I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 970 Reunion with the Third Prince

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, the Queen Mother of the West became even more furious and angrily retorted, "That is a complete set of the Five Elements Innate Top-Grade Spiritual Treasures. When combined, they are no less than Innate Supreme Treasures. Even if you were torn apart and boiled to a pulp and weighed by the pound, you would still not be worthy of my treasures."

Seeing that the Queen Mother of the West was in a hurry, Zhang Chen knew that he had indeed acted dishonestly, but for the sake of the development of the Lesser Thousand Worlds, he had no choice but to do so. So he could only try to appease the Queen Mother of the West: "Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. In the future, the world will undergo great changes. What difference will there be between innate spiritual treasures and scrap metal? Rather than waiting for innate spiritual treasures to become scrap metal, why not let me use them? I will use them to refine into the Lesser Thousand Worlds, helping them evolve into Middle Thousand Worlds as soon as possible, so that you can enter them sooner to avoid the calamities, right?"

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother of the West paused in her angry outburst, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes. She could only swallow her anger and accept Zhang Chen's suggestion.

The great calamity of the end times is inevitable. Not only will cultivators lose their supernatural powers and die, but even innate spiritual treasures will lose their power of law and decay. Therefore, it would be more practical to exchange for tangible benefits.

Most importantly, the small world created by Zhang Chen gave her hope of survival. Zhang Chen actually had the power to isolate the connection between the small world and the large world, preventing the loss of the essence of the small world, thus giving the Queen Mother of the West hope of surviving the long lifespan of heaven and earth.

At first, the Queen Mother of the West only hoped that Zhang Chen would open up a small dimension. The level of a small dimension was too low and it was not yet taken seriously by the world. As long as Zhang Chen put the small world into the Frozen Hell, it could naturally avoid calamity by relying on the characteristics of the Frozen Hell. But who would have thought that Zhang Chen would be so powerful that he would open up a small world that could isolate the Great Thousand World from being devoured.

After hearing Zhang Chen's words, the Queen Mother of the West fell silent for a long while before finally asking, "How will you make it up to me?"

"How about one-tenth of the innate spiritual energy generated by my World Tree in the future?" Zhang Chen said.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother of the West was deeply moved and asked again, "No matter how big that towering Jianmu tree grows in the future, will it still be one-tenth the size of me?"

"Yes!" Zhang Chen nodded firmly. In order to win over Xi Wangmu, a powerful figure at the Hunyuan realm, he had no choice but to bleed himself dry.

For him, innate energy is not important, as long as it does not affect the growth of the peaches. He only needs to use his time skill to continuously accumulate peaches. Eventually, his peaches will accumulate enough points for him to instantly attain the Great Luo of Primordial Chaos and then break through the world barrier to escape.

"Deal!" The Queen Mother of the West was once again swayed by the enticing promises made by Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen's conversation with the Queen Mother of the West ended there. However, in order to prevent damage to the Queen Mother of the West's foundation, Zhang Chen still mobilized some of his innate energy to pour into the Frozen Hell as a reward to the Queen Mother of the West, which pleased her greatly.

Zhang Chen and the Queen Mother of the West are now in the same boat, sharing common interests. They will face the terrifying calamity of the end times in the future, so they naturally need to support each other.

After Zhang Chen finished his seclusion, he emerged from underground and came to the surface. Zhong Xiang was still meditating and cultivating in the courtyard. It was clear that Zhong Xiang's obsession with cultivation was exceptionally deep.

Zhang Chen's presence startled Zhong Xiang, who was meditating. He opened his eyes and saw Zhang Chen brewing tea: "Have you finished your seclusion?"

"The seclusion went very smoothly," Zhang Chen said with a smile.

"It's good that your seclusion went smoothly. The Zhang family will be counting on you in the future," Zhong Xiang said to Zhang Chen.

“My seclusion this time has resolved a major hidden danger. Even if storms come in the future, we won’t be afraid.” Zhang Chen pulled Zhong Xiang into his arms, about to go and be affectionate with her, when he heard footsteps outside the door, and then saw a figure walking in—it was a servant of the Zhang family.
"My lord, the Third Prince and Zhang Gaoqiu have come to visit together."

Zhang Chen frowned upon hearing this: "Why are they here? Shouldn't the Third Prince be embroiled in trouble right now? How come he has time to come looking for me?"

The third prince had stirred up trouble in the royal family's stronghold, leading to his imprisonment by the current king. How could he possibly have time to look for himself?

Just as countless thoughts were flashing through Zhang Chen's mind, Zhong thought to himself, "The visitors must be unwelcome guests. There's no need to see them. Let's just drive them out."

“Wait a minute, I’d like to see what they’re up to.” Zhang Chen interrupted Zhong Xiang, “To be honest, we’re just killing time anyway, so why not see what they’re doing here and have some fun with them.”

"Invite them into the main hall," Zhang Chen instructed.

Zhang Chen arrived at the main hall and saw Zhang Gaoqiu with a gloomy face and the Third Prince Chai Wenxin with a smile on his face.

"May I ask what brings you two to my Zhang family?" Zhang Chen asked as he walked forward, his voice full of curiosity.

He didn't stand on ceremony; the two sides had already torn off all pretense of civility, so what was the point of formalities? Whether it was Zhang Gaoqiu or Chai Wenxin, they both wished nothing more than to get rid of Zhang Chen. If given the chance, they wouldn't hesitate to kill him, so there was no need for politeness. "Patriarch Zhang, we've come to find you today because a tremendous benefit awaits you," the Third Prince said, turning to look at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen glanced at the Third Prince, gestured for him to sit down, and then asked, "Benefits? What benefits? You're kind enough to offer me benefits?"

"Hehe, don't be like that. There are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal interests. I've come today with news that concerns your life. If you don't listen, we'll leave now and won't bother you anymore," the Third Prince said with a smile.

Seeing that the other party was deliberately being mysterious, Zhang Chen played along, saying, "Please, Third Prince, speak up."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince said, "I have received news that, apart from the Gong family, the other six of the eight great families have secretly formed an alliance and befriended the Pingbian Prince's Mansion. They want to sacrifice your Zhang family to the Pingbian Prince's Mansion in exchange for the mansion's continued support for the six great families. If your Zhang family does not take precautions in advance, I'm afraid you are not far from destruction."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced at the Third Prince, surprised that the boy was so well-informed.

"How can your Zhang family contend with the six great families? Moreover, the Gong family has already become your mortal enemy. You will soon face the encirclement and suppression of the seven great families. The destruction of your Zhang family is imminent. Now, I have come to save you. As long as you pledge allegiance to the Great Victory Royal Family and join my ranks, I can mediate the Gong family's feud with you, persuade them to reconcile, and use the power of the Great Victory Royal Family to protect you." The Third Prince looked intently at Zhang Chen. He was certain that once his message was delivered, Zhang Chen would be thrown into chaos, like a headless fly, frantically searching for a way to save his family.

At this moment, the royal family of Dasheng extended an olive branch, and there was no fear that they would not accept it!

Back then, didn't the Gong family also face encirclement and suppression by seven families and have no choice but to submit to the Great Victory Royal Family?

If the royal family can win over the Zhang family, then the division of the seven major families will not be far off, and at that time I can also make great contributions and make a comeback.

Zhang Gaoqiu, standing to the side, also stared intently at Zhang Chen, his eyes burning with intensity: "Zhang Chen, you need to think twice before you act. The Zhang family is now on the verge of a very dangerous situation. Any decision you make will determine the future of the Zhang family. If you are not careful, the Zhang family will be overturned by a raging storm, and thousands of years of heritage will turn into nothing. You had better think carefully before answering the Third Prince's question. Don't let your own selfishness plunge the entire Zhang family into an abyss of no return."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen turned his head and glanced at the Third Prince, who was confident of victory, and Zhang Gaoqiu, who was assisting him from the side. A glint of shrewdness appeared in his eyes.

"Heh, if you two want me to bow down and act like a dog, just say so. Why go through all this trouble?" Zhang Chen understood what the other party meant and spoke with a mocking tone.

“What’s wrong with being the Third Prince’s dog? You should know that not everyone is qualified to be the Third Prince’s dog. The Zhang family has come to this state. Besides being dogs, the only outcome is destruction. You choose.” Zhang Gaoqiu’s eyes revealed a hint of satisfaction. Zhang Chen had killed his brothers and sisters, and now he finally had a chance to take revenge.

Upon hearing Zhang Gaoqiu's words, Zhang Chen sneered: "The mere Pingbian Prince's Mansion is nothing. I was able to drive it to the brink of despair all by myself back then, let alone now with the help of countless capable individuals from the entire Zhang family. In my eyes, the Pingbian Prince's Mansion is nothing more than a sick dog that can only eke out a living like a candle in the wind. It's not worth mentioning at all!"

At this point, Zhang Chen scoffed, "As for the other seven major families? Heh, they're nothing but chickens and dogs, they can't amount to anything in front of me."

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he looked at Zhang Gaoqiu and the Third Prince: "Besides, you two are just good-for-nothings. You think you can make me submit? You're just delusional."

After speaking, Zhang Chen pointed in the direction of the gate: "If that's all you wanted to say, then you can leave. I won't entertain you any longer."

"Zhang Chen, you should think this through. If the seven great families and the Pingbian Prince's Mansion unite, even if they achieve a great victory, the royal family will still have to be wary. It is definitely not something your Zhang family can resist. If you miss today, it will be too late to regret it." The smile on the Third Prince's face disappeared, and his expression was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip from it.

"Are you worthy?" Zhang Chen asked.

His casual remark immediately broke the Third Prince's guard. He suddenly stood up and smiled coldly: "Fine! I am not worthy! Since you, Zhang Chen, have such abilities, then I look forward to seeing how you handle the current crisis."

The Third Prince and Zhang Gaoqiu strode away, leaving Zhang Chen standing in the hall, watching their retreating figures with a sneer.

Just then, another guard came to report: "Master, someone said that an old friend has sent you a letter that needs to be presented to you in person."

"A letter from an old friend?" Zhang Chen looked surprised upon hearing this. "Please invite him into the main hall."

I don't know which old friend sent me the letter.

(End of this chapter)