Chapter 25: The Library of Origin
Location: Terra Nova – The South Pole
The transport ship Cloud Piercer cut through the blizzard that perpetually shrouded the South Pole of Terra Nova.
"Temperature is negative 120 degrees Celsius," the pilot AI announced. "Wind speed: 300 km/h. Sensors detecting massive underground energy signature."
Jiang Chen stood at the viewport, wearing his Void Walker Suit. Beside him, Mo You looked comfortable in the cold (being a creature of the dark, cold abyss), while Feng Xi was shivering, bundled up in five layers of heated blankets and clutching a thermos of hot cocoa.
"Why is it so cooold?" Feng Xi whined, her teeth chattering. "This planet is broken. Someone turn up the thermostat!"
"We are landing," Jiang Chen ignored the complaint, though he adjusted the ambient heat in the cabin slightly for her.
The ship touched down on a vast plain of ice. But in the center of the plain, there was a massive, circular depression—a crater melted into the ice by the awakening of the Custodians.
In the center of the crater stood a monolithic gate. It was made of the same white metal as the robots, towering fifty meters high, inscribed with pulsing purple runes.
Waiting for them in front of the gate was the High Praetor (the robot commander Jiang Chen had subdued).
"WELCOME, SOVEREIGN," the Praetor boomed, bowing low. "THE ARCHIVES AWAIT."
"Open it," Jiang Chen commanded.
The Praetor placed its hand on the gate. The runes flared.
RUMBLE.
The massive doors split down the middle and slid open with a sound like grinding mountains.
A blast of stale, ancient air rushed out. It smelled of ozone and time.
They walked in.
The interior was not a dark cave. It was a brightly lit, futuristic hall. The walls were lined with millions of hexagonal data crystals. In the center of the room floated a holographic model of the Galaxy.
But hanging above the hologram, suspended by gravity clamps, was the prize.
The God-Killer.
It wasn't a ship in the traditional sense. It looked like a spearhead made of black crystal, sleek and predatory. It had no windows, no thrusters. It was a solid block of weaponized Grandmist geometry.
[Item Analysis]
[Name: The Void Piercer (Class: Dreadnought)]
[Status: Dormant (Power: 0%)]
[Capacity: 1 Crew (The Sovereign)]
"It's beautiful," Mo You whispered, admiring the sharp lines. "It looks like it could cut a planet in half."
"It can," the Praetor confirmed. "ITS MAIN CANNON... FIRES A SINGULARITY... CAPABLE OF COLLAPSING A STAR."
"But it has no power," Jiang Chen noted the 0% reading. "How do we fuel it?"
The Praetor pointed to a pedestal beneath the ship. On the pedestal sat a single, empty slot.
"IT REQUIRES... THE HEART OF A VOID LORD."
Jiang Chen froze.
"A Void Lord?"
"YES. THE PREVIOUS SOVEREIGN... FAILED TO ACQUIRE ONE. THAT IS WHY... HE DIED."
Jiang Chen rubbed his temples. Of course. The ultimate weapon needed the ultimate battery. To kill the Void Lords, he first had to kill a Void Lord. It was a catch-22 from hell.
"Fine," Jiang Chen muttered. "We put a pin in the spaceship. What about the library?"
He walked to the data crystals.
"System. Interface."
He placed his hand on the console.
[Access Granted: Genetic Match Verified.]
[Downloading Archives...]
A hologram appeared in front of him. It was a recording.
A man appeared. He looked strikingly like Jiang Chen—tall, black hair, purple eyes. But he looked tired. Broken.
"If you are watching this," the man said, his voice heavy with regret. "It means I failed. The Void consumed me."
"My name is Cang Yu. I was the First Sovereign."
"I spent my life fighting the Eleven. I thought I could beat them with strength alone. I was wrong."
The recording flickered.
"The Void is not just an enemy. It is a fundamental force of the universe. You cannot destroy it. You can only... balance it."
"The Chaos Sutra has a final stage. The Third Stance. It is not about Domination. It is about Integration."
"You must find the Primordial Source. It is located in the center of the Galaxy. The place where it all began."
"Go there. Find the Source. Become the True God."
The recording ended.
Jiang Chen stood in silence.
"Integration?" Mo You frowned. "That sounds dangerous. The Void corrupts everything it touches."
"Maybe that's why he failed," Jiang Chen mused. "He tried to integrate too early. Or maybe he didn't have what I have."
He looked at his wives.
"He was alone. I'm not."
[System Notification]
[Main Quest Updated: The Path to Divinity.]
[Objective 1: Kill a Void Lord to power the Ship.]
[Objective 2: Reach the Galactic Core.]
"Okay," Jiang Chen stepped away from the console. "We have a roadmap. But before we go hunting Gods, we need to secure our backyard."
He turned to the Praetor.
"Does this facility have a manufacturing plant?"
"YES, SOVEREIGN. WE CAN PRODUCE... A-RANK DRONES... AT A RATE OF... 1,000 PER DAY."
Jiang Chen's eyes lit up.
"Start printing," Jiang Chen ordered. "I want a fleet. The Jiang Clan needs an air force."
Location: Earth – The Jiang Estate (One Week Later)
Jiang Chen returned to Earth to find the situation had changed drastically.
The Global Alliance was in panic mode.
Void rifts were opening all over the planet. Small ones, releasing D-Rank monsters, but the frequency was increasing. The public was scared. The stock market had crashed.
In the Jiang Estate meeting room, the Alliance Commander sat opposite Jiang Wu.
"Warlord Jiang," the Commander pleaded, sweating. "We need your help. The European Front is collapsing. The African Defense Line is overrun. We don't have enough S-Rank hunters."
Jiang Wu leaned back, sipping tea. "And why should I send my private army to fix your mess? When my son was 'crippled', you people mocked him."
"We were wrong!" The Commander bowed his head. "Please. The Jiang Clan is the only hope. We will give you anything. Territory. Rights. Taxes."
Jiang Chen walked into the room.
"We don't want taxes," Jiang Chen said, taking a seat beside his father.
"Young Master Jiang!" The Commander looked at him with awe and fear.
"We want Autonomy," Jiang Chen said. "The Jiang Clan will protect Earth. But from now on, Earth answers to us. The Global Alliance will be dissolved and reformed into the Terran Federation, under the leadership of the Jiang Clan."
The Commander paled. "You... you want to become Emperors?"
"We are already Emperors," Jiang Chen pointed out the window.
Outside, the sky was filled with the new fleet. Thousands of white A-Rank drones (manufactured on Terra Nova) patrolled the city. The massive Shadow Dragon (Mo You) slept on the roof.
"Do you have a choice?" Jiang Chen asked.
The Commander slumped. He looked at the reports of burning cities. He looked at the godlike family in front of him.
"No," the Commander whispered. "We accept."
[System Notification]
[Political Victory Achieved.]
[Title: Prince of Earth.]
[Jiang Clan Influence: Global.]
"Good," Jiang Chen stood up. "General Iron will coordinate the defense. My drones will secure the major cities."
He walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Jiang Wu asked.
"I have a date," Jiang Chen smiled. "With a Void Lord."
Location: The Edge of the Solar System – Pluto
Jiang Chen stood on the surface of Pluto.
He wasn't wearing a suit. His SS-Rank body could survive the vacuum easily now.
In front of him stood the massive Gate of Entropy—the rift Dean Star had shown him. It was pulsing.
"This is it," Jiang Chen said into his comms.
Mo You and Feng Xi stood beside him.
"The sensor readings are off the charts," Mo You said, her daggers drawn. "Something is trying to come through. Something big."
"Let it come," Jiang Chen said.
He planted his feet. He began to channel the Chaos Sutra.
"We need a battery for the ship. So we are going to catch a big fish."
The Gate expanded.
A massive, clawed hand reached out. It was red, covered in eyes.
[Boss Detected: Void Lord #11 – The Red Hunger]
[Rank: Low-Tier Divine]
The creature squeezed through the portal. It was a humanoid giant, the size of a mountain, with a mouth in its stomach.
"LITTLE... MOUSE..." The Red Hunger laughed, its voice shaking the dwarf planet. "YOU CAME... TO BE... EATEN?"
Jiang Chen looked up at the Divine Monster.
He drew Nightfall. The blade turned white—the color of pure Authority.
"No," Jiang Chen whispered.
He leaped.
"I came to steal your heart."
[Battle Start: Jiang Chen vs Void Lord #11]