The divine paths were opened, all potential was released, and under the empowerment of the Divine Collective's Origin Power, each god's ultimate destination became illuminated.
No longer were their paths shrouded in mist—their ends were now clearly visible.
Gods who were previously mere Primary God now saw their future potential to reach the God-King rank, their faces flushing with excitement.
Gods who had already attained the level of Primary Gods now saw that they could one day become Supreme Gods, surpassing all others, and were overwhelmed with uncontrollable joy.
The God-Kings of their respective pantheons felt the shattering of long-standing shackles under the blessing of power from another universe. Even the once unreachable Primordial Power could now faintly be sensed.
At this moment, all gods capable of reaching the level of God-King could perceive their own Primordial Power.
So-called "Primordial" means being the source of a particular power within a Great Universe.
This is the ultimate destination a god can reach. In the context of Little Garden, this would equate to the genuine 3-Digit level.
As for the Almighty God—under normal circumstances, even with Noah's appointment and the use of the Pseudo Star Map Creation, it's uncertain whether even one out of ten thousand Primordials could reach that height.
To become a Primordial God, one must comprehend an entire universe's rules and a single Truth.
It's akin to asking an ordinary person to read every book in a national library, memorize them all, and recite them flawlessly.
The simultaneous opening of the two Pseudo Star Map Creations meant that gods who matched both Cosmologies would receive blessings from both universes.
The more Cosmologies a pantheon possessed, the more of its gods would receive multiple cosmological empowerments.
Some gods would even gain blessings from the Cosmologies of other pantheons.
The most typical example was Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, who was tied to both Buddhism and the Underworld—two distinct Divine Collectives.
However, this also required recognition from the holders of the Pseudo Star Map Creation.
The Jade Emperor trembled with excitement, laughing uncontrollably: "Hahaha, a Primordial God! I can reach the Primordial realm! After all, I am the Jade Emperor, the emperor of all emperors, the Supreme Emperor—the Primordial of Sovereign Emperors."
Indra couldn't hold back either, clasping his hands tightly. If not for his pride, he might've jumped for joy: "A Supreme God is nothing... At the Primordial level, that is already the final destination for gods."
Primordials could create small-universe space-times—this was essentially Creation God authority.
He, Indra, had once been a mere small fry who could be crushed underfoot by a modern-day Middle God.
The Three Pure Ones still acted composed, but their trembling hands behind their backs betrayed their excitement.
As jubilant cheers rang throughout the divine temple, the blessings of the Divine Collective spread across the entire universe.
All the worlds under the Liyue Divine Collective—all gods, even all living beings—received gifts from the other universe.
Whether it was potential or their ultimate future, all were pushed forward.
Upper Gods who previously had no chance of becoming Primary Gods now had that potential.
Mortals who once had no hope of becoming divine now had the opportunity to become gods.
...
Underworld
After the Teyvat Universe became a Great Universe, the realm of reincarnation transformed entirely.
It became an exceptionally unique space-time—larger than all other space-times combined.
If isolated, the Underworld alone could already be considered a weak single universe.
The tendrils of the Underworld's space-time resembled threads of fate, piercing through every space-time and the main universe.
Even every bubble world within the Endless Planes had its own Underworld tendril.
At the end of each tendril, a subordinate Underworld corresponding to the local space-time was formed.
The Underworld space-time appeared no different from normal space-time.
It contained galaxies and all other elements. The races of the Underworld had also developed civilizations, and the newly born inhabitants of the Underworld now pursued ordinary lives—attending school, taking civil exams, and so on.
Of course, the so-called civil service exams were intended to become emissaries of the Underworld, dispatched to various subordinate realms. Only after becoming Underworld Gods would they be officially granted divine office.
At present, the Underworld was no longer governed solely by the Goddess of Flowers, Malikata.
Following the emergence of other divine pantheons, each newly formed Underworld realm began aligning with the myths and legends of its corresponding pantheon.
However, Malikata remained the realm master of the entire Underworld space-time. As a Supreme God herself, and Noah's personally appointed spokesperson of the Underworld, she wielded authority over the Underworld's divine permissions.
Even a Primordial God could not act recklessly in the Underworld.
Naturally, no god dared defy the rules of the Underworld either. At best, they would be stripped of their divinity and reduced to mortals; at worst, they'd be thrown directly into the Abyss.
To be honest, Malikata had participated in very few missions involving foreign worlds. Yet the act of maintaining the cycle of reincarnation was a continuous merit—a steady stream of accomplishments.
Through this humble fulfillment of her divine duties, she had smoothly ascended to the rank of Supreme God, ranking among the upper echelons even within that tier.
Additionally, her deputy, Havria the God of Salt, had reached the Supreme God level several centuries ago.
Moreover, thanks to Malikata's special guidance, the Moon Goddess of the Underworld—Fairy Inukimi—had also reached the rank of God-King.
Fairy Inukimi was exceptionally diligent, never slacking even a single day. Her tireless commitment to divine duties had resulted in an unbroken accumulation of merit, with no bottlenecks in her advancement.
From the very beginning, Noah had granted her the Divine Seat of the Moon God, making her the Moon of the World of the Dead.
Underworld Temple.
Malikata sat atop her divine seat, while beneath her, over a thousand Primary and True Gods knelt on one knee, heads bowed, awaiting something.
Malikata was just about to appoint a critical divine office for a certain space-time when suddenly, a blessing from another universe descended.
The entire Underworld space-time burst into jubilation and celebration, as if it had been granted life.
Malikata sensed the added power and the now-visible path ahead, then raised her head.
"The Lord of Rebirth of Liyue's Underworld is actually the holder of a Cosmology related to the Underworld!"
Naturally, the ones who received the most from Pseudo Star Map Creation Underworld Heaven were the Underworld Gods.
As the highest god of the Underworld, Malikata's future end was practically a guaranteed exceptional Primordial.
But she wasn't interested in her destination. All she longed for was a single glance from Lord Heavenly Principle.
It had already been thousands of years. For thousands of years, Lord Noah hadn't glanced at her even once.
She felt a void in her heart.
At that moment, a golden invitation appeared out of thin air before her.
Malikata reached out her hand.
"An invitation for the Supreme Gods of all pantheons in the universe to attend the celebration hosted by the Liyue Divine Collective."
The Liyue Divine Collective was established under the witness of the entire universe, and naturally received congratulations from all pantheons across the cosmos.
And the Liyue Divine Collective, in turn, welcomed the gods arriving to extend their blessings.
This was precisely why Morax had invited the gods of all pantheons to attend the ceremony.
Though many gods from various pantheons observed the event and gained much insight, they did not yet understand what a Gift Game truly entailed.
Each god's Gift Game was different. Naturally, discussions and exchanges would take place after the congratulations.
All pantheons held a deep reverence for the newly established Liyue Divine Collective. Gods from the middle and lower ranks instinctively felt themselves beneath the gods of Liyue.
After all, gods empowered by Cosmologies were fundamentally different from ordinary gods.
Even though the mid- and lower-tier gods of the Liyue Divine Collective held no sense of superiority, the self-lowering attitudes of the other pantheons' gods still made them feel proud from the bottom of their hearts.
And rightly so. They were qualified to be proud. They were part of the group that activated the Cosmology, who had endured endless reincarnation—a glory shared by both themselves and their Divine Collective.
Thus, the grand celebration of the Liyue Divine Collective commenced naturally.
The attending gods gathered at Qingyun Peak, the highest mountain in the Liyue nation, and began the festivities. The major Communities of the universe organized themselves voluntarily.
This was the first celebration of its kind in the universe, hosted by the collective power of an entire pantheon.
Communities from across the cosmos came to participate. The aroma of fine wine and divine delicacies filled all of Liyue. Even the clouds in the sky transformed into candy, and the falling rain turned into divine liquor.
Countless gods rejoiced. Even stones by the roadside transformed into living beings, took human form, and became entirely new races.
All of Liyue echoed with pleasant music and song, and many gods danced spontaneously.
Naturally, gods had their own social circles.
The Supreme Gods and God-Kings of each pantheon had gathered together, along with more Supreme Gods and even Primordial Gods who continued to arrive.
Beyond the major deities, the close confidants and representatives of each pantheon had also assembled here.
At this moment, the gods were relaxed, no longer bound by their public image.
Several round tables had been arranged in a field of blooming glaze lilies. Seated on the stone benches were none other than the most renowned Supreme Gods in the universe.
Little spirits born from the glaze lilies flitted about, pouring wine and offering food to the gathered gods.
Among these tables, one stood out as the most special. Only the gods from the original Teyvat were qualified to sit here.
Venti personally poured wine for Zhongli and offered his cheerful congratulations: "Old man, congratulations on receiving the Pseudo Star Map Creation."
"Becoming an Almighty God, a god among gods who creates entire universes—it's only a matter of time now."
Zhongli, as expected, raised his cup. He and Venti were just friends. Though Venti's words were flattering, he spoke them without even a hint of inferiority: "Barbatos, it seems you're confident you'll receive the Pseudo Star Map Creation as well."
Venti waved his hand. "Ah, how could I be confident? I'm truly envious of you, old man."
He really was envious. As one of the oldest gods, he didn't believe Lord Heavenly Principle would grant him the opportunity.
For thousands of years, he'd served the universe with great merit. Though he often slacked off, whenever there was serious work, he always completed it flawlessly.
Zhongli's golden eyes were calm. Everyone present knew the truth but chose not to say it out loud.
"Come, Zhongli, let's raise our cups to celebrate the establishment of the Liyue Divine Collective."
"And let us celebrate the union of our two divine collectives."
Guizhong filled every god's cup and raised hers with spirited cheer.
"Indeed. Today, Zhongli and Hu Tao are the stars of the show. I, Furina, must give proper face," Furina said with a bright smile as she raised her cup and looked toward Hu Tao.
Hu Tao was the only child at this table.
Of course, this was only true for those present. All of them had once been gods during the era of the original Teyvat Archon War.
"Mhm, to our future omniscient and omnipotent great gods." Nahida held her cup with both hands.
Malikata raised her cup: "Congratulations, Morax, Hu Tao."
"Especially you, Hu Tao. You've activated a Cosmology related to the Underworld. From now on, the gods of the Underworld will center around you."
Havria smiled. "Indeed, who would've thought? The Underworld God of Liyue has become the ruler of the entire Underworld."
Hu Tao scratched her head awkwardly. "Everyone's praising me so much... I, I really don't deserve it. I'm not that amazing..."
"I just... sort of stumbled into getting the Pseudo Star Map Creation."
Zhongli said, "Director Hu, you didn't stumble into anything. You earned it through a proper trial."
"The Heavenly Principle only offers opportunity—it does not make decrees."
"So, it is only natural that you received the Pseudo Star Map Creation."
Buer raised her cup with a gentle smile. "Whatever the case may be, this wine celebrating your rise to the peak of the cosmos—you two must accept it."
Raiden Makoto smiled. "Sister Buer is right."
Raiden Ei sat calmly, quietly lifting her cup.
Bonanus spoke warmly: "Morax, Hu Tao, I congratulate you both on reaching the apex of the universe."
Zhongli looked at his old friends, all raising their cups to bless him, and smiled.
Even stone would bloom when blessed by old companions.
At the other stone tables, the highest gods of each pantheon also stood and raised their cups toward Zhongli and Hu Tao.
Athena offered her blessings: "Congratulations on successfully establishing the Liyue Divine Collective."
Odin, Lumine, Aether, Yahweh, Ra, Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, Shakyamuni—all the highest gods of the major pantheons stood, holding their cups in both hands and offering congratulations to Zhongli and Hu Tao.
All the gods drank the divine wine together.
At that very moment, a radiant aurora appeared before the gods.
All the gods instantly turned to look at the aurora, their expressions shifting in unison.
This colorful aurora carried the unified force of all cosmic laws, representing the god above gods who governed the universe—and even beyond that, the one and only origin: Lord Heavenly Principle.
Could it be that an Almighty God was descending?
But when the silhouette emerged from within the aurora and entered the gods' vision, every god—except for those originally from Teyvat—instantly dropped to one knee, heads bowed, not daring to gaze upon that visage.
"Salute to Lord Heavenly Principle!"
The gods all spoke in unison.
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