Time flowed much faster in the dimension where the Witches' Council resided compared to the outside world.

While only a day had passed externally, five months had gone by within the dimension of the Witches' Council.

Noah descended from the throne feeling refreshed, glancing at the group of sleeping beauties.

It wasn't that he had ended things early—rather, it was because any longer would have been entirely unbearable for them.

Engaging in pleasure with the embodiment of the universe itself was tantamount to interacting directly with the cosmos. Normally, a True God capable of enduring such contact for a single day would already be considered an elite among True Gods.

The only reason it had lasted this long was thanks to the Sin Divine Seats and the tremendous potential within them.

The benefits they had gained were nothing short of unimaginable. With sufficient merit, they could ascend to the rank of Supreme God without obstruction.

After all, the essence of the Heavenly Principle was more than enough to make them shine brilliantly.

The marks on their snow-white skin were all root-level holy sigils. As long as they were within the universe, their luck would remain at EX-rank.

Noah gently stroked Emilia's cheek. He had left them with no pain—only bliss taken to the extreme.

As if he would ever let there be pain.

Lying next to Emilia was Satella, who looked exactly like her.

Then came Mona and the others. All their faces radiated bliss.

They were dreaming beautiful dreams, and everything they received in those dreams would become reality upon waking.

"If I were to lift the green light restriction and remove the merit requirement, you all could immediately reach Exceptional God-King."

Exceptional God-King was galaxy-level. Even in the Little Garden, that would place them in the lower 3-Digit ranks.

3-Digit ranks in Little Garden meant omnipotence.

That status implied they had lit up every skill tree, achieving all miracles conceivable by humanity.

A truly vast scope.

3-Digit beings in Little Garden covered from Teyvat's God-King level to Primordial God—that is, from galaxy-scale to cosmic-structure-level.

The Almighty God and the cosmic Truths correspond to Little Garden's 2-Digit ranks—the domain of Full Authority, wielding omnidirectional rights to observe the cosmos.

"However, I still can't grant such a shortcut. This is both a test and a matter of qualification."

Noah gently kissed the foreheads of the dream-entranced Emilia and Mona.

A set of ordinary Fontaine resident clothing appeared on his body, and his figure gradually faded.

After Noah left, the flow of time here did not return to normal.

They still needed time to digest the gifts bestowed upon them by the Heavenly Principle. Once the digestion was complete, their strength would reach breakthrough levels, after which they would need to earn their merit.

Even for women Noah had personally touched, he would not open the back door.

Their potential already allowed them to become Primordials and reach cosmic-structure-level deityhood without obstacle—but they still had to be worthy of it.

Noah exited the Witches' Council and appeared in the Court of Fontaine. Tet appeared beside him.

At that moment, Tet rubbed her eyes tiredly. She was the only one able to endure the recent festivities, thanks to her already being a God-King Breakthrough.

Noah looked at Tet and smiled. "Tet, if you're tired, be a good girl and get some rest."

Though Tet's figure offered little to admire, the variety of games she could come up with was endless. Even doing fun things, she could play them in wildly creative ways.

Tet perked up and boldly grabbed Noah's hand. "As the God-King of Fontaine, please allow me to be your guide."

Noah raised a hand and flicked her forehead with a snap. "I told you to rest, so rest. The entire universe is my backyard—why would I need a guide?"

With a swoosh, Tet was bounced back to the pure white throne of the Witches' Council.

Tet rubbed her forehead and pouted. "Lord Heavenly Principle's being gentle now?"

Noah began walking toward Palais Mermonia.

Though called a palace, Mermonia was in fact as large as a planet. The entire palace complex was gently lifted into the air by water columns from the Court of Fontaine.

As the very heart of the entire nation of Fontaine—and even the Fontaine Pantheon itself—Palais Mermonia was naturally grand and imposing.

Normally already a hub of activity, today Palais Mermonia was even busier than usual. Envoys from various pantheons were submitting diplomatic documents, and the chief gods of those pantheons involved in the current Cosmology Gift Game were in direct talks with Focalors and Neuvillette.

Three divine pantheons were aligned with the Fontaine Divine Collective.

One part of the Celtic mythology pantheon, and the entire Zoroastrian pantheon.

The Zoroastrian pantheon had two chief gods: the benevolent god Ahura Mazda and the evil god Angra Mainyu.

Also called the Mazdayasna faith, Zoroastrianism centers on dualism—a doctrine of good versus evil.

Conveniently, the Fontaine Pantheon is one of justice, with justice being the most direct embodiment of good. Focalors is the supreme figure of justice in Teyvat, making their divine ideologies compatible.

Even though their civilizations originated separately, they were able to form a cohesive cosmology.

Thus, the Fontaine Divine Collective could activate two Cosmologies.

The summoned Pseudo Star Map Creations were the Pseudo Star Map Creation of Good-Evil Dualism and the Pseudo Star Map Creation of Avesta.

Focalors was the first-in-line qualified candidate for the Good-Evil Dualism Star Map, followed by Furina, then the benevolent god Ahura Mazda.

As for Avesta, it belonged entirely to the Zoroastrian pantheon—its very name is the title of their sacred scripture.

This Pseudo Star Map Creation would ultimately depend on which of the two—Ahura Mazda or Angra Mainyu—could reach Supreme Godhood first.

They had only just obtained the qualification to be tested by the Pseudo Star Map Creation. Should they fail, they would have to wait for the next eligible challenger.

Although Noah hoped that all Pseudo Star Map Creations would be acquired by gods of original Teyvat origin, other pantheons had to be given fair opportunity.

If none of them passed the trials, then naturally the original Teyvat gods could step in and challenge the Pseudo Star Map Creation trials themselves.

Noah arrived at the Hydro Archon's Palace—Furina's domain—located at the highest and most central point of the Palais Mermonia complex.

Calmly, Noah sat in the VIP seat, observing the chief gods of the three pantheons participating in the Commercial Gift Game.

From the Celtic side came Nuada, the one-armed king of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

The Celtic pantheon was fragmented, made up of various divine tribes constantly warring with each other. No one acknowledged any centralized authority. Despite their multitude of gods, not a single one was a truly powerful God-King—only minor God-Kings.

Even a Exceptional Primary God could defeat such God-Kings.

This fragmentation stemmed from the scattered nature of their myths, which were largely poetic in form and lacked a coherent system.

God-King Nuada was only king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Apart from them, there were the Fomorian gods led by the evil-eyed Balor, and the Deep Sea Giants. These were the three most powerful factions within the Celtic pantheon.

There were also mythical epics about the Knights of the Round Table and such.

Currently, those legends remained vacant. King Arthur and the Twelve Round Table Knights had yet to return to their rightful place.

It wasn't that they didn't exist, but that the scale of their cultural transmission hadn't reached the threshold needed for origin-level acknowledgment.

Noah watched with interest. No one noticed his presence.

Because he willed it so, not even Phanes could detect him.

Just as Noah was preparing to leave—intending to visit the Opera Epiclese the next day to witness Furina's performance in the Gift Game—

The Power of Beginning Without End was stirred.

Noah's spirit instantly reacted, rising from the VIP seat in a heartbeat.

His gaze pierced beyond the cosmic barrier, out into the space beyond the universe. Even his consciousness detached from Teyvat and shot toward a great universe upon the Imaginary Tree.

The speed was incredible. In less than a single breath, Noah's consciousness had entered a particular great universe on the Imaginary Tree—and dived straight into its internal realm.

"The projected information has finally arrived!"

Noah's lips curled upward, and a gleam sparked in his golden eyes.

The next moment, his vision was filled with a subspace crystalline barrier measured in light-years—a barrier rivaling the scale of a universal membrane.

The entire crystal wall had already surrounded a hyper-range of over one hundred billion galaxies.

Beyond that crystalline wall, a conceptual divine being of hyperstellar magnitude was pounding away at space with a colossal hammer forged from the universe's hardest substance, constructing the subspace crystalline barrier across the universe.

Having received information from beyond the universe, the humanoid divine entity—half composed of stars and rock—paused, and the star that served as its head turned toward the direction outside the universe from where the signal had arrived.

It had no eyes, yet its gaze existed—and it looked straight toward the source of that incoming message.

The message from beyond the universe spread throughout the Star Rail Universe.

Though short, it carried only one meaning—a declaration of war.

And not all beings could perceive it.

Having traveled from the distant Teyvat Universe, the message took the form of cosmic information. As such, only those with universe-level observation or perception talents, or beings above the level of cosmic structure, could discern this signal from amidst the endless flow of universal data.

The contents were roughly as follows:

[Notice to All Overseers of the Foreign Universe:

The Overseer of the Foreign Universe, the Aeon of Elation, has invaded our universe. We interpret this action as a declaration of war.

We are the Teyvat Universe. We accept no apologies, no compromise from your side.

Only the death of the invader can extinguish our fury.

Any attempt to obstruct us shall be deemed an act of war.]

In addition to this declaration of war, the message also contained general information about the Teyvat Universe.

Merely perceiving the message was enough to draw Noah's attention.

The instant this signal reached the Star Rail Universe, all Aeons received it.

"A declaration of war from another universe? Elation?"

Qlipoth halted the swing of the massive hammer used for wall-building, casting his gaze toward the direction from which the message had come. From within the transmission, he already sensed the general structure of the opposing universe.

The message carried a cosmic aura—and this aura gave him a trace of pressure.

He was one of the oldest Aeons, and none knew the roots of their universe better than he.

If this message could exert pressure upon him, then it meant the opposing universe was stronger than the one he called the Star Rail Universe.

"A threat from beyond the universe..."

Build the wall. Build the wall. Continue building the wall. Keep all threats beyond its bounds.

Qlipoth resumed hammering at cosmic space. His speed in constructing the subspace crystal barrier increased.

Clang—Clang—Clang—

As one of the oldest Aeons, he naturally understood the existence of other universes beyond his own. That was why he sought to protect this universe.

To protect the galaxies within from annihilation.

The wall wasn't just meant to block external threats—it was also built to keep other Aeons out.

While Qlipoth worked, countless spacefaring fleets—each minuscule compared to his colossal sacred body—dumped vast quantities of mined cosmic ore beside him.

Yet Qlipoth didn't so much as spare them a glance.

The cosmic ore they transported held no meaning to him.

Though his wall appeared solid, it was actually made of crystalized space formed by hammering the cosmos itself.

Noah watched the tireless Qlipoth build, a wild grin forming on his lips.

Finally, a war that approached true parity was about to begin—a universal-scale super conflict.

"Subspace Crystalline Barrier, Great Attractor Source Platform, a single-universe-scale structure enclosing the universe with crystal walls... Principle of Preservation, not bad."

With the might of his true strength, Noah instantly saw through Qlipoth's design.

The subspace crystal barrier was a legitimate universal wall, but ultimately a low-grade version.

To create a true universal wall, an Ouroboros was required.

Qlipoth was attempting to build an enclosed wall within the Star Rail Universe—a structure that would protect part of the universe.

It would create a nested-sphere configuration.

If this subspace crystal barrier were completed, then even if the Star Rail Universe entered its decline, the protected segment inside the wall would remain intact—and might even evolve into a new universe.

At that point, Qlipoth would become the master of this new universe.

Although the declaration of war had specifically named Elation as the target, none of the Aeons truly believed that was the whole story.

This was clearly a threat from another universe against the very existence of their own.

In the depths of the universe, a three-faced goddess—her body formed of the hues of the stars, her attire composed of cosmic harmonies—opened her eyes. The expressions on her three faces, once carrying compassion, falsehood, and benevolence, subtly shifted.

"A declaration of war from another universe?"

Her voice turned into a symphony of the cosmos, resonating across the universe to all lifeforms that walked her Path.

However, the divine murmurs of an Aeon were not something ordinary Pathstriders could comprehend. Even Emanators who had received her gaze and blessings could not fully understand them.

Some heard "another," others heard "universe," still others heard only "declaration of war"...

No one could hear the full message.

After whispering this single phrase, the three-faced goddess, surrounded by a celestial symphony, slowly closed her eyes again. Her expression reverted to that complex smile—a blend of falseness, compassion, and benevolence.

In another star region of the universe, a quasar that stirred countless galaxies rotated slowly like an eternal dark domain.

Within this black domain, nothing existed. Nothing seemed ever to have existed. It was as if this had always been the way of things and always would be.

Anything that approached was ruthlessly erased—stars, matter, memories, thoughts, everything.

But in that moment, within the pitch-black quasar at the center of the dark domain, two lifeless eyes appeared.

After blinking twice, they vanished slowly again.

Meanwhile, in a galaxy filled with mnemonic essence, a phantom figure appeared—an imperial silhouette composed of countless shattered mirror fragments.

"A memory from beyond the universe."

"Perhaps this memory is important."

"Perhaps war between universes will destroy everything."

"Perhaps, after the universe falls silent, the universe's memories might revive the realms."

The Aeon's murmurs sent those walking their Path into temporary mental disarray—but the disturbance lasted only a moment before clarity returned.

The civilization that had witnessed the Aeon of Remembrance's apparition returned to normal, having completely forgotten everything that happened two seconds prior. It was as though nothing had occurred.

Even devices that had recorded the moment at timestamp 1.7 had no record of the event.

The memory of the Aeon's appearance had vanished entirely from the universe.

Each Aeon reacted differently to the declaration of war from another universe. Most seemed indifferent, continuing their own affairs without interruption.

A colossal xianzhou vessel sailed through the universe, accompanied by countless fleets resembling meteors.

A war was unfolding here—their enemies were titanic, flesh-formed biological vessels, and ultimately, a planet made entirely of flesh.

This was a living planet born under the Blessing of Abundance.

"Petitioning Archer Lord of Fate! Requesting your gaze upon the Xianzhou Yaoqing! We pursue an Abundance aberration. If we continue the chase, casualties will be immense. Requesting a single arrow of light..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven