Hades was not in a hurry. He waited patiently for the Underworld to expand and evolve. This expansion took nearly ten thousand years before it finally stopped. During this time, the essence of the Demon Star also increased similarly.
When everything settled, Hades had perfectly mastered all the laws at his disposal, solidifying his position as a Chief God of the Titans. However, the issue remained that the sheer number of laws was overwhelmingly complex.
Hades slowly gathered his divine sense, feeling the vast array of laws he controlled. He murmured, "The quantity of laws is still too immense. Nearly every law associated with darkness is now under my control."
"Forget it." Hades stood up, muttering to himself, "It's about time. I should return to the mortal world and find a way to reclaim my essence."
However, just as Hades was about to leave, he paused slightly and took out an ancient crystal of technique that he had acquired along with Prometheus, a relic from a primordial god.
Hades quietly examined the crystal of technique. At his current level as a Major God, he couldn't fully comprehend or utilize the techniques contained within it. But now, having broken through to the Chief God of the Titans level, he was confident he could unlock its secrets.
He infused his divine sense into the crystal of technique. Over time, thirty thousand years passed. When he withdrew his divine sense, the crystal had shattered into countless fragments of light, dispersing in mid-air. Feeling the techniques he had grasped, he murmured, "These special techniques are still not perfect, but there's no rush."
Hades wasn't anxious. After completing almost all of his preparations, he left the Underworld and returned to the Astral Plane.
This time, as soon as Hades returned to the Astral Plane, his divine body became completely rigid, unable to move. It was as if an indescribable, terrifying power had completely bound him.
"What is this…" Hades's eyes, usually as dark and all-encompassing as the universe itself, were now filled with shock.
At that moment, he felt an unparalleled force sweeping over him. No, this was not divine power—it was something akin to divine power but entirely different, as if a divergent branch split from the same source.
"Outer Gods…"
As time passed, Hades's heart pounded wildly. His consciousness began to blur, and his mind was invaded by countless insane and frenzied thoughts. Just then, the World Tree began to resonate, and along with the Demon Star, a surge of divine power and laws enveloped Hades's soul, helping him regain his senses. He quickly closed his eyes and, without hesitation, turned to flee the Astral Plane.
In the final instant, as he glanced back one last time, he saw a vast expanse resembling a sea of grey sludge. This grotesque creature was enormous, filled with countless crying heads, some human, some not, all contorted in extreme agony. He heard the endless wails of suffering.
It seemed as though this place contained the remnants of numerous worlds. Hades thought he could hear the cries and painful screams of these worlds' consciousnesses.
Outer God: Thousand-faced Moon, Hydra.
This name might resemble that of the nine-headed serpent from Greek mythology, but in reality, they were incomparable. This Hydra represented the ultimate fear and madness of the gods.
In the chaos, countless worlds were born, giving rise to immense Absolute Gods who created myriad mythic worlds.
This was the normal development within the sea of chaos.
However, countless eons ago, an anomaly appeared in the sea of chaos. It was an indescribable, unviewable entity, filled with eerie divinity, born in a small world.
This entity devoured the small world and eventually plunged into the sea of chaos. According to its nature, it destroyed countless small and mythic worlds, evolving into its current form. These beings became known as the Outer Gods.
These entities roamed the sea of chaos, feeding on worlds and gods alike, spreading endless decay and corruption. Any carelessness could lead to complete annihilation.
Just like Hades, who nearly lost his divine sense and soul by merely glancing at the Outer God's bizarre power. This is the terrifying power of the Outer Gods.
The term "Outer Gods" is a collective one. They could be gods originally, or beings born from the sea of chaos that became increasingly grotesque and terrifying, evolving into Outer Gods over time.
Hydra was once the nine-headed serpent of a small world. But now, could anyone still recognize its original form? Clearly, this was no longer possible.
Moreover, alongside the emergence of the Outer Gods, some gods who wielded the powers of elements such as earth, water, fire, and wind became known as the Great Old Ones. These beings were considered weaker versions of the Outer Gods or, perhaps more fittingly, a different branch of them. Among the Great Old Ones were powerful beings that were no less formidable.
However!
In the ancient past, while the Outer Gods roamed freely in the sea of chaos, the Great Old Ones faced a long and brutal war and were subsequently sealed away within various worlds in the sea of chaos. The ones who sealed them were known as the Elder Gods.
The Elder Gods have a unique origin. They were gods who had decayed and fallen, turning into the Elder Gods. They waged a prolonged war against the Great Old Ones, eventually sealing them away. However, the Elder Gods disappeared afterward.
No gods knew where the Elder Gods vanished to. This unique pantheon, named after the well-known Great Old One, Cthulhu, is called the Cthulhu Mythos.
The Outer Gods, the Great Old Ones, and the Elder Gods make up this eerie pantheon.
The Great Old Ones were sealed by the Elder Gods.
The Elder Gods vanished after sealing the Great Old Ones.
In the end, only the Outer Gods, who roamed the sea of chaos, remained. They became the greatest threat to every world and god. This is the greatest danger within the sea of chaos!
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