Chapter 164: Arrival at the Northern Fortress: Is this the Great Xia's "Ultimate Weapon"?
The Northern Fortress, Third Fortress.
The air here is perpetually filled with the cold scent of rust and dried blood.
Looking out, the dark red permafrost extends to the horizon, where the mist of the myriad races churns endlessly.
Today, the central tarmac of the fortress is sealed off.
Three thousand elite garrison troops, twelve Grandmaster-level officers, and the famously hot-tempered Regiment Commander Lei Heng stand solemnly in the cold wind.
"Commander, the higher-ups said that 'Honorary Consultant' is really only eighteen?" The adjutant lowers his voice, rubbing his frozen nose tip. "They also said he slapped a Half-step Grandmaster to death with a slipper in Kunlun? Doesn't this sound... like some cheap street-corner novel?"
Lei Heng snorts, a flash of awe in his single eye: "Cheap street-corner novel? That's just you being ignorant! I've seen the footage relayed by the satellite with my own eyes. That Mental Energy fluctuation made me want to kneel just from looking at the screen. Keep your eyes sharp later. If anyone dares to show even a shred of disrespect in front of Consultant Jiang, I'll throw them into the ice river to feed the fish myself!"
Just then, the clouds part, and a massive, stylishly painted pink streamlined flying ship descends slowly.
It is the "heavenly phoenix" specially supplied by the Su Family, rumored to have been repainted on short notice to suit someone's aesthetic.
The hatch opens, but there is no iron-blooded War God, nor the dashing figure one might imagine.
Walking out first are four expressionless Grandmasters from the Zhao Family, carrying a massive jade bed that emits a chilling, ghostly blue Aura—this is the "Myriad-Year Profound Ice Bed" requisitioned by Jiang Chen.
On the bed, a youth wearing a spongebob onesie is hugging a nine-tailed white fox, his head resting on a pitch-black jade pillow, sleeping so soundly that drool is about to drip onto the quilt.
Mu Qingxue and Su Qingyue guard either side; the Aura swirling around both women has clearly stepped into the Grandmaster Realm!
Lei Heng freezes.
The three thousand elite garrison troops freeze.
"Is... is this the 'Ultimate Weapon' sent by Great Xia?" a new recruit mutters. "Is he... on maternity leave?"
"Shut up!" Lei Heng suddenly shudders, his single eye fixed on the distorted air around the bed.
Within a ten-meter radius of the youth, all snowflakes don't just melt upon approach—they simply vanish!
Moreover, Lei Heng feels that the Grandmaster-level True Qi within his own body, the moment it nears the youth, shrinks back into his Dantian as if encountering a natural predator, not even daring to circulate.
This natural suppression of status is something he has only felt from the War God Lin Zhentian back in the day!
"No... he's not sleeping." Lei Heng's eyes suddenly turn extremely fearful, then transform into fanatical worship. "This is... the 'Domain of Silent All Things'! He is using sleep to forcibly suppress the rioting Spiritual Qi nodes in the North! Every breath he takes is repairing this shattered space! This is simply... a walking miracle of the human world!"
"Achoo—!"
Under the gaze of thousands filled with (imagined) awe, Jiang Chen sneezes with a sound like a finger snap.
Because this sneeze is accompanied by an unconscious overflow of War God Realm Mental Energy, it actually forms a small sonic boom cloud in mid-air, tearing a huge hole directly through the thick cloud layer.
Jiang Chen sits up groggily, rubs the sleep from his eyes, and looks around.
"We're here? Why is this place like a high-powered industrial refrigerator? It's freezing me to death."
Jiang Chen subconsciously shrinks his neck and pulls Mu Qingxue, who is meditating nearby, over, naturally reaching into her cool, smooth armpits to warm up.
"Mmm... Teacher, your 'heatsink' temperature is too low, you need to turn it up."
Mu Qingxue's delicate body trembles violently, her originally cold face instantly flushing red.
She bites her silver teeth, feeling the scorching pure Yang Qi and blood surging wildly through the contact area of their skin. That mixture of physiological comfort and mental shame makes her unable to push him away.
"Jiang Chen... in public, you... have some self-respect!" Mu Qingxue lowers her voice, her tone carrying a hint of nearly pleading coquettishness.
"Self-respect? I'm about to freeze to shutdown, how can I have self-respect?" Jiang Chen argues righteously and burrows in further, turning to look at Su Qingyue. "Qingyue, go check the 'constant temperature System' of that Profound Ice Bed. Is the 'Phoenix-Perching Wutong' wood damp? Why is the thermal conductivity so poor?"
Su Qingyue walks up with a blushing face, holding an "Energy Balance Analysis Report" just exported from the System terminal.
"Brother Jiang Chen, it's not the bed's problem." Su Qingyue cooperates with a straight face. "According to the 'Second Law of High-Martial Thermodynamics', because you forcibly fused the Empress's interest in your dreams last night, the 'atomic-level mental friction' in your body is generating heat too quickly. Now, Teacher Mu's 'Mysterious Yin Condensation Effect' must undergo non-linear superposition with your 'Pure Yang Oscillation' to achieve the optimal biological sleep point. Simply put..."
Su Qingyue glances at the dumbfounded soldiers around them and blushes, "You must stick to us now, otherwise your Sea of Consciousness will collapse due to the heat death effect."
The onlookers are confused, but high-sounding terms like "Second Law of Thermodynamics," "non-linear superposition," and "heat death effect" instantly make them pay their respects.
"Did you hear that?" The deputy of Regiment Commander Lei Heng nods solemnly. "This is the trouble of a top Prodigy. To stay awake (big fog) and suppress the enemy, Consultant Jiang has to endure this extreme balance of body and energy. Those two women... where are they concubines? They are two human-shaped precision temperature controllers!"
"Exactly! This is for science, for Great Xia!" The soldiers nod one after another, their eyes filled with respect for science (and sponging off others).
[Section 3: System Complaint: Your Fox Wants to Rebel]
[Ding! Detected that the concentration of "self-brainwashing" in the vicinity has reached 100%.]
[Obtained: Mental Energy Auto-Recharge Buff (Worship Bonus Edition).]
[System Prompt: host, please put away your lewd... ah no, greedy hands. Iliya's fox tail is about to be plucked bald by you.]
Jiang Chen looks down and sees Iliya (in white fox form) lying there with a look of hopelessness.
Those nine tails, originally as fluffy as clouds, have been kneaded into a mess by Jiang Chen, who used them as "stress balls" in his sleep.
"Master... if you use any more strength, Iliya will really be bald." Iliya's weak voice sounds in Jiang Chen's mind. "And... the fox clan scouts have already mixed into the fortress. They are all watching me make a fool of myself, wuwuwu..."
Jiang Chen strokes her fur soothingly: "What are you afraid of? I'll take you to catch your Old Ancestor later. Then we'll see who's making a fool of whom."
His gaze sweeps toward the mist on the outskirts of the fortress.
There, he senses an extremely familiar fluctuation that emits a charming "soothing Aura." That is not Killing Intent, that is... the scent of a top-tier mattress.
"System, locate it. Where is the underarm fluff of that old fox?"
[System: Locating... Target is located at the Fox Clan Altar, coordinates (XXX, XXX). Note: The opponent has Great Grandmaster Peak cultivation and is skilled in "Mortal World Purgatory" illusions.]
[Suggestion: host should bring your "air conditioner" and "heater," otherwise after entering the illusion, you might strip yourself naked because it's too hot, causing an irreversible livestream accident.]
Jiang Chen chuckles and hugs the two "temperature controllers" in his arms tighter.
"Strip naked? That doesn't exist. I'll only have them help me strip..."
Before he can finish, Mu Qingxue twists his waist hard.
"Hiss—! Easy, I'm leaking electricity!"
[Section 4: A Warning? No, It's a Sleep Quality Survey]
Just then, a Western Martial Artist in a Vatican red robe with an imposing Aura walks over.
This person is the observer stationed in the Northern Fortress by the Western Church—"Light's Verdict" Hera.
"Your Excellency Jiang Chen, I am Hera." The woman's voice is cold, her heavy sword carving a spark on the ground. "Although you caused quite a stir in the Holy City, the Northern Fortress is a hunting ground for the strong. The Devilish Qi here will erode Mental Energy, and your method of relying on sleep to recover is just asking for death here."
She waves her hand, and a divine and blinding Holy Light erupts, attempting to forcibly "wake up" Jiang Chen's dormant Sea of Consciousness.
This is a highly aggressive mental probe.
However, when that Holy Light touches within three inches of Jiang Chen's body, Jiang Chen doesn't even turn over; he just lazily stretches his fingers.
"Hum—!"
The moment that Holy Light touches Jiang Chen's Mental Energy field, it actually degrades from light particle form into inert gas due to "high-level suppression."
"Is this your... Holy Light?"
Jiang Chen half-opens his eyes, his tone carrying a trace of hostility from having his dream disturbed. "The brightness is too high, the flickering is severe, and it seriously interferes with my melatonin secretion."
"Kneel."
Just two simple words.
"Boom!"
The War God Realm Mental Energy instantly manifests into a hundredfold gravity.
Hera, who was just aggressive, doesn't even have time to scream. A crisp "crack" sound comes from her knees, and she falls to her knees in front of Jiang Chen's slippers like she was hit by a meteorite.
"In the future... when I am sleeping, don't turn on the lights."
Jiang Chen turns over and burrows back into Mu Qingxue's arms.
"Old man (Lei Heng), go prepare two tons of Sacred Sleeping Incense for me. If I don't sleep comfortably tonight, I'll go sleep in that gorilla's nest tomorrow and let your whole fortress hear its death throes."
Lei Heng is overjoyed and hurriedly salutes: "Consultant Jiang, rest assured! I guarantee to let you sleep with the comfort of a five-star home!"
The fortress garrison watches the Western powerhouse who was pressed to her knees by a single word, and only one thought remains in their minds: As long as the Sleep God is still sleeping, the Northern Fortress is as stable as an old dog!