Chapter 280: Ch 280 : For a Thousand Years

"We are out," Kairos whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of relief and a wide grin for the future. "We are finally out of that demonic cage."The sphere of dark light, powered by the Pearl that Lom had given, tore through the fabric of space with a speed that defied the laws of physics.

It phased through reality, slipping between the layers of the multiverse like a needle through silk.

Behind them, the suffocating miasma of Solara faded into the distance. They had escaped the suffocating place, the black mark on the map where Thea’s eyes could not reach.

"Wait," one of the Gods stammered, looking around the swirling universe with wide, fearful eyes. "We are in the open multiverse now. I can sense them... the particles. Won’t she track us down?"

Panic began to ripple through the group. They knew that Sunny’s eyes were everywhere. If he detected them who were now traitors, who had surrendered to the demons, he wouldn’t hesitate to erase them from existence before they even reached their destination.

Kairos sneered, clutching the black pearl tighter. The artifact hummed with a cold energy that seeped into his bones.

"Cowards," Kairos spat. "Do you think the Demon God Lom would give us a faulty tool? This pearl doesn’t just transport us; it hids our presence too. It wraps us in a shroud of Nothingness."

He gestured to the shimmering particles of light outside their dark bubble. "To those particles, we do not exist. We are a void within the void. That bastard Cosmos will never know we have passed until his throat is already in my hand."

Reassured, though still terrified, the three other Gods fell silent. The sphere accelerated, a silent bullet of vengeance aimed directly towards the direction of Veridia.

Deep in the Cosmic Void.

Far away from Kairos, in the endless expanse between multiverses, a different journey was taking place.

Three figures traveled through the emptiness, heading toward the beacon of light that was the largest multiverse, the multiverse of Gods.

Beru was in his colossal form. He had utilized his Size Manipulation talent to expand his body to the size of a small starship.

Perched on his enormous shoulder were Cai Zhen and Thera.

"We are saving a good amount of time," Thera noted, looking at the distant multiverse. "With Beru’s speed, a journey that would have taken us thousands years is already halfway complete in just a few years."

"Heh," Beru grunted, the sound vibrating through his entire body. "I could go faster if I decrease some of my size, but then where would you sit?"

He didn’t knew why he hadn’t felt like killing them yet, like he usually do, kill and eat to grow.

But instead of that he felt like they are some old companions of his, a part of his which were lost in a forsaken era.

His thoughts were short lived as suddenly, the insectoid prince stopped. His antennae twitched, sensing something in the silence of the void.

"Someone is there," Beru announced.

Instantly, his aura vanished. He had hidden his presence entirely, his instincts completely taking over his body.

"I feel it too," Cai Zhen whispered, standing up on Beru’s shoulder. His cultivation robes fluttered even without any wind.

He closed his eyes, extending his spiritual sense out into the darkness.

He opened his eyes, a spark of recognition lighting them up. "It is a Dragon."

He remembered the Dragon Race from his home multiverse. They were supreme beings, born with strength that humans spent thousands of years cultivating.

A dragon didn’t need to train; it simply grew and conquered everything that required hardwork for others.

"But..." Cai Zhen frowned, confused. "It is not a God. Its aura is potent, but it is nowhere enough to be a God. It is a Demigod."

"A Demigod?" Thera asked, leaning forward. "Traveling alone in the cosmic void?"

Beru also said in disbelief. "Impossible. The pressure out here crushes Demigods into paste. Only a God, or a creature with an unbreakable body, can survive the void between multiverses. Are you sure, Cai Zhen?"

"My senses do not lie," Cai Zhen insisted, though he sounded shaken. "But it defies logic. A Demigod should be infinitely weak compared to us. How is it moving so freely?"

"Should we investigate?" Thera suggested, pointing toward the shimmering speck in the distance. "He seems to be coming from the direction of that multiverse. The one we are heading to."

The being they were discussing was indeed a dragon. But he was not just any dragon.

He was Shenlong, the Demigod of Hope.

His scales were a vibrant, shimmering green, reflecting the light of distant multiverses.

Shenlong was on a mission. He was the explorer, who was traveling to the outer rims to spread the influence of his master, Sunny, to the neighboring multiverses.

He was currently oblivious to the three powerful deities analyzing him from the shadows.

"Let’s go," Beru decided.

ZOOM.

Space bent. One second, Beru was millions of kilometers away. The next second, a massive shadow fell over Shenlong.

"STOP!"

Beru’s voice boomed telepathically, a thunderclap in the silent void. He uncloaked, revealing his colossal form; a nightmare of spikes, claws, and mandibles that dwarfed the green dragon.

Shenlong halted. He looked up at the three Gods blocking his path. A normal Demigod would have collapsed from the pressure of their combined auras. A normal soul would have shattered from fear.

But Shenlong was the embodiment of Hope. And hope does not panic.

He hovered in place, his serpentine body coiling gracefully. His golden eyes moved from the terrifying insect monster to the other two human Gods.

"Greetings," Shenlong said, his voice polite, calm and unafraid. "What do three mighty Gods want from a humble Demigod like myself?"

Beru narrowed his eyes. He sensed no fear. Which was an unnatural thing coming from a demigod.

"You are not afraid," Beru hissed. "Do you not know that I could snap you in half like a twig?"

"You could," Shenlong agreed pleasantly. "But I am a being of Hope. Even if you kill this body, I will simply reform back in my home. Hope cannot be killed, great one. It can only be delayed."

He bowed his large head slightly. "However, I would prefer not to be delayed. I have things to do."

Cai Zhen raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. You have a backing, then? A resurrection anchor?"

He knew a few things from his multiverse which allowed such resurrection possible, but before Shenlong could answer another question was shot his way.

"Are you from that multiverse?" Beru interrupted, pointing a massive claw toward his destination.

"Yes," Shenlong replied. "That is the multiverse of my Master. He is the God of that realm."

Shenlong was polite, but he was also a clever being. He knew that even if he was immortal, dying was inconvenient and painful. The best defense was deterrence.

"Is there just a single God in that multiverse?" Beru asked, probing for weakness. "Is it an empty nest?"

Shenlong chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound.

"No," he said, his voice swelling with pride. "There are more than six billion Gods residing there. And a few thousand Demon Gods... though they are currently being hunted by my Master."

The three travelers froze. Six billion Gods? Demon Gods being hunted?

"And," Shenlong added the killing blow, "my Master is the Emperor of them all."

Silence stretched in the void.

"Six billion..." Thera whispered, exchanging a look with Cai Zhen. "If that is true, then they can really protect you from the demon gods."

But Cai Zhen had a more pressing concern. He stepped forward.

"Does your world possess Qi?" he asked, his voice tight with anxiety.

He sensed no Qi from this dragon. If this multiverse didn’t have Qi, the fundamental energy of cultivation, the he would be stranded.

He would slowly regress, his cultivation base crumbling until he was nothing more than a mortal.

"Qi?" Shenlong tilted his head. "I believe I have seen records of it in our Divine Library. Our multiverse operates primarily on Mana and Faith... but my Master is versatile."

He paused, looking at the desperate cultivator. "We do not have it naturally in the multiverse yet. But... we can surely make some. If you can pay the price, that is."

Inside his mind, Shenlong mentally asked Thea.

’Thea! Thea! Are you there? Is Master busy?’

He could have contacted Sunny directly through their soul link, but he hesitated.

Sunny was the Emperor. He was busy managing a war, an economy, and a hundred other things. Would he even care about a random encounter in the void?

[He is looking at you currently.]

Before Shenlong could process the response, a voice; deep, calm, and infinitely powerful resonated directly in his soul.

"Do as you please, Shenlong."

It was Sunny.

"You are the Spokesperson of the Cosmos. You are my herald outside the boundaries. Whatever decision you make, I will back it. You represent the Empire now."

Shenlong shivered. It wasn’t fear; it was awe. His master was watching and he had handed such an important decision to him.

He took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders.

"Yes, Master," he replied internally.

With newfound confidence radiating from his scales, Shenlong looked back at Cai Zhen.

He didn’t look like a Demigod anymore. He looked like an spokesperson of a superpower.

"So," Shenlong said, his voice echoing with authority. "Do you want my help?"

Cai Zhen looked at the dragon. He knew it sounded too good to be true, to create qi out of nothing.

It was a feat of creation that only a Supreme Being could manage.

But he had no choice. Going back was death from the demon Gods. Going forward without Qi was also a slow death.

"I do," Cai Zhen admitted, his pride bowing to necessity. "I need Qi. Without it, I am nothing." He thought.

"What is the price?" Cai Zhen asked. He was ready to offer treasures, techniques, even his own divine weapon.

Shenlong smiled, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"You must sign a contract," Shenlong declared. "You will work under my Master. You will serve our empire."

He leaned in close.

"For one thousand years."