The gods who heard these words stared at Azhdaha in shock.
"My divine power will be eroded as well?" Morax asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
He had long felt a faint, inexplicable sense of danger—but he had never imagined that such a force could actually corrode divine power itself.
"Yes. And it spreads just as fast as it corrupts the Ley Lines," Azhdaha replied.
As he spoke, the purple blotches covering his body visibly spread. The areas already consumed began to twist and deform, their grotesque appearance unsettling to look at.
The gods all frowned deeply. If even divine power could be invaded, then being infected meant becoming a puppet controlled by that mysterious force. A heavy sense of crisis descended upon them all.
They each knew the power the others possessed. Every one of them was a top-tier god who had survived the Archon War. If any of them were to lose control within their own nations, they could very well bring about their own countries' destruction with their own hands.
"If even divine power can be invaded, this won't be an easy matter to resolve..." murmured the Dendro Archon, her tone grave.
"Should we ask the one on Celestia?" the Cryo Archon suggested hesitantly. She didn't even dare utter the words The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles. Even after thousands of years, the memory of being crushed for seven days and seven nights still sent chills down her spine.
At her words, the other gods exchanged uneasy glances. None dared respond.
The situation was dire indeed. If divine power itself could be corrupted, then a single mistake could doom them all. They all knew what the best course of action was—reporting the matter to The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
But the memory of their past defeat at Its hands left them too terrified to speak. Whoever mentioned contacting The Sustainer would be the one expected to do it.
The tense silence stretched on until Morax finally spoke calmly.
"I will go ask."
His words were like a lifeline. The others felt immense relief.
"Lend Azhdaha some of your divine power," he continued. "At least until I return, he must not fall under that force's control."
The gods nodded quickly, channeling their divine energy into Azhdaha. As long as it didn't involve Celestia, they would comply with anything.
"I'll go with you," said Baal of Inazuma.
Back then, it had been Zebul who fought that battle. Baal had only watched from afar as they were overwhelmed for seven days and nights. To her, The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was a being to be revered, not feared.
And so, Morax and Baal flew together toward distant Celestia. Holding their Gnoses, they easily pierced the transparent barrier that shielded the island.
After thousands of years, they once again set foot on that sacred land. Yet the place was eerily silent—so quiet it felt unnatural.
They waited for a while, but The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles never appeared. Eventually, they entered a building on the island.
"Morax, over here," Baal called.
Morax hurried over and saw her holding a slip of paper.
[If hordes of hideous monsters begin invading this land, use all your strength to destroy them. Remember—under no circumstances must you be wounded by them.]
The brief message left both Morax and Baal staring at each other in stunned silence.
It seemed The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles had foreseen this long ago—and had left this note in preparation. And indeed, that was the truth.
When the Archon War had just ended and Elliot had ascended as The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, he had already foreseen this day. Having transcended Teyvat and glimpsed the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta, he knew what was to come.
The current Teyvat was a civilization that had failed to survive the "Collapse" and been abandoned by the Imaginary Tree. It had fallen into the Sea of Quanta, becoming a "world bubble."
Being devoured by the Sea of Quanta was only a matter of time.
Elliot did not know when it would happen—perhaps in thousands of years, perhaps in tens of thousands. He only knew one thing: the Sea of Quanta was Teyvat's Abyss.
He understood what the Abyssal creatures were like. That was why, before leaving Teyvat, he left behind this note.
Elliot knew that when the Sea of Quanta began to consume the land, Teyvat would be overrun by beings of the Abyss. When that time came, the Seven Archons would seek him out—and they would find this note.
"It seems this matter is far from simple," Morax said with a furrowed brow.
"Indeed. Even The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles couldn't destroy such a force," Baal replied with a nod, the gravity of the situation dawning on her.
If The Sustainer could have eliminated it, He wouldn't have needed to leave a note behind. He had foreseen this, yet chosen not to act—leaving only a warning instead. That could only mean He couldn't resolve it immediately. And since He wasn't on Celestia now, He had likely gone elsewhere in search of a solution.
"War... is coming again," Morax murmured, feeling a heavy ache settle in his chest.