"Zhongli, what kind of answer can you give me?"
Noah gently sipped his celestial tea, a faint smile on his lips.
He held the original Seven Archons of Teyvat in high regard—seven divine systems, and soon, seven divine collectives.
They had followed him since the beginning, their contributions great. No matter what, they were worthy of standing at the pinnacle of the future world.
Each of the Seven Archons deserved a Pseudo Star Map Creation.
While these Pseudo Star Map Creations were coveted treasures among the gods as tools toward omniscience and omnipotence, to him, they were hardly rare. In the current Great Universe, there were already 42 Cosmologies.
And more were still being born.
He could activate Cosmologies directly and manifest Pseudo Star Map Creations to bestow upon the Seven Archons.
But that would be unreasonable. There must be a process—a trial.
To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. Heaven does not simply drop blessings.
Though the citizens of Liyue were used to such gatherings of great gods, gossip still buzzed everywhere.
After all, gossip was a natural byproduct of intelligent beings' communication.
Qingyun Peak—
The spacetime here had layered upon itself due to the many gods gathered from different divine systems, almost as if it were about to become an independent dimension.
The sheer number of gods, including existences above the God-King level, caused the density of this place to reach terrifying levels—far beyond even the core of a galactic black hole.
Yet despite this immense density, nothing seemed out of the ordinary on the surface.
Gods of Primary rank and above from all systems gathered here as witnesses.
Qingyun Peak's great hall was a galaxy-level plane, vast enough to accommodate every god from every divine system in the universe without feeling crowded.
It resembled a Hall of the Gods, but bore Liyue's distinctive style and lacked the absolute supremacy of the true Pantheon.
Such divine halls existed in every divine system for large-scale meetings.
Zhongli's divine seat sat at the highest position. Flanking him were slightly lower seats occupied by the God-Kings of the four major divine systems, arranged in a round table.
Beyond the table, rows of divine thrones like opera house seats were filled with gods.
Every throne here was occupied by a True God.
Ordinary divine conferences typically only involved True Gods, as gods below that level lacked the authority to execute meaningful influence within a system.
It would be like inviting village chiefs to a national congress—utterly impractical.
The four major divine systems remained distinct.
Each divine system's God-King sat at the round table:
From the Mount Sumeru: Indra.
From the Heavenly Court: Jade Emperor.
From Daoism: The Three Pure Ones—Lingbao Tianzun, Daode Tianzun, Yuanshi Tianzun.
From Liyue: Dust God-King Guizhong and Stove God-King Marchosius.
Currently, there were only seven God-Kings across the four divine systems. God-Kings were extremely rare, though many individuals possessed strength comparable to God-Kings.
For instance, the Four Heavenly Lords of the Heavenly Court, the Five Regional Emperors of Daoism, and Liyue's many Adepti.
"The moment has finally arrived. My chest feels like it's burning with tension."
"Zhurong, you're already full of fire. Why would you need tension to burn?"
"And you, Gonggong, your mouth's always full of water. Not in the mood to argue with you now."
"Sūrya, you're sweating? As the Sun God, that's rare."
"Garuda, I won't stoop to your level."
"Look! All the Primary Gods of Liyue are in attendance."
"As expected of the Seven Nations. They have more Primary Gods than some divine systems combined."
"Well, they were one of the original Seven Divine Systems. Their foundations run deeper than ours."
"Still, let's not forget—we're about to merge into a divine collective too."
"Even when our four divine systems merge into one divine collective, we'll still be number one in the future, right?"
"Shhh~ Look, the Supreme Gods of each pantheon are here!"
"Hiss... I've only seen a scene like this once—during the Grand Assembly of All Gods across the Universe a thousand years ago."
"After all, we're the first divine collective to summon a Pseudo Star Map Creation. Of course the Supreme Gods would attend."
"Inazuma was the first divine collective."
"Inazuma's case was different. It was two divine systems, both with perfect compatibility between Supreme Gods and a suitable Cosmology bearer. Their systems were practically identical, which is why they summoned their Pseudo Star Map Creation directly."
"Every god from the Inazuma collective is so prideful, acting as if they're above everyone else—all because of their Pseudo Star Map Creation."
"Well, it's finally our turn to have a Pseudo Star Map Creation."
...
Venti stood outside the divine hall, watching the convergence of gods and sighed. "As expected of the old man. Merging four divine systems... he truly strives for unmatched supremacy."
"My Mondstadt can only merge partially with the Celtic Pantheon for now. Who knows if we'll even be able to summon a Pseudo Star Map Creation."
Furina crossed her arms. "Barbatos, you're overthinking. The merging of divine systems is just a catalyst to awaken a Cosmology. Once the Cosmology awakens, summoning the Pseudo Star Map Creation is only a matter of time."
Her Fontaine only shared partial origins with the Celts, so even if they did merge, it would result in a relatively weaker divine collective.
Buer added, "There will definitely be a Pseudo Star Map Creation. The only difference is: the stronger the divine collective and the more pantheons it includes, the greater the chance multiple Cosmologies will manifest."
Venti's eyes widened. "Divine collectives can have multiple Cosmologies?"
Hiss... If that's the case, doesn't that mean Liyue might have more than two, while Mondstadt might only have one?
The difference is staggering!
The gathered gods all exchanged divine thoughts telepathically.
Those divine systems without Gift Games were filled with envy, jealousy, and bitterness.
Not receiving a Gift Game decree meant no Cosmology. Even if they possessed one, it might only support a minor divine system, never a full divine collective.
Traveler Lumine muttered sourly, her eyes brimming with lemony jealousy: "What's the big deal... I'm living just fine without one."
Alice waved dismissively, her eyes also full of citrusy envy: "Exactly! So what? Just a Cosmology. You can still become an Almighty God without one. Just work harder and grasp the Truth."
Klee bit her finger, innocently watching her mother and the Traveler sister talk about things she didn't understand.
Lumine pouted. "Worst case, I'll just borrow Aether's Pseudo Star Map Creation when he gets his."
In the next moment, the entire assembly of gods fell silent—even the four major divine systems went still.
Zhongli entered with his hands behind his back, and at his side was the mischievous Hu Tao.
Under the astonished gazes of the gods, Zhongli placed Hu Tao upon his own divine throne.
Hu Tao froze, face full of confusion.
Huh?.
"Huh?"
All the observing gods and the deities from the four major divine systems were stunned.
The most powerful god of the four major pantheons—one of their only two Supreme Gods, the Geo Sovereign Zhongli—had just placed a mere Primary God into his divine seat before the eyes of all gods.
Everyone knew Zhongli, the highest god of Liyue, was famously protective and affectionate toward his divine system's members.
But wasn't this going too far? Giving the throne of a Supreme God to a mere Primary God? That wasn't just favoritism—it was a reversal of cosmic order.
What merit or qualification did a Primary God have to sit in the highest seat before all the divine systems of the universe? Could she even bear the weight of that position?
Lacking the rightful qualifications yet occupying such a lofty place wouldn't bring favor, but disaster. To bear such a burden without the virtue would surely invite calamity.
The first to react were the God-Kings of the various divine systems.
Athena's eyes widened instantly. "This... this is!"
As a suitable bearer of a Pseudo Star Map Creation herself, she could clearly sense the power emanating from the girl Zhongli had seated on his throne.
Just like hers—a power from beyond the known universe, completely different from existing forces.
Athena smiled. "Ah, so that's it. Now it all makes sense."
She had previously asked Zhongli whether their divine system had found a bearer.
Clearly, the bearer had already been chosen—it just hadn't been made public.
Zhongli had been waiting for this moment to reveal everything.
With the four major divine systems gathered and countless cosmic deities bearing witness, this was the perfect time to make a grand declaration.
Athena made no attempt to lower her voice, so every god present heard her.
She fixed her gaze confidently on the girl now seated in Zhongli's place and immediately understood.
Venti, coming to his senses, opened his mouth in shock. "A Pseudo Star Map Creation bearer! Oh wow, oh wow! It actually happened! And it's Hu Tao, that little rascal!"
As a god fond of wandering, Venti knew many cosmic deities from all systems. Even many Lower Gods were familiar to him.
He, the Wind of the Great Universe, had made it his mission to remember every god's name.
Hu Tao? Of course he knew her well. She was famous even in original Teyvat—the Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Now, she was Liyue's Primary God of Afterlife, the one guiding souls from the Liyue nation to the worlds beyond—her name known throughout many realms.
That such a quirky girl would become the center of Liyue's Divine Collective?
It was completely unexpected.
Venti muttered to himself: Right... the old man must have known long ago how special this girl was. That's why he went incognito, became a consultant, and kept an eye on her.
Hiss... that old man really plays the long game.
Venti shivered.
He'd need to be extra cautious when playing around with the old man in the future. Otherwise, he might get sold out and still have to count the money for him.
Furina's eyes sparkled. "So it's Hu Tao. Who would've thought."
Neuvillette shook his head. "Cosmologies... they're incredibly mysterious. A bearer must resonate with a Cosmology and be capable of mastering it."
"It has nothing to do with strength... well, in a way, being able to control a Cosmology is proof of dominion."
Buer's clover-shaped pupils stared at Hu Tao in shock.
"Two..."
As the embodiment of the World Tree and the bearer of the Pseudo Star Map Creation Askr Yggdrasil, she had already received part of its power.
She could instantly tell what state Hu Tao was in.
Unbelievable. She saw overlapping imprints of two Cosmologies on Hu Tao.
Though only one Cosmology favored her...
This meant that Liyue's Divine Collective would soon see the emergence of two Pseudo Star Map Creations.
At first, the gods whispered a bit, but after hearing the conversation among the Supreme Gods, they all stared at the girl seated in the highest position with eyes full of envy.
There was no envy—when the gap is vast enough, jealousy becomes meaningless.
All gods understood that only those who could wield a Pseudo Star Map Creation and resonate with a Cosmology could become a suitable bearer.
Being able to control a Cosmology was itself a mark of supremacy.
The four major divine systems all gazed at Hu Tao, their eyes brimming with anticipation, longing, reverence, and awe.
Indra's mind was practically shaking. "Zhongli really knows how to make an entrance—he just doubled the tension in an instant."
The Jade Emperor muttered, "Zhongli sure can keep a secret. The center of the divine collective had already appeared, and he only now chooses to reveal it."
Daode Tianzun grumbled, "Tell me about it. Now my state of mind is all shaken."
Yuanshi Tianzun said calmly, "Now that the center has emerged, my heart is steady. The chances of success? Practically guaranteed."
Lingbao Tianzun beamed, "With a central bearer, the path to the Supreme God realm will open to us. This is wonderful."
In truth, who the central figure was didn't matter much to the gods. What mattered was the immense benefits their appearance would bring—access to the supreme domain, surges in divine power and authority.
Hu Tao was sweating slightly under the intense stares. It was her first time being stared at so directly by this many great gods. She whispered nervously,
"Zhongli! Why did you suddenly push me up here? You're killing me!"
What was she supposed to do now?!
Zhongli stood beside her, hands behind his back, looking like a fatherly figure.
"Director Hu, just stay calm. Leave everything to me. All you need to do is sit proudly on that throne and be our anchor."
Hu Tao rolled her eyes in exasperation. Easy for him to say—her legs were trembling.
Zhongli turned to face the assembled gods, all waiting for him to speak.
"As you all can see, the center of our divine collective has emerged."
"There is no need for empty pleasantries. You understand what this means. Let us now commence the Gift Game to activate the Cosmology and summon the Pseudo Star Map Creation."
"If there are no objections, let us begin."
The Jade Emperor declared fervently, "No objections."
The Three Pure Ones echoed: "No objections."
Indra: "Likewise."
"We are all agreed."
"We have no objections."
Tsaritsa immediately focused. "It's beginning."
Lumine stared wide-eyed. "Let's see how a Pseudo Star Map Creation manifests. Maybe I can learn the pattern."
The observing cosmic gods all focused intently, afraid to miss a single detail.
Buzz!
All the gods of the four major divine systems activated their cosmic authority. The Gift Game scrolls each of them held emitted brilliant light.
The light gathered and merged into a single parchment scroll.
The Voice of the Cosmos echoed out.
[The Gift Game is about to begin. Do the participating divine systems agree to conduct the event as outlined?]
Zhongli raised his hand solemnly and declared with authority:
"For the glory of our divine systems."
The God-Kings followed: "For the survival of our divine systems."
The four major divine systems' gods: "For our collective will."
[The Gift Game begins.]
Buzz!
The power of the Great Universe descended. The Five Great Truths manifested. The tendrils of Pan-Human History arrived.
A colorful aurora burst forth from Qingyun Peak, immediately enveloping the nation of Liyue and then spreading across all four major divine systems, encompassing the time-spaces and countless planes they governed.
At the level of the entire Great Universe, everything related to the four major divine systems was now bathed in multicolored light.
It was an all-encompassing isolation. From every dimension and level, nothing outside could interfere with anything touched by the aurora.
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