I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 841 Plotting the Peaches

Zhang Chen had already prepared for the worst, including his own son, Shun.

Zhang Chen did not see Xi Wangmu's taking him away and raising him as a benevolent act; rather, he saw it as a subtle threat from Xi Wangmu.

Lady Biyun was filled with worry and spent her days in tears. Zhang Chen sat cross-legged in the alchemy room, silently circulating his supernatural powers.

Zhang Chen pondered silently for a long time before finally making up his mind: "I can't wait any longer, I have to take the initiative."

A century has passed in the blink of an eye
In the alchemy room

The voice of Lady Biyun rang out: "The hundred-year period has arrived."

"I've broken through to the fifth level this time." Zhang Chen took a breath, slowly opened his eyes, and his voice was full of indifference.

Biyun Niangniang extinguished the flames in the alchemy furnace, and with a hand gesture, a pill flew out of the furnace and landed in a gourd: "Fifth level? Much faster than before, but I wonder what the Queen Mother of the West will do this time, whether she will have any new tricks."

"Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility! At worst, I'll just commit suicide in front of the Queen Mother of the West. She would never let me die," Zhang Chen said.

“A powerful figure like the Queen Mother of the West is not threatened. Unless absolutely necessary, you must not play with fire.” Upon hearing this, Lady Biyun’s expression changed, and she quickly gave Zhang Chen a warning.

“Of course I know that the entire Western Kunlun belongs to the Queen Mother of the West, and her will cannot be defied,” Zhang Chen said.

The two left the alchemy room and arrived at the altar. Zhang Chen saw Shun, whom he hadn't seen for a hundred years. Shun had transformed into a thirty-meter-tall golden-armored general, quietly guarding the entrance to the altar.

"Greetings to the Queen Mother of the West!"

The two approached the Queen Mother of the West and knelt on the ground.

"How many levels have you broken through?" the Queen Mother of the West inquired.

"Your Majesty, I have broken through to the fifth level," Zhang Chen hurriedly reported.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother of the West fell silent for a while before taking out the whip: "You should know how powerful this whip is."

Zhang Chen trembled upon hearing this: "Of course I know."

"From this day forward, if you fail to achieve your goal, your son will take the punishment for you." The Queen Mother of the West's cold and indifferent words carried no oppressive force, yet the oppressive pressure was palpable.

"Your Majesty, please wait! I have something to say!" Zhang Chen shouted as he saw the Queen Mother of the West about to raise her whip to strike Shun.

The Queen Mother of the West paused in her whip-wielding motion, turned to look at Zhang Chen, and remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

“I have discovered a method for rapid cultivation, but…” Zhang Chen hesitated, glancing up at the Queen Mother of the West before feigning timidity and looking away.

"But what then?" the Queen Mother of the West asked.

"The reason why I broke through at a faster speed this time than in the previous hundred years is because I swallowed two peach pits. Those peaches might help me break through my cultivation, but they are too precious for Your Majesty, so I..." Zhang Chen stammered.

The Queen Mother of the West was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked Zhang Chen up and down. After a moment's thought, she said to Lady Biyun, "Go to the Peach Garden and fetch a three-thousand-year-old peach for him."

Upon hearing this, Lady Biyun quickly left and soon returned with a peach. With a complicated expression, she handed it to Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen picked up the peach and took a bite, using its power to nourish his primordial spirit, accumulating transformation points, and beginning to circulate the Karma Transformation Technique to break through.

As he devoured the peach, even swallowing the pit, the Queen Mother of the West stepped forward and stood before Zhang Chen. She gently touched Zhang Chen's brow with her finger, then carefully sensed the energy within his body. After a moment, she exclaimed in surprise, "It really works! Your utilization rate for consuming pills is only one in ten thousand, but after swallowing the peach, your utilization rate is actually one percent!"

“As long as you give your subordinates enough peaches, they can break through quickly, but peaches are too precious…” Zhang Chen stammered as he stood there.

"What my Western Kunlun has in abundance is peaches of immortality. As long as you can eat peaches of immortality to break through, I have plenty of peaches to help you cultivate." The Queen Mother of the West looked down at Zhang Chen: "I can provide you with enough peaches of immortality, but you need to perfect the Karma Reincarnation Technique within a hundred years. If you fail to break through to the perfect realm after a hundred years, I will be so furious that I will extract your son's soul and refine it to burn as a sky lamp."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen gritted his teeth: "If Your Majesty allows me to enter the Peach Garden and eat as much as I want, I will complete my Karmic Retribution within fifty years. If I break this promise, I am willing to accept Your Majesty's punishment."

"Fifty years to achieve the perfected state of the Karma Transformation Technique?" The Queen Mother of the West sized Zhang Chen up and down before speaking:

"Very well! From today onwards, you may freely enter the Peach Garden and eat as many peaches as you like. As long as you can perfect the Karma Reincarnation Technique within fifty years, I will reward you handsomely. If you fail to break through, I will extract your son's soul and refine his spirit. Don't blame me then!" After speaking, the Queen Mother of the West took out a token and threw it to Lady Biyun: "Take him to the Peach Garden, and he can eat as many peaches as he wants!" Lady Biyun took the token, bowed respectfully, and then looked at Shun with reluctance before leading Zhang Chen down from the altar.

"How confident are you?" Biyun Niangniang asked long after they left the altar.

“I’m very confident! Those peaches can help me cultivate the Karma Transformation Technique. If there’s a sufficient supply of peaches, my cultivation will definitely advance by leaps and bounds,” Zhang Chen replied.

Upon hearing this, Lady Biyun looked at Zhang Chen with a hesitant expression, saying, "I always feel that if you cultivate the Karma Reversal Technique to perfection, something bad will happen."

"Of course I knew bad things would happen, but I had no choice. I couldn't just stand by and watch you and Shun get dragged into this. I'm a man, and I should take on the responsibilities of a man!" Zhang Chen's voice was full of seriousness.

Upon hearing this, Lady Biyun gently straightened Zhang Chen's clothes and then whispered, "No matter what happens in the future, whether it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, or even if my soul is scattered, I will be with you."

The words are simple, yet they speak louder than countless sweet words.

"Live well!" Zhang Chen said solemnly to Lady Biyun.

Upon hearing this, Lady Biyun turned her head and quickened her pace, heading towards the Peach Garden: "Hurry up, the sooner you reach the Peach Garden, the sooner you can cultivate and the better your chances of winning."

As they talked, the two broke through the void and arrived at a valley in the Kunlun Mountains. The valley was thousands of miles in circumference and was protected by a great formation. The formation turned into clouds and mist and enveloped the valley.

"This is the Peach Garden," said Lady Biyun, pointing to the peach garden before her.

As soon as the words were spoken, a voice came from afar, shaking the endless sky: "The Peach Garden is a sacred place; no unauthorized persons are allowed to trespass."

"I am acting on the orders of the Queen Mother of the West to send the Golden Armored General Jia Shiba to the Peach Garden for cultivation. This is the Queen Mother's decree." Biyun Niangniang raised the token in her hand, and a clear light burst forth from it. The great formation twisted under the power of the light, forming a passage, and the voice that had come from disappeared without a trace.

"Go in!" said Lady Biyun.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen nodded to Lady Biyun without saying anything more, and stepped out towards the passage.

Upon entering the innate grand formation, Zhang Chen was immediately stunned. What came into view was an endless sea of ​​flowers. In that sea of ​​flowers, pink blossoms bloomed on towering peach trees, and among the pink petals hung plump, large peaches.

At a glance, there were countless peaches, and Zhang Chen realized that he had underestimated the Queen Mother of the West's peach reserves.

Zhang Chen soared into the air, flying over the peach orchard. He carefully observed the differences among the peaches, and after a long while, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes as he discovered the differences between the peaches.

The peach trees in front of us are indeed different: there are three-thousand-year-old peaches, six-thousand-year-old peaches, and nine-thousand-year-old peaches. The most obvious difference is their size.

A 6,000-year-old peach is at least one-third larger than a 3,000-year-old peach, and a 9,000-year-old peach is another one-third larger than a 6,000-year-old peach.

Zhang Chen looked into the distance, his eyes shining with a strange light. The next moment, he leaped up and flew towards the nine-thousand-year-old peach, landing directly on the tree trunk. He picked a nine-thousand-year-old peach, stuffed it into his mouth, and took a bite.

In an instant, a unique fragrance filled the air, an indescribable sweetness that filled Zhang Chen's heart. He was captivated by the fragrance, and as the nine-thousand-year-old peach entered his stomach, he felt a strange aroma emanating from every pore of his body.

His primordial spirit felt light and airy, and an indescribable sense of comfort welled up in his heart. Then, a large number of points were transferred to him.

Although each level of the Karma Transformation Technique requires a large number of points to advance, the Peaches of Immortality are incredibly nourishing; a single nine-thousand-year-old Peaches of Immortality can generate tens of millions of points.

Zhang Chen transformed into a gluttonous beast, constantly devouring peaches while secretly observing everything in the peach orchard. The orchard was guarded by a Great Luo-level innate being, and he wondered if he would be discovered if he tried to open the Bashe space to secretly hide a few peaches or even a few peach pits.

Most importantly, could he secretly refine the peach tree beneath his feet? If he could refine the peach tree, and then send it into the Wood Element River in the future, his strength would surely increase to an incredible level.

While eating the peaches, Zhang Chen silently sensed the peach tree beneath him. With his authority over wood, he naturally possessed the power to suppress all kinds of plants, including the peach tree of the Queen Mother of the West. Although this tree was an innate spiritual root, it was still under Zhang Chen's control and suppression.

"This peach tree is quite peculiar," Zhang Chen said, stroking the trunk of the peach tree with a look of surprise in his eyes.

He could sense that the peach tree possessed a soul, and its spirituality was immense, far exceeding Zhang Chen's imagination. Even if it couldn't compare to the Queen Mother of the West, it was still incredibly vast. However, there was something wrong with this soul.

(End of this chapter)