Aha was currently in an unprecedentedly weakened state.

Though "weakened," it was relative to an Aeon. Right now, he only had the strength of a weak single-universe. Though still an Aeon, his Path's power had been completely exhausted and was in the process of recovery.

To return to peak condition would require over a dozen Amber Eras—tens of thousands of years.

However, for an Aeon, tens of thousands of years was nothing more than a blink of an eye.

Moreover, his Path had been torn apart by that cosmic sovereign—just like the Path of Order once suffered under Ena.

Even so, only a small portion had been torn.

"Aha won't just sit around and wait to die. In Aha's own home, Aha makes the rules."

In his home universe, even if ten Aeons attacked him together, he would still have the power to retaliate. Though he would certainly lose.

But he wasn't the only Aeon in this universe—his side actually had more Aeons than the other.

Of course, this was assuming that cosmic sovereign didn't personally intervene.

However, if that sovereign acted, they would definitely be countered by the Tree of Existence.

"Aha needs to drag those other guys into this too. Especially Destruction, Voracity, and Preservation, hehe."

"Aha might just get to witness a once-in-an-era war. That's way more interesting than tearing apart Order or calling forth Propagation."

Aha laughed wildly, completely unaware that a pair of eyes was watching him from above.

Noah looked down at the joyful Aeon and sneered.

"As expected, Joy is indeed... joyful."

He had no intention of barging in directly with Teyvat's gods.

Fighting on someone else's turf—especially on the Imaginary Tree—wouldn't end well even for him. A single misstep and the Tree and Sea would become his enemy.

The deadliest blades are often unseen.

The visible ones are usually just for show.

Noah's gaze turned in a particular direction, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"Aha wants to drag all the Aeons into the fray and witness a great war."

"What if he discovers that he's not just a spectator, but already on the stage himself? Wouldn't that be fun?"

"He'd definitely burst out laughing."

"Joy, joy—let another define it anew."

The Principle of Elation in the Star Rail Universe... Teyvat can replace it.

Replace the laws of the Star Rail Universe with the laws of Teyvat.

Silently usurp the entire universe, performing painless surgery on the Imaginary Tree, severing the Star Rail Universe from its branch.

[I think, therefore I am]

After observing the entire Star Rail Universe from a higher dimension, Noah activated the ultimate technique of the Power of Beginning Without End.

It was also his first time using a technique from the power of a great universe.

It must be said—this shattered all philosophical boundaries.

He felt that his very existence bypassed everything in the Tree and Sea and, in the blink of an eye, arrived in a patch of deep cosmic space.

Noah's consciousness fell from the higher dimension back into his body.

Golden eyes scanned the surroundings.

He had now entered the Star Rail Universe.

His perception spread out silently.

The aura of an ancient universe filled his senses.

He grasped the essence of the universe—from the tiniest fundamental particles to the grand laws governing galactic motion.

High-dimensional observation could only provide a general macro view.

Like watching a holographic projection—only now did Noah truly sense this real universe.

"Universe age: 15.7 billion years—slightly older than the universe of my previous life. Rich in energy, its rules have reached standard unit values."

"Quantum and Imaginary—both core laws are unimaginably dense. This universe is in its prime. Under normal conditions, its heat death would occur in ten trillion years."

In reality, once the last lifeform in the universe disappears and no new life can be born, the universe is already considered dead.

That point comes at around two trillion years.

It was at that time the Aeon of Finality began flowing backward from the end.

"Quantum and Imaginary—the two cornerstones of the universe—are also at their most active. The peak of universal civilization and ecology is right now, and will begin to decline in 20 billion years."

After fully sensing it, Noah took a deep breath.

This was truly the most glorious period in the universe's lifespan.

The prosperity of the Teyvat Universe hadn't even reached one percent of the Star Rail Universe.

But then again, the Star Rail Universe had developed for over ten billion years, whereas Teyvat had only existed for a few thousand.

Noah clenched his fist, testing his current adaptability to this universe.

"Suppressed by 20% due to being on foreign ground... Still, even if I fought all the Aeons alone, I could easily handle it with one hand."

No wonder those below the super single-universe level avoided entering other great universes by force.

This kind of off-world suppression really was too limiting.

Bear in mind—he wasn't just any strong single-universe; the totality of Teyvat was being suppressed by 20% here.

If Phanes came directly to the Star Rail Universe, she'd be suppressed by over 60%.

Phanes' foundational axis was the Teyvat Human Principle.

And the Human Principle... had another name: "domestic tyranny."

Unmatched in their home universe—but once they leave it, their power plummets.

As for beings like Ophis, as incarnations of Truth, their suppression would be lighter—around 30%.

After all, being this close to the Imaginary Tree, even a multiversal-level Ouroboros from the Tree and Sea could steadily suppress someone like Ophis.

"Hehe, gotta thank Aha for this one. Otherwise, if I had just appeared outright, the Tree and Sea would've noticed instantly. That would've been a real pain."

A pink halo appeared in Noah's hand—it was a Path torn directly from Aha.

This thing would allow him to acquire the status of an Aeon in the Star Rail Universe.

And this Path had already become a part of Teyvat.

Becoming an Aeon in the Star Rail Universe meant seizing a portion of the universe's authority.

"Let's see if I can lure out a Law from the Imaginary Tree with this."

Noah infused the fragment of Elation's Path with the accumulated wishes of the billions of Vision bearers nurtured within Teyvat's mature Vision-to-Godhood System.

Wishes, dreams, beauty, hope...

The desires of countless Vision bearers, and the divine will of gods who had already fulfilled their wishes, flowed endlessly into it.

Eventually, a chemical reaction occurred with the incomplete Path of Elation.

Buzz—

A blinding radiance like the Big Bang lit up the starfield, illuminating countless galaxies.

The cosmic pulse of a newly born Aeon spread across the universe, touching countless interstellar civilizations.

The Imaginary Tree resonated with the threshold-breaking rhythm of the great universe.

From the origin point where countless Laws and Truths had first formed, a golden Law descended into the Star Rail Universe.

Noah gazed upon the golden Law materializing before him, streaming endlessly into his body and attempting to elevate it to Supreme Divinity.

"Looks like my trick worked perfectly."

Wishes, dreams, miracles, hopes, prayers, persistence, dawn...

A brand new Path was born within the universe and began to spread to every corner of it.

Noah's grin nearly split his face. Behind him, a pale-gold Law Ring slowly appeared.

He already surpassed Supreme Divinity—this Law entering his body was like throwing a meat bun to a dog.

And it directly granted him a portion of cosmic authority.

The Path echoed throughout the entire great universe. In that instant, countless civilizations and sentient beings set foot upon the new Path.

"Hope!"

"Miracles!"

"No matter how deep the despair, as long as one holds firm in the heart, Hope will come. The Aeon of Hope will cast a glance—and you will walk the Path of Hope."

The Law Ring of the Principle of Hope behind Noah slowly spun.

"A new identity—Aeon of Hope. Hehehe."

"This trick really is useful. So don't blame me for bleeding you dry."

"Even if I get exposed in the end, I've made a massive profit."

Noah's smile at that moment looked like it would split his face wide open.

After obtaining the authority of the Star Rail Universe, Noah openly spread his divine consciousness across the entire universe.

Now he possessed a legitimate Imaginary ID.

With this identity alone, as long as he didn't deliberately release any power outside the Aeon framework, he wouldn't be noticed by the Tree and Sea.

In other words—

He could now wreak havoc without restraint under the identity of the Aeon of Hope.

"Now begins the layout. Hehe."

The corners of Noah's mouth curled up with unrestrained malice toward the Aeons.

Come to think of it—

This was actually the first time Teyvat's Heavenly Principle had set up an entire universe personally, without delegating to subordinates.

A bit sentimental, really.

In the past, every world he annexed was done through high crushing low. To those target worlds, Teyvat's power was a dimensional strike.

But at the cosmic level, that simply didn't work. Even a strong single-universe cosmos couldn't strike down a standard single-universe cosmos via dimensional suppression.

Not to mention, this universe was part of a multiverse branch. The only method was to infiltrate and collapse it from within.

...

Every Aeon's birth shook the entire universe.

For those who had survived since the Ancient Amber Era, the birth of a new Aeon was equivalent to a cosmic reshuffle.

Even if not a full reshuffle, it would inevitably lead to friction between Aeons.

This collision didn't mean Aeons would go to war directly.

Rather, it meant that the factions established by Pathstriders walking the Paths would inevitably clash.

These confrontations could take the form of new powers rising and expanding—or ideological battles that wouldn't end until one side was destroyed.

And this didn't only apply to opposing Aeon factions—even followers of the same Aeon could have irreconcilable ideological differences.

Some Pathstriders didn't even need to form new factions.

After all, many who stepped onto a Path were already powerful figures—leaders, heroes, icons of massive forces.

The Aeons, who had already begun to stir from the war declaration issued by another universe, all turned their attention toward the location of this new Aeon's birth.

But none of them were surprised by the arrival of a new Aeon. In fact, they found it perfectly normal.

The birth and fall of Aeons had happened countless times already.

The last major wave of Aeon births had occurred not too long ago—during the cosmic Swarm Disaster.

Aeons such as Fuli of Remembrance and Nanook of Destruction were born during that calamity.

After glancing at the new Aeon's birth, most Aeons withdrew their attention.

No one greeted him. No one intervened. Everything seemed natural.

Only Elation and Destruction were unsettled.

A new Aeon meant fresh amusement for Aha. He now had a new target to provoke.

Although Aha looked over, he didn't suspect Noah to be the cosmic sovereign who chased him from Teyvat.

Even though Noah hadn't changed his appearance at all, his existential imprint made it absolutely clear to every Aeon that he was a being from this universe who had ascended to Aeonhood.

Nanook, on the other hand, locked his golden eyes—brimming with destruction and grim intent—directly on the place where the Aeon of Hope had been born.

"A new Aeon."

"The birth of the universe itself is a mistake."

"Civilization is but a silent cancer rising among the stars."

"And Aeons are tumors that the universe must eradicate."

Nanook didn't speak aloud, but his will conveyed all he intended to say—along with the action he was about to take.

The power of the Path of Destruction began to converge upon Noah's location.

Noah frowned slightly and halted his steps.

"Interesting. All the other Aeons just gave a glance and calmed down, but Destruction is so aggressive."

"Trying to strike while the new Aeon is weak and unformed, eh?"

"That brain of his really is made of pork."

Conflicts between Aeons could indeed result in their Paths being torn apart—or their Supreme Divinity being shattered, leading to their fall.

Back then, Tayzzyronth had his Supreme Divinity torn apart by Qlipoth in three strikes, causing his Law to lose its anchor, which directly led to his downfall.

So yes, there were levels of strength among Aeons—and the differences were vast.

That strength depended on the breadth of their Path.

Laws and Paths are not the same.

Laws could be thought of as the brush, and the Path was the stroke an Aeon made with that brush.

While the brush wasn't the Aeon's, the Path certainly was.

Thus, Aeons had the final interpretive authority over Path.

The breadth of an Aeon's Path determined their strength.

It's like an exam—passing earns you Aeonhood.

But some score 80, others 90, and some get 99.

If we were to categorize it, Nanook only scored a 70—just slightly better than barely-passing Aeons like Tayzzyronth and Akivili.

In Noah's eyes, even the top-scoring Nihility IX only got 99.

He, on the other hand, got a full 100.

And the difference between 99 and 100 isn't just one point.

It's that your test paper only allows for 99 points, while mine is the paper—and it totals 100. We're not even on the same level.

Buzz!

With the resonance of Destruction's Path echoing across this patch of cosmic void, the aura of the Principle of Destruction spread across countless galaxies.

Only beings at the level of Emanators could even perceive this presence.

The birth of the Aeon of Hope had already shocked every Emanator across the universe. Before they could even investigate, the aura of the Aeon of Destruction suddenly arrived.

A newly born Aeon was already about to clash with another Aeon?

None of the major forces in the universe expected Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, to confront this new Aeon so directly.

Panic, fear, and awe erupted.

A conflict between Aeons could engulf countless galaxies.

Just like the last time the Aeon of Propagation waged the Swarm Disaster against other Aeons.

Noah's golden eyes reflected the manifestation of Supreme Divinity that accompanied the Principle of Destruction.

Compared to other Aeons, at least this one had a humanoid form.

Silver-white hair, obsidian skin, golden eyes staring indifferently at Noah.

He stood tall, bare-chested, with severed arms floating beside him. A massive golden wound split his divine body, and golden divine blood flowed endlessly from it.

This was the wound Aha had inflicted when he previously shattered Nanook's divine body—a wound that could never heal.

Boom!

Nanook appeared without a word—and attacked immediately.

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