I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1052 Jiang Nan's Final Chapter
Zhang Chen saw Jiang Nan, and Jiang Nan naturally saw Zhang Chen, who was surrounded by the crowd and the center of attention.

At this moment, Zhang Chen was surrounded by everyone in the very center, shining like a star in the sky.

"How come you're in the Great Victory Royal Family's group?" After hearing Jiang Nan's shout, Zhang Chen slowly walked up to Jiang Nan. Decades had passed, and Jiang Nan had aged beyond recognition, with only a few remnants of her former appearance still visible in her silhouette.

"After the great changes in the world, I married a prince of the Great Victory royal family." Jiang Nan's lips were full of bitterness. "I originally wanted to go to the North to find you, but the world was in chaos and war. How could a weak woman like me cross thousands of miles to find you?"

Jiang Nan stared intently at Zhang Chen, her gaze lingering on Zhang Chen's appearance. Decades had passed, yet Zhang Chen remained unchanged, just as he had always been. Zhang Chen waved his hand: "Let her go."

A constable stepped forward and removed the shackles from Jiang Nan's body. The areas bound by the shackles were covered in thick scabs and blood. Jiang Nan went to Zhang Chen, knelt down, and begged, "Zhang Chen, I beg you, please release my daughter, son, and grandson. You are now the high and mighty ruler of the North. To you, they are like insects. I beg you!"

"You have children too? Come to think of it, how could you not have children after marrying into the royal family of Dasheng?" Zhang Chen lowered his head and looked at Jiang Nan, his eyes full of complicated emotions.

"You lot, come out and pay your respects to Uncle Zhang!" Jiang Nan quickly turned and shouted to the crowd. Dozens of people, young and old, men and women, rushed out from the crowd and knelt down in front of Zhang Chen, calling out "Uncle Zhang" and "Grandpa Zhang." Zhang Chen looked at the filthy crowd and shook his head, his eyes filled with reminiscence. He remembered his past entanglements with Jiang Nan, and reached out to slowly help her up from the ground.
"When old friends meet, let's skip the formalities and go have a drink. After all, we don't have much time left."

Zhang Chen said to the guard beside him, "Take her to wash up."

A guard led Jiang Nan to wash up. At this moment, Wang Ye stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over the men, women, and children in front of him: "Father, should we release these people?"

"Don't you understand the principle that if you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring breeze?" Zhang Chen glanced at Wang Ye, who was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded: "I understand, son."

"Leave no one alive." After saying this, Zhang Chen turned around and walked back, leaving Wang Ye speechless: "My father doesn't care about the feelings of old friends at all. He's practically a killing star descended to earth."

Wang Ye waved his hand at the lieutenant beside him: "Take all these tens of thousands of people out of the city and kill them."

Upon hearing this, the lieutenant accepted the order and left. Before long, the streets were deserted again.

Zhang Chen sat quietly drinking tea in the backyard. As for whether Jiang Nan would resent him after finding out, Zhang Chen wasn't worried at all. What could she do if she resented him? He didn't want to leave any troublesome issues for his children.

About two hours later, Jiang Nan, dressed in new clothes, was helped by a maid to sit down in front of Zhang Chen. Her eyes were fixed on Zhang Chen, and her voice was full of emotion: "Decades have passed, but you still look the same as before, without any change."

“But you’ve grown old.” Zhang Chen sighed softly and poured Jiang Nan a cup of tea.

“I really regret it now. I was blind and not even a fraction as good as Zhong Xiang. It’s one thing that my cultivation is inferior to Zhong Xiang’s, but even my judgment of people is inferior to his.” Jiang Nan picked up his tea and took a sip. “I have always wanted to find a powerful figure who can revive the Jiang family, but who knew that I would miss the greatest potential stock.”

Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this: "Everyone has their own destiny and their own fate; you can't force it."

"Serve the dishes," Zhang Chen instructed the palace maid.

The palace maid bowed and left. Jiang Nan's cloudy eyes stared at Zhang Chen, a hint of reminiscence in them: "Back when the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma arrived, I already realized that the world was in chaos. I, a weak woman without cultivation, would not survive no matter what. So I rushed to the Zhang family to find you, but the Zhang family told me that you had already gone to the North. At that time, my cultivation had already dropped to zero, and I had lost the ability to travel the world alone. Later, in order to survive, I used a little trick to bewitch a prince of the Great Victory royal family and married him."

“I left when the signs of the great calamity of the end times were already visible. By the time you went to look for me, it was too late,” Zhang Chen sighed softly.

Jiang Nan had a bitter smile on her lips: "Later, when I was in the royal palace, I often heard news about you, how you were so powerful and respected by all the princes. I regretted it even more, hating myself for missing you back then. Regret was like a venomous snake, tearing at my heart every day."

Zhang Chen looked at Jiang Nan, his expression unchanged. He could tell that Jiang Nan was not having a comfortable time in the royal palace.

"That's fate; there's no going back. By the way, how is Shen Ling?" Zhang Chen asked, remembering Shen Ling.

"I don't know. We haven't heard from her since the great calamity. Perhaps she's already dead," Jiang Nan said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen's face showed a touch of melancholy; he knew fewer and fewer people in this world.

At this moment, a palace maid brought out the food. Zhang Chen personally served Jiang Nan some food, and Jiang Nan ate slowly and deliberately, as if she had not suffered any torment or hunger along the way, and her demeanor remained elegant.

As the two ate, they reminisced about the past. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhang Chen ordered someone to take Jiang Nan away.

At this moment, Wang Ye walked in from outside the gate and bowed respectfully to Zhang Chen: "Everything has been taken care of. All the members of the Dasheng royal family have set off in good order." Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this: "Well done."

“I plan to establish my territory in the capital, and leave the northern lands to the King of Han,” Wang Ye said to Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen looked at Wang Ye, not surprised by Wang Ye's choice, but asked with a face full of curiosity, "What are you afraid of?"

“Two tigers cannot share one mountain. Father, you are a wise man, so why ask so many questions? While I am here, I can control my subordinates to prevent any conflict with the King of Han. But if I am gone one day, my descendants will multiply for generations, and I'm afraid they may not remember your kindness to me. People's hearts cannot withstand any test.” Wang Ye said with a wry smile.

"If you've made up your mind, then go ahead and do it. I won't stop you." Zhang Chen waved to Wang Ye. This child was very smart and sensible from a young age, so sensible that it was heartbreaking.

"Please bestow a name upon my fiefdom," Wang Ye knelt before Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Tang!"

"Tang? Thank you, Father, for bestowing upon us this name of the dynasty!" Wang Ye quickly kowtowed.
"Now that I've gone to Kyoto, it will be difficult to see you again. You must make sure I do."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen looked at Wang Ye with surprise: "You...?"

"Your son gives up the chance to enter the secret realm and achieve immortality," Wang Ye said to Zhang Chen.

"Why?" Zhang Chen was stunned upon hearing this, his eyes filled with disbelief. Could there really be anyone in this world who could resist the temptation of immortality?
Wang Ye said with a resolute expression, "I will conquer the world and unify the entire land. Immortality is not necessarily true immortality. Otherwise, why have we never heard of any immortal beings being born in the world for hundreds of thousands of years? Most importantly, I cannot let go of my foundation and my descendants. This world is too chaotic. If I am not here, I do not know if they can continue to live."

Upon hearing Wang Ye's words, Zhang Chen's eyes showed a hint of disappointment, but he said nothing and respected Wang Ye's choice: "Go ahead."

At this point, Zhang Chen took out a jade pendant from his sleeve: "Here you go. It contains the lightning magic I sealed. It can be released once a year. Use it to save your life."

Wang Ye took the jade pendant, his eyes filled with tears. He knew how much Zhang Chen would have to pay to create such a thing in this era.

Wang Ye kowtowed to Zhang Chen again before standing up and leaving the courtyard. However, when he reached the gate, he suddenly stopped, looked up at Zhang Chen, and called out again, "Father!"

Zhang Chen's gaze paused. He sensed a different tone in Wang Ye's address of "Father" compared to before. He looked at Wang Ye, who bowed to Zhang Chen again before turning and leaving.

"He's really clever. If he hadn't figured out his own identity after investigating for decades, he would be a fool. How could he have built such a huge empire?" Zhang Chen's eyes showed a hint of admiration.

It wasn't surprising that Wang Ye was able to find out his identity, because Zhang Chen had never hidden it.

Zhang Chen looked at the teacup beside him, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Another old friend who could stay by his side was gone.

As darkness fell completely, Zhang Xiang hurried in from outside the door: "Dad, Jiang Nan committed suicide."

Zhang Chen's expression remained unchanged. He looked at Zhang Xiang, who explained, "After receiving the news that all the princes and grandsons of the royal family had been executed, Jiang Nan stood in the courtyard in a daze for half an hour before finally hanging himself from the roof beam. He left a handwritten letter for you to open."

Zhang Chen took the letter from Zhang Xiang, but instead of opening it, he ignited a flame in his hand, turning the letter to ashes.

"Why don't you read what she said?" Zhang Xiang asked, puzzled when he saw Zhang Chen burn the letter.

"What's so interesting about it?" Zhang Chen said irritably.

"Aren't you even a little bit curious about the contents of the letter?" Zhang Xiang really couldn't understand.

"There are only three kinds of words. The first is farewell words, regretting the wrong choice made back then. The second is hatred for me for killing their entire family. The third is simply not hating me, but understanding my position, nothing more."

"So, whatever the case, it's all in the past. If she lives well in the North, the North won't lack a single bite of food for her. If she chooses to follow her people on their journey, I won't regret it. Now it's the end of the Dharma era, and I can't leave any hidden dangers for future generations. Personal feelings are insignificant in the face of the greater trend." Zhang Chen had a relieved smile on his face. His cultivation had reached a certain level, what was there that he couldn't let go of?
Jiang Nan's death was insignificant to him, not even causing a ripple.

(End of this chapter)