I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1028 The Barrier of the Spiritual World

Zhang Chen took out a piece of jade. Mysterious power flowed within his Heavenly Eye, attaching itself to the jade. Golden threads emerged from the jade, transforming into a mysterious and unpredictable symbol. Lightning flickered on the symbol, making it appear extraordinary.

"The power of the Eye of Heaven is of the same origin as the power of Heaven. It is a fundamental force like gravity and will not be bound or suppressed by the rules of the Great Thousand Worlds." Zhang Chen held the jade stone, nodded in satisfaction, carefully put it away, and then took out another piece of jade stone to begin making something.

As news spread that the Pingbian Royal Palace would recruit a large army of demons to attack the territories of nearby lords, the demon race was in an uproar. Countless sixth-tier, fifth-tier, and fourth-tier experts, who were under the great calamity of the end of Dharma, came to join them. In just two days, a million-strong army had been assembled, and there were no demons of lower than the fourth tier in the entire million-strong army.

Wang Ye lived up to expectations, breaking through the martial arts realm in two days and condensing his qi and blood within his body.

Wang Ye arrived at Zhang Chen's courtyard to pay his respects. Zhang Chen looked at Wang Ye, whose body was radiating energy, and his eyes lit up: "You've broken through?"

"I was only one step away from breaking through, and with Father's powerful medicine, there was absolutely no reason for me to fail." Wang Ye smiled as he stood in front of Zhang Chen. "I have now broken through and only hope to share Father's burden. Please give the order."

Zhang Chen nodded upon seeing this, and then took out the token and official seal that he had prepared beforehand, handed them to Wang Ye, and then handed over the long sword he had forged: "This is the weapon I prepared for you, which can help you."

Wang Ye accepted the various items with a beaming smile, then held the long spear in his hand for a while, exclaiming in surprise, "What a fine weapon!" He then grinned at Zhang Chen without any politeness, "Thank you, Father."

"Don't rush to thank me. I have another treasure here, something to save your life. If you ever encounter an enemy you can't defeat, you might as well activate this jade talisman, and it will naturally help you overcome the enemy." Zhang Chen handed a jade talisman to Wang Ye: "Remember to wear it around your neck and keep it close to your body."

Seeing Zhang Chen speak so solemnly, Wang Ye quickly and carefully took the jade talisman and hung it around his neck.

"Although we have a 100% chance of winning this campaign against the various warlords, we must not be careless, lest we lose our lives," Zhang Chenfu instructed again before sending Wang Ye away.

Zhang Chen walked into the house and saw Xie Lingyun sitting inside, wiping her sword. Her fair face was filled with murderous intent, which added a touch of heroic spirit to her appearance.

Zhang Chen looked at Xie Lingyun, took out another jade talisman, carefully strung it with a red string, and handed it to Xie Lingyun. He said solemnly, "This jade talisman contains a heavenly lightning bolt. Even a twelfth-level cultivator would be severely injured by it. If you encounter an enemy you cannot defeat, just activate this jade talisman. I will definitely sense it and come to your rescue immediately." Zhang Chen instructed Xie Lingyun.

"You underestimate me. Don't forget, even without cultivation realm, I am still a martial arts master. Moreover, with the blessing of rare and precious treasures these days, I have regained some of my cultivation. With countless demon army protecting me, who can threaten me?" Xie Lingyun said dismissively, but still put away the jade talisman given to her by Zhang Chen and hung it around her neck.

"Just wait for me at home. In a year or two, I will definitely sweep away all the surrounding vassal states and let all the lords around know how powerful we are." Xie Lingyun picked up her long sword and walked away in a very dashing manner, which made Zhang Chen stunned for a moment.

As Wang Ye mustered his troops, a massive army of 100,000 humans, along with a million demons and countless wild beasts, surged towards the surrounding vassal states. Just as Zhang Chen had predicted, the surrounding vassal states were unable to resist and were simply no match for Zhang Chen's army.

In an instant, the surrounding kingdoms of the North were engulfed in carnage. Whether they were kingdoms of the demon race or those under Huang Tiandao's command, they all retreated in the face of Zhang Chen's sweeping army, unwilling to fight Wang Ye's army to the death.

The demonic beast army of the North was cannon fodder, all of them desperately trying to get into the refuge, while the surrounding vassal states had no desire to fight to the death with these madmen.

While the outside world was rife with bloodshed and chaos, the north remained peaceful and tranquil.

Three months later, Zhang Chen put away the letter that had been delivered to him from the front lines, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Among those who have joined the army on this expedition are various large and small families. Taking advantage of the fact that the territories of various lords have been conquered, they have grown stronger. Should we restrain them?" Zhong Xiang looked at Zhang Chen.

"No need! As long as I'm here, they can't turn the world upside down." Zhang Chen smiled disdainfully: "This world is ultimately in the hands of the extraordinary, and with the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma approaching, I will be the only extraordinary being. Do you think I'm afraid of them rebelling?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiang's face showed a hint of worry: "If Wang Ye seizes too much territory, what if we all perish in the future? Wouldn't his power become too overwhelming and leave a hidden danger for Zhang Xiang?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen turned to Zhong Xiang and said, "I have considered the situation you described. The world is too vast, and it takes several years to transmit information. In the future, my northern region will not be able to fully control the entire world. At this time, supporting Wang Ye and letting him seize a portion of the territory, so that we can support each other as brothers in the future, is the best choice."

The world is too big, so big that supernatural powers have disappeared and no one can unify the world. Since that's the case, why not give Wang Ye a chance?
Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiang smiled and said, "That's right, I misunderstood. The world is too vast, and the two brothers will never have any territorial conflicts in the future." Zhang Chen dismissed the overthinking Zhong Xiang without blaming him for overthinking. He knew that with Wang Ye's departure, some of the forces in the North had indeed been taken away, weakening the North's strength. This was equivalent to weakening Zhang Xiang's future foundation, so it was only natural for Zhong Xiang to be anxious.

After sending Zhong Xiang away, Zhang Chen turned around and sat cross-legged on the ground, contemplating his spiritual realm. He wanted to enter the Thirty-Three Heavens to see if he could search for some fortune or perhaps complete his Incomplete Seal of Divine Power. Unfortunately, there seemed to be an invisible barrier in the darkness, filled with the power of chaotic laws, which hindered Zhang Chen's connection with the spiritual world. This prevented Zhang Chen from sensing the Thirty-Three Heavens and thus from collecting divine power.

"Ever since I merged with the Dao of the Middle Thousand Worlds and mastered its operation, I have had a strange premonition that as long as I collect the complete divine power and send it into the Eye of Heaven, my Middle Thousand Worlds may undergo a change that greatly benefits me."

The higher one's cultivation level, the more incredible the divine power becomes. Even with Zhang Chen's current level as the incarnation of the Tongtian Jianmu tree, the vast power within it is still difficult to comprehend.

"The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts are within the spiritual world, which is of great importance to me. I must find a way to enter it." A look of worry appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes. He had no interest in looking for maps and information and simply got up to find Dog Master.

For him, the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts were crucial to whether he could directly enter the Primordial Chaos Realm, far more important than Zhang Chen's reincarnation.

Since arriving in the North and being affected by the end of the Dharma, Lord Xiaotian has been living a life of idleness and waiting for death, spending his days sleeping in Ji Feihua's courtyard.

"What brings you here, kid?" Xiaotian Shenjun was sunbathing in the sunlight, and Ji Feihua was grooming his fur. When he saw Zhang Chen approaching, he alertly raised his head and stared at Zhang Chen.

"Besides the spiritual world, are there any other ways to obtain the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts?" Zhang Chen asked.

"No!" Lord Xiaotian shook his head firmly: "The only way I know is to enter the Thirty-Third Heaven and find the legendary treasure vault, which contains the inheritances left behind by various ancient gods."

"Really not?" Zhang Chen looked at Xiaotian Shenjun, feeling that the guy was lying. He didn't quite believe in the dog's character.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Lord Xiaotian was immediately displeased: "What do you mean by that? You actually dare to question whether I, Lord Dog, am lying?"

Ji Feihua quickly stroked the big black dog's head and said gently, "Dog Master, don't get angry. It's because you're too unreliable that Brother Zhang wants to ask you more questions. Don't forget who you're eating and drinking, and how you should speak to Brother Zhang. Otherwise, if you're kicked out of the mansion and turned into dog meat, you'll be in big trouble."

"Girls are like that, once they grow up, they're gone. You haven't even married him yet, and you're already speaking up for him..." the big black dog complained. Ji Feihua was so embarrassed that she grabbed Xiaotian Shenjun's head and looked at Zhang Chen with her face flushed: "Brother Zhang, don't listen to his nonsense. He can't say anything decent, he can't say anything serious all day long."

Dog Master broke free from Ji Feihua's clutches and looked at Zhang Chen: "Kid, I actually have an idea. If you marry that little rascal Ji Feihua, I'll tell you."

It wasn't that Doggy was being unreasonable or making things difficult for her; he just didn't want Ji Feihua to suffer the pain of unrequited love all by herself.

"Dog Master!" Ji Feihua shouted.

The big black dog ignored the other party and instead looked at Zhang Chen with both eyes: "Kid, what do you have to say?"

"Dog Master, you can tease me all you want, but you absolutely cannot involve Miss Ji. Miss Ji is pure and innocent; if word gets out, how will she face people?" Zhang Chen scolded Dog Master in an annoyed tone.

Upon hearing this, Lord Xiaotian glanced at Zhang Chen, then shut his mouth and refused to speak. His meaning was clear: if you don't agree to my conditions, I will never tell you.

Upon seeing this, Ji Feihua immediately lowered her body and pleaded with Xiaotian Divine Lord: "Ancestor, this matter is of great importance. Please tell him and don't make things difficult for him. I'm begging you."

"I'm trying to help you. Do you want to live a lonely life?" Lord Xiaotian said irritably.

(End of this chapter)