I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1026 Zhang Xiang
What is the greatest tragedy in life?
He was a prodigy with extraordinary talent, but he was born at the wrong time!
There is no doubt that the child in Zhong Xiang's womb possesses this innate talent. It is divine even in the embryonic stage, able to draw upon Zhong Xiang's essence to shape its own foundation, which can be considered a kind of divine being in a narrow sense.

"Do you think our child will be a boy or a girl?" Zhong Xiang stroked her belly, her face filled with a sacred glow.

“It’s a boy.” Zhang Chen said with certainty, “I forgot to tell you, I have studied the laws of life in great detail. Although the laws of life have gradually lost their effectiveness with the end of the Dharma, they still retain their mystique. It is not difficult for me to determine the sex of the baby in an embryo.”

"A boy? Perfect, he can inherit your family business, that's just right." Zhong Xiang's eyes lit up, as if little stars were brewing in her gaze: "What do you think we should name our child?"

Zhang Chen pondered for a moment before saying, "How about we take one character from each of our names and call ourselves Zhang Zhong?"

"It doesn't sound good! Your naming skills are really limited." Zhong Xiang raised his head with great dissatisfaction: "Let's just call him Zhang Xiang."

"It sounds a bit like a girl's name," Zhang Chen said irritably.

“This represents Zhang Chenxiang and Zhong Xiang! When the great calamity of the end times arrives, it will be full of uncontrollable changes. What if you forget me? With Zhang Xiang, you will surely remember me for all eternity.” As Zhong Xiang said this, tears streamed down her face involuntarily, her eyes filled with sorrow. She was, after all, a woman, and a very emotional one at that. With her strength turning into flowing water, facing the unknown future, Zhong Xiang was overwhelmed with grief and couldn't help but sob.

"Don't worry, I will never forget you! Don't you know my supernatural abilities?" Zhang Chen stroked Zhong Xiang's head and casually took out a pill and put it into Zhong Xiang's mouth: "This pill can replenish your vitality and increase your life potential, so that you won't be drained of your life force by the fetus during pregnancy."

Zhong Xiang nodded solemnly upon hearing this, swallowed the pill without saying much, and the couple embraced, enjoying a rare moment of tenderness.

"Why don't you marry Xie Lingyun?" Zhong Xiang suddenly said, nestled in Zhang Chen's arms.

Zhang Chen was taken aback by these words: "What makes you say that?"

“I think Chief Xie has feelings for you,” Zhong Xiang replied.

“Chief Xie only cares about immortality, how could he possibly look up to me?” Zhang Chen rejected Zhong Xiang’s words: “Besides, I already have you, and there is no room for a second person.”

“It’s common for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Besides, I’m not a jealous woman. If you really marry her, I won’t say anything. We all only have a short lifespan of less than a hundred years now, so I don’t want to worry about so much. As long as we don’t leave any regrets in our lives, that’s enough.” Zhong Xiang said to Zhang Chen very seriously. Zhang Chen could tell that Zhong Xiang had no intention of testing him. Everything he said was from the bottom of his heart.

Hearing Zhong Xiang's words, Zhang Chen smiled and said, "I'm not just saying that to appease you. There is no room for anyone else in my heart but you. Besides, Chief Xie truly only has Changsheng in his heart and has absolutely no romantic feelings for me. Please don't overthink it."

The couple's conversation ended abruptly there. Days passed by, and the North remained as peaceful as ever. No matter how chaotic the outside world became, it did not affect the North.

The battle between the demon race and the human race had reached a fever pitch. With the great demons being swept away by the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma and turned into livestock, countless demon cultivators were filled with fear and wanted to carve out a place for themselves in human territory and create a kingdom of beasts, so as not to be hunted by humans when they were swept away.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Zhong Xiang was still pregnant and had not yet given birth. Zhang Chen continued to peruse numerous maps and documents of the Northern Lands every day. Xie Lingyun, who had completely transformed into a mortal, stood under the pavilion dressed as a lady, drinking tea. Looking up at the azure sky, she sighed, "The sky is even bluer now, and the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma is getting more and more severe. I heard that those ninth-order beings have gone completely mad, digging everywhere for ancient god and demon tombs, trying to find a way to escape the calamity from them."

"They are delusional. If the ancient gods and demons had a way to avoid calamity, why would they bury themselves?" Zhang Chen scoffed upon hearing this.

Xie Lingyun nodded: "That makes sense."

"By the way, have you found out any news about Tiger Power Immortal?" Zhang Chen was thinking about Tiger Power Immortal. He had made a promise with Tiger Power Immortal that if the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma came, he would help Tiger Power Immortal to overcome the calamity. Now that the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma has begun to affect the ninth level, Tiger Power Immortal should have been reduced to his original form long ago. Why hasn't he come looking for him?
Zhang Chen was filled with worry about the safety of Tiger Power Immortal.

"According to our scouts, Tiger Power Immortal discovered an ancient tomb of gods and demons, where they lived in seclusion. He went inside and has not been heard from since," Xie Lingyun replied, her voice filled with sighs. "They may already be dead in the tomb." Even someone as powerful as Tiger Power Immortal, who ruled the demon race and roamed the world, what could he do? Didn't he still end up disappearing without a trace?

Zhang Chen shook his head upon hearing this: "That old beast is cunning. He would never put himself in a desperate situation. He is, after all, the dignified ruler of the demon race. How could he put himself in danger?"

Zhang Chen sensed the Reincarnation Mark, but unfortunately, due to the suppression of the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma, he could only roughly sense the location of Tiger Power Immortal. Tiger Power Immortal was still alive, but he could not sense the specific situation.

"The Great Immortal Tiger Power was able to cultivate to the twelfth level in the Dharma-ending Age, so he must have had a certain destiny. He shouldn't have perished so easily." Thinking this, Zhang Chen stopped paying attention to the Great Immortal Tiger Power and continued to look down at the map in his hand.

Far South
Inside an ancient tomb of gods and demons, Tiger Power Immortal stood before an ancient white tiger, which was tens of thousands of feet tall, standing like a small mountain. Tiger Power Immortal opened his mouth and swallowed the white tiger whole. Then, white and golden light emanated from Tiger Power Immortal's body, and his entire body gradually turned into a platinum color.

Tiger Power Immortal leaped into a huge pool, its water a vibrant emerald green, resembling viscous amber. "Since heaven and earth cannot accommodate a great cultivator," he said, "I will simply disperse my demonic power and rebuild my cultivation. I will use this power to nourish my bloodline, transforming myself into a primordial white tiger, retaining only the most basic supernatural abilities. I wonder if I can survive the tribulations of heaven and earth. Although Zhang Chen claims to have a way to avoid these tribulations, I cannot place all my hopes on him."

As Tiger Power Immortal's body gradually immersed in the green liquid, its body shimmered with silver light and shrank continuously until it became the size of a kitten. All the demonic energy fluctuations dissipated, leaving only a trace of the most refined bloodline power flowing within its body.

Isn't the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth supposed to be intolerant of cultivators? Then why not simply disperse my cultivation and transform into an ordinary white tiger, retaining only a faint trace of bloodline power? Would that give me a chance to escape the calamity of Heaven and Earth?

If effective, he possesses the bloodline of the White Tiger, making him a naturally exceptional species. Even with mortal means, the probability of him living for thousands or tens of thousands of years is extremely high. He could even become an immortal species similar to the Turritopsis dohrnii, living indefinitely even without supernatural powers.

Tiger Power Immortal was indeed a prodigy of this era. He was blessed by fate and discovered a great tomb built by an ancient white tiger when the great calamity of the end of Dharma descended, which brought him great fortune.

Leaving aside the matter of Tiger Power Immortal for now, the passage of time is beyond anyone's control. In the blink of an eye, another year and a half has passed. At this time, three years have passed since Zhong Xiang became pregnant. Accompanied by a thunderclap in the deep space of the universe, the laws of heaven and earth changed. The Yang God level powerhouses became a thing of the past, and the eighth-order powerhouses were targeted by the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma, becoming the main force targeted by the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma.

Standing in the courtyard, Zhang Chen sensed the changes in the energy of heaven and earth, a look of seriousness appearing in his eyes: "From the ninth rank to the eighth rank, it only took three years. The end of the era of Yang God level experts means that the era of cultivators destroying the world at will has come to an end. Although the eighth-rank experts are strong, they are not so ridiculously strong."

With a thunderous roar from deep space, a servant rushed to Zhang Chen's side, his voice filled with anxiety: "Master, the madam has given birth!"

Zhong Xiang was pregnant for three years and finally gave birth!

A hint of joy flashed in Zhang Chen's eyes as he quickly approached Zhong Xiang's delivery room. A large group of people had already gathered outside the room, including Zhang Gaqi and other direct descendants of the Zhang family, as well as Zhong Wubai and other members of the Zhong family.

For the Zhang family, the child Zhong Xiang gave birth to represents the stability of the Zhang family's lineage. For the Zhong family, they are equivalent to in-laws. The birth of Zhong Xiang's child is also of great importance to them, as it relates to the continuation of their family in the North and whether their status can continue to rise to a higher level.

Inside the delivery room, a midwife constantly comforted him, and maids went in and out bringing basins of hot water. Zhong Xiang was a martial artist with accomplished martial arts training, and his control over his skin was unparalleled. Giving birth was not difficult for him; in just half an hour, the sound of a baby being born was heard. Then, a midwife with a joyful face came out of the room and bowed to Zhang Chen: "Congratulations, sir, on the birth of your new son."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen's face lit up with joy. Zhong Wubai, who had been unable to contain himself any longer, said to the guards beside him, "Someone, bring the reward money that has been prepared beforehand! Everyone gets a reward!"

The birth of this child is of great strategic significance to the Zhong family. With their status as direct relatives and in-laws, the Zhong family can prosper for at least a century, allowing the entire family to advance further in the North.

(End of this chapter)