I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 698 Goodbye Xie Lingyun

With a trump card in hand, you won't panic.

Zhang Chen has the Sun's True Fire that can hurt a twelfth-level strongman, as well as an innate spiritual treasure. He also has a divine whip that is about to be refined. By then, he will be even less afraid of these gods.

When Tu Shanqing saw Zhang Chen's calm look, he knew that the other party was well-informed and must have a trump card, so he gradually put his mind at ease.

"Okay, I have to continue on my way. I heard the news on the way and was afraid that you would be unprepared, so I came to inform you in advance. Now that you already know the secret, I will not stay any longer." Tu Shan Qing came and left in a hurry, leaving Zhang Chen looking at Tu Shan Qing's back in silence.

Zhang Chen returned to Linglong Tower to continue comprehending the mysteries, and the days seemed to have become quiet. However, seven days later, a figure came to Chongzheng Academy whom Zhang Chen was extremely unwilling to see: Zhang Gasi.

When Ma Jiu, the manager of the academy, came to inform Zhang Chen that someone from the mountain wanted to see him, Zhang Chen was a little surprised, as he didn't know which old friend it was. But when he arrived at the gate of the academy, he saw Zhang Gaqi.

"Fourth Uncle!" Zhang Chen walked up and said.

"I'm here to pick you up." Zhang Gasi said solemnly.

"Pick me up?" Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Gasi in surprise.

Zhang Gaqi said in a serious tone, "The King of Pingbian wrote to the Great Victory Emperor, saying that as long as you are killed, he will lead the Northern Territory to surrender. The King of Pingbian even wrote to my Zhang family, saying that as long as the Zhang family hands you over, we can ask my Zhang family to choose a direct descendant to inherit everything in the Pingbian Palace in the Northern Territory and become the new King of Pingbian."

Zhang Chen had heard the news in advance, so he was not surprised to hear Zhang Gaqi's words. After all, it was not so easy for King Pingbian to achieve his goal, because neither Huang Tiandao nor the demon tribe would allow the Northland to lose control and return to the hands of the court.

"So? Is Fourth Uncle here to capture me and send me to King Pingbian to be beheaded?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Some people in the Zhang family are blinded by greed, but some are still sober." Zhang Gaqi said, "I came here today to take you back to the Zhang family. As long as you return to Kyoto, you will have the support of the elders, the chief steward, and the father and daughter of the Xie family to support you. Who can do anything to you?"

Hearing Zhang Gasi's words, Zhang Chen's eyes suddenly softened.

"I won't leave. Jinling City is great." Zhang Chen hasn't achieved his goal in Chongzheng Academy yet, so why would he leave casually?

"You must go!" Zhang Gaqi stared at Zhang Chen and said firmly, "If you don't leave now, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave."

"What's wrong?" Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Gasi in surprise.

“The Great Immortal Huli has already attained the twelfth level. The demon army crossed the Yellow River at his command. Now the area south of the Yangtze River adjacent to the Yellow River is in chaos. It won’t be long before the war reaches Nanjing. Although Chongzheng Academy has a pagoda, it is no match for the twelfth-level Great Immortal Huli. You will die if you stay here!” In Zhang Gasi’s perspective, Zhang Chen is still that weak child from the north, who is bullied everywhere and can only survive by relying on various tricks.

"You don't know how cruel those monsters are. Wherever their army passes by, all the people are reduced to food. Only one human being is left in a hundred. Although you have some tricks, you are still not good enough in front of the monster kings. Even if you have the ability to escape with your life, what about your two brothers and sisters? What about your stepmother?" Zhang Gasi tried to persuade Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen laughed when he heard what Zhang Gaqi said. Huli Daxian? He and Huli Daxian were "good friends". How could Huli Daxian hurt him?

"I won't leave! Isn't there still a royal family? The royal family will never sit idly by and watch the fall of Jiangnan. Now the north has fallen. If Jiangnan falls again, how much territory will be left of the Dasheng Dynasty? So the Dasheng royal family will never sit idly by and watch." Zhang Chen opened his mouth to refute Zhang Gasi's words.

"Why are you so stubborn, kid? You're simply a big stubborn person!" Zhang Gasi looked at Zhang Chen who was unmoved, and suddenly felt an urge to curse at him.

"Why doesn't the imperial court mobilize the twelfth-level mysterious beings to suppress the demon race?" Zhang Chen asked the question in his mind.

If the demons were only wreaking havoc in the north, and the imperial court was watching coldly, waiting for the demons to have a rift with Huang Tiandao and Pingbian Palace, but now the demons have crossed the Yellow River and are heading south, there is no reason for the imperial court to sit idly by, right?

"The imperial court? In the current situation, do you still count on the imperial court? Although the imperial court has three twelfth-level mysteries, it is unable to cope with them. One of the mysteries must stay in the palace to protect the safety of the Human King. Another one must guard against the mysterious demon ancestor in Kyoto. The third mystery is guarding a large tomb. How can the imperial court have time to care about the turmoil in Jiangnan?" Zhang Gasi explained to Zhang Chen why the imperial court did not take action.

"So that's how it is." Zhang Chen suddenly understood.

"Come with me! A great chaos is about to come to Jiangnan. If you stay here, you will be swept into the chaos if you are not careful. By then, even the Lord of Heaven will not be able to save you." Zhang Gasi shook his head sincerely.

At this time, Zhang Chen believed that Zhang Gaqi sincerely invited him, but he did not want to go with Zhang Gaqi.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I won't leave and you don't have to persuade me anymore." Zhang Chen replied.

Zhang Gaqi looked at Zhang Chen's expression that said 'you don't need to persuade me anymore', and felt disappointed. He then changed the subject and said, "If you don't want to leave, then I'll take your brothers and sisters with me, okay? You can't ask them to stay here and be buried with you, right?" Zhang Chen stared at Zhang Gaqi for a long time, then shook his head, "To be honest, I don't believe you! I don't believe the Zhang family in Kyoto either."

Zhang Gasi was so angry when he heard that that he stared at Zhang Chen blankly, and was so angry that he couldn't speak for a moment.

"Uncle, if you have nothing else to do, you'd better go back early." Zhang Chen turned and walked into the academy, leaving Zhang Gasi standing in front of the academy gate, looking at Zhang Chen's back with a wry smile.

But Zhang Chen’s peaceful days had not lasted for three days, when another acquaintance came to his old house.

Late night
Zhang Chen sat upright in the study, practicing magic to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth. Suddenly, he looked towards the courtyard with a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

Zhang Chen stood up slowly, holding half of the Zhu Xian Sword between his fingers and then covering it in his sleeves. He looked towards the door and heard a knock on the door, breaking the silence of the night.

"Come in!" Zhang Chen said slowly.

"You are really calm, little brother. If an ordinary person got knocked on the door in the middle of the night, he would have probably started a fight by now." A female voice with a chuckle came from outside the door, and Xie Lingyun, dressed in men's clothes, pushed open the door and walked in.

Zhang Chen's eyes flashed with a golden light. After confirming that it was Xie Lingyun, he put away the Zhuxian Sword in his sleeve and showed a hint of surprise on his face: "Why are you here, sister?"

"I heard that there's going to be a big turmoil in Jiangnan, so I came to see you because I was worried about you coming to Nanjing." Xie Lingyun said.

Xie Lingyun was seen to be surrounded by a pure Yang energy. He had already crossed the critical threshold and became a great cultivator in the Yang God realm.

"It's true that I am in Jinling City, but there are so many people in Jinling City. How did my sister find my hiding place?" Zhang Chen was puzzled.

"That vixen of yours 'borrowed' a lot of money in Jinling City and has long been targeted by the people from the Inspection Office. It won't be difficult for me to find you." Xie Lingyun explained.

Zhang Chen suddenly understood what was going on and quickly invited Xie Lingyun to sit down. Then he asked, "Sister, are you staying in Jinling City permanently or just passing through?"

"I came here just for you." Xie Lingyun said.

"For me?" Zhang Chen was stunned.

Xie Lingyun nodded: "I'm here to pick you up!"

"Jiangnan is going to be in chaos! The Great Immortal Huli has broken through to the twelfth level and is leading the demon army southward. The imperial court has lost control of the situation. If you don't retreat in advance, you will be blocked by the demons and I'm afraid you will have to die here." Xie Lingyun's voice was full of solemnity.

“Did the imperial court just give up on such a vast area as Jiangnan?” Zhang Chen’s eyes were full of disbelief.

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Xie Lingyun smiled and said, "The court wants to use the land of Jiangnan to force the demon clan and Huang Tiandao to fight to the death. Whether it is the demon clan or Huang Tiandao, they both need a lot of faith. Moreover, Chen Sanliang's avenue and Huang Tiandao's avenue are in conflict. If there is no Pingbian Palace to mediate, the two will fight each other."

Zhang Chen shook his head when he heard this. He felt that Xie Lingyun and the court were still optimistic about the future situation. They had no idea how powerful Chen Sanliang's principle of teaching everyone without distinction was, and how inclusive it was.

Moreover, Zhang Chen did not think that Huang Tiandao's great virtuous teacher would fight to the death with the demon clan. After all, the biggest enemy between the two, the human court, had not yet been eliminated.

"So, you should come with me as soon as possible! Let's withdraw from Jiangnan early and sit on the mountain to watch the fight between tigers and dogs." Xie Lingyun looked at Zhang Chen expectantly.

"I won't leave!" Zhang Chen shook his head. He still had to study Linglong Tower, so how could he leave?
Xie Lingyun was stunned when she heard this, and she looked at Zhang Chen with her beautiful eyes. She couldn't understand what Zhang Chen's purpose was in staying here, and what was there in Jiangnan that was worth him staying there.

"I have already arranged everything for you in Kyoto. There is a place for you in the inner courtyard of the academy. You don't have to be reluctant to leave Chongzheng Academy. You can still get in touch with the mysterious world in Kyoto and continue to practice under the best conditions." Xie Lingyun looked at Zhang Chen with a serious voice:

"This time is different from the previous demons' attack. This time, the demon king, Huli Daxian, is leading the troops himself. You have no idea how ferocious that beast, Huli Daxian, is. How cruel and mean he is! Huli Daxian doesn't even regard humans as human beings. He likes to eat monks with mysterious powers and bloodline power."

"If you fall into the hands of that cruel old fellow Huli Daxian, he will definitely swallow you up in one gulp." Xie Lingyun tried to persuade him, but at this moment Zhang Chen looked towards the door. Huli Daxian was standing at the door with a gloomy face, staring at Xie Lingyun's back without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)