Chapter 1350 - 978: Seeing You Off

The Ancient Era was an extremely illustrious period, a mysterious origin with countless masters claiming to be at the immortal Divine Demon level. Therefore, if he could excavate those Divine Demon level masters, he felt defeating Zhang Chen would still be possible.

"No matter how strong Zhang Chen is, could he possibly surpass those immortal Demon Gods who can take stars and pick moons?" The Great Victory Human King revealed a glint of cunning in his eyes: "Of course, we only have one chance to strike. Once Zhang Chen escapes alive, what awaits us are his thunderous methods, so we must unearth sufficiently powerful Divine Demon level masters and strike without fail."

"The Great King need not be overly pessimistic. Now, the mysterious energy between Heaven and Earth in Kyoto is thousands of times denser. Breaking through the Twelfth Tier is not too difficult. As long as we secretly nurture some experts breaking through the Twelfth Tier, coupled with the Innate Spiritual Treasure, even if we can’t defeat Zhang Chen, we have a great hope of restraining him!" the Twelfth Tier Divine Spirit comforted.

The Great Victory Human King heard and showed a look of sorrow, unable to help but sigh: "It’s lamentable. Our Great Victory Dynasty has ruled the world for five thousand years, the royal decree commanding the Dukes, with humans, demons, and ghost gods fearing to disobey. Now we are bullied to the point of subjugation, causing our Great Victory court to lower its head—it truly is odious!"

Upon hearing the sorrowful words of the Great Victory Human King, the Twelfth Tier Divine Spirit also let out a bitter laugh: "Zhang Chen rose from the Northern Land to this day in just ten years. His rise was so rapid that we couldn’t react, unable to formulate an effective strategy. Zhang Chen’s cultivation continues to soar; his progress seems less like that of an ordinary person and more like someone reborn through possession."

The Great Victory Human King detected the hidden meaning, raising an eyebrow, suspiciously questioning the Twelfth Tier Divine Spirit: "Are you suggesting that Zhang Chen was possessed or reincarnated by some old fellow?"

"Apart from that, I can’t fathom how a child whose bloodline had never awakened could withstand the oppression of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion or fought his way out from such hellish surroundings." The Twelfth Tier Divine Spirit stated solemnly: "Even any prodigious child wouldn’t have such ability."

"But the Zhang Family’s bloodline involves the power of the soul, would Zhang Family members also be possessed?" The Great Victory Human King found it hard to believe.

"Members of the Zhang Family are merely untouchable by ordinary cultivators in terms of possession, but what about certain old fellows from the Ancient Era? I’ve heard people say that near the small village where Zhang Chen lived, an Ancient Divine Demon Tomb emerged. If the unyielding soul in that tomb escaped and possessed Zhang Chen, then everything would make sense." The Twelfth Tier Divine Spirit said.

The Great Victory Human King’s pupils shrank, showing a hint of fear in his eyes, and after a long pause, he said, "You have a point! Zhang Chen’s true identity truly is an enigma. What would happen if we spread this theory and convey it to the Zhang Family?" The Great Victory Human King’s eyes revealed a trace of evil qi.

The Twelfth Tier Divine Spirit shook his head: "It’s useless! Now Zhang Chen controls the Yellow Spring Water, holding the future of countless Zhang Family members’ bloodlines. His momentum is unstoppable."

Meanwhile, Zhang Chen exited the royal palace, and Dugu Qiu rushed up from behind, following Zhang Chen. "Zhang Chen."

"Godfather!" Zhang Chen paused, turned around, and saw the hurried footsteps of Dugu Qiu, along with the hundreds of Imperial Guards following him.

Dugu Qiu stepped forward alone, arrived before Zhang Chen, and lowered his voice sternly: "You shouldn’t have forced the Great King today; it’s not beneficial for you or the Zhang Family. Although you’ve perfected great skills, remember that many lethal means exist beyond mere skills."

Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow at these words and smiled bitterly: "Ancestor, do I have any retreat left? My relationship with the Human King has long been fiery. Even if I didn’t exert pressure today, in the future, when he gains power, he certainly won’t let me off easily."

Upon hearing these words, Dugu Qiu sighed helplessly; he knew Zhang Chen’s statements were true and not false, yet as the Grand Steward of the Great Victory Royal Family, he already saw the royal family as his home, and Zhang Chen’s actions made him feel it was difficult to handle.

Everyone knew Zhang Chen was domineering; after all, Prince Pingbian’s Mansion was a precedent. Crown Prince Zhang Xiaohua was killed at his command, and the entire Prince Pingbian’s Mansion remained resentful towards Zhang Chen to this day. But Dugu Qiu didn’t expect Zhang Chen’s dominance to reach such an extent where he even disregarded the Great Victory Human King. This man was practically a lawless brute.

Now that his adversary changed to the Great Victory Royal Family, truly only those involved could understand the difficulty.

"Godfather is going to capture the Third Prince, wouldn’t mind if I personally send him off, would you?" Zhang Chen glanced at Dugu Qiu and switched the topic. He didn’t want to conflict with Dugu Qiu at this moment or damage their relationship due to the Great Victory Royal Family.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen’s words, Dugu Qiu let out a bitter laugh: "That would be murder by incrimination! If you go, it will surely make the Great Victory Human King hate you even more."

"So what? Would the Great Victory Royal Family tolerate me even if I didn’t go?" Zhang Chen replied quietly.

Seeing he couldn’t persuade Zhang Chen, Dugu Qiu had no choice but to drag his feet, letting Zhang Chen accompany him into the Third Prince’s Mansion, where a pack of Imperial Guards stormed in, surrounding the entire mansion.

Inside, the Third Prince Chai Wenxin was drinking at the banquet with Zhang Gaoqiu and others. Earlier, upon witnessing Zhang Chen unleash his divine power to suppress the evil in the blink of an eye, he had already made his escape amidst the chaos. Since he had seen all the royal family’s ancestors perish in calamity, Chai Wenxin felt elated, knowing that the days leading to his freedom were near. Hence, he secretly gathered his trusted aides to celebrate with drinks. As for Zhang Chen’s ability to suppress evil in an instant? What of it? He was a prince of the Great Victory Royal Family; no matter how strong Zhang Chen’s powers were, could they surpass those of the Great Victory Royal Family? Naturally, the Great Victory Royal Family had ways to handle it, so he wasn’t alarmed. At worst, he could be more low-key in the future. While the banquet was ongoing, a guard rushed in from outside, stumbling over his words, "Your Highness! It’s terrible! It’s terrible!"

"Why are you so panicked?" The Third Prince, upon seeing the flustered guard, did not reprimand him for his rudeness in front of his ministers, knowing that the rules in his mansion were strict. Unless it was a major issue, his guards wouldn’t commit such a breach of conduct. As the guard rushed in disheveled, a jolt of unease surged in his heart; something that could terrify his guard to this extent was definitely not a minor affair.

"Grand Steward Dugu Qiu is leading several thousand imperial guards to surround our mansion!" The guard knelt to the ground, uttering with panic.

The words of the guard made everyone at the banquet change colors abruptly, eyes filled with shock. The Third Prince was the most favored prince currently; who would dare to rashly lead troops to besiege his mansion?

The most crucial point is, without the command of the Great Victory Human King, who would dare to do such a thing? Now, since someone dared to do it, it was definitely an order from the Great Victory Human King.

Those present at the banquet were all core members of the Third Prince’s faction, each possessing extraordinary wit. In a thought, they understood the crux of the matter, thus putting down their wine cups, turning their gaze towards the Third Prince, waiting for his reaction.

Sure enough, the Third Prince’s expression changed abruptly, displaying an incredulous look, "What did you say? Dugu Qiu is leading the imperial guards to surround our mansion?"

The Third Prince’s expression changed drastically as he suddenly stood and rushed to the guard’s side, "Is what you said true?"

"It’s undoubtedly true; once you go outside, you’ll see for yourself," the guard bowed his head, "I dare not lie."

The Third Prince pushed aside the guard and quickly dashed outside the palace. As soon as he was outside, he saw Dugu Qiu standing at the front gate, swiftly composed himself, with an eager smile, saying, "What wind has brought the Grand Steward here? I failed to welcome you from afar; I hope Grand Steward forgives me."

As the Third Prince spoke, he scanned the area; when his eyes landed on Zhang Chen, his expression subtly changed. It felt as if a heavy stone had dropped into his heart, with an inexplicable dread weighing upon him.

Watching the Third Prince with a full smile, Dugu Qiu sighed softly, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Third Prince Chai Wenxin was someone he watched grow up; saying something irreverent, Chai Wenxin was no different than his grandson, their relationship was hard to describe in words.

Observing the smiling Third Prince, Dugu Qiu sighed softly, "Third Prince, this old servant’s visit today does not bring good news."

Chai Wenxin paused, his eyes scanning the imperial guards encircling his mansion tightly, his expression rather bitter, "Seeing the imperial guards surrounding the mansion, I already had a hunch. But what are the Great King’s orders? Please clarify for me, Grand Steward."

Even though Chai Wenxin showed a bitter expression, he still remained indifferent, not realizing the gravity of the situation.

He saw Zhang Chen coming along, only thinking that Zhang Chen’s cultivation was too formidable, and his father was trying to appease Zhang Chen by pretending to punish him, never imagining that the Great Victory Human King would directly betray him, nor expecting he would die today.

Dugu Qiu did not speak, merely instructed the guard beside him, "Put shackles on the Third Prince, and arrest everyone in the mansion one by one; no one is to be missed."

Upon hearing this, Chai Wenxin obediently wore the shackles without resisting. He knew his weight in the Great Victory Human King’s heart and didn’t think he was in any great danger, assuming that the Great Victory Human King was just pretending to punish him to appease Zhang Chen; such things had happened before. With the Third Prince not resisting, his mansion’s guests seeing Chai Wenxin willingly put on shackles, chose to follow suit.

Once everyone in the mansion, every male, female, old, young, minister, and servant were shackled, Dugu Qiu said, "The Great King’s decree."

The Third Prince led those in his mansion to kneel respectfully, hearing Dugu Qiu say, "Chai Wenxin and everyone in his mansion are to be executed immediately. All his comrades and followers are to be sent to the Imperial Prison for interrogation, those found guilty are to be judged and punished, and those innocent are to be released immediately, behold the decree!"

"What?" Chai Wenxin was shocked upon hearing this, his face full of disbelief, "Grand Steward, did you misspeak?"

He could not believe his ears, feeling as if a thunderbolt struck his head, making his mind buzz, his eyes displaying panic for the first time.