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Chapter 286 - Universe
🕑 Added 2025-04-09 07:00:07 +0000 UTCPreviously, Lapin, who had been relaxing in his cloud abode, enjoying carrot tops as usual, hadn't expected one of his clouds to witness a portal appearing in the jungle. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he had spied on the situation from afar.
"Don't worry. You could hear me because I allowed it. Now, take care of my apprentice," the Goddess instructed, her tone firm but not unkind.
"Yes, goddess! You can leave this to me! I promised her sister to find this lady anyway. You don't need to worry about your apprentice!" Lapin reassured, recognizing Lilian from the pictures Anda had shown him earlier. The cloud quickly floated over, gently lifting Lilian and laying her down on its soft surface.
At the same time, Lapin realized why he could understand everything the Goddess had said, even though she was speaking in an entirely different language. It must have been some kind of divine ability—a direct translation in his mind. This revelation only deepened his awe.
He had been absolutely shocked when he discovered she was a divine being, witnessing her wield her divine power with effortless grace. His bloodline awakening had passed down fragments of knowledge about such beings—entities capable of traversing the void and the universe with ease.
For comparison, even with his current abilities, Lapin couldn't go beyond the planet's atmosphere due to the restrictions imposed by the world's laws. The difference between being bound by worldly laws and freely traveling through space was staggering. If he could, he would have already escaped the impending calamity by fleeing to another world, rather than seeking loopholes like the void tunnel.
Suddenly, Lapin felt an overwhelming urge to act. A chance like this might never come again.
"Umm... goddess, can you please accept me as your spirit beast?" Lapin bravely seized the opportunity, his voice trembling slightly. Despite his preference for freedom, the temptation to serve a divine being far outweighed his usual desires.
"You want to escape the World Piercer Tree?" she asked, her lips curving into a knowing smile.
"Yes, goddess! Can I?" Lapin replied, his confidence growing slightly at her smile. He hadn't known what the colossal tree was called before, but what else could she be referring to?
She shook her head gently. "Unfortunately, I only accept females to work under me."
Though Lapin had expected rejection, he still felt a pang of disappointment. This had been a monumental opportunity, after all.
"Hehehe. How about this? Let's make a transaction. If you become my apprentice's secret bodyguard, I'll give you an opportunity," the Goddess of Fertility said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
Lapin's real body, lounging on his sky island, straightened with interest. Even his long ears perked up, twitching with anticipation.
"What kind of opportunity, goddess?" Lapin asked, his excitement barely contained.
"I have a maid under me, and I'm currently looking for candidates to be her partner. I'll recommend you to her. How about it? Interested?"
"Uhh... but goddess, I have no interest in humans..." Lapin replied hesitantly.
"Who said she's a human? My maid is also a Celestial Cloud Rabbit. That's why I brought it up," the Goddess said, her smile widening.
"Really, goddess? Are there many Celestial Cloud Rabbits over there?" Lapin asked, his voice filled with wonder.
"Of course, there are many. There's an entire planet of Celestial Cloud Rabbits out there. You can't compare this place to where I come from. It's been around for countless years, with thriving civilizations of many species—millions of them. Humans are just one of the most populous."
Lapin was stunned. Millions of civilizations? He couldn't even fathom the scale of such a universe. Here, only humans had successfully formed civilizations. Demonic plants and beasts had all failed to reach such heights.
"Among the Celestial Cloud Rabbits, my maid is quite the beauty, you know. She has a big, round, fluffy tail," the Goddess added, her tone teasing.
"I agree! Goddess, I agree to your arrangement! I will be your apprentice's secret bodyguard!" Lapin answered quickly, his excitement bubbling over. The mention of a big, round tail had hooked him instantly.
The Goddess of Fertility blinked for a few seconds, then smiled as she guessed what was happening. "Hehehe. It's only a recommendation, okay? In the end, it'll be up to her whether she agrees or not."
"No problem, goddess, no problem! I'll try my best!" Lapin agreed happily.
How could he not? He had been the lone Celestial Cloud Rabbit of his bloodline for his entire life. Now, knowing there was an entire civilization of his kind out there, how could he not be excited? The topic had come up recently in a conversation with Anda, but the good news had arrived far sooner than he could have imagined. Not only might he see more of his bloodline, but he might also potentially win the heart of a beauty with a big, round tail—a rabbit girl of his dreams!
"Very good. Here, take this," the Goddess of Fertility said, producing a miniature cloud that fit perfectly in her palm.
"Eh? This cloud..." Lapin's eyes widened as he sensed the power radiating from the tiny cloud. As a Celestial Cloud Rabbit, he could immediately tell that this cloud was far more potent than any he had ever created. Is this the cloud created by her maid? he wondered.
"You guessed right. This is the cloud my maid created. You can use it to contact me later, after my apprentice reaches the realm where she begins fusing her soul with the Dao she learns. At that time, I'll arrange a way to pick you up," the Goddess explained, her divine sense still enveloping the planet. Lapin's expressions and emotional fluctuations on the sky island didn't escape her scrutiny. She could discern his thoughts effortlessly.
The mini cloud floated gently from the Goddess's palm and vanished the next moment. A few seconds later, it reappeared, hovering in front of Lapin. This display of power left him in awe. It would have taken his clouds days to travel such a distance at full speed, yet the Goddess had sent the mini cloud to him in mere seconds. The gap between their abilities was staggering.
Lapin picked up the mini cloud, and immediately, he felt a faint bloodline connection emanating from it. The connection gave him a sense of the distance between himself and the mini cloud's owner—most likely the Goddess's Celestial Cloud Rabbit maid. Through this connection, he sensed something so outrageous, so mind-blowing, that it was almost impossible to comprehend.
The distance between them was astronomical. It was a scale he had never imagined in his entire life. Just how massive was the universe out there? The word "massive" didn't even begin to describe it. In fact, he couldn't fully fathom the scale of the universe—he was only sensing the distance between two points. Where exactly does this Goddess come from? How is she able to traverse such unimaginable distances?
Previously, Lapin had felt that he was nowhere near the Goddess's level. But now, that feeling shifted. He felt a deep sense of shame for even attempting to measure the gap between them. The difference wasn't just vast—it was incomprehensible. He didn't deserve to compare at all.
The Goddess of Fertility chuckled softly as she observed Lapin's stunned expression. After the long, tedious journey to locate her missing garden, she had needed some amusement before embarking on the equally boring return trip. Fortunately, having established a stable path on her way here, the journey back would be much shorter.
Suddenly, a tiny beam of light shot from her glabella, crossing hundreds of thousands of kilometers in an instant. It reached Lapin's sky island and entered his mind before he could even react.
"That's what the universe—and most things in it—look like out there," the Goddess said, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.
In Lapin's mind, an overwhelming flood of images and information unfolded. He saw countless planets, each with its own unique landscapes and atmospheres. Stars burned brightly, some solitary and others clustered in dazzling galaxies that spiraled and swirled like cosmic dancers. Black holes loomed like voids, their gravitational pull warping space and time. Primordial gas clouds drifted lazily, the birthplaces of new stars and worlds. Nebulae painted the void with vibrant colors, their ethereal beauty breathtaking even in his mind's eye.
The scale of it all was incomprehensible. Planets were mere specks compared to stars, stars were tiny dots within galaxies, and galaxies themselves were like grains of sand in the vast expanse of the universe. Lapin felt utterly insignificant in comparison, a tiny being in an infinite cosmos.
Some time later, Lapin returned to reality, his mind reeling from the experience. He now had a general understanding of the universe, though he knew what he had seen was only the surface layer of its complexity and grandeur.
The perfect example of things beneath the surface would be the existence of the void tunnel. The distance between the planets was quite far but the void tunnel somehow reduced the distance greatly.
Since he saw the Goddess come from the portal, Lapin was convinced that the void tunnel was definitely the key to faster cosmic travel, and divine beings could access it easily because no matter how fast something was, he didn't believe anything could travel the universe, from galaxy to galaxy a short time. He couldn't fathom it.
