Chapter 20 The Empress Beneath the Crack

The end of the air-raid shelter was not a dead end, but a massive natural cavern.

There was no light here, but a massive purple crystal sphere with a diameter exceeding ten meters floated in the center of the cavern, illuminating the entire space with an eerie and dreamlike glow.

The inside of the crystal sphere was filled with flowing liquid. And within that liquid, a figure was curled up.

It was a woman.

She had long purple hair that floated in the liquid like seaweed.

She wore ancient battle armor that had never been seen before; although damaged, it could not hide its original magnificence and nobility.

Her skin beneath the armor was as crystalline as jade, outlining breathtaking curves. Her face was stunningly beautiful, exuding a majesty that looked down upon the world; even with her eyes closed, she made people feel an urge to prostrate themselves in worship.

Most heart-stopping of all, a pair of pitch-black wings were folded behind her back, with runes of the abyss circulating upon them.

"This is... the Demon Race?"

Su Qingyue hid behind Jiang Chen, exclaiming in a low voice, her voice trembling. "The textbooks say that only the Demon Race royalty possesses black wings! How could an existence of this level be here?"

"No, not just the Demon Race."

Jiang Chen's gaze was fixed intently on that crystal sphere.

The System's detection function was blaring frantically; red warning boxes almost filled his entire field of vision, even accompanied by harsh alarm sounds.

【Target: Empress (Asleep).】

【Identity: Seventh Empress of the Demon Realm / Rift Guardian.】

【Rank: ??? (Extremely dangerous, can destroy a city with a single breath).】

【Status: Seal loosening, severe lack of sleep, about to go berserk.】

【Task Tip: Her Waking Up Anger could wipe Jianghai City off the map. Only the host's "Supreme" Dream Law can appease her.】

【Suggestion: Sleep-convince her! At all costs! This is an S-Rank pillow!】

Jiang Chen's mouth twitched.

Are you serious, System? This is a Demon Race Empress!

You want me to sleep-convince a BOSS? And is this "S-Rank pillow" remark for real?

At this moment, fine cracks began to appear on the surface of the crystal sphere.

Crack, crack, crack...

An aura of destruction leaked out from within.

The entire cavern began to collapse, rocks tumbled down, and the pressure made it difficult for Su Qingyue to even stand, her kneecaps emitting a brittle sound from being unable to bear the weight.

"Jiang Chen, let's run! This isn't something we can handle! This is at least a Divine-Grade existence! We'll be crushed into powder!" Su Qingyue grabbed Jiang Chen, intending to run back, tears welling up in her eyes.

"We can't run." Jiang Chen shook his head, his eyes terrifyingly calm. "Once she wakes up, everything within a hundred miles will turn into ruins. By then, my broken house, my sister, and your aunt... will all be doomed."

"Then what do we do? Wait for death?"

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, straightened his messy collar, and a flash of madness crossed his eyes.

"Since she's throwing a tantrum because she hasn't woken up properly, then let her keep sleeping! When it comes to coaxing people to sleep, I'm a professional."

After saying this, Jiang Chen strode toward the crystal sphere that was about to shatter.

"Jiang Chen! Are you crazy?!" Su Qingyue tried to pull him back, but was pushed away by Jiang Chen with a gentle force.

"Wait for me here. If I don't wake up... remember to take good care of my sister for me, and by the way, burn my limited edition pillows for me."

Jiang Chen walked to the underside of the crystal sphere.

At this moment, the Empress inside the crystal sphere seemed to sense the aura of a living person; her eyelashes trembled slightly, and a terrifying purple light was gathering—the precursor to destroying everything. The energy contained within that purple light was enough to raze this abandoned city to the ground.

"Time to gamble!"

Jiang Chen closed his eyes, suddenly spread his arms, and pressed his palms against the cold wall of the crystal sphere.

【Supreme Nightmare System, full power activated!】

【Skill activated: Great Dream of a Thousand Years · Requiem!】

【Consuming all just-recovered Mental Energy to construct an "S-Rank Sleep Dream"!】

Boom!

The Mental Energy in Jiang Chen's body surged into the crystal sphere like a flood breaking its dam.

His consciousness was instantly dragged into a strange red space.

This was a battlefield of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The long-purple-haired Empress stood alone on a pile of corpses, holding a demonic sword, with countless corpses of Demonic Beasts and humans beneath her feet. Her eyes were filled with slaughter, violence, and endless fatigue, as if she had been fighting for thousands of years.

"Get lost! Ant!"

The Empress in the dream turned her head, her cold gaze piercing the intruder.

With just a single glance, Jiang Chen's spiritual body almost collapsed, like a candle flame in a gale.

But he did not retreat. He knew this was just the Empress's nightmare. She was too tired, so tired that she was killing even in her dreams.

"Fighting and killing is so tiring."

Jiang Chen waved his hand in the dream, invoking the System's highest authority.

【Dream Modification: Initiated.】

"Renovation start!"

The surrounding mountains of corpses and seas of blood began to recede like a tide, and the pungent smell of blood turned into a faint scent of lavender.

The blood moon in the sky turned into a gentle, warm sun, and the skeletal remains beneath his feet turned into grass as soft as cotton candy.

Jiang Chen manifested a massive cloud bed that looked incredibly soft, complete with a top-tier temperature control System and surround-sound sleep-inducing white noise.

"Your Majesty, I see your dark circles are showing; how about... sleeping in a bit more?"

Jiang Chen, enduring the pressure capable of tearing apart a Soul, walked step by step toward the woman who resembled a god of slaughter. An extremely warm, languid, and peaceful aura emanated from him—this was the Origin power he had gained from cultivating the "Dao of Sleep."

The Empress was stunned.

For thousands of years, everyone (or Demon) who intruded here came with murderous intent and greed.

Only this weak human before her actually... wanted her to sleep?

Moreover, that cloud bed... looked like it was really, really comfortable.

That fatigue originating from the depths of her Soul surged up like a tide the moment Jiang Chen approached.

"You... bold..."

The Empress's voice grew softer and softer, and the demonic sword in her hand clattered to the ground, turning into specks of starlight.

Jiang Chen stepped forward and took her hand in a very natural manner (he was gambling with his life at this moment, his palms full of sweat), guiding this imperious Empress to the cloud bed.

"Sleep. Everything is in the dream. No war, no slaughter, only... sweet dreams."

Jiang Chen's voice was like the most powerful lullaby, carrying a kind of irresistible magic.

The Empress's eyelids grew heavier and heavier; those nerves that had been tense for thousands of years snapped completely at this moment.

Finally, she lay down obediently.

In those soft clouds, the brows that had been furrowed for thousands of years finally smoothed out, and she let out a satisfied sigh.

"Mmm..."

As the Empress fell asleep, in the real world, the cracks on the crystal sphere stopped spreading and began to repair rapidly.

That aura of destruction also receded like a tide.

【Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully appeasing an Epic-Rank BOSS.】

【Task completed: The Roar of the Cave (Perfect Rank).】

【Because the host has established a deep dream link with the Empress, and the other party is in a state of "extreme dependence," the host will enter "Companion Sleep."】

Thud.

Jiang Chen's body went limp, and he collapsed beneath the crystal sphere.

"Jiang Chen!!"

Su Qingyue rushed over, crying, and picked up Jiang Chen.

She discovered that Jiang Chen was still breathing and sleeping very peacefully, with a trace of a smile even hanging on the corner of his mouth, as if he hadn't just gone to risk his life, but had gone on a vacation.

And in the crystal sphere above his head, that terrifying Empress actually turned over, as if hugging something in her dream (actually hugging Jiang Chen's spiritual projection), a beautiful, unprecedented, tranquil smile appearing on her face.

A catastrophe was thus dissipated into nothingness in the middle of a "sleep."

Su Qingyue stared blankly at this scene, her worldview completely collapsing.

"Is this... is this his way of fighting?"