I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1025 Waiting for the Right Time

Zhang Chen's Five Elements Authority is truly too heaven-defying. At least within the Great Thousand World, the Five Elements Authority is truly heaven-defying. As long as it falls within the Five Elements category, it is difficult to escape the control of Zhang Chen's Five Elements Authority.

Zhang Chen returned to the courtyard, gave an order to the guards that he was going into seclusion, and then disappeared from the spot in a flash.

secret room

Zhang Chen held the earth's core in his hand, a look of caution in his eyes. A single earth core was not enough to guarantee that Zhang Chen's soul could be stored in it. He also needed to inscribe a feng shui array on it, and then use the feng shui array to reinforce and amplify the magnetic power within the earth core, and use the feng shui array to endow the earth core with various attributes.

The feng shui array designed by the Queen Mother of the West was not difficult for Zhang Chen. He controlled the Five Elements and could easily change the internal structure of the Earth's core and imprint the feng shui array.

In just three months, 480 feng shui formations were imprinted on the earth's core. The earth's core had now completely transformed into a silver-white sphere, with mysterious and unpredictable marks shimmering on it. These marks were perfectly formed and shimmered with flowing light.

"Next is to split the soul and then entrust a part of it to the body. However, I have mastered the Soul Splitting Technique, so I don't need to tear the soul apart." Zhang Chen thought to himself, took out a pill and put it in his mouth. The next moment, a powerful magical force surged through his body. Then, Zhang Chen circulated his magical power, and his three souls and seven spirits instantly reassembled into his primordial spirit. Then, Zhang Chen made a hand seal, and a part of his primordial spirit was split off and sent into the earth's core.

Then, Zhang Chen's powerful magical energy began to pour outwards. Holding the earth core, Zhang Chen waited for the magical energy to finish pouring out. As he observed the earth core, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes: "Why did I inscribe the Feng Shui array inside the earth core? Can I directly use my supernatural powers to inscribe the Feng Shui array inside the heart of the earth?"

After pondering and deducing for a moment, Zhang Chen abandoned the idea. After all, the power of heaven and earth is cyclical, and his primordial spirit is too weak compared to the power of the earth's core. If placed inside the earth's core, it may face the risk of being assimilated and dissolved.

“Entrusting one’s soul to the heart of the earth is too dangerous. Even the natal spirit of a Great Luo True Immortal is at risk of being assimilated. It would be safer to cut off a part of the earth’s core as the core.” Zhang Chen’s eyes showed a thoughtful look. In just three hours, all the magic power in his body had dissipated completely. Zhang Chen got up and walked out of the secret room, only to find that his family’s courtyard was still as busy as before.

Upon hearing the news of Zhang Chen's emergence from seclusion, Zhong Xiang came over to greet him: "Did you gain anything from this seclusion?"

Zhong Xiang's primordial essence was draining away, and it was clear that Zhong Xiang had already been affected and was degenerating into a mortal body.

"Mission accomplished! If we can find a suitable ley line, I'll be 80-90% confident of surviving this calamity." Zhang Chen hugged Zhong Xiang to ease his anxiety. He could tell that Zhong Xiang was very restless at the moment.

After the couple had eaten and drunk their fill and spent some time together tenderly, Zhong Xiang lay down in Zhang Chen's arms, looking at him with her big eyes: "Husband, I want a child! That way, even if something unexpected happens to us in the future, there will still be traces left in the world. Besides, the vast family business in the North needs someone to inherit it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced at Zhong Xiang, knowing that the other party still had no confidence in the upcoming Great Calamity of the End of Dharma, so he did not force the issue and nodded: "Okay! Then let's have another child."

Zhang Chen could understand Zhong Xiang's thoughts, and he could also feel Zhong Xiang's unease and anxiety. Anyone would be unable to bear the thought of a long-lived being suddenly reduced to a short-lived one.

Cultivators from all walks of life have gone mad. In order to prolong their lives, they spare no expense to plunder all kinds of rare and precious materials. Some even use ordinary people as test subjects to prolong their lives. Some collect the lifespans of ordinary people, while others use infants to make medicine. In short, the whole world is now in chaos and has become a mess.

Zhong Xiang wanted a child, and Zhang Chen would naturally grant her wish. Since everyone had become ordinary people, they should live their lives in the way ordinary people do, which wasn't something hard to understand.

After Zhang Chen and Zhong Xiang finished their tender moment, they went to Zhang Chen's study. The maps he had collected from all over the world had filled three rooms. Zhang Fei, Zhang Tuowei, and others had joined the ranks of those helping Zhang Chen organize the maps. Because the feng shui formation was a top secret, Zhang Chen dared not let outsiders interfere. If someone were to find his lair after his death and ruin his feng shui formation, he would be doomed.

A month later, Zhong Xiang became pregnant and successfully conceived.

Zhang Chen looked at Xie Lingyun, who was organizing the map, and asked with a smile, "Now that everyone has become an ordinary person, when are you getting married, sister? If you don't get married soon, you'll become an old maid."

Xie Lingyun rolled her eyes upon hearing this: "So what if I'm an old maid? Didn't you say you could teach me immortality and a way to survive the great calamity? What am I afraid of?"

Then Xie Lingyun looked at Zhang Tuowei not far away: "On the contrary, she is about to become a young woman and should consider finding a husband."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen turned to look at Zhang Tuowei. The little girl was already thirteen years old this year, and it was indeed time to consider her future husband.

Upon hearing that she was to be married, Zhang Tuowei immediately became unhappy and hopped around like a little rabbit: "I'm not getting married! My brother can live forever, and you, an outsider, can benefit from it, so why shouldn't my own sister be blessed? I'll definitely live forever too, so why should I marry someone? Isn't it better to wait for immortality?"

Zhang Chen glanced at Zhang Tuowei. Zhang Tuowei didn't want to get married, and Zhang Chen wouldn't force her. To be honest, this was his younger sister whom he had raised since childhood, and he truly couldn't bear to see her marry and become a stay-at-home wife and mother. Everyone has the right to choose their own life. Zhang Tuowei wanted immortality and didn't want to follow the path of a stay-at-home wife and mother, so Zhang Chen naturally supported her.

“My sister will surely become an immortal woman who will never perish in the future. Her goal is to live as long as heaven and earth decay and I remain immortal, as long as the sun and moon perish and I remain immortal,” Zhang Chen added in praise.

As everyone played and joked, time flew by, and another year passed in the blink of an eye. The Great Calamity of the End of Dharma spread faster and faster. With a thunderous sound, Xie Lingyun was completely transformed into a mortal body. At this moment, the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma officially began to affect the ninth level.

The ninth rank is the Yang God realm, and below the ninth rank is a watershed, a threshold between powerful beings and ordinary cultivators. Zhang Chen thought that the Great Tribulation of the End of Dharma would spread faster and faster, but he never expected it to be so fast. It only took a year and a half to go from the tenth rank to the ninth rank.

Late night
dim lights
Zhang Chen put down the map in his hand, looked up wearily at the window, gazed into the deep space of the universe, listened to the thunder echoing between heaven and earth, and slowly withdrew his gaze: "Many people will probably not be able to sleep tonight. The chaos in the world will double again in the future."

There are still quite a few bloodline holders and ninth-level Divine Path experts. Each of the major lords' territories has a few of them. Now that ninth-level experts have been affected, the turmoil in the world will become even more thorough.

In order to maintain their family's dominance, those ninth-tier powerhouses will inevitably ruthlessly kill eighth-tier powerhouses and eliminate all forces that could threaten them.

A bloody massacre was unfolding, and this turmoil affected the territories of all the major lords in the world. All the lords were fighting each other so fiercely that their brains were practically spilling out. The only ones who suffered were the ordinary people. For the ordinary people, their situation was only getting worse. The actions of those ninth-level powerhouses caused the heavens and the earth to tremble like a natural disaster, which could be described as a devastating blow.

While the outside world was in chaos, the North remained quiet. No one dared to step forward. Apart from Zhang Chen being in charge, the key figures of the major families had long been possessed by the Blood God Child. Therefore, the entire North remained in absolute tranquility. Even if there were some disturbances, they were all suppressed by Zhang Chen before they could rise to prominence.

"However, my Five Elements Authority has been further compressed along with the great changes in heaven and earth, and now the range I can exert is only about a hundred meters." Zhang Chen sensed his Five Elements Authority and a hint of dissatisfaction appeared in his eyes. Under the great calamity of the end of Dharma, his Five Elements Authority was also affected.

"Father, please have some lotus seed soup!" Wang Ye carried the lotus seed soup into the study and placed it in front of Zhang Chen.

"How is your martial arts progress?" Zhang Chen didn't look at the lotus seed soup, but instead asked about the other person's progress in martial arts cultivation.

Zhang Chen himself did not practice martial arts, so after returning to the North, he found Cheng Yu, a martial arts master, to be Wang Ye's teacher.

"I have already mastered the hidden strength," Wang Ye replied respectfully.

Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this: "Your cultivation progress is not slow."

"With your unlimited supply of rare and precious herbs, even a pig could be used to replenish my strength. In addition, with my master's excellent teaching, there's no reason for me not to strive for improvement." Wang Ye's face lit up with joy at Zhang Chen's praise.

Zhang Chen nodded, and after talking with Wang Ye for a while, Zhong Xiang walked in with a roll of map. Upon seeing this, Wang Ye immediately excused himself. Zhong Xiang looked at Wang Ye's back and said, "This child has too many worries on his mind."

“A boy who has suffered from cold looks and experienced all kinds of human warmth and coldness since childhood would have died in the cruel environment long ago if he didn’t have a cunning mind.” Zhang Chen didn’t think that Wang Ye’s heavy mind was a bad thing; it was the heavy mind that allowed him to survive to the end.

Zhong Xiang remained noncommittal upon hearing this, and instead spread out the map in his hand: "Here is a map that roughly matches the dragon vein trend you are looking for. Come and take a look."

Zhang Chen didn't look at the map. Instead, he went to Zhong Xiang, looked at her big pregnant belly, and hugged her tightly. "You've been pregnant for sixteen months, haven't you? Why haven't you given birth yet?"

“My vital essence has collapsed, and this child seems to have received some good fortune. He is actually absorbing the collapsed vital essence in my body, thus inhibiting his development.” Zhong Xiang stroked his belly, his eyes full of anticipation: “If he is born, he will definitely have unparalleled talent in martial arts.”

"It's a pity he was born at the wrong time; otherwise, he would have been very likely to qualify for the Dao in the future." A hint of regret appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes.

Even if a child develops perfectly in the womb and has a strong innate foundation, so what? Ultimately, they were born in the wrong era, and achieving anything is almost impossible.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiang's expression darkened, and she nestled in Zhang Chen's arms without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)