I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 878 The Problem of Identity
Zhang Chen was naturally familiar with Zhong Xiang's grandfather, Zhong Wubai, since he had personally guided the old master Zhong in breaking through to the next level.

A strange sense of emotion flickered in Zhang Chen's eyes: "Old Master Zhong is willing to stand up for me?"

“He not only stood up for you, but also supported you at all costs. He even angrily rebuked the envoy from the North in the court and personally argued with the eight great families in the court. Everyone thought he was crazy!” Xie Lingyun said.

Zhang Chen remained silent for a long time after hearing this, before sighing softly, "It seems I should visit Old Master Zhong another day."

“You not only have to pay a visit, but you also have to bring substantial gifts,” Xie Lingyun said.

Upon hearing Xie Lingyun's words, Zhang Chen nodded: "That's how it should be!"

"Your most important task now is to resolve your identity issue. Your identity is your fatal flaw. Only by resolving your identity issue can you move freely in the capital," Xie Lingyun said to Zhang Chen.

“Of course I know my identity is a big problem, but I would appreciate it if you could teach me how to solve it, sister,” Zhang Chen said.

Xie Lingyun smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "I have been thinking about this for many years, but I still haven't been able to come up with a solution."

"What exactly happened back then? Why was my father demoted?" Zhang Chen asked, hoping that only by knowing all the clues could he find a way to deal with the situation.

Xie Lingyun hesitated upon hearing this, and after a long while, she said, "This is not the place we agreed on. You will come with me to the Inspection Office."

The two arrived at the Inspectorate, a magnificent palace located in a remote place, resembling a royal palace from later generations, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, and a terrifying aura lurking around.

Within a ten-mile radius of the Inspectorate, all the residents were the families of the Inspectorate's officials and their families; ordinary people dared not live near the Inspectorate.

The carriage drove into the Inspection Office and arrived at the backyard. The artificial hills and pavilions in the backyard were quite unique, showing no trace of the eerie atmosphere that had been rumored.

Maids were bustling about in the pavilions, busy with their tasks.

Xie Lingyun got off the carriage and said, "Come with me!"

The two moved among the pavilions, with Xie Lingyun leading the way. With her back to Zhang Chen, she said, "My father originally wanted to personally welcome you today, but he had urgent business to attend to, so he left the capital this morning."

“The task of the Inspection Office is important. We are all family, so why be so polite? Besides, I should be the one to pay my respects to Lord Xie in person. There is no reason for Lord Xie to wait for me,” Zhang Chen quickly said.

Seeing Zhang Chen's demeanor, Xie Lingyun couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle: "You're still the same as you were back then, without any change. We're all family, so why be so polite?"

As she spoke, Xie Lingyun opened the door to the secret chamber, then led Zhang Chen through a long corridor guarded by dozens of vigorous martial artists. She then led Zhang Chen into a secret chamber.

Inside the secret room were rows of bookshelves, filled with countless books. Xie Lingyun casually pulled a scroll from the shelf and handed it to Zhang Chen: "This scroll is the ultimate secret scroll of the Inspection Division. If my father and I hadn't both advanced to the Yang Shen True Person level, it would have been really difficult to retrieve this scroll from the Inspection Division's secret treasury."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen took the secret scroll. Xie Lingyun, standing beside him, said, "The matter concerning your father back then was a shocking secret. After the Eight Great Families colluded with the Prince of Pingbian and seized the dragon vein in the north, they had long harbored the intention to rebel. The emperor was deeply wary of the Eight Great Families, but the Eight Great Families supported the Prince of Pingbian in the north, and the Prince of Pingbian controlled the White Bone Great Wall, secretly colluding with the demon race to establish a separatist regime. Even the imperial court could not do anything to the Prince of Pingbian. In addition, the Prince of Pingbian's mansion was filled with dragon energy, making it impossible for the imperial court's experts to assassinate him."

"The eight great families are no pushovers. Knowing that the King intended to kill them, your father used the Zhang family's secret treasure, the Book of Life and Death, to alter the course of fate, crossing out the former Crown Prince's lifespan. His body was then channeled through the animal realm controlled by the Shen family, attempting to be reborn directly into the royal family as a descendant of the Emperor, hoping to seize the throne of the Great Victory Dynasty. Unfortunately, your father failed. Despite his meticulous planning, he didn't expect a traitor to emerge from the Zhang family. That person believed your father's plan would fail and inevitably implicate the eight great families, causing a complete breakdown in relations between the royal family and the eight great families. So, he directly informed the royal family." Xie Lingyun sighed softly.

"What a ruthless tactic!" Zhang Chen stared expressionlessly at the secret scroll in his hand. "Why did he betray us? Does he intend to let the Great Victory Royal Family gradually purge the Eight Great Families without taking any action?"

"Because the other side felt your father's chances of winning were low, they needed to buy time for the ancestor of the Pingbian Royal Family to transform into a dragon. Once the ancestor of the Pingbian Royal Family transformed into a twelfth-tier powerhouse, the eight great families would have the strength to stand on equal footing with the Chai family. So they used your father as a pawn and sacrificed him directly." Xie Lingyun said, turning to Zhang Chen, "Then, in order to ease relations with the eight great families and fear that they would directly let the demon race into the pass, the Emperor of Dasheng chose to punish only your father's branch, or even just exile them, to appease the eight great families and buy time for the Dasheng royal family." "After arriving in the North, your father was assassinated by the Pingbian King. The Pingbian King wanted to rebel, but fearing that he would be implicated if the rebellion failed, he arranged for Zhang Xiaohua to be by your side, wanting to use her as a substitute. If his rebellion failed, he could have Zhang Xiaohua take your identity and be sent to the eight great families in the capital to continue living." Xie Lingyun said.

Zhang Chen scoffed upon hearing this: "Then he's mistaken. With the Pingbian King's rebellion failing, the eight great families are facing a life-or-death crisis and will inevitably face the Emperor's purge. Even if Zhang Xiaohua is sent to the capital, it's only a matter of time before she is purged."

"You're wrong. The Eight Great Families are not that simple. Your Zhang family controls the Book of Life and Death, and the name of the Human King is in it. Furthermore, your Zhang family's Animal Path is something that the Great Victory Royal Family is quite wary of. Heaven knows how many old fellows from the Zhang family have been reincarnated and hidden away in various places and major families throughout the world over the years through the Animal Path. Eliminating the Eight Great Families is not a simple matter."

Zhang Chen flipped through the documents in his hand, countless thoughts swirling in his mind as he quickly deduced all the clues. The only thing he hadn't expected was that the Animal Path was in the hands of the Zhang family, and that the legendary Book of Life and Death was also in the Zhang family.

"I am determined to have that beast!" Zhang Chen thought to himself.

Of course, he now has some speculations about the situation. The destruction of the Six Paths of Reincarnation in the past was probably not only because those ancient gods wanted to suppress lifespan, but also because they wanted to disrupt the cycle of heaven and earth, causing problems in the cycle of heaven and earth, thus causing the Great Thousand World to collapse rapidly, so that they could escape from the Great Thousand World.

"The splitting up of the Six Paths of Reincarnation must have been orchestrated by those old guys behind the scenes," Zhang Chen muttered to himself.

Just as Zhang Chen was filled with countless thoughts, Xie Lingyun said from the side, "That's why your current identity is rather delicate, as you are at a crucial juncture in the struggle between the imperial court and the Zhang family."

Zhang Chen was well aware of his current predicament. He had an irreconcilable hatred for the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, who wanted to kill him as soon as possible. Moreover, he had ruined the grand plan of the eight great families, causing their long-term scheme to fall apart in one fell swoop. Countless people in the eight great families hated him to the bone.

Of course, there were also people within the Zhang family who supported Zhang Chen, after all, Zhang Chen's father had some connections.

Years ago, Zhang Chen's father's desperate, all-or-nothing victory against the royal court won him many hearts, and those people still favored Zhang Chen. As for the claim that Zhang Chen's counterattack ruined the Pingbian Prince's plans? We're not senile. Are you saying others can kill but not fight back? Your Pingbian Prince's Mansion has dominated the north for countless years, yet you can't even handle a helpless little child? What are you if not useless?
“Like your fourth uncle, Zhang Gaqi, who was closest to your father in the past, he is someone you can trust,” Xie Lingyun said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen remained silent, carefully considering all the nuances in Xie Lingyun's words. After a long while, he finally asked, "Who betrayed my father back then?"

"The current head of the Zhang family!" Xie Lingyun said.

"He betrayed my father, which is tantamount to surrendering to the Great Victory Royal Family. He should be considered a confidant of the Great Victory Royal Family, right? He has gained the favor of the Great Victory Royal Family, hasn't he?" Zhang Chen asked.

Xie Lingyun smiled upon hearing this: "What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen suddenly realized that the eight great families had become a thorn in the side of the royal family. The reason they hadn't been dealt with yet was simply because the Dasheng royal family hadn't found a suitable opportunity.

With the demon race invading from the outside and the eight major families causing trouble from within, the whole world is in chaos, and even the Great Victory Royal Family dares not make any rash moves.

"Of course, on the surface, the Great Victory Royal Family has been trying to win over the eight great families, even readily agreeing to Zhang Gaoqiu's marriage. But what the Chai family's true intentions are cannot be hidden from those with discerning eyes. Once the demon race's turmoil is resolved, it will be time for the Great Victory Royal Family to settle accounts with the eight great families." Xie Lingyun's voice held a strange glint as she said this:
"Some people even secretly speculated that the entry of the demon race into the pass was related to the eight great families, and that the eight great families secretly condoned it."

Zhang Chen was stunned upon hearing this, then closed the book in his hand, a look of astonishment in his eyes: "Do you have any evidence?"

“Isn’t the King of Pingbian the best evidence? He’s already colluded with the demon race,” Xie Lingyun said.

Zhang Chen remained silent for a long time after hearing this before slowly taking a breath: "I never imagined that the Eight Great Families would become a cancer on our human race. The blood debt of billions of people in this world owes a debt to the Eight Great Families. I am ashamed to associate with such scum! It is a disgrace to our human race!"

Zhang Chen felt a surge of anger rising within him! To have such a group of scoundrels among his clan was an utter disgrace!
(End of this chapter)