Chapter 1338 966: The Eve

Zhang Chen was somewhat curious about what his old acquaintances had said.

He didn't have many old friends, just a few in fact.

Zhang Chen waited in the main hall, and shortly afterward, a young man walked in with a broad smile, cupping his fists in respect towards Zhang Chen from afar: "Zhang, it's been a long time since we last met."

Seeing the visitor, Zhang Chen was momentarily stunned: "Chai Chuanxin?"

To be precise, it was Tushan Qing!

But upon further thought, even the demon ancestor Bai Cang had entered the core of the Great Victory court, so it wasn't surprising for Tushan Qing to appear in the capital.

The key point was the identity of Chai Chuanxin, whom Tushan Qing had possessed; the young man had royal blood flowing through his veins, though it was unclear how closely related he was to the royal family.

"Please, have a seat." Zhang Chen hurriedly invited Tushan Qing to sit down. The innate divine techniques of this young man had greatly helped Zhang Chen; without them, he might have already faced calamity and would hardly be enjoying his current carefree life.

This young man was truly a treasure to him.

After they were seated, Tushan Qing took a letter out from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Chen: "The reason I came today is that Her Majesty received some news and specifically ordered me to deliver it to you."

Indeed, Tushan Qing wouldn't come for nothing, Zhang Chen thought to himself. He wasn't sure why Bai Cang had delivered a message to him, so he took the letter, opened it, and was dumbfounded: "The royal family of Great Victory actually intends to go all out and have an all-out fight with the Eight Great Clans?"

Time went back to the day Zhang Chen extracted the Eighteenth Heaven, the old relics of the inner royal family were left soulless as if they had lost their souls upon seeing the anchor of the new world lost. They each returned to the inner royal palace through the portal.

Inner Royal Family

The current Human King was sitting at the desk handling documents when suddenly the sound of footsteps echoed. An attendant hurriedly arrived, standing before the Human King of Great Victory and whispered:

"Great King, the ancestors ask you to meet them urgently as there is a matter of extreme urgency."

The Human King of Great Victory, who was reviewing documents, felt a stirring in his heart and displayed a hint of joy on his face: "Could it be that the gateway to the new world is open, and we can enter it?"

The new world was crucial for the future development of the Great Victory royal family, concerning immortality and everlasting existence, as well as his significant future interests; how could he not be concerned?

After hearing the words, the Human King of Great Victory put down the documents and walked straight towards the resting place of the ancestors. Upon opening the door and entering the palace, the Human King's face immediately darkened. He sensed the atmosphere in the grand hall was not right; the entire hall was filled with a stifling air, with the ancestors all having gloomy expressions as if someone owed them ten thousand taels of gold.

The Human King of Great Victory approached the elder at the center, respectfully saluting: "Greetings to the Seventh Ancestor."

The Seventh Ancestor was the eldest among the ancestors and the one who had previously questioned Zhang Chen. Sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion with a solemn face, he slowly opened his eyes upon hearing the movement of the Human King and looked gravely at him, saying in a deep voice, "We have failed."

Upon hearing this, the Human King of Great Victory was taken aback: "Failed? Was it the restoration of the passage that failed? Or where did it fail?"

"The passage repair was successful, but when we joined forces to attack the world's barrier, it actually broke the anchor point connecting the two worlds, plunging the new world into spatial turbulence and disappearing." The Seventh Ancestor succinctly explained the course of events.

The Human King of Great Victory felt like he had been struck by thunder, his eyes filled with disbelief, his head buzzing: "How could this happen? How could this happen?"

"The countless efforts of the Chai Family over thousands of years, the blood shed by innumerable ancestors, all gone to waste?" The Human King's voice was filled with agitation:

"Is there a way to reconnect the anchor point of that world?"

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Ancestor shook his head: "We are at a dead end, with no way out."

Hearing these words, the Human King only felt the world spinning as he softened and fell to the ground, his eyes vacant: "What can be done? What can be done?"

The Seventh Ancestor did not answer the Human King's question; instead, he sat there quietly. After a while, seeing the Human King gradually regain his composure, the Seventh Ancestor spoke: "The most important thing is that our lifespan is nearing its end. We, the old ones, cannot enter the new world and can only await death. The accumulated heritage of the Great Victory royal family will vanish with the death of us old guys, marking the greatest crisis for the royal family. Perhaps someone will seize the opportunity to change the dynasty, just like Great Victory destroyed the Great Xia."

Hearing the Seventh Ancestor's words, the Human King remained silent for a long time before saying: "Is there no way to save the lifespan of the ancestors?"

"I have heard that there exists a miraculous wood in this world called the Tree of Life. This tree can extend our lifespan. If the Great King can find it, perhaps the situation can be salvaged," the Seventh Ancestor replied.

The Human King of the Great Victory fell silent again. After a long while, he spoke: "The Tree of Life is very likely within the Eight Great Clans. Although it's uncertain which clan, it definitely cannot be dissociated from them. Since this is the case, we might as well take a gamble. The ancestors are doomed if they exhaust their lifespan, so why not make a move to annihilate the Eight Great Clans and find the Tree of Life? If we can find it, the lifespan crisis of the ancestors can be resolved. If there is no Tree of Life, at least the ancestors would have given their last effort to resolve the final trouble for my Great Victory Royal Family. Now, there is already a split within the Eight Great Clans. It is the best time to destroy them, an opportune moment for us to act."

Upon hearing the words of the Human King of the Great Victory, the eyes of the Seven Ancestors burned as they looked at the Human King: "How confident are you?"

"With the support of the Gong Family, we are slightly more confident. If we can force the Zhang Family to join us, our odds increase by two parts. Such a reversal of situation equals subtracting four parts from the Eight Great Clans and adding four parts to us! Now is the perfect time to act; Prince Pingbian is unable to take care of the other six clans. We might hope to succeed in one strike. If we succeed, the Eight Great Clans will be destroyed, thereby becoming part of history. The great threat to my Chai Family will be removed, and we alone will enjoy the fortune of Heaven and Earth. Even if we fail, the ancestors would have dealt a heavy blow to the remaining six clans, surely buying time for the Great Victory Royal Family." The Human King of the Great Victory concluded with a confident smile:

"The most crucial part is, if we can get two of the Eight Great Clans and also employ our thunderous methods with all our might, grandson, you won't find a reason for failure."

"Proceed!" The Seven Ancestors nodded in agreement.

The Human King of the Great Victory returned to his chamber to start secretly preparing the troops, summoning people from the Gong Family, to launch an assault on the six clans. However, no one noticed when Zhang Xiaolan's silhouette appeared outside the window. Hearing the Human King's plot, Zhang Xiaolan's eyes showed a sharp glint:

"The Great Victory Royal Family is planning to strike against the Eight Great Clans. This is explosive news and must be quickly relayed to Zhang Chen."

Zhang Family

In the hall

Zhang Chen gazed silently at the confidential letter in his hand. After a long time, he finally spoke: "Thank the ancestors for me."

"Her Majesty asked me to inquire about your decision. Should we side with the Great Victory Royal Family to eliminate the other six clans, or help the six clans resist the Royal Family?" Tushan Qing looked at Zhang Chen.

At this moment, his inquiry about Zhang Chen's choice was naturally to determine his own stance based on Zhang Chen's decision, and then make preparations amid the chaos.

Zhang Chen tapped his fingers on the table, staring at the letter for a while before saying: "Tell Her Majesty to hold her ground. I will make arrangements in due time."

As for Zhang Chen's choice?

Of course, he wouldn't let the six clans be wiped out smoothly. If they were destroyed, the Chai Family wouldn't spare him. His father had caused such a huge trouble; how could the Great Victory Dynasty not settle accounts? It would be best to use the six clans to deplete the Royal Family for now.

Zhang Chen already had countermeasures in place. After the six clans depleted the Royal Family, he could use the power from that corpse to further deplete the Great Victory Royal Family and retrieve his Six Paths of Reincarnation in the process.

Zhang Chen had his own calculations. If he could use the Great Victory Royal Family to annihilate the six clans, and then utilize that corpse to weaken the Great Victory Royal Family, when both sides are gravely injured, it would give him the chance to develop peacefully.

"The six clans planned to sacrifice me to Prince Pingbian. So, I'll wipe you out first, and when the world changes in the future and Prince Pingbian rises, wouldn't that be wonderful?" Zhang Chen calculated with careful thought.

After receiving Zhang Chen's orders, Tushan Qing laughed, shared a drink with Zhang Chen, and left the Zhang Family.

The next day, shortly after Zhang Chen got up, Chief Eunuch Dugu Qiu arrived and was escorted by Zhang Chen into the main hall.

"What brings you here, godfather?" Zhang Chen asked with curiosity in his voice.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Dugu Qiu looked at him with a complex expression: "The Human King summons you to the palace."

"If it's just a summons to the palace, why did you trouble yourself to come in person?" Zhang Chen asked, pretending not to know the Human King's scheming.

Listening to Zhang Chen's words, Dugu Qiu looked at him with a complex expression. After a while, he finally spoke: "You saved my life, I cannot deceive you. The problem with the passage to the New World means the ancestors of the Inner Royal Palace cannot enter, nor can they extend their lives. Now they have become desperate, pushing for a last stand to ensure everlasting peace for the Great Victory Royal Family. The position your Zhang Family holds is crucial. The reason the Human King has summoned you this time is because of this. If you choose to side with the Human King and help eliminate the six clans, the Zhang Family can temporarily be preserved. But after the six clans are destroyed, due to Zhang Kecheng's affairs, your Zhang Family will still face settlement. If you do not accept the proposal from the Great Victory Royal Family now, you may not be able to leave the palace, and without you, the Zhang Family will crumble rapidly without the supply of Yellow Spring Water. So, no matter how you choose, the Great Victory Royal Family cannot lose."

After hearing Dugu Qiu's words, Zhang Chen was stunned. He didn't expect Dugu Qiu to reveal the entire course of events to him. He thought Dugu Qiu was loyal to the Great Victory Royal Family and wouldn't disclose the truth.

Even the fact that the Great Victory Royal Family would settle scores over Zhang Kecheng was laid out, showing that Dugu Qiu indeed had a sincere heart toward him without any manipulation.

"Based on your words, should I be running away now?" Zhang Chen asked, his voice calm.

"You should immediately send a message to the six clans, urging them to join forces and prepare for a final desperate struggle, possibly deterring the Great Victory Royal Family from acting rashly. Then, let those old guys in the Royal Family all perish naturally, and the crisis for your Eight Great Clans will pass." Dugu Qiu pointed out a bright path for Zhang Chen.

In fact, if Zhang Chen didn't have another choice, this would indeed be a clear path.