giant Zhang Kui had transformed into was struck by this combined force, causing him to stagger backward two steps, each step leaving a deep footprint in the ground and cracking the rocks. The bull demon and bear demon fared even worse, as if they had been struck head-on by a prehistoric beast. Their massive bodies rolled uncontrollably, smashing down large swaths of trees, causing the earth to shake, and leaving them in a sorry state.

"Good heavens, my strength has indeed increased dramatically." Zhang Kui steadied himself, feeling the slight soreness and numbness in his arms, but he was more pleased than surprised. This combination of the Great and Small Ruyi Divine Powers and the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Techniques was truly a powerful weapon for close combat.

He gave the two demons no chance to catch their breath. His massive body moved again, and the Dragon-Tiger True Meaning in his arms intensified, like two huge shackles, grabbing at the two demons who had just struggled to get up.

The bull demon charged forward, head down, attempting to pierce the giant paw with its horns; the bear demon roared and swung its claws, trying to tear apart the dragon and tiger's energy. However, under the absolute power and supernatural suppression, their struggles were futile.

Zhang Kui's enormous hand seemed to possess magic, skillfully avoiding the bull demon's sharp horns and grabbing its thick neck. His other hand precisely gripped the bear demon's swinging wrist, unleashing the power of his Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Divine Skill, locking it firmly like an iron clamp.

"Moo!" The bull demon kicked wildly, its demonic power surging wildly, but it could not break free from the giant palm containing the true meaning of dragon and tiger.

"Roar!" The bear demon frantically slapped Zhang Kui's arm with its other paw, but it was as if it were hitting divine iron, and instead the bear demon's own palm bones were about to crack.

Zhang Kui's eyes were icy cold as he exerted force with both arms, ready to kill the two demons on the spot.

"Immortal, spare me! Spare me!"

"We are willing to surrender! We are willing to be your servants and serve you at your beck and call."

The fear of death finally overwhelmed their ferocity. The two demons felt the irresistible power and chilling killing intent, and they both begged for mercy, their voices filled with sorrow.

Zhang Kui paused slightly. Two demons at the Celestial Immortal Realm were indeed a good help. But upon further reflection, he realized these two demons were vicious, ungrateful, and utterly untrustworthy; keeping them around would be tantamount to raising tigers to cause future trouble. Moreover, their attempt to kill Zhao Gongming's disciple today was a mortal enmity, with no room for reconciliation.

"If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring breeze." Zhang Kui's killing intent was made up, and he no longer hesitated. The true meaning of the Dragon Tiger in his arms suddenly erupted.

"Snap!" "Pfft!"

The bull demon's neck was snapped, its massive body convulsing violently. Its spirit, attempting to escape, was pulverized by the raging dragon-tiger energy. The bear demon's wrist was crushed, followed by a massive slam, shattering its skull and annihilating its soul in a wailing cry.

In an instant, the two celestial demons were annihilated, both in body and spirit.

Zhang Kui dispelled his Great and Small Ruyi Divine Powers, reverting to his original form. With a wave of his hand, he collected the two demons' enormous original bodies and their demon cores, which contained the essence of their life's cultivation. These were excellent materials for refining pills, magical treasures, and even feeding Dao soldiers.

Just as he was about to turn around and deal with the snake demon that had been split in two and whose soul had not yet completely dissipated—

A sudden change has occurred!

From the serpent demon's mangled corpse, a dim, emerald-green stream of light suddenly shot out at incredible speed. It was the serpent demon abandoning its demonic body and using a secret technique to burn its remaining soul in an attempt to escape.

"Hmph, trying to escape?" Zhang Kui's eyes flashed, and he was about to use the Five Elements Escape Technique to intercept him.

However, someone was faster than him.

"Trying to leave? My disciple, Zhao Gongming's disciple, is not someone you vile beasts can disrespect?"

A thunderous roar, like a thunderclap from the heavens, rolled down from the sky, containing supreme majesty and fury. Before the sound had even faded, a golden light seemed to traverse space, arriving before the speaker. The golden light transformed in the air into a lithe and agile dragon-shaped rope with clearly visible scales and claws, emanating a terrifying aura that could imprison the void and lock down the soul.

"The Dragon Binding Rope!" Zhang Kui's eyes narrowed as he recognized the treasure.

The dragon-shaped rope seemed to have a life of its own. With a twist in the air, it precisely caught up with the fleeing snake demon's soul, binding it tightly like a serpent coiling around its body.

"No... Immortal, spare me, spare me..." The snake demon's soul let out a mournful and desperate wail, struggling desperately, but it couldn't budge the Dragon Binding Rope even a fraction.

The dragon-shaped rope flashed with golden light and tightened abruptly.

"puff……"

Like a bursting bubble, the serpent demon's soul, filled with resentment and fear, was completely annihilated by the supreme power of the Dragon-Binding Rope before it could even utter a complete plea for mercy. It turned into dust and vanished into the world.

The scene fell silent for a moment, with only the lingering demonic aura and traces of fighting in the mountains and forests telling the story of the fierce battle that had just taken place.

Having survived the ordeal, Chen Jiugong and Yao Shaosi were so moved by the familiar golden light and the majestic voice that they burst into tears. They struggled to kneel down in the direction from which the voice came, their voices choked with emotion.

"master!"