I Collect Skill Fragments in the Demon World

Chapter 907 - 535: The Struggle for the Great Dao

The steel whip exploded in the air like firecrackers, as Zhang Chen stepped forward, evading the opponent’s attack. His eyes incredulously looked at Pingbei Marquis: "I came to deliver a message for you, why are you attacking me?"

"You came to deliver a message for me? Haha~ You damned lowlife, today you dare to deliver a message in my study, tomorrow you’ll dare to assassinate me." Pingbei Marquis’s eyes were full of chill as the steel whip twisted like a flood dragon, constantly lunging at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen sighed softly upon seeing this. At this moment, Pingbei Marquis had protective Dragon Qi around him; his own True Dragon Qi couldn’t break through the protective Dragon Qi temporarily. Hence, he could only keep evading: "Is it just because of this?"

Zhang Chen’s voice was filled with disbelief.

"Enough! Killing you, this reckless assassin, is more important than what you have to say." Pingbei Marquis’s steel whip waved continuously, yet he manipulated it exquisitely, without damaging any of the furnishings within the room.

Zhang Chen understood the opponent’s thinking now; for him, eliminating any potential threat was more important.

Zhang Chen had thought incorrectly; he thought delivering his message would make the opponent overjoyed, or even recruit him. Who would have thought the opponent’s first reaction was to try to kill him?

Thinking about it, when faced with something that might threaten their life, the first thought is always to kill the opponent, and only when unable to, start negotiating or recruiting.

Just like the court facing rebellious forces, their first thought is annihilation, only recruiting when annihilation is impossible.

Zhang Chen was very disappointed in Pingbei Marquis and this damned bureaucratic system. Must ordinary folks forever remain downtrodden, to be stomped upon?

Zhang Chen’s figure flashed, using an escape technique to disappear from the room, then reappeared on the street, heading towards the grain store:

"Indeed, Chen Sanliang was right, I was too naive."

Zhang Chen bought some grain and had just walked out of the grain store’s door when he saw soldiers swarming the street, constantly intercepting and searching passersby.

"No need to guess, they must be here to capture me." Zhang Chen looked at the packs of soldiers like wolves and tigers, his figure flashed again and vanished from the spot, reappearing outside the city to see his family had packed their belongings, ready to set off.

Zhang Chen’s escape technique couldn’t carry too many items, but taking ones of similar weight to himself wasn’t an issue.

He bought thirty kilograms of rice, enough for his family to eat for half a month.

"Let’s go, on the road now, we’ll eat refined rice next meal." Zhang Chen smiled as he tossed the refined rice onto the carriage.

Hearing Zhang Chen’s words, the little ones cheered, and then Zhang Chen took out a map for inspection, confirming the location of the next town before heading in its direction.

Of course, he wasn’t following the map entirely; Zhang Chen wasn’t a fool. Why would he walk directly according to the map? He just needed to confirm the position between the two towns, then walk ahead to verify the route before leading his family along the path he found.

For Zhang Chen, he could transform into a Vampire Bat, traveling hundreds of miles in an hour wasn’t a problem. Plus, from a high vantage point, he could easily see towns hundreds of miles away, so scouting routes wasn’t difficult for Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen didn’t travel quickly because he had to consider the hardship of the women and children in the carriage.

When Zhang Chen arrived at the next town, ten days had already passed. He passed by the town without entering, camping in the forest outside and then went into the town to gather information.

Zhang Chen took the dried meat and pelts his family hunted to sell on the street, standing in the corner listening to merchants from all over chattering about various rumors.

At this moment, a voice reached Zhang Chen’s ears, making them perk up. He listened intently as a man selling rabbits nearby said, "Have you heard? Chen Sanliang has entered the borders. A few days ago, he defeated three academies in the territory of Pingbei Marquis, took down their plaques, and demanded their dissolution, preventing them from ever teaching again. The principals and masters of the three academies are forbidden to write ever again! The cultural heritage of Pingbei Marquis’s territory is cut off completely."

"What? Such a thing happened? Who is Chen Sanliang to actually force three academies to close?" The nearby sickle-selling vendor perked up and asked curiously.

"I overheard some merchants talking while hunting in the mountains. Chen Sanliang was once the top scholar of an academy, but due to his arrogance and disrespect, he was banished to the Northern Land, constantly suppressed. Later, his wife tragically died, and he allied with the Demon Race, guiding them to invade the Northern Land, tearing through the defenses of the White Bone Great Wall. With the Demon Race’s support, he personally set foot on the Divine Land for revenge, swearing to challenge every academy from south to north. If he wins, the academy’s plaque is removed, the students dispersed, and its masters forbidden to write, becoming illiterate. If he loses, he leaves his life at the academy, becoming its stepping stone," the rabbit seller explained.

Zhang Chen’s mind shook at the news, "Chen Sanliang is playing too big! How confident must he be in his scholarship to make such a wager? And are those academy masters fools to agree to such a career-ending gamble?"

No one would gamble with their future.

Zhang Chen’s question mirrored the sickle-selling vendor’s curiosity, prompting him to ask, "Those three academies must be crazy to agree to such outrageous terms?"

"Haha, what do you know? As the saying goes: ’In literature there’s no number one, in martial arts there’s no number two.’ Those who run academies are supremely confident in their scholarship. How could they fear Chen Sanliang? If they avoid the challenge, their hearts will be shadowed, their cultivation ruined, and they’d become waste, akin to being unable to write," said the rabbit meat seller with insight, "I heard Chen Sanliang offered a treasure impossible to refuse, a legendary ’Innate Constitution,’ words formed innately—the highest desire of all scholars—making them willing to face potential death just to see it."

"Of course, some academies avoided battle after seeing the others’ fate, but Chen Sanliang hung women’s clothes at the academy’s gate to shame them, a humiliation no one could bear," the hunter said with a sigh.

"You’re quite informed, knowing such things?" The sickle vendor looked at the hunter in surprise.

"I just repeated what the passing gentlemen discussed," the hunter replied.

Beside them, Zhang Chen listened to their conversation, his eyes showing caution, "Chen Sanliang truly mastered manipulating the human heart! First, using the Innate Constitution to entice; if the opponent refuses, he shames them at the gate. Such a chain of attacks leaves the opponent’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit scattered, causing them to doubt their decades of scholarship, leading to a collapse like Chen Sanliang’s, turning into a waste."

Given the options, it might be better to fight Chen Sanliang directly, risking everything for a slim chance of survival.

Since ruin is certain, it’s better to leave a good reputation among scholars than to be a laughingstock.

"Chen Sanliang’s actions are severing himself from the world of literature. How bold he is, how dare he?" Zhang Chen’s eyes were full of horror. After pondering for a moment, he thought, "Perhaps when Han Suzhen died, Chen Sanliang had already severed himself from the literati."

"Chen Sanliang is truly ruthless, going mad with his revenge!" Zhang Chen thought quietly, "But the Human Race has dominated the world for countless millennia, with deep roots. It’s not that simple. Chen Sanliang, challenging the entire Confucian Forest alone, might provoke some old Confucian figures. Regardless, the academy’s five masters, in terms of cultural depth, far surpass Chen Sanliang; otherwise, he wouldn’t have failed and ruined his own resolve during the Dao debate."

"Kid, you got it wrong. Do you think Chen Sanliang debates the Human Dao just for revenge? Chen Sanliang isn’t that narrow-minded!" Amidst Zhang Chen’s internal debate, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon whispered in his ear.

"Hmm? Does he have another goal?" Zhang Chen was taken aback upon hearing.

"Isn’t it because of you!" The Great Freedom Celestial Demon replied irritably.

"Because of me? What does it have to do with me?" Zhang Chen’s eyes showed confusion.

"Your phrase ’Unity of Knowledge and Action’ gave Mr. Wu the essence, allowing him to prove the Yang God and claim the Dao’s destiny. With Mr. Wu holding the academy’s orthodoxy, spreading the Dao is not difficult. He has seized some of Chen Sanliang’s fate, forcing Chen Sanliang to fight back, halting Mr. Wu’s continued usurpation of Confucian destiny, and opening up the field within the Human Race to spread his own Dao. His challenge becomes a way of transmitting the Dao, inevitably drawing countless students to his scholarship, becoming followers," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon explained.

"You’re wrong. Mr. Wu’s Dao is ’Unity of Knowledge and Action,’ while Chen Sanliang’s Dao has changed to ’Educate the World.’ They aren’t in conflict," Zhang Chen couldn’t understand, his eyes showing bewilderment.

"A Dao struggle isn’t so simple. The Human Dao’s destiny is limited, and their Dao struggle is harsher than a single Dao battle. Just a slight mistake could lead to rootless ruin!" The Great Freedom Celestial Demon said with a bitter smile.

Zhang Chen gasped at this realization, a thought flickered in his mind, "The ’Unity of Knowledge and Action’ was Chen Sanliang’s painstaking research over sixty years, now taken by Mr. Wu. How could he allow Mr. Wu to thrive and use his fruit to defeat him?"