I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 945 Split
No one can manipulate Zhang Chen!

Was Zhang Gaqi taking sides? No, he was holding himself back! He was hindering his own performance!

Breaking up a fight should be impartial and restrain both sides, but you only restrain me and let the other side attack me?

Zhang Chen was now bloodthirsty. Let alone Zhang Gaqi, even if his own father stood in front of him and dared to take sides, he would only be met with a single blow from Zhang Chen.

Kill without mercy!

Zhang Chen brandished his longsword, flashing with killing intent. Without even glancing at the injured Zhang Gaqi, he continued charging towards the gate, shouting, "Those who block my way shall die!"

He truly took his words to the extreme, saying that anyone who stood in his way would die. Everyone who stood in Zhang Chen's way had their heads chopped off by him.

By the time Zhang Chen walked out of the Zhang family's gate, a pile of corpses had been left behind him, but Zhang Chen remained calm and composed, without a trace of blood on his body.

"I possess the waters of the Yellow Springs. If anyone wishes to pledge allegiance to me, come with me now! Those who follow me will not only enjoy the waters of the Yellow Springs, but their descendants will also benefit from them. Of course, all of Zhang Shenqi's henchmen who attacked me today, their descendants will never enjoy the waters of the Yellow Springs. I will never forgive you unless you cut off Zhang Shenqi's head to atone for your sins!" Zhang Chen stood at the gate, a smile on his face.

“I am now counting to ten. Those who wish to follow me, come to my side.”

"Zhang Chen, you heartless beast, stop dreaming! You've killed your own bloodline elders, no one will follow a cold-blooded animal like you!" Zhang Shenqi glared angrily at Zhang Chen: "You've slaughtered countless members of your clan, we will definitely avenge this blood debt."

"One," Zhang Chen said, ignoring Zhang Shenqi.

"I am willing to lead my lineage to follow you!" The Third Uncle stepped forward swiftly and stood beside Zhang Chen, followed by his descendants who all came out and stood behind Zhang Chen.

He is a smart man who knows when to make which choice. For example, now that the Zhang family's Book of Life and Death has been lost, if they want to maintain the power of their bloodline, they can only choose to join Zhang Chen. There is no other choice!

As for capturing Zhang Chen and seizing the treasures from him?
That's ridiculous!
Is Zhang Chen made of clay? Didn't you see him hacking his way through the crowd, leaving a bloody path? At least two hundred members of the Zhang family died at Zhang Chen's hands. Who could be his match? Those who died at Zhang Chen's hands were all skilled fighters!

As for luring Zhang Chen out of the capital and capturing him with supernatural powers? Don't be ridiculous! Look at Zhang Chen's allies, which one of them is easy to mess with? Zhang Chen was able to force the Prince of Pingbian to go to the capital to file a complaint, ruining the Prince of Pingbian's grand plan of transforming into a dragon. Is he someone to be trifled with?
So, the shrewd and experienced Third Uncle didn't hesitate and immediately chose to pledge allegiance to Zhang Chen.

As the Third Uncle made his choice, all the people who had supported Zhang Kecheng in the past stepped forward and stood behind Zhang Chen.

They were originally Zhang Kecheng's direct subordinates, and since Zhang Shenqi came to power, they had been constantly suppressed by him, leading a miserable life. Now, the Zhang family was facing an unprecedented upheaval. Zhang Chen's strength was indeed winning people's hearts, and since the Zhang family's misfortune, Zhang Shenqi's series of actions had disappointed people. Most importantly, everyone knew that since the Gong family had sided with the royal family, they could no longer retrieve their place in the Book of Life and Death!
Moreover, since Zhang Shenqi assumed the position of head of the Zhang family, he has become close to the royal family, which goes against the Zhang family's stance and has aroused dissatisfaction among many people.

Even some of Zhang Shenqi's original loyal followers, after a moment's hesitation, got up and walked towards Zhang Chen.

Right now, it's just that Zhang Shenqi and some of his trusted subordinates have broken ties with Zhang Chen. They haven't really broken ties yet; they still have options.

What is most important for a family? Of course, it's inheritance! Zhang Chen has mastered the Yellow Springs Water, and thus he has mastered the Zhang family's inheritance.

"Zhang San, Zhang Xiaowu, are you trying to split the Zhang family?" Zhang Shenqi saw the core members of his faction betray him and walk towards Zhang Chen. The scene before him deeply stimulated his nerves. His face was ashen, and he squeezed out the words through clenched teeth.

"Zhang Shenqi, you are a huge disappointment! Ever since you took over as the head of the family, you first sided with the Dasheng royal family, then you lost the Book of Life and Death, plunging my Zhang family into utter ruin. Now, in the struggle with the Gong family, my Zhang family has completely fallen behind. You, as the head of the family, are to blame. The Zhang family has fallen into ruin under your leadership. You are a huge disappointment." Zhang San looked at Zhang Shenqi, his voice filled with dissatisfaction.

"You bastard! I've treated you well in the past, how dare you betray me!" Zhang Shenqi's face darkened.

Upon hearing Zhang Shenqi's words, Zhang San coldly snorted: "It's not that I'm betraying you, I just don't want the Zhang family to fall into ruin under your rule. If you step down from the position of head of the Zhang family, the Zhang family might still be saved."

As Zhang San finished speaking, more and more people emerged from behind Zhang Shenqi. None of them were fools; they knew that Zhang Chen held the Yellow Spring Water in his hands. If the Book of Life and Death could not be retrieved, then the future would be in Zhang Chen's hands. If they did not choose to submit to Zhang Chen now, their descendants would only be reduced to mortals.

As a group of people swarmed over, a large number of people suddenly gathered behind Zhang Chen, their numbers surpassing Zhang Shenqi's for the first time. Those who didn't come over were either Zhang Shenqi's die-hard supporters or those who had previously fought with Zhang Chen.

"Zhang Chen, are you trying to split the Zhang family? The Zhang family is already in dire straits from the Gong family. If you split the Zhang family, the Zhang family will only be destroyed!" Zhang Gaqi glared at Zhang Chen.

Although he favored Zhang Chen, the Zhang family was more important to him.

Zhang Chen glanced at Zhang Gaqi but ignored him. The other man had been raising three children for several years, so Zhang Chen was too lazy to bother with him.

Zhang Chen shifted his gaze, turning to look at Zhang Shenqi's allies in the distance: "If you cut off Zhang Shenqi's head now, I can overlook your previous offenses and treat your families equally! This is your last chance. If you miss today, even if your whole family comes to me begging, I will never give you another chance."

As Zhang Chen finished speaking, everyone in the room looked at each other. The people surrounding Zhang Shenqi all changed their expressions slightly, and a strange look appeared in their eyes. The atmosphere began to become subtle.

“Don’t listen to his nonsense. He’s just using psychological tactics to incite you to fight each other and throw us into chaos. You must not listen to his wicked words,” Zhang Shenqi said.

“Patriarch, the tide has turned, so you should stop struggling. We are all of the Zhang family bloodline, so what difference does it make who becomes the patriarch? You should step down and give the position to a virtuous and capable person.” One of Zhang Shenqi’s uncles spoke up at this moment, slowly approaching Zhang Shenqi with a helpless look in his eyes.

"Believe me, I will definitely defeat the Gong family and reclaim the Book of Life and Death! Then why would I need the water of the Yellow Springs to activate my bloodline?" Zhang Shenqi was extremely panicked and tried to persuade those who had betrayed him.

"Find it back? Nobody's a fool. The Gong family pledged allegiance to the Great Victory Royal Family, and the Book of Life and Death is their best pledge of allegiance. Unless the Great Victory Royal Family is destroyed, the Zhang family will never have another chance to find the Book of Life and Death. In the past, even with the combined efforts of the eight great families, they could barely contend with the Great Victory Royal Family. Now that two of the eight great families are gone, how can the remaining six families contend with the Great Victory Royal Family?" The uncle's voice was filled with sorrow.

The Zhang family has lost its Book of Life and Death, and can no longer be considered one of the eight great families. Meanwhile, the Gong family has allied with the Dasheng royal family, which in turn restrains the other seven families. How can the remaining families contend with the royal family?

"We wish to borrow the head of the family to leave a glimmer of hope for our descendants." The uncle waved his hand, and the next moment, a fierce-looking young man, wielding an iron rod and with his body shimmering with blood and qi, pounced on Zhang Shenqi.

"He slaughtered his family members, and instead of killing him, you want to kill me to please him? Is there any justice in this world?" Zhang Shenqi cursed angrily upon hearing this, his voice filled with rage.

He tried to resist and struggle, but he was no match for the fierce young men of the Zhang family. He was caught off guard and knocked to the ground, where he was tightly bound and unable to move.

"We have fulfilled our agreement and captured Zhang Shenqi. We request that the new family head sever ties with him." The uncle turned to look at Zhang Chen, his eyes filled with desolation.

"I refuse to accept this!" Zhang Shenqi cursed angrily.

"Zhang Chen, he is still your uncle. You should leave him some leeway. Let him be exiled," Zhang Gaqi pleaded.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced at Zhang Gaqi, a hint of indifference in his eyes: "All of Zhang Shenqi's family members and descendants shall be removed from the Zhang family genealogy. All the men shall have their heads cut off and sent to the Prince of Pingbian, and the women shall be sent to brothels to fend for themselves."

Zhang Chen's words were devoid of any emotion, bordering on cold-blooded and ruthless. However, Zhang Shenqi had colluded with the Pingbian Prince's Mansion to kill him and had even betrayed his father. If Zhang Chen were to spare him, he would be a complete fool.

Once a rift forms between people, it can never be repaired; cutting the weeds out completely is the best approach.

“Zhang Chen, you can’t do this! He’s your uncle! Doing this will break the hearts of the clan.” Zhang Gaqi’s expression changed drastically, and he quickly tried to persuade him.

"Oh? It will chill the hearts of the clansmen? I don't think so. It will only chill the hearts of those with ill intentions, right?" Zhang Chen sneered.

"Besides, when he betrayed my father and tried to hand me over to the Prince of Pingbian, and when he tried to kill me in the court, did he never think about whether I would feel disheartened?" Zhang Chen said with a smile.

“Times have changed. Sending you to the Prince of Pingbian was for the sake of the Zhang family!” Zhang Gaqi argued, earnestly saying, “How can you compare then with now?”

(End of this chapter)