"Swish!"
Space warped and in the blink of an eye, the group vanished from the Lookout.
They reappeared in the Kaiō God Realm. As the highest plane in existence, especially in Dragon Ball GT, this realm stood unmatched.
Ordinarily, even Son Goku's Instant Transmission could barely cross the boundary between the mortal world and the Kaiō God Realm.
In the original timeline, Goku had to first reach the Underworld before he could sense its location and teleport there.
But with Jiang Chen here, such limitations no longer mattered.
In an instant, the vast distance was bridged. By the time the three regained their bearings, they were already standing in the sacred realm of the Kaiō God.
The Old Kaiōshin, who had been peering into his crystal ball, nearly jumped out of his seat in fright, almost falling flat onto the ground.
"Goku! Vegeta!" He blurted, his voice tinged with annoyance.
"Lord Kaiōshin," Goku greeted warmly with his trademark smile while Vegeta only cast him a brief glance, saying nothing.
"Lord Kaiōshin, it's an honor to meet you for the first time." Jiang Chen also stepped forward as he spoke.
"I know you, Aspara, a Saiyan from another time and space," The Old Kaiōshin said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So, what brings you to the Kaiō God Realm?"
"We're here to ask…" Jiang Chen began, his tone measured, "…whether Super Saiyan 4 represents the full awakening of a Saiyan's potential."
The Old Kaiōshin paused before shaking his head.
"No. A Saiyan's potential is virtually limitless. Super Saiyan 4 is nowhere near the complete release of that power."
He fell silent for a moment, as if sifting through ancient memories.
"You may not know this, but in an age long forgotten, Saiyans were the most violent and bloodthirsty race in the entire universe. That's why they were called the strongest combat race of all. But the tides of history are long. That ferocity, that primal power, has faded. The Super Saiyan transformation draws out part of it, yes, but only a fraction. It is far from the whole."
The Old Kaiōshin spoke slowly, as though telling a story from a time even the gods barely remembered.
"Wait, Lord Kaiōshin," Goku interrupted, scratching his head. "Didn't you say before that the Super Saiyan path wasn't the right one?"
"Idiot!" The Old Kaiōshin scowled. "That's because I didn't want you drowning in that power. If a Saiyan's true Super Saiyan potential were fully awakened, the entire universe would face catastrophe."
"Ah… really?" Goku replied, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Of course!" the Old Kaiōshin snapped. "Majin Buu was terrifying enough, if another legendary Super Saiyan appeared, the consequences would be more than our universe could bear."
He let out a weary sigh.
"In that case, Lord Kaiōshin," Jiang Chen said, his voice curious, "Can you tell us how to fully draw out a Super Saiyan's power?"
If he remembered correctly, in another timeline, the Old Kaiōshin had been the one to guide the awakening of Super Saiyan 5. He wanted to know if, in this GT timeline, the old god also possessed that knowledge.
"What are you planning to do?" The Old Kaiōshin suddenly grew tense, eyeing Jiang Chen warily.
"Relax, Lord Kaiōshin," Jiang Chen said calmly. "With our power, we should be able to keep it under control."
"And besides… You can sense it too, can't you? The universe is already reaching its limit. If nothing is done soon, everything may collapse into ruin."
Jiang Chen's gaze was steady as he spoke.
This time, he wasn't exaggerating. As a Time and Space Patrolman, the moment he arrived in the GT timeline, he had already sensed the root of this world's problem.
Because there was no God of Destruction, the universe was constantly expanding.
While the Kaiōshin here were not responsible for creating or reshaping planets, this natural expansion had already reached an alarming level.
At its current speed, even without any external disaster, the universe would eventually collapse once it reached a certain point. This was the fundamental difference between the Dragon God Zalama Universe and the Zen'ō (King of All) Universe.
In Zen'ō's domain, every universe, and even every timeline, had a complete, functioning system.
This made it almost impossible for the lifeforms within to break through the cosmic boundaries, but it also meant such universes would not simply collapse on their own.
Unless Zen'ō himself acted, or a universe's God of Destruction willingly destroyed it, its stability was virtually guaranteed. The Dragon God Zalama Universe, on the other hand, was like countless bubbles, it could burst at any moment, or a new one could be born just as easily.
The GT timeline was exactly like that.
Perhaps the only unique feature was that Son Goku bore the mark of the Dragon God Zalama.
But that mark applied only to Goku himself, it had no meaning for the stability of the entire universe.
Unless Goku's strength rose to a level high enough to sustain the universe itself,
it would make no real difference.
"You… actually know?" The Old Kaiōshin's expression showed a flicker of surprise at Jiang Chen's words.
"Elder, what… what do you mean?" Beside him, Kibito Kai grew nervous, unable to hold back his question.
He hadn't misheard, Jiang Chen had just said their universe was on the verge of destruction.
'How could that not shake him?'
"Lord Kaiōshin, you should know I serve under Chronoa, the Kaiōshin of Time, as a Time and Space Patrolman. In other areas, I might not match you, but when it comes to the stability and development of time and space, I'm very much an expert." Jiang Chen smiled casually as he spoke.
"A Time and Space Patrolman…? Truly a curious existence," The Old Kaiōshin mused.
"But this problem is likely irreversible, unless Lord Dragon God Zalama himself intervenes."
He sighed softly, then spoke with a trace of focus in his tone.
As a Kaiōshin, and one from fifteen generations ago, he knew certain truths. He understood exactly what Jiang Chen was talking about. But even so, the Old Kaiōshin had no method to counter it.
In the countless timelines of the past, many universes and worlds had perished this same way.
This one, in his view, would be no different.
"It doesn't have to be that way!" Jiang Chen said firmly. "Every universe has its own developmental laws, and thus, its own chances of renewal. Even in the universes ruled by Zen'ō, there is still a possibility of extension and rebirth."
"Lord Kaiōshin, all you need to do is tell us how to fully draw out the true power of the Super Saiyan. That alone will be enough."
The Old Kaiōshin exhaled slowly.
(To Be Continued…)
This novel is finished and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395