I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1056 The End of an Era
Zhang Chen was welcomed into the palace, and Chen Sanliang ordered a grand banquet to be held. The entire palace celebrated and publicized Zhang Chen's arrival.

Zhang Chen's arrival could amplify Chen Sanliang's power several times over, silencing the various human lords who were eager to make a move, and causing the major tribes of the human and demon races to lie low.

Zhang Chen did not refuse Chen Sanliang's offer to use him for publicity; on the contrary, he cooperated with Chen Sanliang by attending banquets and receiving homage from all sides.

After a banquet, Zhang Chen and Chen Sanliang hid in a palace within the royal palace for a drink. There were no palace maids serving them in the entire palace.

Chen Sanliang personally poured Zhang Chen a full glass of wine: "You have really helped me a lot this time. With your appearance, the human-demon race can at least enjoy a hundred years of peace, and my Chen family can have more things to do to control the human-demon race."

"Why go through all that trouble? How about I take matters into my own hands and assassinate all the powerful figures of the human and demon race?" Zhang Chen asked casually, picking up his wine glass.

"No! Absolutely not! If you assassinate most of the leaders of the human-demon race, it will surely cause internal strife within the race. If any human lords attack, the destruction of our human-demon race is just around the corner." Upon hearing this, Chen Sanliang quickly stopped Zhang Chen's actions, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen stopped talking and changed the subject: "Would you be willing to enter the secret realm and seal yourself away, awaiting the future golden age?"

Chen Sanliang remained silent for a long time after hearing this, a look of struggle appearing in his eyes. After a long while, he finally said, "Fine, it would be good if I just died like this."

Zhang Chen was puzzled upon hearing this: "Why is that?"

He didn't believe anyone in the world could resist the temptation of immortality.

Chen Sanliang said, "I can hold on for another three to five years. The royal family cannot do without me."

“I am willing to wait for you in the North for three to five years,” Zhang Chen said respectfully.

Upon hearing this, Chen Sanliang looked grateful. If Zhang Chen were to take charge of the human-demon race, the situation of the entire human-demon race would definitely be very different. At that time, many things that Chen Sanliang was previously hesitant to do would now be done boldly.

With Zhang Chen in charge of the palace, which of the major tribes of the human and demon races would dare to act recklessly?

Zhang Chen temporarily settled in the human-demon race, discussing the state of the world with Chen Sanliang every day. Zhang Chen helped Chen Sanliang stabilize the situation, not only for Chen Sanliang's sake, but also for the sake of the human race. If the Chen family could completely control the human-demon race, then with the Chen family's restraint, the human-demon race would not invade the human race, right?
Time flew by, and Zhang Chen lived among the demons for three years. One day, a series of hurried footsteps sounded, and a group of guards carried Chen Sanliang, who was lying on the bed, and quickly came to Zhang Chen's room.

"Hmm~" Zhang Chen looked at Chen Sanliang, who was barely alive and hanging on by a thread, and couldn't help but sigh softly: "You really went all out for your family."

Chen Sanliang forced a weak smile: "There's no other way, it's for the family!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen didn't say much, but instead asked, "Is there anything you haven't fulfilled?"

Chen Sanliang shook his head: "I should leave."

Upon seeing this, Zhang Chen opened his Heavenly Eye and saw Chen Sanliang's figure flash by, already falling into Zhang Chen's Middle Thousand World. The rest was naturally arranged by his avatar, who instructed Chen Sanliang to swallow the pill to restore his strength.

"Ancestor, your abilities are truly amazing." Chen Sanliang's grandson, Chen Yu, the king of the human-demon race, looked at Zhang Chen with a face full of shock.

"These are just some petty tricks, not worth mentioning. Old Master Chen has high hopes for you; the future of the human-demon race rests on your shoulders. You must keep the human-demon race in check and prevent them from attacking humans." Zhang Chen gave Chen Yu some instructions, then walked out of the palace: "I should go now. Take care of yourself."

"Sir, why don't you stay for another meal before you leave? That way, I can at least show my filial piety," Chen Yu said, following closely behind Zhang Chen.

“No need!” Zhang Chen shook his head: “I’ve already wasted too much time.”

After leaving the palace, Zhang Chen boarded a large ship, which sailed north, and he returned to live in the northern lands once again.

Zhang Chen's appearance had an immeasurable impact on the political landscape, and the world once again fell into a rare period of peace.

Time flies, generations come and go, and in the blink of an eye, another twenty years have passed. Zhang Guanshou passed away peacefully, and his eldest son inherited the throne.

When Zhang Guan passed away, Zhang Chen did not show up; he simply watched the funeral procession silently from within the bamboo garden.

Ten years later, King Pingbian's physical functions reached their limit, and he turned into a skeleton.

In the small courtyard

Zhang Chen sat alone under a large tree, completely immersed in solitude. Before him lay a large amount of documents, but none contained the information he sought regarding the collapse of his mental world.

Since the end of the Dharma, Zhang Chen has been unable to enter the spiritual world, and he has completely lost his connection to it.

"How come it hasn't fallen yet? Could it be that those ancient gods in the spiritual world have intervened?" Zhang Chen's eyes showed a hint of confusion.

Time flies, and twenty years later, news of Wang Ye's peaceful death arrived. Zhang Chen stared at the intelligence in his hand for a long time before finally leaving the courtyard. The man was already dead, and his soul had probably already dissipated. What use would it be for him to rush there now?

“However, he still has the jade talisman I gave him, which may preserve a trace of his remnant soul, giving him a chance to start over in the future golden age.” Zhang Chen looked at the wind chimes hanging under the eaves, his eyes full of contemplation.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at this moment. With nothing else to do, Zhang Chen began to deduce his own supernatural powers and methods, to plan his path of cultivation, and to study and ponder some minor supernatural abilities.

Another century has passed in the blink of an eye. In the mortal world, emperors have come and gone countless times, and even the emperors of the Han Dynasty have changed three times.

One day, Zhang Chen suddenly had a whim and stood under the eaves looking at the wind chimes that the King of Pingbian had tied to the eaves a hundred years ago. Suddenly, the wind chimes fell off for no reason and hit Zhang Chen on the head, making Zhang Chen's heart skip a beat: "Is my time coming too?"

Zhang Chen carefully sensed his own life force, and after a long time, he finally confirmed: "I probably have about a year left to live."

"Someone come here!" Zhang Chen shouted at the shadows.

"Please give your orders, Your Majesty." A royal guard quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Who is the current King of the Han Dynasty? Summon him to see me," Zhang Chen said.

The guards obeyed and left. Before long, a young man of about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a dragon robe, quickly walked in from outside the bamboo forest and knelt down respectfully in front of Zhang Chen: "Greetings, Ancestor."

"Get up," Zhang Chen instructed.

The young man in the dragon robe stood up and asked respectfully, "May I ask what instructions the Ancestor has?"

"You send out invitations to all the lords of the Yellow Heaven Path, telling them that I will step down from the position of Grand Teacher of Virtue in a month, and that the people of the Yellow Heaven Path should prepare to receive the inheritance seal at Qingcheng Mountain," Zhang Chen instructed.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, the young King of Han, though unsure why Zhang Chen would do such a thing, still nodded obediently.

"What is the current state of affairs in the Han Dynasty?" Zhang Chen asked.

"The nation is at peace and prosperous, a rare golden age. Whether it's the neighboring lords or our own powerful families, they are all as quiet as lambs," the young King of Han replied, his voice brimming with confidence. "However, some ministers feel that we should send troops to expand our territory, instead of holding onto the northern lands..."

"You are the King of the Great Han Dynasty. You make all your own decisions. But there is something I must tell you: I have one year left to live. Tomorrow I will set off for Qingcheng Mountain. This will be the last time I appear before the world. After one year, I will disappear from the world completely. The future of the Great Han Dynasty will be entirely in your hands." Zhang Chen said to the young King.

"What? Ancestor, aren't you immortal and eternal? How could you die?" The young king was shocked and his face was filled with panic. His heart was in chaos.

The Zhang family was able to hold sway over the vast northern lands thanks to Zhang Chen, who was their deepest foundation and the pillar of their power. As long as Zhang Chen was alive, no one dared to challenge their rule. No matter how great the storms of the outside world, they could not reach the Zhang family. It could be said that Zhang Chen was the source of the Zhang family's confidence in the north and the key to their superiority among the feudal lords. But now, Zhang Chen was telling him that he was about to die, which was like a thunderbolt striking him.

“If the Han Dynasty faces a potential crisis, I can help you sweep across the land and eliminate all unstable factors in the Han Dynasty,” Zhang Chen said to the young king.

The young man's expression was very serious. After standing there thinking for a long time, he shook his head solemnly: "Now the entire Han Dynasty is in the hands of my Zhang family. No one can shake the rule of my Zhang family."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen nodded and said nothing more, instead starting to chat casually with the other party.

Zhang Chen no longer cared about the future dynastic changes or the development of the Zhang family, because he had long seen through the laws of dynastic development. He knew that the Han Dynasty would one day perish in the annals of history, and Zhang Chen, as the last figure of the mythical era, would surely be written about in great detail and elevated to an unprecedented position.

Zhang Chen and the Han king talked for a long time, and Zhang Chen gave him many pointers on the theory of governing the country. After the two had dinner, Zhang Chen said, "Dynastic changes are the trend of the times and cannot be defied. If the future trend is irreversible, the Zhang family can go to Qingcheng Mountain to take refuge. Huangtiandao can protect you."

The young king solemnly noted down Zhang Chen's words before turning away and beginning to arrange Zhang Chen's affairs, preparing supplies for his journey.

(End of this chapter)