Chapter 98 The Time of Liquidation, the System's Red Alert

The morning air at Cloud Top Villa was exceptionally fresh.

If one ignored the row of men in black kneeling neatly at the entrance holding various gift boxes, and the pale-faced middle-aged man standing at the very front, it would have been an absolutely beautiful morning.

Long Family Head, Long Xiaotian.

This big shot, who could cause an earthquake in the Imperial Capital just by stomping his feet, was currently standing at the door trembling like an elementary student who had made a mistake.

He never expected that his pride and joy of a son would not only fail to drive the person away, but would instead be kicked around like a ball and incur a staggering debt of ten billion!

What made him even more desperate was that according to the description of the butler who had been released, the youth named Jiang Chen possessed a terrifying power that could suppress even S-rank Dragon Blood!

“How is this a freshman? This is clearly a monster in human skin!”

Long Xiaotian wailed in his heart. To protect the Long Family's Foundation and redeem his son who was still spitting blood at home, he had to scrape together the compensation overnight and personally come to apologize.

“Creak—”

The villa's main gate slowly opened.

Jiang Chen walked out yawning, wearing his spongebob pajamas and holding a cup of freshly brewed hot milk.

“Oh, so early?”

Jiang Chen glanced at his watch. “It’s only eight o'clock. Does your Long Family not sleep?”

“Young... Young Master Jiang.”

Long Xiaotian squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying and bowed slightly. “I heard my foolish son was ignorant last night and disturbed your rest. I’ve specifically brought some modest gifts to apologize.”

“Modest gifts?”

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the rows of gift boxes.

“Open them up.”

“Yes! Yes!”

With a wave of Long Xiaotian's hand, the men in black immediately opened the boxes in their hands.

Instantly, the brilliance of jewels and treasures soared into the sky.

“This is a check for fifty billion Federation Credits.”

“This is the deed to an office building in the Imperial Capital's core business district.”

“These are the mining rights to three Top-Grade Spirit Stone veins.”

“And this...”

Long Xiaotian cautiously held out a red sandalwood box. Upon opening it, a bone-chilling cold air rushed out.

Inside lay a blueprint depicting an extremely exquisite bed.

“This is the design for the ‘Millennium Cold Jade Bed’ that my Long Family has treasured for years, along with the matching raw cold jade stones. It’s said that Cultivating while lying on it can not only cause Qi Deviation... oh no, it can focus the mind and calm the spirit, achieving twice the result with half the effort!”

Jiang Chen's originally nonchalant eyes lit up the moment he saw the blueprint.

“Millennium Cold Jade Bed?”

He took the blueprint and examined it carefully. “Hmm, it does look quite cool. Just in time for summer; this thing can save a lot on electricity bills.”

Long Xiaotian: “...”

Saving on electricity bills? Are you serious? This is a priceless cultivation treasure!

“Fine, since you’re so sincere, we'll consider this matter settled.”

Jiang Chen tucked the blueprint into his robe and casually took the fifty-billion check, fanning himself with it like a hand fan.

“However...”

He suddenly changed his tone and pointed at Iliya, who was lying on the lawn basking in the sun.

“I said yesterday, that whoever-he-is from your family is too ugly and scared my cat. How should we calculate this mental damage fee?”

“Meow?”

Hearing this, Iliya rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction. She was a dignified Saintess, how had she become a cat? But seeing the check in Jiang Chen's hand, she wisely chose to stay silent.

“This...”

The flesh on Long Xiaotian's face twitched. Compensation even for scaring a cat? This was too predatory!

But he didn't dare to argue.

“I'll pay! I must pay!”

Gritting his teeth, Long Xiaotian pulled another card from his robe. “Th-there's another billion in here, consider it... oh no, consider it nutrition fees for Her Highness the Saintess!”

“Now that's more like it.”

Jiang Chen satisfiedly tucked away the card and patted Long Xiaotian's shoulder. “Old Long, come visit often. I like sensible people like you.”

“I will... I will...”

Long Xiaotian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and led his people away as if fleeing for his life.

He swore he never wanted to step foot into this ghostly place again for the rest of his life!

...

After sending off the wealth-distributing boy, Jiang Chen was in high spirits.

“We’re rich! We’re rich!”

Little Fatty Chen rushed out of the house, drooling all over the place as he looked at the mountain of treasures. “Brother Chen, can we buy up all the braised pork in the Imperial Capital now?”

“Have some ambition!”

Su Qingyue gave him a sidelong glance, but her hands were also trembling slightly as she held the property deed. “Jiang Chen, so much money... how are we going to spend it?”

“How to spend it? On sleeping, of course!”

Jiang Chen said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I’m going to transform this villa into the top sleep center in the entire Federation! The walls will be reinforced with soundproofing runes, the floors will be covered in cloud-silk carpets, and I'll buy a bunch of those... sleep-aiding incenses!”

Just as he was imagining his beautiful future.

The star dream emperor pillow in his arms suddenly vibrated.

This time, it wasn't that soft starlight, but a scorching hot temperature, as if a red-hot iron was hidden inside.

“What’s going on? Is it leaking electricity?”

Jiang Chen instinctively wanted to throw the pillow away, but the pillow seemed to be attached to his hand and wouldn't be shaken off.

At the same time, in his mind, the System—which usually only showed signs of life at critical moments—suddenly popped up a series of red warning boxes.

【Warning! Warning!】

【High-dimensional space oscillation detected!】

【Coordinates locked: 30,000 meters above the Imperial Capital!】

【S-rank Seal "Abyssal Lock" is suffering external impact... Integrity decreasing...】

【99%... 98%... 97%!】

“Abyssal Lock?”

Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment. “What the hell is that?”

Before he could react, a terrifying fluctuation that made one's heart skip a beat descended without warning.

Buzz—!

All sound in the world seemed to vanish in an instant.

The wind stopped, the leaves became still, and even the piece of braised pork Little Fatty Chen hadn't finished eating was suspended in mid-air.

An indescribable sense of oppression enveloped the entire Imperial Capital.

It was as if a pair of invisible eyes were coldly watching this place from across endless time and space.

“Wh... what is happening?!”

Su Qingyue's face was deathly pale. She felt her Soul trembling, and even breathing became incredibly difficult.

“Not good!”

Mu Qingxue rushed out of the house, looking at the sky with a solemn expression. “This is... a pressure that surpasses Grandmasters, even surpassing War Gods! A great horror is about to descend!”

Jiang Chen did not speak.

He stared fixedly at the sky.

There, in the originally cloudless blue sky, an extremely thin red line suddenly appeared.

It was like a closed eye slightly cracking open a slit.

Although it was only a slit, the sliver of aura leaking from it caused the entire Imperial Capital's defense array to instantly overload, letting out a piercing alarm.

“That is...”

Jiang Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

In his vision, behind that red line seemed to be a churning sea of blood, an abyss filled with despair and destruction.

And in the deepest part of that abyss, a giant, malicious eyeball was greedily peeping at this world through that crack.

【Alert: A wisp of the "Abyssal Lord's" remnant consciousness is squeezing into this plane through the crack!】

【Seal damage: 3%!】

“Abyssal Lord?”

Jiang Chen's heart jumped violently.

Although he didn't know exactly how strong this thing was, he could feel that just this wisp of remnant consciousness was countless times stronger than that previous Demon Venerable!

If it really squeezed its way in...

The Imperial Capital, and even the entire human world, would probably be finished!

“Damn it! These guys are never-ending!”

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, the pillow in his hand as hot as a piece of burning coal.

Just then, a cold and familiar voice rang out in his mind.

“Trouble has come.”

It was the Empress!

Her voice was no longer lazy as before, but carried an unprecedented solemnity.

“That old fogey... actually hasn't died completely yet.”

“Let me use your body.”

Before the voice even faded.

Jiang Chen felt an indescribably massive Mental Energy instantly take over his body.

At this moment, his eyes turned into a pure purple-gold color.

Those were not the eyes of a human.

Those were the eyes of a god!

Jiang Chen (or rather, the Empress) slowly raised his head and looked at the cracked red line in the sky.

The corners of his mouth curled into an extremely cold and elegant arc.

“Cracked only 3% and you're already in such a hurry to come out for air?”

He (she) extended a finger and lightly tapped toward the sky.

“Get back.”