Rhinedottir stared at the dagger tossed before her.
As a human of godlike rank, she could sense the terrifying power it held. With just a simple thrust into her chest, the dagger's energy would instantly spread through her body, destroying every inch from within. The process would be nearly painless, leading to immediate death.
Under Noah's gaze, she gently picked up the dagger.
Then, she threw herself at his feet, her eyes filled with desperation and pleading.
"Lord of the Eternal Throne, I know my sins are unforgivable, but I still wish to complete my life's dream. Please, I beg you, I beg you!"
Saying this, Rhinedottir humbly prostrated herself on the ground, pressing her forehead to the floor.
"I will atone for the sins I've caused. When I achieve my dream, I will end my life in repentance. Please… just give me one hundred years. That's all I ask, one hundred years, I beg you!"
Noah looked at the utterly humbled Rhinedottir and said coldly, "What a madwoman. Allowing you to live for a while isn't entirely impossible—it all depends on how much value you can create for me."
"Go ahead, pour everything into creating your so-called perfect lifeform."
As soon as his words fell, a red collar appeared around Rhinedottir's neck.
The collar was a chain of fate formed from Human Realm Force.
With this collar, her destiny no longer belonged to her; she had become a slave to fate, which, by nature, was under his dominion as the Heavenly Principle.
"From now on, your soul, your body, your purpose of existence, everything about you belongs to me."
Upon hearing this, Rhinedottir showed no fear. Instead, she wept tears of joy, for this meant the Heavenly Principle would not kill her.
She was not afraid of death, but she had yet to create her ideal alchemical lifeform.
Rhinedottir gently kissed Noah's foot. "Yes, from this day forward, I am entirely yours. Everything I have belongs to you, my master."
The more Noah observed Rhinedottir, the more convinced he became of her madness.
For the sake of her so-called perfect alchemical lifeform, she was willing to sacrifice everything, even knowing that her actions could bring calamity to the world. She pressed on, undeterred by the moral torment.
Was this what it meant to say, For my ideals, I will gladly become the enemy of the world?
Raising his hand, Noah summoned the Chains of Order from his fingertips. They materialized and instantly pierced through Rhinedottir's chest.
Rhinedottir looked down at the chain embedded in her chest. Strangely, she felt no pain—only that her knowledge and power were being siphoned away.
But just as she was gripped by terror, those same powers and knowledge returned to her.
She realized that the Heavenly Principle was merely asserting his absolute control over her knowledge and abilities.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she felt reassured as long as her knowledge wasn't taken away.
After establishing complete control over Rhinedottir, Noah lifted the suppression on her power. Once she regained access to her strength, she scrambled to her feet.
Noah stepped forward, walking past her to stand before the crystalline vat housing the god-tier alchemical lifeform in its embryonic state.
"Now, tell me, my slave—what is your plan to create this thing?"
He noted the embryonic alchemical creation, an amalgamation of Abyssal energy and Teyvat's elemental forces. Yet, unfamiliar with Abyssal systems, he recognized it only as an alchemical experiment but lacked the intricate expertise to fully grasp its creation.
The knowledge of alchemy was now under his control, but understanding the minute details of life's creation required more than just information. It was like knowing the blueprint for a nuclear weapon—having it didn't mean one could build it.
So, he didn't need to create this thing himself—he only needed to take control of it.
One of the reasons he kept Rhinedottir alive was that once he gained command over the Void Realm Force System, all Abyssal forces would become his power, much like the Archons in the current era.
If the world of Teyvat didn't have the Void Realm Force System, a madwoman like Rhinedottir would undoubtedly have to be eliminated, even if she happened to align with his personal tastes as a stunning beauty.
But with control over the Void Realm Force System, Rhinedottir could become a forge for god-tier Abyssal creatures.
Rhinedottir stood up and walked to Noah's side, her face completely devoid of fear. After all, her very existence now belonged to him, so there was nothing left to fear.
Discussing her field of expertise, she quickly grew excited and began explaining.
"My master, this is a core I developed by merging the strengths of over a hundred elemental creatures with the condensed essence of Abyssal Night."
"However, this core is currently only a prototype."
"Once it's completed, it will serve as the heart of a god-tier Abyssal alchemical lifeform. This heart will continually draw power from the Abyss, forming an embryo."
"With Teyvat now sealed, it can only draw energy from the Abyss in the Abyss Moon Sky."
"When it fully matures from its embryonic state, its body and vitality will surpass that of even Erinaeus, potentially rivaling the strength of the ancient Seven Dragon Sovereigns."
By the end, Rhinedottir's eyes were filled with fervent passion. Her gaze on the fleshy mass in the glass container resembled that of a proud parent admiring their child's first-place award.
Noah's heart skipped a beat as he observed this insane woman.
Good thing I came. If I hadn't found her, or if I'd arrived a few years later, and she'd brought forth something of the Seven Dragon Sovereigns' caliber, wouldn't that have caused a disaster on par with the Cataclysm from five hundred years ago?
It's well known that Abyssal creatures have a tendency to follow stronger ones. Weak Abyssal beings will rally around powerful ones.
If an Abyssal lifeform of the Seven Dragon Sovereigns' caliber emerged, countless Abyssal creatures from the Abyss Moon Sky would pour out and ravage the Seven Nations at an unprecedented speed.
"Honestly, if you weren't useful, I'd turn you to dust right now."
Noah's cold tone instantly froze the ecstatic Rhinedottir, who looked at him with pleading eyes.
"You can continue with your alchemical creation," he said. "But the moment you even think about betraying me, I will kill you."
Rhinedottir hurriedly swore, "I will never betray my master."
She didn't want to die yet, not before creating her perfect alchemical lifeform.
Noah said nothing more and placed his hand on Rhinedottir's chest.
Rhinedottir showed no sign of surprise. She had already accepted herself as his property, so whatever he did to her was natural.
Golden light flickered in Noah's eyes as strands of fate unraveled from Rhinedottir's being.
The threads of fate coiled around his fingers like fine strands of hair.
These threads of fate instantly connected to others who shared the same source of power as Rhinedottir.
A flood of images surged into his mind.
Noah's lips curled into a smirk, his golden eyes filled with a predator's amusement:
"Finally found you, pesky little rats."
The moment he located them, the punishment mechanism activated.
...
In the Sumeru Desert, amidst the barren, rocky wastelands, three figures cloaked in black and tightly concealing their faces trudged through the yellow sands. Each of them wore an ornate ring on their right hand.
One of the figures lifted his hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. "My disciple, Skirk, feels unfamiliar. She must have encountered something. Vedrfolnir, didn't you foresee this?"
The second cloaked figure sighed and shook his head. "No, I didn't. You should know what's been happening in this world lately. My vision seems to have failed, and what I see no longer matches what unfolds."
"This must be the work of someone who surpasses the source of my power. That's why my sight falters."
His ability to see the future allowed him to perceive events within the world. However, anything beyond the confines of Teyvat eluded him, and sometimes the information he received conflicted with the reality he witnessed.
He was confident that aside from the future of the one on Celestia, he could glimpse fragments of events concerning even the Archons of the Seven Nations.
It was precisely through the vision granted by his eyes that these inheritors of Khaenri'ah's sacred relics had avoided Celestia's purges and the curse of Heavenly Principles.
Another figure, burly and exuding an aura of immense strength, let out a cold snort. "What happened seven days ago was utterly absurd. There's no way it was Celestia's doing. If the tyrant of the heavens had the power to turn Teyvat into a dimensional world, why would they have needed to establish the False Sky in the first place?"
"I believe Teyvat must have obtained some opportunity from beyond its borders and actively transformed into a dimensional world."
Their inheritance contained vast knowledge about the nature of worlds.
They could claim to be the most knowledgeable about Teyvat's workings aside from the Primordial One.
The Wise Hroptatyr nodded. "Indeed. Celestia's ruler has likely fallen into a slumber and won't awaken unless Teyvat faces catastrophic destruction. This is our chance."
The Visionary Vedrfolnir sighed. "The Abyssal energy in this desert has been purified. Could this mean the sealed gates of Khaenri'ah might also be attempted for reopening?"
The Foul Surtalogi sneered. "If you don't know, how could we? Damn that tyrant of the heavens. Not only did they refuse to save Khaenri'ah's citizens back then, but they also cursed them into becoming hilichurls. Despicable!"
"One day, we will overthrow the throne of Celestia!"
As he spoke, his eyes burned with hatred, glaring at the faint shadow of the floating island above the high heavens.
Hroptatyr said, "That day will come. Now that Teyvat has become a dimensional world, it has broken free from the order imposed by the tyrant.
"A dimensional world must have gained many unclaimed authorities over its system. If we can secure some of them and wait for the Fourth Descender to reach their final destination, it will be time for us to topple the throne."
Surtalogi added, "What about the prince striving to become the Second Throne? He's no less formidable than his sister—perhaps even superior in certain aspects."
Vedrfolnir chuckled. "Based on what I've seen, the Abyss will eventually drown the throne. Khaenri'ah will be reborn within the Abyss. Only when the throne collapses will the curse on Khaenri'ah's citizens be lifted."
"Now that Teyvat has become a dimensional world, the prince who seeks to master the Abyss will undoubtedly grow stronger, increasing our odds of success."
Hroptatyr nodded. "Although we have some disagreements with him, his heart remains aligned with Khaenri'ah. After all, it was we who summoned the twins. They are the most critical force for overthrowing the throne."
Surtalogi interjected, "Enough talk. Let's hurry and see if we can tear open the tyrant's seal and reclaim Khaenri'ah's lands."
At that moment, Vedrfolnir clutched his eyes in pain. A searing agony consumed him as blood dripped down his cheeks from his eyes.
Suddenly, he screamed, "It's over! The tyrant has tracked us down! That tyrant has not been sleeping and has been searching for us all along. I saw it—we're going to die!"
Hroptatyr's expression changed drastically. "What? When?"
Vedrfolnir, his face now smeared with blood, looked upward with terror and said, "Now!"
Hroptatyr and Surtalogi instinctively raised their heads.
In an instant, the endless expanse of clear blue sky, devoid of even a single cloud, began to darken ominously.
A vortex of clouds appeared with an unimaginable speed, spiraling as though the very sky itself was twisting. The center of the vortex hovered directly above them.
Rumble!
Thunder roared within the thick, swirling clouds, and the scorching desert was suddenly swept by an icy wind so cold it seemed to reach absolute zero.
Crack! Crack!
The deafening sound of ice forming spread across the desert as the ground began freezing at an alarming rate.
The energy coursing through the ley lines beneath the earth ground to a halt, as though the very life of the land was being drained away.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In just a few seconds, the once golden sands had turned into a vast expanse of white frost. The icy wind, sharp enough to erode stone into dust, howled across the frozen wasteland.
Hroptatyr stared in horror as an ice-blue light emerged from the center of the vortex. A massive, pillar-like object began descending toward them.
"It's the Skyfrost Nail!" he screamed. "The tyrant of the heavens is trying to nail us to death here! Run!"
The Skyfrost Nail or the Divine Nail was far more than a mere curse like the one that transformed the citizens of Khaenri'ah into hilichurls.
It was a divine punishment that annihilated all life in its radius, freezing all energy and ley lines as if time itself had stopped—a terrifying and absolute judgment.
Even during Khaenri'ah's destruction, the tyrant had not deployed this ultimate sanction.
But just as Hroptatyr shouted his warning, he realized he couldn't move. His power was frozen, entirely sealed.
Vedrfolnir cried out in terror, "My power is locked! I can't open a portal to the Abyss!"
Their survival had depended on Abyssal teleportation technology—a force diametrically opposed to the Heavenly Principles. This had allowed them to evade capture by Celestia and the Archons.
Without the portal, they were defenseless against even the Archons, let alone the Heavenly Principle.
Perhaps under the old regime of Phanes, they might have escaped even the Divine Nail.
But what Noah had cast was no ordinary Nail—it carried the authority of the Supreme Order.
This Supreme Order governed the new Teyvat, binding all within its realm. To resist it required power capable of challenging the entire world.
Under the Supreme Order, all beings were equal.
"Ahhhh—!"
As the three screamed in despair, the Divine Nail descended slowly from the swirling clouds.
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