I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 893 Atoning for one’s sins
Zhang Chen's gaze swept past everyone and landed on Zhang Shenqi, a barely suppressed disappointment in his eyes. His so-called family had disappointed him greatly.

Although dozens of officials from the eight major families all stepped forward, Zhang Chen was not afraid. He simply stood there quietly watching, a strange look in his eyes: If the eight major families could unite to take his life, did he have no allies?

Sure enough, after dozens of officials from the eight major families knelt down and begged for Zhang Chen's execution, figures emerged from the crowd and began to petition the Great Victory King.

Zhou Qiucheng had already stepped forward, so there was no need to say more. At this moment, Xie Lingyun stepped forward and bowed to the King above: "Your Majesty, Zhang Chen has made great contributions to the country and the people. How can he be killed because of the threat from the King of Pingbian? If Your Majesty kills a meritorious official because of the threat from the King of Pingbian, I'm afraid you will be ridiculed by the world. It will also make some people think that we are afraid of the King of Pingbian's mansion, and make some people even more unscrupulous."

As Xie Lingyun spoke, she swept her gaze over the members of the eight great families, a cold glint in her eyes. Her meaning was clear: if the court killed Zhang Chen to appease the Prince of Pingbian, and the Prince of Pingbian later threatened the court to kill someone in return, would the court kill him or not? What would the people of the world think of the court then?
Is the imperial court failing?

What prestige and cohesion will the imperial court have left then?

Because the King of Pingbian used this as leverage, the court needed to demonstrate its strength and not give in to his wishes. The court needed to use swift and decisive measures to deter the world.

"I second your opinion, Your Majesty! If those who have rendered meritorious service to the state can be killed at will, who will dare to serve the court in the future?" Xie Xuan stepped forward to agree.

As the Xie family father and daughter stepped forward, another group of court officials, who were from the Xie family's camp, followed suit and began to express their opinions, resulting in a large number of them kneeling down in a grand and imposing manner.

At this moment, Zhong Wubai also stepped forward. This newly-established tenth-level Daoist expert, surrounded by multicolored light, bowed to the Human King above: "Your Majesty, killing Zhang Chen has three drawbacks. First, it will make the King of Pingbian think he can manipulate the court at will, and he will become even more reckless in the future. Second, it will cause those who have devoted themselves to the court to lose faith in it, which is not conducive to the cohesion of the people. Third, it will further embolden the arrogance of certain individuals." When Zhong Wubai mentioned the third point, he looked at Zhang Shenqi and the others.

"Nonsense! Do you know the importance of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion? What will happen if the Pingbian Prince's Mansion surrenders to the demon race? It is the last nail that the human race has driven into the North. Once it falls and the North is completely occupied, our court will completely lose control and influence over the North. Killing Zhang Chen and taking control of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, and bringing the entire North under the control of the court, is entirely beneficial! Why not sacrifice Zhang Chen to pacify the world?" Gong Chun began to refute Zhong Wubai's words. His words were sharp, and what he said was not without reason.

"Nonsense! Our Great Victory Dynasty suppresses the world with absolute military force. How could we submit to a mere traitor?" Xie Xuan retorted. "The world knows that the Prince of Pingbian harbors rebellious intentions. How could we allow him to get what he wants?"

“That’s right, it’s just a mere Pingbian Prince’s Mansion, a tiny place that can be wiped out in the blink of an eye. Does it even dare to negotiate with the imperial court? If it weren’t for the fact that the imperial court’s experts were tied up, we would have wiped it out eight hundred times over by now.” Zhong Wubai also spoke up, his voice deafening.

“The imperial court naturally has absolute control over the Pingbian Prince’s Mansion, but have you all considered the demon race that is eyeing us covetously from the sidelines? If the Pingbian Prince’s Mansion colludes with the demon race, the disaster will be more than ten times greater. Who will take responsibility for the great calamity that will result?” Zhang Shenqi stood up and retorted to Zhong Wubai: “Why wouldn’t the imperial court be happy to nip the trouble in the bud with the least possible cost?”

For a moment, the people in the court were arguing back and forth, while Zhang Chen seemed to be an outsider, quietly standing aside and watching.

A court debate clearly revealed who were the enemies and who were the friends, and it seemed that the eight great families were determined to wipe them out.

"Alright, stop arguing!" The Great Victory King spoke up, interrupting the ministers' quarrel, and reprimanded them, "What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket in the Golden Hall?"

He then turned to Grand Tutor Ji Chuan and asked, "What does Grand Tutor Ji Chuan think?"

"Although Zhang Chen is guilty, his merits are too great. He thwarted the plans of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion in the north, preventing the division of a regional lord and thwarting the Pingbian Prince's schemes. This is a great achievement, enough to offset the crimes committed by his father. Your Majesty should pardon Zhang Chen's crimes and allow him to return to the Zhang family genealogy. This would allow the people of the world to see the fairness and justice of the court, and would not dampen the enthusiasm of those who are loyal to the court! If anyone still feels that Zhang Chen's merits are not enough, Your Majesty may order Zhang Chen to perform meritorious service, allowing him to achieve unparalleled feats to atone for his crimes. If he can perform meritorious service, Your Majesty can grant him a complete pardon. If he cannot perform meritorious service, it is not too late to punish him at that time." The old Grand Tutor Ji Chuan spoke, seemingly having a decisive effect. At this moment, most of the officials in the court stood up to agree.

Ji Chuan was a veteran minister of three dynasties, with disciples and former officials all over the land. Most of the officials in the court were his students and followers. If this were the old court of Zhang Chen's previous life, the Grand Tutor would probably have been beheaded long ago for his great achievements. However, this was a world of extraordinary beings. The court had three innate spiritual treasures to suppress the world. No matter how powerful the Grand Tutor was, the royal family would not be afraid of his power.

As the old Grand Tutor finished speaking, the King of the Upper Realm turned his gaze to Zhang Chen: "Zhang Chen!"

"This humble subject is here!" Zhang Chen quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"From today onwards, your normal identity will be temporarily restored. You are permitted to return to the Zhang family and acknowledge your ancestors. If you achieve extraordinary merit within three years, I will completely pardon your crimes. Otherwise, I will settle both old and new scores together," the Great Victory King said with a smile. Zhang Chen gave the Great Victory King a deep look, knowing that this fellow also harbored malicious intentions, planning to send him back to the Zhang family and then sit back and watch the tigers fight.

He was the true descendant of the Zhang family. If he were to acknowledge his ancestry and return to the family line, a massive storm would surely erupt within the Zhang family. If the other party were to secretly instigate the conflict, they might be able to use him to completely tear the Zhang family apart.

As long as the Zhang family is torn apart and annihilated by internal strife, and then the Zhang family spreads to the other seven major families, the Great Victory Dynasty can easily eliminate this thorn in its side.

Zhang Chen could hear the Emperor's calculations clearly, even through his stomach, the clattering of the abacus. Not only could Zhang Chen hear the King's schemes, but the eight great families also understood them perfectly well. However, this was an open conspiracy, an open conspiracy that no one could thwart.

The Emperor made the final decision, and the controversy was resolved. Only Zhang Chen's eyes revealed a hint of coldness as he lowered his head and looked at his toes in silence.

The Great Victory Emperor wants to use me? I want to use the Great Victory Emperor! In the end, who will emerge victorious is still unknown. Zhang Chen is not someone to be trifled with, nor is he someone to be trifled with. It's as if everyone has some helpers.

The demon race's massive army is their helper!
At worst, he'd just overturn the chessboard himself, and the entire human race would perish with him. As for the innocent being implicated? Or the greater good of humanity's annihilation? Zhang Chen didn't care about any of that!
So, if it happens to me, it becomes a matter of righteousness for humanity? Then why don't you persuade the Chai family to step down and yield to a more worthy successor? Why wouldn't the Chai family disregard the greater good of humanity and step down?
Zhang Chen's mind was in turmoil. With the sound of bells and chimes, the officials began to leave the court.

"Let's go! Let's go back. The hardest part is finally over." Xie Lingyun came to Zhang Chen's side and said with a sigh.

Just as Zhang Chen was about to respond, a gaze like a sharp sword, filled with deep-seated hatred, shot over from afar, seemingly intent on piercing a hole in Zhang Chen. Sensing the killing intent in that gaze, Zhang Chen slowly raised his head to look at the source of the gaze, only to see Chu Mingyue standing on a high place, her eyes fixed on him.

Upon noticing Zhang Chen's gaze, Chu Mingyue made a throat-slitting gesture and then disappeared from the main hall.

"Huang Tiandao's influence has already begun to interfere in the imperial court. Isn't the Great Victory King afraid at all?" Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow and said to Xie Lingyun beside him.

"Look at the officials in the court, which one doesn't practice the incense and divine way? In a sense, they are all believers in the Yellow Heaven Path. But even within the Yellow Heaven Path, everyone has different camps. You can think of the court as the Yellow Heaven Path's court camp." Xie Lingyun answered her doubts: "Many members of the royal family also believe in the Yellow Heaven Path and practice its divine methods. Joining the Yellow Heaven Path does not mean taking sides with it. The court is divided into countless camps, so it is common for countless camps to be torn apart within the Yellow Heaven Path."

Zhang Chen was stunned upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that there was such a perspective to analyze Huang Tiandao.

It makes sense. Even if the entire imperial court joins Huangtiandao, does that mean the imperial court is no longer the imperial court? The imperial court is creating divisions within Huangtiandao, and it might even establish its own faction within Huangtiandao. Who will control whom then is uncertain.

If it weren't for the Great Virtuous Teacher overseeing things, the imperial court would have devoured Huang Tiandao long ago, leaving not even a trace of his bones.

The Chai family possesses three twelfth-tier innate spiritual treasures, giving them an absolute advantage against any force. What is there for the Chai family to fear?
"This angle is quite novel; I've certainly broadened my horizons," Zhang Chen remarked thoughtfully.

"Let's go back and discuss our next move. The real struggle is just beginning." Xie Lingyun said to Zhang Chen, "Do you have any plans?"

"It is only polite to reciprocate. The eight great families hate me so much they wish they could get rid of me, so naturally I must respond in kind," Zhang Chen said with a smile.

As for how to respond? Let's start with the Zhang family. Let's make trouble for the direct descendants of the Zhang family and start by splitting the Zhang family apart.

(End of this chapter)