I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1034 Leaving the City
Zhang Chen was stunned when he heard Huang Chao's words. He looked at Huang Chao with surprise and then pushed the roster over: "Act according to the plan. Find out all the powerful and influential people in the north who have ulterior motives. Help them train an army and assist them in starting a rebellion."

Huang Chao was stunned when he heard this. He stared blankly at Zhang Chen, as if he couldn't believe his ears. What had he just heard?
"Do you know the consequences if the powerful and influential people in the North rebel? Those powerful and influential people are deeply rooted in the North. What terrible fate awaits them if they collude with the Huangtiandao soldiers from the outside world?" Huang Chao couldn't believe his ears and questioned Zhang Chen.

"I need them all to be gathered together so I can have a chance to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!" Zhang Chen sneered.

“Now that your supernatural powers have disappeared, your individual strength is nothing in front of tens of thousands of troops. Do you even know what you’re saying?” Huang Chao suspected that Zhang Chen had gone mad. “Once the signs of rebellion cannot be suppressed, the flames of rebellion will sweep across the entire northern lands. By then, it will be too late for you to stop it.”

“I know what you want to say, but I have absolute confidence in the North. You just need to assemble a massive army, and I will naturally find a way to defeat them.” Zhang Chen said, his voice full of confidence: “Just do as I say. If you want to leave Huangtiandao after it’s done, I can promise you wealth and honor in the North.”

"I worked my way up to my current high position in Huangtiandao with great difficulty. I must have been crazy to come and join you. If you really want to repay me, then kill all those old guys in Huangtiandao and give me the opportunity to consolidate my power and take control of the army," Huang Chao said with a smile.

"Deal!" Zhang Chen nodded. "Who is Huang Tiandao's leader this time?"

"It's a guy who joined later, named Zou Wenlong. He's assisting Ma Zhou, and there are two other True Men, Zuo Lianying and Zhou Shenzhu, who are also assisting him. He's secretly mobilizing a million-strong army and is secretly marching towards the north. There are also millions more troops being continuously recruited behind him. You must be very careful." Huang Chao directly revealed all of Huang Tiandao's secrets.

Zhang Chen was taken aback when he heard Zou Wenlong's name, and then looked surprised: "I didn't expect to run into an old acquaintance."

"You can rest assured and do it. Those people are nothing but chickens and dogs to me. As long as I take action, I can naturally kill them all," Zhang Chen said, his voice full of confidence.

Huang Chao had no choice but to obey Zhang Chen's orders.

As time passed, Huang Chao continued to travel in the North, successfully connecting various families within half a year. Then one day, a massive army of millions launched a simultaneous attack, beginning to conquer cities and seize territory in the North.

Internally, various powerful families were causing trouble, while externally, Huang Tiandao's millions of troops were attacking cities and fortresses. For a time, the entire northern land was in turmoil, and it seemed as if a new dynasty was about to be established.

Amidst the turmoil outside, Zhang Chen sat calmly inside, examining a map in his hand. Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps as Zhong Xiang rushed in from outside: "Those treacherous nobles have rebelled."

"A rebellion? They're too slow. I've been waiting for them for half a year." Zhang Chen raised his head upon hearing this, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

"Urgent report from the front lines: Led by the Zhou family, a total of 48 clans, large and small, have gathered an army of one million and are marching towards our capital, conquering cities and fortresses along the way." Zhong Xiang handed the letter in his hand to Zhang Chen.

“The Zhou family? Never heard of them.” Zhang Chen took the letter and glanced at it. He scanned the list of families, large and small, and found that there were many more than the list Huang Chao had given him before. It seemed that many people had been persuaded by Huang Chao and changed their minds through his connections.

"What should we do now?" Zhong asked.

"Tell Xie Xuan to feign defeat and let Huang Tiandao's army attack and capture cities, allowing them to join forces with the various families. Block them at 'Grass Tree Ridge,' and I will personally go to Grass Tree Ridge to meet them and defeat them all," Zhang Chen said.

To ensure the plan's success, Xie Xuan personally led the expedition, sending his troops to suppress the rebellion. Zhang Chen had complete confidence in Xie Xuan's military abilities.

"Okay!" Zhong Xiang nodded upon hearing this and turned to carry out Zhang Chen's order.

He knew Zhang Chen's meaning: to make the northern army appear defeated in order to see who in the north harbored ill intentions. That bastard Zhang Chen wanted to set a trap and purge the north again, making it more unified and better able to deal with future situations.

Xie Xuan, having received Zhang Chen's orders, did not say much. He commanded his army to feign defeat, deliberately pretending to be fleeing in disarray under the combined attack of internal rebels and external Huang Tiandao's army. He led the Ling army in a retreat, abandoning armor and weapons wherever they went. In just one month, they lost more than fifty cities, and Huang Tiandao's army passed through them as if they were in an empty land.

Huang Tiandao was in high spirits, and the people of the powerful and noble in the north were in turmoil. Some people began to secretly collude with Huang Tiandao's army, providing him with assistance from the inside and outside, hoping to take advantage of the situation to attack Xie Xuan and others. This forced Xie Xuan to keep fleeing and could not become a threat at all.

Time flies, and a year has passed. Most of the northern cities have fallen, and much of the mountainous territory has been lost. With the assistance of an inside man, Huang Tiandao's military prowess is phenomenal. Forty percent of the northern lands have been conquered by Huang Tiandao, and the remaining thirty percent of the mountainous territory has been seized by powerful families who have risen up in rebellion, seeking to establish themselves as kings. In a short time, the entire royal palace's control has dwindled to only the core area surrounding the capital, controlled by the Zhang, Xie, Ji, and Zhong families. (Inside the study)

Zhang Chen was sharpening his sword, and the sword gleamed with a cold light as he rubbed it.

Xie Lingyun, clad in silver armor, slowly strode into the house, a smile in her eyes: "Are you still sharpening your sword? Huang Tiandao's army is already at the city gates. If you don't step forward soon, I'm afraid the hearts of the people in the entire North will be completely broken."

Xie Lingyun had a leisurely expression on her face, showing no anxiety whatsoever. All the major families who knew that Zhang Chen could mobilize extraordinary power also remained calm and quietly waited for Zhang Chen to make his move.

No matter how fiercely the outside armies cause trouble, they are no match for Zhang Chen's methods. As long as Zhang Chen takes action, all the chaos will be suppressed. No one can stir up trouble in front of Zhang Chen.

"How is the situation?" Zhang Chen asked.

"All the armies have been blocked at Caoshu Ridge, just waiting for you to turn the tide. As for those who are secretly making moves and contacting the major families of Huangtiandao, we have already taken them all into account. We only need your order to eliminate them all," Xie Lingyun said.

"Let's do it! Confiscate all the traitors' property, exterminate their families, and imprison them all. After the storm has passed, I will have them torn to pieces in front of everyone and wipe them out completely." Zhang Chen flicked his wrist, and the sword flashed with cold light and returned to its sheath in an instant. Then Zhang Chen stood up: "Go to Caoshu Ridge. It's time to settle all the grudges."

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he walked out of the courtyard and saw Zhang Xiang standing respectfully under the eaves waiting. When Zhang Chen came out, Zhang Xiang bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Father."

"Don't stand on ceremony. We're leaving our hometown to you. Wait at home for your father's good news." Zhang Chen patted Zhong Xiang's shoulder, then turned to Xie Lingyun and said, "Leave the matter of apprehending those treacherous families to him."

Xie Lingyun nodded, summoned a guard from a distance to her side, and then whispered an instruction. Zhang Chen and Xie Lingyun then walked out of the mansion together, got into a carriage, and headed towards Caoshu Ridge.

Seeing the two walk away, Zhang Xiang shook his head: "My father and Aunt Xie are a perfect match, but for some reason, they didn't end up together."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Xiang walked out from the corner with a gloomy expression. Zhang Xiang trembled in fright and quickly called out, "Mother!"

"Don't talk nonsense. If outsiders hear this, won't your Aunt Xie's reputation be ruined?" Zhong Xiang scolded her impatiently before walking into the house with dissatisfaction. "Come and help me organize the documents. Your father has left the capital, and all the burdens are on your shoulders. You must not disappoint your father."

Zhang Chen and Xie Lingyun sat in the carriage, accompanied by three thousand armored guards. They watched as the group of people drove off in a grand procession toward Caoshu Ridge.

Grass Tree Ridge is still a thousand miles away from the capital. In this era where the supernatural has disappeared, the effective jurisdiction of the capital is only about a thousand miles. Once it is more than a thousand miles away, it is very difficult to transmit government orders, and the control of the capital will be continuously weakened.

Within a thousand miles, the area was controlled by Zhang Chen's trusted family members who had come from the capital. Everyone had absolute confidence in Zhang Chen, so no trouble was caused, and the area remained peaceful.

The group had reached their limit of traveling a hundred miles a day, and by the time they arrived at Caoshu Ridge, more than half a month had passed.

Caoshu Ridge is not abundant with vegetation, but rather the rocks within it stand steeply like giant trees, forming a barrier that stretches for thousands of miles, making it the most secure natural city wall in the north.

At this moment, within the entire Caoshu Ridge, three million troops from the North had gathered. Countless soldiers, like ants, were busily moving various supplies in preparation for the impending great battle. Xie Xuan stood atop the city wall, his eyes fixed on the seemingly endless army beyond Caoshu Ridge. He couldn't help but gasp inwardly: "The assembled army must number in the tens of millions. Of these, about five million are under Huang Tiandao's command, and the rest are troops gathered by various powerful figures from the North after their rebellion. It's a pity that after this great battle, countless ancient families will be reduced to dust, becoming mere ashes in history."

Just as he was feeling sentimental, the figures of the allied forces opposite him moved slowly. A figure rode up on horseback, stood under the city wall, and shouted, "I am Wang Heng, General of Huangtiandao. I wonder if Xie Xuan is here?"

(End of this chapter)