Before Zhang Chen, there was never an array formation in this world, so it's understandable that the Bear Demon King didn't recognize it.
"This seems like the legendary array," Bai Cang, being the Fox Race ancestor, had unearthed countless mysterious ruins and seen records of grand arrays in ancient texts.
"Array formation? What is that?" The Bear Demon King asked curiously.
Bai Cang replied, "It's a mysterious grand array that captures the Creation of Heaven and Earth, and the mysteries of the sun and moon, allowing the weak to defeat the strong. Its power is a thousand times that of the Feng Shui Grand Array!"
Upon hearing this, the Bear Demon King's expression became serious: "So, it means we are in big trouble?"
"Not just trouble, but tremendous trouble! This grand array is fierce and ferocious; we must never step into it," Bai Cang replied.
"No matter how vicious, what can it do? The scope of this grand array is limited. Once we employ Heaven and Earth, can't we crush it?" The Bear Demon King retorted defiantly.
"In other places, you could easily break the grand array, but here it connects with the Northern Land's ancestral vein. Breaking the array is tantamount to directly attacking the Earth Vein." Bai Cang shook his head, dismissing the suggestion, his eyes somber as he gazed at the grand array before him.
"For now, we can only find a way to negotiate." Bai Cang took a deep breath, his voice like thunder transmitting into the Nine Bends Yellow River Array:
"Zhang Chen, could you come out for a meeting? Ancestor, I have something to say."
"What do you have to say? Things have come to a head; we've already torn apart the facade. Between you and me, only one can survive. Do you think there's still a need to negotiate?"
"I can help you in dealing with Prince Pingbian's Mansion!" Bai Cang offered, unveiling his trump card.
Zhang Chen felt a stirring in his heart; if he could leverage the Demon Race to strike against Prince Pingbian's Mansion, it would be immensely beneficial to him.
"How can I trust you? Don't think I don't know—the Demon Race is already in bed with Prince Pingbian's Mansion. You say you'll help me against Prince Pingbian's Mansion, but I don't believe you," Zhang Chen scoffed from within the Nine Bends Yellow River Array.
Bai Cang looked at Zhang Chen with a surprised expression, never expecting Zhang Chen to see through the plan between the Demon Race and Prince Pingbian's Mansion.
"I am going to share something with you to demonstrate my sincerity," Bai Cang said, thinking of his own body. At this time, he couldn't afford to abandon it since it had evolved to the seventh tail, just a step away from the eighth; he couldn't give it up.
"Go ahead, tell me," Zhang Chen said noncommittally.
"Prince Pingbian has conspiringly withdrawn the three hundred thousand troops from the White Bone Great Wall with the Demon Race. Now the Demon Race's army has ascended the White Bone Great Wall, completely occupying it. With just one command from me, millions of Demon Race soldiers will rush in and invade the Human Race's territory," Bai Cang stated solemnly.
Zhang Chen felt a shock at this revelation, a glint of horror flashing in his eyes: "The Demon Race has already taken control of the White Bone Great Wall?"
"Otherwise, how do you think we Demon Race experts dare to swagger into Human Race territory making trouble? We need to leave ourselves a way out, don't we?" Bai Cang's eyes locked onto Zhang Chen: "This information is top secret and should reveal my sincerity."
Zhang Chen didn't speak, swiftly gauging all the intricacies in his mind, his eyes grim and deep.
"How do you intend to cooperate with me?" Zhang Chen asked.
"You want to eradicate Prince Pingbian's Mansion, and I also wish to merge with its forces. I think we can collaborate. In the end, the Demon Race will obtain Prince Pingbian's Mansion territory, and your enemy will be annihilated, isn't that a win-win situation?" Bai Cang suggested, his voice filled with persuasive allure.
Zhang Chen had to admit that Bai Cang's reasoning was sound.
Zhang Chen shook his head, rejecting Bai Cang's proposal: "Your plan is good, but I cannot betray my race. Once the Demon Race invades the Human Race's land, countless Human Race civilians would become blood food. How could I, Zhang Chen, commit such an atrocious act?"
Although Zhang Chen wanted to eliminate Prince Pingbian's ancestors and descendants, he was still human with a conscience; he couldn't do something that would make future generations curse his soul.
Zhang Chen didn't want to be saddled with infamy through the ages.
"Even if you don't act, Prince Pingbian has already done it. Now, the Demon Race army has occupied the White Bone Great Wall. Millions of troops are poised outside the Great Wall, and forces from various races are continuously arriving. This is a critical situation; even if the three Divine Artifacts of the Human Race descended, they couldn't stop this surge," Bai Cang emphasized meticulously for Zhang Chen:
"Whether or not you betray Prince Pingbian's Mansion, the invasion of the demon army into the pass is now a foregone conclusion, beyond human control. The true mastermind behind all of this is Prince Pingbian. If you can kill him, you will have done a great service for the Human Race. Otherwise, if he remains alive, who knows to what extent chaos will ensue in the Northern Land! Your actions would be a merit beyond measure."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen agreed. The chaos in the Northern Land was unavoidable; his alliance with the Demon Race to kill Prince Pingbian would not affect the situation there.
But he wasn't a fool. He understood the significance of Prince Pingbian to the Northern Land. If he were still alive, the core strength of the Northern Land would remain intact, and he would still have the ability to confront the Demon Race. If Prince Pingbian died, the situation would deteriorate into chaos, impossible to salvage.
"If I kill Prince Pingbian, the situation in the Northern Land will worsen, becoming leaderless and losing all power to resist. But since he is the true culprit, a human traitor from our race, should we let him live just to prevent trouble for ourselves? Moreover, only if he dies can the court possibly reclaim the Northern Land and quickly end the turmoil." Zhang Chen's mind constantly weighed the pros and cons, torn with internal conflict while standing in the array.
The struggle and agony within him were beyond external comprehension.
After a long time, Zhang Chen sighed softly, "How can I be sure you won't go back on your word? If I return your physical body and you gather demon experts to kill me, how would I survive?"
In the end, he chose to collaborate with Bai Cang, to kill Prince Pingbian, this human traitor, without any mercy.
Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Bai Cang replied with a wry smile, "You can ask Chen Sanliang to vouch for me! Chen Sanliang holds an esteemed position within my Demon Race. If he agrees to vouch, we can certainly relax in completing our cooperation."
Upon hearing Bai Cang's words, Zhang Chen was surprised, "Does Chen Sanliang hold such high status?"
"Mr. Chen is on the brink of achieving the Yang God state, controlling a path of power. Such an individual is a treasure in any race. Moreover, the Demon Race's occupation of the White Bone Great Wall and collaboration with Prince Pingbian's Mansion were orchestrated by Mr. Chen's relentless efforts. In this invasion of the Human Race, Mr. Chen Sanliang received orders from the ancestors and is the sole commander!" Bai Cang, in his desperation to regain his physical body, revealed all the secrets of the Demon Race.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen's pupils constricted rapidly, waves of shock surging in his heart, "Chen Sanliang has ascended to such a position? He's actually the mastermind behind this Demon Race invasion?"
The Fox Spirit, wielding the Power of the Mind, sensed the fragments of thoughts spilling from Zhang Chen's mind and knew what he was pondering. Thus, he smiled, "You must understand that 'Demon Race' is a collective term for countless races. Your Human Race is actually part of it; if named as demons, it would be called: Human Demons. The Demon Race is a broad term, encompassing Fox Race, Tiger Race, Cats, and others. Your Human Race was once part of it. But when your ancestors grew powerful, they considered themselves different from demons and separated, calling themselves the Human Race and expelling other demons, forcing the Demon Race to unite against humans."
"So having Human Demons in the Demon Race isn't uncommon." Bai Cang explained to Zhang Chen, providing a detailed explanation to eliminate any barriers in Zhang Chen's mind.
Zhang Chen suddenly understood, realizing the historical tie between the Human Race and the Demon Race:
"Go and ask Mr. Chen Sanliang to come; I have questions to ask him personally."
Bai Cang said no more and sent his Yin Spirit away. Half a day later, Chen Sanliang and Bai Cang arrived together.
At this point, inside the array, Bai Cang's physical form had only two lives left, while Zhang Chen's Blood God Child had made significant progress.
"Zhang Chen." Chen Sanliang stood outside the array, looking so frail that even a breeze seemed capable of toppling him, appearing far more aged, with his hair having turned entirely white.
"You have aged again, sir." Zhang Chen noted that Chen Sanliang was still wearing the robe Han Suzhen had made long ago, now frayed and patched up, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
"I didn't expect you to have such capabilities, forcing Mr. Bai Cang into this position." Chen Sanliang looked at Zhang Chen, his eyes full of satisfaction.
"Unfortunately, I gained these skills too late; otherwise, my master wouldn't have died in vain." Zhang Chen fixed his eyes on Chen Sanliang, probing for his reaction.
Sure enough, Chen Sanliang's eyes filled with deep-seated hatred upon hearing these words, murder gleaming in his eyes: "Those hypocrites of Confucianism deserve to die! One day, I will kill them all, grind their bones to dust, and even dig up their ancestral graves!"
It was evident that the hatred in Chen Sanliang's heart had reached an irreconcilable point.
With his emotional fluctuations, his facial muscles twisted, resembling a ghost emerging from Eternal Hell, terrifying and gruesome, causing an involuntary shiver.
"So this is why you led the demon army past the White Bone Great Wall, sir?" Zhang Chen asked.
Chen Sanliang nodded, "That's right, that's my reason! I want everyone in Confucianism to be buried alongside them!"
At this moment, Zhang Chen was speechless, for he wasn't Chen Sanliang and couldn't feel the pain of losing a loved one from his perspective, nor could he advise someone to be 'magnanimous.'