Chapter 22: The Prisoner and the Planet
Location: Station 9 – High Security Brig
The battle was over, but the war was just beginning.
Station 9 was currently in lockdown mode. Repair drones buzzed around the exterior like bees, patching the hull breach Jiang Chen had stitched shut. Inside, the atmosphere was tense.
Jiang Chen stood in front of a containment cell made of transparent, S-Rank forcefields. He was wearing a fresh uniform, his wounds fully healed thanks to the Trinity Bloodline's regeneration.
Inside the cell sat Subject 01 (The Bandaged Boy).
He was stripped of his robes and Void artifacts. He looked small, frail, and utterly wretched. His grey skin was flaking off, revealing raw black muscle underneath.
"He hasn't spoken," General Iron said, standing beside Jiang Chen. "We tried telepathic probes, truth serums, even pain. His mind is... empty. It's like staring into a static TV channel."
Jiang Chen stepped closer to the glass.
"He's waiting for a signal," Jiang Chen said.
He placed his hand on the glass. He didn't use mana; he used Grandmist Authority.
HUMMM.
The purple light from Jiang Chen's hand illuminated the cell.
Subject 01's head snapped up. His vertical scar-eye opened, leaking black smoke.
"Vessel..." The rasping voice echoed in the small room.
"Who sent you?" Jiang Chen asked calmly. "The Cult of the Hollow isn't smart enough to breach a Space Station. Who gave you the Void coordinates?"
Subject 01 smiled. It was a gruesome expression, stretching his skin until it tore.
"Does the ant ask who commands the boot?" Subject 01 giggled. "We are just the ushers. The Guests are coming."
"What Guests?"
"The Eleven."
General Iron stiffened. "The Eleven? That's a myth. The Eleven Void Lords?"
Subject 01 leaned forward, pressing his face against the forcefield. His eye stared maniacally at Jiang Chen.
"You lit the beacon, Sovereign. When you fused with the Dragon and the Phoenix... the shockwave traveled further than you know. They see you. They hunger for you."
Subject 01 began to convulse.
"They are coming. And they will eat this galaxy to get to the Core."
SPLAT.
Subject 01's head exploded.
It wasn't an attack. It was a remote kill switch. Black sludge splattered against the inside of the cell.
General Iron cursed. "Self-destruct sequence. Bio-triggered."
"No," Jiang Chen wiped a smudge from the glass, his face grim. "He didn't kill himself. His master did. He said too much."
"The Eleven Void Lords..." General Iron lit a cigar, his metal hand shaking slightly. "If they are real, we are all dead. One Void Lord consumes stars for breakfast."
"Then we better get strong enough to kill them before breakfast," Jiang Chen turned around. "General, transfer the station codes to me. I have a planet to claim."
Location: The Docking Bay
The surviving students from the other academies were preparing to leave.
When Jiang Chen walked into the bay, flanked by his wives, the noise stopped.
The Americans looked at him with fear. The Europeans looked at him with respect.
Arthur, the European Captain, stepped forward. He saluted.
"Jiang Chen. You saved us. The European Battle Academy owes you a debt."
"Repay it by getting stronger," Jiang Chen said. "The next time we meet, I don't want to have to save you."
Arthur grinned wryly. "Understood. We won't be turtles next time."
As the other ships warped away, Jiang Chen turned to the Cloud Piercer, which had docked earlier to pick him up.
"Where is Long Ao and the others?" Feng Xi asked, looking around.
"They went back to Earth to report the victory," Jiang Chen said. "But we... we have a detour."
He pulled out a holographic chip—the Grand Prize of the tournament.
[Planetary Deed: Terra Nova (Sector 7)]
[Class: S-Rank Wild World]
[Status: Uninhabited / High Mana Density]
"Terra Nova," Jiang Chen read. "It's located three light-years from here. Close to the border, but hidden inside a nebula."
"A hidden planet?" Mo You's interest was piqued. "Good for a lair."
"Exactly," Jiang Chen boarded the ship. "Let's go see our new home."
Location: Sector 7 – The Nebula
The Cloud Piercer glided through a cloud of purple and blue cosmic gas. The sensors were going haywire due to the magnetic interference.
"We are approaching the coordinates," the autopilot announced.
The nebula cleared.
And there it was.
Terra Nova.
It was breathtaking. From space, it looked like a jewel. The oceans were a vibrant violet, and the continents were covered in emerald-green jungles. There were massive floating islands drifting in the upper atmosphere, connected by waterfalls that fell into the clouds.
"It's beautiful!" Feng Xi pressed her face against the viewport. "Look at the energy readings! The sun there... it's a Blue Giant! The light is delicious!"
"High gravity," Mo You noted. "I can feel it from here. At least 5x Earth standard. Weaklings would be crushed instantly."
"Perfect for cultivation," Jiang Chen said. "Take us down."
The ship descended.
As they entered the atmosphere, they saw the wildlife.
Flocks of four-winged birds the size of fighter jets soared through the sky. In the violet oceans, leviathans breached the surface, creating tsunamis.
This wasn't a peaceful garden. It was a primal world where everything was S-Rank or higher.
[Warning: Hostile Fauna Detected.]
[Landing Zone: The Central Plateau.]
The ship touched down on a massive flat-topped mountain that rose above the jungle canopy.
The ramp lowered.
Jiang Chen stepped out first.
The air was rich. Intoxicatingly rich. One breath felt like drinking an elixir.
[System Notification]
[Entered Territory: Terra Nova]
[Grandmist Territory System: Activatable.]
[Link to Jiang Estate? Y/N]
"Link it," Jiang Chen commanded. "Establish this as the Secondary Base."
HUMMM.
A massive purple rune appeared on the ground beneath his feet, burning into the rock. The mana of the planet shuddered, acknowledging a new master.
"We need a house," Feng Xi looked around the barren plateau. "I can't sleep on a rock."
"We don't need a house," Jiang Chen smiled. "We need a Citadel."
He opened his inventory.
He took out the Star Metal he had looted from the Astral Tomb. He took out the Void Cores he had harvested from the Academy of Silence.
"System. Initiate Construction."
[Blueprint Selected: The Sovereign's Spire.]
[Materials: Sufficient.]
[Construction Time: Instant (Grandmist Authority).]
Jiang Chen slammed his hand onto the ground.
RUMBLE.
The plateau shook.
Liquid silver metal erupted from the ground, shaping itself according to Jiang Chen's will. Walls rose. Towers spiraled upward. A massive central keep formed, topped with a landing pad for the Dragon.
In seconds, a fortress of silver and black stone stood on the mountain. It looked impenetrable, ancient, and terrifying.
"Welcome home," Jiang Chen gestured to the gates.
"It lacks decor," Mo You critiqued, walking in. "I will add gargoyles. And perhaps a dungeon for torture."
"I want a pool!" Feng Xi ran past her. "A pool filled with lava!"
Jiang Chen stood at the gate, looking out over his new planet.
He had a base. He had an army (the Jiang Clan). He had the strongest parents on Earth. And he had two wives who could destroy solar systems.
But the words of Subject 01 echoed in his mind.
The Eleven.
Jiang Chen clenched his fist. The purple energy of the Grandmist flared.
"Let them come," Jiang Chen whispered to the alien jungle. "I'll turn this planet into a graveyard for Gods."
[Arc 2 Complete.]
[System Update: Arc 3 - The Galactic Stage Begins.]
[New Feature: Interstellar Travel Unlocked.]
[Next Objective: Investigate the "Eleven".]
"Husband!" Feng Xi's voice echoed from the castle. "I found a dragon nest in the basement! Can we make omelets?"
Jiang Chen sighed, the tension leaving his shoulders.
"Coming, dear."
He walked into his castle. The Warlord was done for the day. Now, it was time to be a Husband.
(Author's Note: This concludes the "Academy" and "Tournament" arcs. The story now shifts to a larger scale: Managing a Planet, Interstellar Politics, and the impending war with the Void Lords.)