"It's just that this kind of situation has been happening too frequently lately. I should ask Zhongli about it sometime."
Hu Tao scratched her head in frustration. Although this condition didn't really harm her, zoning out like this still gave people the impression she wasn't paying attention—especially at critical moments, which made it seem like she didn't take others seriously. It was really troublesome.
"Hu Tao, still troubled by your absent-mindedness?"
A green light fell not far from Hu Tao, and Baizhu appeared from it.
"Not to sound harsh, but Hu Tao, your soul and spirit are perfectly fine—in fact, they're in excellent condition."
"But this situation is similar to how ordinary people act when they're under a curse. You might need to consult the Sovereign to understand it."
The white snake, Changsheng, hanging from Baizhu's neck, hissed as it spoke.
Changsheng had now also reached the True God level.
Hu Tao spread her hands: "I'm the Primary God of the Wangsheng Path, dealing in death and afterlife. Who could possibly curse me? Not even a God-King could manage that. Only the Sovereign might be capable."
She had long wanted to consult Zhongli, but with the vast expansion of the universe, she hadn't been back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor at all. She couldn't even find him, not even in the group chat.
Besides, she couldn't enter the higher-tier god groups. She didn't have the credentials.
"A curse? Hu Tao, are you sick?"
The aura of wealth descended, and Ningguang, now the Primary God of Wealth, appeared beside Hu Tao, asking in confusion.
"Sick?"
Keqing followed closely and appeared next to Hu Tao, eyeing her.
"Eh? Hu Tao is sick?"
Xiangling also appeared, staring at Hu Tao in surprise.
Yaoyao, Yelan, Yanfei, Ganyu, Yun Jin, and Beidou all showed up one after another, surrounding Hu Tao, each looking at her with astonishment and disbelief.
Xianyun, Immortal of the Adepti, also arrived.
"Hu Tao, you're sick? How can a Primary God fall ill? Are you all spreading unfounded rumors again?"
Hu Tao immediately broke out in cold sweat and waved her hands frantically. "Ah! How did everyone hear about this?!"
Yaoyao blinked and asked with concern, "So Hu Tao-sis is really sick? Should Yaoyao help?"
Yelan gently stroked her chin with her slender fingers. "I didn't sense Hu Tao being sick. In fact, her aura is denser than that of most Primary Gods—almost comparable to a God-King."
Ningguang nodded, visibly surprised. "Now that Yelan mentions it, Hu Tao's aura really is incredibly dense. I've only felt something like this from Lord Marchosius."
"Hiss! That means Hu Tao's power is now on par with a God-King? A Primary God-level exception?"
Xianyun frowned. "Hu Tao, did you encounter some kind of fortuitous event? Even with contributions to the great pioneering era, it should be impossible to leap across two major ranks within just a thousand years."
Hearing someone mention his name, Marchosius also appeared in front of Hu Tao.
"Why are you all gathered here? Huh? Hu Tao, this aura of yours—how profound. Hiss... there's something inexplicably mysterious about it. I can't make sense of it."
"Oh, so you're all discussing this strange aura around Hu Tao."
Xianyun was puzzled. "Marchosius, you say it's an indecipherable aura?"
Everyone turned their attention to Hu Tao, making her even more flustered.
"A profound, indecipherable aura? Me?" Hu Tao widened her plum blossom eyes, pointing at herself in disbelief.
Marchosius frowned. In his puppet form, his expression looked particularly abstract.
"I don't get it. I really don't. This aura... I don't even sense it in Morax, the Supreme God. It must be an even higher power."
Xianyun was shocked. "What? But the Sovereign is a Supreme God. How could Hu Tao possibly possess a power greater than his?"
Startled, Hu Tao quickly nodded. "Exactly, exactly! How could I have a power greater than the Sovereign's? I'm just a Primary God."
"But... I have indeed been troubled by some strange things lately."
"And it's precisely these strange events that have strengthened me. Maybe it's some kind of opportunity."
Ningguang's expression turned serious. "An opportunity? Hu Tao, please explain in detail."
Hu Tao's situation was just too unusual. As her friend, Ningguang had to ask—in case it was something dangerous.
Baizhu explained, "For the past two hundred years, Hu Tao has frequently experienced bouts of absent-mindedness, during which she sees strange and unexplainable visions."
"She can't describe the scenes clearly, but I can guarantee there's no harm to her. In fact, after each episode, she clearly grows stronger."
Hu Tao nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, exactly!" Then sighed, "Sometimes I space out while chatting with friends, and they think I'm acting aloof now that I'm a Primary God."
"I was just about to ask the Sovereign about it when all of you showed up."
She spread her hands helplessly.
"Oh?"
"I've already heard everything, Director Hu."
A steady voice rang out. A youth who exuded the calm demeanor of a retired elder walked over with his hands behind his back.
Zhongli's appearance, as always, had not changed a bit.
"Sovereign!"
"Lord Sovereign!"
Everyone greeted him respectfully.
Though the former gods of Liyue saw Zhongli more as a friend or elder than a superior, the newer gods only held reverence and awe for him.
Zhongli waved his hand. "No need for formality. I've already sealed this area; no other gods will sense anything."
Guizhong grinned. "For the sake of his retirement, Morax doesn't want too many gods knowing his mortal name is Zhongli."
She then turned to look at Hu Tao. "Eh? This aura… could it be?!"
Guizhong gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
Zhongli looked at Hu Tao with a complicated expression. "Yes, it is that aura."
Some time ago, Athena had asked him whether he had found a suitable cosmology bearer. That question had troubled him, because without a suitable bearer, it was impossible to manifest the Pseudo Star Map Creation, even with an activated cosmology.
"So, what's going on exactly? You're all confusing me," Hu Tao said, scratching her head and blinking her beautiful eyes.
Marchosius asked, "Morax, Guizhong, what's with those expressions? Even you two look shocked?"
Facing everyone's puzzled stares, Zhongli spoke calmly, "So far, I've only sensed this aura in three gods. The first two are my colleagues from Inazuma, and the third is Athena of Olympus."
Zhongli felt truly conflicted.
He had watched this quirky girl grow up, full of mischief that he could never quite manage.
Who would've thought that she would turn out to be the suitable bearer for the Celestial Equator of the Pseudo Star Map Creation?
He already knew the name of his own Pseudo Star Map.
Because of that, he had a seventy percent chance of activating it.
Now, with a suitable bearer, his chances rose to ninety percent.
From now on, Hu Tao would become the center of Liyue's divine collective.
However... given this girl's personality... calling her a problem child might be a bit much, but she definitely gave him a headache.
Suddenly, he had a sinking feeling that Liyue's divine collective might be headed in an unpredictable, unreliable direction.
Zhongli couldn't help placing a hand over his liver.
Liver pain.
"The two from Inazuma, and... Athena!?"
Everyone cried out in shock, staring at Hu Tao in disbelief.
Even Hu Tao herself was stunned, her eyes wide open, mouth agape enough to swallow a planet.
In the current divine systems of the entire universe, what god didn't know how special those three were?
There was no need to mention the two from Inazuma. Athena, however, was in a league of her own.
Athena had already ascended to the God-King tier and even surpassed all the other high gods of Olympus to become the strongest in their divine system.
Each time she appeared, one could feel the astonishing change in her aura.
The profound energy she radiated was far beyond what a God-King could possess.
If not for the fact that her power hadn't reached Supreme God level, many might suspect she was a Supreme God playing in the mortal realm.
And the reason? Athena was a suitable bearer of a Cosmology.
Even though her Cosmology hadn't been activated, and the Pseudo Star Map Creation hadn't yet appeared, just by virtue of being a suitable bearer, she could access the power of alternate universes.
With Athena as a precedent, countless divine systems began investigating whether they had suitable bearers among their own ranks.
But after all these years, no one was found. Occasionally, someone might show signs, but they would ultimately be deemed as wielding a special Authority instead.
Now, their own Liyue divine system had produced a suitable bearer.
And this person wasn't even above the God-King level—she was merely a Primary God.
Hu Tao slowly came back to her senses and looked around at the stares fixed upon her.
Those gazes were filled with passion, disbelief, shock, complexity, and more.
"Me! I'm actually a Cosmology's suitable bearer?! That's... too unbelievable! How could it be!"
Guizhong, now recovered, said with a complex tone, "There's nothing impossible about it, Little Hu Tao."
"Becoming a suitable bearer of a Cosmology isn't based on power. Even ordinary mortals could be one."
Marchosius glanced at Zhongli's conflicted expression and nodded. "If it were based on strength alone, Zhongli would have felt the Cosmology's call long ago."
"Just like in Olympus. Athena also started as a Primary God, and even among them, she was considered one of the weaker ones."
Zhongli steadied his heart and looked at Hu Tao, who had already recovered from her initial shock. To regain composure so quickly after learning such a world-shaking truth—
Even he had difficulty handling her unpredictable nature. Yet her becoming a suitable bearer made a strange kind of sense.
"Director Hu, you are indeed the suitable bearer of Liyue's Cosmology. Once it activates, you may come to possess a Pseudo Star Map Creation."
This was the Pseudo Star Map Creation—just activating it equated to wielding the full power of a universe.
While it only temporarily granted single-universe level power, and not true omniscience or omnipotence, it nonetheless provided a guaranteed path to reach those heights.
"At that time, Director Hu, the power you wield will be enormous. If you lose control..."
Before Zhongli could finish, Hu Tao straightened up energetically, puffed out her chest, and patted his shoulder with her usual mischievous grin.
"Aiya, Zhongli~ I know what you're trying to say. You're afraid I'll abuse my power, right? I'm not an idiot."
"Besides, you are still Liyue's highest god. I know better than to act high and mighty. Your prestige can't be matched by anyone in the entire divine system."
Hu Tao adjusted her tone based on how Zhongli addressed her. If he called her Director Hu, it meant he regarded her as a friend and hoped she'd speak casually.
If he called her the God of Wangsheng, that would be an official conversation as superiors and subordinates.
Zhongli nodded gravely. "As long as Director Hu understands that power must not be misused."
Prestige? No one in the divine system could match him? For now, that was true.
Although he didn't care much for prestige, once Hu Tao acquired the Pseudo Star Map Creation, the entire divine system would benefit from its blessings.
By then, Hu Tao's prestige would undoubtedly become the highest.
After all, being the center of a divine collective was not just a title.
Guizhong's eyes sparkled as she looked at Hu Tao. "Then, from here on out, we'll proceed according to Director Hu's lead."
From this point forward, the Liyue divine system—no, the entire Liyue Divine Collective—was about to undergo earth-shaking change.
"Yes. The Mount Sumeru, Daoist gods, and the Heavenly Court have all arrived. Let us go."
Zhongli, hands behind his back, spoke calmly before vanishing on the spot.
After he left, everyone turned to Hu Tao with passionate and celebratory eyes.
"Congratulations, Hu Tao."
"As expected of Hu Tao-sis."
"Ahem, I knew since you were young that you were extraordinary."
"Even the Sovereign, when traveling incognito, always stayed at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
"You're amazing, Hu Tao!"
"No wonder you're Director Hu~ Remember to look out for me in the future~"
Hu Tao scratched her head bashfully. "Aiya, if anyone ever needs help, you can count on me, Hu Tao, to give it my all."
Escorted by the original Liyue gods, Hu Tao proceeded to the divine hall where the gods were taking their seats.
At the same time, in the VIP section of a gourmet community in Liyue Harbor...
Noah calmly brewed a cup of celestial tea, a slight curve playing at his lips.
"Liyue, Daoism, the Mount Sumeru, the Heavenly Court—this isn't just one Cosmology. It's just that one happened to complete first, triggering a chain reaction in the others."
These Cosmologies all stemmed from the same origin, so they were interlinked. Two of them had already been completed, while the rest were still under construction and would take much more time.
The two completed Cosmologies were the Pseudo Star Map Creation: Celestial Equator and Pseudo Star Map Creation: Underworld Heaven.
Hu Tao was the suitable bearer of the Pseudo Star Map Creation: Underworld Heaven.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death were humanity's most basic understandings. That's why the Cosmology of life and death was the first to be perfected and observed.
And as Liyue's first Primary God of Afterlife, Hu Tao was naturally the first in line to be its bearer.
The Pseudo Star Maps Underworld Heaven and Celestial Equator were two of the three pillars of Heaven, Earth, and Underworld.
Thus, while Hu Tao could sense Celestial Equator, she was not its suitable bearer.
The first in line for Celestial Equator was Zhongli.
His origin lay in the celestial stars, making him the undisputed primary bearer.
The remaining three unfinished Cosmologies were the Gaitian Theory (Hemispherical Dome Theory), Huntian Theory (Celestial Sphere Theory), and Xuanye Theory (Infinity Theory)—the three great cosmological doctrines.
Noah gazed toward the highest peak of Liyue, where gods from all directions were gathering.
Because so many cosmic-level gods were assembled—including Primordial Supremes—the space atop Qingyun Peak had already distorted into a unique spacetime.
"The Cosmologies are stirring... the Pseudo Star Maps are on the verge of hatching."
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