The moment Su Cheng and his Saints stepped out of the collapsing void-plane, he didn't waste a second. While his believers returned to the Eternal Continent to rest and consolidate their gains, Su Cheng's avatar teleported directly back to the mist-shrouded district in Chaos God City. The labyrinthine illusions parted for him as if welcoming a returning master, and soon he stood once more before the simple wooden door of the Oracle's library.
He stepped into the vast, silent hall. At the center of the immense space, the shadowy figure of Morpheus sat at his desk, seemingly not having moved at all. He looked up, the darkness within his hood shifting slightly.
"That was faster than anticipated," the Oracle's voice rustled, carrying a hint of what might have been approval. "It seems Kaelen's Void Devourer was no match for your forces. Or, more accurately, for your Gnoll Demon King."
It was clear that Morpheus had observed the entire battle. Su Cheng was not surprised. For the God of Whispers, there were few secrets in the city.
"A deal is a deal," Su Cheng said simply, his voice cutting through the silence. He held up the crystalline orb, the Eye of a Fallen God, which pulsed with a faint, ancient light.
"Indeed," Morpheus replied.
Su Cheng willed it forward, and the Eye floated across the grand hall, settling gently on the Oracle's desk. At the same time, a brilliant sphere of condensed energy materialized beside it—one hundred threads of pure, shimmering divine power. The air in the library grew heavy under the weight of such a massive payment.
The shadowy figure of Morpheus reached out a hand that seemed made of pure darkness, and both the Eye and the sphere of divine power vanished into his cloak. "The price has been paid," the Oracle stated. "Now for your information."
Morpheus leaned forward, and his whispering voice filled Su Cheng's mind directly, a torrent of classified, divine-level intelligence.
"The one you seek is Lamov, the True God of Thunder. He is a High God of the seventh star, an ancient and powerful being. He is not a loner. He is a ranking member of a formidable pantheon known as the 'Celestial Axis,' an alliance of gods who value order and absolute power."
Su Cheng's expression remained neutral, but he absorbed every word. This was far more serious than a simple revenge-seeking father. He was facing a faction.
"His own divine kingdom is located in the Zephyr star system, but his coordinates are a closely guarded secret, even for me," Morpheus continued. "As you suspected, he cannot act against you directly due to the Supreme Rules. He has been attempting to hire proxies. His first attempt with Orton failed spectacularly. Now, he is reaching out to more powerful beings—nine-star demigods on the verge of godhood, and even the subordinate gods of other True Gods. He is offering them god-level artifacts and the promise of his favor in exchange for your destruction."
The Oracle provided a list of names, each one a legendary figure in the annals of demigods, names that would cause any other player to despair.
"But this is not his primary plan," Morpheus's whisper grew colder. "This is merely a distraction. His true plan is far more dangerous. He is preparing a 'Divine Judgment' ritual."
"A Divine Judgment?" Su Cheng inquired.
"A forbidden rite used by True Gods to punish those they cannot reach. It allows them to bypass some of the Supreme Rules by paying an immense price to reality itself. He will gather the power of his entire pantheon, and after a long and costly preparation—approximately half a year's time by the standard reckoning—he can unleash a single strike of divine thunder that can locate and annihilate your divine realm, no matter how well it is hidden. It will not just destroy your avatar; it will target your true divine form."
This was the information Su Cheng truly needed. A direct, lethal threat. And a timeline. Six months.
"He cannot be allowed to complete that ritual," Su Cheng thought.
"This is the information you paid for," the Oracle concluded. "Lamov's strategy is to keep you busy and drain your resources with his proxies, while he prepares the final, unavoidable blow."
Su Cheng stood in silence, processing the dire news. The scale of the threat was greater than he had imagined. He needed to get stronger, and he needed to do it fast.
"You have fulfilled your end of the bargain," Su Cheng said. "I am satisfied."
"As a gesture of goodwill for a… lucrative new client," Morpheus added, a hint of a smile in his voice, "I will provide a small bonus. You seek power, and the fastest path for a god of your nature is through conquest and plunder. The legacy of the God of Slaughter, Cyric, lies scattered across the realms, locked behind fifteen keys."
A thread of pure information, a set of precise coordinates, flowed into Su Cheng's mind.
"This," the Oracle whispered, "is the location of the another key. It is hidden in a place known as the 'Grave of the Dragon-slayer.' Be warned, it is well-guarded."
Su Cheng gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. "You have been most helpful, Oracle."
He turned to leave, his mind already formulating a new plan. The war of shadows had begun, and his first move was clear. He had to conquer the legacy of his predecessor. He had to claim the power of the God of Slaughter.