CHAPTER 326: I SEE XIPE STILL HOLDS HER GRACE

Noah looked at Aha and couldn’t help but laugh. Aha truly was amusing—he himself was the embodiment of amusement.

"Aha, Elation itself represents a part of existence opposed to Nihility, yet you chose to abandon it. Indeed, you have carried Elation through to the end. But you are also undeniably clever."

To be honest, Aha abandoning his own Path had surprised him.

The jester’s mask on Aha’s face shifted to a joyful pattern: "To receive your praise makes humble Aha beam with delight."

"You, such a great existence, must have long since foreseen my choice."

"Humble Aha, though I have lost my Path, I have gained possibilities never before seen. In comparison, the Path of Elation was only a burden that restricted my potential."

"Hehe, with my abilities, if I wished for Paths, I could create countless of them. What I, Aha, seek is the ultimate answer to existence."

"To grant away the unsatisfactory Paths I create, letting more Aeons arise—that is such a delightful prospect."

Noah chuckled: "The ultimate answer to existence, is it? You do not intend to seek it from me?"

Aha quickly shook his head with a laugh: "Since it is an answer, of course it must be sought piece by piece by oneself. To directly seek it from you—how would that differ from cheating on an exam? The most important part is the process."

"Besides, you would not tell me such an ultimate answer."

Noah said: "Aha, you are indeed a genius. Then let me see just how many Paths you can create, and how many you will abandon."

"Of course, perhaps simply to watch you struggle, you may spend billions of years seeking and still never reach the ultimate answer."

Aha bowed slightly, smiling with reverence: "It is an honor for the lowly Aha to become your amusement."

Noah said nothing further, flicking his finger and casting Aha out of the Main Universe.

It had to be said—Aha truly was an ultimate genius, the likes of which were rare even across multiversal-level universes.

By his own strength alone he had reached the structural level of universes, climbed the Tree of Existence, and comprehended the relationship between existence and nihility. With a single laugh he earned the favor of the Principle of Elation.

By his ability, he truly could create countless Paths, for even grasping a fragment of the truth of existence encompassed innumerable philosophical concepts.

At present, all Paths other than Nihility were born from existence.

Existence itself was one face of the Truth, Alpha—thus what Aha sought was the Beginning, the Alpha.

But for one not innately divine to hope to comprehend even one side of Truth—this was nothing short of delusion.

Noah looked down at the final two Aeons remaining in his palm.

Lan, the Aeon of the Hunt, had already returned to human form. After battling Aether too long, his holy body had been shattered. Without his Path to restore him, he naturally reverted to his most primal appearance.

Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony, was the same, though she had always been in human form—a goddess with three faces.

Lan gazed up at the existence utterly beyond his understanding. As an Aeon, the gap he felt between them was as vast as that between a mortal and an Aeon.

"Great existence, what is it that you would have me do?"

"Is it to hunt the beings harmful to the multiverse?"

By now he was a god within Teyvat, and also a master of a Path. Naturally, he understood the will of the Heavenly Principle.

The stronger one was, the more they could comprehend the will of the multiverse.

The Heavenly Principle was the will of the multiverse itself.

Of course Noah understood the mindset of the Aeons. With their perspective, they would naturally believe that Teyvat at this moment was the true multiverse.

And indeed, that was normal. From within, Teyvat now appeared multiversal, and to those inside, it was truly awe-inspiring.

"To be honest, the Path of the Hunt is somewhat narrow, but it is also sufficiently romantic. Act according to the will of the Heavenly Principle you understand, just as you did in your previous duties."

The Aeon of the Hunt, Lan, vanished from Noah’s palm.

The essence of the Path of the Hunt was in hunting. But what exactly was hunted? Before, Lan despised the Abominations of Abundance, believing them to be the cancer of civilization, and sought to eradicate them.

He had not hunted Yaoshi, but the abominations born of Abundance’s power.

Now that the Abominations of Abundance no longer existed, he would naturally shift his target.

After all, Lan himself was one who hated evil with passion, and now that he understood the will of the Heavenly Principle, whatever Noah despised, he would hunt.

"All right, that leaves only you, Xipe of Harmony."

Noah looked at Xipe, delicate like a figurine in his palm, and couldn’t help but prod her with his finger.

Xipe’s holy body was not a material existence, yet in his hand it could still be touched directly.

Though Xipe’s form was unique, she still bore the shape of an ordinary woman.

"Great existence, do you believe I am unnecessary to the multiverse and intend to erase me?"

Xipe paid no mind to being treated as a plaything, her voice calm, merciful, and filled with supreme divinity.

She and Yaoshi were the most divinely radiant in appearance among all the Aeons.

With strong interest, Noah said: "That is not the case. Harmony is also a great direction in the evolution of civilization, and for civilizations it brings immense benefits."

"I am simply interested in you, Xipe."

Xipe sensed Noah’s undisguised will—his serene and affectionate expression—and was taken aback.

It had been so long since she had felt such surprise.

"Would even one as great as you harbor the pure reproductive desire of living beings?"

Noah continued to toy with the tiny Xipe between his fingers, even lifting her skirt playfully as he spoke.

"In Teyvat, all beings have desires. The only difference lies in their strength or weakness. Even you, who came from beyond Teyvat, still possess desire."

"However, as power grows stronger and rank climbs higher, the chance of producing offspring decreases geometrically."

"Once at the level of single-universe and above, the probability of conceiving progeny approaches zero."

Xipe composed herself, slowly closing her eyes, her expression returning to that same serene kindness, her smile unchanged: "Whatever you do to me, I will not resist, nor will I bear any negative emotion."

"In the most fundamental sense of existence, I cannot disobey your will in any way, great existence."

"Hm... you have yet to grasp the essence of Teyvat’s system. When you master self-transformation, then we shall speak again."

Noah looked at Xipe with amusement as he spoke. Though Xipe’s beauty ranked among the finest of goddesses, her three-faced form did not quite suit his taste.

Though the true bodies of Teyvat’s gods were varied, their manifested forms were all human in appearance.

Because he, the Heavenly Principle, was humanoid, forms resembling his own were better suited to ascend further—unless he deemed that a being should remain otherwise.

For example, the Abyssal watchdog—now the single-universe Apocalypse Beast—was entirely beast-shaped, for Noah believed such a beast of ending should indeed bear such a terrifying form.

"My apologies for disappointing one so great as you," Xipe said, her expression unchanged. No matter how she was treated, her demeanor never shifted.

Noah smiled: "Not disappointment, no. After all, your universe has only just joined my world, and you higher beings have not yet fully adapted to my system."

"I hope that the next time we meet, I may behold your beautiful body."

Whoosh～

With that, Noah gently blew a breath, sending Xipe out of his palm, vanishing from his sight.

He had blown Xipe into the Star Rail Universe.

Afterward, Noah turned toward the gates of the Temple of Truth, stretched lazily, and stepped inside.

"Although this time Teyvat feasted to its fill, even digesting the resources of the Tree and Sea in one leap to reach weak multiversal level..."

"The aftereffects of such rapid expansion are now showing."

"The light of Teyvat’s civilizations is like fireflies in the dark—far too few. If not quickly remedied, development will become lopsided in the sixth dimension."

"Of course, in the endless superdimension this would be no big deal at all."

"But here, within the Tree and Sea, if internal civilizations grow too slowly and Pan-Human History’s coverage becomes too sparse, then it will be like a weakened foundation."

"If the Tree and Sea catch on, then the harvest will be diminished, and even the plan of stealing heaven’s place with myself as substitute would be half ruined."

At this, Noah’s lips curved upward, unshakable confidence radiating from him.

"Fortunately, I had long prepared a backhand. Though this measure was not originally meant to be used here, without question it has proven a blessing in disguise."

Just then, a playful voice rang in his ear, as a small sprite with white base and blue patterns appeared at his side.

"Hehehe～ it’s the Solar Sovereignty War, isn’t it, my master? I was wondering why the Solar Sovereignty War was placed after the Cosmology Gift Game."

"So it turns out master had it all planned～"

Noah smiled: "When have I ever undertaken something without absolute certainty?"

At Teyvat’s ascension, Istaroth, as his Sustainer and Ruler of Time, naturally became the wielder of the Principle of Time.

The Principle of Time was among the most unique of all Principles.

For its wielder was inherently the manager of the River of Time.

At present, Teyvat’s River of Time had reached high-tier super single-universe level. The River of Time within a great universe was but a minor branch. Indeed, the Rivers of Time in all Teyvat’s universes were merely tributaries.

Otherwise, the Principle of Time could at most be high-tier strong single-universe.

Similarly, the Principles of Space, Death, and Life were the same.

Space-time governed the existence of universes; life and death governed the existence of living beings.

Istaroth circled Noah playfully, full of liveliness: "Yes, yes, master always manages to surprise us where we least expect it, always leaving us breathless."

Noah half-squinted his eyes: "So then, why is it that this time you appear before me in the form of a sprite?"

Istaroth stiffened, her gaze shifting guiltily: "Th-this... it’s because I just ascended, and my control isn’t very stable yet..."

Noah sneered: "That is a lie. You’re afraid I’ll drag you straight into doing what lovers do, aren’t you?"

With that, Noah pulled Istaroth into his arms, treating her like a plush doll and rubbing her roughly.

"Ahh... no, master, I was wrong, I was wrong... It’s just that, it’s just that now you’re already reaching multiversal level, I can’t possibly withstand it... wuwuwu."

Istaroth pleaded pitifully.

Though she had always grown stronger, her master had grown stronger in equal measure. As Sustainer, she only shared a portion of his power. No matter what her strength became, whenever he played with her, her senses did not change in the slightest.

It was always just as overwhelming.

If there were more sisters, it would be easier, since the focus wouldn’t all be on her. But with only those few in the Temple of Truth, it was far from enough.

If only more incarnations of Truth could be found, then things would be just right.

But incarnations of Truth were not so easily found.

They had to be beings innately divine, born from nothingness.

Noah withdrew his hand, droplets still on his fingers, while Istaroth’s expression was already thoroughly undone.

"All right, enough pretending to amuse me. It’s time to handle serious matters."

Istaroth quickly straightened her clothes, her voice weak: "Should I call Paimon and Asmoday back, perhaps bring in Lord Red Dragon God Emperor, Lord Infinite Dragon God, and Phanes as well?"

Noah nearly lost his composure, flicking her forehead irritably: "Did you think that’s what I was talking about?"

"I mean fully activating the authority of Pan-Human History, and opening the Cosmology Gift Game of the Solar Sovereignty."

"This is of the utmost importance. The Solar Sovereignty War can directly affect the course of all civilizations—there must not be a single mistake."

At present, Teyvat had ascended to inner-multiversal level, with the mass of a high-tier super single-universe. Combined with the scale of Pan-Human History, now vastly greater than before—

The complete Solar Sovereignty had reached low-tier super single-universe level, half the scale of Phanes, and could be considered a complete authority of a Holy God.

Even divided into twenty-four parts, each fragment still held the power of high-tier strong single-universe, capable of directly influencing the rise and fall of civilizations within the great universes.

And even now, Pan-Human History had not fully activated all of its authorities.

Once every authority of Pan-Human History was activated, the light of civilization could spread across all of Teyvat in a short time, filling its final gaps.

"This concerns the future of Teyvat. Should anyone falter in this, I will absolutely show no mercy."

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