I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1023 Blood and Tears
Magnetism is one of the fundamental forces that make up the world; if magnetism were to disappear, the world would collapse and be destroyed.

The movement of celestial bodies relies on mutual attraction through gravity. However, gravity is also a type of magnetism, and magnetism is the eternal force in the universe.

So how do we utilize magnetism?
Others might not know, but Zhang Chen does.

If you want to utilize magnetism, the best way, without resorting to technological means, is through a feng shui formation.

That's right, feng shui formations rely on the power of magnetic fields, influencing time and space by distorting the magnetic field between heaven and earth.

“But a feng shui formation relies on the earth’s veins as its foundation, and it cannot be used on a personal basis. So how can I use magnetism for soul reincarnation?” Zhang Chen sat there blankly, speechless.

Xie Lingyun stared at Zhang Chen, who was in a daze. Seeing that he had entered a state of enlightenment, she was surprised and quickly got up to send all the servants away to prevent them from disturbing Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen had cultivated his primordial spirit, and although his calculation ability was not as good as that of a quantum computer, it was still no worse than that of an ordinary computer. He quickly found a solution: "I have two ideas. The first is to build a huge feng shui array as a 'base station'. The feng shui array will emit magnetic force in a specific direction to resonate with my soul. The second is to create a 'container'."

Zhang Chen preferred the second method. He wanted to make a jade pendant and set up a feng shui array in it so that it could access and utilize the vast magnetic force of heaven and earth. Then he would refine the jade pendant into his soul. As long as his jade pendant was not destroyed, his soul would be protected by the magnetic field and would be able to retain its memories even if he were reincarnated.

However, this idea has a major flaw: the jade pendant is only the size of a palm, and no matter how ingenious it is, it simply cannot store such a large amount of magnetic force.

After some deduction, Zhang Chen quickly rejected the idea and decided to adopt the first method: to build an enormous feng shui array, bury his physical body and part of his soul within it, and let the other part of his soul reincarnate. The feng shui array would act as a base station, while his two parts of his soul could be seen as two mobile terminals, allowing them to sense each other even across vast distances and preserve his memories with the power of the massive feng shui array.

Just like the elixir of immortality in 'movie myths', it relies on the radiation from meteorites to achieve longevity. Once the meteorite is destroyed, the effect of immortality is broken.

But that meteorite is crucial; how can I build it myself?

"Under the great calamity of the end of Dharma, magnetism will be the only power in the world, and my only chance. But where should I build that massive feng shui array?" Zhang Chen thought to himself. Then he opened his eyes and saw Xie Lingyun standing guard at the entrance. He said, "I'll trouble you to guard the gate for me, sister."

"How is it? Have you gained any insights?" Xie Lingyun asked with concern.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen did not hide anything and explained his thoughts. Xie Lingyun was someone he could trust, and Zhang Chen did not conceal anything from Xie Lingyun.

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingyun replied, "If your method is to succeed, the mastery of feng shui formations needs to be pushed to an unbelievable level..."

“My skill in feng shui formations is naturally far from reaching this standard, nor can I deduce such a profound feng shui formation. But you need not worry, I know a senior who can help me achieve this goal. The only concern is whether there are suitable mountains and rivers in the world that can generate such a powerful magnetic field. I would trouble you, sister, to send people to collect maps from all over the world for me, so I can see if I can find a suitable place to set up the feng shui formation,” Zhang Chen said to Xie Lingyun.

Xie Lingyun knew the matter was urgent, so she stopped drinking and said, "I'll go find someone to take care of it right away."

Xie Lingyun hurried away, knowing that the great calamity of the end times would arrive sooner and later, and that time was running out for them.

Xie Lingyun hurriedly left, leaving Zhang Chen standing in the courtyard. With a thought, his consciousness descended into the Middle Thousand Worlds and arrived at the mountain range where the Queen Mother of the West was buried.

"Queen Mother of the West!" Zhang Chen's avatar shouted from the mountain range where the Queen Mother of the West resided.

"What are you doing here, boy?" The Queen Mother of the West's voice revealed a hint of impatience.

Upon hearing the Queen Mother of the West's complaints, Zhang Chen chuckled and bowed respectfully, perfectly demonstrating his ability to use people when needed and discard them when not: "Your Majesty, if it weren't for an extremely urgent matter, how could I dare to trouble you?"

The Queen Mother of the West remained silent, but Zhang Chen was not surprised. He explained his purpose and then waited for the Queen Mother's response.

After pondering for a long time, the Queen Mother of the West said, "Your idea is truly refreshing. Even I never thought of it. You could seek immortality from this perspective."

"Is it possible to achieve this using a feng shui formation?" Zhang Chen asked.

After hearing this, the Queen Mother of the West remained silent for a while before replying: "Give me ten years, and I can deduce this feng shui formation."

Although the Queen Mother of the West was a powerful being at the Hunyuan realm, it was not easy for her to deduce such a terrifying array; it was extremely difficult.

“Ten years is too long! Who knows how severe the calamity of the end times will be in ten years? Perhaps by then I won’t be able to mobilize my supernatural powers on a large scale, nor will I be able to alter the landscape and construct the grand formation. I’ll give you at most one year. You must deduce the feng shui formation within that year.” Zhang Chen bargained with the Queen Mother of the West. “If I were to deduce it with all my might, it would consume a great deal of my magical power and essence…” The Queen Mother of the West looked at Zhang Chen.

"You may use any of the innate essence within this world," Zhang Chen replied.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother of the West nodded in satisfaction: "That's not bad, it's acceptable. Don't worry, I will definitely devise a feng shui formation that will satisfy you within a year."

Of course, the year mentioned here refers to a year in the external context.

Zhang Chen can increase the flow rate of the Middle Thousand World by 60 years in a single day. One year in the outside world is equivalent to 65,700 years in the Middle Thousand World, which is enough for the Queen Mother of the West to recover to her peak condition.

After the two agreed on the terms, Zhang Chen regained consciousness and stood in the pavilion with a happy expression: "It's good that we have a clue. Once we have a clue, we just need to sort it out, and the rest will not be difficult."

Zhang Chen returned to his room and continued to organize his thoughts and inspirations. Three hours later, Xie Lingyun arrived with thirty burly men, each carrying a stack of maps, and they entered Zhang Chen's room.

"These are maps, local customs, and records of famous mountains and rivers collected by the Inspection Office from all directions. This is all we have for now. I have already sent people to collect more, and more maps and historical records will be sent later." Xie Lingyun was efficient and ordered people to spread out the maps and assemble them in Zhang Chen's study. Before long, a huge strategic map of the northern region was laid out, with mountains, rivers and streams clearly marked, possessing great strategic value.

Zhang Chen walked up to the map and studied it. Looking at the huge map, he secretly calculated the mountain and water features and searched for the place where the dragon veins converged.

There are too many conditions required to construct a qualified Feng Shui formation. First, there must be a place where the energy of dragon veins intersects and converges, and it must be a place where major dragon veins intersect and converge. Second, the earth's veins must be stable, and there should be no earthquakes. Once an earthquake occurs, even the best Feng Shui formation will be destroyed. Third, it is best if the area is secluded and rarely visited by people.

These are only the three most important points; there are many other crucial details that Zhang Chen did not elaborate on.

Zhang Chen began reviewing the documents in the room, while Xie Lingyun helped him record and eliminate them. The two of them were busy working.

Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, one dark night, a thunderclap resounded in the starry sky. Zhang Chen and Xie Lingyun, who were working hard all night in the house, looked up at the same time, their eyes showing a solemn expression.

Zhang Chen looked at Xie Lingyun, whose life essence was being drained away at a rate more than ten times faster. In Zhang Chen's eyes, Xie Lingyun was like smoke, her life essence being frantically extracted by a 'smoking machine'.

Zhang Chen was even worse than Xie Lingyun. The rate at which Zhang Chen's source energy was draining away suddenly increased by more than a hundred times. In the short time it took for him to be stunned, his source energy had been completely drained away, and he was completely reduced to a mortal body.

At this point, all of Zhang Chen's extraordinary powers, except for the Five Elements Authority, had been destroyed.

Even the power of the Five Elements was suppressed to only affect a distance of 500 meters; beyond that, it could hardly exert any effect.

Zhang Chen could sense that the laws governing the universe seemed to have lost their lubricant, becoming dry and sluggish. In the past, one unit of strength could move a hundred units of the laws of the universe, but now even a hundred units of strength could not move a single unit of them.

“The Great Calamity of the End of Dharma has officially begun to target the tenth rank, and even the ninth rank is starting to be affected.” Zhang Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at Xie Lingyun.

"Are you alright?" Xie Lingyun asked Zhang Chen with a worried expression, because she could sense that the man in front of her no longer possessed any extraordinary aura, as if he had turned into an ordinary mortal.

"Don't overthink it. It's just a mere tribulation of the end of Dharma. It can't do anything to me!" Zhang Chen pointed his finger at the oil lamp beside him, and the flame in the lamp flew out and turned into the size of a basketball, landing in Zhang Chen's hand: "You don't need to worry about me. I've just concealed my aura."

Hearing Zhang Chen's words and seeing his methods, Xie Lingyun felt somewhat relieved.

"By the way, what's the situation in the North now?" Zhang Chen asked.

"The demon race has officially engaged in a decisive battle with Huang Tiandao. Faced with the demon race's reckless and suicidal fighting style, Huang Tiandao could only retreat step by step, withdrawing from the Northern Lands and ceding the territory to us. Many powerful members of the demon race have already been arranged by me to enter the Great Tomb for secluded cultivation. Now we need to stabilize the demon race and prevent them from causing trouble. Although we are not afraid of the demon race, there is no need for us to put ourselves in danger because of them, is there?" Xie Lingyun explained.

Although she helped Zhang Chen organize documents every day, she also kept an eye on external affairs and dared not relax her vigilance in the slightest.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I need to remind you. The various lords are in complete chaos now. The demon race, the Great Victory Dynasty, and the Yellow Heaven Dao have launched an attack and are directly devouring the territories of the various lords." Xie Lingyun added, "The world is in complete chaos."

(End of this chapter)