120: Chapter 120 Enduring Divine Punishment and Declaring the Acquisition of Paradise

"Watch out!"

Zhang Hao's scream and that gray pillar of light—crossing the River of Oblivion and containing extreme filth and coldness—arrived almost simultaneously!

The pillar's target was crystal clear—Su Qingyu! It locked onto the Netherworld Saintess bloodline curse within her that had just been identified, intending to either forcibly catalyze her into a vessel or detonate her directly, turning her into nourishment!

The speed surpassed thought! Su Qingyu didn't even have time to react; she could only watch helplessly as that light of death rapidly expanded in her pupils, cold despair instantly clutching her heart!

At the critical moment!

A figure, like a phantom yet also like an ancient mountain, shifted half a step without warning, shielding Su Qingyu with pinpoint precision!

It was Lin Chen!

Facing the world-destroying gray pillar of light, there was no panic on his face, only a trace of annoyance at being disturbed and cold fury.

He didn't try to dodge, nor did he use any fancy skills.

He simply raised his right hand.

Fingers spread, palm facing forward.

As if he were about to catch a flying arrow.

"Boss!!" Su Qingyu cried out, her heart jumping into her throat! The power within that pillar made her very soul tremble; was Lin Chen actually going to take it head-on with his bare body?!

Zhang Hao and Little Red Clothes were also stunned!

The next moment—

"Boom!!!"

The gray pillar of light slammed violently into Lin Chen's palm!

There was no gore as imagined, nor was there the brilliant light of an energy explosion.

There was only an extremely ear-piercing, sharp screech, as if billions of souls were being ground to dust at the same instant! Along with a visible ripple of gray energy that warped space, it erupted outward from the center of Lin Chen's palm!

The dilapidated small boat beneath their feet groaned under the burden, and the water of the River of Oblivion was forced aside by this power, creating a brief vacuum!

Lin Chen's body shook slightly, and the clothing on his arm instantly turned to ash, revealing skin beneath that flowed with a dark golden luster, seemingly composed of the purest nether talisman energy! The planks beneath his feet shattered inch by inch, yet he remained as if nailed to the boat, motionless!

That gray pillar of light, capable of instakilling a Ghost General and severely wounding a regional overlord, had actually... been caught by him with his bare hand?!

The tip of the pillar spun, impacted, and tried to corrode his palm frantically, but it couldn't advance another inch! That filthy, cold power surged like a tide, only to be held back by a deeper, more domineering force that seemed to represent the will of the Underworld itself, and then... forcibly annihilated!

Lin Chen's arm was as steady as a rock; he even had the time to look down at the pillar sizzling and struggling in vain against his palm, his frown deepening:

"So noisy. It never ends."

His fingers suddenly snapped shut!

"Crack—!!!"

A crisp sound, as if glass or the laws of reality were being crushed, echoed across the banks of the River of Oblivion!

The terrifying gray pillar of light, starting from the point of contact with his palm, was instantly covered in countless cracks. Then, like a shattered glass sculpture, it crumbled bit by bit, turning into the purest chaotic energy, which was directly swallowed, absorbed, and converted by the domineering power in Lin Chen's palm!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye!

When the pillar completely dissipated and Lin Chen slowly lowered his arm, the manifested phantom of the "source of a thousand faces" flesh mass and the phantom of the "Netherworld Saintess" in palace attire on the opposite bank seemed to freeze for a moment. They clearly hadn't expected this killing blow to be... crushed by the opponent in such a brutal and unreasonable manner?!

Su Qingyu stared blankly at Lin Chen's back—not particularly broad, yet at this moment seeming capable of propping up the entire Underworld. Relief from surviving the disaster and an indescribable emotion filled her heart as tears fell silently.

Zhang Hao's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg (if he still had a physical body): "B-Boss... are... are you even human?!"

Little Red Clothes hugged her doll tight, a light nearing "worship" appearing in her pale eyes for the first time.

The Ferryman was so frightened he could barely hold his bamboo pole, his body shivering under his cloak.

The small boat finally reached the shore.

Lin Chen stepped onto the bank, turned around, and gazed coldly at the two phantoms on the other side of the River of Oblivion, which were gradually dissipating but carried endless malice and a hint of suspicion.

"It seems you're dead set on making things difficult for me," Lin Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through space and echoed on both banks. "Good, it saves me the trouble of looking for you."

He raised his hand, not to launch an attack, but to bring up the system interface again. He flipped directly to the bottom of [Investment Promotion] and found an option he had previously skimmed over and ignored—

[Plane-Level Strategic Cooperation and M&A Intent (Ultra-High Authority/Ultra-High Risk)]

Below it was a lit-up entry:

[Target Plane: God Realm (Status: Extremely xenophobic, rich in resources, highly concentrated power of faith)]

[M&A Assessment: Extremely high risk, unknown returns, requires astronomical amounts of nether talismans and the support of the complete Nether Lord's authority.]

[Hint: Successful acquisition will grant absolute control over this plane, fundamentally cutting off the "source of a thousand faces'" potential sources of faith and cross-realm support, and acquiring its core resources.]

[Do you wish to initiate the "Hostile Takeover" preliminary procedure—Send "Acquisition Offer and Strategic Cooperation Letter of Intent"?]

Lin Chen looked at this option, then at the two phantoms on the other side of the river that he found utterly loathsome, a crazy and domineering arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Like to play dirty, do you? Like cross-realm assassinations, do you?"

Without hesitation, he clicked [Yes]!

[Ding! Consuming 100 million nether talismans as "postage" and "earnest money," the "Acquisition Offer and Strategic Cooperation Letter of Intent to the shareholders and Management of the God Realm" has been sent via the highest rule channel! Please watch for subsequent replies and potential... plane tremors.]

100 million nether talismans, just to send an "email"!

The content of this "Letter of Intent" was written in the most concise and direct Underworld Common Tongue and God Realm Holy Light Script:

Sender: Lin Chen (Sole legitimate successor of the Nether Lord Bloodline, General Manager of the Underworld Development Zone)

Recipient: Supreme Council of the God Realm / All shareholders

Subject: Non-binding offer regarding the full acquisition of God Realm ownership and operations

Content:

1. Our party intends to acquire 100% of the God Realm's assets and business through cash (nether talismans), equity swap (dry shares in Underworld Development Zone projects), or debt assumption, including but not limited to Heaven Mountain, Faith Pools, Angel Legions, etc.

2. Upon completion of the acquisition, the original management may choose to remain in office (subject to KPI evaluations) or take the money and leave.

3. This offer is valid until our party resolves the internal disputes within the Underworld. First come, first served.

4. Friendly Reminder: Rejection may lead to unnecessary business competition, such as opening an "Underworld Heaven Branch" at your realm's doorstep for promotional activities.

5. Looking forward to your reply.

The moment this "Acquisition Offer," filled with "rich" inhumanity and extreme dominance, was sent, the entire Underworld seemed to fall silent for a moment. Even the phantoms of the "source of a thousand faces" and the "Netherworld Saintess" on the opposite bank froze again, seemingly dumbfounded by this move!

At the same time, far beyond endless planes, in the heart of the "God Realm" shrouded in holy light and divine solemnity—within the Supreme Temple—a black letter condensed from the purest nether rules and radiating the scent of "money" appeared out of thin air and slammed onto the council table carved from holy light crystal.

The entire temple was deathly silent. Then, earth-shaking roars erupted, along with... a hint of unbelievable absurdity?

...

Lin Chen didn't care about the chaos in the God Realm; after sending the "email," he felt much better. He closed the system interface and took one last look at the two phantoms across the river, which were slowly dissipating but still carried extreme malice, as if he were looking at two disobedient subsidiaries about to be acquired.

"Just wait."

Then, he turned around and flashed a relaxed smile at the dazed Su Qingyu, Zhang Hao, and Little Red Clothes—who hadn't yet recovered from the double shock of "resisting divine punishment" and "emailing to acquire Heaven"—as if he had just handled a trivial matter.

"Alright, the small fry are cleared out and the challenge has been issued. Time to go back and work on our development zone construction."

His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Su Qingyu's still somewhat pale face.

"As for that little problem of yours," Lin Chen said casually but with absolute confidence, "once I've acquired Heaven, integrated the resources, and the funds are in place, I'll solve it for you easily."

Looking at him, the fear and gloom in Su Qingyu's heart were swept away without a trace by his nearly absurd yet incredibly serious promise. She nodded vigorously, light rekindling in her eyes.

Zhang Hao finally recovered from his petrified state and murmured to himself, "Acquiring Heaven... solving the curse... Boss, your way of saving people is... freaking... awesome!"

Lin Chen laughed heartily and waved his hand:

"Let's go! Back to working overtime!"

"The next goal—"

He paused, his voice spreading clearly through the surroundings, as if announcing to the entire Underworld and all potential enemies:

"Acquire Heaven!"

(End of Part 3)

(The end of the book? A new journey has only just begun!)