I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 988 Demon Clan Siege
As Zhang Chen had anticipated, Kyoto was in chaos. From the bloody battle between the six major families and the royal family, to the Zhang family's raid on Kyoto, and then to the countless demons and evil spirits falling from the sky from the spiritual world, although the Great Thousand Worlds 'cleansed and replaced' the evil spirits, some of them stubbornly survived and quickly adapted to the environment. They then absorbed the blood of the people of Kyoto and calmly and rapidly grew stronger.

Furthermore, the bloody battle in Kyoto resulted in the deaths of at least hundreds of thousands of people from the six major families, which undoubtedly nourished countless evil spirits and provided conditions for their growth and expansion.

Upon hearing Zhang Gaqi's report, a glint of light appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes. His eyes swept across the distant clouds, and he saw that the clouds in the sky seemed to be stained with a blood-red baleful aura.

“An evil spirit has been born in Kyoto, hiding in dark corners or possessing people. It will be difficult for Kyoto to be peaceful in the future,” Zhang Chen said.

Just as Zhang Chen was looking around, his eyes turned to the outside of Kyoto and he was stunned. He saw an overwhelming demonic aura outside Kyoto, like a raging sea, sweeping towards Kyoto.

"The demon army has arrived! They've come so quickly!" Zhang Chen looked at the vast and mighty demonic aura, a look of seriousness appearing in his eyes.

Outside Kyoto

Chai Zhu looked into the distance at the overwhelming demonic aura that seemed like dark clouds pressing down on the city. His expression was grim. "Ancestor Peacock, does your demon race really intend to fight to the death with the Great Victory Royal Family?"

Upon hearing Chai Zhu's words, the Peacock Ancestor slowly replied, "With such a commotion in the capital, the power of the Great Victory Royal Family has been weakened to the extreme, making it the perfect opportunity for our demon race to act. Moreover, a secret realm in the void shattered, scattering countless treasures within the capital. How could our demon race not take a share? Furthermore, the spiritual energy within the capital is now more than ten thousand times denser. If our demon race were to invade, countless wild beasts would evolve into demon beasts, and countless demon beasts would evolve into demon kings. This is an unparalleled opportunity. Even if our demon race doesn't manage to plunder any treasures, the abundant spiritual energy is still a great fortune for us."

The demon race certainly had reasons to take action. Not to mention the fortune of their spiritual world falling apart, even absorbing the essence of the city would be a great fortune for the demon race.

"Logically speaking, shouldn't your demon race have already been blocked outside the pass by Marquis Wen? How did you have the opportunity to bring your troops to the city gates and invade our territory?" Chai Zhu's eyes showed disbelief.

"That formidable pass is ultimately just one pass. We can simply bypass it. Those mountains and rivers that can block the human army are like home to my demon race." The Peacock Ancestor said with a smile, "Moreover, many of your human clans are talented individuals who know how to seize opportunities. My demon race will need their help when we pass through their territory."

"Damn human traitor!" Chai Zhu gritted his teeth in hatred upon hearing this.

Just as the two were talking, the earth suddenly trembled, and the soil on the ground gently rippled. In the distance, a vast army of demonic beasts rushed over. The army of demonic beasts could not be seen at a glance. The horizon was filled with running demonic beasts, like a river sweeping up the soil, accompanied by terrifying roars that echoed through the void.

Within Kyoto

Zhang Family Old House
Zhang Chen looked at the bouncing bottle on the table and the gently leaping dirt in the courtyard, a serious look appearing in his eyes: "The demon army came too fast, without any warning at all. Logically speaking, the Wenhou territory is at least a year's journey from the capital. Even if the formidable pass where the Wenhou is located was breached, they shouldn't have arrived here so quickly. And how come there wasn't a single word beforehand?"

too weird!

"What? An earthquake? Kyoto has a dragon vein to suppress it, how could an earthquake happen?" Zhang Gaqi looked at the jumping furnishings in the room, his eyes full of disbelief: "Could it be that the Great Victory Royal Family's fate has run out, and they can no longer suppress this world?"

Upon hearing the other party's words, Zhang Chen sighed softly: "It's not an earthquake, it's the arrival of the demon army!"

"The demon army has arrived? How many demon armies would it take to shake the ground?" Zhang Gaqi's eyes showed a serious expression, filled with disbelief.

"So many! And so incredibly strong!" Zhang Chen saw the towering monster in the distance, its every step shaking the surrounding area for dozens of miles, its footsteps creating massive shockwaves.

The monster was like a Mount Tai, and as it fell step by step, layers of dust rose up on the ground. Imagine if thousands of Mount Tais crashed down together; even the power of a nuclear explosion couldn't compare.

"What do we do now that the demon army has suddenly attacked the city?" Zhang Gaqi's eyes showed a hint of horror.

“If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. We have experts from the Great Victory Royal Family here, so what are you afraid of? Even if the demon beasts attack the city, they won't completely slaughter the human race. At worst, we can retreat to the North. We also have territory in the North, enough for the Zhang family to live on,” Zhang Chen said.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zhang Gaqi's voice was filled with sorrow: "But Kyoto is the last hope of our human race. Once Kyoto is destroyed, it means that our human race will perish, the flame of human civilization will be extinguished, all the major lords will surrender to the demon race and divide up the land for self-governance, and in the future our human race will return to the tribal era and be cut into small tribes by the demon race."

Upon hearing Zhang Gaqi's words, Zhang Chen shook his head: "The human race is now shrouded in despair. Ordinary people have no hope of advancement. Whether they are ruled by the demon race or by the human elites, it seems to make no difference. The only difference is the way they eat people. One eats the flesh of people, and the other eats the spirit. The cannibal has simply changed from one to another."

Monsters eat people only to cultivate or to satisfy hunger, while human nobles eat people simply because they want to eat them.

Zhang Chen felt that as long as the demon race didn't go too far, he could accept the demon race ruling over humanity. With humanity's intelligence and resourcefulness, it was only a matter of time before they surpassed the demons. No matter how wicked the demons were, could they be more wicked than humans?
“However, the Zhang family still needs to make preparations as soon as possible. All members of the Zhang family should find a way to evacuate first.” Zhang Chen instructed Zhang Gaqi: “As for the properties in the capital, I think that after this storm, the last spiritual symbol of the human race may not be preserved.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gaqi turned and left, beginning to gather his family members to prepare for their retreat.

The sound of horns rang out in Kyoto, and the clanging of armor echoed throughout the city, instantly creating a tense atmosphere. Zhang Chen listened to the commotion outside the door, then turned and went back inside.

He had already sent his younger brother and sister and other close relatives away. No matter how bad the situation in Kyoto was, it couldn't do anything to him. He could simply run away.

As for asking Zhang Chen to take action? With the world undergoing great changes, he still needs to suppress his vital energy and spirit. He doesn't want to act rashly, lest he get himself caught in the crossfire.

Moreover, the cultivators in Kyoto, bathed in such rich spiritual energy, should have made rapid progress in their cultivation. There should be an endless stream of experts, and they would be enough to deal with the demon race. One more or one less would not make a difference.

"Who could have imagined that the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma would come so swiftly? If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have broken through to the twelfth level back then." Zhang Chen secretly complained to himself, realizing that the timing of his breakthrough seemed rather unfortunate.

Now that the concentration of vital energy in the world has increased, Zhang Chen has not noticed anything unusual. However, the ocean of laws of heaven and earth has begun to change, and the chain reaction of the great change in the laws of heaven and earth has begun to approach. In about a month, the vital energy that the Corpse Ancestor of Kyoto has dissipated will disperse, and then a big problem will definitely occur.

Just as Zhang Chen was lost in thought, a guard hurried over and said, "Master, Old Master Zhong has sent an invitation."

Zhang Chen took the invitation, glanced at it, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. He nodded to the guard and said, "You may leave now."

After the guards withdrew, Zhang Chen flashed and used his escape technique to appear inside the Zhong family mansion.

At this moment, Old Master Zhong stood under the big tree, looking at the flowers with a worried expression. Under the overwhelming force of the demon race, his tenth-level cultivation was no match for them. Because the Zhong family was completely unprepared, Old Master Zhong was frowning and pondering how to preserve the Zhong family in the face of the great calamity.

"Grandpa, you look worried. What's troubling you?" Zhang Chen asked, standing behind Grandpa Zhong.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Grandpa Zhong turned around and looked at Zhang Chen with a face full of surprise: "You came so fast!"

As for how Zhang Chen appeared in the backyard, he didn't suspect anything. After all, the Zhong family didn't guard against Zhang Chen, and he didn't need the gatekeeper to announce his arrival.

"The old man invited me in such an urgent manner, how could I dare to delay?" Zhang Chen said.

"Something terrible has happened! The demon army has broken through the human defenses in various places and has surrounded the capital. They could destroy the capital at any time. We need to prepare as soon as possible." Old Master Zhong looked at Zhang Chen with his eyes: "After I received the news, I immediately came to invite you to discuss countermeasures."

Because the previous calamities were only directed at the six major families by the Great Victory Royal Family, and the Zhong family was not involved, the Zhong family members did not evacuate in advance.

Upon hearing what Grandpa Zhong said, Zhang Chen asked, "What are your plans, Grandpa?"

"How about we evacuate Kyoto together? Is your Zhang family willing to abandon its businesses in Kyoto? If we join forces, we might be able to find a way out," said Old Master Zhong.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen shook his head: "To be honest, the direct descendants of my Zhang family have long since left the capital. Most of those who remain are collateral disciples, whose strength is inferior to that of the Zhong family's experts. They will only become a burden to the Zhong family."

Grandpa Zhong was taken aback upon hearing this: "The Zhang family has already evacuated?" He then came to his senses and said: "Is it because of the chaos in Kyoto before?"

Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Old Master Zhong smiled wryly and said, "The Zhang family is indeed very lucky."

“My Zhang family has a passage leading to the outside of the capital, which we can lend to the Zhong family. However, with the demon army besieging the city, we don’t know if that passage can still be used to break out. If we rashly plunge into the demon horde, it will only harm you.” Zhang Chen looked at Old Master Zhong with some hesitation in his voice.

(End of this chapter)