18: Chapter 18 You smashed my tablet? I've already unleashed your protective mountain formation!

"Linglong, this is truly precious where we are," Jiang Chen quickly explained.

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"This is called Rare Earth; it's a top-tier material for industrial... ahem, for artifact refining."

"How pitiful."

Ji Linglong sighed and sat up straight, her eyes filled with the concern one might show for 'children in impoverished mountain areas.'

"Husband, if you truly like mines, just tell me. Why bother blowing in the cold wind in that godforsaken place?"

She casually pointed behind her.

Through the video, Jiang Chen saw a massive mountain shimmering with brilliant purple light behind her cave dwelling.

The light was so intense it dyed half the sky purple.

"That is a Purple Crystal Ore Vein," Ji Linglong said in a flat tone.

"Though it's nothing top-grade, at least it's shiny and quite pretty. If Husband likes it, I'll have what's-his-name... move this mountain over to give to you tomorrow?"

"Move... move a mountain?"

Jiang Chen was dumbstruck.

Lei Keming frantically gestured from the side: [Refuse! Absolutely refuse! The mountain is too big! It'll cause gravity anomalies and lead to earthquakes!]

Jiang Chen quickly shook his head. "No! Absolutely not! Linglong, I appreciate the sentiment. But our place is small; we can't fit such a huge mountain. And..."

At that moment, an urgent prompt from the chief expert of the Romance Think Tank came through his earpiece:

[Attention! This is a freebie question! Do not act like you are greedy for her wealth! Sublimate the theme! Focus on the affection!]

Jiang Chen understood perfectly.

He took a deep breath, his gaze becoming deeply affectionate as he looked directly into Ji Linglong's eyes on the screen.

"And, Linglong."

"I am happy not because of how much this mine is worth, nor because of what artifacts it can refine."

"I am happy because this is a gift from you."

Jiang Chen reached out and gently stroked Wangcai's head on the screen (actually just stroking the air), his voice so tender it could melt water.

"Even if all this mouse found was a pile of waste soil, as long as it's from you, in my eyes, it's ten thousand times more precious than that Purple Crystal Mountain."

"Because hidden within this is your kindness toward me."

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Even the sound of the wind in the desert seemed to stop.

On the other side of the screen, the grape Ji Linglong hadn't had time to eat fell to the floor with a 'splat'.

On her exquisite face, there was first shock, then blankness, followed immediately by a breathtaking crimson blush that spread from her cheeks to her neck at a visible rate, even turning her translucent earlobes completely red.

"Hus... Husband..."

Ji Linglong's voice trembled, and her eyes became watery, as if they were about to melt.

"You... how are you so good with words?"

"I'm speaking from the heart," Jiang Chen pressed his advantage. "In my heart, nothing in this world compares to your single smile."

Boom!

It was as if a firework had exploded in Ji Linglong's mind.

What 'Ruthless Great Dao', what 'Classic of Supreme Emotion Forgetting'—at this moment, they were all thrown to the back of her mind.

She only felt that her Dao Heart, cultivated for eight hundred years, was currently hurtling at eighty miles per second toward the abyss known as 'Love Brain'.

"Husband!"

Ji Linglong suddenly pressed her face close to the screen, her gaze feverish and dazed.

"I don't want to cultivate anymore! I've had enough of being this damn Saintess! I want to see you! I want to hug you! I want to hear you say these things to my face!"

Jiang Chen: "..."

Lei Keming: "..."

Did he try a bit too hard?

Right then.

A loud boom suddenly echoed in the background on the other side of the video.

Rumble!

The door to Ji Linglong's cave dwelling was violently blasted open from the outside.

A piercing golden light shot in, accompanied by several aged and furious roars:

"Vile creature! You vile creature!"

"As the Saintess of Taichu, you show no ambition and have neglected your cultivation for three whole months!"

"You didn't go to the Sect Competition, you didn't go to the Heaven Sacrificial Ceremony; instead, you're hiding in this cave dwelling, mooning over a mundane demon mirror (tablet)!"

As the camera shook violently, Jiang Chen saw several white-haired elders dressed in Daoist robes rush in.

The leading old man's beard was crooked with rage, and he held a dragon-headed staff that emitted a terrifying pressure.

"Supreme Elder?"

Ji Linglong's expression changed. The tenderness in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by that familiar, chilling murderous aura.

She lunged to her feet, blocking the massage chair and the tablet like a tigress protecting her food.

"Old geezer! Who let you in! Do you not understand privacy? Do you not know how to knock?"

"Privacy?"

The Supreme Elder trembled with rage.

"Look at yourself! Disheveled clothes! A greasy mouth! Where is the purity of a cultivator here? This is simply a demon's den!"

The old man's gaze fell on the tablet, which was currently playing the finale of 'The Temptation of Going Home'.

"It is this demonic object that has ruined your Dao Heart!"

The old man let out a furious roar and swung his staff violently.

Boom!

A bolt of golden lightning shot from the staff, heading straight for the tablet.

"No!"

Ji Linglong cried out and tried to block it, but she was a step too late.

Crack!

The tablet, which was fitted with black-gold photovoltaic panels and loaded with thousands of gigabytes of TV dramas and Jiang Chen's affectionate confession, was instantly blown into powder by the golden light.

The video feed shook violently; evidently, the phone used for communication had also been caught in the crossfire.

"Husband—!"

Ji Linglong's scream was shrill and desperate, coming through the failing signal.

"Old geezer! You dare destroy the token my husband gave me!"

"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to tear down this Taichu Holy Land!"

Zzzzt... zzzzt...

The image began to distort, turning into a large field of static.

Finally, only an earth-shattering explosion was heard, along with the Supreme Elder's terrified shout: "Vile creature! What are you doing? This is the Sect-Guarding Array left by the Founder! Have you gone mad?!"

Beep—

The signal was completely cut off.

The screen went black.

In the desert, the cold wind howled.

Jiang Chen held the black-screened phone, staring blankly like a wooden chicken.

Lei Keming stood to the side, his expression more solemn than ever.

"Something's happened."

Lei Keming said in a deep voice, "Has a domestic dispute escalated into an armed conflict?"

"No."

Jiang Chen shook his head. His heart was beating very fast, and he had an extremely strong premonition of disaster.

"That wasn't a dispute. That was a bottom line being crossed."

"Chief, you might not understand Ji Linglong."

Jiang Chen looked up at the brilliant river of stars above the desert, his voice a bit raspy.

"She has actually been enduring this whole time. Enduring the sect's strict rules, enduring those heartless elders. Her only joy was the things I sent her. Those TV dramas, those snacks—they were the light I gave her in that cold world."

"Now, that old man has snuffed out her light."

Jiang Chen swallowed hard.

"She won't let this go. This time, I'm afraid something truly big is going to happen."

Before he could finish speaking.

The phone in Jiang Chen's hand suddenly lit up again without warning.

It wasn't a video, nor was it text.

Instead, it was a massive, blood-red countdown pop-up.

[Warning! Warning!]

[Detected that the female party, the Saintess of Taichu, has completely lost emotional control! Blackening value has exceeded 100%!]

[She has forcibly burned her Life Essence Blood and is attacking the planar barrier!]

[System detects a high-energy spatial storm is forming! Target coordinates: Blue Star · Dragon Kingdom · Jinghua City!]

[Estimated time of arrival: 72 hours!]

[Note: She is not coming for a family visit. She is eloping. Eloping with power capable of destroying the world.]

Watching that bright red countdown, the walkie-talkie in Lei Keming's hand fell to the sand with a 'clatter'.

"72 hours..."

Lei Keming took a deep breath and suddenly turned around, roaring at the crowd behind him who were still cheering over the Rare Earth mine:

"Stop laughing! Withdraw! Withdraw immediately!"

"Back to the capital!"

"Activate the backup plan for the Nantian Gate Project! Notify the air defense units! Notify the Rocket Force!"

"This is no longer a matter of dating! This is a planetary defense war!"

Standing in the wind and sand, Jiang Chen looked at the piercing red words on the phone screen, with only one thought in his mind: It's over.

This time, things have really blown up.

My wife is running away from home to find me.

But...

Looking at this fragile Earth beneath his feet.

Wife, if you're coming, just come, but could you not make such a huge scene?

This poor little ball really can't handle your tossing around!