Zhang Chen calculated a thousand times but could never calculate that Bai Cang would actually possess a woman and intend to serve Prince Pingbian as a woman, absorbing Dragon Qi from him.
Bai Cang on the bed looked at the silhouette outside the curtain, and his heart gradually sank. He knew he was in big trouble. Although this was Prince Pingbian's Mansion, and shouting would bring experts to catch the thief, what worried him was how Zhang Chen had avoided the suppression of Dragon Qi to appear here. Even if he shouted, the guard's speed wouldn't be faster than his opponent's knife, who would surely behead him before they arrived.
So Bai Cang sat up, lifted the curtain, and emitted a crisp, soft female voice: "What do you want to talk about? This is Prince Pingbian's Mansion, a place protected by Dragon Qi. Even if you can show your Superpower here, how much power can you exert? As soon as I call out, the guards of Prince Pingbian's Mansion will gather upon hearing the commotion, and then you will have only one path—to death."
"The guards of Prince Pingbian's Mansion? Haha, those useless fools, I've dealt with them before," Zhang Chen said with a smile.
Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Bai Cang's expression grew even darker: "What do you want to do?"
He did not ask how the opponent found him because he knew such trivialities would not be answered and might as well directly find a way to solve things.
"I want to find a Fox Spirit, but I wonder if you could point me in the right direction. Where has that Fox Spirit been hidden by you?" Zhang Chen sat on a nearby chair, poured himself a cup of tea, and was about to drink it when he suddenly stopped.
Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Bai Cang was stunned, seemingly realizing something: 'He doesn't know I've already possessed this woman; he's only sensed my presence on her.'
With this deduction in mind, Bai Cang's heart pounded uncontrollably, thoughts flashing wildly: "There's a way! There's a way!"
Then Bai Cang tentatively said, "I don't know about any Fox Spirit."
"Haha, you think you can fool me? That Fox Spirit possessed your unborn child and failed, causing a miscarriage. The Fox Spirit's Yin Spirit already has causal induction with you, and breaking this bond won't be easy. You say you don't know the whereabouts of the Fox Spirit's soul, do you think I would believe you?" Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Xiaolan, his words full of mockery.
The Fox Spirit at this point was delighted beyond measure; Zhang Chen truly didn't know he had possessed Zhang Xiaolan. He steadied his emotions and, after a moment of silence, said, "The Fox Spirit you speak of fled when the Prince arrived. If you want to find the Fox Spirit's soul, you should look elsewhere."
"If you wish to avenge the past for scheming against me, just kill me; I won't resist. As for other information, I have no knowledge at all!" Zhang Xiaolan closed her eyes, assuming a resigned posture.
Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Xiaolan, did not say much, just took out the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, gently reflected it upon Zhang Xiaolan, and saw a snow-white fox appearing on the mirror's surface.
Zhang Chen, seeing the mirror's image, froze in place, his eyes full of disbelief.
'Clink~'
Zhang Chen closed the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, then shrank it and pocketed it in his sleeve, silently staring at Zhang Xiaolan on the bed before saying: "That Fox Spirit remains untamed, its Yin Spirit deceitful on many fronts; sister, be careful not to be deceived by it. As for killing you... there's no need, especially since you once provided me with a house full of supplies when I couldn't survive myself. I'm leaving now; live well."
With that said, Zhang Chen's left hand in his sleeve made a gesture, launched an Escape Technique, and vanished.
When the Fox Spirit saw Zhang Chen launch an Escape Technique directly in the Mansion, its eyelids kept twitching, eyes filled with disbelief: "It shouldn't be like this! It shouldn't be like this! This is Prince Pingbian's Mansion, a place where Northern Land's Dragon Qi is most dense, even Yang God True Man would be suppressed here, how did he easily apply Divine Techniques and Superpowers?"
Bai Cang's heart thumped wildly: "This kid has secrets! Huge secrets!"
His voice was filled with greed: "If I could acquire this secret, combined with my Void Transformation techniques, the world would be mine to traverse."
At a teahouse outside Prince Pingbian's Mansion, Zhang Chen entered, booked a private room, picked up a tea cup, and restrained the shock in his heart.
"What is Bai Cang, that old fox, trying to do? He actually possessed a woman?" Zhang Chen's eyes were full of disbelief.
It was truly unbelievable!
"But the old fox is quite cunning, so I should temporarily act like I'm unaware of his actions, don't alert him. Wait seven days; when he hasn't completed the possession yet, I can mark him then, won't that old fox be at my mercy?" Zhang Chen squinted his eyes, deciding to wait for when the old fox was about to complete the possession to mark him.
He had plenty of time, he could wait.
While Zhang Chen's mind was a flurry of thoughts, someone knocked on the door outside, and without waiting for Zhang Chen to respond, Xie Lingyun entered.
Xie Lingyun, dressed in armor, carried a hint of water vapor, her skirt hem wet from rain.
"Your Inspection and Supervision Department's methods are truly pervasive; I had just sat down at the teahouse when you already found my trail." Zhang Chen looked at Xie Lingyun, jesting.
"The Inspection and Supervision Department's means are not merely limited to this. Anyone who is a key focus of the department's attention cannot escape its watch." Xie Lingyun sat opposite Zhang Chen, picked up the teapot to pour herself a cup, and only after taking a large sip did she pull out a fist-sized jade box from her sleeve and push it in front of Zhang Chen: "For you."
Zhang Chen curiously took the jade box, and upon opening it, a familiar shade of purple came into view. Then with a 'click,' Zhang Chen closed the box, lifted his gaze to Xie Lingyun, a hint of gratitude in his eyes.
This is a fragment of an Eleventh Tier True Dragon's Dragon Pearl. Though Zhang Chen didn't lack them, for others, it's an ancestral treasure that can be passed down for generations.
"Thanks!" Zhang Chen put the box away, casually said his thanks, and refrained from saying anything overly sentimental.
Clearly, Xie Lingyun was very satisfied with Zhang Chen's reaction. She smiled and said, "There aren't many Dragon Pearls within the department; some need to be offered to the Imperial Palace. Only a few can be retained. When the complete Dragon Pearl shattered, most fragments either sank into the rivers or were swallowed up by the beasts of the mountains. Not many strong individuals could obtain them. Dragon Pearl Fragments have astonishing spirituality and an incredible speed; capturing them is not easy. Even my father only managed to capture twenty pieces."
Xie Xuan is a master at the Yang God level, and he could only capture twenty fragments; lesser cultivators stand even less a chance.
Xie Lingyun's explanation wasn't intended to emphasize the item's value, she was only concerned that Zhang Chen might think she was stingy for not giving him more.
"There's no need for explanations between us, sister. Our relationship doesn't require them." Zhang Chen poured Xie Lingyun a bowl of tea.
"By the way, there's something I need to remind you, sister. The Demon Race army has taken control of the White Bone Great Wall. The Northern Lands are doomed to fall; you'd better prepare early," Zhang Chen mentioned casually, as if he just remembered something.
"What?" Xie Lingyun was startled: "Where did you hear this news? Is it reliable? Could it be mere hearsay? If the Demon Race were attacking, and engaging in a great battle with the Northern Lands army at the White Bone Great Wall, such a commotion could not escape my department."
Xie Lingyun couldn't believe what Zhang Chen was saying.
Zhang Chen smiled and said, "What if Prince Pingbian actively invited the Demon Race army to cross the border, surrendering the White Bone Great Wall willingly?"
"How dare he!" Xie Lingyun's face turned pale. Though she spoke with righteous anger, her heart was a chaotic mess because it was Zhang Chen who was saying this. Given that he spoke, it was almost certain.
"I know there's a hundred thousand strong Demon Race army hidden in the Northern Lands. If you're interested, sister, you might as well go check it out yourself." Zhang Chen revealed the Demon Race army's stronghold in the Northern Lands.
Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Xie Lingyun couldn't sit still any longer, as if a fire was under her feet, she stood up immediately and left without even a goodbye.
At the station of the hundred thousand strong Demon Race army, numerous demon race experts looked at Bai Cang's body, their eyes filled with grief and anger.
A Lion Spirit roared, "It must be Zhang Chen's doing! He killed Bai Cang and then fled in fear of his crime. This traitor - our Demon Race will not let him off."
"Kill! We must kill that human to avenge Military Advisor Bai Cang." The Python Spirit hissed.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
"The Military Advisor cannot die in vain!"
...
The demon beasts roared, each of them burning with rage.
"Demon Master, what do you think?" At this moment, the Bear Demon King turned to look at Chen Sanliang.
"Bai Cang wasn't that weak. He could've made a commotion before he died." Chen Sanliang stroked his chin, "Besides, I believe in Zhang Chen's character; there must be more to this than meets the eye."
"The situation is clear, what's the mystery here? It's obviously that traitorous Zhang Chen. Why make excuses for him, Military Advisor?" The Wild Boar King's words were full of discontent.
"It's not good! The human Inspection and Supervision Department's army has surrounded us; they know our whereabouts." At this moment, a rabbit spirit with distinctive long ears hastily rushed in from outside the tent to report.
Upon hearing this, everyone turned pale. The Bear Demon King said, "We've hidden here incredibly well, and for months the department hasn't found any trace of us. How did they suddenly locate us? It must be that wretch Zhang Chen who killed Bai Cang and then leaked our location. I vow not to rest until I've crushed him to pulp."
"It must have been Zhang Chen who leaked the information!" The demon beasts cursed, their voices filled with rage and frustration.