314: Chapter 314 Property War! The Old Gods Send a Lawyer's Letter

On the first day of the three-day deadline, the Old Gods did not initiate a divine war; instead, they launched another kind of warfare—a war of public opinion.

Early in the morning, just as Lin Chen had finished brewing tea under the tree of heavenly dao, Zhang Hao rushed in holding a glowing jade slip, his face pale.

“Boss! Something huge has happened! Look at this!”

Lin Chen took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

Inside the jade slip was a manifesto. The title was written in blood-red characters, each word exuding a terrifying pressure:

「Proclamation to the Civilizations of the Myriad Realms」

— Jointly Issued by the Chaos Ancient God, Ancient Immortal Emperor, and Mechanical God

The manifesto was tens of thousands of words long. The core points were as follows:

“First, since the dawn of the universe, it has been jointly owned by the first batch of intelligent life—namely, us. This is established by the first epoch's cosmic property law and is beyond dispute.”

“Second, although the Zeroing Storm destroyed heaven and earth, cosmic property rights did not transfer because of it. All civilizations, resources, and spaces reconstructed after the storm still belong to us.”

“Third, Lin Chen and his New Era Joint Development Company have unauthorizedly developed cosmic resources, operated cross-star domain trade, and even privatized civilizations. These actions severely infringe upon our property rights.”

“Fourth, New Era Development is hereby ordered to immediately cease all business activities, hand over a complete inventory of assets, and compensate us for property losses totaling 3 quadrillion dimension points. A response is required within three days, otherwise—”

“The divine war shall begin, and the myriad realms shall be bathed in blood.”

At the end of the manifesto were three terrifying imprints. Each one radiated an ancient and violent pressure that made one's soul tremble at a single glance.

Lin Chen finished reading and remained silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

That smile sent a chill down Zhang Hao's spine—though he didn't know what the boss was going to do, he knew those Old Gods were in for trouble.

“Boss, why are you laughing?” Zhang Hao asked cautiously. “This manifesto has already spread throughout the myriad realms! Every civilization is discussing it now, and some have already started picking sides!”

Lin Chen didn't speak; he simply opened the system and pulled up the real-time public opinion on various major channels.

Sure enough, the entire myriad realms were in an uproar.

【Cultivation Alliance Channel】: “Resurrection of the Old Gods? Beings from the first epoch? Is this for real?”

【Technological Civilization Channel】: “cosmic property law? Never heard of it! But the pressure from those imprints is indeed terrifying...”

【Emotional Awakened Channel】: “How will Governor Lin Chen respond? He wouldn't actually hand over New Era Development, would he?”

【Icebound Star Domain Channel】: “Hand over my ass! This star domain was traded for with Lady Morgana's life. Why should we give it to those old geezers?”

【Data Civilization Channel】: “According to data analysis, the combat power assessment for the Old Gods' side is... unassessable. Suggest cautious observation.”

Even more civilizations had already begun to declare their stances—

Some timid small civilizations immediately declared 'neutrality,' fearing they would be dragged into the war.

Several stronger medium-sized civilizations secretly contacted the Old Gods, attempting to pick a side and show loyalty.

Three major civilizations even went as far as to issue public statements supporting the Old Gods' claims, demanding that Lin Chen 'respect history and return the property rights.'

Watching those civilizations pick sides, Zhang Hao's face grew paler: “Boss, if we don't think of something soon, we'll be left all alone!”

Lin Chen set down his teacup and said leisurely:

“What's the rush?”

Zhang Hao was stunned.

Lin Chen stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the Dead Silence Star Domain currently under reconstruction.

“It's a good thing they issued a manifesto.”

“A good thing?” Zhang Hao was completely bewildered. “How is this a good thing?”

“Because they didn't strike directly,” Lin Chen said. “If they were truly certain of winning a divine war, they would have attacked long ago. They wouldn't waste three days issuing some manifesto.”

“What does that indicate?”

“It indicates they have their own concerns.” Lin Chen turned around and looked at Zhang Hao. “Either their power hasn't fully recovered, there's internal friction, or they're worried the cost of a divine war is too high. In short, they want to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

Zhang Hao looked thoughtful.

Lin Chen continued, “Since they want to fight a war of public opinion, we'll fight it with them.”

He opened communications and simultaneously connected to the live broadcasts of all channels.

Three seconds later, his figure appeared on every screen across the myriad realms.

“Everyone, I am Lin Chen.”

The entire universe fell silent instantly.

Those channels in heated discussion, those civilizations picking sides, those investors watching from the sidelines—everyone stopped and stared at the man on the screen.

Lin Chen spoke, his voice as calm as if he were chatting about everyday life:

“Regarding the Old Gods' manifesto, I have a few words to say.”

“First, they claim the universe is theirs. Please produce proof of ownership. The first epoch's cosmic property law? I haven't seen it. If it exists, please make it public. If not, it's just empty talk.”

“Second, they claim that resources rebuilt after the Zeroing Storm belong to them. May I ask, where were they when the Zeroing Storm came? Where were they when Morgana burned her origin? Where were they when Alpha went into hibernation? Where were they when 4.7 billion people almost died?”

“Now that we've survived, they jump out and say the resources are theirs. What kind of logic is that?”

“Third, they say they want a divine war. Fine. But before the divine war, I suggest we follow legal procedures first.”

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly:

“If you have the guts, I'll see you in court.”

As the words fell, the entire universe erupted again.

“See you in court? Lin Chen wants to sue the Old Gods?”

“Is he crazy? The Old Gods have lived for three million years, and he wants to talk law with them?”

“But... he has a point. Where's the proof of ownership?”

Those civilizations that had just picked sides began to waver.

Among the three major civilizations that publicly supported the Old Gods, one quietly retracted its statement.

Watching the shift in public opinion, Zhang Hao's eyes lit up: “Boss, you're amazing! With just a few words, you've turned the tide!”

Lin Chen shook his head.

“This is only the beginning. The real battlefield is in the court.”

He opened his communications and dialed Golden Abacus.

Three seconds later, Golden Abacus's holographic projection appeared in the command center. He looked a bit tired, but his eyes were still sharp.

“Lin Chen, I saw your broadcast. You're going to sue?”

Lin Chen nodded.

“Yes. I'm requesting the Cosmic Supreme Court to intervene and adjudicate the ownership of property rights.”

Golden Abacus was silent for three seconds.

Then he laughed.

There was a hint of helplessness in that smile, but also a hint of admiration.

“Lin Chen, do you know who the judge of the Cosmic Supreme Court is?”

“Who?”

“Yuanshi of the Epoch Administration Bureau.”

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

Golden Abacus continued, “Yuanshi and those Old Gods, though they don't get along, are all beings from the first epoch. If you have him judge this case, who do you think he'll favor?”

Lin Chen smiled.

“I know.”

“You know and you're still suing?”

“It's precisely because I know that I'm suing.”

Golden Abacus was stunned.

Lin Chen explained, “Yuanshi won't openly favor the Old Gods. Because he also cares about his reputation and needs to maintain the Administration Bureau's authority. As long as he judges even slightly fairly, we have a chance.”

“Moreover—” He paused, smiling meaningfully, “If he judges unfairly, that's even better.”

“How is that better?”

“If he's unfair, I'll appeal. Appeal to an even higher level.”

Golden Abacus frowned. “A higher level? There's something higher than the Cosmic Supreme Court?”

Lin Chen nodded.

“Yes.”

“Where?”

Lin Chen pointed overhead.

“The Author tier.”

Golden Abacus was dumbfounded.

He didn't understand, but he was profoundly shocked.

Lin Chen didn't explain further, simply asking:

“So, are you willing to be my lead lawyer?”

Golden Abacus was silent for three seconds.

Then he laughed.

“I've been the president of the Universe Bank for three hundred years, but I've never been a lawyer. I'll give it a try this time.”

Lin Chen held out his hand.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

Golden Abacus shook it.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

That afternoon, a summons from the Cosmic Supreme Court was delivered to the Old Gods' lair—the Chaos Abyss.

The content of the summons was simple:

「Plaintiff: New Era Joint Development Company (Representative: Lin Chen)」

「Defendant: Chaos Ancient God, Ancient Immortal Emperor, Mechanical God」

「Cause of Action: Cosmic Property Rights Dispute」

「Trial Date: Three days from now」

「Presiding Judge: Epoch Administration Bureau · Yuanshi」

The Chaos Ancient God looked at that summons, his face turning ashen.

The Ancient Immortal Emperor frowned. “This kid actually dares to sue us?”

The Mechanical God analyzed, “This is a stalling tactic. He wants to use legal procedures to buy time.”

“Is buying time useful?” the Ancient Immortal Emperor asked.

The Mechanical God was silent for a second.

“Theoretically, no. Because we indeed do not have proof of ownership.”

“Then what do we do?”

The Chaos Ancient God spoke, his voice low:

“Since he wants to go to court, then we'll go.”

“I'd like to see if Yuanshi dares to rule against us.”

He tossed the summons aside.

“Notify all civilizations. Three days from now, at the Cosmic Supreme Court, there will be a public hearing.”

“Let them all see exactly who this universe belongs to.”