I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 879: Planning
Upon hearing Xie Lingyun's words, Zhang Chen's eyes flashed with anger.

He hoped that humanity could rise again after the revolution, but he could not tolerate his own people engaging in such collusion.

If the human race had wronged the Zhang family, and the Zhang family and the eight great families had rebelled, Zhang Chen would naturally have nothing to say. But now, the other party was actually colluding with the demon race to massacre the human race for their own selfish desires. How could Zhang Chen tolerate this?

“You are now bound to the warship, a pawn in the power struggle between the Imperial Royal Family and the Eight Great Families. The Great Victory Royal Family hopes to use you to tear apart the relationship between the Eight Great Families and the Prince of Pingbian, while some members of the Eight Great Families want to get rid of you as soon as possible to provoke the Prince of Pingbian’s wrath.” Xie Lingyun looked at Zhang Chen.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen fell silent, standing in the secret room without speaking for a long while before finally saying, "So, in the end, they all just want me dead!"

"Whether you side with the Imperial Royal Family, the Eight Great Families, or even remain neutral and withdraw, it will all be futile. If you side with the Imperial Royal Family, and the Prince of Pingbian has allied with the Chai family, the Royal Family will quell the Prince of Pingbian's threat and will surely settle accounts with the Eight Great Families. And what about the Eight Great Families? As a descendant of one of the Eight Great Families, and considering that your father almost usurped the throne from the Great Sheng Royal Family, the Great Sheng Royal Family will definitely settle accounts with you. If you side with the Eight Great Families, they will only push you out to appease the Prince of Pingbian's anger. As for standing by and watching, that won't work either; that path is not viable. If the Great Sheng Royal Family wins, you will face retribution, and if the Eight Great Families win, the current head of the Zhang family will not let you off the hook, after all, they betrayed your father." Xie Lingyun felt a headache coming on as she spoke; this was simply an unsolvable problem, and no matter what choice Zhang Chen made, his future seemed bleak.

“Actually, there’s one more thing you haven’t said. If I really pledge allegiance to the Dasheng royal family, and they happen to send me out to apologize to the Pingbian King, I’ll still die immediately!” Zhang Chen pointed out the flaw in Xie Lingyun’s words.

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Xie Lingyun sighed helplessly: "No matter what you choose, aren't you doomed to die?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen fell silent, his mind racing with countless thoughts as he rapidly considered all the possibilities.

In fact, neither the royal family nor those old guys who were his rivals would have imagined that his greatest confidence in coming to the capital to settle his karma was not the external glory bestowed upon him. His greatest reliance was his bloodline power, his Five Elements River, and the support of the Queen Mother of the West.

My greatest confidence comes from my own strength.

“Actually, there’s another possibility: let the eight great families and the Great Victory Royal Family fight to the death. Then I’ll wipe out the eight great families and the Great Victory Royal Family. Then everything will be fine.” Zhang Chen looked at Xie Lingyun, his voice filled with murderous intent.

“Unlikely!” Xie Lingyun shook her head and rejected Zhang Chen’s hypothesis: “Whether it is the Dasheng royal family or the eight great families, they have always maintained a situation of fighting without breaking apart. Unless one side has an overwhelming advantage, they will not engage in a final battle. Moreover, the eight great families are not simple. Their foundation is no less than that of the Dasheng royal family, otherwise they would not have aroused such fear from the Dasheng royal family.”

“The reason they fought without breaking apart in the past was because I wasn’t here. Now that I’m here, of course I’ll spare no effort to make both sides fight to the death,” Zhang Chen said.

"What are your plans?" Xie Lingyun asked.

"Do you think I should first use the Great Victory Royal Family to eliminate the Eight Great Families, or should I first use the Eight Great Families to eliminate the Great Victory Royal Family?" Zhang Chen asked.

"The eight great families' attitude towards you is to directly sell you to the Prince of Pingbian and then accept his territory and land. Even if you wanted to pledge allegiance to the eight great families, they might not give you the opportunity. Although some elders within the eight great families still support you, they are ultimately a minority and cannot play a decisive role or change the will of the eight great families. On the contrary, if you align yourself with the imperial court, the Grand Steward, Elder Zhong, and I can work together to secure an opportunity for you with the Emperor." Xie Lingyun looked at Zhang Chen:

"But if you eliminate the eight great families, you will be abandoned by everyone and have no one to help you. We won't be able to protect you then."

"Heh, if the eight great families can recruit demons for their own use, why can't I?" Zhang Chen's lips curled into a cold smile.

Tiger Power Immortal is one of my people, definitely my die-hard fan.

"Have you made up your mind?" Xie Lingyun looked at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this: "I haven't made a decision yet. I need to go back to the Zhang family first, so that I can give up completely. Then I'll have a reason to break off relations, so I won't be labeled as ungrateful and heartless."

“But right now, the most important thing is for me to establish myself legitimately in Kyoto, and I need to find a reliable and plausible identity!” Zhang Chen turned to look at Xie Lingyun.

"You made a great contribution by stopping Zhang Shicheng, the Prince of Pingbian, from becoming a dragon in the north. If Dugu Qiu, Master Zhong, and my daughter and I were to step forward and jointly petition His Majesty for your merit, while also revealing your current predicament, I believe the King would not mind letting you live and revitalize the whole situation," Xie Lingyun said.

Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this: "It seems I should pay a visit to Mr. Zhong first."

“That’s how it should be,” Xie Lingyun said.

"How is Zhou Qiucheng?" Zhang Chen asked.

Zhou Qiucheng was also a great cultivator at the Yangshen realm, and he became the seventh teacher of the academy, which could help him.

Unbeknownst to them, a formidable force had already gathered around Zhang Chen, and he was no longer alone. "Master Zhou is busy preaching in the academy, so busy that he's practically running around non-stop," Xie Lingyun said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen hesitated for a moment and said, "I need to write a letter to Zhou Qiucheng."

"Good!" Xie Lingyun brought over a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Zhang Chen then wrote the letter with swift, flowing strokes, finishing it in a short time and handing it to Xie Lingyun.

“I have written down all the causes and consequences in the letter. Whether Mr. Zhou helps me or not is his choice, but I cannot take advantage of his kindness and actively involve him.”

"As for Grand Steward Dugu Qiu, you take this token and pass the message into the palace for me." Zhang Chen took out the token that Dugu Qiu had given him in the past.

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingyun accepted the token: "There's no time to lose, let's set off now. We can't keep your entry into the capital a secret for long. If someone tracks us down and doesn't give us time to maneuver, we'll be in big trouble."

Xie Lingyun led Zhang Chen out of the mansion and onto the carriage. She then instructed her trusted confidants to send out the letter before personally escorting Zhang Chen toward the Zhong family mansion.

"In the past few years, since Elder Zhong attained the Yang God realm, his cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, and his official position has also risen steadily. He has become the Minister of Revenue, holding a high position and great power in the court. If he could speak on your behalf, it would certainly reduce many obstacles," Xie Lingyun said.
"I've already prepared a gift for you. Let's go and pay you a visit right now."

Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this and stopped Xie Lingyun: "You don't need to prepare anything for me. I've already prepared a gift. Although I have a very close relationship with Grandpa Zhong, if I want Grandpa Zhong to risk his life for me, I need to offer something in return. I've already prepared that."

As Zhang Chen finished speaking, he took out three bottles from his sleeve. The bottles were made of jade, and the white jade was extremely delicate. There were also talismans engraved on them to suppress the mysterious energy within.

"Here's one bottle for you, and the other for Commander Xie," Zhang Chen said.

The bottle contained pills refined by the Queen Mother of the West in the past, but they were just the most ordinary pills. As for better pills, Zhang Chen was afraid that if the two of them ate them and broke through to the twelfth level, they would directly fall into the calamity of death.

"What are these?" Xie Lingyun looked the two bottles up and down and asked.

"One pill is enough to break through the Yang God realm and directly enter the tenth level," Zhang Chen replied.

"What?" Xie Lingyun's expression changed upon hearing this, her eyes filled with shock: "Is that really so? There are such incredible treasures in the world?"

"Otherwise, what do you think I was trapped in the Old Turtle Territory for so long for?" Zhang Chen's voice was full of smugness.

"For us to cultivate our Yang Spirit and develop Jade Bones, it would take at least three to five hundred years. Moreover, without great fortune and extraordinary opportunities, we wouldn't even be able to glimpse this realm. You've received such a blessing from just one pill; it's truly heaven-defying! No one can refuse such a blessing, not even Elder Zhong." Xie Lingyun carefully put away the pill, her movements extremely cautious. She then asked, "What kind of blessing is there in Old Turtle Territory? I heard that Old Turtle Territory has caused quite a stir?"

“The wonders of creation are beyond description,” Zhang Chen said.

Xie Lingyun lowered her head and looked at the pill in her hand: "If you can produce such a pill, what level of cultivation do you yourself possess?"

"My realm?" Zhang Chen thought of the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, the colorless divine lightning within it, the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, and so on. Then, considering his own Blood Path cultivation, he realized these were merely skills, not realms. So he spoke:

"It's just the realm of Yin Spirit," Zhang Chen said unhurriedly.

According to the theory of realms, the primordial spirit should belong to the Yin spirit, but the primordial spirit is different from the Yin spirit, possessing some of the attributes of a Yang spirit powerhouse.

So I'm not exactly lying now, am I?

"You're only at the Yin Spirit realm? Then why aren't you taking this pill?" Xie Lingyun asked subconsciously.

"This pill is too high-grade. My cultivation level is too low. If I were to consume it, I'm afraid my Yin Spirit would be burst, and my physical body would explode instantly," Zhang Chen said helplessly, spreading his hands.

He now wants to find the big black dog, because only by finding the big black dog might he be able to find the complete Nine Revolutions Profound Technique.

(End of this chapter)