155: Chapter 155 Negotiation? I'm here to make an acquisition offer.

Opening Climax:

The Pantheon's staircase consists of ninety-nine thousand steps in total.

Each step is forged from the divine bones of a different deity, its surface flowing with the luster of laws corresponding to that god's domain. The moment one steps onto it, they must endure the divine pressure from that deity's prime—a tradition upheld in the divine realm for a hundred thousand years: supplicants must kneel and bow with each step, bearing the pressure of ten thousand gods to demonstrate piety.

Lin Chen stepped onto the first step.

The step lit up with the divine pattern of War. In the void, the phantom of a ten-thousand-zhang-tall God of War materialized, raising a giant axe to cleave down upon him! The power contained in this strike was enough to shatter the soul of a Chief God-level powerhouse!

Lin Chen did not pause in his step.

He didn't even look up, merely raising his hand towards the War God phantom—

And flicked out a nether talisman.

The coin-sized black talisman traced a parabola through the air, *dinging* as it struck the axe blade.

*Crack.*

The War God phantom, along with that giant axe, instantly froze, then shattered into countless motes of light.

The first step's divine pattern extinguished.

Lin Chen stepped onto the second.

The divine pattern of Wisdom lit up. Countless golden chains shot out from the void, each imbued with the 'Laws of Truth' capable of binding galaxies!

Lin Chen flicked out another nether talisman.

The chains, still three meters away from him, automatically untangled and reassembled, transforming into a—golden escalator leading to the third step.

A line of small text thoughtfully appeared on the escalator's handrail: 'Esteemed VIP client, please mind the step.'

Lin Chen stepped onto the escalator.

The third step, the fourth, the fifth...

He continued upward, step by step.

With each step ascended, he flicked out another nether talisman.

Each nether talisman precisely 'bought out' the 'attack permission' of that particular step.

Not cracking it, not resisting it, but acquiring it—using the Underworld Group's line of credit to complete an instant transaction at the level of multiversal rules: I pay, you shut up.

When Lin Chen stepped onto the three-thousandth step—

One-third of the lights across the entire Pantheon's ninety-nine thousand divine steps simultaneously went out.

Not a malfunction, but the deities corresponding to those steps had proactively cut off their pressure output.

Because they had discovered a terrifying fact:

Each nether talisman Lin Chen paid with was not ordinary currency, but a 'debt instrument' refined from their own divine power!

He stepped onto the War God step, used the divine power of the War God phantom to refine a talisman, and bought out the War God step;

Stepped onto the Wisdom God step, used the laws of the Wisdom chains to refine a talisman, and bought out the Wisdom God step;

Stepped onto the Life God step, used the vitality of the Life God pattern to refine a talisman...

He was using the deities' own power to buy out their own dignity!

'Enough—!'

From the depths of the Pantheon came a voice trembling with rage.

The Pantheon's ten-thousand-zhang-tall, billions-of-jun-heavy 'Gate of Ten Thousand Gods' swung open with a thunderous roar!

Inside lay a hall of boundless splendor.

At the center of the hall floated three hundred and sixty-five divine thrones, each occupied by a deity—some benevolent, some terrifyingly fierce, some indistinct like spheres of light, others profound like black holes.

And at the center, encircled by these thrones, was an empty seat—ten times larger than the others—the Supreme God's Throne.

The one who had just spoken was a deity seated in the front row.

His body was shrouded in golden flames, with twelve pairs of light wings spread behind him, each wing reflecting a burning star.

'Sun God, Helios.' Lin Chen stopped and recognized him. 'Foremost of the Divine Realm's Twelve Chief Gods, currently acting as interim Supreme God, presiding over the election of a new deity—am I correct?'

The flames in Helios's eyes flickered:

'Lord of the Underworld, your unauthorized intrusion into the Pantheon and desecration of the divine steps are already capital crimes.'

'Kneel now, surrender the divine fragment in your hand, and perhaps your corpse will remain intact.'

His voice carried indisputable authority. The moment his words fell, the three hundred and sixty-five deities in the hall simultaneously released their divine pressure!

It wasn't a simple stacking of pressure, but a manifestation of the Divine Realm's authority!

The air solidified into tangible amber of holy light, the flow of time was forcibly slowed ten-thousand-fold, the structure of space began to fold and compress—this was meant to seal Lin Chen forever within a spatiotemporal interstice!

Blood-boiling Reversal:

Lin Chen stood in place, not moving an inch.

He even had the leisure to pull a document from his robe and leisurely flip it open.

'Lord Helios, before discussing my crimes, let's first establish a few facts.'

He pointed to the first page of the document:

'First, according to Article 338 of the Divine Realm's 'Temple Management Regulations': When the Supreme God position is vacant, the Pantheon shall enter a 'state of emergency.' All deities must maintain silence, prohibit external visits, and focus on the election until the new deity is born.'

'And you—' Lin Chen looked up towards a certain corner deep within the hall, 'during this meeting, privately dispatched High Priest Cassio to collude with Abyssal Lord Gramer in an attempt to assassinate a legally-entered representative of an investment party.'

He summoned a holographic image, showing precisely the Supreme God's divine fragment in Cassio's chest and the three hundred thousand Divine Corrosion Beast army.

'Does this not violate Article 77 of the 'Emergency State Management Regulations,' which prohibits 'private communication with hostile forces'?'

Helios's expression changed: 'That was Cassio's personal conduct...'

'Second.' Lin Chen cut him off, flipping to the second page. 'According to the 'Divine Realm Asset Protection Law': When a deity privately transfers Divine Realm assets (including but not limited to Divine Corrosion Beast armies, divine fragments, etc.) to a third party without paying the 'Asset Transfer Tax,' ownership of said assets automatically reverts to the Divine Realm treasury.'

He raised the still-pulsing divine fragment in his hand:

'Cassio privately hoarded this Supreme God relic for three hundred years, without declaration or tax payment.'

'Now that I have extracted and recovered it, by law, it should be handed over to the Divine Realm treasury for safekeeping.'

'But the problem is—'

Lin Chen surveyed the entire hall:

'You currently don't even have a formal 'Treasury Administrator,' because the Supreme God is dead, the Financial Officer Michael was branded a traitor by you, and the entire Divine Realm's financial system is paralyzed.'

He paused, enunciating each word:

'Therefore, according to Article 9 of the 'Emergency State Supplementary Provisions': When key functional departments of the Divine Realm are paralyzed, any third-party institution holding legitimate qualifications may apply for 'temporary trusteeship' of that function until a new deity assumes office.'

'And I—'

Lin Chen pulled a badge from his robe.

On the badge, the pattern of the Scales of Truth slowly rotated.

'Have already obtained provisional certification for 'Cross-Dimensional Asset Management Qualifications.'

'So now, in my capacity as 'Provisional Director of the Underworld Group's Divine Realm Asset Management Department,' I formally take custody of this divine fragment—once you elect a new deity and complete the handover procedures, I will return it to you.'

He put away the fragment and looked at Helios:

'Any problems?'

The hall of deities fell deathly silent.

Because every law, every clause Lin Chen cited was, damn it all, true!

With a hundred thousand years of history, the Divine Realm's legal texts piled up like mountains; even many deities couldn't remember them all. Yet this fellow from the Underworld had memorized obscure clauses perfectly and combined them on the spot into a complete 'legal combo'!

The flames on Helios's face flickered erratically due to his emotional turmoil.

Humiliating.

But even greater humiliation was yet to come.

Thrilling Satisfaction:

'Third,' Lin Chen flipped to the third page, 'and most importantly—'

'This 'New Deity Election Meeting' you're holding right now is itself illegal.'

He summoned an ancient recording.

In the recording, the First Supreme God was proclaiming the core clause of the 'Divine Realm Inheritance Law':

'...If the Supreme God perishes abnormally without designating an heir, then the 'Divine Realm Primordial Will' shall automatically trigger the inheritance procedure, selecting the most suitable candidate from among all Chief Gods, rather than holding a vote by existing deities...'

The recording froze.

Lin Chen looked at Helios:

'In other words, your current process of sitting here voting for a new deity is incorrect.'

'The correct procedure should be to awaken the 'Divine Realm Primordial Will' and let it choose.'

Helios finally couldn't contain himself:

'The Divine Realm Primordial Will fell into slumber thirty thousand years ago! This is known to all deities!'

'For you to challenge us with a clause that cannot possibly be executed is utterly absurd!'

Other deities also voiced their opinions:

'Exactly!'

'If the Primordial Will could be awakened, we would have done so long ago!'

'Lord of the Underworld, stop causing trouble here!'

Facing the collective rebuke of three hundred and sixty-five deities, Lin Chen smiled.

'Who said... it cannot be awakened?'

He raised his hand and pressed it against his own chest.

There, the pattern of the samsara seal slowly began to glow.

Not an ordinary glow, but a reverse operation—the samsara seal should rotate clockwise, absorbing energy and stabilizing laws, but at this moment, it was rotating counterclockwise, madly releasing energy!

It wasn't releasing the energy of the Underworld.

But... the most primordial Divine Realm authority belonging to the Supreme God, from the divine fragment he had just extracted from Cassio's body!

'Are you insane?!' Helios shot to his feet. 'Forcibly burning the divine fragment to awaken the Primordial Will? That will trigger a Divine Realm law tsunami! The entire Pantheon could be overturned!'

'So what?' Lin Chen asked calmly. 'Didn't you want a legal procedure?'

'I'll give you a legal procedure now.'

He clenched his fist violently!

*Crack—*

The divine fragment shattered completely in his palm!

Transforming into countless golden motes of light, surging upward like a reverse-flowing galaxy towards the hall's dome ceiling!

On the dome were carved ancient murals from the dawn of the Divine Realm—depicting the First Supreme God creating the world.

Now, the murals came alive.

The First Supreme God in the mural slowly opened His eyes.

It wasn't a phantom, not an illusion.

It was the Divine Realm Primordial Will, forcibly awakened and temporarily manifesting by attaching itself to the mural!

The First Supreme God's gaze swept over every deity in the hall.

Every deity His gaze touched trembled uncontrollably, their divine fragments resonating and vibrating within them—the Primordial Will was inspecting their qualifications!

Finally, the gaze settled on Lin Chen.

'Was it you... who awakened me?'

The First Supreme God's voice was ancient, majestic, devoid of any emotion.

'Yes.' Lin Chen nodded. 'According to Article 1 of the Inheritance Law, I have the right to apply to initiate the Primordial Will inheritance procedure under special circumstances.'

'Your application complies with the rules.'

The First Supreme God slowly raised His hand, pointing towards the three hundred and sixty-five divine thrones at the hall's center:

'Then let the screening begin now.'

'The Divine Realm Primordial Will shall select based on contributions, character, strength, and loyalty to the Divine Realm over the past ten thousand years...'

His hand began to move.

From the first throne, to the second, the third...

Every deity He pointed at stiffened with tension.

Helios clenched his fists tightly—he believed himself to be the strongest, most contributing, and most likely candidate among the Twelve Chief Gods to inherit the Supreme God position!

Finally—

The First Supreme God's finger stopped...

Before Lin Chen.

'After examination, the candidate with the greatest contribution to the Divine Realm, the best character, the strongest power, and the highest loyalty over the past ten thousand years is—'

The corner of the First Supreme God's mouth in the mural seemed to curl into an almost imperceptible arc:

'Chairman of the Underworld Group, Lin Chen.'

'His contributions to the Divine Realm within the past twenty-four hours include: eliminating the traitor Cassio, recovering the lost divine fragment, capturing three hundred thousand enemy troops, and awakening the slumbering Primordial Will.'

'The total value of contributions exceeds the sum of all contributions made by the deities present here over the past ten thousand years.'

'Therefore, the Primordial Will rules—'

The First Supreme God's voice resonated throughout the entire Divine Realm:

'The successor to the new Supreme God is—'

'Lin Chen.'

The Hook:

Dead silence.

A deathly stillness.

The flames on Helios's face extinguished completely, revealing the visage beneath, twisted to the extreme.

Other deities were dumbfounded, some trembling all over, some already slumped in their thrones.

And Lin Chen...

He smiled.

'Thank you for the recognition.'

He walked up to the empty Supreme God's Throne but did not sit.

Instead, he pulled another document from his robe.

A document thicker than all the previous ones, its cover stamped with 'TOP SECRET' in gilded letters, its seal bearing the official stamp of the Underworld Group.

He placed the document on the throne.

Then turned to face all the deities:

'But I have no interest in becoming any Supreme God.'

'I came here this time—'

Lin Chen raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The document automatically opened. The title on its title page transformed into ten-thousand-zhang-tall golden light, projected onto the entire hall's dome:

'Underworld Group Proposal for Full Acquisition of Divine Realm Operations'

The first clause, written in bold font, read:

[Acquiring Party: Underworld Group]

[Acquired Party: All Deities of the Divine Realm and Their Subsidiary Assets]

[Acquisition Method: Equity Swap + Cash Acquisition]

[Post-Acquisition Arrangements: Existing deities may voluntarily choose—A. Receive severance and retire; B. Join the Underworld Group as employees; C. Retain partial equity, enjoy dividends but have no decision-making rights]

Lin Chen looked at the stunned deities, his voice clear and calm:

'I'm here to do business.'

'And this proposal—'

He paused, adding the words that every deity present would remember for eternity:

'You can refuse.'

'But after refusing...'

A cold light flashed in Lin Chen's eyes:

'I will consider initiating—'

'A hostile takeover procedure.'